Before new Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini could return to LSU's sideline for one last game as defensive coordinator, he and Tigers head coach Les Miles had to set a few ground rules.
"I agreed that he could call the entire defense, call every play," Miles said. "I also agreed that we would be ahead at the end of the game and that if he called a defense that didn't allow that to happen, then he would be relieved of duty immediately. We've agreed that he will not wear an 'N' on his cap when he coaches on the sidelines."
"It shows that his heart is with us," DE Dorsey said. "He could easily just go to Nebraska ... but his heart is down here and we've worked hard over the years. ... So that's the biggest thing. He's coming back and it means a lot to us."
Of the eight Big Ten teams in bowl games, six are underdogs, partly because they aren't totally neutral-site games in some cases. Five Big Ten teams will be playing in the home state of their opponent.
Purdue takes on Central Michigan in Detroit, Penn State plays Texas A&M in San Antonio, Michigan goes to Orlando to face Florida, Illinois and Southern California meet in Pasadena, Calif., and the biggest home-crowd advantage of all could come in New Orleans when Ohio State plays for the national championship against LSU.
In the last two years, the Big Ten is 1-3 in these types of bowl games in opponent's home states. Michigan lost to Southern California in Pasadena and Iowa lost to Texas in San Antonio last season. Two years ago, Iowa lost to Florida in Tampa and Penn State defeated Florida State in Miami.
Jagodzinski’s first college head coaching job was made easier by the presence of upperclassmen throughout the Eagles’ lineup.
Ben Sirmans, a MSU assistant the last two years under John L. Smith, is Boston College's running backs coach.
This season, BC ended the regular season with hopes of making a more high-profile bowl, such as the Chick-fil-A Bowl. But Clemson was chosen despite finishing second to BC in the Atlantic Division because the Eagles' fans aren't known to travel in large numbers. BC also missed out on the ACC's Gator Bowl berth, which went to Coastal Division runner-up Virginia.
"It's hard to put this one in words," BC senior linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar said. "We wanted to go to the Orange Bowl as bad as we wanted the ACC title. It's a setback in terms of this program, our team goals and our personal goals."
The Spartans' seniors, on the other hand, are just happy to play in a bowl. Michigan State last played in the postseason in 2003, losing the Alamo Bowl to Nebraska 17-3.
By Mark Blaudschun
Globe Staff / December 21, 2007
If BC's offense has been a constant this season because of the presence of quarterback Matt Ryan, then change was the byword for Spaziani's defense, mainly because of injuries.
Defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani, for instance, has spent most of the last three weeks studying the personnel and tendencies of Michigan State, the Eagles' opponent in the Champs Sports Bowl a week from today in Orlando, Fla.
Spaziani said BC (10-3), which has won seven straight bowl games, goes into postseason play with a different attitude.
Spaziani acknowledged this has been a difficult year for BC in terms of personnel, beginning the opening weekend of the season when starting defensive tackle B.J. Raji was suspended for not meeting academic requirements. And starters Nick Larkin, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, DeJuan Tribble, Alex Albright, Brian Toal, and Tyronne Pruitt all missed all or part of the season because of injuries.
Dunbar (ankle), Tribble (knee), and Pruitt (ankle) should play against Michigan State. Albright (broken arm) will not.
Dec. 11, 2007
Boston College safety Jamie Silva has been named to the Associated Press All-America first team.
Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan is the 2007 recipient of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Ryan has thrown for 4,258 yards and 28 touchdowns - both school records - in 13 games this season. The Exton, Pa., product has registered nine 300-yard passing games, including four games with more than 400 yards. Ryan captured ACC Player of the Year honors and gained American Football Coaches Association All-America honors.
Callender is a do-it-all running back, and he will do a lot to the Spartans’ defense. Callender ranks fourth in the ACC in both rushing yards and receptions per game, accounting for 13 total touchdowns.
2007 ACSMA/AP All-ACC Football Team
BC Selections
First Team, Offense
QB - Matt Ryan
TE - Ryan Purvis
First Team, Defense
FS - Jamie Silva
Second Team, Offense
RB - Andre Callender
OT - Gosder Cherilus
Second Team, Defense
LB - Jo-Lonn Dunbar
CB - DeJuan Tribble
Honorable Mention, Offense
WR - Brandon Robinson
Honorable Mention, Defense
DE - Alex Albright
DT - Ron Brace
The Eagles have won seven consecutive bowl games, the longest active bowl game winning streak in college football.
BC’s record vs. Big Ten teams is 9-29-1
Notes On The Defense
��The Eagles are ranked first in the nation in rushing defense, allowing 68.1 yards rushing per game.
��The Eagles are ranked fifth in the nation in interceptions with 21.
��Through 13 games, only two teams have rushed for more than 100 yards against the Eagles and only one individual back has rushed for more than 100 yards in a game.
Notes On The Offense
��The Eagles are ranked first in the ACC and sixth in the nation in passing offense (329.7 ypg).
��For the first time in school history, four Eagles have recorded 50 or more receptions on the season - Andre Callender (72), Rich Gunnell (58), Brandon Robinson (53) and Ryan Purvis (52).
��Ryan is ranked first in the ACC and third in the nation in total passing yards.
��Ryan is fifth in the nation in passing (28.15 completions per game).
��The Eagles are fourth in the nation in tackles-for-loss allowed (4.08 per game).
One of the only offensive glitches for the Eagles is former walk-on kicker Steve Aponavicius, who hit only 65 percent of his field goal attempts and missed four extra points this season.
Over the course of the past five years (2003-07), Boston College has compiled the seventh-best record away from home (road or neutral sites) in college football (22-10, .688). Those wins have included several big victories over ranked opponents, including the 20-17 win over No. 15 Clemson, wins over No. 8 Virginia Tech (14-10) and then No. 7 Georgia Tech this year (24-10),
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Michigan State won its last two games despite allowing 31 points in each and a combined 872 total yards. In their last five games, the Spartans have given up an average of 179.8 yards on the ground, meaning BC senior Andre Callender (956 yards rushing) has a good chance for his first 1,000-yard season.
But led by a trio of juniors, the Spartans also can score. Brian Hoyer is second in the Big Ten with a 138.9 quarterback rating, Javon Ringer ranked third with 1,346 rushing yards and Devin Thomas topped the conference with 1,226 receiving yards. The Spartans average 34.1 points, and have compiled 841 total yards and 83 points their last two games.
All of their five losses came by seven points or less
BC's defense was ranked fifth in the ACC (331.4 yards allowed per game).
The Eagles, however, will face one of their biggest tests yet against the run. Just one B.C. opponent - Georgia Tech - averages more rushing yards per game (202.5) than MSU (200.3) Boston College held Georgia Tech's high-powered rushing offense to 63 yards.
Just one team has been able to slow MSU's run game this year. In a 24-17 win on Oct. 20, Ohio State limited MSU to 59 yards on the ground. "They're the only team that really stopped us," MSU junior running back Javon Ringer said. "As long as we continue to do what we've been doing since then we'll be all right."
He said there are some similarities between the Buckeyes and the Eagles.
"They're very strong up front and very hard to get movement (against)," Ringer said. "It's difficult to get a push on them. You've got to get people moving on the defensive line."
Boston College's defense has also been solid against the pass, intercepting 21 passes, good for fifth in the nation, but owns the worst pass defense in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Abandoning the run may not be a good alternative
MSU's Thomas leads the conference in receiving yards and has been unstoppable throughout the season. There’s no reason to suggest BC’s Tribble will slow Thomas, especially when the 6-foot-2 receiver stands five inches taller than his opponent.
.
First-year Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio led his team to an eighth-place finish in the Big Ten.
Defensively, the Eagles could use the healthy return of shutdown cornerback DeJuan Tribble.
There lies the battle for the Spartans to face BC's rush defense. MSU comes to Orlando boasting one of the country’s top ground attacks. Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick were a nightmare lightning-and-thunder duo for opponents this year, combining for 2,159 yards and 27 touchdowns, all rushing. The balanced Spartans are one of just nine teams in the nation to average more than 200 yards in rushing and passing. They led the Big Ten in scoring with 34.1 points per game, went 4-3 against bowl teams
Matt Ryan is a dangerous quarterback. He has thrown for 28 touchdowns and 4,258 yards. He will throw for a few more against the Spartans, who have allowed 19 passing touchdowns. The Spartans haven’t faced a quarterback anywhere near Ryan’s caliber — it could be a painful learning experience.
Michigan State defensive end Jonal Saint-Dic was named a Walter Camp second team All-American on Monday.
Michigan State could be better in the secondary with the return of freshman cornerback Chris L. Rucker, who was cleared for full contact Monday after having three medical procedures performed on his eyes in the last two months.
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Defensive standouts Jonal Saint-Dic and SirDarean Adams are among five Michigan State players who will sit out the Champs Sports Bowl on Friday against No. 14 Boston College because of academic or other violations.
The Spartans said Monday that Saint-Dic, a senior defensive end, and three other players are academically ineligible for the bowl game. Adams, a senior linebacker, violated unspecified team rules.
The other ineligible players are wide receiver and return specialist Terry Love, wide receiver/cornerback T.J. Williams and offensive guard Abre Leggins.
"We're obviously disappointed for these young men and for their teammates," coach Mark Dantonio said in a release from the bowl site. "We will miss them and their contributions on and off the field here at the Champs Sports Bowl."
Saint-Dic told the Lansing (Mich.) State Journal that he failed a math class, his final requirement to graduate with a degree in sociology.
"I only took two classes this semester, a sociology class for three credits and a math class for five credits," Saint-Dic said by phone from his hometown of Elizabeth, N.J. "I need six [passing] credits to play in the bowl game, so if I would have taken more classes I would have been fine. But I came up two points short in the math class."
"I studied and studied, but I came up short. It's a shocker. This is something I'm going to learn from, I'm not going to let it put me down. I'm praying for my teammates and I'm going to get my degree, and then I'm going for my master's degree."
Dantonio said he makes no excuses for any of the players being ineligible.
"We have stressed the importance of finishing things all season, both in the classroom and on the playing field," the coach said. "Michigan State provides its student-athletes with a tremendous amount of resources and tools for academic success.
"Each individual must be committed to putting forth the time and effort in the classroom, resulting in a reasonable amount of success."
Adams was a key player in the game that made Michigan State (7-5) bowl eligible. He made two interceptions in the Spartans' 48-31 victory over Purdue on Nov. 10.
Dantonio would not discuss the violation, but said Adams' situation "provides a learning opportunity for all of us. We continually stress to our student-athletes the importance of making good decisions, both on and off the field. It is unfortunate that we all must suffer the consequences.
"This provides playing opportunities for others. We've been pleased with the way our team has responded to challenges throughout this season, and we will again need to measure up."
December 25, 2007
U Conn’s HC Edsall solved his quarterback problem with Iowa State transfer Tyler Lorenzen. Behind his completing 57.3 percent of his passes for 2,269 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions, the running back tandem of Andre Dixon and Donald Brown, combined for 1,558 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, to power the ground game and energetic middle linebacker Danny Lansanah, UConn started 5-0.
After a 17-16 loss to Virginia, the Huskies beat Louisville, South Florida and Rutgers in consecutive weeks to earn their first national ranking. UConn was in the running for a BCS bowl berth until blowout losses to Cincinnati and West Virginia in the final three weeks.
UConn got its first-ever victory against a ranked team, 22-15 over then-No. 11 South Florida on Oct. 27
UConn and Wake Forest have split two meetings, with the Deacons taking the last one 24-13 on Sept. 16, 2006. Jeremy Thompson’s 86-yard interception return for a touchdown was a difference maker as UConn held Wake Forest to just 209 yards of total offense.
The league went 5-0 in bowl games last year, marking just the third time that a league has ever gone 5-0 in bowl games. After Cincy’s bowl win this year, the Big East has won 7 straight bowls.
UConn is 16-9 in games following a loss since Oct. 26, 2002 and 3-0 this season.
One key to UConn’s early success in 2007 has been its impressive +13 turnover margin as the Huskies have created 27 turnovers while giving the ball away just 14 times. UConn’s ratio ranks seventh in the nation in this critical category.
Wake Forest ranks 15th at +10.
UConn is 8-1 when winning the turnover margin and 1-0 when even on turnovers.
During the combined 2004-07 seasons, UConn is 5-14 on the road with an 1-0 mark at neutral sites (Motor City Bowl vs. Toledo).
• Under Jim Grobe, the Deacons are 37-13 when scoring 24 or more points.
• When scoring fewer than 24 points, Wake Forest is 8-26.
UConn has scored a school-record eight times this year on either defense or special teams, the third most of any school in the nation. Wake Forest has 10 non-offensive touchdowns.
UConn finished its 2007 non-conference slate on Oct. 13 with a 4-1 record, defeating Duke, Maine, Temple and Akron but losing at Virginia.
The 2007 Huskies have just two senior starters on the offensive side of the ball (WR Larry Taylor and RG Donald Thomas) and three on defense (DT Dan Davis, LB Danny Lansanah and CB Tyvon Branch).
JUST FOR STARTERS
UConn has been fortunate to have a fairly consistent starting lineup this fall. The same 11 started each of the first 11 games on defense while the core of the offense has remained the same thus far. UConn was the only school in the nation to start the same 11 players on defense for every game this year until the regular season finale at West Virginia where Randy Edsall tinkered with the starting lineup to get more speed onto the field. A total of 21 different players started a game on offense, 10 of which were making their first career start. A different offensive line combination started each of the final four games. UConn head coach Randy Edsall has often called this the best line UConn has had since the senior-laden group that pushed the Huskies to the 2004 Motor City Bowl. Lawrence Green started the season at left guard for the Huskies, and Alex LaMagdelaine took over when Green suffered an early knee injury. Then LaMagdelaine suffered an injury of his own, making Hicks a guard again.
Although both Green and LaMagdelaine are healthier now and should be available to play against Wake Forest this weekend, Hicks is now somewhat entrenched.
D.J. Hernandez started six games a year ago at quarterback and had fair success
Still, with the addition of Tyler Lorenzen and Dennis Brown able to play after redshirting in 2006, Hernandez quickly found himself in the third spot on the depth chart at quarterback midway through spring practice. Using his athleticism and in-depth knowledge of the offense to his advantage, Hernandez has made a smooth transition to his new role and has been one of the team’s top receiving threats in 2007.
For each of the past three years, UConn has been one of the least penalized teams in the country. UConn leads the BIG EAST with just 564 penalty yards while its 77 total infractions trails only West Virginia in the conference.
UConn has scored on its opening drive in eight of its 12 games this year and is 7-1 in those contests, losing only at West Virginia.
UConn currently has six receivers with at least 20 catches on the year.
UConn’s defensive unit has been amongst the best in the nation for most of this year and, until the final few weeks of the regular season, were ranked in the top 10 of most major categories. The Huskies are still 31st nationally in total defense yielding 346.33 yards per game. UConn’s 22 interceptions are third only to Cincinnati and UCF’s 23 in the nation.
For the fourth year in a row, UConn not only recorded a high number of tackles for loss in 2007, but the TFLs have been spread out over a high number of players. Thus far in 2007, a sum of 16 Huskies have contributed to a TFL and 11 have at least half of a sack.
The Huskies presently ranking eighth nationally in passing efficiency defense (104.04 rating) in addition to ranking in 14th place in passing defense (187.83 ypg).
Note: above stats did not include game vs. WV
(Dec. 20, 2007) - The University of Connecticut Division of Athletics has sold and allocated 12,000 tickets out of its allotment for the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl. UConn has a total allotment of 12,500 tickets for the game. Wake Forest has sold all of its allotment of 20,000 tickets to the game, and Grobe said that he has been told by bowl officials that at least 10,000 more have been bought by Wake Forest fans through other outlets.
The Deacs, playing roughly 80 miles from their home turf, should bring a strong crowd, but can quarterback Riley Skinner beat the Big East co-champions a second straight year?
Wake is benefiting from the development of quarterback Riley Skinner, who's in his second year as the starter. The sophomore's 71.9 completion rate ranks behind only Texas Tech's Graham Harrell (72.7) in the FBS. Skinner threw for 1,936 yards and 11 touchdowns, although he also had 12 interceptions.
His No. 1 target is senior Kenneth Moore, who had 87 receptions for 899 yards and five TDs.
Skinner has been helped by the emergence of freshman running back Josh Adams, who led the team with 887 rushing yards and 10 scores. He helped the Deacons secure a berth in the Meineke Bowl by running for 111 yards and two touchdowns in a season-ending 31-17 win at Vanderbilt on Nov. 24.
Adams will get to face a Huskies defense that allows 158.5 rushing yards per game.
Alphonso Smith, who had two interceptions against the Commodores, is tied for the FBS lead with Elbert Mack of Troy with eight picks, three of which he returned for scores. The junior's touchdowns, combined with three more returns from Aaron Curry, put the Deacons atop the FBS with six INT returns for TDs.
Connecticut is just behind Wake, returning five interceptions for touchdowns. The Huskies have 22 interceptions, one fewer than Cincinnati, South Florida and Central Florida for the most in the FBS.
Trainer Don Steelman said that all the Deacons are healthy enough to play, except for those such as fullbacks Rich Belton (torn knee ligament) and Kevin Harris (injured wrist), cornerback Marcus Williams (shoulder fracture) and wide receiver Marshall Williams (ankle surgery), who sustained season-ending injuries.
Steve Justice, a 6-4, 284-pound center of Wake Forest, was named to The Associated Press All-America first team. Cornerback Alphonso Smith of Wake Forest was named to the third team
A pair of Wake Forest freshmen have been named to the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman team by The Sporting News. Redshirt freshman Josh Adams was named to the squad at running back while Hunter Haynes has been named as a linebacker.
• C Steve Justice: First team All-America by AFCA, CBS Sports, Associated Press and ESPN.Com;
Second team All-America by Walter Camp, and Sports Illustrated; Rimington Trophy runner-up;
Jacobs Blocking Trophy; First team All-ACC.
• CB Alphonso Smith: Second team All-America by Walter Camp; Third team All-America by
Associated Press; Honorable mention All-America by Sports Illustrated; First team All-ACC.
• WR Kenny Moore: First team All-ACC.
• RB Josh Adams: ACC Rookie of the Year; Second team Freshman All-America by The Sporting
News; Second team All-ACC.
• LB Hunter Haynes: All-ACC Freshman team by The Sporting News.
• OT Louis Frazier: First team Academic All-America.
• LB Aaron Curry: Second team All-ACC.
• PK Sam Swank: Honorable mention All-ACC.
• S Chip Vaughn: Honorable mention All-ACC.
• Ret Spec Kevin Marion: Honorable mention All-ACC.
• Wake Forest and Connecticut share two common opponents: Virginia and Duke.
• Both the Deacons and the Huskies lost to the Cavaliers by the identical score of 17-16. Both clubs defeated Duke. Wake won 41-36 while UConn took a 45-14 win.
• SQB Skinner has completed 207 of 288 passes this year, a rate of 71.9%. He has thrown for 200 or more yards six times this season and 10 times in his career. Wake Forest is 5-1 this year when Skinner throws for 200 or more yards.
• Wake Forest’s defense has held eight of its 12 opponents to less than 100 yards rushing.
Mississippi State (7-5) will have the challenge of stopping RB Smith and UCF (10-3) when the two teams tangle in Saturday's Liberty Bowl here. UCF has won seven games in a row including the Conference USA championship. The Mississippi State Bulldogs will make their first bowl game appearance since 2000. The Knights lost in the Hawaii Sheraton Bowl against Nevada two years ago.
The MSU athletic ticket office has sold in excess of 30,000 tickets for the Liberty Bowl. Memphis is less than a three-hour drive from Starkville, Mississippi.
UCF department spokesman Joe Hornstein said Tuesday that the remaining count was approaching the 9,900 mark as of Tuesday morning. UCF was given an allotment of 10,000 tickets by the Liberty Bowl.
Central Florida's Kevin Smith grew closer and closer to the NCAA single-season rushing yards record. How close is he to Barry Sanders' record - 180 yards.
Smith led the nation in scoring with 13.9 points per game - 30 touchdowns.
Smith led the nation in rushing with 2,448 yards - an average of 188.3 yards per game.
He was named the Conference USA offensive player of the year.
Mississippi State linebacker Jamar Chaney placed Smith in the same category as Heisman runner-up Darren McFadden, whom State faced on Nov. 17.
"We face good running backs every week," linebacker Jamar Chaney said. "It's just going to be another good back."
Central Florida, State’s opponent in Saturday’s Liberty Bowl, ranked among the statistical leaders in most of Conference USA’s defensive stat categories. But put those numbers in the Southeastern Conference’s list, and they would do well to crack the middle of the pack.
The MSU’s training staff cleared all players for full work. Most notable among this group was defensive end Titus Brown, who returned to full strength. The senior, who is nursing a knee that underwent a procedure late last month to remove cartilage chips, has been bothered lately by back spasms. Brown said he was feeling fine and gave the injury special attention while he was at home during the team's three-day break.
MSU HC Croom remembers the trips he made to bowls as a player under legendary Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. He treated bowl preparations as rigorously as he did spring practice. Croom's Alabama teams lost all three of their bowl games.
By the time Croom joined Bryant's staff as an assistant coach, Bryant eased up on rules and regulations. His teams won seven of their last eight bowls.
Croom will use the later strategy for the bowl. "We're not going to punish the entire football team and those guys that want to act like young men worried about whether one or two of them are going to break the rules," Croom said. "If one or two are going to break the rules, then those one or two are going to suffer the consequences. I'm not going to punish the entire group."
Junior offensive tackle Michael Brown (College Park, Ga.), senior defensive end Titus Brown (Tuscaloosa, Ala.), junior linebacker Jamar Chaney (Fort Pierce, Fla.), and junior free safety Derek Pegues (Batesville, Miss.) all earned second-team, all-SEC recognition.
The Bulldogs have not had much success on the offensive side of the ball this season, as they are averaging a lackluster 22.4 ppg behind a mere 305.3 total ypg. The offense hasn't had all that much success on the ground (135.3 ypg) or through the air (170.0 ypg), and it has committed 27 turnovers.
True freshman Wesley Carroll started the last seven games at quarterback for the Bulldogs and he led the team to a 4-3 record during that span. In eight starts and 12 appearances for the season, Carroll has completed 53.2 percent of his throws for 1,353 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions. He was named to the 2007 Freshman All-Southeastern Conference football team.
But Mississippi's State's passing offense is worse than UCF's. The Bulldogs' air attack, which is ranked 108th in the country, had no stability for the first half of the season.
Michael Henig started the season under center for the Bulldogs, but broke a bone in his right hand during the third game of the season.
The team spent the next couple of games looking at Josh Riddell and Wesley Carroll to be their next top quarterback. Carroll outperformed Riddell and became the Bulldogs' No. 1 quarterback for the season's final six games.
Carroll, a true freshman, started out well, but he has thrown six interceptions to go with only five touchdowns in the past three games. In that span, Carroll completed just 51 percent of his passes. Also, he has thrown for more than 210 yards just once all season
Bulldogs don't run very fast:
When Mississippi State goes to the ground, it has a steady but not spectacular running back sophomore Anthony Dixon.
Dixon started the season very strong, tallying 694 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. But he seems to have worn down as the season has progressed.
He hasn't reached the 100-yard plateau in the past five games and had his lowest output of the year in the Bulldogs' regular season finale versus Mississippi with just 26 rushing yards
Mississippi's rush defense is ranked 102nd in the nation. In comparison, UCF is ranked 38th. The Knights' rush defense, headed by defensive ends Leger Douzable and Bruce Miller along with linebackers Chance Henderson and Derrick Hallman, hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher in its past five games.
Defensively, Mississippi State has been sound, especially when considering the caliber of teams in the SEC. For the season, the Bulldogs are holing their opponents to 24.8 ppg and 341.2 total ypg. The unit, though, has shown some vulnerability against the run (159.0 ypg), and it has given up over 200 yards on the ground in four its last six outings. That is especially bad news when considering the talented back they are going to face in this game. Bringing down opposing quarterbacks has also been a problem for MSU, which has generated just 16 sacks to this point in the season. Titus Brown has accounted for eight quarterback takedowns and he also leads the team with 13.5 TFLs
Mississippi State held Tulane's Matt Forte (No. 2 in country behind Smith) to a season-low 47 yards on 14 carries in a 38-17 victory over the Green Wave on Sept. 8.
They also held McFadden (ranked No. 3) to his third-lowest output of the season -- 88 yards (28 carries) in a 45-31 loss.
MSU has won just nine of its last 18 non-conference games, dating to the beginning of 2003. MState will be looking for its first win on ESPN under Croom, having dropped Thursday night games against South Carolina (2006) and LSU (2007), as well as a mid-season conference game against Georgia in 2005.
The Bulldogs are 5-3 vs. C-USA under Sylvester Croom
UCF IN the Red Zone: One of the nation’s best
RED ZONE SUCCESS
Scored 53-of-59 times - 89.8 percent
318 Points
40 Touchdowns
13 Field Goals
• The Knights were perfect in red zone opportunities in eight of 13 games.
• The Knights were one of 15 teams to score at least 40 red zone TDs.
• The 89.8 efficiency rating was tied for 10th in the FBS.
• UCF went 7-for-7 in the red zone twice this season in games (vs. Memphis
and vs. Tulsa in the regular season match-up).
UCF leads Conference USA with 38 sacks on the season and has also added 35
quarterback hurries.
MSU Category UCF
269 Scoring 499
1624 Rushing Yards 3156
17 Rushing Touchdowns 41
2040 Passing Yards 2388
3664 Total Offense 5544
70/177 Third Down 73/182
69/180 Third Down Defense 86/217
6/15 Fourth Down 11/17
2/14 Fourth Down Defense 10/25
16 Sacks 38
15 Interceptions 23
17 Interceptions Thrown 9
23-10 Fumbles-Lost 27-14
9-for-12 Field Goals 21-for-23
30:25 Time of Possession 30:57
Score-by-Quarter
1 2 3 4 Total
MSU 66 61 70 72 269
UCF 132 184 81 102 499
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Head coach George O’Leary is in his fourth season at the helm of the Knights football program and entered 2007 with 17 of 22 starters back. Nine of those starters were on the offensive side of the ball.
O’LEARY’S BOWL HISTORY
5-3 overall, 2-2 as head coach
Half of UCF’s opponents in 2007 will be seen this postseason as they reached the seven-win mark during the campaign. Texas (Holiday), USF (Sun) and Tulsa (GMAC) all have nine wins, while East Carolina (Hawaii), Memphis (New Orleans) and Southern Miss (Papajohn’s.com) each posted seven wins. Collectively, the Knights went 4-3 against these bowl-eligible opponents, including a 2-1 mark against C-USA East Division foes.
The Knights have nearly doubled-up their opponents in the first half, outscoring them 316-168 (+148) in 13 games.
With all the success on the ground, quarterback Kyle Israel hasn't been counted on to do much more than hand the ball off and manage the offense. When attempting to pass, however, Israel has done a decent job in throwing for 2,085 yards with 15 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He has also scored five times on the ground, helping UCF amass a school-record 41 rushing touchdowns. While quarterback Kyle Israel has been very accurate, he never has possessed that quick-strike deep-ball passing capability. During the win streak, Israel has seen his completion percentage vault back up to nearly 60 percent (59.9). After the initial 3-3 start, Israel’s completion rate was at 52.6 percent. In the last seven games, Israel is back on target, completing 93-of-139 passes (67.0 percent) for 1,242 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Rocky Ross and Kamar Aiken are the team's main targets in the passing game and they have combined for 80 catches, 1,205 yards and seven scores.
UCF features one of the nation’s most experienced offensive lines. The group has more than 100 combined starts as four starters returned from a year ago.
UCF's defense hasn't been nearly as good as its offense, as the unit is giving up 27.8 ppg and 379.3 total ypg. The Knights are permitting 131.1 ypg on the ground and 248.2 ypg through the air, and they also allowing opposing teams to convert 40 percent of the time on third down. The defense, though, has been able to come up with some big plays and it is tied for the national-lead in interceptions with 23. Getting to opposing quarterbacks has helped force many of those picks, and UCF has had no problems brining down opposing quarterbacks either, registering an impressive 38 sacks.
After struggling during its first six weeks, UCF's defense has been on fire during its current seven-game winning streak.
The Knights' secondary has picked off 20 passes during the winning streak, and the defensive line is responsible for 28 of the team's 38 sacks. UCF also has gone from being in the bottom third in most key defensive categories to the upper third.
The Knights' offense has a formidable challenge against a Bulldogs' rush defense that is allowing just 150 yards per game (65th in the country) and having just yielded 100 yards rushing to only two backs this season in Tennessee's Arian Foster(139) and West Virginia's Steve Slaton. The Bulldogs enter the game ranked 28th in the country in total defense and 65th in the country in rushing defense. The last time UCF played a defense like that, it faced USF and was held to 145 total yards. In the 64-12 loss to USF midway through the season, Smith accounted for 100 of those yards.
Israel and the Knights finished at the bottom of the conference in passing offense while the Bulldogs finished 11th out of its 12-team conference.
The Bulldogs enter the game with a 7-5 overall record, and although the Knights' 10-3 season and near advantage in every statistical category may look better, there is still one aspect that separates the two teams - their respective conferences.
The Knights - a member of Conference USA - are a far cry away from facing the type of talent that Mississippi State faces in the Southeastern Conference.
Not to discredit anything the Knights have accomplished all season, but while UCF was facing the likes of SMU and Marshall, the Bulldogs were holding their own against Auburn and Arkansas. When the Bulldogs defeated Auburn, Kentucky and Alabama, they held each team to 14 or fewer.
Entering the bowl game, UCF is a respectable 39th nationally in turnover margin (+.31). Despite a streak of 18 straight quarters (4.5 games) without recovering a turnover in the first-half of the season - from Memphis (Sept. 22) in week three through halftime against Tulsa (Oct. 20) in week seven - the defense has made a dramatic turnaround in forcing turnovers. During the team’s present seven-game win streak, the defense has forced 22 turnovers, including 20 interceptions. UCF has only given up the ball seven times in the last seven games (4 INT, 3 fumbles) for a +2.14 margin per game.
For the Knights, this game is about more than making UCF history. It's about proving that the Knights can hang with teams outside their conference. It's about proving they have arrived as a big-time football team.
ALL-AMERICA
Associated Press First Team
RB - Kevin Smith, Jr.
FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA
Sporting News Honorable Mention
DL - Bruce Miller
P - Blake Clingan
C-USA
COACH OF THE YEAR
George O’Leary, UCF (Media & Coaches)
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kevin Smith, UCF (Media)
FIRST TEAM
RB - Kevin Smith, Jr. (Media & Coaches)
OL - Josh Sitton, Sr. (Media)
OL - Kyle Smith, Sr. (Media)
OL - Patrick Brown, Jr. (Media)
DL - Leger Douzable, Sr. (Media & Coaches)
DB - Joe Burnett, Jr. (Media & Coaches)
PR - Joe Burnett, Jr. (Media & Coaches)
LS - Michael Buscemi, Sr. (Media & Coaches)
SECOND TEAM
OL - Josh Sitton, Sr. (Coaches)
OL - Kyle Smith, Sr. (Coaches)
DL - Bruce Miller, RFr. (Media)
DL - Keith Shologan, Sr. (Coaches)
DB - Shar’reff Rashad, Jr. (Media & Coaches)
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
OL - Jah Reid (Media & Coaches)
DL - Bruce Miller (Media & Coaches)
LB - Derrick Hallman (Media & Coaches)
LB - Darius Nall (Coaches)
UCF in the NCAA / C-USA Rankings
Team Rankings
Category NCAA/C-USA Actual
Rushing 9/1 242.77
Passing Offense 101/12 183.69
Total Offense 32/4 426.46
Scoring Offense 13/2 38.38
Rushing Defense 38/1 131.08
Pass Defense 85/5 248.23
Net Punting 46/3 36.11
Punt Returns 25/2 12.37
Kickoff Returns 15/2 23.76
Turnover Margin 39/4 0.31
Passing Efficiency 49/6 130.48
Pass Efficiency Def. 34/1 116.69
Total Defense 58/3 379.31
Scoring Defense 65/2 27.85
Pass Sacks 19/1 2.92
Pass Sacks Allowed 21/2 1.31
2007 TrendsSU
Trailing at Halftime 0-2
Scores first 8-1
Scores 20 or more points 10-2
Hold opponent to 20 points or less 6-0
Rush for 150 yards or more 10-2
Rush for under 150 yards 0-1
Opp. passes for less than 200 yds 5-0
Temperature in the 50s 1-0
Temperature below 50 degrees 0-0
Coldest gametime temperature 51 deg F
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
It has been 39 days since Penn State squandered a 17-point second-half lead and lost to Michigan State in its regular-season finale.
But the Nittany Lions are still experiencing a hangover from that 35-31 setback Nov. 17 as they prepare to face Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl Saturday in San Antonio.
"It left a bad taste in the mouth," linebacker Dan Connor said of the Spartans' 35-31 comeback victory.
It was a flavor so sour that even the outcome of the "Almost Bowl" - as in "almost good enough" - will do little to prevent people from gazing ahead to next year's news. "I think a lot of the guys needed this time off to heal up and put the entire season in perspective. ... I think this bowl game is going to be good for us. Guys needed (the break). They needed to relax. They needed the time off. The intensity is real high right now."
It will be Joe Paterno's 500th game as Penn State's coach and his 34th bowl appearance. He is the all-time leader in bowl wins (22-10-1) and appearances. Penn State has carved out an 8-2 bowl record under Paterno since joining the Big Ten in 1993.
The Nittany Lions are 6-2 vs. Big 12 teams in bowl games. 1-0 vs. TAM.
The Valero Alamo Bowl is the Nittany Lions’ fifth post-season game in Texas, with PSU owning
a 2-0-1 mark in the Cotton Bowl and 1-0 in the Alamo Bowl.
The Nittany Lions will be playing their fifth post-season game in a domed stadium, owning a
2-2 record.
The Aggies, meanwhile, have dropped six of their seven bowl appearances since 1997.
Penn State finished 2-3 on the road in ‘07.
07 a downer:
A week after a disappointing 14-9 loss at Michigan, bruising the team's BCS national title hopes, the Nittany Lions' dropped a 27-20 decision to Illinois to eliminate any real chance of a BCS bowl. The final four drives ended in three interceptions and a lost fumble.
Archrival Ohio State rolled up 453 yards of offense in a 37-17 win at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions failed to force one punt as the Buckeyes converted 12 of 16 third downs.
The final low blow came when Michigan State rallied for a 35-31 victory, coming back from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter. The Spartans rolled up 288 yards in the second half, scoring touchdowns on four of the first five possessions after intermission.
ANOTHER STIFF CHALLENGE
Texas A&M will be the fifth opponent the Nittany Lions have faced this year that is ranked
in the Top 25 nationally in rushing. Penn State has squared off against several of
the nation’s top rushers, but is still allowing the opposition less than 100 yards per game on the
ground.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
Penn State has won 51 of 62 (82.2) non-conference games overall since starting Big Ten play in
1993
The Nittany Lion defense is ranked in the Top 10 nationally in rushing (6th, 87.9 ypg), scoring (7th, 17.6 ppg) and total defense (10th, 396.5 ypg), as well as sacks (2nd, 45) and tackles for loss (10th, 96). Penn State leads the Big Ten in sacks, and is No. 2 in rushing, scoring and total defense. The Nittany Lions have recorded two shutouts this season and held four other teams to either one offensive touchdown or field goals. Penn State has held eight opponents to 90 rushing yards or less in 2007.
Penn State has just three senior starters: Connor, Kinlaw and Morelli.
Five Nittany Lions earned first team All-Big Ten honors, the second-highest total among all teams: freshman punter Jeremy Boone, Connor, Evans, King and junior center A.Q. Shipley.
INJURY REPORT
TE Brennan Coakley (knee) - out
G Lou Eliades (foot) - out
FB Matt Hahn (knee) - out was an effective runner, receiver and blocker that played in every game this season with two starts
DE Jerome Hayes (knee) - out had played in all seven games this season as a defensive end/outside linebacker.
DT Jared Odrick (ankle) - out Odrick had started the inital seven games
DE Devon Still (knee) - out
Seven of Penn State’s 2007 opponents are playing in bowl games, with four playing in the Bowl
Championship Series and/or on New Year’s Day: Illinois (Rose), Indiana (Insight), Michigan
(Capital One), Michigan State (Champs Sports), Ohio State (BCS Championship), Purdue (Motor
City) and Wisconsin (Outback) are playing in bowl games.
The Aggies’ 2007 overall schedule is rated the second-toughest in the nation by the NCAA. It featured seven bowl teams, including two that will play in BCS bowl games (Kansas and Oklahoma). The Aggies were 3-4 against bowl-bound teams in 2007 with wins over Fresno State (Humanitarian), Oklahoma State (Insight) and Texas (Holiday).
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
Texas A&M will bring the momentum of its 38- 30 victory over its archrival, No. 11 Texas, to San
Antonio. Prior to beating the Longhorns, Texas A&M lost consecutive games to Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri -- teams ranked in the Top 10 in the Dec. 2 Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls. The Nittany Lions will again be facing one of
the nation’s top rushing attacks. Texas A&M averages 215.6 yards per game on the ground, good for No. 2 in the Big 12 Conferene and 13th in the nation. The Aggies’ backfield trio of quarterback
Stephen McGee and running backs Jorvorskie Lane and Mike Goodson make Texas A&M
one of only three schools in the nation with at least three rushers with more than 600 rushing
yards each. Joining the Aggies are Navy and Oklahoma State.
AGAINST TEXAS SCHOOLS
Penn State has earned a 15-4-1 (77.5) record all-time against schools from Texas: Baylor (1-0),
Houston (2-0), Rice (2-0), SMU (1-0-1), Texas (3- 2), Texas A&M (2-1), TCU (3-1) and Texas Tech (1-0).
TALENTED & DEEP WIDEOUTS
PRODUCE ANOTHER TRIO WITH
40 OR MORE RECEPTIONS
Penn State has one of the nation’s most talented and deep wideout units, with four receivers having made 28 or more receptions in the balanced offensive attack.
Quarterback Anthony Morelli looks to end his college career with a second straight bowl victory. He completed 14 of 25 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown in Penn State's 20-10 win over Tennessee in last season's Outback Bowl.
Penn State went 7-1 this season in games when Morelli threw for at least 195 yards.
Despite becoming the Nittany Lions' primary ball carrier midway through the season after Austin Scott was removed from the team, Rodney Kinlaw finished fifth in the Big Ten in rushing with 1,186 yards. Penn State went 4-1 when Kinlaw ran for more than 100 yards.
The Penn State defense has permitted only 24 touchdowns in the past 18 games, starting with the
Illinois game on Oct. 21, 2006, when the Lions held the Illini to four field goals. Twelve of the 18 opponents have been shut out, held to field goals or scored one offensive touchdown vs. the Nittany Lion defense. Three of the touchdowns came in the fourth quarter by Buffalo after Penn State had taken a 31-3 lead.
The Lions are No. 3 in the nation in fewest penalty yards and tied for No. 5 for fewest penalties.
PSU: PENALTIES-YARDS ……..........56-431
TAM: PENALTIES-Yards............... 77-569
For the season, Penn State is averaging 399.0 total yards and 5.5 yards per play, with 187.4 ypg
on the ground and 211.6 ypg through the air.
Although Penn State's defense ranks in the top 10 in Division I-A in four categories -- sacks (45), run defense (87.9 yards per game), scoring defense (17.6 points) and total defense (306.5 yards) -- the unit struggled during the second half of the season. The Lions allowed 31 or more points in three of the final five games.
Paterno said defensive tackle Chris Baker, special teams player Knowledge Timmons and backup linebacker Navorro Bowman will make the trip to the Alamo Bowl despite facing legal issues.
December 26, 2007
Saturday's game against Texas A&M will be the second straight for the Nittany Lions without starting defensive tackle Chris Baker and backup linebacker Navorro Bowman, who also missed the regular-season finale Nov. 17 against Michigan State.
Backup cornerback and special teams ace Knowledge Timmons will also miss his second consecutive game. Timmons faces misdemeanor charges in an incident directly after the fight.
Penn State coach Joe Paterno said two weeks ago that the three would travel to Texas, but a school official said Wednesday they did not make the trip.
Also not making the trip was backup cornerback Willie Harriott, who was charged with driving drunk on Nov. 11. Harriott had also been suspended by Paterno a few games earlier this season after university police cited him on a count of underage drinking.
Backup defensive tackle Tom McEowen also did not make the trip for undisclosed reasons
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Penn State junior cornerback Justin King is considering skipping his senior year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft in April. The Sporting News rated King, 6 feet, 186 pounds, the best cover corner in the Big Ten Conference last season. NFLDraftScout.com ranked him the top junior cornerback in the country earlier this season.
But after struggling down the stretch, King has slipped to No. 8 in the latest rankings. He also has fallen out of the first round.
"We have him ranked as a second-rounder because he obviously gave up some big plays the second half of the season," said Rob Rang, senior analyst for NFLDraftScout.com. "But if you watch him on film, he has all the natural tools that get people excited.
NFLDraftScout.com ranks senior middle linebacker Dan Connor as a first-round NFL draft pick. He has been selected a first team all-American by ESPN.com to earn his third first-team recognition for the 2007 campaign.
Senior quarterback Anthony Morelli from Penn Hills High School is targeted as a "sixth- or seventh-round" selection. Senior Rodney Kinlaw is the 26th-ranked running back, not projected to be picked.
Sophomore defensive end Maurice Evans and junior outside linebacker Sean Lee were chosen third-team all-Americans by Collegefootballnews.com.
Four players made the Sporting News' freshman all-Big Ten team: defensive end Aaron Maybin, defensive tackle Ollie Ogbu, tailback Evan Royster, and guard Stefen Wisniewski.
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• • •
TAM Aggies dropped four of their last six. Less than an hour after Texas A&M's 38-30 victory against then No. 11 Texas last month, embattled Aggies coach Dennis Franchione resigned. Defensive coordinator Gary Darnell was named the interim coach and will lead the Aggies against Penn State. Darnell also was the interim head coach at Florida in 1989, posting a 3-4 record and taking the Gators to the Freedom Bowl. He said he's nervous about squaring off against Paterno.
Three days after Franchione’s resignation, Byrne named former Green Bay Packers head
coach and general manager and current Houston Texans assistant head coach Mike Sherman
the 28th head football coach at Texas A&M on Nov. 26. Most of the current coaches will not be retained, although all are helping A&M prepare for the Valero Alamo Bowl this Saturday.
Penn State beat Texas A&M, 24-0, in the 1999 Alamo Bowl. It was a similar scenario in 1999, when the Lions lost three straight before shutting down the Aggies in San Antonio.
Besides dealing with the coaching situation, Texas A&M has had two players - Junior starting offensive tackle Yemi Babakika and freshman defensive end Brandon Joiner - get suspended indefinitely after they were arrested in connection with a home-invasion case.
A&M learned Tuesday it will be without starting junior defensive end Michael Bennett who has been ruled academically ineligible. Bennett split time with junior Cyril Obiozor. Bennett was second with 43 tackles. He also had six tackles for losses, broke up four passes, and caused a fumble.
Three key contributors have had season-ending surgery since the Texas game, and will not
play in the Alamo Bowl:
Chris Yoder (knee) senior offensive guard- started 1st 7 g
Chris Smith (wrist) junior defensive lineman BU- played in 9 g
Jordan Peterson sophomore cornerback (shoulder). Started 1st 2 g
Junior Travis Schneider will start at offensive tackle in place of Yemi Babalola, who was suspended after being arrested and charged with aggravated robbery and drug possession on Dec. 6.
The Aggies' offense revolves around Stephen McGee. The quarterback led Texas A&M in rushing this season with 858 yards. He threw for a career-high 362 yards and three touchdowns while completing 25 of 36 passes in the season finale against Texas.
McGee was limited to 177 yards passing and 31 rushing in last season's 45-10 loss to California in the Holiday Bowl. A&M has been blown out a combined 83-17 in its two previous bowl appearances — the Cotton and Holiday bowls — under Dennis Franchione.
If you believe most insiders, there is much to be excited about offensively after watching the results of Franchione finally taking the shackles off offensive coordinator Les Koenning in the Texas win.
Corey Clark(36 starts) is a member of a veteran, salty offensive line that has four starting seniors this year. While the Aggies didn't win any Big 12 titles under their watch, Clark is well aware of the seniors' legacy.
Texas A&M senior offensive center Cody Wallace was named Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year by the Big 12 head coaches. He was the Aggies’ lone representative on the all-Big 12 first team.
Earning spots on the Big 12’s second team were fullback Chris Alexander, defensive end Chris Harrington, linebacker Misi Tupe and punter Justin Brantly.
If there was any doubt California would be motivated heading into the Armed Forces Bowl after losing six of its final seven games, ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit has fired up the Golden Bears.
Herbstreit said of all the non-BCS bowl games, the most likely blowout would be Air Force over California. The Golden Bears players didn't welcome his comment.
"Nobody likes to be called out on national television," tackle Mike Tepper told San Francisco Bay Area reporters last week. "I can tell you our team wasn't happy about it."
Earlier this season, Herbstreit was talking about the struggles of Notre Dame and pointed out the Fighting Irish had a couple of fluff games at the end of the season, particularly Air Force.
His comments ruffled the Falcons. Air Force beat Notre Dame 41-24.
"He's calling us out that he thinks we're weak and that we play with no heart," California reserve defensive end Rulon Davis said. "I don't want him to think we're a bunch of punks."
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One of the keys to Air Force’s 9-3 season has been its play in the second halves of games. The Falcons, who will face California on Monday in the Armed Forces Bowl at TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium, have outscored their opponents after halftime by a combined 185-104. They won four games in which they either trailed or were tied at halftime.
“I don’t know how many teams still condition in week 16 of the season,” senior outside linebacker Julian Madrid said.
Air Force has enhanced its fitness advantage this season by going without a huddle on offense. By late in the third quarter, “those guys that were running 4.4 (seconds in the 40-yard dash) are running 4.6, and they’re getting up off the ground a little bit slower,” Thiessen said.
Air Force is appearing in its first bowl game since 2002 (a 20-13 setback to Virginia Tech in San Francisco), while Cal has posted wins over Virginia Tech (2003 Insight), BYU (2005 Las Vegas) and Texas A&M (2006 Holiday) while losing to Texas Tech (2004 Holiday) in its past four bowl appearances.
The Falcons are 1-1 vs. Cal coach Jeff Tedford.
The Falcons will also present Cal with something new: facing a 3-4 defense instead of the usual 4-3.
Air Force has sold approximately 11,800 tickets for the bowl, nearly four times what it sold for its previous two bowl games, combined. Last meeting vs. California -- 2004
Air Force was beaten, 56-14, by 13th-ranked California in Falcon Stadium in the season opener for both schools.
“In ’04, they were strictly an option team, but now they’ve incorporated more passing sets. They actually have a passing game on third down instead of straight option football, so they’ve opened up their playbook with their new coaching staff,” Sr safety DeCoud said. “We’ve definitely been taking that into account.”
Air Force 1st year head coach Troy Calhoun, who already had changed the offensive scheme, moved Hall from running back to Z receiver. His 10.6 yards per touch in the first four games stood out to Calhoun. And after the Falcons’ 31-6 loss to BYU in their fourth game, he decided to get Hall more involved. Hall picked up a then-season high 182 all-purpose yards against Navy, and from there, he became the focal point of the offense. In the last seven games, he rushed for 1,257 yards, the second-most in the nation during that span.
- Only player to lead team in rushing yards (1,415), receiving yards (488) and all-purpose yards (2,504)
- Also led team in receptions (46) and rushing touchdowns (12)
- Rushed for more than 100 yards in six of past seven games
As a four-year starter, senior quarterback Shaun Carney has put his name atop several Air Force passing records. Carney has broke the Air Force career passing yardage, passing touchdowns and total yardage records this season. He has been very efficient, connecting on 62 percent
of his passes for 1,423 yards and eight touchdowns with just five interceptions.
Senior outside linebacker John Rabold, who missed Air Force’s last three practices at the academy, was back on the field. Rabold, who had viral infection, said he’s gained back almost all of the 16 pounds he lost and he feels ready to play.
Sophomore guard Peter Lusk — missed practice Wednesday because of travel delays. Calhoun said Lusk, who has a high ankle sprain, sent a text message to offensive line coach Clay Hendrix a few days ago indicating he’ll be able to play. Calhoun said today’s practice — which will be in full pads — should help clarify the status of Lusk and senior tailback Chad Smith. Smith (groin) and senior guard Caleb Morris (knee) both practiced Wednesday.
Troy Calhoun said his team should be as healthy as it's been all season and he expects everyone to be ready to play Monday. The biggest question mark is senior backup tailback Chad Smith who has missed practice time with a groin injury.
"He's an extremely tough kid," Calhoun said. "I think he'll find a way to play. I just don't know how much he's going to be able to go."
Two Air Force football players were named to the Sports Illustrated.com All-America team. Senior wide receiver-z/tailback Chad Hall and cornerback Carson Bird were named honorable mention by SI.com.
All-conference honors for Air Force
First Team: Chad Hall (RB), Blaine Guenther (C), John Rabold (ILB), Carson Bird (CB)
Second Team: Nick Charles (OG), Drew Fowler (ILB)
Honorable Mention: Shaun Carney (QB), Travis Dekker (TE), Ryan Kemp (DE), Chris Thomas (SS)
AF vs. non-conference foes
Air Force has gone 4-2 over the past six games, including a 3-1 mark this season.
Both Air Force and Cal played Colorado State in Fort Collins. The Bears defeated Colorado State, 34-28, on Sept. 8 in the second week of the season. Air Force beat the Rams, 45-21, on Oct. 13.
Rushing for 100 is the key
Air Force is 9-0 when it has a player rush for over 100 yards and 8-1 when they out-rush their opponents. The Falcons are 0-3 when they don’t have a player run for over 100 yards.
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Cal defensive end Rulon Davis who has missed seven games this season with foot and knee injuries, says he feels "outstanding" as the Bears head into the bowl game. Davis suffered a stress fracture in his foot in the Bears' third game of the season, missed four games, then returned to play for about five plays against Arizona State before suffering a sprained knee. He came back to compete in the Big Game.
Junior center Alex Mack, the heart of Cal's offensive line: Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Mack as the best junior center in the nation, and Todd McShay, the director of college football scouting for Scout Inc., mentions Mack as one of three examples of the perfect pass-blocker.
Senior left tackle Mike Gibson did more in contact drills and said he plans to play. Junior Chet Teofilo, a converted defensive lineman, has taken the majority of the repetitions in Gibson's absence.
California Football Lands Twelve on the All-Pac-10 Teams
Senior running back Justin Forsett and junior center Alex Mack headlined as 1st team. Freshman Jahvid Best earned first-team honors as a special teams player after seeing time as a tailback, a return man and a gunner.
Headlining second-team honors are wide receivers Lavelle Hawkins and DeSean Jackson.
A second-team defensive pick at linebacker, junior Zack Follett,
Cal had a slew of honorable mentions as well, including seniors Thomas DeCoud, Brian De La Puente, Mike Gibson, Robert Jordan and Craig Stevens, and junior Anthony Felder. DeCoud paced the defense with 106 tackles, while Jordan established a new Cal record for consecutive games with a reception (41). Stevens posted 204 yards receiving with three touchdowns, while De La Puente and Gibson started every game on the offensive line. Felder ranks second on the team with 99 tackles.
As much as he tries, it’s hard for Lavelle “Hawk” Hawkins to stay out of the spotlight this season. In fact, Hawkins has caught the attention of ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper who has the senior wideout rated No. 3 in his latest “top five seniors by position” rankings. Hawkins also appears on Kiper’s Top 25 Big Board at No. 22 in the country.
Senior DeSean Jackson ranks third all-time at Cal in receiving yards and sixth in receptions and has returned six punts for touchdowns in his California football career.
Robert Jordan has 41 receptions for 541 yards and two touchdowns this season
Junior quarterback Nate Longshore has thrown for over 5,000 career yards and his
41 career touchdown passes rank sixth all time at Cal
The Golden Bears have a chance to finish this year with three different players recording more than 100 tackles. Thomas DeCoud was the first to cross the century mark after he recorded 11 tackles at Stanford to give hime 106 on the season. Lnebacker Anthony Felder currently has 99 takedowns, while junior linebacker Worrell Williams has 98 stops.
Senior Andrew Larson was selected as a finalist for the Ray Guy Award for the top punter in the
nation. Larson is averaging 41 yards per punt with a net punting mark of 37.5 (third-best in the Pac-10 and 18th in the nation).
The Crimson Tide will meet the Buffs in Independence Stadium in a game that will make the difference between a winning and losing season for both programs. The teams have identical 6-6 overall records and 4-4 conference marks. Both schools have a 12,000-seat allotment for the game
CU has sold close to 3,000 tickets for the game. Alabama sold out its allotment of tickets.
CECIL HURT: Saban still feels some excitement
It would be absolutely unfair to say that there isn’t a single person in the state of Alabama who is excited to see the Crimson Tide’s 2007 football season continue.
There might not be many. There might be a vast majority of Alabama fans who wish that the season had stopped after the Tennessee game. Even the most optimistic members of that group might wish that this year had come to a quiet conclusion, making room for recruiting, an area where Alabama continues to make almost unimpeded headway.
There are a lot of people who feel that way. But it’s not unanimous. There is at least one person who is excited that Alabama is in the Independence Bowl against Colorado. There is at least one person who thinks that the reward of ending the season on a one-game winning streak is worth the risk of ending it on a five-game losing skid.
The man who definitely feels that way: Nick Saban. “It’s never too late to start over,” he said at his Monday press conference. Why? Perhaps Saban simply wanted to say something positive because almost everything that has been said about this team in the last six weeks has been unrelentingly negative.
Thoughts from Shreveport
Christopher Walsh
Posted December 28, 2007
It's amazing how differently the teams are approaching this game.
While Alabama had 12 practices and five dates at the bowl site, Colorado started much earlier and arrived after the Tide had already had two practices here.
Alabama's players haven't had much exposure to the media, while every Colorado player has been available.
Alabama player's schedule has been very precise, and after today's luncheon it was amazing how fast the team got on the buses and was on the move. Meanwhile, the Colorado players were hanging out at their hotel, even in the lobby, and visiting Starbucks.
Saban is 3-5 (.375) in his eight previous bowl games, including a 3-2 mark at LSU.
*Overall, Alabama is 8-9-1 (.472) all-time against the teams that currently make up the
Big 12 field.
Here’s a comparative look at Colorado and Alabama in several statistical categories through games of December 1 (NCAA/national rankings, if applicable,
are in parenthesis; national rankings include bowl games):
Category Colorado Alabama
Overall Record, 2007 ...............................6-6 6-6
Versus AP Ranked Teams (at time of game)..1-2 2-3
Opponents Played Combined Record (NCAA schedule strength)...... 71-57 (30) 68-47 (10)
Versus Ranked Teams.....................41-52-2 36-45-1
In Conference Play.........................95-47-3 (11) 92-57 (15)
Rushing Offense.............................150. 0 (63) 150.7 (60)
Average Per Rush .......................... 3.9 4.0
Passing Offense ............................227.0 (56) 221.9 (60)
Completion Percentage....................55.7 55.5
Average Per Attempt......................6.3 6.1
Passing Efficiency .........................115.7 (86) 113.3 (95)
Total Offense............................... 377.0 (72) 372.6 (65)
Average Per Play ...........................5.1 5.0
Scoring Offense.............................27.6 (63) 26.8 (65)
Rushing Defense............................127.7 (32) 128.3 (34)
Average Per Rush .......................... 4.0 3.5
Passing Defense ............................261.8 (101) 212.9 (39)
Completion Percentage.....................57.3 53.6
Average Per Attempt.......................7.1 6.6
Pass Efficiency Defense ..................127.8 (70) 114.6 (28)
Total Defense................................3 89.4 (64) 341.2 (28)
Average Per Play............................5.6 4.9
Scoring Defense.............................29.4 (78) 21.8 (29)
Third Down Conversion Offense.........34.5 (100) 37.0 (80)
Third Down Conversion Defense........34.7 (28) 3901 (62)
Net Punting ..................................35.4 (58) 33.4 (87)
Punt Returns ................................10.3 (38) 13.7 (12)
Punt Return Yardage Defense.............6.9 (34) 6.6 (28)
Kickoff Returns .............................. 23.0 (30) 21.4 (63)
Kickoff Return Yardage Defense.........19.3 (18) 17.6 ( 5)
Turnovers .................................... 25 (72) 18 (24)
Turnover Margin............................ -0.33 (83) +0.33 (32)
Time of Possession........................ 31:24 (21) 29:33 (72)
NOT SO FAST AGAINST THE BUFFS…
Alabama is playing in the Independence Bowl for the second consecutive season. Wilson and his teammates lost 34-31 to Oklahoma State last year.
ALABAMAS BOWL EXPERIENCE
Alabama has 43 players on its current football roster with previous bowl experience, there are only 18 with at least one bowl start. There are only six players on the team who have started more than one bowl game in their UA careers.
*There are 30 players on the 2007 roster that have seen action in all 11 games.
*There are 11 players on the 2007 roster that have started all 12 games.
Alabama's record is somewhat deceiving. It lost one game in overtime and five others by seven or fewer points this season, playing in the Southeastern Conference. Alabama was off to a hot start this season under new coach Nick Saban, but the team began to fade down the stretch and several suspensions for disciplinary reasons affected chemistry.
Alabama's most impressive victory this season came in Week 3 when it defeated Arkansas 41-38. It also came close to beating Louisiana State, which will play for the national title next month. It's overtime loss came against Georgia, another SEC team playing in a Bowl Championship Series game.
Ala’s SQB Wilson enters the bowl game ranked 97th among college quarterbacks in passing efficiency, 12 spots behind CU starter Fr Cody Hawkins. Wilson has thrown for 2,590 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, but he has completed only 55 percent of his throws and has been intercepted 11 times.
Alabama wide receiver DJ Hall, Wilson’s top target, stopped just short Thursday of issuing a personal challenge to Colorado cornerback Terrence Wheatley.
"If they've got one of the best cornerbacks in the nation, we're going to see what he's got," a grinning Hall told reporters.
Wheatley, a 5-foot-10, 175-pounder with sprinter's speed, earned first-team all-Big 12 Conference honors by the league's coaches. Hall (6-2, 195) caught 63 passes for 947 yards and six touchdowns this season. He made the all-Southeastern Conference second team and holds several Alabama career receiving records.
Wheatley has compared Hall with the best receivers he has faced. That includes first-team All-Americans Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech and Jordy Nelson of Kansas State.
Wheatley said the foot injury (hairline fracture) that forced him to miss the final two regular-season games has healed and he feels no pain.
Friday, December 28, 2007
By the middle of October, RB Terry Grant was hurting. First, he visited a doctor for his hip. No help. Then he found a specialist, who realigned his back and eased his agony. His groin still bothers him.
Regardless, the redshirt freshman's health has slowly improved.
"I practiced the whole time today," Grant said Thursday after practice at Independence Bowl Stadium. "I have trouble with (the injuries) every now and then. But sometimes, they let me go at it pretty good."
Alabama coach Nick Saban could finally receive his wish in Sunday's Independence Bowl against Colorado. The Crimson Tide could finally boast an inside-outside combination at running back.
"We're all back running the ball - that's going to be smooth," said Coffee, who rushed 110 times for 473 yards with four touchdowns
Complementing the speed of the 5-foot-10, 188-pound Grant will be the power styles of 6-2, 197-pound Glen Coffee and 6-foot, 192-pound Roy Upchurch. The team could actually, really, have depth at that position.
At no time since the Ole Miss game on Oct. 13 have all three been able to play in the same game.
Grant has increased his reps in practice, going until he can't go anymore. Now that he appears to be working himself into shape, the backs will attempt to run the ball against a Buffaloes defense that was fifth in the Big 12 in rushing defense (127.7 yards per game).
Asked about his tailback trio of Grant, Glen Coffee and Roy Upchurch, Saban said, "We'll probably play all three guys."
Sophomore Javier Arenas (sprained ankle) is still on target to play Sunday and handle kick and punt returns. Coaches gave him last Saturday off for an extra rest day. He was back in crimson practicing with the other defensive backs.
Sophomore safety Justin Woodall (shoulder) remained in black, signaling no contact, but is also expected to be ready.
Under new head coach Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide switched to a 3-4 defensive alignment. Kansas State, which defeated the Buffs 47-20, is the only Big 12 team that primarily uses three down linemen and four linebackers as its base defense rather than a 4-3.
Bulletin Board Material
"There are plays to be made (against CU). . . . The way they play their schemes, we should be able to make a lot of big plays. . . . "If our (tight ends) come open, I'm pretty sure we'll get the ball," said Ala’s Walker, who made 19 receptions for 166 yards and two touchdowns this season. senior receiver DJ Hall, whose 63 receptions, 947 yards and six scoring catches were team-highs in 2007. He, too, didn't seem convinced CU's secondary could throw a blanket over an Alabama passing game that totaled 221.9 yards a game and accounted for 16 of the Crimson Tide's 35 touchdowns this season.
Junior offensive lineman Antoine Caldwell opened with sound bites complimentary of CU's front seven - "They're very disciplined (and) do a great job" - but quickly lapsed into this:
"I felt Oklahoma outplayed them a little bit, but (CU) created some turnovers and, at the end . . . they came back and stole that game."
Alabama held five opponents to under 300 yards total offense this season, including the last three games (259.7 per).
Friday, December 28, 2007
Alabama shivered through another cold practice Thursday afternoon at Independence Stadium. Even the tough guys -- linebackers and linemen -- wore long sleeves.
This was not the case, however, at Colorado's practice Wednesday night.
"This is pretty good weather," said Buffaloes tailback Hugh Charles, his breath visible as he spoke. "This is what we're used to. Nobody packed any long sleeves."
So could this be a factor in Sunday night's Independence Bowl? Temperatures in Louisiana are predicted to climb in the coming days, reaching the 60s on a sunny Sunday before dipping into the 40s near the 7 p.m. kickoff.
Only six of 119 Division I teams ranked in the top half of the NCAA in all five special teams categories this season. CU was one of them.
The Buffs surrendered 55 and 51 points in their final two home games and a total of 137 points in the last three regular season games combined
The one word that can best describe the Buffaloes is inconsistent, as the team shocked the nation by beating Oklahoma but also lost to Missouri by 45 points. Keep in mind that Missouri lost to Oklahoma twice this season.
Colorado played four teams in the final BCS Standings, all in the top 11: Oklahoma (No. 4), Missouri (No. 6), Kansas (No. 8) and Arizona State (No. 11); Alabama also played four (#2 LSU, #5 Georgia, #16 Tennessee and #23 Auburn). CU is the only school in the nation to play four in the top 11.
In the two most noteworthy schedule rating systems, the Buffs played either the 15th(Sag) or 42nd toughest schedule in the nation. Alabama comes in with the 38th toughest schedule according to USA Today/Sagarin, but 20th in the NCAA calculation (74-53, .583).
By Neill Woelk
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
On the surface, at least, Colorado should have no problem in the motivation department. A modestly successful season, a game against one of college football's storied programs and the chance for a winning record are on the table.
It is the Crimson Tide that will be a question mark.
A team that started out 6-2 was at one time ranked No. 17 in the nation after a 41-17 win over Tennessee. But then came four consecutive losses down the stretch, including a defeat at the hands of Louisiana-Monroe, followed by a bitter loss to rival Auburn.
Any way you draw it up, it's a disappointing season for the Crimson Tide. Throw in the fact that the seniors likely have little allegiance to first-year coach Nick Saban, plus the Tide players can't be happy about returning to Shreveport, La., for the second straight year, and you have to wonder how high the Tide will be.
Three of the last four bowl appearances have resulted in defeat, including a 19-10 setback in the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl, the program's most recent bowl game.
Cody Hawkins has taken almost every snap for Colorado this season, and the signal caller finished with 424 pass attempts in 12 games, an average of over 35 attempts per contest. Hawkins has completed a modest 56.4 percent of his throws for 2,693 yards with 19 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
Though Colorado’s offense is still very much a work in progress (there are often seven freshmen in the lineup at the same time), the Buffs did manage to score 30 or more points in five games this season.
Colorado senior tailback Hugh Charles has 989 rushing yards on 185 carries, for a 5.3 average per carry, and eight rushing touchdowns. He also has 24 receptions for 233 yards and a touchdown catch.
2007 starters (12 games): Seniors (81), Juniors (99), Sophomores (36), Freshmen (48; redshirts 28, true 20).
*Alabama has used 14 first-time starters in the first 12 games of the 2007 season,
In 2007, 18 different players caught passes for the Buffaloes, with nine different players making touchdown receptions. Nationally, that ranked third behind Nebraska and Troy (20 each), while tied with TCU and USC for the number of players with receptions: CU tied for fifth
in the number of players with TD catches (Troy had 13 players score via receiving TD, Cincinnati, Hawaii and USC 10
HC Hawkins on the vertical passing game: “I love the long pass. As I’ve come along in this game, I’ve learned you’ve got to pound it and launch it.”
The Colorado defense has been strong at times this season, as the team shut out Miami-Ohio and limited Florida State to just 16 points. Perhaps most impressive was an October 20th game against Kansas when the Buffs held the explosive Jayhawks to 19 points.
Colorado yielded 47 points to mediocre Kansas State, 55 points to Missouri and 51 points to Nebraska.
Three times this season, Colorado has faced an opponent ranked in the top 10 in both total offense and scoring offense and held them considerably below : Oklahoma, Kansas , and Texas Tech
The Buffs have allowed just six 100-yard rushers over the last 37 games (since the start of the 2005 season). 3 TY.
NON-OFFENSIVE SCORES (3)
CU allowed just 590 yards over a three game stretch early in the season, the second lowest number for a hat-trick of games in 42 seasons, but by season’s end, Colorado gave up over 600
twice in the last three games (vs. Mizz, and vs. NB).
CU wound up allowing 11 plays of 40 or more yards with Missouri having three of that length and Iowa State one.
The leaders on defense all earned first-team All-Big 12 Conference honors:
ILB Jordon Dizon, CB Terrence Wheatley and DT George Hypolite.
Dizon, a finalist for the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker, was
the coaches’ choice as the league’s defensive player of the year.
ALL-BIG 12 CONFERENCE
DE ALONZO BARRETT (honorable mention: Associated Press)
TB HUGH CHARLES (second-team: *Rivals.com, Phil Steele’s College Football; honorable mention: Associated Press, Big 12 Coaches)
TE TYSON DeVREE (honorable mention: Associated Press)
ILB JORDON DIZON (first-team: Associated Press, Big 12 Coaches, Austin American-Statesman, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Rivals.com,
Phil Steele’s College Football)
PK KEVIN EBERHART (second-team: Rivals.com, Phil Steele’s College Football; honorable mention: Big 12 Coaches)
OT EDWIN HARRISON (honorable mention: Associated Press, Big 12 Coaches)
DT GEORGE HYPOLITE (first-team: Associated Press, Big 12 Coaches, Austin American-Statesman; second-team: Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Rivals.com, Phil Steele’s College Football)
OG KAI MAIAVA (honorable mention: Phil Steele’s College Football)
PR CHASE McBRIDE (honorable mention: Phil Steele’s College Football)
NT BRANDON NICOLAS (honorable mention: Associated Press, Big 12 Coaches, Phil Steele’s College Football)
OT TYLER POLUMBUS (second-team: Big 12 Coaches, Austin American-Statesman; third-team: Phil Steele’s College Football)
CB TERRENCE WHEATLEY (first-team: Associated Press, Big 12 Coaches, Austin American-Statesman, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Rivals.com;
second-team: Phil Steele’s College Football honorable mention at KR by Big 12 Coaches, Phil Steele’s College Football)
FRESHMAN ALL-BIG 12
OG KAI MAIAVA (first-team: The Sporting News)
WR SCOTTY McKNIGHT (first-team: The Sporting News)
OT RYAN MILLER (first-team: The Sporting News)
QUICK STRIKES
Colorado has 10 scoring drives in one minute or less this season, with 22 of two minutes or shorter, it turns out the Buffaloes are among the nation’s leaders in striking fast.
Colorado has nine non-offensive touchdowns in its last 10 bowls. The roll call:
—2005 Champ Sports (0): none
—2004 Houston (0): none
—2002 Alamo (1): Donald Strickland 91 interception return
—2002 Fiesta (0): none
Big 12 Conference teams are 4-11 in the Independence Bowl, while SEC teams are 11-3, but Big 12 teams have won the last three games. The games have bee traditionally close; 15 of the 31 have been decided by seven points or less, including seven of the last eight (six of those by four points or
fewer).
Some trends of Colorado coach Dan Hawkins ( 2-2 in bowls as HC) both overall and at his former school, Boise State; totals are for 88 games including bowls (61-27)
Category At CU Overall
�� when scoring 20 or more points (0-17 when not) 8- 4 61-10
�� when scoring 30 or more points 7- 1 54- 3
�� when scoring 40 or more points 3- 0 38- 2
�� when scoring 50 or more points 1- 0 20- 0
�� when holding opponent to 17 points or less 3- 3 32- 3
�� in games decided by 7 points or less 3- 6 13-11
�� with two or fewer turnovers (10-2 with zero) 6-11 44-19
�� when turnover margin was plus or even 6- 9 45-16
�� when scoring first (18-15 when not) 7- 9 43-12
�� when leading at halftime 6- 4 49- 7
�� when trailing at halftime (4-0 when tied) 2-11 8-19
�� when leading after three (8-20 trailing ,2-2 tied) 6- 2 51- 3
�� when holding opponent under 100 yards rushing 4- 4 36- 6
�� when holding opponent under 300 yards offense 2- 5 26- 5
�� when rushing for 200-plus yards 5- 1 37- 1
�� when rushing for 250-plus yards (7-0 300-plus) 3- 1 25- 1
�� when rushing for more yards than passing 5- 6 23- 7
�� with a 100-yard rusher 6- 3 33- 3
�� when rushing and passing for at least 200 yards 3- 0 28- 0
�� with 400-plus yards total offense (44-2 last 46) 4- 2 48- 4
�� with 500-plus yards total offense (6-0 with 600-plus) 2- 0 25- 1
Colorado is 72-20 against teams with three or more losses dating back to the 1985 season
The Buffaloes were seventh in the Big 12 in rushing (150.), 10th in passing (227.0), 10th
in total offense (357.0) and 10th in scoring (27.58) this season.
Colorado was 8th in the Big 12 and 83rd nationally (-0.33) in turnover margin this year;
After starting cornerback Reggie Smith broke his right big toe in the Big 12 championship game, fellow junior Lendy Holmes was supposed to move from his starting safety spot to fill in. That was until Holmes failed to meet eligibility requirements and was left at home for the Sooners' second straight bowl trip to Arizona.
"No matter if we're new or we're old in the secondary, we all know the position, we all know how to play it," said sophomore Brian Jackson, who's competing with redshirt freshman Dominique Franks for the start at cornerback. "Nobody's better than anybody."
While Jackson and Franks would each be making their first career start, the Sooners have an experienced backup to turn to at safety. Darien Williams, who started 11 games last season, will fill that role.
Williams was a staple in the Sooners' lineup in last year's run to the Fiesta Bowl before his season was derailed by a knee injury 11 games in. He then had surgery in the offseason to fix a stress fracture in his left foot, and that put him behind when the season rolled around. Holmes, a converted receiver, developed quickly and claimed Williams' job.
Williams and whichever young cornerback starts will be filling the shoes of a tandem that combined to make 151 tackles and six interceptions. Franks, who backed up Smith in the regular season, is also the top candidate to take over his punt returning duties.
With plenty of time to get the backups ready, Sooners coach Bob Stoops hardly seemed concerned about switching up a secondary that had been intact throughout the regular season.
The Seminoles, who will match 7-5 records with Kentucky, are especially thin on defense. Five key linemen, two top linebackers and standout cornerback Patrick Robinson won't be playing.
Undersized walk-ons Garrison Sanborn and Benjamin Lampkin will back up at defensive end. Little-used reserve Kenny Igram will start at outside linebacker.
Walk-on Josh Dobbie, a senior transfer from West Point, could see time at tight end along with one-time center John Frady, whose career has been plagued by injuries. The team's top two tight ends -- Charlie Graham and Caz Piurowski -- won't be playing.
Bowden has a 20-9-1 career record in bowl games, but is just 5-6 in the last 11 years, although four of the games settled national titles with the Seminoles winning in 1999.
But he's never played -- in any game -- without this many of his top players.
December 28, 2007
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Kentucky receiver Keenan Burton was given a 50-50 chance of playing against Florida State after the Wildcats wrapped up practice Friday for the Music City Bowl.
The star wideout, hobbling with a knee injury, participated in about half of the afternoon practice under a drizzly sky at Vanderbilt University.
"It did not swell from yesterday," Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said Friday. "I would say it's 50-50. If he doesn't swell from what he did today, then he'll probably play in the game."
Burton leads the Wildcats with 59 receptions and is second in receiving yards (685) and touchdown catches (nine). He was a finalist for this year's Biletnikoff Award, presented to the nation's top receiver.
Burton, a senior, wants to help the Wildcats win back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 1950-51.
The Mountaineers didn't execute in a stunning 13-9 home loss to Pitt on Dec. 1 -- a defeat that cost them a BCS title game slot. In the first half, White dislocated his right (non-throwing) thumb, and though he later returned, he rushed for only 41 yards on 14 carries. White is healthy for the Fiesta Bowl.
The Mountaineers rushed for 292.9 yards per game this year, more than everyone but Navy, Air Force and Arkansas. West Virginia averaged only 157.6 passing yards, 113th in the nation.
The Mountaineers may try to surprise the Sooners by throwing the ball more under interim coach Bill Stewart, who replaced Rodriguez for the bowl game.
"Coach Stewart told the receivers that we are going to open up the passing game in this bowl game," wide receiver Darius Reynaud said. "So be prepared."
Stewart isn't giving away any secrets.
"We have a few bullets in our gun," Stewart said. "I know this, the holsters will be empty when we leave the field."
Updated: December 28, 2007, 11:20 PM E
RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Tech running back Branden Ore will be held out of the first quarter of the Orange Bowl against Kansas on Thursday because he arrived late to a practice. Ore has rushed for 876 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns this season
Kenny Lewis Jr. is expected to start in place of Ore, said athletic department spokesman Bryan Johnston on Friday night.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia University may have to eat $1 million worth of tickets to the Fiesta Bowl.
WVU spokesman Matt Wells said fans bought about 8,500 of the 17,500 tickets allotted to the university. Another 1,500 were given to players' families, the marching band and other groups.
While WVU is saving some tickets for last-minute sales, Wells said the university returned about 7,000 tickets to the Fiesta Bowl before Christmas.
If no one purchases the 7,500 remaining tickets, he says the university will have to pay about $1 million for them.
Last year, the university sold about 15,000 tickets to see the Mountaineers play Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl.
Oregon and South Florida both had their sights set on a national championship this season, but the stakes won't be nearly that high when they square off in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas on Dec. 31. TICKETS: USF sold about 4,300 of its allotment of 8,000 tickets for Monday's game, with the remainder donated to area charities and schools, plus military personnel at Fort Bliss in El Paso. USF's figure was higher than Oregon's, and the game is still expected to draw about 49,000,
The teams enter the games with different streaks. USF has won three straight games, while the Ducks have dropped three straight since a season-ending injury to award candidate Dennis Dixon.
Both teams reached No. 2 in the rankings, but Oregon has since dropped out of the Top 25 while South Florida fell to 23rd. The Ducks (8-4) and the Bulls (9-3) were two of six No. 2 teams to lose in a topsy-turvy college football season
The Ducks followed up that loss with a 16-0 defeat at UCLA on Nov. 24 - the only time they were held under 24 points this season - and a double-overtime, 38-31 defeat to archrival Oregon State in the regular-season finale on Dec. 1.
The Bulls, meanwhile, reached No. 2 after winning their first six games, but lost their next three against Rutgers, Connecticut and Cincinnati. However, South Florida rebounded to win its last three games of the season by an average of nearly 27 points.
Oregon is making its 11th bowl appearance in 13 seasons under Bellotti. The Ducks have appeared in three previous Sun Bowls, in 1963, 1999 and 2003. In all 3 of the Ducks previous Sun Bowl games, the margin of victory has been 7 points or less.
1963 - Oregon 21, SMU 14
1999 - Oregon 24, Minnesota 20
2003 - Minnesota 31, Oregon 30
December 29, 2007
With his usual low-key demeanor, linebacker A.J. Tuitele showed off his recently broken right pinkie finger and shrugged.
Tuitele's senior season took an unexpected detour when he was forced to leave Oregon's game against California on Sept. 29 with a broken right foot. At the time, Ducks coach Mike Bellotti surmised that the injury could be severe enough to end Tuitele's career
But in a season filled with season-ending injuries, Tuitele has been the rare wounded Duck to get back on the field. Tuitele missed five games and provided an emotional lift when he returned for the UCLA game Nov. 24.
So there's no way that he's going to let a broken pinkie finger keep him out of Monday's Sun Bowl against No. 23 South Florida.
"I'm going to tape it up and be ready to go," said Tuitele, who is 5-foot-11 and 226 pounds. "It's just something I'll deal with."
Oregon coach Mike Bellotti was shrewd enough to have quarterbacks Justin Roper and Cody Kempt introduced together on stage. Bellotti maintained that Roper is "slightly ahead" of fellow redshirt freshman Kempt, but said that could change in the next couple of days. . . . Freshman linebacker Casey Matthews (shoulder) doesn't think he'll play, but Oregon coaches are remaining hopeful. . . . Halfback Matt Larkin suffered a broken hand this week but will play with a protective club. Bellotti also expects receiver Jeffrey Maehl (concussion) to play. . . . Bellotti said that running back Jonathan Stewart (turf toe) is "90 to 95 percent" healthy
.
Bellotti said the Ducks, who have lost several starters to injury including their top three QBs, are definitely the underdogs in Monday’s game.
For all of its personnel changes and setbacks this season, the University of Oregon football team has had at least one constant this year -- dominating play from its offensive line.
Tackles Fenuki Tupou and Geoff Schwartz were second-team Pac-10 selections, and center Max Unger was a first team Pac-10 selection and also was named a first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated. Guard Josh Tschirgi was given second-team Pac-10 honors by Rivals.com. That line, completed by guard Mark Lewis, mostly has been injury-free this year and has provided consistency to the injury-hampered Ducks
Running back Jonathan Stewart finished the year with 1,469 yards. "Jonathan Stewart will be healthy, we're going to count on him a ton. He's the guy to carry the ball," coach Mike Bellotti said.
SR QB Dennis Dixon was the unanimous choice for Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and one of five Oregon players to earn first team All-Pac-10 honors in 2007. Dixon became only the third UO recipient in the 33 years the award has been given (Joey Harrington, 2001; Akili Smith, 1998). Joining Dixon in the first team were JR ROV Patrick Chung, JR DE Nick Reed, JR RB Jonathan Stewart and JR C Max Unger. Stewart, like Dixon, a unanimous selection, also picked up second team accolades as a kick returner along with JR OL Fenuki Tupou and SR OL Geoff Schwartz. Only USC (8) had more first team picks than the Ducks. The Pac-10 gave honorable mention to SO CB Jairus Byrd, SO CB Walter Thurmond, JR DE Will Tukuafu and JR WR Jaison Williams.
Oregon’s schedule ranked as the 18th toughest in the country in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-A) based on the winning percentage of its 2007 opponents.
The Oregon defense was the stingiest in the Pac-10 at allowing opposing scores inside the Red Zone. Opponents converted only 66.7 percent of their chances inside the 20-yard line. Offensively, the Ducks ranked third with an 84.9 percent success rate
Of Oregon’s 53 total drives resulting in touchdowns this season, seven have taken 18 seconds or less, 14 have occurred in less than one minute and 22 have lasted fewer than 90 seconds. The Ducks have scored on their first offensive play in two games (Stanford & Wash. St.).
The Ducks are 11-4 since the start of 2006 when they have a 100-yard rusher. JR RB Jonathan Stewart has managed the feat 13 times - most recently vs. Oregon State - while SR QB Dennis Dixon, JR RB Jeremiah Johnson SO RB Andre Crenshaw have also reached the centruy mark. In the ten other games, UO is 4-6.
Overall, Oregon has accumulated a 39-5 non-league slate in Bellotti’s 13 years at the helm.
By Bret Bloomquist / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 12/28/2007
Speaking of fans, USF has a billboard up on Westbound Interstate 10 near downtown that reads, "Join the Stampede."
Turnover hounds: The Bulls' defense lead the
nation in fumbles recovered (18) and interceptions (23), so obviously it also leads in turnovers created. The 41 total turnovers already is a program record, as the previous mark was 36 in 2000.
The Bulls have three or more turnovers in seven of 12 games this year, including forcing six against West Virginia and seven against Louisville.
The roster includes 90 players from Florida, four from neighboring Georgia and one more from neighboring Alabama.
The Bulls' offense is led by quarterback Matt Grothe, who threw for 13 touchdowns and ran for 10. Grothe, who also threw 12 interceptions, led the team with 1,077 rushing yards
Running back Mike Ford ranked second with 670 rushing yards, and had 12 touchdowns on the ground.
South Florida also features an impressive rushing defense that ranks 19th in the nation with 112.0 yards allowed per game. The Bulls tied for first in the Big East with 23 interceptions and picked off nine passes in their final three games.
The Ducks rank eighth in the country in rushing with 243.3 yards per game
However, Oregon scored just two passing touchdowns in its final three games - both against Oregon State - after getting 20 with Dixon behind center. Seven of its 10 interceptions this season have come in those three games.
EL PASO, Texas - Oregon and No.23 USF go into Monday's Sun Bowl ranking first and third nationally in tackles for loss, but the Bulls will have a challenge getting through the Ducks' offensive line, which averages 315 pounds among five starters.
Defensvie coordinator Wally Burnham met with media at an afternoon press conference and talked extensively about the challenge of slowing down Oregon's star running back Jonathan Stewart.
"We have to stop one guy, that's No. 28 (Stewart)," said Burnham. "If we can't stop him and contain him, we won't have much of a chance to be successful. We are more concerned with him than either of their quarterbacks."
He also compared Stewart to Rutgers' Ray Rice, who has had success against USF during his career. Two of the three Bulls losses this season came when they allowed a 100-yard runner, including Rice.
Even if the Bulls manage to shut down Oregon's high powered offense, they might have trouble scoring on the Ducks, whose defense led the nation in tackles for a loss (9.3 per game) and allowed opponents to score on only 67 percent of their red zone opportunities
Selvie Hauls in Postseason Awards
USF sophomore defensive end George Selvie assured himself of being a consensus All-American when he was named a First Team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America on December 8.
Selvie Leads Six All-Big East Bulls
Six University of South Florida football players were awarded all-conference honors and as has been the case most of the 2007 season, sophomore defensive end George Selvie stole the show. Selvie was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first sophomore and the first Bull to earn the recognition.He is just the third USF player to earn a league POY. Last season, Matt Grothe picked up the coaches vote as Freshman of the Year and Ean Randolph was named the Special Team Player of the Year. Selvie is also the first sophomore in BIG EAST history to pick up the defensive honor. Selvie was also a unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection on the defensive side of the ball. Senior LB Ben Moffitt and senior CB Mike Jenkins also earned first team honors. It is the first ever BIG EAST honor for Moffitt and the second for Jenkins, who was named to the second team in 2005. Joining their fellow defensive players were senior CB Trae Williams and junior LB Tyrone McKenzie, who both picked up second team honors. Williams was a first team selection by the BIG EAST last season. The lone offensive player recognized by the coaches was offensive lineman Ryan Schmidt, who was named to the second team. It marks the second consecutive year USF has landed three players on the first team and increases the program’s total to seven first team selections in three years as a BIG EAST member. Last year, Ean Randolph (KR), Trae Williams (CB) and Stephen Nicolas (LB) were on the first team.
Starting Notes
Offensive lineman Marc Dile (14 straight), Ryan Schmidt (19), Jake Griffin (12) and Zach Hermann (12) have started every game this season ... QB Matt Grothe (24) has the longest starting streak on the offensive side of the ball ... USF’s secondary of CB Trae Williams (26 straight), SS Carlton Willliams (13), FS Nate Allen (12) and CB Mike Jenkins (12) have started every game this season ... Ben Moffitt has the longest starting streak on the team at 42 games ... DE George Selive has started every game of his career - 25 total ... USF’s defense has 325 combined starts among players on its current two-deep
Seniors Trae Williams and Mike Jenkins are one of the most experienced CB combos in college football, the two have combined for 83 career starts ... Both have been invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game on January 19 at the University of Houston
Matt Grothe is one of only two NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision players to have rushed for at least 800 yards and to have thrown for at least 2,400 yards.
Secondary to None
USF’s secondary has proven that it may be one of the best in America ... And one of the most consistent ... The regular four defensive backs - free safety Nate Allen, strong safety Carlton Willams, cornerback Mike Jenkins and cornerback Trae Williams - have started every game this season and have a combined 127 starts between them ... Currently, the Bulls are No. 7 in pass efficiency defense (99.98), third in 3rd-down conversion percentage defense (27.4) and third in interceptions (20) ... USF is also ranked No. 33 in pass defense at 207 yards per game, but that does not tell the whole story ... The secondary has 17 interceptions, eight fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles
USF returned 16 starters this season and has quickly risen to national recognition despite being essentially a young team. The Bulls are receiving award-worthy play from their sophomore class. At the top of that list are second year stars Matt Grothe, George Selvie and Nate Allen.
Note: Check weather as windy and cold were early in the week and USF is not used to cold.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will make their 11th straight postseason appearance when they battle the Fresno State Bulldogs in the 11th-annual Humanitarian Bowl at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho.
After missing the postseason last year, the Bulldogs return to bowl action this season, thanks to their solid 8-4 record. Fresno State began their year with a convincing win over Sacramento State, but fell to 1-2 after losses to Texas A&M and Oregon. However, the team rebounded, grabbing four straight wins, including victories over Nevada and Idaho on the road. After sandwiching a win over Utah State in between losses to Boise State (34-21) and Hawaii (37-30), the Bulldogs closed down their regular season with victories over Kansas State and New Mexico State. This will be the 21st bowl game for Fresno State, which is 11-9 in postseason play.
Georgia Tech began the new campaign on the right foot, defeating Notre Dame (33-3) and Samford (69-14). However, the Yellow Jackets could not continue their winning ways, as the team suffered three losses in the next four matchups. The lone win was a hard-fought 13-3 victory over Clemson. Other than a 27-3 loss to Virginia Tech, the Yellow Jackets were flawless down the stretch, winning four matchups, en route to a 7-5 record. Despite finishing with a winning ledger, head coach Chan Gailey was given a pink slip after six years on the sideline. Gailey was replaced by Paul Johnson, who has had success at Navy over the past six seasons. However, since the coaching transition will not be made until after the bowl matchup, defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta will coach the Yellow Jackets in the bowl game. Georgia Tech has done well over the years in postseason action, racking up a 22-13 ledger, but over the past two seasons the team has been defeated in the Emerald Bowl (Utah 38, GT 10) and most recently the Gator Bowl (West Virginia 38, GT 35).
In the only meeting between these two schools the Bulldogs defeated Georgia Tech, 30-21 in the Silicon Valley Classic back in 2002. Georgia Tech committed seven
turnovers as a team.
The Bulldogs' offense is predicated on the run, as the team enters this bowl game averaging a strong 204.7 ypg on the ground. As a whole Fresno State is producing 406.9 total ypg, and that has led to a solid 32.2 ppg. the team's leading rusher, Ryan Mathews (866 yards and 14 touchdowns), will not participate in the bowl game due to a collarbone injury. With Mathews sideline next in line for Fresno State is Lonyae Miller, who rumbled for 571 yards and seven scores on 4.6 ypc. Clifton Smith and Antony Harding have also made contributions to the ground attack, combining for 876 yards and seven TDs. The passing attack was not as explosive as the ground game, but quarterback Tom Brandstater did an excellent job managing the game for the Bulldogs. On the season the junior completed 61.2 percent of his throws, finishing the year with 2,369 yards and 14 touchdowns against five interceptions.
The success of the offense, has been the downfall for the defense, as Fresno State has been dismantled by the run, surrendering 183 ypg. Teams are currently averaging 5.0 ypc against the Bulldogs, and have scored 21 TDs on the ground this season. Overall the Bulldogs are allowing 410.0 total ypg, but that has led to a mediocre 26.9 ppg. One problem that has plagued this defense throughout the year has been its inability to force turnovers. In 12 games, the Bulldogs have collected just 12 takeaways and that includes a nation's worst three interceptions.
Much like their counterpart, the Yellow Jackets rely heavily on their ground game which is currently producing 202.5 ypg. However, overall as unit the Yellow Jackets are averaging 385.4 total ypg and that has led to a mediocre 26.1 ppg. The main threat for this offense is tailback Tashard Choice, who is one of the most dangerous backs in the entire nation. Choice heads into this game with 1,310 yards under his belt and 10 touchdowns. Jonathan Dwyer has served as a reliable backup for Choice, netting 374 yards, while finding the end zone seven times. While the ground game has been tremendous on the year, the passing attack has been the complete opposite. In fact, Georgia Tech has one of the worse aerial assaults in the ACC. Quarterback Taylor Bennett has been extremely inconsistent on the year, completing less than 50.0 percent of his passes for only 2,045 yards. In 12 games, the junior has thrown for only six scores and nine interceptions.
As mentioned earlier the Yellow Jackets had to endure a tough season. The team went through plenty of changes and dealt with a large amount of injuries, but the one thing that remained constant and intact was the tenacity and toughness of the defensive unit. Georgia Tech ranked 12th nationally against the run this season, surrendering just 100.2 ypg on a meager 2.8 ypc. As a whole this unit finished the regular season 11th in the nation in total defense, limiting teams to just 310.3 ypg. Georgia Tech only forced 19 turnovers on the year, but finished with a nation's best 47.5 sacks.
Posted on Sat, Dec. 29, 2007
The Jackets spent most of their practice inside the Caven-Williams Sports Complex but moved outside for team drills - a combination coaches had planned even before the snow fell. They play Fresno State at 2 p.m. Monday in the Humanitarian Bowl.
Of course, not all of the Jackets liked the foreign conditions.
"It was cold, and snow was getting in my mouth a little bit," linebacker Philip Wheeler said. "I'd rather be in a warmer place. I'm one of those guys. É Turf with snow on it is harder. I don't like it at all."
Fresno State practiced in the afternoon, after the snow had been plowed off the blue turf. The Bulldogs spent their entire practice outdoors and plan to stay outside all week to get acclimated.
The game-day high is forecast to be 30 degrees.
Weather update
Temperatures hovered around the mid-20s Thursday. Patches of snow remained on the ground, and snow is forecast through the weekend and possibly during the bowl.
Before Fresno State left, Hill told the team to prepare to play in the worst conditions possible.
That way, if the weather wasn't as bad, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Before arriving Thursday, Georgia Tech interim coach Jon Tenuta didn't sound so enthused about playing in the snow.
"If it snows, it snows," Tenuta said. "We'll deal with it and adjust. Fresno's got to play in the same conditions as us. Besides, it hasn't been that warm over here."
Neither school is expected to bring many fans to the game, which is what usually happens when Boise State is not in the game.
Georgia Tech was coming off a runner-up finish in the ACC title game last year. And despite the loss of star receiver Calvin Johnson to the NFL, the Yellow Jackets were expected to contend for an ACC championship with 17 starters back. No Atlantic Coast Conference championships and no big Bowl Championship Series games.
Instead, Georgia Tech played in postseason destinations few in Atlanta cared to attend, like Monday's Humanitarian Bowl, which is expected to be attended by less than 100 Yellow Jacket fans.
Some even stopped going to Georgia Tech home games this year.
Tech hammered Tulsa 52-10 on Jan. 4, 2004, in its only previous trip to the game played on the famously blue artificial turf that is the home field of Boise State. Jon Tenuta’s defense held the Golden Hurricane to a school record minus-56 yards rushing and recovered six Tulsa fumbles
During the past two years, however, RB Choice's influence has grown. All those yards and touchdowns - 3,296 and 28 in his three years with the Yellow Jackets - lead to attention.
Choice (All-ACC first-team tailback and the first Georgia Tech rusher to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons) estimates he has been healthy for three games this season and played the rest at about 75 percent - he still managed to rush for more than 1,300 yards. Choice missed one game and parts of several others with knee and hamstring injuries. He said he is 100 percent for Monday's game against Fresno State. he's tied for the school record with 18 100-yard games, a record he could break against Fresno State.
Junior defensive tackle Darryl Richard was named a second-team Academic All-American this year with 26 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
Georgia Tech’s First Team All-ACC Selections
Travis Bell Sr. PK
Durant Brooks Sr. P
Tashard Choice Sr. RB
Andrew Gardner Jr. OT
Vance Walker Jr. DT
Georgia Tech’s Second Team All-ACC Selections
Kevin Tuminello Sr. C
Philip Wheeler Sr. LB
Georgia Tech’s Honorable Mention All-ACC Selections
Jamal Lewis Sr. S
Brooks was named first-team All-American by Rivals.com and SI.com. Walker was a third-team selection
by Rivals.com
GT SQB Bennett to wear glove on throwing hand. It’s protection for a finger he injured against Georgia. Now, though, Bennett needs it to keep his left hand warm. "The colder it is, the harder it is to grip the ball," Bennett said Friday after Tech ended its practice.
"[The glove] grips really hard, but I've adjusted to it. I figured it out."
"If the wind doesn't blow," Bennett said, "I think we'll be all right."
GT's Special Teams Comparison:
NCAA Rank 2006 2007
Kickoff return defense 119th 1st
Net punting 2nd 4th
Kickoff returns 74th 14th
Punt returns 84th 43rd
Punt return defense 13th 39th
The Tech defense is more stingy than the statistics indicate. Jacket opponents have scored 14 points on
non-offensive touchdowns this season, returning one interception and one fumble in for touchdown.
Georgia Tech’s veteran but banged-up offensive line is having an outstanding season. The Yellow
Jackets rank first in the ACC in fewest sacks allowed and first in rushing offense. Senior center Kevin Tuminello, senior guard Matt Rhodes, senior guard Nate McManus and Junior tackle Andrew Gardner had started together for 32 straight games until McManus sat out the Oct. 13 game at Miami with an injury.
Sr guard Nate McManus is out for the season and junior Jacob Lonowski missed the last six games with injuries. With the injury to McManus, sophomore Dan Voss is starting at left guard.
Tech has won 15 of its last 17 games when both teams are unranked.
Tech has lost 12 consecutive games when producing fewer rushing yards than the opponent.
Tech’s Record When... Last Six 2007 Seasons
trailing after one quarter 1-4 6-19
leading at halftime 6-0 30-7
trailing at halftime 1-5 7-23
individual 100-yard rusher 7-3 33-10
opponent 100-yard rusher 0-2 4-12
Fresno did not beat a team that finished with a winning record but did win 49-41 at Nevada, which finished 6-6.
Will the Bulldogs, who rank 86th in the nation against the run, be able to slow down ACC rushing leader Tashard Choice? In Choice and Georgia's Tech emphasis on the run, Fresno State meets its first team that runs straight up the field in a smash-mouth manner.
"A run game is a great challenge when it comes at you with a great downhill, power running game," Hill said. "This will be a very demanding game on our defensive front and our secondary on play-action pass.
"We don't see a lot of this type of offensive style."
FU has intercepted just three passes this year, the fewest in the country, but has thrown just five picks, tied for the second least in the nation
Monday's Humanitarian Bowl game against Georgia Tech will be the 34th against a BCS league team in coach Pat Hill's 11 seasons at Fresno. Only five of those games have been in Fresno. Hill's teams have won 11, anyway.
Georgia Tech rarely plays Division I-A teams from non-BCS leagues. When it does, it's often in a bowl game in which the non-BCS opponent is a lot more motivated than the Yellow Jackets. That happened in 2002 in a 30-21 loss to Fresno and in 2005 in a 38-10 Emerald Bowl loss to Utah.
Tech (7-5) might need a lot of motivation to match Fresno (8-4). After all, whatever happens for the Yellow Jackets, this will be remembered as a season in which they fell far short of their preseason goals and performed poorly enough that their coach got fired.
The list of injured Bulldogs is pretty lengthy, with the most notable being top running back Ryan Mathews, out with a torn muscle. That injury will force the Bulldogs to play their bowl game without him.
12/29/07 23:14:06
All-America kick returner A.J. Jefferson was one of eight Fresno State players who have been suspended for Monday's Humanitarian Bowl against Georgia Tech.
Jefferson, the most prominent player who was suspended, said that he hoped the coaches would have a change of heart and allow him to play.
Jefferson, who leads the nation in kick return yardage, denies violating the team's curfew policy and said he was in his room during bed check.
Jefferson missed the final two regular-season games because of a sprained ankle but had been practicing for the bowl.
Earlier Saturday, Hill declared Jefferson out for the bowl but implied it was because of the injury.
A.D. Boeh said he believed all the suspensions would be upheld through the bowl.
Though not a starter, Kinter contributed as an H-back who would block or release for passes out of the backfield. The rest were basically non-contributors or already out with an inj.
Running back Clifton Smith smiled and thanked his teammates for the memories.
A few feet behind Smith, Fresno State coach Pat Hill applauded the senior, who was voted by teammates as the Bulldogs' most valuable player and most valuable offensive back. Described by special teams coach John Baxter as a pinball because of his elusive and bouncing moves, the 5-foot-8, 190-pound Smith will leave as the school's record holder for punt-return touchdowns, currently at five.
The former Edison High star has two touchdowns on punt returns and ranks 13th in the nation with a punt-return average of 14.41 yards this season. His 1,146 all-purpose yards lead the Bulldogs. Once new offensive coordinator Jim McElwain noticed what Smith could do -- run, catch, block and make defenders miss in the open field -- the Fresno State offense looked like never before in Hill's 11 seasons.
Smith sat out most of the final two regular-season games because of a bruised hip pointer. But Smith has been practicing since and both he and Hill said he will be at full strength for Georgia Tech. He is expected to play a key role in slowing the Yellow Jackets' aggressive, blitzing defense, with Fresno State countering with screen and shuffle passes and maybe some draws to and for Smith.
Posted: Dec 12, 2007
Jimmy Graben / The Collegian
Bulldogs’ Three Keys to Victory:
1) Shut down Tashard Choice.
2) Run, Anthony, run! Anthony Harding has had two consecutive 100-yard rushing games. He, Lonyae Miller and Clifton Smith need to establish the running game early.
3) Feed off the chaos. Georgia Tech is going through a lot of controversy right now with its coaching changes. The Bulldogs need to jump out to an early lead and demoralize the Yellow Jackets.
Offense:
• The theme all season for the Bulldogs has been dealing with injuries. So it is quite fitting that Fresno State’s top running back will be out for the bowl game. Ryan Mathews will not play against Georgia Tech due to a torn muscle near his collarbone that he suffered against New Mexico State on Nov. 30. Carrying the load for the Bulldogs’ ground game will be sophomore running back Anthony Harding.
Junior quarterback Tom Brandstater has really come into his own as of late. In his final two games of the regular season combined, he had 518 yards passing, with two touchdowns and he also rushed for two scores.
Defense:
• Senior linebacker Marcus Riley earned Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Defensive Player of the Year honors.
• Georgia Tech’s pass offense is the second-worst in the conference, only averaging 182.9 yards per game. Getting to the quarterback could be tough, though. The Yellow Jackets only allowed a league-best 19 sacks.
FS is 44-12 under Pat Hill when the Bulldogs throw more touchdown passes than their opponents.
Monday, Bowden will lead the Noles onto the field for the Music City Bowl against Kentucky, marking the 26th consecutive season FSU has played in a bowl under Bowden. That's an NCAA record, breaking former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne's streak of 25 consecutive bowl trips with the Cornhuskers.
Bowden and Kentucky head coach Rich Brooks have never met on the playing field, and Bowden
has never coached against Kentucky.
The Music City Bowl is close to UK fans, who helped make last season's Music City Bowl the first to sell out at LP Field. The crowd at this season's second-straight sellout is expected to have a decidedly blue tint again. Conventional wisdom says that the Cats might not be excited about making a second straight postseason trip to Nashville. Ky DE Jarmon sees it differently, especially after last year's game, in which UK fans accounted for about 50,000 of the 68,024 in attendance.
FSU will be without more than 20 scholarship players in the wake of an academic cheating scandal that has rocked the program.
Bowden has weathered the criticism and focused on the job at hand. In this case, it's stopping a Kentucky team with explosive quarterback Andre' Woodson, no small task considering FSU will be without nine regular defensive contributors.
2001 Gator FSU 30, Virginia Tech 17 2002 Sugar Georgia 26, FSU 13 2003 Orange Miami 16, FSU 14 2004 Gator FSU 30, West Virginia 18 2005 Orange Penn State 26, FSU 23 (3 OTs) 2006 Emerald FSU 44, UCLA 27
December 29, 2007
There are 36 FSU players absent for the Music City Bowl, including 19 with starting experience. Student privacy laws prevent the school from saying which players were left behind for cheating, and the school has said that the 36 players are missing for a variety of reasons, including injuries.
Updated Dec 22, 2007 at
Florida State released its official travel roster for the Music City Bowl on Saturday, and seven players who started in FSU’s final game of the regular season at Florida are not making the trip.
The seven starters in FSU’s loss at Florida on Nov. 24 who will be unavailable for the Music City Bowl include DT Budd Thacker, DE Neefy Moffett, LB Dekoda Watson and CB Patrick Robinson, who lead the Noles with six interceptions. On offense, starting TE Charlie Graham, RG Jacky Claude and LT Daron Rose, a product of Jefferson High, will not play in the game.
*Classmates Dekoda Watson and Patrick Robinson, have been two of the Seminoles' biggest playmakers on defense this season.
• Defensive tackles Budd Thacker, Letroy Guion and Paul Griffin, helped to anchor FSU's defensive front.
• Offensive linemen Daron Rose and Jacky Claude, started nearly every game.
Among the missing from the travel list is quarterback Xavier Lee, who started three games earlier this season.
Of the regular starters on the list, none were on FSU’s official injury report following the Florida game. Florida State will have its top two tacklers -- linebackers Derek Nicholson and Geno Hayes
"I think it would have been better for us if we'd played a team that didn't throw," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said. "I kept hearing Mississippi State or Kentucky (would face the Seminoles). Well, Mississippi State is a pounding team. We'd have a better chance against a pounding team. But somebody that can throw it like (UK) can and can rip you, we'd better be able to throw it back."
The Seminoles are averaging 22.9 ppg and 360.2 total ypg. While none of the big-name skill position players will be sidelined for academic misconduct, the offensive line was hit hard. Considering that the team has struggled to move the ball on the ground this season, averaging only 121.2 rushing ypg on an average of 3.5 yards per attempt, fresh faces along the offensive line will make achieving those modest numbers difficult. Antone Smith leads the team with 663 rushing yards, but he is gaining just 3.8 yards per carry and has three rushing touchdowns on 175 attempts.
Although inconsistent, Weatherford has completed 58.9 percent of his passes for 1,773 yards with eight touchdowns. Most impressive is the fact that he has only been intercepted once in 270 pass attempts. Parker, the team's second-leading rusher, is tops among all receivers with 54 catches for 686 yards. He has five total touchdowns and tremendous all-around ability. De'Cody Fagg and Greg Carr are both outstanding receivers as well.
Florida State possesses outstanding talent on the defensive side of the football, and the club is limiting opponents to 21.9 ppg and 350.4 total ypg. Unfortunately, many key defensive contributors will miss this game due to suspension. Linebacker Dekoda Watson, cornerback Patrick Robinson and three top defensive tackles will all be sorely missed. The Seminoles have played a difficult schedule this season, so those numbers mentioned above are certainly impressive, but it should be pointed out that the club is coming off a shaky effort against Florida in which the Gators were able to rack up 45 points. FSU also permitted 40 points to Virginia Tech and 37 points to Miami, so the defense has to be considered inconsistent. Of the 30 touchdowns that the 'Noles have surrendered to opposing offenses, 20 have been passing scores. Clearly, they have been much strong against the run than the pass.
For the Seminoles to make a game of it, they will have to make it through the night virtually injury free. By juggling the defensive depth chart, FSU's coaches have managed to insert a player with starting experience at every position except one -- strongside linebacker -- where freshman Kendall Smith is expected to line up.
''Our biggest problem is depth, as you can imagine,'' Bowden said. ``The starting lineups aren't going to be bad.''
Not a good thing for an offensive-line coach who has five positions to fill. An already thin offensive line will be without starters Jacky Claude at right guard and Brandon Rose at left tackle. Trickett will also be without second-teamers Brandon Davis (center) and Randall Cox (guard).
But he'll have center McMahon and Hudson, who can play guard or tackle.
"I'm really excited about them and what they've been able to do," Trickett said.
Another young player, redshirt freshman Evan Bellamy, will get his best chance in the Music City Bowl to impress his coach — and at left guard.
Bowden hopes the Music City Bowl is a low-scoring game.
"No, I don't want a shootout. I wish I knew we could (score a lot). We would like to see a slower game with both teams running a lot," the Florida State coach said. "The thing that concerns me about Kentucky is even if they are down two or three (touchdowns), they come back. I don't think we did that all year.
The Seminoles' offense has been rather anemic this year, especially over the ground.
But they are still quite dangerous, and multi-purpose threat Preston Parker, who sometimes lines up at WR and sometimes in the backfield, can both run and catch. He is somewhat reminiscent of Florida's Percy Harvin, who had 97 all-purpose yards and a touchdown against Kentucky.
The following comments were made before the scandal was released: Tomahawk Nation: At this point in the Jimbo Fisher era I really can't say which team I think will show up. I would hope the team that had the enthusiasm and will to beat Boston College on the road will show up, but after that piss poor performance against the Gators, I'm really unsure of which team we will see. That's been the story of our entire season. The players will play really well in some games and in others they wont even try and have admitted publicly as much. Tomahawk Nation:
The fact that you have an All-Conference Tight-End scares the begesus out of me. We have struggled mightily to prevent pass catching Tight Ends from having any success against us. The Alge Crumpler's, Jeff King's, and Kellen Winslow's of the world can attest to that. Its an offensive weapon that Mickey Andrew's has never put to much emphasis on and that can/has really hurt us. Tomahawk Nation:
We've got Wide Receivers who had lost all hope with Weatherford out there on the field and had even begun to quit on plays.
As for how the Music City Bowl will turn out. I hate doing this, but I think Kentucky will win in convincing fashion. I don't see our offense being able to match the points your team has become accustomed to putting up. We've only gone over 30 points once this season, in a nail biter against UAB, heh. By the way, it's excruciating to give KENTUCKY FOOTBALL respect, it really is. Your fan base has come a long way so you've definitely earned it, it's just really hard to stomach. Good Luck on New Year's Eve!
Dec. 28, 2007
The decline of FSU’s football program has been marked by a number of things but perhaps no more than these three: instability at quarterback, turnover among assistant coaches and a failure to develop highly regarded recruiting classes into dominant and cohesive units.
That may be true. But it's also true that FSU in the past three seasons has lost 16 times -- three more losses than the Seminoles had in the entire 1990s. It's also true that FSU, once the bully of the Atlantic Coast Conference, is now a mid-level team in a league full of mid-level teams.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
FSU OPP Category UK OPP
22.9 21.9 Points Per Game 36.7 29.8
17.7 18.5 First Downs Per Game 25.5 22.2
121.2 114.4 Yards Rushing Per Game 165.5 190.0
238.9 236.0 Yards Passing Per Game 282.1 200.2
360.2 350.4 Total Offense Per Game 438.6 390.2
98-64.0 94-67.7 Penalties-Yards Per Game 76-56.0 74-52.9
16 8 Interceptions 15 11
32% 33% Third Down Conversions Pct. 49% 46%
47% 47% Fourth Down Conversions Pct. 55% 43%
UK IN THE BLUE ZONE (20-AND-IN) Kentucky has converted 50-of-59 opportunities (84.7 percent) in the“Blue Zone” (20-yard-line and in) for 306 points (39 touchdowns, 11 field goals, two interceptions, three loss on downs, four missed field goals). It ranks eighth in the SEC. Opponents have converted 39-of-47 opportunity (83.0 percent) for 245 points (32 touchdowns, seven field goals, three loss on downs, two fumbles, one missed field goal, two other). KY: Sacks By 23 Sacks Against 35
Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden is 18-18-2 all-time against the SEC East. While the
majority of those games are against rival Florida, Bowden is 1-2-1 against the rest of the eastern
division.
Florida State has not fared well versus SEC teams in bowl games. FSU is just 2- 4-1 versus Southeastern Conference teams and the squad has lost three consecutive bowl games
versus SEC teams.
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Kentucky opened the season with five consecutive victories, an outstanding start for a program that has endured many more disappointments than triumphs in recent years. The Wildcats could not continue that pace, however, losing to the likes of Florida, Georgia and Tennessee en route to a 7-5 finish. The Wildcats played in their fair share of close games during the regular season, as they beat LSU in triple overtime and lost to Tennessee in four overtimes. Kentucky is playing in a bowl game in back-to-back years for only the fourth time in program history. Last season, the club knocked off Clemson by a 28-20 final in the Music City Bowl, so the Wildcats are no strangers to this game.
The man in charge of running the offense is quarterback Andre Woodson, widely regarded as one of the nation's finest signal callers. Woodson has completed 63 percent of his passes for 3,351 yards and 36 touchdowns against 10 interceptions
There are a wealth of talented receivers in the fold, and Keenan Burton tops the list with 59 catches for 685 yards and nine touchdowns. Steve Johnson checks in with 54 grabs for 928 yards and 11 scores, and he is averaging a staggering 17.2 ypc. Jacob Tamme boasts 53 catches, 584 yards and five touchdowns, while Dicky Lyons is close behind with 51 receptions, 577 yards and seven scores. As for the ground attack, Rafael Little boasts 861 yards and three touchdowns, and he is a major receiving threat as well. Kentucky is averaging 36.7 ppg and 438.6 total ypg, and this offense is certainly not short on weapons.
Opponents are posting 29.8 ppg against Kentucky, which is yielding 390.2 total ypg. The Wildcats have clearly struggled against the run, as they are giving up 190.0 ypg on 4.5 ypc. Opponents have scored 18 rushing touchdowns against the 'Cats, who have also allowed 23 scores through the air. The pass defense has had its troubles, as foes have been able to move the ball with consistency through the air. Kentucky has registered 25 takeaways this season, a solid total, but the 23 sacks posted isn't going to scare Florida State.
Former Florida State assistant Jimmy Heggins joined the Kentucky coaching staff as their offensive line coach in 2005 after spending 18 years on the Seminole sidelines. Heggins also
played for FSU including one season under Bowden.
Buried early against the Volunteers in the regular-season finale on Nov. 24, UK sprung to life in the second half of a 52-50 four-overtime loss, outscoring Tennessee 24-7 in the second half to force OT.
The Cats finished with 564 total yards, a number more in keeping with the offensive eruptions that were routine early in the season.
In its first eight games, UK averaged 462.5 yards of offense and 42 points per game. That got the Cats off to a 6-2 start.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
But UK went 1-3 down the stretch, and in the three games leading up to the loss to Tennessee, the Cats scored a total of 47 points and averaged 322.3 yards of offense.
Against Florida State, O-Co Phillips wants to establish Rafael Little and the running game, an offensive element that was a key to the Cats' fast start.
UK had at least 125 rushing yards in each of its first seven games. In their last five games, the Cats were held to fewer than 100 rushing yards three times.
Tailbacks Little and Tony Dixon are healthy, and Phillips said that offensively, the Cats' first two practices in Nashville were "as sharp as we've been in a long time," though he said yesterday's lacked some focus.
Despite their inconsistency, the Cats rank 25th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total offense, 24th in passing offense and 14th in scoring offense, averaging 36.7 points per game.
December 29, 2007
University of Kentucky wide receiver Keenan Burton went through half of yesterday's practice at full speed and said there's a "50-50" chance he'll play Monday in the Music City Bowl against Florida State.
Burton, who has swelling in his right knee, said he felt better yesterday than earlier in the week about his chances to play.
Burton led UK with 59 receptions in the regular season. He was second on the team in receiving yards (685), touchdowns (nine) and yards per catch (11.6).
Brooks said Burton looked "very good" in practice, but he won't be cleared to play until after the medical staff evaluates how his knee reacts to yesterday's practice.
"If it swells, we've got a decision to make," Brooks said.
Safety Marcus McClinton is concerned with his left shoulder. A fractured scapula cost McClinton the last four games of the regular season. The junior is healing and can raise his left arm -- something he couldn't do after injuring his shoulder against Mississippi State. McClinton said he's 100 percent but needs to go through a full-speed practice to get comfortable after his long layoff.
By Brett dawson
The Courier-Journal
December 30, 2007
The University of Kentucky football team will be without at least one key offensive contributor for tomorrow's Music City Bowl game against Florida State, and another seems likely to sit out.
Offensive lineman Jason Leger is suspended for tomorrow's game for an unspecified violation of team rules, UK coach Rich Brooks announced yesterday. Zipp Duncan will move to right guard to replace Leger in the starting lineup, Brooks said. Christian Johnson will take Duncan's spot at left guard. The problem is that the primary backup now becomes Jess Beets, a junior college transfer who has played sparingly in only five games.
"We had three experienced players in a rotation and now we are missing one," Brooks said. "Christian Johnson didn't even practice until we got here because of a broken finger. But we will just do the best we can."
"We've done that throughout the year, so it just thins us out and gives us less choices and options," Brooks said.
And wide receiver Keenan Burton was downgraded from questionable to "very doubtful" yesterday. Burton did not practice with soreness in his right knee.
From another source the same day 12/30:By LARRY VAUGHT larry@amnews.com
Brooks now expects one of those seniors -- receiver Keenan Burton -- to possibly play Monday. Burton has been limited in practice because of a knee injury and the coach noted Saturday that he didn't think Burton, UK's top receiver, could play. That changed Sunday when Burton told Brooks the knee was better.
"I believe Keenan will be available," Brooks said. "I am not sure how much. We will see how it goes in pregame."
Brooks said Burton told him when the team arrived at LP Field here Sunday that the knee was not as sore or swollen like it was during practice in Lexington before the team came here Wednesday. "I want him to be comfortable with it and told him, 'If you don't feel 100 percent, I don't want you to play.' We will just go from there. Obviously, it is not 100 percent. We suspect there may be some cartilage floating around in there, but we hope he can play because I know what it means to him."
By Truzenzuzex Section: Football
Posted on Sun Dec 30, 2007
When Kentucky has faced strong defenses this year, it has generally fared poorly. But in the latter half of the season, injuries prevented the offense from pulling out all the stops, and with the possible exception of Keenan Burton, we should be 100% offensively.
These two teams would be pretty even if all things were equal, but they aren't. The morale for FSU has to be suffering due to the academic problem which will affect them not only this year, but next. Kentucky has the added advantage of having most of their starters healthy and playing very close to home. But the Seminoles are still a dangerous team in spite of their troubles, and one look at their recruiting would tell you why. Where Kentucky gets largely 3-star recruits as its mainstay these days, Florida State's run of the mill recruits have an extra star beside their name, plus a sprinkling of 5-star program changers.
No matter who FSU puts on the field, they will have had more recruiting attention than any of Kentucky's players while in high school except for one or two. FSU is loaded with talent, but much of it is young and not yet ready for this level of competition. No matter how ready they are, a good many will be pressed into duty for the MCB.
Three times this season UK has gone over the 500-yard total-offense mark (vs. Tennessee, Florida, and Florida Atlantic).
• Kentucky has passed for 200 yards or more in 18 straight games.
• Quarterback André Woodson leads the SEC in passing yards per game, averaging 279.2 ypg. He
has thrown for at least 200 yards and one touchdown in 18 straight games. He ranks second in the
SEC and 20th nationally in passing efficiency (144.3).
• Kentucky has scored at least 40 points in seven of 12 games this season.
• The Wildcats’ 512 yards of total offense and 415 yards passing vs.
Florida marked the most allowed by the Gator defense this season.
SCHEDULE STRENGTH
Kentucky’s schedule is the nation’s 26th most difficult, according to the
Sagarin computer ratings in USA Today. The five teams that defeated
Kentucky – South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi State, Georgia, and
Tennessee – have a combined record of 41-20. When you subtract the
eight games those teams played against each other, the opponents that have
defeated Kentucky have a combined record of 31-12 (.721).
The UK defense has given up 24.1 points per game in regulation play.
Five Wildcats – tight end Jacob Tamme, linebacker Wesley Woodyard,
quarterback André Woodson, defensive end Jeremy Jarmon, and offensive
tackle Garry Williams – were named to the All-Southeastern Conference
squad selected by league coaches.
Tamme and Woodyard were first-team selections, with Woodyard being
one of only five unanimous choices on this year’s team. Woodson, Jarmon,
and Williams were second-team picks.
Kentucky has had 26 scoring drives taking 2:00 or less. That ranks
eighth in the nation for quick-strike offense.
In addition, UK has tallied 15 touchdowns of 25 yards or longer.
That mark is in the nation’s top-10 teams for long-distance TDs.
After ranking next to last in the SEC last season in rushing offense (98.6 yards per game), the Wildcats’ rushing offense has made significant improvement this season.
The Wildcats rank fifth in the SEC and 52nd nationally, averaging 156.5 yards per game on the ground. UK has 19 rushing touchdowns this season after rushing for only 12 in all of 2006.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
CHARLES GOLDBERG News staff writer
Brad Lester, who didn't play in last year's Cotton Bowl because of academic issues,
is like the rest of the Auburn football nation. He's heard a lot about the school's new pass-happy spread offense. He's heard a lot about how the receivers are going to catch a lot of passes.
"It's great. It gives me a lot of opportunities where I can get one-on-one with a lot of people," Lester said.
Lester was sold after seeing the spread offense at practice as the Tigers prepared for Monday's Chick-fil-A Bowl against Clemson. A chat with running backs coach Eddie Gran didn't hurt, either.
offensive coordinator Tony Franklin's previous school, Troy, had more rushing yards than Auburn this season. That surely erased any thoughts about Lester leaving school early, an idea he toyed with before the season began. He missed the first five games while serving a suspension over an academic issue. He heads into Monday’s game with 473 yards after rushing for 510 last season.
Lester, who has worked butted his head against an eight-man defensive wall for three years, figures to see fewer defenders bunched at the line of scrimmage because Franklin is determined to pass, and somebody has to cover his five wide receivers.
Despite the hype, Lester said he’s been told Auburn won’t stray too far from being a running team. “Coach said that’s not going to change,” Lester said. “We’re going to be a run-first team still. He says it will help wear down folks faster and keep everybody out of the box.”
December 29, 2007
Brandon Cox, now 24, will make his 36th and final start as Auburn's quarterback Monday night against Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The guy who has suited up for four years' worth of games, maybe five if the history books shows he dressed as a redshirt freshman, has worked in a fairly traditional offensive set. Tony Franklin was hired as Auburn's new offensive coordinator earlier this month and is introducing the pass-happy spread offense to Auburn. It will be implemented right now. Franklin says he'll let Cox run the traditional offense one last time because he's earned that right to use what he knows best. But, considering how long practices have been leading up to the game, Cox may try his hand with the passing game, too.
Could there be any happier news for a receiving corps that caught the fewest passes in the SEC in the regular season?
WR Hawthorne says there are plenty of opportunities now. Auburn is occasionally lining up with five wide receivers as the Tigers rush their new offense in place in time for the bowl game. Auburn practiced the spread offense for just the sixth day Wednesday, the first since arriving here for Monday's game. Practice is moving at such a frantic pace with so many wide receivers and with so few huddles that Kodi Burns, a candidate to be next year's starting quarterback, isn't even sure who he's taking snaps with.
But the mystery of the week won't be where Hawthorne lines up. It will be how much of Franklin's spread Auburn will truly run.
"We could bring out all the X's and O's he has in store, or we couldn't," Hawthorne said. "As far as we know right now, we're clicking and we're slowly but steadily getting into a rhythm." There is potential for confusion, but if nothing else Franklin has introduced the idea of a faster tempo on offense. Freshman quarterback Kodi Burns, who Franklin says has a good future in the new offense, could share time with senior Brandon Cox.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
ATLANTA -- Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said Saturday's practice was more like a walk-though, as the Tigers scale down their preparation for Monday's game.
Auburn, which has conducted unusually long bowl practices while trying to digest its new offense, cut back a little Saturday in a review of the previous practices. The Tigers practiced about an hour and a half. Some practices have pushed through the two-hour mark.
Coach Tommy Tuberville said, "we don't want to panic and do a lot we don't know what we're doing," so the old West Coast offense remains a big option.
"We'll be more conservative," Tuberville said.
Despite running a whopping 979 plays, Troy averaged holding the ball just two seconds longer than its opponents in 12 games.
That's the nature of the fast-paced, no-huddle, sudden-change spread offense that Franklin employs, and one that may require some extra on-field duty for Auburn's defense if the no-huddle fails to make a first down.
Franklin's Troy offense ran 170 more plays than Auburn this year - yet the Tigers had the ball 18 minutes longer than the Trojans over the course of the season.
D-Co Muschamp is not so much worried about how Franklin's offense will affect his defense. He's worried about how Clemson's offense will affect his defense.
"They're the No.1 offense in the ACC. We've got our work cut out for us," he said.
Going into Monday night's Chick-fil-A bowl, Clemson and Auburn rank among the nation's top 10 defenses in points allowed. However, Auburn (8-4) ranked 101st in the nation in total offense this season. D-Co Muschamp's Tigers led the Southeastern Conference in scoring defense, giving up 16.7 points per game. O-Co Spence's Tigers led the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring with 34.2 points per game.
In its three losses, Clemson struggled to move the ball on the ground, gaining 55 yards against Georgia Tech, eight against Virginia Tech and 47 against Boston College.
Dec. 28, 2007
"We worked on a lot of the kicking game, with guys catching balls," said Tuberville. "For receivers looking up into the ceiling, it's a little bit different playing in the dome. It's the first time back for most of the guys. I guess a few of them were here when we played in 2004, but not many have been in there."
Southeastern Conference teams won four of seven meetings with representatives from the ACC, and Clemson would like to add its second SEC win to its 2007 collection.
FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC -- DEFENSE
DL *Quentin Groves Auburn
SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC -- SPECIAL TEAMS
P *Fr Ryan Shoemaker Auburn
FRESHMAN ALL-SEC -- OFFENSE
OL Ryan Pugh Auburn
OL Lee Ziemba
OL *Chaz Ramsey
FRESHMAN ALL-SEC -- DEFENSE
DL Antoine Carter
DB *Zac Etheridge
During Will Muschamp’s two seasons as defensive coordinator, Auburn has held 20 of its 25
opponents to 20 points or less.
Since Muschamp’s arrival, are 19-1 in games in which they hold their opponents to no more than 20 points.
‘07 Allowing 20+ points ........................................ ....1-2
*Auburn is 27-13 in games decided by seven points or less and has won 15 of its last 20,
including all five games last season.
*In the first four games, Auburn had just one scoring drive of at least 10 plays, but in the last eight games,
the Tigers have had 14, plus nine more scoring drives that lasted at least eight plays.
TUBERVILLE IN BOWL GAMES
Tommy Tuberville is 5-3 all-time in bowl games as a head coach, including a 4-3 mark at Auburn. Tuberville guided the Tigers to three consecutive bowl wins, defeating Virginia Tech, 16-13, in the 2005 NOKIA Sugar Bowl, Wisconsin, 28-14, in the 2003 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl, and Penn State, 13-9, in the 2003 Capital One Bowl. He also led Auburn to a 17-14 victory over Nebraska in last season’s AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.
Tuberville also guided the Tigers to the 2006 Capital One Bowl (24-10 loss to Wisconsin), 2001
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (16-10 loss to North Carolina) and 2001 Capital One Florida Citrus
Bowl (31-28 loss to Michigan).
Top Ten Road & Neutral Site Records
Since 2004
3. Auburn 16-4 (.800)
AUBURN IN THE
SEC/NCAA STATS
(Through games played 12/1)
TEAM
SEC NCAA
Net Punting (39.3) ........................................ 1st 3rd
Scoring Defense (16.7) ................................1st 6th
Opponent First Downs (195) ......................1st
Pass Defense (179.0) ..................................2nd 6th
Total Defense (298.3) ..................................2nd 8th
Red Zone Defense (72.2)............................2nd
Opponent Penalties (59.2)..........................2nd
Time Of Possession (31:26) ....................T2nd
Pass Def. Efficiency (107.51) ......................3rd 11th
Rushing Defense (119.3) ............................3rd 27th
Penalities (48.2) ........................................ ....5th
Turnover Margin (.08) ................................6th T47th
Rushing Offense (154.2)..............................6th 56th
Opponent 3rd-Down Conv. (37.6) ............6th
Punt Returns (9.2)................................... .....7th 54th
Sacks Allowed (2.0) ......................................7t h T58th
Pass Efficiency (115.48) ..............................8th 87th
Field Goals (.727) ........................................ 8th
Scoring Offense (24.3) ................................9th 82nd
Red Zone Offense (82.2) ............................9th
Sacks By (1.6) ........................................ ......10th T93rd
Total Offense (327.8) ................................10th 101st
Pass Offense (173.7) ..................................10th 107th
Tackles For Loss (5.4) ................................11th T91st
Kickoff Returns (18.5) ..............................11th 109th
First Downs (222) ......................................11 th
Third-Down Conversions (36.6)..............11th
Kickoff Coverage (37.6) ............................11th
AU………..OPPS
RED-ZONE SCORES..............37-45 82% ....26-36 72%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS .....27-45 6.....16-36 44%
SACKS BY-YARDS.................19-161 .....24-175
December 28, 2007
Tommy Bowden has never showed any ill will toward Auburn, a school where he once coached, where his brother unceremoniously lost his job as head coach, a school that once chose to cancel a game against his father. Tommy Bowden speaks well of the six years he spent as an assistant coach at Auburn and that he has some "good friends there still."
Bowden tried to become a head coach in 1995 when he interviewed for the Ole Miss job.
A fellow by the name of Tommy Tuberville aced him out. Four years after they both wanted Ole Miss, Tuberville, ironically, replaced Terry Bowden at Auburn and Tommy Bowden landed at Clemson. Tuberville and Tommy Bowden may not be best buddies, but they know the game. Come Monday, they'll get to face each other eye to eye.
Clemson coach Tommy Bowden is worried about the size of the football field.
Not the 100 yards north-to-south size of a football field. He's worried about the 53 yards width of a football field. Bowden knows all about trying to defense the spread. He's an offensive guy who has run it, and a head coach who has defended it. He says teams have to defend the width of the field before it can even start thinking about defending the length of it. "The spread offense makes you defend the whole 53 yards of the field.
You have to tackle in the open field. If you're not good tacklers, you're probably not going to be successful against the spread offense."
Bowden says the spread offense forces defensive coordinators to take linebackers off the field and replace them with defensive backs.
That would be OK with Bowden if Auburn runs the spread, considering linebackers Nick Watkins and Tramaine Billie and their combined 197 tackles are out, but Franklin says senior quarterback Brandon Cox will play "99 percent" of the time, and there's little reason to believe anybody would radically change his style for one game.
Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning indicated linebacker Cortney Vincent would play despite a DUI arrest. Vincent has maintained his innocence.
He isn't sure how much Auburn will use the spread that new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin has tried to install in five practices. Bowden also isn't sure how his defense will play without his top two linebackers, who are ineligible because of academic problems.
Bowden smiles when he says he's taking Tommy Tuberville at his word that he won't run the spread. But Bowden knows something must be up since Auburn took the unusual step of replacing Al Borges with Franklin two days before bowl practice began.
Several Auburn players, and even Tuberville, hinted earlier in the week that Franklin may be given a green light to call whatever he pleases. Some Clemson defenders have said they're "99 percent sure'' Auburn's offense will look like Troy's Monday night in the Georgia Dome.
SQB Harper threw a school-record 27 touchdown passes and helped No. 15 Clemson lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring. Harper completed 67 percent of his passes while throwing only six interceptions in his first year as a starter.
Running backs James Davis and C.J. Spiller combined for 1,648 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns. Receiver Aaron Kelly had 84 catches for 1,045 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Clemson will have no seniors as starters or top backups on defense.
Another senior starter, offensive tackle Christian Capote, also was declared ineligible.
The loss of Capote leaves a freshman, Chris Hairston, to make his first start against defensive end Quentin Groves, who is tied for Auburn's career lead with 26 sacks.
Nine of Clemson’s 12 games were decided by double digits
The Tigers are tied for ninth nationally in turnover margin at +12
Four Tigers Named First-team All-ACC
Clemson junior running back James Davis, junior wide receiver Aaron Kelly, senior offensive guard Chris McDuffie, and senior of fensive tackle Barry Richardson were all named First-Team All-ACC. Junior quarterback Cullen Harper and junior cornerback Michael Hamlin were also second-team selections, while Phillip Merling (DE), Dorell Scott (DT), and C.J. Spiller (Specialist) each received honorable mention honors.
Clemson Second in Nation in Fewest Turnover Committed
One of the keys to Clemson’s success on offense this year has been controlling the football. The Tigers have just 12 turnovers for the season and that includes three lost fumbles on special teams, two of which were failed recoveries of on-side kicks (failure to recover an on-side kick counts as a lost fumble statistically where the receiving team touches the ball or not). The Tigers have six lost fumbles and six interceptions in 12 games
Clemson Had Five-Game Winning Streak vs. Top 25 Teams
Clemson’s 24-18 win over 19th ranked Florida State on Labor Day night was the fifth straight victory for the Tigers against a top 25 team. This is the first time since the 1988-89 era that Clemson had five straight wins over top 25 teams and it is just the second time in history. The streak was broken when 14th ranked Virginia Tech defeated the Tigers at Clemson on October 6.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Oklahoma starting defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger won't play in the Fiesta Bowl on Wednesday after being sent home following an arrest for shoplifting.
No. 3 Oklahoma (11-2) will now be without three defensive starters – Granger, cornerback Reggie Smith (injury) and defensive back Lendy Holmes (academically ineligible) of South Oak Cliff – when it plays No. 11 West Virginia (10-2) at Wednesday. West Virginia has the nation's fourth-ranked rushing offense, averaging almost 300 yards per game.
Granger, who had started 11 of 13 games, had 35 tackles – tied for the most among the Sooners' defensive linemen – and 3½ sacks and 8½ tackles for loss. He also led No. 3 OU with eight quarterback hurries.
Oklahoma DT DeMarcus Granger sent home after shoplifting arrest
Former Kimball standout won't play for Sooners in Fiesta Bowl
02:53 PM CST on Monday, December 31, 2007
By BRANDON GEORGE / The Dallas Morning News
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Oklahoma starting defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger won't play in the Fiesta Bowl on Wednesday after being sent home following an arrest for shoplifting.
Granger, 21, was arrested in Tempe, Ariz., around 10:20 p.m. Saturday after he tried to steal a jacket from the Burlington Coat Factory inside Arizona Mills Mall, according to a Tempe Police Department report.
No. 3 Oklahoma (11-2) will now be without three defensive starters – Granger, cornerback Reggie Smith (injury) and defensive back Lendy Holmes (academically ineligible) of South Oak Cliff – when it plays No. 11 West Virginia (10-2) at Wednesday. West Virginia has the nation's fourth-ranked rushing offense, averaging almost 300 yards per game.
OU coach Bob Stoops confirmed Monday morning during a media day at University of Phoenix Stadium that he had sent Granger home Sunday.
"We'll deal with his situation when we get back," Stoops said. "If there's anything further, we'll see."
Oklahoma defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger has 3½ sacks this season.
Granger (6-2, 307) started off the season not in the best graces of OU coaches because he came into preseason practices overweight and out of shape. But Granger had played well late in the season after working his way into shape and had emerged as one of the Sooners' top defensive linemen.
Granger, who had started 11 of 13 games, had 35 tackles – tied for the most among the Sooners' defensive linemen – and 3½ sacks and 8½ tackles for loss. He also led No. 3 OU with eight quarterback hurries.
OU coaches said Monday that the Sooners would use a combination of senior Steven Coleman (Skyline), junior Cory Bennett and redshirt freshman Adrian Taylor (Mansfield) to fill the void left by Granger. OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables said Taylor would likely start against West Virginia. Taylor has eight tackles in 12 games this season with one sack and one interception.
OU redshirt freshman Gerald McCoy, the Sooners' other starter at defensive tackle, said the team will miss Granger.
"Granger is a big loss, but we've still got a lot of guys behind him who play well for us," McCoy said. "Adrian Taylor is a really good player. We'll be all right."
"DeMarcus Granger only plays half the snaps anyway. You watch our rotation. Those other guys play as much as he does," Stoops said. "It's not a big deal."
Venables thought otherwise.
"He’s been playing better than anybody inside. DeMarcus was making some special plays," Venables said. "We're disappointed. It's a big loss. Three starters out, we've lost some good players. Guys have to step up."
Okl vs WV 1-2-08
The Fiesta Bowl has a long history of offensive fireworks.
It started with Arizona State's 45-38 victory over Florida State in the inaugural Fiesta in 1971 and held true in Boise State's 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma last January.
About last year’s bowl loss to Boise:
“What happened last year is last year,” said All-American linebacker Curtis Lofton. “I just can’t wait to play this year so we can change that to a great memory.
“We know we put ourselves in that position,” Wolfe added. “All I remember is the clock going to zero. They were the victorious team. That’s a taste that’s been sour in our mouths for a year now.”
This year's matchup between No. 3 Oklahoma and 11th-ranked West Virginia could uphold the tradition. The Sooners average 43.8 points, third in the country, and West Virginia puts up 38.9 points per game, 11th nationally.
The Mountaineers are 4-5 in New Year’s bowl games. West Virginia won the 2006 Sugar Bowl and the 2007 Gator Bowl, while dropping the 2004 and 2005 Gator Bowl.
West Virginia's option an easy read for Sooners defense
Zone read not new to OU, but Mountaineers' speed could be trouble
09:57 PM CST on Monday, December 31, 2007
By BRANDON GEORGE / The Dallas Morning News
West Virginia uses a zone-read option running game out of the spread formation. That certainly shouldn't be puzzling to the Sooners, who have faced similar offenses this season in games against Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. The Sooners won all three.
West Virginia is likely the fastest offensive team OU has seen this season. The Mountaineers are led by the three-pronged rushing attack of quarterback Patrick White and running backs Steve Slaton and Noel Devine.
White (6-2, 185) is West Virginia's catalyst. He leads the Mountaineers with 1,185 rushing yards on 177 carries and 14 touchdowns. West Virginia's two losses this season share a common denominator: White left both games with injuries.
Slaton (5-10, 190) doesn't take a back seat to White, with 1,053 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on 210 carries. And Devine (5-8, 270), a standout freshman, is averaging 8.6 yards per carry.
In the Sooners' 42-14 win over the Aggies on Nov. 3, OU's defense held A&M quarterback Stephen McGee and running backs Mike Goodson and Jorvorskie Lane in check. All three were kept out of the end zone, Goodson and Lane had only 28 yards each and A&M finished with 128 rushing yards.
OU also fared well against Texas and Oklahoma State when they used the zone read option. The Sooners held Texas to 61 rushing yards Oct. 6 and limited Oklahoma State to 195 rushing yards in a 49-17 win to end the regular season.
OU has been strong against the run this season, ranking eighth nationally at 91.9 yards allowed per game.
If OU is to continue having success against the zone-read option, the Sooners' defensive ends must play smart, sound football.
KEY NUMBERS
292.92: West Virginia's average rushing yards per game (fourth nationally)
91.92: OU's average rushing yards allowed per game (eighth nationally)
45: Rushing touchdowns by West Virginia's offense
13: Rushing touchdowns allowed by OU's defense
Run-based team might decide to test OU's depleted secondary
11:28 PM CST on Sunday, December 30, 2007
By BRANDON GEORGE / The Dallas Morning News
Quarterback Pat White said the Mountaineers might look to throw the ball more against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on Wednesday because of the Sooners' defensive secondary concerns. "I think we're going to open it up a little bit," White said Sunday. "We've been working on [passing] hard the last few weeks, working a little extra with the receivers to get that together."
OKL LB Lofton said the Sooners aren't overly worried about West Virginia changing too much offensively since former Coach Rich Rodriguez moved to Michigan and has been replaced on an interim basis by Bill Stewart.
Teams often throw new wrinkles into a game plan in the month between the end of the regular season and a bowl.
"Why should they change much with the success they've had running the ball?"
OU starting cornerback Reggie Smith is out with an injury, and safety Lendy Holmes (South Oak Cliff), who was to start in Smith's place, is academically ineligible. That leaves a pair of inexperienced players – redshirt freshman Dominique Franks and sophomore Brian Jackson (DeSoto) – sharing time at OU's boundary cornerback spot.
OU sophomore defensive end Auston English – the Big 12 leader with 9 ½ sacks – finally made an appearance Sunday morning after missing the Sooners' first three practices in Arizona because of flu-like symptoms.
Stoops said redshirt freshman Dominique Franks or sophomore Brian Jackson of DeSoto would start at cornerback in place of Holmes.
Holmes, OU’s fifth-leading tackler with 73, played free safety this season but was moved to cornerback – the position he played last season – after starter Reggie Smith broke his big toe in the Big 12 Championship game against Missouri. Smith won’t play in the Fiesta Bowl because of his injury, and Holmes was to start in Smith’s place.
Franks (5-10, 187) and Jackson (6-0, 197) have seen limited playing time this season. Franks, primarily a punt returner, has three tackles. Jackson has played sparingly in all 13 games and has 13 tackles and one interception.
The Sooners bullied their way to the Big 12 championship by running the ball down Oklahoma State’s throat in the regular-season finale and copying the performance against Missouri in the conference title game.
Malcolm Kelly’s first trip to the Fiesta Bowl didn’t work out as planned. He played only one quarter in Oklahoma’s epic with Boise State due to a knee injury.
It was the forgotten story line in a game remembered for trick plays and a late-game scoring frenzy.
All that week the Sooners had worked on throwing deep because they knew the Broncos were going to crowd the line of scrimmage.
That’s the way OU passing game is designed to work. Every defense tries to take something away. In the process something else is left open.
Bradford, a 20-year-old redshirt freshman, became the most efficient passer in college football because he was willing to take what was open, instead of forcing the ball to covered receivers. He led the NCAA with a 180.5 passing efficiency rating.
In his first season as a starter, Bradford, 6 feet 5, 213 pounds, led the nation in passing efficiency, completing 70.1 percent of his passes for 2,879 yards. His 34 touchdowns set an NCAA freshman record. Bradford threw seven interceptions.
Bad omens
By Clay Horning
Is third-ranked Oklahoma even the slightest bit ready to play this game Wednesday night?
Is morale an issue?
That fantastic defense that shut down the unshutdownable in the second half at the Big 12 title game is missing the preseason defensive conference player of the year to injury, Reggie Smith; a mainstay defensive back to academic ineligibility, Lendy Holmes; and now a standout tackle to criminal lunacy, Granger.
Wednesday makes it six BCS bowls the last eight seasons and the Sooners won the first two, but have lost the last three. And of those three, have they played more than one really strong half, last season, before all the trick plays?
Maybe, if it’s not for all the marbles, OU’s just not interested
Stoops likes to say it’s about championships, but has he said it so often that there’s only one game worth playing in January?
The last game Granger didn't start was the 62-21 victory at Tulsa on Sept. 21.
Steven Coleman, Cory Bennett and Adrian Taylor, the three reserves who must step up with Gerald McCoy in the four-tackle rotation against West Virginia, combined for two sacks.
The Sooners have faced the Nos. 6 (Texas Tech), 7 (Missouri twice), 9 (Tulsa) and 18 (Texas) scoring offenses this season. They held every one to at least a touchdown less than their average.
The Sooners’ hopes of playing for a national championship ended with a 34-27 loss to the Red Raiders.
Fans hopped on the 34 points as the reason. There’s no doubt it might have been the unit’s worst game of the season. OU gave up 473 yards.
But more than half those yards (246) and all but 10 of those points came in the first half while OU sputtered offensively following Sam Bradford’s concussion.
The Sooners held Oklahoma State and Missouri — the Nos. 8 and 5 teams in total offense — to a combined 34 points and more than 175 yards under their season averages.
The Sooners played well enough to win the Big 12 Conference title for the fifth time since 2000 and for the third time in Venables’ four seasons as defensive coordinator.
The Mountaineers will be the sixth team they’ve faced averaging more than 450 yards a game.
The Sooners are favored Wednesday, but they were last season against Boise State(L43-42) and against USC(L55-19) in 2005. No national title’s on the line, but it’s a high-profile bowl game and the only game Wednesday night. Stoops is 4-4 in bowls.
When it comes time for the No. 3 Sooners (11-2) to face 11th-ranked West Virginia (10-2) in the Fiesta Bowl on Wednesday, it will be with a defensive backfield that's had to have one half rebuilt. Sophomore Brian Jackson's competing with redshirt freshman Dominique Franks for the start at cornerback. "Nobody's better than anybody."
While Jackson and Franks would each be making their first career start, the Sooners have an experienced backup to turn to at safety. Darien Williams, who started 11 games last season, will fill that role. Williams was a staple in the Sooners' lineup in last year's run to the Fiesta Bowl before his season was derailed by a knee injury 11 games in
Franks, who backed up Smith in the regular season, is also the top candidate to take over his punt returning duties.
January 2, 2008
OU coach Bob Stoops said Tuesday morning that redshirt freshman Dominique Franks will start at cornerback over sophomore Brian Jackson. Franks has only three tackles this year. Stoops has said both Franks and Jackson will play regardless of who starts.
Can you give us an update? How much do you think you're compromised by the loss of three defensive starters?
I don't feel that we are compromised very much in that Darien Williams is a guy that has been a starter for us, a full-time starter for us a year ago. He goes in in one spot. DeMarcus Granger, everyone knows how we rotate our inside D-linemen. We rotate a lot of guys in there through the year, and all the guys that will be rotating in there have played significant -- have had a significant number of plays throughout the year.
So I don't believe it does much to us. Reggie Smith, I guess, in that position, it is the one with Brian Jackson, Dominique Franks will get the snaps. Dominique will start. But those guys have played well and had a full year of practice in that position.
So we feel in the end we'll be fine. It doesn't change anything for us.
Because West Virginia brings with it a potent rushing attack that ranks fourth in the nation (292.9 yards per game), the new starters must prepare to provide run support in addition to defending a pass game that frequently uses screens to maximize efficiency. Mountaineers quarterback Pat White completed 68 percent of his passes for 1,548 yards and has the highest career completion percentage (64.7 percent), even as West Virginia had the seventh-lowest passing total in major college football this season.
This team has been over 50 points five times this season, over 60 twice and over 70 once.
This season, six opponents rushed for 66 or fewer yards.
All five players who have returned kicks this season are averaging at least 24 yards.
OU is 18-2-1 vs.teams currently holding membership in the Big East Conference: 2-1 vs.West Virginia, 2-0 vs.Louisville, 9-1-1 vs.Pittsburgh, 1-0 vs.South Florida, 4-0 vs.Syracuse.
WVU offensive line coach Greg Frey and quarterbacks coach Rod Smith were on the South Florida staff that played at OU in 2002.The Sooners prevailed in that game, 31-14.
Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year: LB Curtis Lofton
2007 All-Big 12 Football First Team
OFFENSE
FB Brody Eldridge
OL Duke Robinson
DEFENSE
DL Auston English
LB Curtis Lofton
DB Nic Harris
DB Reggie Smith
2007 All-Big 12 Football Second Team
OFFENSE
WR Malcolm Kelly [r2]
OL Phil Loadholt
OL Brandon Walker
PK Garrett Hartley [r2]
DEFENSE
DL Demarcus Granger d’oh
DB D.J. Wolfe
Score by Quarters
1 2 3 4 OT Total
Oklahoma 129 163 126 146 - 564
Opponents 54 76 51 55 - 236
Playing on a neutral field.............................2-0
OU leads at halftime................................ ....9-2
OU has more total yards............................10-0
OU has more passing yards........................7-0
The Mountaineers have outscored their opponents in every quarter this season, 121-44 in the first quarter, 109-62 in the second stanza, 121-51 in the third period and 116-50 in the fourth quarter.
Statistically Speaking...
Category OU NCAA Big 12 WVU NCAA Big East Rank Rank Rank Rank
Scoring 43.8 3 2 /// 38.9 11 1
Scoring Defense 18.2 9 2 /// 17.3 7 1
Scoring Margin 25.6 NA NA /// 21.6 NA NA
Scoring by Quarter 129-163-126-146 NA NA /// 121-109-121-116 NA NA
Opponent Scoring by Quarter 54-76-51-55 NA NA /// 44-62-51-50 NA NA
Red Zone Offense 54-61/88.5% NA 4 //// 53-61/86.9% NA 4
Red Zone Defense 28-39/71.8% NA 1 25-29/86.2% NA 7
Total Offense 451.2 18 7 450.5 19 2
Total Defense 324.0 18 2 291.9 4 1
First Downs 22.2 NA 5 21.8 NA 3
Opponent First Downs 17.1 NA 2 16.4 NA 1
Rushing Attempts 531 NA 3 589 NA 1
Rushing Offense 191.8 30 5 292.9 4 1
Rushing Defense 91.9 8 2 107.6 16 2
Rushing Touchdowns 33 NA 1 45 NA 1
Opponent Rushing Touchdowns 13 NA 3 12 NA 3
Yards Per Rush 4.7 NA 5 6.0 NA 1
Att.-Comp.-Int. 368-249-8 NA NA 246-166-6 NA NA
Opponent Att.-Comp.-Int. 470-285-19 NA NA 352-195-15 NA NA
Passing Yards 259.5 37 8 157.6 113 8
Passing Defense 232.1 68 3 184.3 12 3
Pass Efficiency 173.5 2 1 146.0 16 3
Pass Efficiency Defense 117.0 36 2 111.9 21 4
Completion Percentage 67.7 NA 3 67.5 NA 1
Opponent Completion Percentage 60.6 NA 6 55.4 NA 5
Touchdown Passes 37 NA 2 14 NA 6
Opponent Touchdown Passes 13 NA 1 13 NA T4
Kickoff Returns 47-27.6 1 1 -22.7 35 3
Opponent Kickoff Returns 69-21.8 69 NA 19.8 30 NA
Punt Returns 42-7.8 76 9 -11.2 30 1
Opponent Punt Returns 21-9.1 66 NA 5.5 11 NA
Interception Returns 19-18.2 NA NA 15-12.5 NA NA
Opponent Interception Returns 8-10.8 NA NA 6-6.7 NA NA
Fumbles-Lost 16-11 68 NA 28-15 109 NA
Opponent Fumbles-Lost 24-9 NA NA 30-18 NA NA
Turnover Margin +0.69 19 3 +1.0 T9 3
Penalties-Yards 83-692 60-58 7 63-576 14-33 2
Opponent Penalties-Yards 86-683 NA 8 76-624 NA 8
Punts-Average 50-42.5 NA 3 45-39.8 NA 2
Opponent Punts-Average 85-41.3 NA NA 76-40.3 NA NA
Net Punting 37.4 19 3 36.7 34 2
Opponent Net Punting 36.5 NA NA 33.0 NA NA
Time of Possession 30.07 54 NA 30:34 38 4
Opponent Time of Possession 29:53 NA NA 29:23 NA NA
Third Down Conversions 89-173/51% 5 2 79-161/49% 6 1
Opponent Third Down Conv. 65-198/33% 15 2 67-181/37% 44 6
Fourth Down Conversions 7-16/44% 83 9 6-15/40% 92 6
Opponent Fourth Down Conv. 11-18/56% 77 5 7-15/47% 52 7
Sacks By-Yards 31-229 30 1 37-235 14 2
Opponent Sacks By-Yards 11-87 4 1 13-61 9 2
Field Goals 10-12/83.3% NA 2 11-15 NA NA
Opponent Field Goals 13-20/65.0% NA NA 9-12 NA NA
PAT Attempts 70-76/90.0% NA NA 60-61 NA NA
Opponent PAT Attempts 27-27/100% NA NA 22-23 NA NA
The Mountaineers didn't execute in a stunning 13-9 home loss to Pitt on Dec. 1 - a defeat that cost them a BCS title game slot. In the first half, White dislocated his right (non-throwing) thumb, and though he later returned, he rushed for only 41 yards on 14 carries. White is healthy for the Fiesta Bowl.
West Virginia backup QB Adam Bednarik and reserve DL Mike Bilokonsky have been ruled academically ineligible for the Fiesta Bowl. Start with junior Patrick White and his 25-4 record as a starter followed by senior Adam Bednarik who is 6-1. Sophomore Jarrett Brown is 1-0 after guiding WVU to a three overtime home victory against Rutgers last season.
The Mountaineers may try to surprise the Sooners by throwing the ball more under interim coach Bill Stewart, who replaced Rodriguez for the bowl game.
"Coach Stewart told the receivers that we are going to open up the passing game in this bowl game," wide receiver Darius Reynaud said. "So be prepared."
Dec. 5
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Daily welcomes a guest column from The Daily Athenaeum, the student newspaper at the University of West Virginia.
The Mountaineers could be pushed around up front on both sides of the ball against a more physical and more talented team.
The OU defense is a better, faster version than what WVU saw last Saturday and extremely similar to the only other team to beat West Virginia — South Florida.
That, along with the fact that West Virginia will be traveling halfway across the country, could provide for a hostile environment.
Add in the fact that OU played in the Fiesta Bowl just last year, and will have a chip on its shoulder to show the country it can beat another clear underdog this season in the same game, and WVU’s chances get even smaller.
The Mountaineer offense will have to play tough though, especially along the offensive line — something that has been a problem in games this season.
Running back Steve Slaton, who has found a way to slip out of the limelight, especially during big games this season, will need to have a season-changing game. Otherwise, the OU defense can key on White, and WVU will suffer.
Sooner fans will be impressed with the athletes the Mountaineers have on defense in the strong, blitzing, 3-3-5 stack. Names like Keilen Dykes, Johnny Dingle, Reed Williams, Marc Magro, Mortty Ivy, Eric Wicks and Ryan Mundy are staples in West Virginia, and will definitely make it hard for the Sooners to move the ball on offense.
Tony Dobies is the sports editor for The Daily Athenaeum,
the student newspaper at the University of West Virginia.
In enemy scouting sessions, Mountaineers receiver Darius Reynaud commands respect
While West Virginia doesn't throw often, White completes 68 percent of his pass attempts. Reynaud, a former running back changed positions to get on the field.
And is typically the target.
Of the 125 catches thrown to Mountaineers wide receivers, Reynaud has 59, along with 11 of the team's 14 scoring catches. I get the screens," Reynaud said. "I get the reverses; just to get the ball in my hands. Once I get the ball, I'm just like a running back.
"You're going to see a lot in this game," he said. "We're going to surprise a lot of people with the passing game."
There is some inkling that the Mountaineers (10-2) might try to go to the air more often than they have, although there's no strong evidence to support that.
First off, WVU hasn't shown any vertical passing game since Patrick White has been the starting quarterback. Former Coach Rich Rodriguez, time and again, labeled most of his wideouts as unreliable.
The same offensive coordinator, Calvin Magee, will be calling plays before he heads to join Rodriguez's new Michigan staff. However, interim Coach Bill Stewart has the option to change them on the sideline.
Offensive coordinator Calvin McGee said the game plan has been installed for Oklahoma, and preparations remained on schedule.
McGee will call the plays, defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel will make all personnel and game decisions for his unit and interim head coach Bill Stewart will run the special teams.
Looking at the total picture on the ground, WVU has rushed for 424 fewer yards this season than last, but has had only one fewer carry (590 to 589). The difference?
Schmitt, Slaton and All-America offensive tackle Ryan Stanchek find a common thread: The Mountaineers haven't enjoyed as many breakaway offensive plays this season.
The numbers don't lie. In 13 games in 2006, West Virginia had 31 plays from scrimmage of 40 or more yards.
Heading into the Fiesta date, WVU has only 17 plays from scrimmage of 40 yards or longer.
Plays of 40+ Yards for OKL -- 35 plays (school record, besting 32 in 2003) and 14 touchdowns.
Slaton and White combined for 19 ground runs of 40 or more yards last season.
Their number of runs this season that long is only five.
A WVU line filled with underclassmen didn't really come together until past midseason, either.
The loss of veteran line coach Rick Trickett to Florida State was as significant as the graduation of stars Dan Mozes and Jeremy Sheffey.
Yes, WVU's defense is much improved from the units that were involved in 38-35 bowl wins over Georgia (Sugar) and Georgia Tech (Gator) in the last two seasons. But Oklahoma is much better - especially on defense - than either of those teams.
A bunch of 5- and 6-yard runs won't do it, either. If WVU is to have a chance, it must go deep, one way or another.
For the past three-quarters of this season, when SRB Slaton followed that four-game, 502-yard start with an eight-game, 551-yard finish, Mountaineers watchers went to great lengths to dissect Slaton. He was, they groused, too heavy (actually, he said, he has added less than 10 pounds to his sophomore weight). He was getting the ball less often. He was running behind a patchwork line. He was not the same Steve Slaton. Coaches didn't settle on an offensive line until Game 7, Mississippi State, and even then the starting right tackle was a fellow who ate his way out of tight end and the right guard was the former starting right tackle
Play selection didn't call for Slaton to carry the ball as much, with freshman sensation Noel Devine siphoning off some of that work with 60 carries for 519 yards and quarterbacks Patrick White and backup Jarrett Brown toting it even more often than Slaton with 226 total rushes -- which constituted the eight-most in West Virginia history.
No. 11 West Virginia (10-2) has no choice but to rely on its speed to offset Oklahoma's size Wednesday. "The key is speed, using our speed," Slaton said. "When you're bigger, you're not necessarily faster. I think that will be the key for us, using a lot of our speed."
When West Virginia’s defense lines up against the Sooners’ offense in Wednesday’s Fiesta Bowl, the Mountaineers will be facing an offensive line that dwarfs even that of some professional teams. It’s a group that not only run blocks, but allowed only 11 sacks in 13 games this season.
Dykes, at 6-5 and a cheeseburger less than 300 pounds, is the only West Virginia defender who even approaches the size of Oklahoma’s offensive linemen. Okl’s O-line avgs 6’4” and 322 ½ lbs. Dykes said, “It’s not like we haven’t faced it before, but I think these guys are probably more athletic. It’s going to be a great challenge for us.’’
6-foot-8, 352-pound offensive tackle Phil Loadholt 's flanked by left guard and consensus All-American Duke Robinson (6-5, 352), center Jon Cooper (6-2, 276), right guard Brandon Walker (6-3, 307) and right tackle Branndon Braxton (6-5, 325).
The Mountaineers are fourth in the nation in turnovers gained, and took away 15 over their last five games.
The Sooners, with four turnovers and just one fumble over their last five games, might not be so cooperative, however.
WVU is 7-1 when both Slaton and White rush for 100 yards in the same game.
WVU’s defense has allowed only six 100-yard rushers in its last 37 games. Since 2000, WVU is 52-1 when scoring 30 or more points in a contest.
Every defensive unit loves to talk negative -- as in negative yards. In the latest NCAA rankings, the Mountaineer defense stands 34th nationally in tackles for loss with 82 on the year and 14th in sacks with 37 after 12 games.
When the Mountaineers have scored 25 points or more, they posted a 10-0 record.
2007 BIG EAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL AWARDS
BIG EAST CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Patrick White, QB, West Virginia (Jr., Daphne, Ala.)
ALL-BIG EAST CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
OG Greg Isdaner
QB Patrick White *
DEFENSE
DL Keilen Dykes
S Eric Wicks
ALL-BIG EAST CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
WR Darius Reynaud
C Mike Dent
RB Steve Slaton
K Pat McAfee
DEFENSE
DL Johnny Dingle
LB Marc Magro
By Bob Hertzel
For the Times West Virginian
GLENDALE, Ariz. — GLENDALE, Ariz. – A new word has been added to the lexicon of West Virginia football over the past couple of weeks while getting ready for Wednesday’s Fiesta Bowl showdown with Oklahoma, a word that seldom entered any discussion of the program under Rich Rodriguez.
That word is fun.
Under Rodriguez playing football was many things. It was intense. It was fiery. It was driven.
The motto that Rodriguez pushed was “Play like your hair is on fire” but having one’s hair on fire is anything but fun.
Oh, the program was successful, certainly, but maybe not as successful as it could be. Each year there was that one loss, that game they shouldn’t lose, that game they couldn’t lose, yet that was a game they did lose.
Pitt, twice over the past few years. South Florida. Louisville. Cincinnati. Maryland.
They didn’t lose those games because they faced better talent. Perhaps it was more that they were uptight, tense, playing in fear of losing rather than playing to win.
Sorry so late, I'm on the fly today and tomorrow so might not get tom's games posted...will try .....reports may be sketchy but will try
OSU vs IU
If Indiana's quarterback can remain poised, run the offense effectively and hold on to the football, the Hoosiers should be able to score plenty of points against Oklahoma State in the Insight Bowl.
If Lewis holds the ball too long in the pocket, throws on the run off his back foot, and doesn't put away the ball when he runs, the Hoosiers could be in for a long day in the Valley of the Sun.
There's no doubt that Lewis has caught the eye of Oklahoma State (6-6). Senior linebacker Jeremy Nethon said the Cowboys have spent a great deal of time planning how to stop Lewis.
In a five-game stretch, beginning Oct. 13 at Michigan State, Lewis lost six fumbles. Three came in the final 17 minutes of a 36-31 loss to Penn State on Oct. 20.
IU coach Bill Lynch said people tend to forget that Lewis is just a sophomore and has had to grow as a quarterback. He said people also forget how much the ball is in Lewis' hands
Lewis has had a big season for the Hoosiers (7-5). He has completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 2,839 yards with 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He is also IU's rushing leader with 653 yards and eight scores.
The Cowboys averaged 33.4 points per game, and Indiana averaged 31.6. Both quarterbacks, Oklahoma State's Zac Robinson and IU's Kellen Lewis, are dual threats who can run at any time. It's tough to pick one over the other here, but the Cowboys get the nod because they've been here before.
Both teams have had trouble stopping opponents. IU may have a slight advantage because of a pass rush that came up with a school-record 42 sacks this season. Oklahoma State had 21 sacks
Mike Gundy was in a bowl game last season and led the Cowboys to a victory over Alabama. Bill Lynch is in his first bowl game as a head coach for the Hoosiers.
The emotion of playing one more game for late coach Terry Hoeppner will be a factor, but the bigger thing for Indiana will be the Kellen Lewis-to-James Hardy connection. The pair hooked up for 16 touchdowns this season and 26 over the past two years.
The Cowboys boast a potent offense, ranking
in the top 10 in the country in total offense (484.08
– ninth) and rushing offense (245.83 – seventh).
Oklahoma State is averaging 33.42 points per
game, which shares 28th nationally, and is surrendering
just 0.92 sacks per game, which is fifth
in the country. Sophomore quarterback Zac
Robinson leads the Cowboy attack. A dualthreat,
Robinson threw for 2,522 yards (second
on OSU single-season list), 20 touchdowns, 210.2
yards per game, eight interceptions and completed
59.2 percent of his passes while rushing
for 64.8 yards per game and seven scores.
Leading the wideouts, second team All-Big
12 honoree Adarius Bowman posted 93.2 yards
per game (19th nationally) during the regular
season along with a team-best seven TD grabs.
First team All-Big 12 tight end Brandon Pettigrew
adds 41.8 yards per game along with four scores.
ALL-BIG TEN HOOSIERS
Senior cornerback Tracy Porter, junior wide
receiver James Hardy, junior kicker Austin Starr,sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis and sophomore
defensive end Greg Middleton each collected
All-Big Ten honors. Fifth-year senior
offensive lineman John Sandberg and sophomore
safety Austin Thomas received honorable
mention recognition
IU….OPPS
SACKS BY-YARDS 42-280 30-220
RED-ZONE SCORES 38-46 83% 42-51 82%
RED-ZONE TDS 27-46 59% 32-51 63%
Some pick the Cowboys based on their experience, as they have been in bowl games five of the past six years. For others, it is the stellar offense, which is ranked eighth overall (484.08 ypg) and seventh in rushing (245.83 ypg). Some even point to the Cowboys going .500 with a schedule that CBSSportsline.com ranks as the most difficult. Meanwhile, Indiana’s schedule is 58th.
Others go with the Hoosiers because they are a team that has dedicated the season to their late coach, Terry Hoeppner, who lost a battle with cancer during the summer. They have fulfilled his goal of reaching a bowl game for the first time since 1993. IU is also tied for third nationally with 3.5 sacks per game.
As he has for weeks, Gundy said Indiana is underrated.
“They are very good on offense, they are very well coached on defense,” he said. “Statistically, people are going to say they don’t show anything on defense, but they are in the right spot. They have played some good offensive teams who have made some big plays on them.”
Lewis was recruited by former OSU offensive coordinator Larry Fedora, who was at Saturday’s practice.
OSU (6-6) lost offensive coordinator Larry Fedora when he accepted the head coaching position at Southern Miss earlier this month.
OSU coach Mike Gundy was the program’s offensive coordinator in 1994 and from 2001-04.
Following the Cowboys’ first practice in Arizona on Wednesday, Gundy said play calls for the bowl game will start with him.
The group of left tackle Russell Okung, left guard David Koenig, Lewis, right guard Steven Denning and right tackle Brady Bond have started every contest since center David Washington broke his leg against Troy in the third game.
Lewis moved from left guard to center, Koenig switched from right guard to left guard, and Denning came off the bench to fill the right guard spot after the injury.
Even with those changes, Wickline’s crew has allowed only 11 sacks this year. That average of .92 per game is tied for fifth nationally.
Indiana (7-5) brings 42 sacks to Tempe, tied for the third-most in the country.
The next highest Cowboy opponent on the list is Oklahoma, which has 33 sacks.
KEYS:
OSU QB Zac RobinsonThe Cowboys have emerged as one of the nation's best rushing offenses since Robinson became the starter against Troy. With Robinson rushing for 777 yards, Dantrell Savage 1,172, OSU's ground game sets up the passing game.
Over the past 10 games since Robinson took over, the Cowboys are averaging 505.5 yards, including 264.7 rushing yards.
Indiana QB Kellen LewisThe sophomore dual-threat quarterback can beat defenses with both his arm and his legs. He has thrown for 2,839 yards and 26 touchdowns. He is Indiana's leading rusher (653 yards). His ability to scramble sets up both IU's rushing and passing game.
A key stat is the Hoosiers are 7-4 when Lewis rushes for 45 or more yards in his career. They are 3-9 when he's been held to under 45.
The Hoosiers (7-5) would love to get their first bowl win since 1991, when Indiana beat Baylor, 24-0, in the Copper Bowl.
"I think for a lot of us, it's like being little kids again," Indiana senior fullback Josiah Sears said, "because we're so excited to be here."
Gundy's team finished the regular season 6-6, but Oklahoma State – unlike Indiana's players – has been here before. OSU will play in its fifth bowl in six seasons.
Last year, OSU won its first bowl since 2002, a 34-31 victory over Alabama in the Independence Bowl. OSU also entered that game 6-6, but Gundy, who recently signed a one-year contract extension through the 2013 season, said his program is better than it was this time last year.
OSU will be helped by the return of standout receiver Adarius Bowman, who missed the last two games with a right knee injury.
Oklahoma State's defense, the fifth-worst against the pass among Division I-A programs (allowing 292.8 yards per game), will have its hands full with Indiana junior receiver James Hardy, who at 6-7 gives the Hoosiers a big target. Hardy set school records with 74 receptions and 16 touchdown catches this season, finishing with 1,075 yards.
OSU will have to balance trying to stop Hardy and defending Indiana's running game, which has been good despite the Hoosiers leading the nation with 18 fumbles lost.
Tennessee (9-4) hasn’t won a bowl game since defeating Texas A&M in the 2005 Cotton Bowl, and the Vols have won just two of their last seven bowl appearances.
Wisconsin (9-3), meanwhile, has been a bowl dynamo.
The Badgers are 9-3 in their last 12 bowl games and have defeated Auburn and Arkansas in their last two bowl games.
The current teams also have similarities.
Each was unbeaten at home, and each suffered two one-sided losses on the road.
The Vols lost to Florida and Alabama by a total of 63 points; the Badgers lost to Penn State and Ohio State by 52 points, although the Ohio State game was close until the last quarter.
Both have been better on offense than defense. Both have lost two starting cornerbacks to injury.
The teams are close on the scales, too. UT's starting offensive line averages 309 pounds per man. Wisconsin's averages 310.
�� An interesting trend in the Badgers’ last 12 bowl appearances ... when
Wisconsin has won its final regular season game, the Badgers have then won
their bowl game. When they’ve lost the regular-season finale, they’ve also lost
the bowl game. UW topped Minnesota in its final regular-season game of 2007.
Quick and big
But it's Wisconsin's defense that's surprised UT the most when the film is broken down. Fair or not, teams from the Big Ten are known more for their size and strength and less for their speed and agility. UT's coaches disagreed after studying tape of the Badgers' season.
"They're quicker than I thought they would be on defense up front," UT offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe said. "They're a much better pass rushing team than you wanted to see and they got some really good pass rushers. Individually, they don't have to do a bunch of blitzing and stunting to rush the passer."
Wisconsin might see another advantage, too. The Southeastern Conference doesn't intimidate the Badgers. They have faced Auburn and Arkansas in their past two bowl games and won bot
12/31/2007
Wisconsin weakside linebacker Jonathan Casillas was on the preseason watch lists for a number of national awards, including the Bednarik, the Lott and the Lombardi. He had only five TFLs this season while dealing with an ankle injury that hampered his effectiveness and slowed his development. Nonetheless, the 20-year-old Casillas still led the Badgers in tackles. “I rely on my speed a lot as far as changing direction and running at full speed. And I was limited the whole year with my ankle. It never really healed. But I had to learn to play with it and practice with it. I'm playing on two bad ankles and two bad knees right now.”
Mike Lucas — 12/31/2007
Key matchups
Tennessee quarterback No. 10 Erik Ainge vs. UW free safety No. 25 Shane Carter:
Ainge completed more passes (300) in 2007 than anybody in school history, including Peyton Manning. He is not a mobile quarterback. His longest career rush is 13 yards. But he has learned how to stay alive in the pocket without taking a sack. When passing for 300 yards or more, Ainge is 5-0, including 2-0 this season.
Carter wound up leading the Big Ten with seven interceptions, the third most in the nation.
Tennessee free safety No. 33 Jonathan Hefney vs. UW quarterback No. 12 Tyler Donovan:
Hefney has been an ironman, starting 49 of 50 games during his career. He was the only returning starter in the secondary and a second-team preseason All-American candidate.
Since the Vols' bye week (Sept. 29), the 5-foot-9, 185-pound Hefney has been much more productive and has lived up to his preseason hype. He finished with 88 tackles, third-best on the defense. As a run-stopper, Hefney will focus on containing Donovan, who rushed for 61 yards at Minnesota, matching his career high (61 at Iowa in 2006). Florida's Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy winner, hurt the Vols with his running ability, rushing for 61 yards and two touchdowns in the Gators' 59-20 victory.
By JEFF POTRYKUS
Posted: Dec. 28, 2007
questions facing the University of Wisconsin defense are several and significant:
• Can UW, which has struggled to pressure quarterbacks this season, get to Tennessee's Erik Ainge, who has been sacked only three times in 13 games?
• Can UW contain tailback Arian Foster, who has speed to complement his size (6 feet 1 inch and 215 pounds), averages 5.1 yards per carry and reminds some UW defenders of Ohio State tailback Chris Wells, who killed the Badgers in Week 10?
• Can UW's injury-riddled secondary contain a passing game that has generated 3,310 yards and 31 touchdowns, particularly if Ainge is given ample time to scan the field for an open receiver?
UW enters the bowl game No. 2 nationally in time of possession at 33 minutes 50 seconds per game.
Keep the ball, and you keep Ainge idling on the sideline.
"I think it will be huge," Donovan said. "Because in a lot of regards, our time of possession has helped us win a lot of ball games in the past. A lot of the guys on our offense understand the importance behind it."
"We've been on the field way too many snaps during the course of the year," Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said of his defense, which surrenders 407.6 yards and 28.1 points per game. "Getting yourself off the field defensively is always a priority. We've been really good at it. . . . This year we just haven't."
The Volunteers, who will be missing at least two starters on defense, allow 162.5 rushing yards per game. Eight runners have averaged at least 5.0 yards per carry against Tennessee this season.
Tennessee's problems on defense: Too much youth in the secondary, where Chavis had three freshmen on the field at times in the SEC title game, and too few plays made by the front four, which will be without starting tackle Demonte' Bolden (academic suspension) for the bowl game.
Tennessee strong safety Eric Berry (No. 14), a true freshman, was a second-team All-SEC choice after intercepting five passes this season.
Tailback Jamal Lewis is coming off his first 1,000-yard rushing season, which included five games over 100, and a season-high 139 against Mississippi State. Foster (6-1, 215) does run hard inside the tackles.
Tennessee's Jerod Mayo (No. 7) had 127 tackles, which was good enough to lead the SEC. For the bowl, Mayo will move from the middle to weakside linebacker, his former position, replacing the academically ineligible Rico McCoy, the Vol's No. 2 tackler. Saving his best for last, Mayo, a consensus first-team All-SEC selection, had 49 tackles over the final three games.
Along with replacing two graduating starters (Arron Sears and David Ligon) from last season's offensive line, Tennessee lost a returning starter, Eric Young, with an injury in late October. That necessitated moving right guard Chris Scott to left tackle to replace Young. A constant has been left guard Anthony Parker (No. 75), a first-team All-SEC pick. Parker (6-3, 305) is one big reason why the Vols have allowed just one sack every 123.8 pass plays.
Tennessee star wide receiver Lucas Taylor who leads the Volunteers with 73 receptions for 1,000 yards is going to miss the Outback Bowl.
Wisc junior cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu acknowleges that Taylor's absence is good news for the UW defense because it means the Badgers have one less Tennessee playmaker to worry about. Ikegwuonu will still have his hands full with Tennessee receivers Austin Rogers, a sophomore who is second on the team with 53 receptions for 587 yards and four touchdowns, and Josh Briscoe, a junior who is third in both receptions (49) and yards (456) and has five touchdowns.
Ikegwuonu, who was named first-team All-Big Ten in each of the past two seasons, seems to play his best when faced with his most difficult assignments. His most impressive performances this season came against the top two wide receivers in the league, Indiana's James Hardy and Michigan's Mario Manningham.
Hardy, who was named to the All-Big Ten first team along with Manningham, finished with just four receptions for 17 yards in UW's 33-3 rout of the Hoosiers on Oct. 27. Hardy's longest reception went for eight yards and came after Ikegwuonu already had left the game.
Manningham finished with three receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns during UW's 37-21 victory over Michigan two weeks later, but he had a 97-yard touchdown reception with the Badgers in zone coverage.
Ikegwuonu also shined when faced with a challenge in last year's Capital One Bowl victory over Arkansas. Most will remember the play in which Ikegwuonu chased down Razorbacks running back Darren McFadden from behind to save a touchdown, but Ikegwuonu also helped hold star receiver Marcus Monk, who entered the game with just under 1,000 receiver yards, to one reception for 13 yards.
12/31/2007 9:05 am
Members of The Capital Times staff forecast Tuesday's Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla., between No. 18 Wisconsin (9-3) and No. 16 Tennessee (9-4):
Mike Lucas: Pick: Wisconsin 28, Tennessee 21 Season record: 11-1
Jim Polzin: Pick: Tennessee 34, Wisconsin 27 Season record: 11-1
It'd be very easy to pick the Badgers over an SEC program once again, what with Tennessee's six academic casualties and the potential for distraction from a coaching staff in the midst of change. But I think Erik Ainge and the Vols' offense will be too much for a depleted UW defense.
Adam Mertz: Pick: Tennessee 33, Wisconsin 28 Season record: 11-1
The Badgers have prevailed in the two most recent unofficial Big Ten-SEC Challenge matches in Orlando as much with their moxie as their physical attributes, and the guess here is that once again is the deciding factor. Last year, Arkansas had the edge in talent but a hustle play set the tone early. The Badgers were actually held to negative rushing yardage (minus-5) in the game but persevered. With two exceptions -- Michigan State and Michigan -- this UW team hasn't demonstrated it can consistently deliver counterpunches in a closely fought game against an upper-echelon team.
Joe Hart: Pick: Wisconsin 24, Tennessee 23 Season record: 11-1
Here's the question that must be asked: Can a decent but not great team from a suspect conference beat a good but depleted team from an excellent conference?
Todd Finkelmeyer: Pick: Wisconsin 31, Tennessee 24 Season record: 11-1
Tennessee, which allows an average of 407.6 yards (73rd nationally) and 28.1 points (66th) per game, recently suspended second-team all-SEC linebacker Rico McCoy and defensive tackle Demonte Bolden for the Outback Bowl due to academic issues. On the other side of the ball, Vols leading receiver Lucas Taylor (73 catches, 1,000 yards, five TDs) also was an academic casualty, while offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe was named head coach at Duke in mid-December. Cutcliffe will coach one last game with the Vols in Tampa, but will his head/heart be in it? In a nutshell, the stars are aligned just right for Wisconsin to win a third straight bowl game against an SEC opponent.
Nick Hayden plays defensive tackle for the University of Wisconsin and the only senior starting on the UW defense. In addition, two starters (CB Allen Langford and DL Jason Chapman) had their seasons end with knee injuries at Ohio State.
Travis Beckum considers the Outback Bowl a huge game for the University of Wisconsin football team. That's good news for the Badgers because Beckum, a junior tight end, seems to play his best in big games. Against Illinois, Beckum had 11 catches for 160 yards. Against Ohio State, he had nine catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. And against Michigan the following week, he had six catches for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Beckum's other 100-yard effort -- 10 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown -- came against a Michigan State team that ranked fourth in the Big Ten in pass defense, behind only Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Beckum's growth as a tight end in just two years at the position -- he has 134 receptions for 1,863 yards and 11 touchdowns in 25 games -- is amazing.
Dec. 29, 2007
UW junior tight end Travis Beckum (shoulder) continues to wear a green "no-contact jersey" during practice but insists he will be full speed on Tuesday.
Wisconsin’s record against other conferences in bowl games:
SEC ......... 2-5
Wisconsin is facing an opponent from the SEC for the fi fth consecutive year.
�� The Badgers will be trying to join Michigan as the only Big Ten schools ever
to have defeated Southeastern Conference opponents in bowl games in three
consecutive seasons
Situational Records
WISCONSIN 2007 BIELEMA ERA
UW leads at halftime 6-0 16-0
WISCONSIN OFFENSE 2007 BIELEMA ERA
SCORING: 20 or more points 8-1 17-1
RUSHING YARDS: UW has more 8-0 17-0
TOTAL OFFENSE: allow 300 yards or less 3-0 12-0
RUSHING: allow 150 yards or less 7-0 16-1
RUSHING: allow 100 yards or less 4-0 9-0
Two hats: Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe figures he's gotten a little less sleep than normal the past few weeks, but that's about the only thing that's changed since he was named the head coach at Duke. Cutcliffe, who chose to remain with the Volunteers through the Outback Bowl, said doing two jobs at once hasn't been a distraction. He hasn't had to worry about recruiting because it's a dead period right now, and he's been able to work on hiring a staff at Duke when his work day is done with the Volunteers.
Cutcliffe is rumored to be taking two Tennessee assistants with him to Duke. Additionally, Volunteers wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor is leaving to become the co-offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State.
Tennessee fans probably wondered why the Vols weren't throwing deep very much early in the season.
The main reason was because senior quarterback Erik Ainge was playing with a broken finger and a sore shoulder on his throwing arm. The latter bothered Ainge until past the midpoint of the season.
Cutcliffe compensated by calling more short- and medium-route passing plays. Opponents didn't seem to catch on and Ainge finished with 3,157 passing yards, along with 29 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Now that Ainge is healthy, the Vols may look downfield more often.
Ainge, who has passed for 3,157 yards with 29 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions, is surrounded by talent. He has five receivers with at least 35 receptions, though the loss of junior wide receiver Lucas Taylor could have a significant impact. Taylor, who leads the team in receptions (73) and receiving yards (1,000) and is tied for No. 2 in receiving touchdowns (five), was suspended.
"They have some good players but there isn't that one guy you watch and you go, 'Oh my gosh, that guy is amazing,' " Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge said about Wisc..
Hill update: Bielema said sophomore tailback P.J. Hill, who was limited to just five carries in the final three games due to a bruised leg, has shown the coaching staff more consistency since returning to practice in mid-December.
"Which is what we were looking for," Bielema said. "He'd have a good day and then he wouldn't be able to go the next day. Really, the last week in Madison, all three of those bowl practices he's been 100 percent and he's been 100 percent down here the first two days."
It remains unclear whether Hill will play in the Outback Bowl. Bielema already has said freshman Zach Brown will start against Tennessee. Brown rushed for 250 yards against the Gophers. Who didn’t? Brown started the final three games of the regular season and rushed for 421 yards and four touchdowns during that stretch against Minnesota, Michigan (108 yards) and Ohio State (63 yards). Brown's game isn't flashy, but he is smart, savvy and dependable. Brown grasped the offense more quickly than most freshmen; runs north and south; and isn't careless with the ball.
Sophomore tailback Lance Smith was allowed to join his teammates in Tampa, Fla. "I know I'm going to be available to play," Smith said, "and that's a good thing for me. I'm just happy the suspension (could only play in home games TY) is over. I know coach Chryst (O-CO) is going to try and get me more involved in the game plan. And that's a good thing for me, too."
Dec. 29, 2007
Tampa, Fla. - P.J. Hill will play against Tennessee in the Outback Bowl.
That was the message delivered emphatically Saturday by Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema, three days before the Badgers face the Volunteers.
"He'll be in right away," Bielema told reporters during a news conference with Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer. "He won't start. He'll be involved in the game plan."
Tyler Donovan is usually a master at buying time.
When the pocket collapses around him, the University of Wisconsin senior quarterback typically uses some fancy footwork to escape defenders. The end result is Donovan turning what should have been a sack into a positive gain. He backed up John Stocco
for three seasons. Donovan’s 2,452 passing yards this season is the second-most in program history
The future is now.
The left side of UW's offensive line is to be manned by two redshirt freshmen, Gabe Carimi at tackle and John Moffitt at guard. Moffitt moved into the starting lineup when junior Andy Kemp was sidelined with a broken hand. He has started the last five games and has provided the unit with a mobile and physical presence. Carimi has started all 12 games at left tackle.
Freshman wide receiver Kyle Jefferson, who is slowed by a tender right ankle, was pressed into duty because of injures to Paul Hubbard and Luke Swan. Although he has no catches in his last two games and just two in the last three, Jefferson is third on the team in receptions with 23 for 385 yards (16.7-yard average).
Redshirt freshman Kirk DeCremer, a key reserve defensive end through the first 10 weeks of the season, started the final two regular-season games when the staff had to juggle the line in the wake of the season-ending injury to tackle Jason Chapman.
DeCremer, who has a light workload during the week because of recurring back problems, is smart, athletic and never takes a play off. He leads the team in sacks (5½) and leads all non-starters and is third overall in tackles for loss (nine).
Sophomore linebacker Jaevery McFadden could play a key role when UW deploys its nickel package.
McFadden, who missed 3½ games with an elbow injury before returning for the regular-season finale at Minnesota, gives UW a third mobile linebacker to join DeAndre Levy and Jonathan Casillas in the 3-3-5 alignment.
Tn SRB Foster bounced back TY by rushing for 1,162 yards and scoring 14 touchdowns this season heading into Tuesday's game against the University of Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl.
And if Tennessee fans were worried about ball security becoming an issue with Foster, he dispelled that notion by losing just one fumble in 267 touches this season. He isn't mentioned among the top backs in the nation because he's not flashy. At 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, Foster is more of a bruiser than a burner. Besides, it's not like Foster is slow. He has eight runs of 20 or more yards this season, including a long of 59 against Arkansas. He also scored on a 65-yard pass play against Kentucky.
"He's able to accelerate in short distances," UW coach Bret Bielema said. "If he gets a little crease, he can get going pretty fast. But he's also got power. He's really a balanced kid."
Tennessee's coaches have settled on a starting linebacker trio, though the effectiveness of that unit could hinge on whether senior Ryan Karl can last the entire game.
With sophomore weak-side linebacker Rico McCoy, the team's No. 2 tackler, academically ineligible, junior Jerod Mayo has moved from the middle to the weak side. Junior Ellix Wilson, Mayo's backup, is set to make his first collegiate start. Wilson, the team's top reserve at linebacker, has played in all 13 games this season. He is 16th on the team in tackles with 24. Of that number, five are for loss, including three sacks.
Karl, who suffered a chipped bone in his right elbow in the Southeastern Conference title game and wears a brace on the elbow, is to start his 14th consecutive game on the strong side.
"He has had some full-speed work in (at practice)," Fulmer said of Karl. "I'm hopeful that he'll be able to hold up. If not, we'll adjust accordingly."
Mayo leads Tennessee in tackles (127); Karl is fifth (82) and Wilson is 16th (24).
Injuries to both starting cornerbacks forced the staff to shuffle the lineup earlier this season and the loss of linebacker Rico McCoy and tackle Demonte Bolden, both of whom have been declared academically ineligible, have forced more changes. McCoy is a huge loss because he was second on the team in tackles with 106. Bolden (6-6 and 290) had 26 tackles, including five for loss. The Volunteers allow 4.2 yards per carry and 162.5 rushing yards per game with McCoy and Bolden on the field. Their losses won't make the defense more stout against the run.
Freshman kicker Daniel Lincoln and junior punter Britton Colquitt are the key contributors. Lincoln has made 21 of 28 field-goal attempts (75%).
P Colquitt has a 41.5-yard average, only four touchbacks in 55 punts and has placed 20 of his punts inside the opponents' 20. Despite Colquitt's efforts, though, the coverage can be exploited. Opponents average 10.5 yards per return and the Volunteers have surrendered two returns for touchdowns.
Tennessee landed three players on the 2007 Coaches All-SEC first team and another four on the second team. Four of the honorees were juniors, with one senior and a pair of freshmen selected as well.
Left guard Anthony Parker made the first-team offensive line, while middle linebacker Jerod Mayo was among the top linebackers named and free safety Jonathan Hefney—UT’s lone senior honoree—was a member of the first-team secondary unit.
Second-team representatives were weakside linebacker Rico McCoy, punter Britton Colquitt, true freshman strong safety Eric Berry and redshirt freshman placekicker Daniel Lincoln.
Hefney and Colquitt are repeat selections from a year ago, although Hefney was a second-team choice in 2006 and Colquitt earned first-team honors. McCoy was a member of last season’s Freshman All-SEC squad.
CUTCLIFFE’S MAGIC NUMBER = 30
During David Cutcliffe’s two stints as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator (1993-98 and 2006-present), the Vols have been awfully tough to beat when they score at least 30 points. In fact, with Cutcliffe gripping the offensive reins, Tennessee has scored at least 30 points in 62 different
games; and UT owns an impressive 59-3 (.952) record when that happens.
�� Wisconsin allowed 25.9 points per game through its first seven contests this
season, but the Badgers surrendered just 19.8 points per game over their final
five outings.
�� Wisconsin is 14-0 during the Bielema era in games in which it allows 20 points
or less. That occurred four times this season.
NON-CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Since 1989 (Fulmer’s first season as UT’s offensive coordinator), Tennessee has a 66-16-1 (.801) record in non-conference games. N nine losses have come in bowl games.
Nice blizzard snow fall on the shores of Lake Meechawaagon has grounded me. Have time to scan the globe. Updated the OKL note above with a bunch of etchings from the net.
Monday, December 31;
Kenny Lewis Jr, the sophomore from Danville, Va. will be stepping into Branden Ore's shoes and starting spot this Thursday, while Ore does his time on the bench as part of his punishment for arriving late to a practice last week. He's contributed to just 53 running plays, compared to Ore's 244, and he has netted 183 yards and four touchdowns so far this season. Beamer confirmed that sophomores Kenny Lewis and Jahre Cheeseman would be splitting the tailback position of Tech's offense for the first quarter. Starting quarterback Sean Glennon seemed unaffected by Beamer's decision, and was confident of Lewis and Cheeseman's proven abilities throughout the season.
Last year Lewis was in for 54 plays and rushed for 215 yards.
All season long he's contributed to the team's box score in small doses, busting into the end zone four times. He's also taken over the running duties sporadically during the year as Ore hobbled over defenses while nursing various ailments back to full capacity.
Beamer said Tech’s offensive game plan won’t change while Lewis is in the game.
“Kenny has really worked on his pass protection,” Beamer said. “That was a little bit of a liability for him last year and he’s really much better in that.”
VT SQB Glennon has arrived in the Florida sunshine somewhat unscathed. His athletic ego has been patched and refilled with the prospect of leading a team to a school record 12 win season, and the program's first Orange Bowl victory.
By Kyle Tucker
The Virginian-Pilot
January 2, 2008
Criticism came from everywhere as Virginia Tech's offense followed up last season's sputtering production with a more anemic attack through the first six games of this season. Hokie Nation stewed over that stretch, as Tech averaged just 274 yards and scored 17 points or fewer in three of those first six outings.
Last season's struggles - Tech ranked 99th nationally in total offense - could at least be explained by having a first-year starter at quarterback, two freshmen at tight end and an offensive line pieced together with spare parts and converts from other positions.
"This year, we were supposed to be better," Stinespring said.
But starting right tackle Ed Wang broke his ankle the first week of training camp in August, setting off a domino effect on the line - which was more talented this season, but lacked the depth to absorb such a blow.
The running game bogged down, perhaps partly because tailback Branden Ore came to camp out of shape, and the passing game struggled again. The Hokies were forced to bench Sean Glennon and give true freshman Tyrod Taylor a try at quarterback.
things have changed for the Hokies and, consequently, for O-Co Stinespring in the second half of the season.
The offensive line got healthy. The running game got going. Both Taylor and Glennon elevated their play to the point that they were both valuable weapons.
He conceived the idea and implemented the plan to play both quarterbacks, sometimes rotating them more than 20 times during the course of a game. Where so many others have failed in that endeavor, Stinespring's two-headed monster was a huge success.
During the last seven games, which led to an ACC championship and berth in Thursday night's Orange Bowl, Tech has averaged 108 more yards and almost seven more points than in the first six games.
Now Stinespring is the author of an offense that keeps defenses guessing. It's a strength, not the weak link on a team traditionally bolstered by defense and special teams
When freshman Tyrod Taylor entered in the second quarter of Virginia Tech's 48-7 loss Sept. 8 at LSU, he became a member of an elite club he probably never even considered.
Since the ACC expanded from nine to 12 teams in 2004, a seasonal average of just 3.4 men per team have played during their true freshman years. Taylor, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound graduate of Hampton High who will help lead Tech on Thursday against No. 8 Kansas (11-1) in the Orange Bowl, is one of just three freshmen to play for Tech this season.
Tech has used a loose model of what Florida utilized last season when it rotated quarterbacks Chris Leak, who was a senior, and Tim Tebow, who was a true freshman. Taylor's ability to scramble and throw on the run has complemented junior Sean Glennon's pocket-passer style. Glennon thinks of Taylor as Tech's version of Tebow.
Taylor averages 153 yards of offense per game
Taylor, a Hampton High graduate, has gained a reputation as a run-first kind of quarterback, and rightfully so. He's second on the team with 431 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 97 carries, but he has also shown the ability to respond when defenses try to take away his running game.
Against Florida State, which was the first of four consecutive games where Tech (11-2) rotated its quarterbacks, Taylor completed 10 of 15 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns. With FSU forced to respect Taylor's arm, he was able to gain 92 yards and another touchdown on 17 carries.
Glennon also has thrived with Taylor rotating in an out. Glennon has thrown just one interception with five touchdowns in 74 pass attempts in the last four games. His feet aren't going to scare many defenses, but he has been more successful completing passes after moving around in the pocket this season than he was last season. Considering Tech quarterbacks have been sacked 49 times this season, Glennon's improved mobility might be survival instinct more than anything else. But it's working. for Tech.
Brandon Flowers, a junior cornerback, has broken up 26 passes and intercepted eight more in the past two seasons. Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster calls Flowers the best corner he ever has coached, which is high praise in a program that has produced such standouts at the position as DeAngelo Hall, a top-10 NFL pick. If Flowers comes back for his senior season, he could become the Hokies' first three-time All-American. About going pro next year, fellow corner Victor Harris, an All-ACC selection said he thinks Flowers "can't make a bad decision."
Campus shooting a topic again
The Hokies have had to answer countless questions about the April 16 shooting that killed 32 people on Tech's campus.
But until this week, those questions had dwindled. Now, with national media, as well as reporters from Kansas and Florida covering the Orange Bowl, the tragedy again is a top topic.
"Whether it's right or wrong, we've been kind of pushed to be the healer," defensive coordinator Bud Foster said. "There was a lot of pressure on us early. A lot of distractions. We tried to do our part."
Said Brandon Flowers: "We felt like it was on us to pick the spirit back up. Winning this game in the Orange Bowl... I think we could raise the spirit even more."
Virginia Tech's coaches briefly demoted guard Nick Marshman when he showed up for August training camp overweight - at 357 pounds. He has lost about 10 pounds from his 6-foot-5 frame, but his gut remains substantial.
Only now, it's garnering him respect instead of ridicule.
" That's the biggest guy I've ever faced," said Kansas defensive tackle James McClinton, an All-Big 12 selection who is 6-1, 285. "Those are the size guys you see in the (NFL). He's a Goliath.
Count Powell among a very small group who ever imagined it would go like this: him starting for almost three full seasons at defensive tackle for one of the nation’s best defenses and now, diploma in hand, heading for a shot at the NFL.
Powell bench presses 430 pounds, squats almost 600 and can push 330 pounds straight over his head. “He’s got a huge back. It looks like a dining room table,” defensive end Chris Ellis said. “If you’ve got a smaller guard, his strength isn’t going to compare with CP. It’s going to take two guys to hog him up.”
Just 104 career tackles and 5.5 career sacks in 31 starts – numbers that lend themselves to anonymity on a star-studded defense like Tech’s, stats that don’t add up to the All-ACC and All-American honors that his teammates have garnered.
Powell’s brutish strength and relentless effort have become his calling card with the Hokies. They’ve transformed him from an iffy prospect into a key cog – a guy rated by some draft analysts as one of the top 20 defensive tackles available for this year’s NFL draft.
Beamer: Hokies still have much to prove
Some expect Kansas to come into the game with a chip on its shoulder, an underdog without much football tradition trying to make its name against the Hokies.
But Beamer said his team – in a rare role as favorite in a BCS game – still has plenty to prove.
“I think we’re both playing for something,” he said. “This will be the only time in Tech’s history that a team has won 12 games … and if you can win the ballgame, you’re going to end up (No.) 2 or 3 – somewhere in there – in the polls. “I think this is the second-most important bowl game we’ve ever played.”
No. 1, obviously, was the 1999 national championship game.
January 2, 2008
Virginia Tech linebacker Vince Hall will start Thursday night in the Orange Bowl against Kansas after participating in Wednesday's final walkthrough with his teammates, according to Tech trainer Mike Goforth
Hall, a 6-foot, 238-pound senior from Chesapeake, bruised his left knee Sunday while playing around in the ocean. He was extremely limited in Monday and Tuesday practices, but took part in all drills Wednesday in No. 5 Tech's walkthrough at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Fla.
"He looked really good," Goforth said. "He was able to do everything and didn't have any problems."
Hall missed four games this season with two broken bones in his left forearm and wrist, but he's still second on the team with 92 tackles, including 3½ sacks. He'll make the 48th start of his career Thursday night, which leads all current Tech players.
Tech coach Frank Beamer said he wasn't sure about the status of linebacker Vince Hall, who bruised his knee at the team's beach party.
"We'll see," he said. "I think it will be a game-time decision between the doctors to see if he can play. It's tender right now, so I'm not sure what's going to happen there."
He noted that Brett Warren did a nice job filling in for Hall earlier this season. It's definitely a plus to have a backup with experience.
Wednesday, Jan. 2, 3:14 p.m.:
Aaron McFarling
About 29 hours away from kickoff of the Orange Bowl, and fans who've made the trip to South Florida can spend the time ... freezing their tails off. Seriously. It's cold and windy here. No rain and temp around 60 for kick-off.
Kansas coach Mark Mangino had a nice answer today when asked about the criticism the Jayhawks have taken for their weak schedule. I'll give him credit for honesty.
"The decisions I make are in the best interest of our team and the future of our program. And it is appropriate for us to play the type of nonconference schedule that we did.
"I've said this before, and I'll say it again: Nobody in December remembers who you played in September. It's what your win-loss record is. And apparently our strategy must have worked. We're here at the Orange Bowl today."
KANSAS
Strength of schedule (Sagarin): 88
VIRGINIA TECH
Strength of schedule (Sagarin): 36
The 2007 Associated Press All-ACC football team
OFFENSE
SECOND TEAM
OT-Duane Brown
DEFENSE
FIRST TEAM
DE-Chris Ellis
LB-Xavier Adibi
CB-Victor Harris,
SECOND TEAM
DT-Barry Booker
CB-Brandon Flowers
SPECIAL TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
KR-PR-Eddie Royal
HORABLE MENTION
DEFENSE:
Carlton Powell, DT
Vince Hall, LB
D.J. Parker, S
Hokies on
All-America Squads
American Football Coaches Assoc. (AFCA)
First Team
Xavier Adibi • LB • Sr. • Hampton, VA
Brandon Flowers • CB • Jr. • Delray Beach, FL
Walter Camp Football Foundation
Second Team
Brandon Flowers • CB • Jr. • Delray Beach, FL
Associated Press (AP)
Second Team
Brandon Flowers • CB • Jr. • Delray Beach, FL
Third Team
Xavier Adibi • LB • Sr. • Hampton, VA
Including this year, in Tech’s five BCS bowls, three of the opponents have been
from the Big 12 Conference. Frank Beamer is 3-2 against Big 12 schools.
• Tech is 8-11 in neutral site games during Coach Frank Beamer’s 21 seasons after the
Hokies’ 30-16 ACC Championship Game victory over Boston College at Jacksonville.
• In bowl games, the Hokies are 6-8,
Rushing = Outcome?
• Under head coach Frank Beamer (253 games),
the Hokies are 147-28-2 when outrushing their
opponents, 19-56 when being outrushed and 1-0
when the rushing total is even.
• In Tech’s current 15-year bowl run (since
1993), Tech is 127-13 when outrushing its
opponents, 15-31 when being outrushed and 1-0
when the rushing total is even.
• In its current 15-year bowl run (since 1993),
Tech is 83-6 when rushing for 200 yards or more,
including 7-0 in 2005 and 2-0 last year.
• Since 1999, the Hokies are 82-6 when
outrushing their opponent and 8-18 when being
outrushed.
VT’s Record When Ranked by AP
On the road 4-1 44-16
Neutral 1-0 7-7
VT vs. Ranked Opponents (AP)
On the road 2-1 10-17
Neutral 1-0 5-7
VT’s Record When Scoring ...
25+ points 9-0 130-17
VT’s Record When Allowing ...
Less than 14 points 5-0 96-5-1
14-24 points 6-1 60-22-1
MATCHUPS OF NOTE
• Kansas running back Brandon McAnderson averages 87.50 yards
per game and has rushed for 1,050 yards and 16 touchdowns. Tech’s rush
defense is ranked fifth in the country, allowing just 86 yards rushing per
game.
• KU quarterback Todd Reesing is ranked 11th in the country in
pass efficiency, averaging a 152.41 mark per game. Tech’s pass efficiency
defense is ranked fourth in the nation, allowing just an average mark of
97.9 per game.
• Kansas’ offense, ranked second in the country in points per game
at 44.3, scored 40 or more points in eight out of 12 games and topped the
50-point barrier five times, including 76 against Nebraska, while Tech’s
defense has allowed 20 or more points just four times this year, holding
opponents to 10 points or less five times in 12 games. Tech is second in
the country in scoring defense, allowing just 15.46 points per game.
• Two of the four first-team All-America defensive backs as named
by the AFCA — Tech’s Brandon Flowers and Kansas’ Aqib Talib —
will be playing in this game. Tech is tied for fifth in the country with 21
interceptions while Kansas is tied for eighth with 20 picks.
TALE OF THE TAPE
Virginia Tech vs. Kansas
Avg. Rank Rank Avg.
29.31..........51............Scoring Offense vs. Scoring Defense............5............ 16.00
15.46............ 2............Scoring Defense vs. Scoring Offense............2............ 44.33
332.38..........99................Total Offense vs. Total Defense................14.......... 318.25
293.31............ 5................Total Defense vs. Total Offense................6............ 491.08
198.85..........86............Passing Offense vs. Passing Defense............58.......... 226.83
207.31..........27............Passing Defense vs. Passing Offense............14.......... 294.50
133.54..........81...........Rushing Offense vs. Rushing Defense...........7............ 91.42
86.00............ 5...........Rushing Defense vs. Rushing Offense...........27.......... 196.58
VT…….OPPS
RED-ZONE SCORES 40-43 93% 25-34 74%
RED-ZONE TDs 26-43 60% 17-34 50%
SACKS BY-Yards 43-284 49-265
• The Hokies play four senior receivers who
have seen significant action over the years.
With this quartet, this is one of the deepest
positions on the Tech roster.
• The last time they were tested in the 40-yard
dash, each of the four ran 4.4 or faster and all
four have over 1,000 yards receiving in their
Careers
• The Hokies have scored eight touchdowns this season via returns (5 INT, 2 PR, 1 KOR).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He was, after all, the Class 4A football Player of the Year in Texas.
Kansas coach Mark Mangino watched the gunslinger throw long and short with equal efficiency, scrambling for time and darting for huge chunks of yards.
"I really liked the tape," Mangino said, "but he looked kind of small."
So Todd Reesing and his father stopped by the Kansas campus in Lawrence the summer after his junior season. "He's really small," the coach remembers thinking.
At 5-foot-10, Reesing was hardly a prototypical quarterback prospect. At least not for Division I. When he met Mangino that day, back in 2005, his only major scholarship offer was from Duke.
In leading Kansas on an improbable run to Thursday's Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech, Reesing has completed nearly 63 percent of his passes for 3,259 yards, 32 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He has also scrambled for 363 yards - excluding sacks.
All-American cornerback Aqib Talib expressed his thoughts on Tech’s two-quarterback system: “They’ve got a runner and a thrower. It kind of helps us out, because each quarterback is going to have his tendencies. It’s kind of difficult, but at least it gives us a heads-up on what to expect.” Talib enters Thursday's Orange Bowl game against No. 5 Virginia Tech (11-2) with 61 tackles and four interceptions this season. He also has added eight catches for 182 yards and four touchdowns. Mangino said Saturday that Talib will return punts in the Orange Bowl. Talib, a 6-2, 205-pound junior, has returned just one punt for four yards this season.
Kansas has scored two touchdowns on punt returns this season, but the bulk of the punt-return results haven't been pleasing to Mangino. Kansas has averaged just 5.7 yards per return this season on 35 punt returns.
Kansas defensive coordinator Bill Young doesn't see many blatant changes in Tech's play-calling when either quarterback is in the game. "Obviously, both quarterbacks can do the same thing," Young said. "One of them is a little bit better runner it appears on tape. One is a little better passer, but the offense doesn't change that much.”
"This year, we've faced both kinds of quarterbacks," Kansas linebacker Mike Rivera said. "We've had a month to prepare and we've prepared for both sides of the passing game and the running game, and the quarterback game. We've prepared for it all. We've just got to read our keys when we're out there."
PK Webb made 11 of 12 field-goal attempts in the season’s first seven games and six of 12 since. He missed from 33 and 45 in the Mizz loss.
Kerry Meier wouldn't quarterback Kansas this season. Look at KU's stats and you'll find Meier as a receiver, passer, rusher, punter and scorer.
In all fairness, a hamstring injury prevented Meier from competing at full strength during KU's fall camp, so news of his demotion — he lost the job to Reesing after starting for the Jayhawks in 2006 — could have been devastating.
Meier drew five starts as a receiver and produced 24 receptions. When he did get on the field the old way, as a QB, he completed 25 of 29 passes.
Maybe there's some way KU can squeeze in more for Meier with all the prep time leading into the Orange Bowl. If so, all coach Mark Mangino would confirm is "we'll use Kerry. He'll get plays. He's a key guy for us.''
Kansas is 4-6 in bowl games all time, including a 41-13 win against Houston in the 2005 Fort Worth
Bowl in its last appearance... KU has won three of its last four bowl games
Kansas is 3-7 against
ranked teams in the Mark Mangino era. Here is a look:
2002 - L 0-64 vs. #14 Kansas State
2003 - W 35-14 vs. #23 Missouri
2003 - L 3-24 vs. #19 Nebraska
2004 - L 10-41 at #2 Oklahoma
2005 - L 17-30 at #13 Texas Tech
2005 - L 14-66 at #2 Texas
2005 - W 24-21 (ot) vs. #25 Iowa State
2006 - L 32-39 (ot) at #21 Nebraska
2007 - W 30-24 at #24 Kansas State
2007 - L 28-36 vs. #3 Missouri
KANSAS WHEN...
(Mark Mangino Era, 2002-pres.)
Lead at Half 9-0 27-9
Rush for 200 Yards 8-0 19-3
More Yards than Opp.10-0 30-5
Fewer Yards than Opp.1-1 6-31
Natural Grass 2-1 5-15
YOUTH IS SERVED – The 2007 Kansas football team is a relatively young team with just one
senior starter on defense (DT James McClinton) and four on offense (OT Cesar Rodriguez, TE Derek Fine, WR
Marcus Henry and RB Brandon McAnderson).
STOPPING THE AERIAL ATTACK – Kansas faced five teams that rank in the top 35
nationally in passing average and still managed to rank 10th in the country in pass efficiency defense (58th inpassing yards allowed).
TOUGH TO RUN ON – All season long Kansas has been tough to run on allowing just 91.4 rushing yards per game.
L3 g TY:
Att-yd-td-long
Oklahoma State 37-195 2 57 Most rush yards vs. KU in 24 games.
vs. Iowa State 26-52 1 21 ISU averaged 2.0 yards per carry.
vs. Missouri 43-151 1 23 Most attempts against KU this year.
OFFENSIVE NOTES – Nationally, Kansas ranks second in scoring offense (44.33), sixth in total
offense (491.08), 14th in passing offense (294.50) and 27th in rushing offense (196.58)... KU has shattered
school records for scoring average (new mark is 44.3 and old mark was 34.5), touchdowns (64, 53), first downs
(307, 286), yards per game (491.1, 421.5) among many others... KU’s 196 rushing yards per game are its most
since 1995... KU’s 294.5 passing yards per game are its most in school history... KU has rushed for at least
200 yards in eight games, but had just 42 vs. Missouri in last game... KU has thrown for at least 300 yards
in seven games, including each of the last four contests... KU produced at least 500 yards of total offense in
seven games, including a 615-yard effort against Florida International... KU did not commit a turnover in seven
games, including in four of the last five contests... KU scored at least 40 points in eight games, reaching 50 five
times, 60 twice and 70 once... KU has scored on 61 of 70 trips into the red zone this year with 46 touchdowns...
In the last four games KU scored on 26 of 29 trips into the red zone with 23 touchdowns... KU scored at least 20
points in a quarter nine times... KU was shutout in a quarter just seven times... KU has produced 61 explosives
(plays of 20 or more yards) this season, including 45 passing plays and 16 rushes... KU has scored on 20 plays
of 20 yards or longer... KU has produced 13 plays of 40 yards or longer this season... KU has produced 36
scoring drives that have taken less than two minutes... KU has scored on nearly 50 percent of its possessions
this season (81 of 164 for 49.3 percent).
DEFENSIVE NOTES – KU leads the Big 12 in rushing defense (91.42), total defense (318.25)
and scoring defense (16.00), while ranking second in passing defense (226.83)... Nationally, KU is fourth in
scoring defense, tied for seventh in rushing defense, 14th in total defense, and 59th in passing defense... The
opponents’ 91.4 rushing yards per game are the second fewest allowed in KU history (83.2 in 2005)... The
318.2 total yards per game are the second fewest allowed in the last 25 years (303.2 in 2005)... KU held six
opponents (all Big 12 foes) to less than 80 rushing yards this season... KU allowed only two runs longer than
25 yards this season... KU allowed just two rushing touchdowns in the first eight games combined and five
in the last four contests combined... KU held the opponent to less than 200 yards passing in six games... KU
held the opponent to less than 300 total yards in six games as well... KU forced at least three turnovers in
seven games... KU held the opponent to single-digit point totals in four games on the year, the first time that
has happened since 1975... KU allowed the opponent to reach the red zone just 27 times on the year (2.25
times per game) and the opponent scored on just 21 of those occasions... KU allowed the opponent to score
more than once in a quarter just six times on the year... KU allowed just 39 explosives (20-plus yard plays) on
the year... The opponent scored just five times from outside the red zone... The opponents have scored on just
17.6 percent of its possessions (30 of 170)... The opponent has started 14 drives on the KU side of the 50-yard
line, but scored just five times.
2007 All-Big 12 Football First Team
OFFENSE
OL Anthony Collins
DEFENSE
DL James McClinton
LB Joe Mortensen
DB Aqib Talib
2007 All-Big 12 Football Second Team
OFFENSE
QB Todd Reesing
RB Brandon McAnderson
WR Marcus Henry
KR/PR Marcus Herford
2007 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Kansas: Ryan Cantrell, OL; James Holt, LB; Mike Rivera, LB; Cesar Rodriguez, OL; Darrell Stuckey, DB; Scott Webb, PK;
Rutgers already knew Greg Schiano was not headed to Michigan. Now, Ball State knows Brady Hoke isn't, either.
With all of the potential courting and drama behind them, Schiano and Hoke will be on the sidelines on Jan. 5 for the International Bowl in Toronto.
Hoke, an assistant under Carr from 1995-2001, has the Cardinals (7-5) in a bowl game for the first time since they lost the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl to Nevada.
I discovered the Blue Jays field is actually one concrete slab with the turf puzzled over it. I say puzzled because that’s exactly how they produce the football field, piecing 20-foot rectangular boards covered by FieldTurf throughout the floor.
The Knights began the season at No. 16 and climbed as high as 10th after a 3-0 start and a 59-0 rout of Norfolk State of the Football Championship Subdivision. They followed that with back-to-back home losses to Maryland and Cincinnati, but re-appeared in the poll at No. 25 after handing South Florida its first loss of the season on Oct. 18.
Offensively, Rutgers is led by running back Ray Rice, one of seven Knights on the All-Big East team and the only unanimous selection of the group.
The junior, a finalist for the Doak Walker award, became the first Rutgers player to rush for three 1,000-yard seasons in a row and score 20 touchdowns in consecutive years. He has run for 1,732 yards and 20 TDs this season, and even got involved in the passing game with career highs of 23 receptions, 224 yards and a score. He totaled 12 catches for 95 yards in his previous two seasons.
Rice is looking to eclipse his career-high of 1,794 rushing yards from last season when he faces a Ball State run defense that allows 197.0 yards per game, ranking 10th in the Mid-American Conference and among the worst in the country.
The Cardinals have been better against the pass, leading the MAC with 18 interceptions and giving up 221.8 yards per game. Junior cornerback B.J. Hill, a converted running back, has a team-high five picks.
The 5-foot-7 Hill will likely get matched up against one of Rutgers' tall receivers - Kenny Britt (6-foot-4) or Tiquan Underwood (6-foot-2).
Britt is Rutgers' leader with 1,107 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 56 catches. The sophomore closed the regular season with a career-high 12 catches for 173 yards and two TDs in a 41-38 loss at Louisville on Nov. 29. Britt, from Bayonne, set Rutgers' single-season receiving record with 1,107 (and counting) this season. He clearly has NFL size, speed and talent.
Underwood had a breakout season with a team-high 62 receptions for 1,028 yards and six scores after totaling 27 catches for 337 yards and four TDs in his previous two years.
Those receivers helped Teel finish the regular season with 2,844 yards passing, 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He was sacked only six times
Ball State is led by signal-caller Nate Davis. The sophomore leads the MAC with 3,376 passing yards and a school-record 27 touchdown passes, while only throwing six interceptions. His outstanding season helped the Cardinals average 31.6 points.
His top option is junior wide receiver Dante Love, the conference leader with 1,229 receiving yards as well as nine touchdowns on 87 catches. Love, named to the All-MAC first team, had a strong finish to the regular season with 28 catches for 440 yards and two TDs in the final three games. He's also a threat on special teams, averaging 23.7 yards on 41 kick returns with a 100-yard touchdown in a 58-38 loss to Central Michigan on Oct. 6.
It's up to Rutgers to tip the scales.
There have been stinkers and surprises from the Big East during bowl season.
Cincinnati did its part with a 31-21 victory over Southern Miss in the PapaJohns.com Bowl. Connecticut looked stagnant in a 24-10 loss to Wake Forest in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. South Florida got thrashed by Dennis Dixon-less Oregon, 56-21.
The Big East having a 3-2 record versus a 2-3 record isn't life altering in the long run but there is, occasionally, an identity crisis for the conference. It has made great strides since the exodus of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College but it hasn't always played like a no-brainer peer for the other BCS conferences.
It's probably best not to burden them by putting the fate of the conference on their shoulders, but the International Bowl - alone on television -will have the college football audience to itself. So will Rutgers.
Rutgers is expecting to sell nearly 7,000 tickets for the game, compared to 10,000 for last year's Texas Bowl and 8,000 for the Insight Bowl in 2005. A Ball State official said the school would likely sell about 2,000 tickets from its allotment of 10,000
In 2005, Rutgers had 10,000 fans make the 2,440-mile trip to Phoenix to watch the Scarlet Knights battle Arizona State. Last season, 12,500 Scarlet-clad fans ventured to Houston for the Texas Bowl, a 1,613-
mile trip from Piscataway. This year, the trip to Toronto is within driving distance - 496 miles - from Piscataway to Toronto.
Wednesday January 02, 2008, 3:40 PM
Baby it's cold outside. I mean cold. I've been to Alaska (to cover the Great Alaska Shootout) and it wasn't this cold
For the record, it's freezing.
January 01, 2008
Speaking of loosening up, it's only been in the last week that the Scarlet Knights have had a chance to "enjoy" bowl practice. Schiano called the month a "mini-training camp" and Eric Foster, a fifth-year senior on his way out, frankly said he was surprised at how hard the team was worked.
Offensive linemen Pedro Sosa and Jeremy Zuttah were the only Rutgers seniors to get invites to the NFL Scouting Combine, according to a person who saw the list.
Senior defensive end Eric Foster, kicker Jeremy Ito and defensive back Ron Girault are other members of the team who may be able to play in the NFL. Those three -- and other seniors -- can still display their talents when Rutgers hosts a workout on campus for NFL scouts.
The list of Rutgers players at the combine may still grow. Junior running back Ray Rice and junior defensive back Courtney Greene have until Jan. 15 to decide whether they want to declare for the draft as underclassmen.
The most surprising change in Rutgers' starting lineup is junior Gary Watts taking over at defensive end for George Johnson. The 6-3, 245-pound Watts will make his fourth straight start (and fifth overall) in Saturday's International Bowl.
Slowed last year by shoulder problems that required two off-season surgeries, Watts has become a force on the defensive front during his first injury-free year at Rutgers. Watts, who has appeared in all 12 games, has three sacks.
Jamaal Westerman played high school football "about 25 or 30 minutes away" from Toronto in Brampton, Ontario, has become the Knights' unofficial ambassador for this bowl trip. When a teammate wants to know something about Toronto, he's the one they go to. "I tell them New Jersey is cold, too," Westerman said. "I actually think the weather in Toronto is very similar to New Jersey. If you're from Florida and you're cold in New Jersey, you're going to be cold in Canada."
A starter in nine of the 12 games this year, Westerman leads the Knights in sacks with eight -- the same total he recorded a year ago.
And Westerman still needs tickets, something few people can say about an International Bowl that is struggling to top 30,000 tickets sold for the 46,374-seat Rogers Centre.
"I think I have 150 people coming, maybe more," he said.
December 28, 2007
There's not much that can stop wide receiver Kenny Britt. He's fast -- on the field and in his recovery time.
After injuring his knee in Rutgers' final regular-season game against Louisville, Britt underwent what he called a routine knee scope earlier this month.
Doctors told the team it may be without its 1,000-plus yard receiver for its third straight bowl appearance.
Although Britt admitted he felt some rust during practice he said he will be 100 percent come game time.
"Oh yeah, I'm ready," he said. "I feel 98 percent right now, but they just wont let me go."
December 30, 2007,
Schiano said WR Kenny Britt, whose recovery from a injured knee has been faster than expected, was again able to work with the team during practice.
"He did a good amount," Schiano said. "He's been doing a good amount every day."
QB Mike Teel has been thankful for the extra days off.
Teel has nursed a sore thumb since the third game of the season and, though he said yesterday it still doesn't feel completely normal, the extra rest has helped.
"It's the best that it's been since early on in the year," Teel said. "It (the rest) gets everyone healthy."
Home News Tribune Online 01/3/08
His hand was too sore to offer a handshake much less grip a football, but Mike Teel never complained about the thumb injury that plagued him for nearly two months this season.
His 2,844 passing yards and 17 touchdowns, though solid, weren't as gaudy as he hoped his statistics would be. His 141.3 passing efficiency still ranked No. 23 nationally following the regular season, not bad considering the 6-foot-4, 220-pound junior was basically a non-factor in wins over Army and Pittsburgh. "His numbers are pretty good," Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said, "but then you imagine if he was healthy and was able to just grip the ball and rip it."
The Scarlet Knights' chances of doing just that are better thanks to Teel's improved health. His thumb, Teel said, is no longer an issue thanks to the six weeks Rutgers had off since the regular-season finale at Louisville.
"I feel really good right now, probably the best I've felt all year physically," he said. "The past couple of weeks, as we've been able to prepare for Ball State, I think I've thrown the ball better than I have since the Navy game early in the year."
Still, Teel is starting to create a legacy that will be difficult for future Rutgers' quarterbacks to match. Though he currently ranks fifth in the school's career passing yards (5,662), completions (402) and touchdowns (31) categories, the two-year starter still has another year remaining.
Currently, RB Rice leads the BIG EAST and is third nationally in rushing yards per game (144.3). Among active career players in the NCAA, Rice is second in career yards per game (125.6). Rice is also second among active players in the NCAA in career rushing yards (4,646), third in carries (875) and is tied for second in rushing touchdowns (45). Rice has averaged 139.0 vs. three of the nation’s top 20 rushing defenses this season. He is one of two players to rush for 100 yards vs. USF in 2007 and was the first of three players to run over the century mark vs. West Virginia.
2005 Insight Bowl - Arizona St. 45, Rutgers 40
2006 Texas Bowl - Rutgers 37, Kansas St. 10
For the third straight season, Rutgers will play a bowl in a venue with a retractable-roof.
Rutgers vs. the MAC
Rutgers is 27-18-1 all-time vs. teams from the Mid-American Conference, including a 1-0 mark in 2007. The Scarlet Knights opened the season with a 38-3 victory over MAC-foe Buffalo. The Scarlet Knights have won five straight games vs. MAC opponents.
Rutgers has 63 scoring drives on the season, with 27 coming in two minutes or less.
1,000-Yard Club Welcomes Two Members
Rutgers wide receivers Tiquan Underwood and Kenny Britt each went over the 1,000-yard mark in receiving yards this season with their total in the first half at Louisville. It marked just the 26th time in NCAA history and the first time in BIG EAST history two players from the same team had 1,000 yards receiving in a season. Three other teams (Texas Tech, Hawaii and Tulsa) have done it this year.
RUTGERS IN THE NCAA/BIG EAST RANKINGS
Team Rankings
Category NCAA/BIG EAST Actual
Rushing Offense 31/3 190.1
Passing Offense 43/3 247,0
Total Offense 26/3 437.1
Scoring Offense 42/5 31.1
Rushing Defense 62/5 155.9
Pass Defense 2/1 160.5
Total Defense 13/3 316.5
Scoring Defense 29/5 21.8
Kickoff Returns 58/6 21.5
Passing Efficiency 27/4 136.4
Pass Efficiency Defense 8/2 103.6
Sacks T-19/3 2.9
Tackles For Loss 24/3 7.0
Sacks Allowed 2/1 0.7
2007 STATISTICAL COMPARISON
Category Rutgers Ball State
Record 7-5 7-5
Conference 3-4 5-2
Scoring Offense 31.2 31.6
Total Offense 437.2 431.7
Rushing Offense 190.2 147.2
Passing Offense 247.0 284.4
Scoring Defense 21.8 26.3
Total Defense 316.5 418.8
Rushing Defense 155.9 197.0
Passing Defense 160.6 221.8
KO Return Average 21.6 21.8
Punt Return Average 8.5 9.6
Time of Possession 30:42 29:28
3rd Down Conversion 44% 47%
4th Down Conversion 55% 54%
RU (W 38-3 vs. BF)(W 41-24 vs. Navy 1st 2 g TY) and Ball State shared two common opponents this season, as the Cardinals also earned
victories over Navy (W, 34-31 OT) and Buffalo (W, 49-14).
IN THE TRENCHES
6-5, 308 lbs. .................. 6-4, 290 lbs.
Rutgers O-Line .............. Ball State O-Line
vs. ................. vs
Ball State D-Line............... Rutgers D-Line
6-2 267 lbs. ............... 6-2, 260 lbs.
2007 RUTGERS TRENDS
FieldTurf 7-4
Scores 20 or more points 7-3
Hold opponent to 20 points or less 5-0
Largest halftime lead 45
Opp. rushes for less than 150 yards 6-0
Opp. totals less than 400 yards 7-0
Temperature below 50 degrees 2-2
Coldest gametime temperature 37
Seven Land All-BIG EAST Honors
Seven Scarlet Knights represented the Rutgers football program on the 2007 All-BIG EAST team, including unanimous selection, junior running back Ray Rice.
Joining Rice on the first team were junior wide receiver Tiquan Underwood and senior captains offensive tackle Jeremy Zuttah and defensive tackle Eric Foster.
Making up the second team selections were sophomore wide receiver Kenny Britt, junior safety Courtney Greene and senior offensive tackle Pedro Sosa
The first call that Ball State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Stan Parrish made after the Cardinals were invited to the International Bowl to play Rutgers was to Doug Graber.
He figured his old boss would get a kick out of seeing the Scarlet Knights play in their third straight bowl game -- and seeing the program finally start to reach the potential it almost did more than a decade ago, when Graber was Rutgers' head coach from 1990-96 and Parrish was his offensive coordinator.
Though Graber (and Parrish) were fired after six years and a 29-36-1 overall record, their time produced two winning seasons (highlighted by a bowl-less 7-4 finish in 1992), and one of three winning Big East records in Rutgers history.
For 31-year-old ex-Marine Crawford,
it's been a long road to Ball State
TORONTO -- Ball State coach Brady Hoke remembers the first time he saw Brandon Crawford.
"You've got a guy who's 6-foot-5, 250 (pounds) who walks in your door," he said. "When you're a coach, you kind of like that."
That the perspective walk-on turned into the star defensive end for a team that will take on Rutgers in the International Bowl Saturday at Rogers Centre isn't surprising.
There's the ill-fated decision that cost him a college scholarship out of high school. A few years of factory work handling car parts in Indiana. A four-year hitch in the Marines. And a few years back at home basically wondering if he could have a do-over.
Hoke -- and an NCAA rule that delays eligibility for servicemen -- allowed him to do just that and led Crawford to his unannounced visit to the Ball State football office in 2006.
When Ball State graduated three defensive linemen last year, Crawford knew he'd have to step up on the field, too. He has, recording 59 tackles, including a team-high 17 for loss and eight sacks.
The Mid-American Conference is sometimes referred to as the "Conference of Quarterbacks," thanks to the success of signal-calling alums such as Ben Roethlisberger and Chad Pennington in the NFL
Could Ball State's Nate Davis be next? As Rutgers prepares to face Davis in the International Bowl on Saturday, the team certainly thinks so.
"As a coach, he does everything you want your quarterback to do," Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said after practice yesterday. "He's as good as there is."
The 6-2 sophomore started seven games as a true freshman and threw 18 TD passes, then followed up this season with an impressive 27 passing touchdowns, five rushing touchdowns and just six interceptions through 12 games. Davis has thrown for 3,376 yards and Ball State's passing offense is 22nd in the nation, averaging 284.4 yards per game.
Rutgers' pass defense is ranked second in the NCAA, so the matchup seems to be a favorable one. Schiano, though, was wary of labeling it as such, saying those statistics can be misleading.
"Our DBs just have to, throughout the down, stay on our man, and don't get nosy and try to look to see what's going on, because he's a mobile guy so he can always keep the play going," safety Ron Girault said. "We love to get in situations like this. It's a good competition. We've watched a lot of film, and we feel really prepared."
Hoke believes it will be valuable to have two practices in the game-day stadium. Ball State acquainted itself with playing in a dome by conducting five practices last week in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
The Cardinals' challenge on offense will be to crack a Rutgers defense that is No. 2 in the nation in pass defense.
The passing game is Ball State's strength, and in order to flourish against Rutgers it must give quarterback Nate Davis adequate protection against a defensive line that includes top-flight players Eric Foster at tackle and Jamaal Westerman at end. Foster and Westerman have combined for 13 sacks, 26 quarterback hurries and 26 tackles for loss.
December 28, 2007 9:38 PM
Ball State will be at full strength at tailback — or whatever full strength means when you’ve been without your No. 1 rusher for eight games — when it plays Rutgers on Jan. 5 in the International Bowl.
Edmonds played most of the final month of the regular season with a broken wrist and sprained ankle. Clancy suffered damaged ribs on Nov. 13 against Toledo and was limited in the finale Nov. 24 against Northern Illinois.
They emerged as Ball State’s main ballcarriers after the Cardinals lost leading rusher Quale Lewis with a torn ACL on Sept. 22 at Nebraska. Lewis was moving nicely Friday in the dome as he recovers from surgery, but he obviously won’t play in the bowl game. Neither will Koreen Burch, who shared carries with Edmonds after Lewis’ injury but is sidelined after shoulder surgery.
Four Ball State juniors -- OT Robert Brewster (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wyoming H.S.), TE Darius Hill (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs H.S.), WR Dante Love (Cincinnati, Ohio/Withrow H.S.) and P Chris Miller (Libertyville, Ill./Carmel H.S.) -- were named to the All-MAC First Team.
Ball State placed three student-athletes -- QB Davis, WLB Bryant Haines (Piqua, Ohio/Piqua H.S.) and CB B.J. Hill (Lanham, Md./Riverdale Baptist H.S.) -- on the All-MAC Second Team.
Chris Miller (Libertyville, Ill./Carmel H.S.), a junior punter on the Ball State University football team, has been named to the American Football Coaches Association All-America First Team
Ball State’s SAG strength of schedule is 90(64.94)
Rut " " " 60(70.3)
SCORE BY QUARTERS 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT Total
Ball State.......... 92 85 97 102 3 - 379
Opponents........... 61 101 72 82 0 - 316
The Falcons face Tulsa with kickoff at 8 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN.
A 6-feet-3, 225-pound sophomore, Sheehan made a huge splash in his first four games as BG started the season 3-1. He completed 66.8 percent of his passes (127-of-190) for 1,304 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Then came a five-interception performance in a loss at Boston College and the Falcons went into a downward spiral. Sheehan was playing with a bad shoulder and BG was suddenly 4-4 heading into the final month of season.
The Falcons finished the regular season with a four-game winning streak and while Sheehan didn’t have gaudy numbers in November, he said he played better at the end of the year than in the first four games.
In the 4-0 November, Sheehan was 86-of-131 (65.6 percent) passing for 971 yards with eight touchdowns and only one interception.
Heading into the bowl game, Sheehan is 289-of-457 (63.2 percent) passing for 3,123 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season. He also had 127 yards rushing with three TDs and has made two receptions, both resulting in touchdowns. Sheehan was a third-team All-Mid-American Conference selection.
Through the first part of the season, BG’s coaching staff believed the team had to throw the ball to be successful.
In the final month, the Falcons were able to find a running attack, led by former quarterback Anthony Turner, and that took some of the pressure off Sheehan.
Tulsa is averaging 39.5 points a game and leads the nation with a 542.5-yard per game average in total offense. Tulsa has scored over 30 points in 10 games this season, going over 50 points twice.
Senior quarterback Paul Smith, 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, is a very effective engineer of the Golden Hurricane attack. He’s 300-of-499 passing for 4,753 yards and 42 touchdowns with 19 interceptions in 2007. Smith also has a team-high 12 rushing TDs this season.
For his career, Smith has thrown for 10,624 yards with 78 touchdowns and 35 interceptions.
Smith’s top three targets this season were not even with the Hurricane in 2006.
Freshman Trae Johnson, 5-11, 70, has made 67 receptions for 1,039 yards and 11 scores.
Charles Clay, also a freshman, who lines up at fullback, has 58 receptions for 955 yards and six scores. Clay is 6-3, 222.
Brennan Marion, a junior college transfer, has 39 catches for 1,244 yards (39.1 yards per reception) and 11 TDs. Marion, 6-1, 195, was the newcomer of the year in C-USA.
All of Marion’s 11 TD receptions have been 30 yards or longer, including six which were 50 yards or longer.
“People have stopped Tulsa. SMU did a great job against them (a 29-23 Tulsa win). Central Florida beat them twice (44-23 and 44-25),” Brandon said. “They are going to get yards, it’s keeping them out of the end zone.
Tarrion Adams, 6-1, 210 junior, provides Tulsa’s running threat. He’s rushed 202 times for 1,113 yards and seven TDs.
On the line, Justin Morsey, 6-2, 282 junior, has the most experience. The team’s right guard, Morsey has played in 25 career games with 23 starts.
The starting tackles both have impressive size — Walter Boyd, 6-2, 324 senior on the left side and Rodrick Thomas, 6-5, 354 junior, on the right side.
The Hurricane have allowed 30 sacks for 213 yards
Both teams can be found through the national leaderboards in several offensive categories:
• Tulsa leads the country with 542.5 yards of offense per game. The Falcons are 43rd with 417 yardsper game.
• The game will feature two top-20 passing offenses in the country. Tulsa is third (374.6), while the
Falcons are 18th in the nation with 286.8 passing yards a game.
• The Golden Hurricanes are 10th in the country at 39.5 points a game. BGSU is not far behind with 32.1 a game, 35th in the country.
Defensively:
•The BGSU pass defense is 29th in the country, allowing just 207.7 yards through the air, while the Golden Hurricane pass defense is 108th in the nation, allowing 273.1 passing yards a game.
•The Falcon scoring defense is 79th in the nation, allowing 29.5 points a game, followed by Tulsa,
who is 105th, allowing 35.4 points a game. BGSU has given up just 27 points in their last two games combined.
The Falcons are making their eighth bowl appearance, and their third bowl in the last five years. Under coach Gregg Brandon the Falcons are 2-0 in bowl games with a 28-24 win versus Northwestern in the 2003 Motor City Bowl and a 52-35 win versus Memphis in the 2004 GMAC Bowl. Despite missing the 2005 and 2006 Bowl seasons the Falcons still have 24 players that were members of the 2004 GMAC Bowl win, but only Kory Lichtensteiger started in the 52-35 win over Memphis. Even though the Falcons have played in three bowl games the last five seasons, Tyler Sheehan will be the third new starting quarterback in those three games.
The Falcons started 27 true or redshirt freshmen in 2006 and lost their final four games. With much the same group, the state university in northwest Ohio won its final four games of 2007 to finish with the Mid-American Conference's best overall record (8-4
Brandon had 35 fourth- and fifth-year athletes who had experienced bowl success "and that's enough when they all decide to get something done."
FALCONS STILL A VERY YOUNG SQUAD
The BG Falcon starters are still extremely young, with 10 of the 22 starters this year being first or second
year players:
Tulsa’s Young O-Line . . .
Ö Last year, Tulsa's offensive line ended the season having combined for 156 collegiate starts between the five starters to rank among the top-five offensive line units for starts in the country. . . only junior guard Justin Morsey, who started 11 games a year ago, returned for the Hurricane this year . . . together with one start by Jody Whaley and Wade Whitlow with four career starts, the offensive line totaled just 16 career starts coming into the season. now Morsey has started 24 games, Whaley and Thomas 13 each, Puckett 12, Boyd and Whitlow 10 each for a combined total of 80 career starts between the six players
Four members of the Bowling Green football team, including at least two starters, will not participate in the GMAC Bowl against Tulsa on Sunday in Mobile, Ala.
Diyral Briggs, a 6-foot-4, 230 pound redshirt junior, will not play after being suspended for violating a team rule.
Shane Steffy, a 6-3, 302 redshirt sophomore, is out with a broken leg.
A defensive end, Briggs was a first-team All-Mid-American Conference selection this season. He was in on 54 tackles, making seven tackles for 27 yards in losses with five sacks for 25 yards.
Steffy was BG’s starter all season at left guard on the offensive line. He recovered a fumble for a touchdown in the Falcons’ victory over Eastern Michigan.
With Briggs out, Adrian Baker, a 6-3, 218 redshirt junior, will see more playing time. Baker made five starts during the season and finished with 23 tackles, including six for losses for 29 yards in losses and two sacks for 12 yards in losses.
Brady Minturn, a 6-4, 288 redshirt sophomore, is listed behind Steffy on the depth chart. He played in 11 games this season. In 2006, Minturn was a defensive lineman making three starts for the Falcons Two other players have been ruled academically ineligible. Due to privacy issues, the two players have not been identified. Linebacker Glen Stanley has not been practicing. Additionally, reserve defensive tackle D.J. Young apparently did not make the trip to Mobile. The absence of Stanley, who became a starter when Haneline went down, means BG will be down to its third-string outside linebacker.
The Falcons experienced a similar situation in October and November when standouts Corey Partridge, John Haneline and Willie Geter all were injured within a game of each other. But it was never as bad as it seemed because reserves filled in admirably and the Falcons went 4-0 in November.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Offensively, WR Corey Partridge took some snaps at wideout. He could definitely impact that side of the ball, as well as his work in the defensive backfield. He's been quite busy.
As far as his transition to the secondary goes, Partridge said it's been fun but also challenging. Corey Partridge was recruited to play defensive back at Bowling Green State University. Partridge, a standout receiver the last three years, practiced at safety yesterday for the first time and is expected to play on defense against Tulsa in the Jan. 6 GMAC Bowl.
"I'm learning, I'm writing down and taking notes, learning everything I can to help this team. I've been sitting out way too long," he said.
Partridge, who has often been a game-changing receiver during the past three seasons, suffered a thumb injury in late October and missed the final four games of the regular season. He is not yet fully healthy but "every day it gets better and better.
"They're going to try to work me in on both," Partridge said. "I probably won't get a lot of playing time but I just wanted to do something to help the team."
December 30, 2007
He wore a cast yesterday and the belief is that his thumb will take less abuse deflecting passes than catching them.
Brandon's philosophy has always been to get the best athletes on the field, but Partridge's emergence on defense also has much to do with Tulsa's second-ranked passing game. BG is experimenting with a nickel and dime packages which call for a fifth defensive back.
The "O" also worked on a screen play that mirrored the one used by Michigan in their bowl game, where an offensive lineman catches the pass. Along with the receivers that practiced the play, Drew Nystrom also caught the pass. This could be a new wrinkle in BG's game plan Sunday. Nystrom did a pretty good job pulling the throw in.
I think Corey Partridge might be involved in the offense more than we could expect. He was catching balls at practice today and looks excited to be back on the field. He also picked off a pass from Anthony Glaud near the end of practice and went up the sideline. The team is fired up to have him back in action.
Corey Partridge has been working hard to get ready for what will be his first game in long while. His injured thumb was heavily wrapped, with the thumb on his receiver glove being cut to fit over it. Because of the size of the wrap on his thumb, he's had to adjust how he catches the ball.
• Partridge led the Falcons in receptions (55), yards (658) and touchdowns (3) last season. He had six catches for 52 yards in the fi rst quarter versus Minnesota before leaving with an injury (he also missed the MSU game and three quarters of the Ohio game), so his 45 catches and 433 yards has been in just 22 quarters of action. He also caught his 100th career reception on his last catch of the game versus Western Kentucky and had his first 100 yard game of the season versus Boston College (12-100).
The Falcons have had 17 different players catch a pass this season which is tied for fi fth in the country, while 10 different players have recorded a touchdown reception, which is tied for third in the country.
He has yet to start a game or even play in a pressure situation, yet backup quarterback Anthony Glaud believes Bowling Green State University will be fine should something happen to starter Tyler Sheehan in Sunday's GMAC Bowl against Tulsa.
Glaud, a redshirt freshman from New Jersey, has been reliable the few times he's played, completing 17 of 28 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns. He apparently earned the coaches' trust early in the season, otherwise former backup Anthony Turner likely would not have moved to tailback.
When BG's offensive and defensive coordinators took jobs elsewhere over the off-season, HC Brandon's search for their replacements was uneventful and quick. Rather than performing an extensive search, Brandon simply promoted longtime Falcon assistants Mick McCall and Mike Ward.
Ward's defensive unit played its best games during the final two weeks of the regular season, and McCall has helped restore the Falcons' feared passing attack. Both are reasons why BG (8-4) will play in the GMAC Bowl. McCall, who previously groomed stars Josh Harris and Omar Jacobs during his four years as quarterbacks coach, now must be held responsible for the emergence of guys like Tyler Sheehan, Anthony Turner and Chris Wright.
But Brandon did however bring in some new guys this year after five of his assistants left for other jobs. Stephen Bird (receivers/special teams), Adam Gonzaga (secondary), Matt Campbell (offensive line), Doug Phillips (defensive line) and Deion Melvin (linebackers) are all in their first year on staff. The influx of new faces and ideas initially caused some conflict.
FALCONS FIND THEIR GROUND GAME
Despite still leading the MAC with 286.8 yards a game through the air, the BGSU ground attack the last six games has given the Falcons a new dimension to their high powered offense. After averaging just 76.0 yards on the ground in their first six games, the BGSU ground game in their last six games has averaged 184.2 yards a game, going over 190 yards four times. Through 12 games the Falcons have been led by four different rushers this season, and only three times has the same player been the leading rusher in back-to-back games.
With wins over Akron (44-20), Eastern Michigan (39-32), Buffalo (31-17) and Toledo (37-10), the Falcons have recorded their first four game win streak since the 2004 season
WHEN THE FALCONS...
• record at least 500 yards of total offense the Falcons are 2-0 this year.
• throw zero interceptions in a contest they are 6-0 this year.
• run for over 100 yards they are 7-1 on the year.
• win the turnover margin they are 6-0.
• score 30-plus points they are 8-0.
vs. Non ranked teams ........................7-3
Leading after first quarter ..................5-0
Behind after first quarter ...................2-4
Tied after first quarter .......................1-0
Leading after second quarter ..............6-0
Behind after second quarter ...............1-3
Scoring less than 20 points ................0-2
Scoring 20+ points ............................6-2
Scoring 30+ points ............................8-0
Allowing 30+ points ..........................4-3
Outgain opponent .............................7-0
Game decided between 1-10 points ...2-0
EIGHT FALCONS EARN ALL-MAC HONORS
BGSU had eight players earn All-MAC honors, fourth-best in the conference. Earning first-team honors were senior center Kory Lichtensteiger and junior defensive end Diyral Briggs(OUT). The Falcons also placed two players on the second-team in Drew Nystrom and P.J. Mahone. Tyler Sheehan, Freddie Barnes, Sinisa Vrvilo and Antonio Smith were named to the All-MAC third-team. Lichtensteiger is the lone Falcons to have been named to an All-MAC squad prior to this season. BGSU head coach Gregg Brandon finished third in the voting for coach of the year with seven votes, trailing only Turner Gill (18) and Shane Montgomery (12).
Phil Steele's All-MAC Team First Team Kory Lichtensteiger
Second Team P.J. Mahone
Third Team Tyler Sheehan Freddie Barnes Diyral Briggs John Haneline Sinisa Vrvilo
Honorable Mention Drew Nystrom Antonio Smith
With the installation of FieldTurf at Doyt Perry Stadium, the Falcons have played 11 of their 12 games on artificial surfaces. In those 11 contests the Falcons have scored 368 points (33.5/game) and have posted 4,661 yards of offense (423.7/game), including 3,147 yards through the air (286.1/game).
There’s no question Tulsa’s game plan involves putting as many points on the scoreboard as possible and then hoping its defense can hold the opposition to a lower total.
Overall Tulsa’s defense is 111th in the nation, allowing 469 yards per game. The Golden Hurricane pass defense is 108th, allowing 273.1 yards per game. Teams are averaging 35.4 points per game against Tulsa, scoring 40 or more points nine times.
“They like to ... make the playmakers make plays,” said BG quarterback Tyler Sheehan. “We’ve got enough depth that they can’t cover everybody when we go five-wide.”
The linebackers are the key for Tulsa with the three starters, all seniors, combining for 385 tackles this season.
Some fans and media members clamored for Glaud to be the starter after Sheehan hurt his shoulder against Western Kentucky in late September, but BG coach Gregg Brandon spoke as if that were not a possibility. Both Sheehan and Glaud arrived to BG last year and shortly after the season began, Sheehan became the backup while Glaud redshirted.
The general consensus is that the defense doesn't possess the skills to ace its next big test against Tulsa's wonderful offense. But the Falcons' recent body of work might suggest otherwise.
The Falcons (8-4) executed well in mid November, beginning with a 31-17 win in New York against a respectable Buffalo team. That game could have been written off as an aberration except six days later the Falcons held the Mid-American Conference's top offense to just one touchdown in a 37-10 pounding of Toledo. The Rockets' 322 yards of offense were the fewest BG allowed in the regular season.
So how does the MAC's eight-ranked defense expect to slow such a lethal offense?
"You have to make it a one-dimension game," Ward said. "We can't allow them to run the football. They're going to try to throw the ball, but we have to take away the run."
Ward is reasonable enough not to believe that the Falcons can continually disrupt quarterback Paul Smith, whose 4,753 passing yards are second most nationally. Instead, Ward wants to minimize the output of running back Tarrion Adams who has rushed for 1,113 yards on a team not overly concerned with its ground attack. That plan seems sensible considering Adams did not reach 100 yards in any of Tulsa's losses.
Two defensive starters will not play. Diyral Briggs, a first-team All-MAC selection, has been suspended for violating a team rule and freshman linebacker Glen Stanley was not at yesterday's practice and may not even be in Mobile.
Without Briggs, BG is missing its best pass rusher, which is unfortunate because Smith is prone to making mistakes when pressured. There is a strong correlation between Smith struggling and Tulsa losing. Eleven of Smith's 19 interceptions came in losses and his three lowest passer ratings also came in defeat. Likewise, 15 of the 27 sacks of Smith have come in Tulsa losses.
PASS DEFENSE SECOND IN THE MAC
Bowling Green, who owns the second-best pass defense in the MAC at 207.7 yards per game, has really played the pass well in the fi rst half of their last five games. The Falcons are allowing an average of 71.0 yards passing in the first half after allowing Kent State no yards passing in the first half (on 0-of-1 passing), gave up 73 versus Ohio (on 7-of-10 passing), just 70 yards (on 5-of-11 passing) versus the Zips, 115 (on 8-10 passing) yards versus the Eagles,103 yards (on 7-of-12 passing) versus Buffalo and 65 yards versus Toledo (on 7-14 passing).
The Falcons ranked 107th nationally in rush defense (205.3 yards per game), but allowed a mere 66 yards in a season-ending blowout of Toledo and 159 in a win at Buffalo.
DB Lewis, whose nine pass breakups are most on the team, will spend time covering Tulsa's excellent freshman Trae Johnson. Johnson's 1,039 yards and 11 touchdown grabs are tops on the Golden Hurricane. Strangely enough, Tulsa's second-leading receiver is a fullback. Charles Clay, a freshman, has caught 58 passes for 955 yards.
BGSU .....Tulsa
32.1.......Points ....39.5
416.9.....Total Offense .......542.5
130.1.....Rushing Yards......167.9
32.0.......Rushing Att/Game ...40.2
4.1........Yards/Carry ..........4.2
286.8.....Passing Yards .......374.6
41.3......Passing Att./Game ..39.8
29.5......Points Allowed .......35.4
413.0......Total Defense .....469.0
205.3....Rushing Yards Allowed .....195.9
207.7.....Passing Yards Allowed ...273.1
+4.........Turnover Margin ....... -10
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ö With its appearance in the GMAC Bowl, Tulsa will be playing in its third straight Bowl game and the fourth in the last five years. The Hurricane played in the Humanitarian Bowl on Jan. 3, 2004, losing to Georgia Tech 52-10, in 2005 defeated Fresno State 31-24 in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl , but last year fell to Utah, 25-13, in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Ö Tulsa's Todd Graham may be in his first season as head coach of the Golden Hurricane, but spent last year as head coach at Rice, where he led the Owls to a 7-6 record, second-place in the C-USA West Division and the school's first bowl berth in 45 years .
The Golden Hurricane bring with them a very potent offense, leading the nation with 542.5 yards per game. They have scored over 30 points in 10 contests,
and have gone over 50 points twice.
Defensively the Golden Hurricane give up 469 yards of offense and 35.4 points a game. Their overall defense is 111th in the country, allowing 469 yards a game, while the Tulsa pass defense is 108th in the nation, allowing 273.1 yards a game through the air.
Senior quarterback Paul Smith has been among the nation's top-5 quarterbacks statistically the entire season . . . he ranks second in the nation in points responsible for (25.38) and total passing yards (4,753) . . . Smith ranks third in the nation for total offense (371.2) and passing yards per game(365.6).
For the second consecutive year, Tulsa quarterback Paul Smith has earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors, but this season the senior has been named to the first team.
After coming into the season with just one 300+ passing game for his career, senior quarterback Paul Smith has thrown for over 300 yards in each of Tulsa's 13 games this year . . . He tied the NCAA record for most 300+ passing games in a year and
for the most consecutive 300+ games
Tulsa has an opportunity to become the first school in NCAA history to have a 5,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and three 1,000-yard receivers . . with 247 passing yards by Paul Smith and 45 more receiving yards by Charles Clay the Hurricane would do just that . .
Tulsa Averaging 45 Points in Last Five Games . . .
Ö In the last five games, Tulsa has averaged 45,4 points while tallying 48 points against Rice, 49 points vs. Tulane and Army and 56 against Houston . . . Tulsa had just 25 poiints in the C-USA Championship Game against UCF . . . the Hurricane has amassed 2,799 yards for a 559.8 total offense average in these five contests . . . before the C-USA title game, Tulsa had averaged 50.5 in the previous four games.
Short Drives . . .
This season Tulsa has 13 scoring drives (13 touchdowns) of one
minute or less, including five scoring drives (five touchdowns) under 0:30
seconds . . . four Tulsa scoring drives have been 0:11 seconds or less as all
four have been one-play drives . . . the Hurricane has 38 scoring drives (35
touchdowns and two field goals) of two minutes or less . . . Tulsa's longest
scoring drive on the season is 5:22 . . . Tulsa has had only seven scoring
drives over four minutes and just two drives over the 5-minute mark with the
longest of 5:22 vs. Oklahoma . . . Tulsa's shortest drive this year of 0:08
came once against Houston and once at Rice.
Tulsa's nation-leading offense has exploded for 600 total yards in four separate games this year. Tulsa had 695 yards vs. UAB, which is the third-most in school history, and a week later had 648 yards against UTEP . . . Tulsa also gained 600 yards against Tulane
and had 622 yards vs. Army . . .
On November 3, Tulane's Matt Forte came into the Tulsa game as the nation's leading rusher with a per game average of 192.4 yards, and looking to tie an NCAA record with his fifth straight 200+ rushing game .. . however, the Tulsa defense had different plans . . . the Tulsa defense limited Forte to 89.4 yards beneath his season average as he gained just 103 yards on 26 carries . . . he did not surpass the 100-yard plateau until his final carry, a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Tulsa "D" Stifles Houston Offense . . .
Ö A week after holding the nation's leading rusher, Matt Forte, to 89.4 yards under his season
average, the Hurricane defense was at it again . . . this time the Tulsa defense kept the nation's
fourth-ranked offense of the Houston Cougars to 198 yards below its season average as well
as 30 points under its scoring average . . . the Cougars came into the game averaging 522 yards
and 37.2 points, and totaled just 324 yards and seven points.
Tulsa had a total of eight players earn 2007 all-conference football honors . . . the Hurricane had seven players earn first- or second-team accolades, while two newcomers, earned all-freshman team merits . . .
Tulsa was led by first-team all-C-USA
Selections: quarterback Paul Smith and linebackers Chris Chamberlain and
Nelson Coleman -- on both the media and coaches teams . . .
Tulsa’s second-team selections by both the media and coaches included receivers
Trae Johnson and Brennan Marion as well as defensive end Moton Hopkins .
. . deep snapper John Warren was named to the second-team all-media
squad . . . Johnson and fellow freshman Charles Clay were named to the CUSA
all-freshman team.
Did O-Co Malzahn, just two years removed from Springdale (Ark.) High School, think the offense would be this productive this fast at the Division I level? Tulsa will enter Sunday's GMAC Bowl leading the nation in total offense, averaging 542.5 yards per game. The offense was introduced last spring and perfected not during fall camp, but as the season went along. "A lot of people originally didn't know what to expect," said Tarrion Adams, who has run for a career-high 1,113 yards this season. "We knew it would be a no-huddle offense, a spread offense.
Malzahn deflects any attention, and doesn't like calling the spread, no-huddle attack offense his own. He quickly points out co-offensive coordinator Herb Hand, who brought ideas from West Virginia and molded an offensive line that had four new starters. He targets Bill Blankenship, a position coach who almost has three 1,000-yard wide receivers.
He's especially thankful to Graham, who has given him the green light offensively.
"You have to give him a lot of credit," Malzahn said. "He loves to throw the ball deep vertically. As a coordinator, you love that from a head coach, and that's one of his philosophies."
LABELING CHARLES CLAY as a game-time performer is a bull's-eye.
Clay didn't practice during the season's last two months because of a stress fracture in his leg. But the running back never missed a Saturday game en route to one of the most prolific freshman years in Tulsa history.
"People don't know that he's been seriously hurt for most of the second half of the season," TU coach Todd Graham said. "(The GMAC Bowl) will be the first time that he's been healthy in a while. Clay has 58 catches for 955 yards and six touchdowns, and ran the ball for 255 yards, averaging 5.2 yards per rush. When SRB Courtney Tennial suffered a season-ending injury in August, everyone discovered Clay. He joined teammate Trae Johnson on Conference USA's all-freshman team. Clay was also a second-team selection on the Rivals.com freshman All-America team.
When Arkansas and Miami wanted him to play defensive end, he closed the door on the BCS schools. He called TU co-offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn on signing day and asked if he could come to Tulsa despite not making an official visit and never meeting Graham face-to-face.
2007 Conference USA Football Team Statistics
SCORING OFFENSE
1. Tulsa...............39.5
RUSHING OFFENSE
7. Tulsa...............168
SCORING DEFENSE
9. Tulsa...............35.4
RUSHING DEFENSE
7. Tulsa...............196
PASS OFFENSE
1. Tulsa...............374.6
TOTAL OFFENSE
1. Tulsa............... 542.5
PASS DEFENSE
7. Tulsa...............273.1
TOTAL DEFENSE
8. Tulsa...............469
KICKOFF RETURNS
9. Tulsa...............
PUNT RETURN avg
7. Tulsa...............
TURNOVER MARGIN
11.Tulsa.............. -0.77
RED ZONE OFFENSE
6. Tulsa...............78.7
RED ZONE DEFENSE
8. Tulsa...............84.2
3RD-DN CONVERSIONS
1. Tulsa...............48.2
FALCONS IN THE MAC RANKINGS
Team
Total Offense ................................ 4th, 414.5
Scoring Offense .............................. 4th, 31.6
Scoring Defense ........................... 10th, 31.3
Pass Offense ..................................1st, 290.0
Pass Defense ................................ 2nd, 203.1
Rush Offense .............................. 12th, 123.6
Rush Defense ............................. 12th, 218.0
Total Defense ............................... 7th, 421.3
Turnover Margin ............................... 6th, +1
Third Downs.................................. 3rd, 41.3
Red Zone Offense .......................... 3rd, 84.6
Red Zone Defense ......................... 2nd, 72.7
Sag Conference Rankings
CONFERENCE =CENTRAL MEAN / SIMPLE /AVERAGE TEAMS
10 MID-AMERICAN (A) = 60.33 / 60.62 / ( 10) 13
14 CONFERENCE USA (A) = 58.55 / 58.97 / ( 12) 12
Added Conf rankings to compare team’s conf stats. Not much diff in conf rankings so stats pretty much equal in meaning. Simple rank weights no factors.
What measurement can be used to judge conferences? In the rankings, the Big Ten has the No. 1 team, but the SEC has six in the Top 25 as compared to three from the Big Ten.
What about statistics? If you look at total offense, three SEC teams (Florida, Arkansas and LSU) ranked in the top 20 nationally, while the Big Ten has none on that list. The Big 12 rules that area, with seven teams gaining at least 450 yards per game.
If, however, defense wins championships, two Big Ten teams stand in the nation's top 20, as opposed to four from the SEC (including Ohio State No. 1 and LSU No. 3).
The SEC ranked first among the 11 Division I-A conferences in nonconference record when it went 40-8. The Big Ten, however, ranked second, at 35-9, as the two were the only leagues with fewer than 10 nonconference losses.
Some say turnovers are the most important aspect of football games, and LSU, at No. 3, is the only representative from either conference with more than double the takeaways than giveaways. The SEC is more adept at scoring points (four teams in the top 20), but the Big Ten is better at preventing them (three in top 20).
"I think the SEC is a great league," Tressel said. "Leagues have strengths of their own and any league you're in, it's hard to win your league. I don't care if it's the OCC here in Columbus. It is hard to win your league. Your toughest games are against the teams within your league.
"I think the SEC as a whole is outstanding. That's why we sent our coaches to LSU to study last spring. We thought not only do they have excellent players, but they do things well. We've sent our guys to Florida, all over, many times to Georgia — Georgia and us have been back and forth. We have tremendous respect."
Hungry to avenge last season's lopsided loss, No. 1 Ohio State (11-1) takes on second-ranked LSU (11-2) on Jan. 7 at the Louisiana Superdome, a championship matchup fitting in a season of stunning upsets and the lack of a clearly dominant team.
Unlike last season, coach Jim Tressel's team is likely to spend some of that extended downtime - Ohio State again gets 51 days between its 14-3 win over Michigan in its season finale and this game - answering some questions about whether the Buckeyes truly earned the trip to New Orleans, or if they were just fortunate.
When the final BCS standings came out, the Buckeyes sat at No. 1, having climbed from the third spot past Missouri and West Virginia.
The Buckeyes saw their return to the championship game secured on the final weekend, when No. 1 Missouri fell to Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game and second-ranked West Virginia suffered a shocking home loss to a Pittsburgh team that finished 5-7.
While Ohio State's selection invited some scrutiny, LSU's appearance has also been debated. The Tigers made an even longer climb up the BCS ladder, rising from seventh to second in the final standings. Voters rewarded the Tigers for their rough SEC schedule and winning their conference, along with the fact that both of LSU's losses came in triple overtime.
While Ohio State was known last season for offensive stars such as Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Troy Smith, receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and running back Antonio Pittman, the team's formidable defense is the biggest reason why the Buckeyes are back in the title game this season. Ohio State allowed only 222.5 yards per contest and limited seven teams to single digits in points and 11 to two touchdowns or less.
That defense should be tested by a high-powered LSU offense that averaged 38.7 points - 12th-most in the nation. The Tigers topped the 40-point mark seven times in 2007 and defeated six ranked teams.
LSU employs a two-quarterback system of Matt Flynn, who threw for 2,233 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and Ryan Perrilloux, who had 694 yards passing, eight TDs and two INTs. Those players combined to rush for 410 yards, bolstering a ground game led by 1,017-yard rusher Jacob Hester, Keiland Williams (458 yards), Trindon Holliday (351) and Charles Scott (318). The backup quarterback, sophomore Ryan Perrill provides another wrinkle for the LSU offense. Center Brett Helms sees the positives from both. "Flynn has a little better knowledge of the offense, but that's because he's been here longer," Helms said. "Perrilloux likes to lower his shoulder and run people over."
Brandon LaFell (641 yards), Demetrius Byrd (593) and Early Doucet (474) headline a deep receiving corps.
Ohio State offense averaged 32.0 points. The Buckeyes are led by steady quarterback Todd Boeckman, who completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 2,171 yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The once-reliable Boeckman had his only two sub-100 efficiency performances of the season and totaled four of his 12 interceptions in the final two games. For the Buckeyes, he might have the most to prove — that he's not too experienced, not too slow, not too unlike Troy Smith to succeed.
Chris Wells powered the ground game with 1,463 yards and 14 touchdowns, while Brian Robiskie paced Ohio State with 885 receiving yards and 10 TDs.
The Buckeyes will certainly spend some of their time off searching for a way to handle LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who beat out Laurinaitis to win the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded to the nation's top defensive player.
Dorsey had six sacks and 11 1/2 tackles for a loss despite being hampered by a sore knee late in the season, and he leads a unit that gave up 19.6 points per game - 20th in the nation.
With the No. 1 defense in the country, the Buckeyes have handled teams that tried to beat them with traditional running games. Ohio State always wants to stop the run first and force an offense to be one-dimensional.
"A lot of people say we have problems with running quarterbacks, and they run with their quarterback, but it's not like an Oregon or West Virginia," OSU CB Jenkins said. "So I think the matchup will be pretty good."
Ohio State is 18-20 in bowl games all-time and had won four straight before the loss to Florida last year, including earning a national championship with the memorable overtime win against Miami-Florida in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.
LSU is no stranger to the spotlight, as the Tigers won the national title just a few years ago as well, topping Oklahoma (21-14) in the 2004 Sugar Bowl. LSU is making its eighth straight bowl appearance and is 19-18-1 in 38 previous bowl matchups.
WhatIfSports.com "played" the upcoming BCS Championship game 1,000 times. LSU wins 61% of the time by an average score of 22-21.
Blame the Browns, or the surprise invitation to the party, or last year's humiliating rout.
Whatever the reason, Northeast Ohioans don't seem quite as jazzed this year about Ohio State's shot at the national championship.
"It doesn't seem like the excitement is there like it was last year," said Peggy Sobul, president of the Ohio State Alumni Club of Greater Cleveland. "Last year was the culmination. . . . This year was kind of like, 'Wow. Look what happened.' "
Devotees are still shelling out big bucks for tickets to the New Orleans Superdome, where the Buckeyes face the Louisiana State Tigers on Monday night.
But according to local bars, retailers and even the alumni association, OSU fever is a few degrees cooler than last year, when the team lost to the University of Florida.
"It was such a letdown last year that people are a little more guarded this year," MacWherter said. "They don't want to get their hopes up as high."
Online sites, such as Premiere Sports Travel and Benchwarmers Sports Tickets & Tours, reported sellouts. Tickets on eBay are going for $750 to more than $3,000.
"We can always count on our hard-core fans," Hansen said.
When the Buckeyes went home over the holidays, they left with a present from their coaches, a 10-minute DVD of television commentators dismissing the Buckeyes. They watched it together as a team and then took copies with them. Tressel thought it was worth putting it in the hands of his players. Last year, Florida coach Urban Meyer said he worked the underdog angle with his players every day and it paid off. Obviously, Tressel bought into that as well, though he passed on the DVD as suggested by his coaches.
According to the players, some of the stars of the DVD included ESPN commentator Mark May and Democratic political guru James Carville, a vocal LSU alum.
"Really, it was just reiterating what we've been hearing anyway for the past 12 months," said receiver Brian Hartline (Canton GlenOak).
Man up: Ohio State expects to see more man-to-man coverage than usual from LSU cornerbacks Chevis Jackson and Jonathan Zenon on Monday. Both are seniors and have a combined 65 career starts under their belts. Jackson made first-team all-Southeastern Conference and is tied for fifth in the country with 19 pass breakups.
"We'll definitely throw a lot," Hartline said. "We'll definitely see a lot of man [coverage], which receivers will drool for."
Hartline said he faced some man coverage in every game this year, but the Tigers have the confidence to leave their corners out there alone more than most teams do.
"When you have a zone, you might have a safety up high or a linebacker coming out," said OSU receiver Brian Robiskie (Chagrin Falls). "You have to find a crease. When it's man coverage, if you get open it's going to be because you beat the guy across from you. Most receivers will tell you they like man coverage."
So what's more difficult, replacing the Heisman Trophy winner or replacing the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft? Since Todd Boeckman did one at Ohio State and Matt Flynn did the other at LSU, and both quarterbacked their teams to Monday's BCS National Championship, maybe neither is the correct answer.
Flynn, a senior, not only sounds like Boeckman, he waited his turn like the Buckeyes quarterback. Though Boeckman's odyssey at least leaves him with another year of eligibility next season, this is Flynn's one year to get a shot.
"What Matt's been able to do, a lot of guys couldn't do it," LSU running back Jacob Hester said. "I mean, he was behind the No. 1 draft pick last year, but it was a battle for even that. He battled for that job and barely lost that job. So everybody knows he has so much talent.
Vernon Gholston, Ohio State's 6-4, 260-pound junior defensive end, is a second-team All-American. He was first-team All-Big Ten. Gholston's 13 sacks in 2007 tied Mike Vrabel's one-season school record. Big, fast, liable only to containment, not control, Gholston is considered the most likely of the Buckeyes' juniors to turn pro. And the Buckeye who is most serious about declaring for the April 26-27 NFL draft is defensive end Vernon Gholston. Most scouting services project him as a first-round pick
Russell ready for early test: Of all the things that can be blamed for last year's title loss to Florida, Anderson Russell isn't one of them. The starting Buckeyes safety tore his ACL midway through last year and watched the title game.
Russell moves to what the Buckeyes call the star position on passing downs, which is the defender that covers the slot receiver. On film, Russell has seen LSU senior receiver Early Doucet, who is projected as a potential first-round NFL pick, often line up in the slot. Doucet is 100 percent healthy for the first time this season after battling a groin pull.
Asked if he knew anything about Russell, Doucet said "Nah," but said he thought Ohio State's secondary looked good on film. But he's confident.
In four games this season, the LSU football team played without Early Doucet. The wide receiver's groin injury then limited him in several games as it nagged well into November.
Doucet has delivered despite his injury. Heading into the BCS Championship Game against Ohio State, the 6-foot, 206-pounder leads the Tigers with 50 catches (for 474 yards) in just nine games.
"People say speed kills, but it's really speed, plus balance, that kills," said Ohio State's first speed coach for football, Butch Reynolds. "People forget about that power we have with (running back) Beanie Wells."
Reynolds said freshman running back Brandon Saine and wide out Ray Small have run 4.3s in the 40 ("4.28 for Small," he said), and that the 235-pound Wells clocks a "high 4.4 or a 4.5." Quarterback Todd Boeckman is faster than Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith was, although not as elusive.
There's more on the line than just a national championship. Ever since that 41-14 defeat, Buckeyes fans and Big Ten aficionados alike have had to hear about how much better the SEC is. How much faster football is played down south. And how the Big Ten's best days are behind it.
But the SEC's dominance over the Big Ten took a hit on New Year's Day when Michigan took down Florida. Even Wisconsin made a game of it with Tennessee. And while the chic thing for sportswriters to talk about now is whether Georgia or USC is more deserving to replace Ohio State in the title game, Monday night comes down to two teams vying for one trophy and a chance to go down as national champions.
Four points is an indicator that OSU's cause isn't hopeless.
In fact, if the Tigers weren't playing 81 miles from campus — on a field where they often engage in-state opponent Tulane plus other bowl rivals — LSU might not be favored at all. Then again, what do professional oddsmakers know? Didn't they throw the Trojans under the bus by making Stanford a 40-point underdog? So let's ignore ''experts'' whose job it is to keep bookies in business.
Brian Robiskie, Ohio State's 6-3, 195-pound junior receiver, caught 50 passes for 885 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, all team bests. He was a semifinalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award as college football's best receiver. Tall and rangy, he was quarterback Todd Boeckman's favorite target on the deep ball.
Hartline is second on the team with 46 catches for 619 yards and five touchdowns as the second option to Brian Robiskie. Facing the Tigers' defense is serious. In particular, Hartline (6-3, 180 pounds) will see LSU cornerbacks Chevis Jackson (6-0, 184, first-team all-SEC) and Jonathan Zenon (6-0, 180) as well as all-SEC safety Craig Steltz (6-2, 209) and all-SEC freshman team member Curtis Taylor (6-3, 204), the other safety. Together, the four have 229 tackles and 15 interceptions this season.
A reporter joked that Hartline was the leading receiver in last season's championship game.
"Yeah," Hartline said, laughing.
How many catches?
"One," he said, glumly.
The Buckeyes will go into New Orleans relatively healthy.
Buckeyes running back Beanie Wells (Akron Garfield) said he will not wear any braces or wraps on his injured wrist or thumb.
Wilson's role unknown
It's probably going to come down to the wire for defensive lineman Lawrence Wilson as to whether he will take the field Monday.
He has been sidelined since breaking his leg in the season opener against Youngstown State. What was supposed to be a six- to eight-week injury has turned into a seasonlong one, casting doubt on whether Wilson will see the field.
''There's a possibility of him being a situational person, but I think it's a matter of how he feels pregame,'' Fickell said. ''Do you really want to use a whole year (of eligibility) for a guy on one game?'' he asked.
Many LSU players earlier this week described their excitement to both rest their bodies and see their very talented team at full strength, which they said hasn't occurred since the season's early weeks.
Every team faces injuries, of course. But the Tigers have faced nicks, pulls and breaks that rival many of this country's major programs and were within two triple-overtime games of a perfect season.
Just as Ohio State's 50-day wait to face LSU in the national championship game is viewed as a negative for rust, the Tigers' 36-day layoff between the Southeastern Conference championship game and the Jan. 7 title game appearance is viewed, at least by most members of the team, as a recharging period.
By one measure, LSU faced enough injury issues that the Tigers started 17 different players in their 11 defensive base positions. In part because of that rotation and an increasingly difficult schedule, LSU surrendered 185 points the second half of its regular season, as opposed to 56 in the first half.
Coach Les Miles said he expects all of his injured players to be ready for the national title game, including backup running back Keiland Williams, who has battled knee troubles.
As one of three multiple-year starters on the Ohio State offensive line — along with senior Kirk Barton (four seasons) and junior Alex Boone (three seasons) — Rehring, the second-year starter, is 6-foot-8 and 345 pounds and hopes to neutralize Dorsey (6-2, 303-pound senior) a player hailed as perhaps the country's best.
In the trenches Ohio State's bulky offensive line, including junior guard Steve Rehring from Lakota West High School, will face a large LSU defensive line in the BCS championship game.
OSU O-line LT Alex Boone Jr. 6-8 313 LG Steve Rehring Jr. 6-8 345 C Jim Cordle So. 6-4 302 RG Ben Person Jr. 6-4 321 RT Kirk Barton Sr. 6-6 300
LSU D-line LE Tyson Jackson Jr. 6-5 291 LT Glenn Dorsey Sr. 6-2 303 RT Marlon Favorite Jr. 6-1 302 RE Kirston Pittman Sr. 6-4 252
Ohio State was so predictable in last year's BCS National Championship that Florida defensive coordinator Greg Mattison later used the Buckeyes for a case study of how to figure out an offense.
Mattison noted how, for instance, of 90 formations he scouted when the Buckeyes had two running backs and two tight ends, OSU ran 80 times. He also relayed the pregame prediction of his son Bryan, who just finished his football career at Iowa.
Ohio State running back Beanie Wells saw the same thing when he watched the game again.
"Every time you go back and look at the film," Wells said, "they knew where things were going to happen and they had guys there to stop it."
Enter Antonio Henton. If the Buckeyes can't win with the same old, same old in Monday's title game against LSU, their formerly suspended No. 2 quarterback might be their answer. Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel had mentioned this before leaving Columbus, but OSU receiver Brian Hartline said it most strongly Thursday.
"I'd be surprised if he doesn't play," Hartline said. "He's going to add one of those wrinkles we were talking about. That's something you have to game plan for and respect that can hurt you. . . . We've been developing that all year, so it won't be too much of a shock. We'll handle it well."
Hartline is one of the pathologically honest members of the Buckeyes. Several other players were less forthcoming with the plans for Henton, and offensive coordinator Jim Bollman denied any plans for a Henton package behind starting quarterback Todd Boeckman.
The best way to deal with Dorsey is to get away from him, and if he's collapsing the pocket and stuffing Wells on inside runs, a change of pace with a quarterback who can get outside and find some different throwing lanes might be a necessity for Ohio State
The Buckeyes have said they have been working on it all year, even while Henton was suspended for seven games after an arrest (he was allowed to practice). He was reinstated before the Michigan game after pleading to a misdemeanor of loitering for prostitution. DAWG! Said he was flagged down by the hook/cop and was going to offer her a ride. He was in the area to buy shoes as he always does. DAWG? Quarterback Antonio Henton took most of the reps as the second stringer behind starter Todd Boeckman and will go into the game in that position on the depth chart.
Tressel said that he doesn't have a concern about putting Henton in should something happen to Boeckman.
''We'd like to think that that could be something we could do. We're preparing to do that. You have to, just in case the injury occurs,'' he said. ''But you'd like to have the bonus to maybe have a little change of pace. So that's what the intention of all these practices was, to get a second guy ready to maybe give you a jump-start here and there.''
"We'll have some wrinkles, it's just a matter of pulling them out at the right time," Hartline said, "when it's needed to break someone's back or give yourself a momentum shift. It's more of the placement of when you use that instead of how many you have."
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
Head Coach .....Jim Tressel,
Against Top 25 ........................................ .29-8
Against Top 10 ........................................ . 8-3
In Overtime ........................................ ....... 8-2
In Bowl Games ........................................ .. 4-2
In BCS Games ........................................ .. 3-1
LSU vs. No. 1 Ranked Teams
LSU’s game against Ohio State will mark only the ninth time that LSU has faced an opponent ranked No. 1 in the nation in the Associated Press Poll. LSU is 1-7-1 all-time against No. 1-ranked teams. LSU’s only win against a top-ranked team came in 1997 when the Tigers beat Florida, 28- 21, in Tiger Stadium. That’s the last time LSU has faced a No. 1-ranked team.
Miles has an 0-1 mark in his only meeting against the Buckeyes as a head coach. That game came in 2004 when Miles, then the head coach at Oklahoma State, dropped a 33-7 decision to Ohio State in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.
LSU has won seven-straight games in the Superdome dating back to a loss to Nebraska on Jan. 1, 1987, in the Sugar Bowl.
LSU is 3-0 In BCS BowlGames – All Three Have Come In New Orleans
LSU will be making its fourth trip to a BCS bowl game since the system was put in place for the 1998 season. LSU is 3-0 in its three previous BCS bowl games, beating Illinois, 47-34, in the 2002 Sugar Bowl before a 21-14 win over Oklahoma in the 2004 Sugar Bowl, which was also the 2003 BCS National Championship contest. Last year, the Tigers knocked off Notre Dame, 41-14, in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
LSU Went 6-2 Against Bowl Teams In 2007
LSU posted a 6-2 mark in 2007 against teams that are participating in bowl games. LSU’s victories over bowl-bound teams include a win over Virginia Tech, which won the ACC and lost in the Orange Bowl. LSU also beat Mississippi State (Liberty Bowl), Florida (Capital One Bowl), Auburn (Chick-fil-A Bowl), Alabama (Independence Bowl) and Tennessee (Outback Bowl).
LSU FOOTBALL • 2008 BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 15
ALL-BIG TEN HONORS
Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis was
named as the 2007 Big Ten defensive player of
the year by both the coaches and media voters;
the coaches selected Vernon Gholston as the defensive
lineman of the year in the conference.
Laurinaitis and Gholston were joined on the
all-conference first team by offensive tackle Kirk
Barton, running back Chris “Beanie” Wells and
defensive back Malcolm Jenkins. Quarterback
Todd Boeckman was a first-team selection of
the media voters.
Offensive tackle Alex Boone was selected
for the Big Ten second team, as was linebacker
Marcus Freeman by the league coaches. Receiver
Brian Hartline was recognized as a Sportsmanship
Award winner.
All-SEC Coaches Team
LSU collected a record 10 players on the 2007
All-SEC Coaches’ first and second teams. The
Tigers’ 10 members on the coaches’ teams, seven
on the first team and three on the second team,
surpassed the program’s previous high of nine
members from the 2004 team. DT Glenn Dorsey
led LSU’s four first team players on the defensive
side of the ball. Dorsey was a unanimous choice
by the coaches after collecting 64 tackles during
the season, including six sacks and 11.5 tackles
for loss. S Craig Steltz and LB Ali Highsmith were
also both unanimous first-team selections. Steltz
leads the Tigers with 97 tackles and lead the
conference with six interceptions, while
Highsmith is second on the team with 93 stops.
CB Chevis Jackson also earned first-team
honors. Herman Johnson was named to the first
team on offense. Johnson anchors a line that
helped LSU average 218 rushing yards per game.
LSU earned two of the three first-team honors on special teams. Place kicker Colt David and
punter Patrick Fisher each received first-team
All-SEC honors. OT Ciron Black and RB Jacob
Hester received second-team honors on offense,
while LB Darry Beckwith was a second-team
The Ohio State defense allowed only 11 touchdowns this season.
The Buckeye defense has allowed only six first-half touchdowns, one each at Washington, Minnesota and Penn State, and three versus Illinois.
Though LSU can spread out a defense with five wide receivers, just like the Gators could, the Tigers consider themselves a physical running team first and aren't afraid to put in two tight ends with a fullback as a lead blocker and come right at you.
Averaging 218 rushing yards per game, LSU ranks 11th in the country, second in the Southeastern Conference, and would be second in the Big Ten behind Illinois. Maybe the Tigers could be the Big Ten's 12th member? The Buckeyes allowed that many rushing yards just once, giving up 260 to Illinois' spread offense.
Part of the game plan will be running with both of their quarterbacks, starter Matt Flynn, who is back fully healthy, and No. 2 Ryan Perrilloux, who should see action. Perrilloux is known more for his running, but the Buckeyes made it clear than Flynn, who has 207 yards and four touchdowns on 88 carries, can scoot, too.
There's a saying that ''speed kills,'' but ask the Ohio State coaches and players and it's only part of the equation, especially when dealing with the Louisiana State Tigers.
Speed has been the buzzword — even going back to last year's BCS title game with the Florida Gators. The perception is that the Buckeyes lost because they were the slower team.
''You could tell (Florida) was fast also, and if you look at the film, we didn't tackle well,'' OSU DT Worthington said. ''You could see their guys running down the field making extra blocks.''
It points to desire and, more importantly, physicality.
With the likes of defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and linebacker Ali Highsmith on defense and running back Jacob Hester and wide receiver Early Doucet on offense, the Tigers have physical ability to go with that team speed.
''Football is still football. You still have to defeat a blocker and get off the block and make plays, but I think there's a whole lot more to it in my opinion,'' he said. '' I think speed's a factor, toughness is a factor, intelligence is a factor, execution is a factor. There are just so many factors in the game of football, I don't know if you can zero in on speed.''
"It's the biggest stat in every football game that is played — turnover ratio," Miles said. "If there's one predictor of victory, if you had to say what one statistic is there, it's number of turnovers. If you win the turnover battle, you have a legitimate chance to win the game."
The Tigers' turnover ratio is plus-18, best in the SEC.
OSU co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell had words of praise for the Tigers.
''They're probably going to be the most powerful team we've seen,'' Fickell said. ''To me, when you are a powerful team and you have speed, it makes you look a lot faster.''
LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey will be healthy and ready to roll come 8 p.m. Monday in the Louisiana Superdome.
LSU fans don't have to worry because Dorsey's feeling more like himself of late, especially in the last week or so. Given the way he writhed in pain on the sideline during LSU's victory over Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game last month, that is an accomplishment.
And that's certainly what Ohio State players and coaching staff expect of a healthy Dorsey — a strong player who keeps coming. During his injury-riddled season, he had 64 tackles (including 11.5 for loss) and six sacks.
How good is Dorsey? Despite the fact that he was injured a significant portion of the season, he walked away with much of the postseason hardware on the college football awards circuit. By the time that tour ended, Dorsey had won the Outland and Lombardi trophies for being the nation's best lineman, the Lott Trophy for being the nation's defensive impact player of the year and the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation's outstanding defensive player.
Rated by many as the nation's top high school recruit in 2005, Perrilloux chose LSU and entered a quarterback rotation including JaMarcus Russell and Matt Flynn. Now, as a sophomore, Perrilloux is Flynn's backup and a key offensive weapon available to the Tigers on Monday in the BCS Championship Game against Ohio State. Last season, the 6-foot-2, 222-pounder played in just five games but has emerged behind Flynn this season to pass for 694 yards, run for 203 more and win his only two games as the starter when Flynn was injured.
Colt David was a middle school soccer star when some football-playing friends invited him to practice. The junior from Grapevine, Texas, has converted 25-of-32 field-goal attempts for the Tigers this season, including 6-of-10 from 40 yards or more. A key weapon for LSU, he has made 10 of his past 11 tries.
If Monday's game comes down to special teams, LSU might have an edge. Placekicker Colt David and punter Patrick Fisher are both first-team All-SEC picks. Their stats:
David: 25-for-32 field goals (long: 49)
Fisher: 43.9-yard average on 56 punts (long: 61)
The entire season, Ricky Jean-Francois has been locked to the LSU sideline. The sophomore from Miami was suffering a season-long suspension for his poor academic performance. A first-team freshman All-American last season, Jean-Francois was counting down the days with his teammates.
"Now I'm back." As a starting defensive tackle in the SEC championship game, he made three tackles.
Gary Crowton has been building football offenses for more than 20 years. Crowton's latest of his 11 career stops brings him to the BCS championship game, where he searches for a way to attack Ohio State's imposing defense as the LSU offensive coordinator. Players have raved about his spread offense since he arrived last season following Jimbo Fisher's departure to Florida State.
Since, including his stops as the Tech offensive coordinator and head coach (1995-98), Bears offensive coordinator (1999-2000), BYU head coach (2001-04), Oregon offensive coordinator (2005-06) and now LSU offensive coordinator, Crowton has become one of the most respected offensive coaches in college football for his ability to create passing yards and points.
"It's a little more spread option, some out of the shotgun, mix it up a little more," said LSU center Brett Helms. "Jimbo's offense last year was a little more power, right at you. I think with coach Crowton, he creates mismatches."
Said wide receiver Early Doucet, "We allow the quarterback to run the ball a little bit more than we did last year with coach Fisher, that's the big difference, making the defense wonder."
With an offense that ranks 12th nationally in scoring (38.7 points per game) and 21st in yards (448.2 per game), Crowton will call plays against an Ohio State defense that is widely regarded as one of the country's best, if not the best.
Tiger Trends 2007 Miles
LSU vs. Ranked Opponents
on the road 1-1 5-3
neutral 1-0 3-1
LSU’s Record in Games ...
decided by 7 pts or less 4-2 11-3
LSU’s Record When Scoring ...
less than 20 points 0-0 2-3
20+ points 11-2 30-3
25+ points 10-2 26-3
LSU’s Record When Allowing ...
14 or fewer points 6-0 20-1
24 or fewer points 10-0 29-2
25+ points 2-2 4-4
Leading after the 2nd qtr 7-1 25-3
Trailing after the 2nd qtr 4-1 8-3
less than 300 yards 0-0 1-3
400+ yards total offense 6-2 18-2
LSU’s Record When Allowing ...
less than 200 total yards 3-0 8-1
less than 300 total yards 8-0 25-4
less than 400 total yards 10-1 27-5
400+ yards total offense 1-1 3-1
less than 100 yards rush 9-0 22-3
100+ yards rush 2-2 8-4
less than 200 yards pass 7-1 25-4
less than 250 yards pass 10-1 30-4
less than 300 yards pass 11-2 32-5
300+ yards pass 0-0 1-0
OSU TEAM RANKINGS
119 teams ranked in Division Football Bowl Subdivision
11 teams ranked in Big Ten Conference
Category National
Rank
ActualConf
Rank
Rushing Offense 18 201.25 3
Passing Offense 88 195.83 9
Total Offense 59 397.08 8
Scoring Offense 36 32.00 3
Rushing Defense 3 77.08 1
Pass Efficiency Defense 1 93.97 1
Total Defense 1 225.25 1
Scoring Defense 1 10.67 1
Net Punting 38 36.47 3
Punt Returns 60 8.90 5
Kickoff Returns 117 17.63 11
Turnover Margin T-67 -.08 8
Pass Defense 1 148.17 1
Passing Efficiency 15 147.77 1
Sacks T-4 3.50 2
Tackles For Loss 7 8.33 1
Sacks Allowed 14 1.17 3
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