wk5 notes

**pags11** · 09-28-09, 05:55 PM

you da man bearmz...

**Cougar Bait** · 09-28-09, 06:12 PM

Yep good stuff as always

**polson22** · 09-28-09, 06:33 PM

you bolded two games that jumped out at me....

should SDSU be highly favored against anyone? i mean, you have to score to justify being heavily favored.

NC hasn't scored much, virginia is coming around seemingly (good talent numbers vis-a-vis steele). again huge spread for low scoring favorite.

you didn't bold this one, or i didn't see it, but i'm thinking utah state has been very competitive so far this year with new coach. +27 @ BYU seems like alot of points (although BYU can't score unlike the ones i mentioned above)

i'll comment on a few others later. always looking for UNDER's. see a few good ones so far (i know numbers aren't out, but see a few i will absolutely pound unless the number really surprises me)

**stevepre** · 09-28-09, 11:41 PM

ia state game is in kansas city

**bearmz** · 09-29-09, 11:50 AM

Originally posted by stevepre

ia state game is in kansas city

Thanks Steve. Here's a few more notes on that game:

The game is called a neutral site, with the Cyclones being allowed the classification of home team, but being 100 miles closer to the stadium from Manhattan, Kansas than from Ames, the players recognize it as a road game and opportunity to experience an NFL stadium.

Notable players were injured during the Army game, with running back Alexander Robinson suffering a leg strain on his last touchdown catch and four-year starter defensive end Rashawn Parker going out with a severe knee injury. Parker was helped off the field during the game, but was later carted off and had an MRI scheduled for Monday afternoon. The team is expecting the injury to keep the senior out for the year.
Parker’s season started off with promise, logging 13 tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble three games in.
Replacements Patrick Neal and Roosevelt Maggitt saw time making significant contributions after Parker went out. Neal is a 230-pound redshirt sophomore from Valley High School in West Des Moines and has seen time on the roster at fullback and linebacker during his short stint with the Cyclones. Neal is expected to relieve Parker for the time being, and will need to use speed and toughness to prepare for the rigors of the Big 12 schedule, including much larger offensive linemen than what he saw against Army in limited action Saturday evening.
Robinson will be working with the trainers throughout the week and while he pulled up slowly and collapsed at the game, he said he feels “pretty good”. Rhoads has said he’ll be ready to go come game time.

The Cyclones’ spread offense hasn’t been seen by Kansas State in their four games this season and while the unit feels it is putting some things together, there is still a long way to go. Rhoads said after the Army game the system was still at infantile stages and players understand the challenges in front of them.
QB Arnaud wants to raise his 54 percent completion rating around ten points to give his team even more success and attributes some of his recent struggles to mechanics and progressions, but the Wildcats’ lack of play against the spread offense this season may be a welcome sight for the junior captain.
“Some of the formations we run they haven’t even seen yet, so it’ll be kind of how we think they’ll play it as opposed to how they will play it,” Arnaud said.
Snapping the nation's longest road losing streak (17) with a win at Kent State was another early footnote for HC Rhoads.
The next step will be to end a Big 12 losing streak that stands at nine after an 0-8 league finish last season under Gene Chizik.
The Kansas St Wildcats bring in a rushing game averaging just under 200 yards per game, and a defense that hasn’t allowed more than 23 points this season.
Allowing just 241 yards per game this season, K-State has shown serious improvement on the defensive side of the ball, especially after being one of the worst units nationally a year ago.
But, and this is a big but, the Wildcats are still having trouble creating an adequate pass rush — just four sacks all season.
HC Bill Snyder also warns that all the defensive numbers are slightly skewed, due in large part to K-State's non-conference schedule that featured a pair of FCS opponents.
The last time Kansas State played at Arrowhead Stadium, the Wildcats celebrated one of the greatest victories in their history.
The year was 2003, and by defeating then-No. 1-ranked and undefeated Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game, they left Kansas City with a league title and a trip to a BCS bowl game in their future.
For K-State playing in front of its biggest regional fan base is always reason for excitement.
“This is an important game for us,” AD Currie said. “Kansas City is obviously our No. 1 alumni market. The greater Kansas City area is where we get the greatest number of students that come to Kansas State, so it’s very important that we’re very visible and very present there.”
Sure, the money it will receive from the Chiefs — $850,000 this year and $950,000 next year — in exchange for playing the game in Kansas City is nice, too, but nothing can beat the exposure of bringing your product to its fans.
So far, Currie said more than 30,000 tickets have been sold for the game, but he’s hoping for a nice walk-up crowd to boost that number.
Bill Snyder, coaching the Wildcats in Kansas City for the fifth time, is also looking forward to the trip
　

**bearmz** · 09-30-09, 11:55 AM

Disregard the IaSt vs KSt notes as the game is basically a rdg for IaSt.

Few Wash @ ND notes:

As for starting QB Clausen (turf toe) and starting halfback Armando Allen (ankle), both of them practiced Tuesday with no limitations for Allen. Clausen, who rode a stationary bike during agility drills Tuesday, played roughly half of Saturday's 24-21 comeback win at Purdue. Allen was held out completely.

Irish junior halfback Robert Hughes remains the No. 1 option at fullback while James Aldridge continues to convalesce. But his game-high 68 yards on 15 carries against Purdue running from the halfback position has Weis looking at Hughes in a different light.

“We'll list him as a starting fullback,” he said. “In reality, he is really looking for halfback reps. Trust me, he wants the halfback reps. So the one thing that he's going to have to do is fight is Armando for the reps, now that he is back and going. But I don't think Armando's going to be able to play every play.”

The Irish are 7-0 in their all-time series with Washington, with six of the victories coming by 19 points or more.

Saturday's game will be Washington's first this season in which the Huskies players had to balance football with classwork. The University of Washington's fall quarter starts Wednesday.

After stunning USC in a 16-13 victory and holding the Trojans' potent offense without a touchdown in the final three quarters, Washington's defense was plagued against Stanford by a series of missed tackles, missed assignments and an inability to slow down a basic set of running plays the Cardinal kept calling.

The result was 321 yards rushing by the Cardinal, the third-highest total allowed by Washington in the last five seasons, and a more than seven-minute advantage in time of possession.

After four games, the Huskies rank 106th in the country at stopping the run. They might be a little more short-handed against Notre Dame as well. Starting outside linebacker E.J. Savannah injured his foot against Stanford and had an MRI on Monday.

**bearmz** · 10-03-09, 12:35 AM

coupla more notes on ND vs Wash:

The Irish have improved in run defense each week this season (in per-carry average). And a recent commitment to an expanded role for freshman linebacker Manti Te'o, along with some scheme tweaks, figure to help the pass defense numbers.
The Irish find themselves 82nd in pass-efficiency defense. But it's been more a product of an inconsistent pass rush, coupled with holes in the shorter pass routes where linebackers roam, than it has the play of the ND secondary.
Washington, the No. 38 most-prolific aerial attack nationally, represents the final top 60 pass offense the Irish are scheduled to face this season.

The constant fetish over the status of Clausen's right foot over the past couple of weeks (turf toe) has delayed the inevitable questions about the ND junior quarterback's long-term future — and if it includes Notre Dame in 2010.
The 6-foot-3, 223-pound junior has been quietly moving up the NFL Draft boards — the next NFL Draft boards — as has his opposite number in Saturday's upcoming clash at Notre Dame Stadium, Washington junior Jake Locker.
ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay has Locker second among all draft-eligible quarterbacks for the April 2010 draft and the No. 7 prospect overall. Clausen is sixth among QB prospects.
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has Clausen ahead of Locker.