College Football - Football Betting

2005-10-30T17:37:00.000-08:00

Iowa Hawkeyes

Oct. 22---College Football---
Michigan 23 ... Iowa 20 OT---College Football---
Michigan's Jerome Jackson ran one yard for a score in overtime to break Iowa's 22-game home winning streak. The Hawkeyes forced overtime on a 32-yard field goal from Kyle Schlicher, and then took the lead on a 28-yard field goal. Chad Henne threw two touchdown passes with a brilliant catch and run from Steve Breaston for a 52-yard score for a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. Iowa got two touchdown passes from Drew Tate in the first half. Iowa LBs Abdul Hodge and Chad Greenway combined for 36 tackles. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Michigan WR Jason Avant caught seven passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Iowa - Passing: Drew Tate, 27-39, 288 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Albert Young, 30-153. Receiving: Scott Chandler, 8-90---College Football---
Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 14-21, 207 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Kevin Grady, 18-62. Receiving: Jason Avant, 7-105, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: The Hawkeyes got All-America caliber performances from Abdul Hodge and Chad Greenway against Michigan, and Albert Young ran as well as he had all year long, but the offense couldn't control the tempo of the game and there were way to many penalties in the first half. Iowa feeds off of other teams' mistakes, but it didn't get many out of the Wolverines and didn't get any momentum changing plays. With tough road trips to Northwestern and Wisconsin ahead, this was a horrible time to see the 22-game home winning streak stopped.
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Oct. 15---College Football---
Iowa 38 ... Indiana 21---College Football---
Iowa overcame a 203-yard receiving day from James Hardy and 40:09 time of possession in favor of IU with Albert Young touchdown runs from 31 and 26 yards out and a 42-yard touchdown pass to Clinton Solomon. IU was able to move the ball all game long, but couldn't get any closer than three early in the fourth quarter. A 30-yard Damian Sims touchdown run with just over four minutes to play finally put the Hoosiers away.---College Football---
Player of the game: Iowa RB Albert Young ran 26 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns, and caught two passes fro 63 yards.---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Indiana - Passing: Blake Powers, 37-57, 360 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Taylor, 17-39. Receiving: James Hardy, 12-203, 1 TD
Iowa - Passing: Drew Tate, 12-24, 265 yds, 2 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Albert Young, 26-125, 2 TD, Receiving: Scott Chandler, 4-87---College Football---
What to take away from this game: The win over Indiana might not have been the best of Iowa performances, but it was a good win considering how much the pass defense struggled. Drew Tate had an efficient game, while Scott Chandler and Clinton Solomon played well with Ed Hinkel out of the mix. With Michigan and Northwestern coming up in the next two games, the defense is going to have to tighten up in a big hurry. ---College Football---
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Oct. 8---College Football---
Iowa 34 ... Purdue 17---College Football---
Iowa broke open a tight game with 14 unanswered points in the second half helped by a safety, a 36-yard scoring play from WR Clinton Solomon, and an Ed Miles interception to thwart a Purdue drive. Solomon, who was dinged up during the game, started off the Purdue scoring with a 78-yard touchdown catch as Iowa jumped out to a 17-7 lead. Purdue came back on a 24-yard touchdown pass to Dorien Bryant and a 46-yard Ben Jones field goal, but couldn't get any closer in the fourth quarter.---College Football---
Player of the game: Iowa QB Drew Tate completed 19 of 33 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns.---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Iowa - Passing: Drew Tate, 19-33, 357 yds, 3 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Albert Young, 36-165. Receiving: Clinton Solomon, 5-166, 2 TD---College Football---
Purdue - Passing: Brandon Kirsch, 31-50, 353 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 16-78, 1 TD. Receiving: Dorien Bryant, 10-141, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Is this impressive performance at Purdue the game that officially announces the beginning of Iowa's annual second half march? With a manageable schedule, the door is still wide open for the Big Ten title as long as Penn State slips up along the way, but the Hawkeyes have to be healthy, which might be a problem after getting dinged up in the receiving corps this week, and the defense has to tighten up. Don't laugh, but Indiana's passing game could give Iowa problems next week if the secondary struggles like it did against the Boilermakers. ---College Football---
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Oct. 1---College Football---
Iowa 35 ... Illinois 7---College Football---
Iowa got two touchdowns from Ed Hinkel in the to go along with a three-yard Marcus Schnoor touchdown run for a 21-0 lead, and then cruised from there. E.B Halsey ran for a one-yard score, but that was all the fun the Illinois would have as the Hawkeyes answered with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Scott Chandler and a 66-yard Damian Sims scoring run.
Player of the game: Iowa QB Drew Tate completed 17 of 22 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Tim Brasic, 32-44, 233 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Pierre Thomas, 15-100. Receiving: E.B. Halsey, 11-40, 1 TD---College Football---
Iowa - Passing: Drew Tate, 17-22, 175 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Albert Young, 13-102. Receiving: Albert Young, 4-51---College Football---
What to take away from this game: O.K. Iowa fans, take a big exhale. The offense showed it can move the ball with an excellent showing against Illinois the week after doing nothing against Ohio State. Drew Tate was tremendously efficient, while the running game did a solid job of keeping the chains moving. The defense still allowed too many yards, but it's hard to argue with only seven points allowed. It's a great sign that the offense converted six of nine third down attempts. ---College Football---
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Sept. 24---College Football---
Ohio State 31 ... Iowa 6---College Football---
Ohio State amassed 530 yards of total offense, while the defense held Iowa to -9 rushing yards in the sloppy, but stunningly easy win. Troy Smith threw two touchdown passes to Anthony Gonzalez and ran for scores from 16 and four yards out. Iowa only managed Kyle Schlicher field goals from 52 and 37 yards. The Buckeyes hung on to the ball for 39:23, but had a few problems hanging on to the ball with five fumbles, losing two. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Ohio State QB Troy Smith completed 13 of 19 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran 18 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Iowa - Passing: Drew Tate, 22-39, 146 yds, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Albert Young, 10-25. Receiving: Ed Hinkel, 6-47---College Football---
Ohio State - Passing: Troy Smith, 13-19, 191 yds, 2 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Antonio Pittman, 28-171. Receiving: Anthony Gonzalez, 6-90, 2 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: It wasn't that Iowa lost to Ohio State, it was the way it lost. One of 12 on third downs, -9 rushing yards, and 314 rushing yards allowed; this isn't what Iowa was supposed to be. This is the second game, including the Iowa State loss, that the offense did absolutely nothing. Considering the team has more weapons this year, that has to be changed immediately with a good performance against Illinois. The receivers have to start getting open, while the rushing game needs to start establishing some sort of consistency. If Iowa wants to be considered among the elite at some point again this year, it can't have another game like this. Once again, though, the Hawkeyes won't face Ohio State again.---College Football---
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Sept. 17---College Football---
Iowa 45 ... Northern Iowa 21---College Football---
Iowa jumped out to a 21-0 lead on two Albert Young touchdown runs and a interception return for a score from Jovon Johnson. Drew Tate, back from a concussion suffered last week, threw two touchdown passes to Clinton Solomon, including a 71-yarder, for a 38-7 lead early in the third quarter. Eric Sanders threw three touchdown passes for Northern Iowa.
Player of the game: Iowa QB Drew Tate completed 15 of 18 passes for 247 yards and two touchdown. He also ran three times for 33 yards. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Iowa - Passing: Drwe Tate, 15-18, 247 yds, 2 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Albert Young, 13-97, 2 TD. Receiving: Ed Hinkel, 5-42---College Football---
Northern Iowa - Passing: Eric Sanders, 19-29, 263 yds, 3 TD ---College Football---
Rushing: Eric Sanders, 11-49. Receiving: Brian Cutright, 4-61, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: It might not have been the best Iowa performance, but the win over Northern Iowa at least got some of the shattered confidence back after last week's Iowa State debacle. Yes, the offense does work and yet, there are playmakers. Everything will have to be clicking perfectly for the Hawkeyes to win at Ohio State next week meaning Drew Tate has to be as sharp as he was against UNI, and Albert Young has to keep giving the offense a steady ground game. ---College Football---
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Sept. 10---College Football---
Iowa State 23 ... Iowa 3---College Football---
Iowa couldn't do much of anything against the swarming, opportunistic Iowa State defense that forced five turnovers and knocked out Hawkeye starting quarterback Drew Tate with a second quarter concussion. The Cyclones started off the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Austin Flynn, and took a 16-0 first half lead thanks to a 28-yard LaMarcus Hicks interception return for a touchdown. Iowa was only able to manage a 44-yard Kyle Schlicher field goal. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Iowa State RB Stevie Hicks ran 28 times for 118 yards. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Iowa - Passing: Jason Manson, 10-31, 117 yds, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Albert Young, 18-140. Receiving: Scott Chandler, 7-72---College Football---
Iowa State - Passing: Bret Meyer, 14-24, 154 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT ---College Football---
Rushing: Stevie Hicks, 28-118. Receiving: Todd Blythe, 5-76---College Football---
What to take away from this game: It might be easy to pin the loss to Iowa State on the loss of QB Drew Tate in the second quarter, but that's not quite fair to how good the Cyclone defense played. Even so, backup QB Jason Manson didn't appear ready to handle the pressure situation having problems keeping the chains moving. The running game was still effective and the defense wasn't horrible, but this was an ugly loss that might be hard to shake if the Hawkeyes don't obliterate Northern Iowa next week. With Ohio State coming up, the offense had better get used to effective defenses. ---College Football---
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Sept. 3---College Football---
Iowa 56 ... Ball State 0---College Football---
Ball State got hit by a steamroller as Iowa took a 28-0 first quarter lead helped by a couple of touchdown runs and a Jovon Johnson return of a pooch punt 89 yards for a score. Sam Brownlee ran for two second quarter touchdowns and Drew Tate threw for two scores before the backups came in. Ball State only managed 141 yards of total offense.---College Football---
Player of the game: Iowa QB Drew Tate completed 9 of 10 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Ball State - Passing: Warren Suess, 5-12, 55 yds---College Football---
Rushing: Jovens Degage, 9-21. Receiving: Terry Moss, 2-29---College Football---
Iowa - Passing: Drew Tate, 9-10, 99 yds, 2 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Shonn Greene, 18-115, 1 TD. Receiving: ---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Iowa could've hung 90 on Ball State if it wanted to. The Hawkeyes looked midseason crisp with Drew Tate throwing as well as ever and the ground game showing weapons and big play ability compared to last year when there weren't any healthy bodies. The defensive front four didn't appear to have any problems, but once again, it was Ball State. While this wasn't a test of any kind, it was the type of whupping Iowa has to be happy with to get even more confident going into the nasty rivalry game against Iowa State. ---College Football---
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2005 Schedule ---College Football---
Sept. 3 – Ball State (1-10, 1-7 in MAC) – Offense: The offense didn't exactly set the world on fire averaging 20.45 points and 323 yards per game, and now things are worse with the early departure of receiver Dante Ridgeway, who caught 105 passes last year, to the NFL, and the booting of top running back Adell Givens off the team this off-season. Quarterback is the biggest plus with big bombers Joey Lynch and Cole Stinson good enough to carry the offense. A slew of average backs will work behind a veteran line that needs more work. Expect the passing game to be spread out a lot more.---College Football---
Defense: It was a defensive domino effect. There was no pass rush from the front seven, so the mediocre secondary had a harder time covering anyone and the entire machine broke down. The two starting safeties, Justin Beriault and Erik Keys, were the team's top two tacklers. That's never a plus. Beriault is gone meaning Keys will have to make more big plays for a secondary that has to do much, much more after a horrendous year only picking off two passes. On the plus side, the linebacking corps is solid with five good options. The line should be better after a year of inconsistency, youth, and injuries.---College Football---
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Sept. 10 – at Iowa State (6-5, 4-4 in Big 12 North) – Offense; The way-too-young offense of last year should shine this season with a more mature passer in sophomore Bret Meyer and a potentially lethal receiving corps if Todd Blythe can return to form after a torn ACL. Outside of Blythe, this isn't an explosive attack with a plodding, but effective rushing attack led by the underrated Stevie Hicks. The line has the potential to go from good to special if Aaron Brant, Kory Pence and Seth Zehr improve a little bit.---College Football---
Defense: The 2004 Cyclone defense was one of the best in school history and can be just as good, if not better, if there aren't any major injuries. That's a huge, huge if. There's absolutely no developed depth whatsoever and there are concerns at outside linebacker and finding a consistent pass rush. Even so, this should be a stingy group with a great starting front four and some of the most productive safeties in the Big 12.---College Football---
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Sept. 17 – Northern Iowa---College Football---
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Sept. 24 – at Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 in Big Ten) – Offense: The offense was average to flat-out bad struggling with its consistency, and then came the Michigan game as QB Troy Smith had his breakout game giving hope for a more explosive 2005. The plan is for experience to turn into production with two good quarterbacks, some decent looking, but unproven runners, and a devastating receiving corps with Santonio Holmes and Heisman candidate Ted Ginn Jr. The line returns four starters and should be better. Finishing 98th in the nation in total offense and 71st in scoring offense again will be absolutely unacceptable.---College Football---
Defense: Nine starters return to a defense that was its typical bend-but-rarely-break self for most of the year, but it has to deal with defensive coordinator Mark Snyder moving on to take the Marshall head coaching gig. The nation's best linebacking corps leads the way with A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Schlegel and Mike D'Andrea all sure to be making a ton of dough next year at this time. The secondary will be solid if it can find a second corner across from Ashton Youboty, and the line will be good if it can find a killer pass rusher.---College Football---
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Oct. 1 - Illinois (4-7, 2-6 in Big Ten) – Offense: Ed Zaunbrecher brings his passing attack from Gainesville to Champaign and is looking for the right pieces to fit. The running backs will be the centerpiece early on with Pierre Thomas and E.B. Halsey as good as any twosome in the Big Ten. The receiving corps has potential with Kendrick Jones a burgeoning star. A quarterback has to emerge as a star to run the offense like Chris Leak did for Florida. Inexperienced junior Tim Brasic has the inside line on the job, but he'll need time to get his feet wet. The line is average at best.
Defense: The defense struggled in every phase trying to overcome injuries and youth. The D is still extremely young, but it's athletic with good speed almost everywhere. The secondary will have to be a rock early with good safeties in Justin Harrison and Morris Virgil and rising corners Alan Ball and Charles Bailey. The undersized linebacking corps will be an issue early, where the ends have to generate more of a pass rush.---College Football---
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Oct. 8 – at Purdue (9-2, 6-2 in Big Ten) – Offense: Considering the hot start and the nation's 13th best offense and 20th best scoring offense, the Purdue attack was a disappointment having problems with consistency along with an inability to come through in most of the big games. Seven starters return to an offense that has the potential to be far better despite the loss of QB Kyle Orton and top receiver Taylor Stubblefield. Brandon Kirsch takes over at quarterback and should add a bit more life and fire to the position. The receiving corps is loaded with rising star Dorien Bryant, 6-9 Kyle Ingraham and top tight end Charles Davis forming a dangerous trio. The backfield is experienced and good with redshirt freshman Kory Sheets pushing veteran Jerod Void and Brandon Jones. The line will be fine as long as there aren't any injuries to the starting five.
Defense: All eleven starters return to the nation's 40th ranked defense. Outside of a few hiccups, it was a consistent group finishing 17th in the nation in scoring defense allowing a mere 17.17 points per game. So why is it hard to get too excited about this group? The line is one of the best in the nation with the best ends (Ray Edwards, Anthony Spencer and Rob Ninkovich), that you've never heard of. The back seven is full of hard-hitting veterans, but there are few star playmakers and there should once again be problems against the better passing teams.---College Football---
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Oct. 15 - Indiana (3-8, 0-8 in Big Ten) – Offense: The offense actually wasn't that horrible over the first part of last season. Consistency was the biggest problem and the defense didn't exactly help the cause. Even with the loss of three big starters (QB Matt LoVecchio, RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis and WR Courtney Roby) the potential is there to do much more with an experienced line that gets two of its top players (OT Isaac Sowells and C Chris Mangiero) back from injury The running game will be serviceable with Chris Taylor and Yamar Washington until the young recruits come around and the receiving corps has plenty of speedy prospects. None of the promise will come true if Blake Powers, or one of the other quarterback candidates, doesn't start playing at a D-I level.
Defense: The D returns nine starters with the hopes of being stronger in all phases. There's a better chance of the pass defense improving than the run defense with a good pass rush taking the heat off the speedy young corners. Being a wall against the run will be a problem needing to convert John Pannozzo from fullback to middle linebacker and Greg Brown from the offensive line to tackle. Outside of Brown, there's little Big Ten-size inside.---College Football---
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Oct. 22 - Michigan (9-2, 6-2 in Big Ten) – Offense: On straight talent, it'll be hard to beat the Wolverines if QB Chad Henne and RB Mike Hart improve at all on their fantastic freshman years. The loss of all-everything receiver Braylon Edwards will hurt worse than many will you have you believe. However, Jason Avant and Steve Breaston are very, very good. The line will have three All-Big Ten performers in guard Matt Lentz and tackles Adam Stenavich and Jake Long; now the pass protection has to be better.---College Football---
Defense: One of the most scrutinized defenses in the country this off-season after meltdowns against Ohio State and Texas, there's enough talent returning, and enough pressure on defensive coordinator Jim Herrmann, to expect a bit more consistency. There are some big losses, particularly in the secondary, but there are always enough athletes in Ann Arbor to go around. The line will be the strength with Gabe Watson and Pat Massey one of the nation's best tackle tandems. Can the back seven handle mobile quarterbacks? Will this be a tighter D against the top teams? The jury is still out.---College Football---
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Nov. 5 – at Northwestern – (4-7, 2-6 in Big Ten) Offense: Consistency was a problem last year and there weren't enough points scored against most of the good defenses, but it was still the nation's 29th ranked offense and it should crack the top 25 this year. The passing game will be one of the Big Ten's best with veteran quarterback Brett Basanez working with an experienced and deep receiving corps. Terrell Jordan and Brandon Robinson will combine to keep the running game rolling behind Zach Strief and a good line. The guards are a bit of a question mark, but that's nitpicking.---College Football---
Defense: The potential is there for a good year after struggling away from Evanston. The return of end Loren Howard, corner Marquice Cole and linebacker Adam Kadela from the injury problems of last year will be a big help. The line should be a rock against the run with excellent size, while the linebacking corps has two All-Big Ten talents in Tim McGarigle and Nick Roach to build around. There's not a sure-thing pass rusher on the line meaning the fast corners will have to be better in coverage to improve a shaky pass defense.---College Football---
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Nov. 12 – at Wisconsin (7-5, 3-5 in Big Ten) – Offense: Paul Chryst comes over from Oregon State to take on the co-offensive coordinator job along with Brian White, and he should do more for the passing game. John Stocco showed flashes of being a reliable quarterback last year, but he didn't do it often enough. The running game needs the backs to stay healthy, and the receiving corps has to make more big plays. While the line loses some key parts, it'll still be a strong group with a few big-time dominators.---College Football---
Defense: Bret Bielema's defense was one of the big stories of the 2004 Big Ten season finishing ninth in the nation and sixth in scoring defense. Now the entire front four needs to be replaced as does most of the secondary with several All-Big Ten talents graduating. However, there's hope with great looking young defensive linemen ready to take over and a good linebacking corps to steady things early on. There's no way to reproduce the same numbers as last year, but don't look for the roof to cave in like many will predict.---College Football---
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Nov. 19 - Minnesota (7-4, 4-4 in Big Ten) – Offense: If all the parts stay healthy and QB Bryan Cupito improves on his consistency and accuracy, the offense will be one of the top ten in America. The left side of the line, along with center Greg Eslinger, will dominate. The receiving corps looks like an NBA backcourt with size, speed and athleticism. Of course, the star of the show will be junior Laurence Maroney who should by a lock for at least 1,500 yards.---College Football---
Defense: Head coach Glen Mason will work with the defense most of the time this off-season to try to improve things after a few lousy seasons. The pass defense was horrible and won't get much help right away from the pass rush. The linebacking corps will be fine in time, but the secondary will need plenty of work. The strength is in the middle of the line with All-Big Ten tackle candidates Anthony Montgomery and Mark Losli.---College Football---
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2005-10-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

Keys to the Big GamesWeek Eight, Oct. 22Tennessee vs. AlabamaBy John Harris
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a. Big on Big – Shouldn’t every football game come down to a battle between the Big Uglies, the men in the trenches? Well, in this game, and in most games in the SEC, it does and the match up of the Alabama offensive line and the Tennessee defensive line could ultimately determine the outcome of this great rivalry game. The Vol defensive line, although thought to be one of the best in the nation, got hit right smack in the face by the Georgia Bulldog offensive line, and that’s the tact that the Tide must take with them as well. Similar to a heavyweight boxer facing old school Mike Tyson, you’ve got to hit first and not back down. Hit the bully in the face as hard as you can and see how they respond.---college football---
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That’s what Georgia did to DT Jesse Mahelona and his mates, and it eventually paid off in a key win. Alabama doesn’t have the powerful and experienced offensive line that Georgia has, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’ve got two absolutes – protect QB Brodie Croyle and give RB Kenneth Darby a little bit of space to gash the Tennessee defense. The Tide could go to more max protection schemes to ensure that Croyle is standing at game’s end, so they’ll get some help from tight ends and running backs to slow down the Vol pass rush. But, can they get any movement at all up front to allow Darby room to run? That eventually will be the key, as Croyle can use the play action off Darby’s runs to hurt the Vols linebackers. But, if Mahelona and company snuff out the run, then the Tide becomes predictable and one-dimensional. That’s not good at all…obviously.---college football---
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b. The Replacements – The title isn’t meant to say that the Tide receivers are second rate at all, but the question will linger – who’ll take over as the play making threat now that WR Tyrone Prothro is out for the season? For the first time in a long time, the Tide was able to stretch a defense deep down field with Prothro, evident extremely early in the Florida game. Not that his loss would’ve or could’ve come at an advantageous time, but it’s that much worse in facing this Tennessee secondary this week. ---college football---
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With All-SEC CB Jason Allen out of the foreseeable future, the Vol secondary loses one of the best in the conference, and the guy that probably would’ve drawn Prothro. However, neither one is going to see the field on Saturday. So, the pressure falls on Keith Brown, DJ Hall (if available to play) and Matt Caddell to make plays for the Tide offense. All of them have made big plays over the past two years, but each one’s role is that much more important this weekend. Brown led the Tide with 6 grabs for 79 yards against Ole Miss, and showed his wheels against Florida taking a short slant route all the way to the house. He could be the explosive answer to Prothro’s absence, but no matter who steps up to become the ‘star’, this unit will be on the spot throughout this game.---college football---
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c. Reunited – The Tennessee offensive line has had some issues thus far this year, but no unit has more pressure this week to perform well than the quintet that’ll strap it up on Saturday. Two weeks ago against Georgia, the five UT offensive linemen that were projected to start the year took the field together for the first time since the Florida game. Now that they’re back to where they need to be, it’s time for them to get cranked up. The Tennessee running game has met significant resistance this year, and it wasn’t until the end of the LSU game that they really took over in that game. Against an Alabama defense that is ultra-quick and can shut down most anything on the perimeter, the interior line must be able to get some movement in the middle, on isolation or power G runs, to move the chains. ---college football---
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Alabama hasn’t really seen a team that can attack them in between the tackles like this Tennessee run offense can. But, the question becomes whether the Tennessee line can open those holes or if it’ll be Rick Clausen time throughout the game. Even if the Vols focus on establishing Gerald Riggs in the middle, the Vol OL must get up to the second level and get a hat on the Tide linebackers – Demeco Ryans, Freddie Roach and Juwan Simpson. To do so, the guard-center-guard trio of Rob Smith, Richie Gandy and Cody Douglas must control the Tide DT to a point that one of them can move up to the second level. The last thing that the Vols can do is have to block four with five and let those great Tide linebackers run to the ball free and clear throughout the game. Let’s just put this as simply we can – 48 yards on the ground by the Vols won’t get it done.---college football---
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Conclusion – After the close call at Ole Miss last week, the Tide returns this week to Tuscaloosa, where they played an almost flawless game against Florida. They’ll need to continue to harness the emotion and passion of the Tide faithful to knock off a desperate Tennessee team. Similar to the way that Michigan fought back against undefeated Penn State, expect Tennessee to take Bama’s best shot and hang around for four quarters. Brodie Croyle will be the difference as he’ll continue to find open receivers and move the ball as they have this season. He’ll need a big play from one of his receivers, and expect him to get one that wins the game for the Tide. Alabama – 21 vs. Tennessee – 20 ---college football---

2005-10-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

Instant AnalysisUSC vs. Notre Dame, Oct. 15By Matthew Zemek

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How do you analyze an epic that, carried along by hype and crowned with controversy, exceeded its otherworldly advance billing?How do words even remotely begin to capture the totality of the drama and determination, the agony and ecstasy, the rise and fall of great powers in the most arresting college football passion play since the 2003 Fiesta Bowl involving Miami and Ohio State?To provide a straightforward analysis of this game would be akin to dissecting the strata formations of the Grand Canyon, or coldly assessing the painting mechanics of Michelangelo while viewing the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

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You just don’t do it.Instead, you pick one play... and you stand in awe before a level of beauty as sublime as anything ever fashioned by human beings.Sure, Matt Leinart’s sneak with three seconds left delivered USC to a heartstopping triumph in Notre Dame Stadium, but the play from this contest that will reverberate through the ages was a 61-yard pass from the Heisman Trophy winner to Dwayne Jarrett on 4th and 9 with just over a minute left to go. In college football’s long and colorful history, a few plays stand out in the collective memory as indelible moments never to be forgotten: Hail Flutie in 1984; the Cal kickoff return from ‘82; Johnny Rodgers’ punt return for Nebraska against Oklahoma in ’71; Alabama’s fourth-down goal-line stop of Penn State in the ’79 Sugar Bowl; and Miami’s stop of Nebraska’s two-point play in the ’84 Orange Bowl are but a few of those plays.In Southern Calilfornia’s football history, the one play that always echoed through the pages of time was Orenthal James Simpson’s electrifying cutback run against UCLA in 1967, a display of excellence and grace under pressure that legendary coach John McKay cherished more than any other snap in his decorated career.----collegefootball----

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Tonight, as a slack-jawed college football world tries to put this just-ended classic into perspective, there’s one thing you can safely do: file that 51-yard pass from Leinart to Jarrett alongside O.J.’s dash to glory. It’s a moment that will hold up under scrutiny as one of college football’s greatest single plays, and the single most incredible play in the storied history of the USC-Notre Dame rivalry.Why was this play special, beyond the obvious reasons?It was special because Dwayne Jarrett had been struggling more regularly than any other Trojan receiver. The tall, lanky playmaking stud had become very small mentally, and his evident physical advantages only served to make his underachieving performance that much more devastating toward his own team’s chances of maintaining its cartload of winning streaks, not to mention its place atop the national rankings. If there was one man among USC’s skill-position studs who did not figure to make the defining play of this game, Jarrett had to be first on the list. His ability to make a catch in traffic and then sprint to the Irish 13 instantly saved his team from looming death and crushing heartbreak.----collegefootball----

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In redeeming his team, Dwayne Jarrett redeemed himself.But that’s only half the story.Leinart—throughout another spotlight game in which he became so much tenderized meat at the hands of an opposing front four—constantly underthrew balls all afternoon. He could rarely get the ball far enough or straight enough on sideline routes to reach his receivers in the first place. And even when Leinart completed passes over the middle, he often failed to hit his pass catchers in stride, thereby taking away touchdowns from his team and making the task at hand more difficult.----collegefootball----

But on a 4th and 9 in which the weight of the world rested on his shoulders, Leinart managed to throw a ball on a line, getting just enough mustard on his fastball to beat a Notre Dame secondary that hustled from start to finish. Jarrett had to make the catch-and-run, but Leinart had to get the ball there first. From both ends, receiver and quarterback created a moment that took old-time USC fans 38 years into the past, while keeping the Trojans on top of the college football world by the slightest of margins.Brady Quinn, Charlie Weis, and the rest of the Irish maxed out, making this game the classic it was. But USC had the ball last, and with one amazing pass play, the Trojans came up with one of college football’s most unforgettable moments... and a win in a game that had them at death’s door.

----collegefootball----

2005-10-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

College Football Notebook: Temple's coach won't return

By The Associated Press

Bobby Wallace is leaving Temple in the same shape he found it: As one of the worst football teams in Division I-A. - College Football -

After eight losing seasons of never winning more than four games, Wallace said yesterday he will leave at the end of the year when his coaching contract expires.

"What we've been through, the transition we've been through, has taken a toll on me and my family," Wallace said. "It hasn't been easy." - College Football -

The Owls have been outscored, 297-63, and have lost five of their games by at least 25 points.

Wallace coached the Owls through one of their worst era's in an already historically woeful program. Since Wallace took over in 1998, Temple was booted out of the Big East Conference, switched home stadiums and is playing its first year as an independent before joining the Mid-American Conference as a full member in 2007. - College Football -

The one constant has been the losing. The Owls are winless in six games this year. Their most recent winning season was 1990 and they haven't played a bowl game since 1979.

"Losing will wear on you and we've lost a lot of games," Wallace said.

Even with three two-win seasons and a one-win season on his Temple resume, this year has truly been Wallace's toughest. The Owls have allowed more than 60 points three times already and lost by three points against Western Michigan, their best chance for a win this year.

The 11 opponents on Temple' schedule finished a combined 83-48 (.634) last year and eight of its opponents played in bowl games. - College Football -

It doesn't get any easier Saturday when the Owls play No. 7 Miami.

Wallace said he met with Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw last week to talk about his future. Wallace said he made the decision now to give Temple a jump on finding a new coach.

Temple's uncertain status after being voted out of the Big East in 2001 didn't help Wallace in recruiting. The Owls were kicked out because they didn't meet minimum requirements for membership, most notably in attendance, facilities and fielding a competitive team.

"That was a strain on all of us," Wallace said.

The Owls have no true conference affiliation for another two years. They are affiliate members of the Mid-American Conference this year and next, slowly adding conference teams to the schedule until they are full football members in 2007. - College Football -

Wallace led North Alabama to three Division II national championships in 10 seasons at the school in his only other head coaching job from 1988-97. But he never was able to match that success at Temple. The Owls never won more than four games in a season under him, and were 3-26 over the last 2 1/2 years.

Connecticut

Quarterback Matt Bonislawski of Highlands High School had surgery to repair a broken collarbone and is expected to miss six to eight weeks. Bonislawski, a 6-foot-4 junior, was injured in the first quarter of Connecticut's 26-7 win against Syracuse Friday. He was operated on Sunday at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Conn.

Freshman D.J. Hernandez, who took over for Bonislawski, will start for the Huskies at Cincinnati Saturday.

Coach Randy Edsall said freshmen Dennis Brown and Billy Cundiff have moved up to second and third on the depth chart, respectively. - College Football -

Texas El Paso

Coach Mike Price felt vindicated after a settlement was reached with Time Inc. over a Sports Illustrated article recounting a night of drinking at a topless bar in Florida.

"I'm one happy man right now," Price said. "I can't tell you how much I appreciated my wife, Joyce, and my family's loyalty and love. Without their strength, encouragement and support I don't know if I would have made it."

Price sued the magazine for $20 million, claiming he was defamed and slandered by a story detailing his actions the night he visited a topless bar in Pensacola, Fla., in April 2003 while still head coach at Alabama. - College Football -

He acknowledged being heavily intoxicated, but denied allegations of sex at his hotel that the magazine reported. Alabama fired Price a few days before the article was published.

When asked about that night at the strip club, he paused and said, "I definitely would have made a different decision that one night, no question. That was a bad night."

Michigan

About 110,000 people at Michigan Stadium knew Minnesota wasn't going to throw when Gary Russell ran 61 yards to set up the Gophers' winning field goal. Why didn't the Wolverines stop him?

"After watching it, we had some guys kind of loafing," cornerback Leon Hall said, two days after Minnesota's 23-20 win. - College Football -

"The guys that were loafing, they know," Hall later added. - College Football -

Some teammates and coach Lloyd Carr disagreed with Hall's assessment of the pivotal play, explaining that a corner and a linebacker got blocked and a safety took a bad angle.

Texas

Freshman tailback Jamaal Charles is should be ready to play Saturday when the No. 2 Longhorns face No. 24 Colorado, coach Mack Brown said. Charles ran for 116 yards, with an 80-yard touchdown, in the Longhorns' 45-12 win against Oklahoma before leaving the game with an ankle injury. - College Football -

2005-10-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

Boston College will be a stingy foe

Eagles' 2.2 yards allowed per carry will make life tough for Ball State today.

By Doug Zaleski

Muncie Star Press

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Boston College presents several major challenges for Ball State's winless football team today, not the least of which is a run defense so staunch that it's among the most mulish in the nation. - College Football -

"You wanted to bring that up?" Ball State coach Brady Hoke said during his weekly news conference.

The No. 21-ranked Eagles have allowed opponents an average of 54.8 yards rushing through four games, or 2.2 yards per carry. Brigham Young rushed for only 8 yards on 16 attempts, and Florida State gained 13 on 19 carries.

Hoke said Ball State likely has two options to move the ball: try different formations and run the plays exceedingly well, or try to spread out the Boston College defense and become creative.

"Sometimes when you invent something new, it will backfire in your face," Hoke said, referring to the second option. "Maybe we have to settle on two runs that we want to run. That develops some consistency for your (offensive line)." - College Football -

Whichever method the Cardinals choose, the task will be difficult.

"Their defensive line is definitely as good as we've faced," Cardinals quarterback Joey Lynch said. "They're extremely confident, and most important, they play hard. With that combination, good things happen." - College Football -

Boston College's front four is bolstered by All-American defensive end candidate Mathias Kiwanuka. The 6-7, 262-pound Cathedral High School graduate is projected as a first-round pick in the NFL draft. - College Football -

Complicating matters is the fact that Ball State's running attack will be short-handed. Starting tailback Charles Wynn and backup Larry Bostic are suspended for their roles in NCAA violations involving textbooks.

Reserve tailback B.J. Hill, a true freshman, is expected to get his second start of the season. He has rushed 12 times for 37 yards. - College Football -

2005-09-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

College football: SNC looking up at first place in MWC standings

By Kevin Naze
Press-Gazette correspondent

DE PERE — With its first win at Minahan Stadium and third victory in 20 tries against St. Norbert College, Monmouth made a bold statement that it’s the team to end the Green Knights’ six-year reign atop the Midwest Conference. - College Football -

Fighting Scots quarterback Mitch Tanney threw two touchdowns in a span of just over three minutes spanning the third and fourth quarters, then scored his second rushing touchdown of the game with 5:59 remaining, as Monmouth scored the final 21 points and rallied for a 28-20 win.

Tanney completed 32 of 41 passes for 301 yards. Junior wideout Evan Haffner caught 16 passes for 190 yards, including a momentum-shifting, 72-yard touchdown — about 40 of it sprinting untouched — over a leaping Tony Mendina with 1:23 left in the third quarter.

“That one came from the sideline, but I can’t take credit for it,” said Monmouth coach Steve Bell. “The receivers and quarterback wanted to go long, and I thought that was a very valid suggestion at that point.” - College Football -

Little more than three minutes later, Tanney threw a 9-yard pass to running back Jason Myers that put Monmouth in front for good after the extra point. Completions of 18 and 11 yards to Haffner highlighted the drive.

“(Tanney) is a solid guy, and (Haffner) is a good player who they utilize a lot of ways,” said SNC coach Jim Purtill. “But we didn’t do a good job protecting our guy.”

That guy — sophomore quarterback Cody Craig — was sacked six times for losses totaling 45 yards. Two of the sacks, both by Monmouth senior line-backer Justin Zigler, forced a punt right after the Scots had taken the lead. - College Football -

Anthony Goranson, a freshman, sacked Craig three times.

“You could tell (Craig) wasn’t comfortable in there when we got pressure,” said Bell. “I thought our line did a tremendous job. Not having to blitz the whole time was key.”

Craig completed 11 of 22 throws for 158 yards. His 17-yard scramble on a third-and-17 play with 3:46 left put the ball on Monmouth’s 45-yard line.

But three plays later, on fourth-and-11, his final pass attempt fell incomplete.“Our No. 1 focus at halftime was putting ’em right away in the second half,” Craig said. “But we just didn’t get the job done as a team.” - College Football -

St. Norbert (1-2 overall, 1-1) dropped out of first place in the conference for the first time since the last week of the 1997 season. Monmouth is 3-0, 2-0.“We had some poor field position (in the second half),” Purtill said.

“But give (Monmouth) credit. They made more plays.”Monmouth outgained SNC 413-308 and had 24 first downs to SNC’s 17.A 33-yard gain by Mendina on a fake punt was a key play in St. Norbert’s first score, a 2-yard pass to Kyle Thayse. After falling behind 7-6, the Knights got a pair of touchdowns in the final 3:33 of the first half, a 5-yard TD run by Casey Meehan and a 1-yarder by Josh Harnowski. A 50-yard, tackle-breaking catch and run by Don McConville set up the first score. - College Football -

2005-09-07T06:55:00.000-07:00

College Football Begins With Intrigue

RALPH D. RUSSO, AP Sports Writer

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The first weekend of the major college football season started with Steve Spurrier's triumphant, though far from inspiring return, and ended with Bobby Bowden catching a break. - College Football -
n between Charlie Weis lifted spirits at Notre Dame and two of last season's best teams showed they're not what they used to be.

Five days of football provided more questions than answers and has already made the season interesting.

Looking up

The Golden Domers have to be giddy after watching Brady Quinn and the Fighting Irish put together a Patriots perfect performance at Pittsburgh. It really couldn't have gone any better than the 42-21 win, which was over at halftime. - College Football -

Suddenly, this week's Notre Dame-Michigan game in Ann Arbor is a lot more interesting.

"Now I've got to worry about Michigan, and it doesn't make any difference who we're playing, it's a tough game every week," Weis said.

The Wolverines' defense showed only minimal improvement over last season in Michigan's 33-17 win over Northern Illinois, allowing 400 yards to the Huskies. So how will the Wolverines stop Quinn and Darius Walker? - College Football -

On the flip side, No. 4 Michigan is a big step up from Pitt. And, remember, Tyrone Willingahm started 8-0.

New Florida coach Urban Meyer rode into the season with high expectations and his Gators did nothing to dash the optimism with a 32-14 victory over Wyoming. With Louisiana Tech on deck this week for Florida, the first true test for the Gators won't come until they host Tennessee on Sept. 17.

Winning ugly

The Volunteers didn't live up to all the preseason hype in their first game, a 17-10 win over UAB that probably reopened up the quarterback competition for Tennessee and undoubtedly made fans in Knoxville nervous. - College Football -

Erik Ainge edged out Rick Clausen and was tabbed the starter a week before the opener. Then Ainge played poorly and was pulled for Clausen, who played far better against the Blazers.

The Vols have two weeks to get it straightened out before back-to-back road games against Florida and LSU determine whether they are truly national championship contenders.

Spurrier knows there are no championships in his immediate future. That become perfectly clear when the Gamecocks couldn't put away Central Florida, owners of the nation's longest losing streak, last Thursday.

"It was not a performance that makes think us we've got a chance for a big year," Spurrier said after a 24-15 victory. - College Football -

Spurrier has never been one to downplay his team without good reason, and he looks as if he's walking into an ambush on Saturday at Georgia.

The Bulldogs might have put together the most impressive effort of the weekend with a 48-13 victory over Boise State. Georgia's new starting quarterback, D.J. Shockley, threw five TD passes and ran for another score.

But Spurrier and the Gamecocks won't be wide-eyed and overwhelmed between the hedges the way Boise State was.

Just as Georgia will be a provide a more accurate read on Spurrier's Gamecocks, South Carolina will be a tougher test for Shockley.

At least Tennessee won

Oklahoma and Auburn are 0-1 after battling for a spot in the national championship game last season. - College Football -

Both teams started new quarterbacks with little success.

Auburn's Brandon Cox, replacing Jason Campbell, threw four interceptions in a 23-14 loss to Georgia Tech. Oklahoma got little production out of both Paul Thompson and Rhett Bomar, the players who competed for the job left open by Jason White's departure, in a 17-10 home loss to TCU.

Auburn moves into a far more manageable part of its schedule, which should allow Cox to get his confidence. The Tigers will still be heard from in the Southeastern Conference.

Oklahoma faces Tulsa on Saturday with a chance to get things rolling, but a trip to UCLA the next week makes 1-2 a real possibility if the Sooners don't play better — and not just at quarterback. - College Football -

"Watching the TCU game and critiquing it Sunday) on tape, we just weren't very physical up front," Sooners coach Bob Stoops said. "TCU just outplayed and outcoached us."

Finally

Bowden can relate to quarterback struggles. The Florida State coach began his 30th season with a redshirt freshman starting and another one on the bench.

Despite a woeful offensive performance, the Seminoles snapped a six-game losing streak to Miami with a 10-7 win on Labor Day night when the Hurricanes pulled a Florida State and messed up a late field goal attempt that would have tied the game.

The joy of breaking Miami's hex had to be tempered by the reality of Florida State's QB situation. Drew Weatherford appears a long way away from being capable of leading a team to a championship. - College Football -

"You've got to put it into perspective with Oklahoma's quarterbacks," Bowden said. "They went through the same thing. Auburn's quarterback is struggling. I just have to get back to reality. Our guys are young too."

2005-08-31T09:03:00.000-07:00

Boston College begins first season in ACC, visits BYU in non-conference matchup

Associated Press Sports

Moving from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference is an adjustment, but isn't necessarily an insurmountable task. Two teams went through it last season, and BostonCollege took notice.

After watching a couple of former Big East foes make the transition with different results, the 22nd-ranked Eagles begin their first season in the ACC with a non-conference matchup against Brigham Young on Saturday. - College Football -

Boston College coach Tom O'Brien watched last year as former rivals Virginia Tech and Miami went through the ACC for the first time, and he came away with some surprises - mainly, watching the Hurricanes lose to North Carolina. The Hokies, meanwhile, won the conference title.

"I watched that, and I was like, 'holy cow,''' he said. "But I was more surprised with Miami losing three games than I was with Virginia Tech. I knew they'd have a chance to win the championship.'' - College Football -

The Eagles open the season with two non-conference games - they host Army on Sept. 10 - before beginning ACC play at home against No. 14 Florida State on Sept. 17.

"We're going to take care of ourselves first,'' O'Brien said. "The only thing I have control over is my football team, so I've got to do the best I can preparing my guys. We have eight opponents we have to learn that we've never played before, and they've only got us. It's going to be new and it's going to be exciting, and who knows where we might fall.''

Boston College went 8-3 in 2004, finishing the season with a win over North Carolina in the Continental Tire Bowl. Now the Eagles are ranked in the preseason for just the fourth time in team history. - College Football -

Boston College is led by one of the nation's most dominating defensive players in Mathias Kiwanuka. The defensive end was projected by some to be a first-round pick in the NFL draft, but he decided to come back for his final year of eligibility.

Already honored as the Big East defensive player of the year in 2004, the 6-foot-7 Kiwanuka has been tabbed as the preseason defensive player of the year in the ACC.

Kiwanuka had 67 tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups last year while also leading the Big East in sacks (11 1/2) for the second consecutive season. - College Football -

While Kiwanuka sometimes got frustrated last year when he was double-teamed or chop blocked, O'Brien expects him to handle those situations more calmly this year.

"The frustration last year of being a marked man, being double-teamed ... it got to him,'' he said. "Another year of maturity for someone like him is invaluable, and that's something that he'll have in his favor this year.'' - College Football -

Quinton Porter, who started 10 games as a junior in 2003 before injuring his hand, will be the Eagles' starting quarterback. Porter threw for 1,764 yards and 14 touchdowns two seasons ago, and is now starting behind an offensive line that returns all five starters from last season.

After another subpar season, Brigham Young made Bronco Mendenhall its new coach. Mendenhall was promoted from defensive coordinator in December after a long search following Gary Crowton's resignation.

Mendenhall is trying to end the Cougars' worst stretch in 40 years. BYU has finished with a losing record three straight seasons, something that hasn't happened since the Cougars had six straight from 1959-64. - College Football -

Mendenhall, a former safety who was voted most inspirational player his senior year at Oregon State, seems to have had an immediate impact on the team's attitude.

"You're on the same page with him. He's not all negative,'' running back Curtis Brown said. "He's out there for the benefit of everybody, and he's out there to push everybody to do well. It's just great to have him.''

BYU was actually close to a winning record and possibly a bowl game last fall, but lost the last two games of the season. A 5-6 finish was an improvement from going 4-8 in 2003.

Linebacker Cameron Jensen is one of six starters Mendenhall has returning from his defense and seven starters are back on offense, including Brown, quarterback John Beck and receiver Todd Watkins. - College Football -

Beck passed for 2,563 yards and 15 touchdowns - six of them to Watkins. Four of the scores to Watkins were on passes of 68 yards or more.

Brigham Young won the lone meeting between these teams, 28-14, on Aug. 19, 1985.

2005-08-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

Local flavor on new college football poll
Fazio, Bradshaw are among 114 panelists

The Harris Interactive college football poll, which will replace the Associated Press poll in the Bowl Championship Series formula, has determined who will be voting in its inaugural poll this season, and five people with local ties are among the 114 panelists. Former Pitt coach Foge Fazio, former Pitt quarterback John Congemi, and three former Steelers -- Terry Bradshaw, Brentson Buckner and George Perles -- are among the former coaches, players and administrators who will be voting for a weekly top 25 every week starting Sept. 25. - College Football -
The new poll was put together after the Associated Press asked the BCS not to include its poll in the formula after last season. Like the AP poll, the Harris Interactive poll will count as one-third of the BCS formula along with the USA Today coaches' poll and the compilation of six computer rankings. The 114 voters were randomly drawn from more than 300 nominations supplied by the 11 Division I-A conferences and Notre Dame. Each school within a conference was responsible for nominating people. - College Football -
Fazio, who served as Pitt's head coach from 1982-85, is entering his third season as a color commentator on college football games for Westwood One radio network. He retired from coaching after the 2002 season. Fazio said he is scheduled to do 10 games on radio this season. He will see other teams on videotape throughout the season as he prepares for broadcasts. "I'm going to take it seriously," said Fazio, who resides in Moon Township. "I know how important it is. I'll vote on what I know and what I see. It seems like a good thing. They've got a good cross-section of guys." One of the early criticisms of the Harris Interactive poll is the potential for bias among the voters. - College Football -
The former coaches and administrators on the panel have ties to institutions that could be among the teams vying for a BCS bowl berth. Pitt, for example, is in the top 25 of the Associated Press and USA Today coaches' preseason polls. Fazio said he is awaiting a packet of information from Harris Interactive on the voting process. But in conversations with representatives from the poll, Fazio said there are no guidelines for voting for your former school. Voters will not be required to make their ballots public until the final vote Dec. 5. The first BCS standings come out Oct. 17. "With me coaching at Pitt, they did not say, 'Don't vote with your heart,' " Fazio said. "If Pitt is good, I'll vote for them." Congemi is a color commentator for college football games on ESPN. Perles, a former defensive coordinator under Chuck Noll with the Steelers, was the head coach at Michigan State until 1994. He is now retired. - College Football -
The other voters with local ties are loosely affiliated with college football, or have no known ties. Bradshaw works for Fox's NFL pregame show. And Buckner is entering his 12th season as a defensive lineman in the NFL. He played for the Steelers from 1994-96. Other notable panelists are: Lou Holtz, Steve Largent, John Mackovic, Don Maynard, Boomer Esiason, Rocket Ismail and Anthony Munoz. One can access a complete list of voters at bcs.football.org. "Harris Interactive has been very diligent in creating a voting panel that is balanced statistically valid and representative of all Division I-A conferences and independents," BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg said in a statement. "I would like to thank the 114 panelists that have agreed to participate, and we appreciate their willingness to support college football in this important way."

Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

2005-08-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

Love lands Frazier at tiny Doane College

CRETE, Neb. (AP) - Tommie Frazier knows all about big-time college football. Now he's getting a quick education on the small time.
In his cramped, concrete-walled office at 1,000-student Doane College, Frazier spends the last few days before preseason practice lining up housing for his players, going over menus with the food service people and hashing out travel itineraries. - College Football -
Doane is only 20 miles west of Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. On the college football landscape, that's a world away from where he carved his identity as Nebraska's two-time national champion quarterback and 1995 Heisman Trophy runner-up.
The 31-year-old Frazier doesn't need this job. He left one as a fund-raiser at Nebraska, where his formal title was assistant director of athletic development. He could have lived off being "Touchdown Tommie" for as long as he wanted. - College Football -
No, he doesn't need this job.
He wants it.
"There are some people who say, 'Why would you do that to your reputation? Why would you go coach at Doane?"' Frazier said.
The simple answer is that he missed the game. He spent 1999-02 as running backs coach at Baylor and was part of the purge that followed losses in 36 of 45 games.
Nebraska, which was about to embark on a $50 million facilities update, swooped in and hired Frazier to call on boosters for donations. - College Football -
"I enjoyed it," Frazier said, "but it wasn't my passion."
With encouragement from wife Andrea, Frazier began looking for a coaching job last spring. He lost out on the running backs coach job at Michigan State to Ben Sirmans of Kent State.
Then the Doane job opened. The Tigers have been a traditional power in the NAIA ranks, but they have won only six games the last two years. They are picked 10th in the 11-team Great Plains Athletic Conference. - College Football -
Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson said he wasn't surprised to see Frazier leave.
"I knew from the time Tommie came back that there was a part of him that wanted to coach," Pederson said. "As we talked more and more the last couple years, he kept creeping back to wishing he was coaching."
Frazier likes the challenge.
"It's about coming out here and trying to teach young players who don't have the ability to play on the Division I level who still want to play the game and get an education," Frazier said. "What better thing is there than to go out and show people you can coach kids like that.
"You get more gratification out of that than you do coaching high school All-Americans. Great coaches are the ones who can take the guys who don't have the talent and make them great, or make them good." - College Football -
Players and people around the program have been impressed with the humility Frazier has shown.
It was apparent from his interview for the job, said Fred Brown, whose last act before retiring as Doane's president was hiring Frazier.
"He said, 'Don't hire me because I'm Tommie Frazier. Hire me because I'm the best guy for the job,"' Brown said. - College Football -
"The fact he is a 'name' is obviously a plus. I call it a coup."
John Reeves, general manager of the Crete News and an NAIA All-America offensive lineman for the Tigers in the 1980s, said Frazier is at Doane for the right reasons.
"He has a love of the game, and I think he's looking forward to conveying that love regardless of the level," Reeves said. "All that celebrity stuff he would rather put aside. He wants to X and O and coach football."
To be sure, Frazier has instant credibility with his players.
Senior linebacker Jordan Crawford said that when he was growing up in Arapahoe, Frazier was his football hero. - College Football -
Crawford repeated what many others say when asked about his memory of Frazier the player. He hearkens to Frazier's breaking seven tackles during a 75-yard touchdown run against Florida in the national championship Fiesta Bowl game after the 1995 season.
"You can't forget that run," said Crawford, who was 11 at the time.
Frazier downplays the notion that players will be star-struck. He said many of the incoming freshmen were just out of diapers when he was playing.
"Even if they do know about me as a player, I still have to prove I can coach," Frazier said.
Frazier, arguably one of the greatest triple-option quarterbacks ever, takes over a program that used a pass-heavy offense last season under Fran Schwenk. - College Football -
Asked what kind of offense he'll employ, Frazier smiled and said: "A good one."
After a long pause, he said, "I'm not saying, because there are 11 teams in this conference who are wondering what I'm doing on offense. I'm waiting for the first game."
Frazier said he isn't using the Doane job as a step on the coaching ladder. He said he has no immediate aspirations to return to Division I.
"My only priority right now is to make the Doane College football team the best it can be," he said. "If going out and doing that gets (good) reviews and gets other schools to want me to work with them, that's fine. But my loyalty is to Doane College."

Associated Press

2005-08-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

UW FOOTBALL: Despite depth, Badgers have secondary concerns

The University of Wisconsin football team won the Rose Bowl after the 1998 season with a pair of redshirt freshmen starting at cornerback. - College Football -
The Badgers have two talented redshirt freshman cornerbacks this year in Allen Langford and Jack Ikegwuonu, who might be as ready to play as Jamar Fletcher and Mike Echols were seven years ago. - College Football -
Yet, if all goes according to plan, Langford and Ikegwuonu will get their introduction to college football gradually, as extra defensive backs in passing situations and on special teams.
That kind of depth in the secondary was not the case for several years, when players such as like cornerbacks Scott Starks and B.J. Tucker were forced to play before they were ready. That started to change last year, when the Badgers were able to redshirt Langford, Ikegwuonu and Antonio Freeman and still had a defense that ranked seventh nationally in passing yards, allowing an average of 167.2 per game. - College Football -
"The depth in our secondary is incredible," senior cornerback Brett Bell said.
It starts with two seniors in Bell and Levonne Rowan, who are listed as the starters at cornerback, although there are questions about both. Bell tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee for a second time - he also did it as a senior in high school - on the first day of offseason workouts in January. - College Football -
Rowan has played a lot the past three years, including nine starts in 2003, but has been inconsistent and was working behind Langford for much of spring practice.
If Bell is healthy - he has been cleared to practice when camp opens today, but admits he is still bothered by pain in the knee - he is precisely what the Badgers need.
"I'd like to see him stay healthy and just pick up where he left off (last year)," coach Barry Alvarez said. "If he did that, we'd have what I consider a shut-down corner, somebody that can go out and eliminate a receiver." - College Football -
At the pro timing day in February, Rowan measured a shade taller than 6 feet, weighed 195 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in a blistering 4.31 seconds. He was hampered by injuries last year, including a planter fascia injury to his right foot a week before camp opened. Instead of battling Bell for the starting job, Rowan admittedly fell into a funk that lasted well into the season. - College Football -
But Bell has seen signs Rowan is ready to take advantage of this final opportunity.
"He knows what's expected of him," Bell said. "I think he knows he needs to step up.
"This offseason is going to help him a lot. He made a lot of strides. He worked hard this offseason. It's the hardest I've ever seen him work."
Bell is one of many people around the program who can't say enough good things about Langford and Ikegwuonu. - College Football -
"Jack is one of the best athletes I've ever seen come in, especially at that young of an age," Bell said. "Allen has got long arms. He's smart. He works incredibly hard. There's Antonio Freeman. There are guys that are just incredible athletes that just need some experience before they can really shine. But they're going to be good players."
While the Badgers will have two new starting safeties, there is some experience and depth at those positions as well. - College Football -
Junior strong safety Johnny White started the first two games last year, before giving way to Robert Brooks.
"Johnny is what you look for in a safety," Alvarez said. "You talk about a guy that's 220 pounds and can go from the hash to the sideline and come up and fill like a linebacker, that's Johnny White. He just has to be more patient, more disciplined in reading his keys and playing off of his keys." - College Football -
Junior Roderick Rogers gets the first crack at free safety, although he was being pushed hard in the spring by former walk-on Zach Hampton. Junior Joe Stellmacher is fully recovered after suffering a broken leg as a redshirt freshman in 2003 and will compete for playing time behind White and in specialty defenses.
"There's going to be competition every day in the secondary," Bell said. "I got hurt in the offseason. I'm not even guaranteed my spot. I don't think there's any spot on the defense that's guaranteed right now because there's so much depth and so much competition that's going to make us better." - College Football -

Wisconsin State Journal

2005-07-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

NCAA’s last two leading rushers both in UNT backfield

NEW ORLEANS — There simply aren’t enough footballs to go around this year at North Texas. This season the Mean Green has a dilemma like no other school in the history of college football. Who does UNT coach Darrell Dickey decide to give the football to? It’s a choice most schools would relish the opportunity to have to make. With senior Patrick Cobbs and sophomore Jamario Thomas in the North Texas backfield, it’s a choice that can’t go wrong. Cobbs and Thomas are the only pair of teammates in college football history to lead the NCAA in rushing in back-to-back seasons. Cobbs ran for 1,680 yards in 2003, while Thomas followed up with 1,801 yards last season. This season, they’ll be side by side as North Texas attempts to win the Sun Belt Conference a fifth straight time. - College Football -
While Dickey has said the pair will split the ball-carrying duties, neither player seems to mind the change in workload. “We’ll both get about 20 carries instead of 30,” Cobbs said Tuesday at the SBC Media Days. “I think it will keep us both fresh and I don’t think our yards will decrease because of that.” Now that’s a scary thought. Cobbs averaged nearly 153 yards a game and scored 19 touchdowns two seasons ago. He topped 100 yards in nine games and broke the 200-yard mark four times. Thomas was even better in 2004. As a freshman, Thomas barreled through opposing defenses to average 180 yards a game on the ground last fall. His best effort came in a 51-29 victory over Idaho when he rushed for 291 yards and scored four touchdowns. For the season, Thomas scored 17 TDs and surpassed 200 yards rushing on six different occasions. - College Football -
So is Thomas worried about not getting as many carries with Cobbs back in the backfield after he missed most of last year with a knee injury? “I’m really not even concerned about that,” Thomas said. “We’ll both get plenty of carries and I think we’ll both stay fresh. I just want to go out and give it my best and get back to the New Orleans Bowl.” And while it might seem an awkward situation for the two North Texas running backs, the pair insist they’re fine with it. Dickey said he’s not worried about a potential problem developing. “The biggest thing about them is they’re both unselfish,” Dickey said. “I would be worried going into this season if one of them was all about himself. But they are both looking forward to being in the backfield together.” Cobbs originally helped recruit Thomas to North Texas, showing him around campus and accommodating him on his visit to the school. Now the pair are roommates and share a friendship that goes beyond the football field. “We’ve always been close,” Cobbs said. “Pat’s a good guy and I know he can handle the job as well as I can,” Thomas added. Were it not for their jersey numbers, opponents might confuse Cobbs and Thomas for one another. Both players have similar size, speed and moves. Cobbs is 5-9 and 198 pounds, while Thomas is 5-11 and 195. Each runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds. Both players also contribute on special teams in punt and kickoff coverage. “They are very similar,” Dickey said. “They are both very strong inside runners. - College Football -
They have great vision, outstanding quickness and speed.” Cobbs played in just two games last season before enduring a partial tear of his MCL against Florida Atlantic. Although the knee injury did not require surgery, he was unable to return and received a medical redshirt from the NCAA. He said the knee feels as strong as ever now. “It’s completely healed,” Cobbs said. - College Football -
“I went through spring and took hits and it felt great. I maxed out in the spring on my knee squatting and did 650 (pounds) on it. So my knee feels good.” No matter who gets the most carries, scores the most touchdowns or piles up the most yards, both just want to help each other and the Mean Green succeed. “We’re really two unselfish people,” Cobbs said. “I mean, whatever we have to do to get a win, that’s it. Whatever it takes to get a win, we’ll both be happy with. That’s what it’s all about.” - College Football -

Matthew V. Roberson
Sun staff writer

2005-07-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

Bethel College gets final grant for new sports complex

A gift of $550,000 from a Tulsa foundation has been given to Bethel College to help pay for the creation of a new campus sports arena. - College Football -
The money is from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation in Tulsa.
The sports complex, already under construction, will have 2,500 seats. It will include a stadium, entry building and plaza, as well as artificial turf football and soccer field and space for a field events arena and eight-lane track. - College Football -
Sondra Bandy Koontz, vice president for advancement for Bethel, says the total cost of the project is $5.5 million. The college raised $2.7 million before approaching the Mabee foundation for more money. Officials with the trust agreed to donate the $550,000 if the college could raise another $2.1 million in the past year, which it accomplished. - College Football -
The complex's scheduled completion date is in August. Wichita firms Eby Construction Co. and PBA Architects are doing the construction and design work, respectively.
Bethel College is located in North Newton, about 25 miles north of Wichita.

Lainie Mazzullo

2005-07-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

Bandera 7-on-7 team to compete at state tourney

Coach Greg Hicks and his 7-on-7 football team have earned their spot at the sport's state tournament in College Station after defeating 5A Georgetown 27-26.
"The kids have exceeded all expectations," Hicks said.
Bandera went 9-1 in their league to qualify for a spot at the Brownwood tournament on June 25 where they defeated Wimberley 32-22, lost to Abilene 41-35 and lost to Coleman 63-57 in six, count'em, six overtimes. Despite the losses, Bandera qualified for the semi-finals by scoring the most points in a three-way tie for second. - College Football -
With their win over Georgetown, Bandera will travel to compete at the state tournament at July 15-16. - College Football -
"This is more important for Bandera than most because we're in a situation where we have an offense that is conducive to what we're going to do at the high school," Hicks said. "We're playing glorified touch football; it's very much an offensive type of football, and it will give us a great chance to win." - College Football -
Participants on the Bandera team by position are Jacob Warden, CB; Reed Barton, S; Brandon Hicks, QB; Rhett Word, CB; Ryan Reed, RB; Kenny Ray Haywood, HB; Eric Cavin, LB; Gilbert Rivera, FS; Philip Boyd, LB; Travis Combs, LB; Ryan Hicks, C; Michael Van Wagner, RB; Daniel Rodriguez, WR; George Reyes, TE; Jimmy Farmakakis, TE; Levi Quarles, LB; and Sean Duggan, WR. Their coach is Greg Hicks, who is assisted by Gary Barton. - College Football -
The team is accepting donations to help pay for their trip to the state tournament. For more information on the team or to donate, call Hicks at 830-796-4321

James Taylor - Associate Editor-in-Chief

2005-07-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

Buckle Up: Boston College to bring a Big Ten style of football

The addition of Boston College to the ACC may provide Wake Forest with the chance to form the kind of mutual rivalry, particularly in football, that it hasn't had in the conference.
Athletics Director Ron Wellman and football coach Jim Grobe believe that Wake Forest and Boston College share many qualities in athletics and academics that will allow the schools to become the best of rivals.
Wellman was part of the ACC's committee that scouted prospective new members in the spring of 2003, and he recognized immediately that Boston College was more like Wake Forest than any ACC school.
"Typically, you don't think that a school that far away can become a natural rival for you," Wellman said. "But Boston College is so similar to Wake Forest in everything that they do, whether it be academically or athletically. And our fans love to go to Boston. It's a great trip.
"I envision this becoming a real strong rivalry. The first two football games that we've had with them have been fabulous contests that were hotly contested. I really do believe that it is going to emerge as one of the great rivalries that we have."
Grobe's teams won both games, 32-28 in Boston in 2003 and 17-14 in Groves Stadium last season. The teams will be in the ACC's Atlantic Division in football and are scheduled to meet for the next 11 seasons.
In basketball, the schools will be rotating partners in 2005-06, with each having a home game. They will be simple rotating partners in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons and will meet only once a season.
Grobe knows already how good Boston College's football team is and feels that that will be helpful for his team. Other ACC teams, with the exception of North Carolina, will be playing Boston College for the first time. His advice to all - buckle up, because Boston College will help make the ACC the best football conference in America.
"The neat thing about Boston College is that they bring a different style of football to the league," Grobe said. "For all intents and purposes, we brought a Big Ten team into the ACC. You think of Miami and you think of speed. Virginia Tech is kind of a combination of both: they've got a big, physical team, but they also have the good speed.
"Boston College is really just a big, strong, physical football team. They're more of a classic-type football team that you might see from Ohio State and Michigan, the Big Ten-type teams. I think we've not only brought in some different perspective regionally but certainly they're three great football teams that all have great bowl traditions. They'll make an already good football league much better."
Gary Williams, the basketball coach at Maryland, probably knows more about Boston College than anyone else in the ACC. He coached there for four seasons, starting in 1982-83 and amassed a 76-45 record before leaving for Ohio State.
"It's a good school; it's a very good academic school," Williams said. "Any time you bring a school like that in, it reflects favorably on the conference. Up there, it's a three-sport school with hockey, but they've shown how good they are in basketball and football. So I think it's a good addition to the league.
"And it gives you another great media market in Boston. That's one of the larger media markets and puts us from Boston to Miami. When you look around the country in terms of the major media markets in a conference, I think we're ahead of the game right now."
Last basketball season, Miami and Virginia Tech surprised fans and analysts with teams that were stronger than expected. Boston College will be expected to contend for the ACC basketball title from the start. The Eagles, under Coach Al Skinner, won their first 20 games last season and will have many of their key players back.
Coach Seth Greenberg of Virginia Tech said that ACC basketball will be stronger because of Boston College, although purists will miss the round-robin schedule in which each ACC team played every other twice.
"They have a no-nonsense attitude of how to play," Greenberg said. "They don't care who you are or what name's on the front of your jersey. They're going to compete. They reflect Coach Skinner. They're a winning team.
"He has a system, and they're committed to their system. They've got a toughness about them that is really, really special."
John Bunting, the football coach at North Carolina, is among many ACC coaches eager for Boston College's arrival but hopeful that expansion is over. He believes that the ACC has reached the objectives it set and that the addition of Boston College, Virginia Tech and Miami makes the ACC the best football conference in the country.
"I've maintained since last year that it's the No. 1 conference in the country," Bunting said. "I still feel the same way. The teams that came in are great college football teams. Our other teams are already tough to play. Of the 12 teams, probably six or seven are going to be in the top 25.
"Boston College is a great football program, and going to Boston is a great trip. I'm looking forward to taking our team up there. That's one of the reasons I like scheduling teams like Colorado. I like taking trips like that for our team."
Wellman backed expansion because of the benefits he saw for the ACC's future. Haggling among school presidents almost torpedoed expansion, but Wellman believes that the ACC is stronger and has a secure future.
"I don't know what benefit there would be to further expansion at this point in time," Wellman said. "We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish.
"The conference needs to mature now with this number of schools and get accustomed to this and develop rivalries and relationships as much as possible.
"I would be shocked if there were any further expansion. You never say never, of course, but I would be shocked if, in the foreseeable future, there were additional expansions."

Bill Cole
JOURNAL REPORTER

2005-06-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

Memorial born of quest to remember lost children

PHILADELPHIA - (KRT) - It was at an October 2001 college football game, the temple of old-boy cheer and camaraderie, that Jim Matthews encountered the meaning of sorrow.
The Montgomery County commissioner had come to Franklin Field to watch his alma mater, Holy Cross, get pummeled by the University of Pennsylvania. John Sigmund, a fellow alumnus, sat next to him.
A casual conversation about cars quickly turned serious. Sigmund's daughter, Johanna, had died at the foot of the World Trade Center 25 days earlier, he explained. He wanted a new car to get his wife out of the house.
Matthews stammered condolences. The conversation would haunt him.
Nine months later, a beam from the World Trade Center wreckage landed in Montgomery County, Pa., thanks to contacts with the FBI and New York City Police Department developed by Sheriff John Durante from 30 years at the county detectives bureau.
The memento came with one caveat - that it would be properly memorialized. Matthews and Durante vowed to give it a place of respect.
No Montgomery County residents died in the Sept. 11 attacks, unlike neighboring Bucks County, which lost 17 people. No one was asking for a monument, and no one was volunteering to pay for one.
But at least four families, including John and Ruth Sigmund, raised children in Montgomery County who went on to live in New York City. For Matthews, that was enough for a monument that would honor Sept. 11 victims and those who came to their rescue.
Scheduled to be unveiled Sept. 8, Montgomery County's memorial will be the first major public Sept. 11 monument in the Philadelphia area.
Like many communities, the county has proceeded slowly. Most major monuments - the Ground Zero memorial, the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, Pa., the New Jersey State Memorial in Jersey City, and Bucks County's Garden of Reflection - are not yet built.
Matthews didn't want to do a memorial right away, he said, thinking there would be more terrorist attacks.
He also was distracted: His 22-year-old son, Patrick John was diagnosed with leukemia in February 2003. He died four months later.
It was then, Matthews said, that he comprehended the fear of every grieving parent - that their child would be forgotten. And he pondered how different it must be for parents whose children simply disappeared into the Trade Center dust.
Matthews said he wanted to give those families something tangible.
"When you do a memorial, it gives a physical presence," he said. "I think we're going to be very surprised at the magnetic effect of this memorial. It's going to bring thousands of people physically in contact with the Twin Towers."
BY JEFF SHIELDSKnight Ridder Newspapers

College Football Coach

2005-06-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

College Football Coach