NCAA Football FanHouse http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com NCAA Football FanHouse http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif NCAA Football FanHouse http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Jerry Glanville Resigns at Portland Statehttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/jerry-glanville-fired-at-portland-state/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/jerry-glanville-fired-at-portland-state/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/jerry-glanville-fired-at-portland-state/#commentsFiled under: ,

Jerry GlanvilleAttention Elvis Presley: you will no longer have tickets waiting for you at Portland State's Will Call window. Your boy, Jerry Glanville, has been relieved of his duties as Portland State's head coach, according to KPTV.

Glanville, the larger-than-life former coach of the Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons, is wrapping up his third season as the Vikings' head coach. Under his leadership Portland State has gone 9-24, with a 2-9 record this season. Oregon Live reports that attendance, always a concern for any FCS program, has hit its second-lowest point in 22 seasons.

Glanville's career has led him from the sidelines of Western Kentucky University all the way to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, but his first love was always coaching. Portland State may have seemed a strange stop for him, but Glanville is a long-time friend of legendary PSU coach Darrel "Mouse" Davis, progenitor of the Run & Shoot offense. Glanville pioneered the use of the Run & Shoot in the NFL.
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Glanville may not have found much success on the field at Portland State, but he characteristically found his way into the hearts of the community, as Oregon Live's John Canzano relates:
He's got a wonderful personality. Glanville is a master storyteller, charismatic dinner guest and his wife, Brenda, is so big-hearted that she was recently given $5,000 worth of gift cards to Elephants Delicatessen and used them to buy sandwiches and hand them out to homeless people downtown. I love all that about him.

Yes, but can he win games, you're thinking.

And you're right to ask that.

That's the bottom-line criteria by which we judge football coaches. By that standard, Glanville's tenure has been a disaster.
There's no word on what Glanville's next move will be. He's 68 years old, so retirement is certainly an option. A part of me hopes he'll get back in to broadcasting, however. He was always as colorful a color commentator as could be imagined.

Jerry Glanville Resigns at Portland State originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Jerry GlanvilleMark HastyTue, 17 Nov 2009 16:30:00 EST Big Salaries Don't Mean Big Rankingshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/12/big-salaries-dont-mean-big-rankings/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/12/big-salaries-dont-mean-big-rankings/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/12/big-salaries-dont-mean-big-rankings/#commentsFiled under:

Money, it's been said, can't buy you happiness. It also can't guarantee a Top 25 football team either.

There are at least 31 head coaches in the BCS ranks that will earn more than $1.8 million this season, according to a salary study conducted by USA Today.

Of the nation's 31 highest-paid head college football coaches in America, only nine are currently coaching teams in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll. That leaves 22 of the nation's 31 highest-paid coaches outside the AP Top 25.

Of those 22 coaches, five have a losing record this season -- Florida State's Bobby Bowden (4-5), Wake Forest's Jim Grobe (4-6), Virginia's Al Groh (3-6), Washington's Steve Sarkisan (3-6) and Maryland's Ralph Friedgen (2-7) -- and another is at .500 -- Michigan State's Mark Dantonio (5-5).

Four of the 22 coaches are in the cellar in their respective conferences -- Missouri's Gary Pinkel and Kansas' Mark Mangino (each tied for last in the Big 12 North), Michigan's Rich Rodriguez (tied for last in the Big 10) and Friedgen (tied for last in the ACC Atlantic).

While those coaches are the biggest financial busts in 2009, not surprisingly, most of the best bargains among head coaches this season can be found at non-BCS schools.

TCU's Gary Patterson is the highest paid non-BCS coach at $1.8 million this season, but overall he ranks only 32nd nationally. His Horned Frogs (9-0) are fourth in this week's AP Poll and closing on their first BCS bowl in school history.

Boise State's Chris Petersen, who already has taken the Broncos to one BCS bowl and are ranked No. 6 this season, makes $1.123 million this season and doesn't even rank as the highest paid coach in the Western Athletic Conference. That honor belongs to Hawaii's Greg McMackin, whose Rainbows are 3-6 this year despite McMackin's $1.138 million salary..

Houston's Kevin Sumlin, whose Cougars are ranked No. 13, ranks as only the sixth-highest paid coach among the 12 Conference USA schools at $750,000.

The best bargain in the BCS is Cincinnati's Brian Kelly, who makes $1.362 million this season. Kelly ranks as only the fourth-highest paid coach in the Big East, but his No. 5 ranked Bearcats are closing in on a second consecutive Big East title.

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Pittsburgh's Dave Wannstedt is the Big East's second-lowest paid coach with his 2009 salary listed at $979,000, yet the Panthers are ranked No. 8 by AP.

Other tidbits from USA Today's salary study: five of the nation's 10 highest paid coaches are from the SEC - Florida's Urban Meyer (3rd, $4 million), Alabama's Nick Saban (4th, $3.9 million), LSU's Les Miles (5th, $3.751 million), Georgia's Mark Richt (7th, $3.096 million) and Arkansas' Bobby Petrino (10th, $2.858 million).

As far as the assistant coaching staffs, Tennessee's nine full-time assistants earn a national-best $3.325 million, followed by Texas ($2.948 million), LSU ($2.725 million), Alabama ($2.702 million) and Auburn ($2.56 million).

How about the six million dollar men? There are four schools whose 10 member coaching staffs (head coach and nine full-time assistants) earn more than a combined $6 million. Leading the way is Oklahoma ($6.767 million) followed by Alabama ($6.602 million), LSU ($6.476 million) and Texas ($6.008 million).

But not even nearly $7 million spent this season on coaching salaries can rescue the Sooners, who have lost five starters to season-ending injuries and are currently 5-4 and unranked.

A couple of other interesting numbers: Meyer is the nation's only BCS coach whose annual salary ($4 million) is more than double the total amount his assistants are paid ($1.965 million), while West Virginia's Bill Stewart ($878,000) makes only 40.89 percent what his assistants receive ($2.147 million), the lowest percentage for a BCS head coach.

And just how much have coaching salaries skyrocketed out of control? In 2006, 52 FBS coaches made at least $1 million. Just three years later, 83.8 percent, or 93 of the 111 FBS coaches (nine coaches salaries were not available) made at least $1 million, USA Today reported.

Not much bang for the buck

Of the nation's 31 highest-paid coaches, here are the 22 coaches whose teams are not ranked in this week's AP Top 25 poll. Listed is their overall salary rank and this year's salary. Salary figures in millions of dollars from USA Today.

Pain for the Buck
Salary Rank Coach
 Salary (in millions)
2. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma $4.303
7. Mark Richt, Georgia $3.096
10. Bobby Petrino, Arkansas $2.858
11. Jeff Tedford, Cal $2.807
12. Mike Leach, Texas Tech $2.700
13. Gary Pinkel, Missouri $2.525
14. Rich Rodriguez, Michigan $2.521
15. Houston Nutt, Ole Miss $2.509
16. Bobby Bowden, Florida State $2.319
17. Mark Mangino, Kansas $2.303
19. Jim Grobe, Wake Forest $2.172
21. Al Groh, Virginia $2.072
22. Greg Schiano, Rutgers $2.072
23. Gene Chizik, Auburn $2.050
24. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina $2.031
25. Lane Kiffin, Tennessee $2.000
26. Ralph Friedgen, Maryland $1.877
27. Bo Pelini, Nebraska $1.852
28. Bill Snyder, Kansas State $1.850
29. Steve Sarkisan, Washington $1.833
30. Mark Dantonio, Michigan State $1.811
31. Mike Sherman, Texas A&M $1.811

Big Salaries Don't Mean Big Rankings originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>al grohbill snyderbo pelinibob stoopsbobby bowdenbobby petrinogary pinkelgene chizikgreg schianohouston nuttjeff tedfordjim grobelane kiffinmark dantoniomark richtmike leachmike shermanralph friedgenSteve SarkisanBrett McMurphyThu, 12 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST FSU's History, Bowden's Future Rest on Shoulders of a Freshmanhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/fsus-history-bowdens-future-rest-on-shoulders-of-a-freshman/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/fsus-history-bowdens-future-rest-on-shoulders-of-a-freshman/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/fsus-history-bowdens-future-rest-on-shoulders-of-a-freshman/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Bobby BowdenTALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State fans are speculating that Bobby Bowden's coaching future at FSU might be tied into the Seminoles' bowl eligibility. This much is known for certain: Bowden's status will be determined at season's end. And FSU's bowl chances will become much clearer on Saturday.

The Seminoles' hopes of a strong finish now rest on the shoulders of redshirt freshman quarterback E.J. Manuel. Manuel will make his first career start at Wake Forest following the season-ending shoulder injury to Christian Ponder.

What's at stake?

FSU (4-5) must win two of its final three games to extend its nation-leading streak of 27 consecutive bowl appearances and avoid its first losing season since 1976 -- Bowden's first in Tallahassee, Fla.

The Demon Deacons (4-6), meanwhile, must win their final two games to extend their school-record streak of three consecutive bowl appearances, all under ninth-year coach Jim Grobe.

All eyes will be on the quarterbacks.

Manuel has attempted four career passes. Wake Forest senior quarterback Riley Skinner has passed for 9,163 career yards.

Advantage Deacs, who also have beaten the Seminoles the past three years.

"It'll affect them like it would us if we didn't have Riley Skinner," Grobe said in reference to the Seminoles missing Ponder, who separated his right throwing shoulder on a tackle following an interception against Clemson last Saturday.

"I'm sure the young player is very capable. You very rarely have a backup quarterback that can't get the job done. In our case Ryan McManus is very capable. But anytime you lose a guy with all that experience, especially one of the top quarterbacks in the league, it hurts."

" I feel like our practices are harder than our games to be honest. "
-- FSU QB E.J. ManuelManuel, an athletic, record-setting quarterback from Virginia Beach, Va., believes his practice preparation will help in his transition from backup to starter. Manuel, in fact, split snaps with the first-team offense last week as Ponder was slowed by bruised ribs.

"I feel like our practices are harder than our games to be honest," Manuel said.

"We have so much pressure on us from the coaches in practice that when the game comes the pressure isn't anything, all the loud stuff and the crowd really don't matter."

Jimbo Fisher, FSU's offensive coordinator and head coach-in-waiting, indicated the Seminoles' game plan will be altered to fit Manuel's strengths.

Manuel, who concentrated on his throwing mechanics during the off-season after he missed spring drills with a thumb injury, has a strong arm and appears to glide when on the run. Fisher says an important component will be how Manuel handles the anxiety surrounding his first start.
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Not a problem, according to Manuel. Ponder, who will be facing shoulder surgery soon, will also make the trip with the Seminoles to support Manuel.

"I'm sure coach Fisher is going to put us all in positions we need to be in, in order to be successful and we'll be fine," Manuel said. "The coaches are going to put us in position to be successful, I'm not worried at all."

Grobe expects Manuel, who has played 11 career snaps and is 1-of-4 with four passing yards, to play well.

"This is a really talented guy, we know that he's got great skills, the ability to run and throw," Grobe said. "He was personally recruited by Jimbo Fisher. I'm sure all the things they're doing with Christian Ponder, they feel like they can do with Manual."

Concerning the iconic yet embattled Bowden, Grobe believes Bowden has earned the right to dictate his future.

"You really have to take in all that he's done for that school," Grobe said.

"You really need to be in a mindset that whatever Coach Bowden wants to do you're going to let him do. I think he's earned that right and he's done great things for the school. Anytime you get these legendary coaches that are toward the end of their career, it's important as a school you let them go out the way they want to go out and when they want to go out.

"He's been great and still is great for college football. If you spend anytime with Coach Bowden you know he's got a competitive spirit and he's still a heck of a football coach."

FSU's History, Bowden's Future Rest on Shoulders of a Freshman originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Christian PonderChristianPonderE.J. ManuelE.j.ManuelRiley SkinnerRileySkinnerJim HenryWed, 11 Nov 2009 01:00:00 EST Idaho Coach Speaks the Truthhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/idaho-coach-speaks-the-truth/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/idaho-coach-speaks-the-truth/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/idaho-coach-speaks-the-truth/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

There aren't a lot of more intriguing stories this season than Idaho. After years of being in the abyss of college football, known more for seasons of double-digit losses than anything positive, the once-proud FCS program that has struggled virtually since the start of its time in the Football Bowl Subdivision is bowl-eligible.

This weekend, the Vandals travel to play in-state rival Boise State, an opponent Idaho hasn't beaten since 1998. No one would argue that the Vandals have any pressure, as Boise State needs to win out in order to have a shot at a BCS bowl. Idaho coach Robb Akey is fully aware, and he talked about it Monday.

As reported by ESPN.com's Graham Watson on Twitter, Akey made it clear that he hopes his team can be the "bad guy" this weekend, costing his conference (and school) a big bag of money.
"I want to be the least popular individual with all the WAC administrators ... If we take care of business, there will be no BCS bowl for the Boise State and no BCS money coming to the conference."
You have to love Akey's candor. His team has been a blowout victim over and over again in the last decade. The only time they were even remotely competitive was when former coach Dennis Erickson returned for a one-year stint after he got fired from another NFL job. He left, and things went quickly south as Akey tried to get the program on stronger footing.
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Just 3-21 over his first two years, Akey has guided Idaho to a 7-3 start, including 4-1 at the Kibbie Dome, an old indoor facility in Moscow where the Vandals hadn't won more than twice in a single season since 2000.

With that as a background, Akey sees a chance to help gain visibility for his program this weekend. Boise State isn't just another game on Idaho's schedule. They're an in-state opponent, the only one the Vandals play on a regular basis (Idaho State is a Football Championship Subdivision program that sporadically shows up). More than that, Boise State is the benchmark by which the rest of the WAC is measured right now.

If Idaho can find a way to even keep it close on the smurf turf Saturday afternoon, Akey will have really accomplished something. And if his comments about ruining Boise State's BCS chances help fire his team up towards that goal, it was well worth saying on Akey's part.

When you are talking about coaches' dealings with the media, it's rarely a good idea to get on a guy for telling the truth. That's all Robb Akey has done here.

Idaho Coach Speaks the Truth originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>robb akeyBruce CiskieMon, 09 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST Time to Cut Weis Some Slackhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/17/time-to-cut-weis-some-slack/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/17/time-to-cut-weis-some-slack/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/17/time-to-cut-weis-some-slack/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Charlie WeisSOUTH BEND, Ind. -- He isn't going anywhere, and he shouldn't. The relentless ways of his Fighting Irish players down the stretch Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium against Southern Cal bought Charlie Weis more time.

So here's the deal: Weis will last the rest of this season as Notre Dame coach. He also will return next season, and who knows? He might stick around with the Fighting Irish to finish his 10-year contract that expires after the 2015 season.

Whatever the case, there should be a moratorium on Weis bashing despite Notre Dame's 34-27 loss to Southern Cal in another huge game. That's because his players keep demanding as much. They could have collapsed in the final seconds against Michigan State, but they didn't. The same goes for their squeakers over Purdue and Washington that involved an extra dose of passion from everybody on the field.

More FanHouse Coverage From South Bend
Jay Mariotti: No Moral Victories at Notre Dame, Charlie
John Walters: It's Deja Vu All Over Again for Irish | Game Blog

This time, Notre Dame players did their part to pull Weis away from the swinging guillotine that constantly is dangling over his neck after they watched their bigger, faster and better opponent surge to the edge of a blowout. With Southern Cal gouging Notre Dame's defense to take a 34-14 lead near the start of the fourth quarter, and with the game-long roar among the Irish Nation becoming only a whisper, those Notre Dame players had every right to call it a night.

No, to call it a season.

They didn't.

"What we did today showed a lot to the country," said Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who nearly led the Notre Dame Our Mother (you know, the Notre Dame alma mater) of rallies for his team after Southern Cal's last score with a couple of touchdown drives. At the end, he even fired three passes into the end zone from the Southern Cal 4, but he couldn't connect. Added Clausen, "I'm so proud of this team. We keep fighting when we're down. I think that's what the team is all about."

You only do what the Irish just did against Southern Cal if you have at least some talent, and if you have more than a little pride, and if you like your coach.

Just like that, the previously lousy Clausen remembered he was a Heisman Trophy candidate, and he played like it. Then Golden Tate grabbed the most clutch of his eight catches for 117 yards in that fourth quarter. In fact, soon after Notre Dame began its comeback attempt by racing 88 yards to the end zone, Tate caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Clausen to pull the Irish to within 34-27.

There was even a frantic dash for the Irish inside the final five minutes, when they raced from their 22-yard line to the Southern Cal 4. Along the way, Notre Dame faced fourth-and-10 from its 29, with Clausen firing a pass that Robby Parris stretched high to grab for a 13-yard completion. He was knocked silly enough afterward by Southern Cal defenders to need help off the field.

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Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen (7) is sacked by Southern California's Wes Horton (96) in third-quarter action, Saturday, October 17, 2009, in South Bend, Indiana. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/MCT)
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You don't sacrifice yourself that way if you don't like your coach.

"Well, anyone who doesn't realize the fight that's in the Fighting Irish is missing the boat," said Weis, whose team nevertheless dropped to 4-2 and likely out any rankings worth mentioning. Not only that, Notre Dame just lost to Southern Cal for an eighth consecutive time, but remember: the Irish were outscored 76-3 in the previous two games in the series. So, to be fair, they have a ridiculously long ways to go just to become competitive with Southern Cal.

Added Weis, "If you haven't watched the last five games, it's every week the same thing. Would I like to not be in that situation? You betcha. But go all the way back to Michigan [which was a last-second loss to begin the season]. Every week, this team is a bunch of fighters. I'm proud of the fight."

He should be. History is filled with examples of players who vanished mentally, physically and spiritually during games when their coach was under siege -- by alums, media, by fans, by campus officials and even by those players. Not so with these Notre Dame players, not when they had an unofficial chance to cut their ties with Weis during this nationally hyped game that was becoming another significantly embarrassing game for Notre Dame against Southern Cal.

Anyway, there was Friday night, when Raghib "Rocket" Ismail became a Notre Dame icon turned football preacher during a loud and large pep rally on campus. He kept screaming the first of his three mantras, "It ends tonight," which was his reference to Southern Cal's winning streak over Notre Dame.

Then Ismail switched mantras: "This is not a game."

Finally, with all of the boosters inside Rocket's head threatening to explode after he reached even higher decibels, Ismail implored the players on Notre Dame's current football team, the coaches and the tens of thousands gathered: "Let's go get it."

They didn't get it. Instead, the Irish almost got it against sixth-ranked Southern Cal, but "almost" is for losers.
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Well, usually. At this point in the wobbly Charlie Weis regime, "almost" is the same as "improving," which means a couple of things: Notre Dame still isn't among the elite, and we still don't know if Weis can get the Irish there.

It's just that as long as Weis' players want to try to get there with him, you have to give the guy a break.

Terence Moore is a national columnist and commentator for FanHouse. He is a frequent panelist on "Rome Is Burning," an ESPN show hosted by Jim Rome, that is seen Monday through Friday at 4:30 PM ET. Moore spent more than three decades working for major newspapers, including 26 years as an award-winning sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He resides in Atlanta.

Time to Cut Weis Some Slack originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Terence MooreSat, 17 Oct 2009 22:30:00 EST Pete Carroll Makes His Line Coaches Slide in the Mudhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/15/pete-carroll-makes-his-line-coaches-slide-in-the-mud/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/15/pete-carroll-makes-his-line-coaches-slide-in-the-mud/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/15/pete-carroll-makes-his-line-coaches-slide-in-the-mud/#commentsFiled under: , ,



It was a rare rainy day in Southern California on Tuesday, and the rain gave USC coach Pete Carroll a bright idea for what to do at the end of practice: Settle a tied scrimmage between the offense and the defense by having his offensive and defensive line coaches see who could slide farther in the mud.

USC's official football blog describes the festivities:
Carroll said the only way to settle the tie was to put offensive line coach Pat Ruel against defensive line coach Jethro Franklin in a slip-and-slide competition on the most puddle-filled part of the field.

So with the players forming a tunnel on either side of the runway where the battle was taking place, the 58-year-old Ruel and 43-year-old Franklin went through two rounds of hilarious sliding before Franklin emerged -- soaked and muddied -- as the champion. The defense was awarded the overall practice victory, but all were in good spirits after the childlike festivities.
One of the reasons Carroll is such a great recruiter is that he convinces teenage football players they'll have fun if they come to USC. And really, what's more fun for a teenager than watching a couple of overweight middle-aged guys slide around in the mud?

Pete Carroll Makes His Line Coaches Slide in the Mud originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Michael David SmithThu, 15 Oct 2009 10:55:00 EST Dr. Lou Says Gators Will Repeathttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/12/dr-lou-says-gators-will-repeat/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/12/dr-lou-says-gators-will-repeat/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/12/dr-lou-says-gators-will-repeat/#commentsFiled under: ,

Getty ImagesDr. Lou made a house call Monday.

Lou Holtz, an ESPN college football analyst and spokesman for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team (just two of the many hats he wears), believes Florida will repeat as national champion and finish undefeated for the first time in school history. Holtz also thinks the collegiate player in history who best compares to Gator quarterback Tim Tebow in style and substance is Roger Staubach. And Holtz's surprise team thus far this season? Cincinnati.

Those are a few thoughts Holtz shared during a quick interview with FanHouse.

Up first? The nation's No. 1 team, Florida.

Showing no ill effects of his concussion, Tebow held his own and the UF defense rose to the occasion to help beat LSU 13-3 Saturday night in front of 93,129, the largest in the history of LSU's Tiger Stadium.

The victory snapped LSU's 32-game home winning streak in Saturday night games and extended UF's winning streak to a nation-best and team-record 15 games. The Gators' dominant defense limited the Tigers to just 162 yards of total offense and stopped them twice on fourth down in the fourth quarter.

"(Florida) is too good on defense," Holtz said.

"Offensively, with people like (Aaron) Hernandez, and (Jeffrey) Demps and Tebow -- they have skill people there. And Hernandez is taking a bigger and bigger role on this team. He had a major impact (last week). I think Alabama... I think Florida and Alabama are the two best teams in the country. They are very similar -- they both run the ball, they are physical, they play great defense, have good sound special teams and quarterbacks who makes good decisions."

Holtz, who led Notre Dame to a national title in 1988 and fell a victory shy of repeating as national champion in 1989, was impressed by UF's approach in preseason practice.

"I visited [Florida] during two-a-days and talked to them for about a half-hour about defending the championship. When I came back, I told everyone that never have I seen a football team as talented, having everyone coming back, and as motivated as they were during two-a-days," Holtz said.

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"I am talking about coaches and players. You would think they were coming off a losing season and had something to prove. But then again, Florida has never had an undefeated season. That's motivating them."

Home on Saturday against Arkansas, the top-ranked Gators must guard against history. The Razorbacks have beaten the nation's No. 1 team four times in program history -- twice on Oct. 17 (1964 and 1981) and twice when unranked (1981 and 2007, when it beat LSU).

Behind strong-armed quarterback Ryan Mallett, the Razorbacks feature the top passing offense in the SEC (318.2 yards per game) while the Gators boast the top pass defense (115.2).

Of course, UF also has Tebow, one of 16 seniors on the AllState AFC Good Works team.

"I think Tebow is the most valuable football player I have seen in the game and I've been in it since 1960," Holtz said.

"The only other individual who I have seen come close to him is Roger Staubach. I thought Roger Staubach was a lot like Tim Tebow, except Tim Tebow has more talent around him. If they win the championship this year, here's a guy who has been on three national championships out of four. That's unprecedented -- to have one individual have that impact.

"As far as quarterbacks I've coached, he reminds me of Tony Rice, who won a national championship and just missed it a second time. They are good leaders, love the game, they are positive, they are upbeat, they are good in the locker room, they are good on the field. But, doggone it, at crunch time, they just seem to put the team on their shoulders and carry it."

Farther northwest in Tallahassee, Fla., Holtz, a good friend of embattled Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden, believes it's unfair for school administrators and alumni to force Bowden into retirement. Holtz also said he's not a fan of succession plans as designed by FSU and other schools that have designated a head-coach-in-waiting.

Bowden and the Seminoles lost to visiting Georgia Tech in a 49-44 shootout Saturday, dropping FSU to 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the ACC. Bowden has suffered just one losing season in 33 seasons at FSU, that in his first year in 1976.

"I haven't seen him make any bad decisions during the course of the game," Holtz said.

"When you score 44 points and gain 532 yards and lose a football game, that's hard to blame it on the head football coach. I do know this, he's alert, he's healthy, he's enthusiastic. I know he doesn't want to go out like this. He just has to get some things straight on the staff.

"I know schools are trying to keep good assistants, but I still think {head-coach-in-waiting) is a bad idea. It creates all kind of problems on the staff. Am I going or am I staying? Who is making the decisions? Are you serving, in FSU's case, Bobby Bowden or Jimbo Fisher (Seminoles' coach-in-waiting)? If the administration is going to name a coach-in-waiting, it needs to be a time limit not more than one year."

Nationally, the eighth-ranked Cincy Bearcats, who are at South Florida Thursday night in a key Big East showdown, have caught Holtz's eye. He also has favorable impressions of Iowa, Nebraska and Oregon.

The Hawkeyes are undefeated at 6-0, the Cornhuskers are one play away from being undefeated and ranked among the top-5 and the Ducks have rebounded from an opening defeat to Boise State.

"I think Cincy is for real," Holtz said.

Holtz, a College Football Hall of Fame coach, also believes the Good Works team is the real deal. The team recognizes and honors student-athletes for their off-the-field achievements and contributions to their communities.

The two 11-member teams are composed of players competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision and a combined team representing in the Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, III and NAIA.

"There are so many players who do so many wonderful things off the field but you never read about them," Holtz said.

2009 Allstate AFCA Good Works Teams

Football Bowl Subdivision
Name Class Pos. School Hometown
Xavier Dye Jr. WR Clemson Greenwood, S.C.
Tim Tebow Sr. QB Florida Jacksonville, Fla.
Jeff Owens Sr. DL Georgia Sunrise, Fla.
Jammie Kirlew Sr. DL Indiana Orlando, Fla.
Darrell Stuckey Sr. DB Kansas Kansas City, Kan.
Zoltan Mesko Sr. P Michigan Twinsburg, Ohio
Andrew Brewer Sr. WR Northwestern Tulsa, Okla.
Taylor Kavanaugh Sr. WR Oregon St. Portland, Ore.
Travis Jones Sr. LB San Jose St. Atascadero, Calif.
Derrick Coleman So. RB UCLA Fullerton, Calif.
Chris Maragos Sr. DB Wisconsin Racine, Wis.


Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III, and NAIA
Name Class Pos. School Hometown
Joe Goldufsky Sr. DL Beloit Buffalo Grove, Ill.
Reid Velo Jr. WR Bethel (Minn.) Nashwuak, Minn.
David Pesek Sr. QB Colorado School of Mines Centennial, Colo.
Paul Hughes Sr. LB Cumberlands (Ky.) Montezuma, Ga.
Chris Owens Sr. WR Earlham Ft. Thomas, Ky.
Joshua Cain Sr. DB Jacksonville St. Wetumpka, Ala.
Tim Miller Sr. OL Johns Hopkins Ronkonkoma, N.Y.
Richard Bowman Sr. DB North Dakota St. Houston, Texas
Kevin Grayson Jr. WR Richmond Richmond, Va.
Jeffrey Hilliard Sr. DB St. Thomas (Minn.) Woodbury, Minn.
Jacob Rowe Jr. DL Tarleton St. Alvarado, Texas

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Dr. Lou Says Gators Will Repeat originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>lou holtzTim TebowTimTebowJim HenryMon, 12 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST What Happened to My Football Program?http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/03/what-happened-to-my-football-program/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/03/what-happened-to-my-football-program/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/03/what-happened-to-my-football-program/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Ara Parseghian, Weeb Ewbanks, Bo Schembechler, Woody Hayes
OXFORD, Ohio -- As is the custom around here, new buildings are smothered with red brick and molded into a Georgian style. Just like that, they stand as gracefully ancient as Miami University, celebrating its 200th year.

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I mention this, because such is the case for the decades-old-looking psychology school at the corner of Patterson and High streets, where they used to play football during my days on campus in the 1970s. Speaking of changes, they've switched the nickname of the sports teams from Redskins to RedHawks. Even more striking, the dominant sport for Miami these days is hockey. In fact, despite choking away a two-goal lead at the end of last season's NCAA championship game, Miami is ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today entering this hockey season.

That said, there is a bigger difference between Miami now and Miami during the time of the miracle I've been telling you about for three weeks -- you know, the miracle that was the collection of folks in my dormitory called Hepburn Hall. It eventually produced a slew of prominent college and pro coaches, players in the NFL, NBA and major league baseball and doctors, lawyers, CEOs and even journalists.

The bigger difference is football.

What happened to Miami football?

This doesn't resemble that 13-1 team of six years ago during Ben Roethlisberger's senior year. This doesn't resemble the team that shocked No. 8 LSU in Death Valley in 1986. Or the one that gave Rose Bowl-bound Northwestern its only loss nine years later. Or the one that upset No. 12-ranked opponents (Virginia Tech and North Carolina) in consecutive seasons through 1998.

This doesn't resemble those teams that had Miami earning its moniker as The Cradle of Coaches by spawning the likes of Paul Brown, Weeb Ewbank, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian and Bo Schembechler.

This also doesn't resemble those teams during my Hepburn Hall days that had a 32-1-1 record with victories in bowl games over Florida, and South Carolina to finish 15th, 10th and 12th during those three seasons in the AP poll.

Miami of OhioOn this Saturday afternoon, with a pretty sky over the new place on the edge of campus called Yager Stadium, Miami continued the oldest rivalry west of the Alleghenies before a stuffed house against the University of Cincinnati. While most college football polls had the Bearcats entering the game ranked 10th in the country, ESPN had Miami ranked third -- as in the nation's third-worst team with an 0-4 record this season, a nine-game losing streak overall and no hope against Cincinnati.

So this wasn't surprising: courtesy of Tony Pike, Cincinnati's passing machine at quarterback, and a relentless pass rush (10 sacks), the Bearcats stormed to a 37-13 victory over Miami in the 114th Battle of the Victory Bell.

Then again, such things happen when you're a new guy inheriting a program whose predecessor gave you a ridiculous talent deficit. Smallish players. Young ones, too, and the word "physical" wasn't in Miami's football vocabulary when Mike Haywood left his alma mater of Notre Dame as offensive coordinator to take over Miami this season.

Haywood gets it, by the way. He knows that, not only does the Miami football program need players, but it needs a psychologist -- literally. The university has given Haywood permission to hire one to help examine the psyche of his players who have seen the program's glorious past become a ghastly present.

"I'd say 90 percent of their minds are not where they need to be, because when something bad happens, they anticipate something else bad happening, instead of going out and saying, 'I'm going to be the one to make the play,' " said Haywood, 45, a strong disciplinarian who demands that his players are into details -- on the field, in the classroom and during their lives.

In contrast, Shane Montgomery, Haywood's Miami predecessor, was into mellow, which led to three losing seasons out of his four as head coach.

Thus the need for a shrink. He'll be arriving to Miami soon from Michigan State as an accomplished team psychologist. Said Haywood, "When you believe you're going to be the one, and you believe in your teammate, there is slim and none of an opportunity of not having success. And right now, we're hoping. We got to start believing."

Which means, what? "From where (the Roethlisberger years) were, I think we're two years away, because it's all about recruiting," said Haywood, sitting in his Yager Stadium office, with reminders of Miami's storied football history everywhere. Pictures showing the who's who of former head coaches line the hallway walls. In the large plaza (featuring red brick, of course) beyond the south end zone, they are constructing bronze statues of Earl "Red" Blaik, Paul Dietzel, Carmen Cozza, Ewbank, Brown, Parseghian and Schembechler. They all are among the 21 Miami graduates who have been recognized in some form as national collegiate or professional coaches of the year or have been inducted in the college football Hall of Fame.


This Cradle of Coaches thing isn't just a football coaching thing -- well, as you can tell by those from my Hepburn Hall days.

Even beyond those days, Miami produced Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston of the Los Angeles Dodgers, along with Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo and San Diego Chargers vice president Jim Steeg.

What caused all of this?

Ara Parseghian chuckled over the phone from his home in South Bend, Ind., where he helped make Notre Dame famous, and then he said, "You know, it's a question that people have tried to answer for decades about why Miami has produced all this talent, and no one has been able to come up with the perfect answer. But I think Miami may attract a certain type of person. It's a beautiful campus. It's a beautiful environment, and then you go back to the idea that success breeds success. That may be part of it."

Then Parseghian thought about that stretch from 1949 through 1977, when he followed Woody Hayes as head coach and then was succeeded by John Pont, Schembechler, Bill Mallory and Dick Crum.

As a group, they collectively coached for 148 seasons at Miami and other places and won 67 percent of the time.

"Back then, you had one or two guys going out who may have been successful, and they'd been in school with classmates, and then they decided to hire them as their assistants, and the tentacles sort of spread out that way," said Parseghian, before jumping to the present. He remembered the call he received last winter from Haywood when Haywood still was a Notre Dame assistant.

Haywood wanted Parseghian to make a few calls to Miami on his behalf. "When I phoned Brad Bates, the athletics director, he said he already had Mike on his list," said Parseghian, who eventually saw history reverse itself. While Parseghian went from Miami to Notre Dame as head coach (with a pit stop at Northwestern), well, you know the rest, and get this: like Parseghian, Haywood feels a heavy dose of magic on the campuses of Notre Dame and Miami.

It's different magic, though.

"When you walk around the campus of Notre Dame, you feel a certain spirit, and the spirit that you feel is a holy spirit, which makes the place special," said Haywood, a running back for the Fighting Irish in the mid-1980s. "At Notre Dame, you feel like everywhere you go that God is present."

As for Miami, Haywood smiled, saying, "Once again, you still get that safe feeling that you have at Notre Dame. But it's also that people are extremely friendly. It's a warm and welcoming feeling that you get here. And as you walk around, sometimes you walk around in awe. That's because it's unbelievable that, when you drive through cornfields to get here, it's such an unbelievably gorgeous place -- from the cobblestone streets (downtown) to walking down the center of campus with all the trees.

"Sometimes, I say it's like Mayberry R.F.D."

Good description. It's true now, and it was true during my days at Hepburn Hall, still on the north side of campus with its three stories and 270 or so residents. The closer I got to the old dormitory, the more it was the 1970s again, with Ron Zook, Randy Walker, Sherman Smith, Charlie Leibrandt and all the rest.

"Who?" said Philip Dodd after I walked through the front door of Hepburn Hall, where the native of Paris, Texas is a resident assistant.

When I told Dodd that Zook and Walker were former national coaches of the year in college football, and that Smith is the offensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins, and that Leibrandt once was a prominent pitcher in the major leagues, Dodd apologized, saying, "To tell you the truth, I'm not much of a sports fan. Hey, let me introduce you to somebody in the dorm who really is."

So Dodd took me to Dan Nickels, a junior from Knoxville, Tenn., who recognized at least some of Hepburn Hall's noted residents from my day. Nickels even responded with a few "wows" here and there.

Who will be the stars of this Hepburn Hall?

"Oh, boy. Well, we've got a couple of figure skaters who have done very well, and that's really cool," said Nickels, pausing. "As for what this dorm will produce in the future, I know about me. I know I'll be a highly successful attorney in court and procedural law, and I'll deal with malpractice defense. I also want to be a lobbyist."

Not quite my Hepburn Hall, but it's a start.

Terence Moore is a national columnist and commentator for FanHouse. He is a frequent panelist on "Rome Is Burning," an ESPN show hosted by Jim Rome, that is seen Monday through Friday at 4:30 PM ET. Moore spent more than three decades working for major newspapers, including 26 years as an award-winning sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He resides in Atlanta.

What Happened to My Football Program? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Terence MooreSat, 03 Oct 2009 18:40:00 EST How Push Led to Shove in New Mexicohttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/01/how-push-led-to-shove-in-new-mexico/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/01/how-push-led-to-shove-in-new-mexico/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/01/how-push-led-to-shove-in-new-mexico/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Mike LocksleyALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- In a game of inches, none may mean more to Mike Locksley than the ones he didn't take Sept. 20. The first-year New Mexico coach was all but out the door following a heated altercation with wide receivers coach J.B. Gerald, when, he said, he "sort of lost it."

Those inches may wind up costing him everything.

"If I had that moment back ... ," Locksley said to FanHouse in his office Tuesday night. "I was literally walking out the door because I knew I was getting heated and it kept going back and forth. I'm walking out the door and I look over and another word was said and it was set off."

In that moment, he grabbed Gerald, an assistant who had followed him halfway across the country from Illinois. An altercation ensued. When the dust cleared all that was certain was that Gerald had a split lip. And two coaching careers were beginning to unravel, the coda to an argument from earlier in the day, an argument with a decade of history.
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Locksley is in jeopardy of losing his job in his first season as head coach and Gerald, in his first season as a full-time assistant, may be out of coaching permanently.

According to multiple sources who were present Sept. 20, the disagreement began during practice, over an argument about the wide receivers' performance during the 37-13 loss to Air Force the previous day. Locksley let his young assistant have it.

Instead of taking the pointed criticism from his boss and moving on, Gerald fired back.

Gerald told Locksley that not even his mother talks to him that way. Locksley, witnesses said, fired back that his mother wasn't paying Gerald $90,000 a year.
 A back-and-forth exchange ensued and both coaches clung to the last word. According to a police report filed by Gerald, Locksley became angry and approached Gerald in an aggressive manner. Gerald told Locksley that not even his mother talks to him that way. Locksley, witnesses said, fired back that his mother wasn't paying Gerald $90,000 a year.

Then after all the harsh words, it was a simple "Whatever" from Gerald that brought Locksley back into the room after he had begun to leave.

Suddenly, Locksley grabbed Gerald by the collar before the other coaches could separate them. Gerald says he was punched in the mouth; the responding officer acknowledged a split lip.

Locksley doesn't dispute grabbing Gerald. He does, however, deny a punch was thrown. Whatever, both men's careers likely changed that day. Gerald has been on paid leave since the incident. Locksley, who is off to an 0-4 start, faces possible termination from his approximately $750,000 a year job after the university's human resources department opened up an investigation Tuesday.

"I wish I had made a different decision," Locksley said. "I got caught up in the moment, but that should never have happened."

Those who know both said it was just the end result of feelings that had been festering between the two for more than a month. According to several sources close to the program, Locksley and Gerald got into a heated exchange Aug. 13 at practice during camp.

As a coach, the 39-year-old Locksley seems far more interested in making sure his point is understood on the field than he is about the delivery. He grilled Gerald in front the players, fellow coaches, media and others. Having a head coach chastise assistants on the field, while awkward and potentially embarrassing, is not uncommon.

What happened next was.

Gerald, a 27-year-old, first-year, full-time assistant, shouted at his head coach with the same type of profanity-laced language he had just absorbed. The exchange eventually died down, but picked back up as practice wound down and Gerald was walking to meet an awaiting reporter.

J.B. GeraldLocksley declined to discuss the specifics of either exchange.

"In all of my years around here, I had never seen anything like that," said an athletic department source, who wished not to be identified. "It was quite an exchange."

That type of disrespect could have gotten Gerald dismissed, but it didn't because of the history the two share that goes back more than 10 years. Locksley has known the young coach since his days as an assistant coach at Maryland when Gerald was a high school student at DuVal High School in Lanham, Md. Locksley successfully recruited Gerald's best friend, Madieu Williams, to play for the Terps; Gerald went on to play at Colgate.

Years later, Locksley and Gerald became reacquainted as Gerald looked to break into the coaching profession as a graduate assistant at Penn State. At Williams' urging, Locksley became a friend and mentor to Gerald, listening to his desires to speed up his career and offering advice.

Locksley, who by then was the offensive coordinator at Illinois, eventually had an opening for an offensive quality control coach two years ago and offered the job to Gerald, who had spent five years working in various roles on the football staff at Penn State. Gerald worked at Illinois on the staff of Ron Zook for a season before Locksley got the opportunity to be the head coach at New Mexico.

Locksley says because he respected Gerald's skills as a coach and the trust was there, he offered Gerald the position of receivers coach/recruiting coordinator, a highly unusual opportunity for a coach with no full-time experience.

"It was definitely an established relationship. J.B. and I were close," Locksley said. "As I've said, I saw a lot of me in him as a young coach. When I look back, maybe I was too hard on him in that I was being demanding trying to teach him how to do it."

Certainly the risk Locksley took on with a young unproven coach doesn't seem worth it now.

"I saw a lot of me in him as a young coach. When I look back, maybe I was too hard on him.
-- Mike Locksley"
 "I thought because of our relationship that we may be able to work through it," said Locksley, who is also dealing with an EEOC complaint of sexual harassment and age discrimination filed by former 54-year-old office worker, Sylvia Lopez. "Unfortunately it's happened, it should never have happened. But I also know in this business, I've been a part of where it has happened and guys understand it's like family sometimes.

"We work long hours, the frustration of losing, the long hours. I have to admit I had a lot on my plate, especially with the other incident. Things were going on and it was kind of a buildup. I lost it. You never make decisions out of frustration. That's what it boiled down to."

The end result is both coaches' futures are in doubt. The local media has grilled Locksley, saying this latest incident is further proof he isn't ready to be a head coach of an FBS program. The radio sports call-in shows and message boards have been even harsher with most arguments boiling down to this question: Where else could a boss punch his employee and still keep his job?

"Some people think he should have been suspended a game or two, some people think the reprimand was enough and then you have a couple people that are kind of out there, he should be fired," said Leeroy Lucero, who co-hosts a postgame radio show in Albuquerque as well as writes for the theredmenace.com. "I don't believe the majority want to see him fired, but there are a couple vocal people that do."

As much trouble as Locksley's career may be in, Gerald's could be in more. A few former and current head coaches have said privately that Gerald violated trust by going to police first without trying to have the dispute handled internally.

Gerald, however, is just a dissertation short of receiving a PhD. in educational leadership from Penn State so his future could be outside of coaching.
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He has hinted he may want to return to New Mexico, where the door has been left open. Gerald told FanHouse in a brief conversation Tuesday night that he was considering returning to his job, therefore he did not wish to discuss the ordeal in the media.

But in this world of high-pressure, high-stakes athletics, time is ticking on a possible return to the Lobos staff. Graduate assistant Aaron Moorehead has taken over coaching receivers in Gerald's absence.

"We'd like to have J.B. back as part of the staff," New Mexico athletic director Paul Krebs told FanHouse. "We're basically at a point where he is either going to have to come back or we are going to have to put him on reassignment to another area. We are at a point where we need to know which way is he going to go."

Krebs would certainly like to see Locksley be given more time, but admits that may be out of his hands. Depending on what the human resources department finds in its investigation of the ordeal, Locksley could be either suspended or fired. The school conduct code for employees certainly seems to support termination for work place violence. A firing with cause would likely mean Locksley's salary ends on the last day of his employment with the university.

So far Gerald hasn't talked to anyone beyond filing the police report and to this point has declined to press charges against Locksley.

Krebs placed a letter of reprimand in Locksley's file on Monday, but most believe that was a mere slap on the wrist. The final decision on punishment will likely come from the president's office.

"As we stand here today is his job in jeopardy? No," Krebs said. "Based on what I know, what I've seen and what I continue to see, his job is not in jeopardy. But I think it's important to say this is a mistake that can't happen again. It's a mistake he needs to learn from and if he has the kind of leadership skills that I think he has, he will use this as a springboard and he will look back on it one day and remember the struggle of year one.

"But he's got to learn from it and move forward and there can't be no repetition."

The word pressure had been thrown around quite a bit to perhaps explain the emotion that could have led to the blowup Sept. 20. Fans and alumni have already been down on Locksley and his staff after a lackluster showing in the first four games of the regime, which includes troubling losses to Tulsa, Air Force and in-state rival New Mexico State in addition to defeat against Texas A&M in the season opener. New Mexico travels to Lubbock, Texas, this weekend to take on Texas Tech.

Locksley inherited just three returning starters on defense from last year's 4-8 squad, and openly admits his best players are sophomores and redshirt freshmen. Four games in, it's obvious the quick fix Lobo fans hoped for isn't going to happen.

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In this Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, photo, Tulsa quarterback Jacob Bower, right, is tackled by Oklahoma's Jeremy Beal, center, as Adrian Taylor, left, looks on during an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
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    In this Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, photo, Tulsa quarterback Jacob Bower, right, is tackled by Oklahoma's Jeremy Beal, center, as Adrian Taylor, left, looks on during an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

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    In thies Sept. 26, 2009 photo, Michigan safety Jordan Kovacs pushes Indiana running back Darius Willis (28) out of bounds during an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich. Kovacs, a redshirt freshman, is one of a number of walk-ons who are seeing significant playing time for the Wolverines this season. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

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    In this Sept. 26, 2009 photo, Michigan safety Jordan Kovacs (32) is seen after a tackle during an NCAA college football game against Indiana in Ann Arbor, Mich. Kovacs, a redshirt freshman, is one of a number of walk-ons who are seeing significant playing time for the Wolverines this season. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

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    In this Sept. 26, 2009 photo, Virginia Tech tailback Ryan Williams, carries a flag on to the field prior to the start of the Miami-Virginia Tech NCAA college football game at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

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    In this Sept. 19, 2009 photo, Virginia Tech tail back Ryan Williams powers forward for extra yardage during the first half of the Nebraska Virginia Tech NCAA college football game at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

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    In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo, Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark walks the sideline during the second half of an college football game against Syracuse in State College, Pa. Penn State won 28-7. Penn State takes on Illinois on Saturday Oct. 3, 2009 in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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    In this photo taken on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen (7) pitches the football as guard Chris Stewart (59) and center Eric Olsen (55) block during the fourth quarter of an NCAA football game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. Notre Dame won 24-21. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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    In this photo taken on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, Notre Dame guard Chris Stewart (59), offensive tackle Paul Duncan (72) and guard Trevor Robinson (78) react following a touchdown by Notre Dame during the fourth quarter of an NCAA football game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. Notre Dame won 24-21. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

    AP

    Dan Beebe, left, Big 12 Conference commissioner, listens as John Marinatto, Big East Conference commissioner, speaks at a press conference, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009 at Yankee Stadium in New York. The NCAA college football conferences and the New York Yankees announced on Wednesday that they have agreed to a four-year deal to play the first bowl in the Bronx since 1962. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin)

    AP

    New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, center, speaks, as New York Yankees' managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner left, and Yankees' president Randy Levine, right, listen during a news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009 at Yankee Stadium in New York. The Big East and Big 12 NCAA college football conferences and the Yankees announced on Wednesday that they have agreed to a four-year deal to play the first bowl in the Bronx since 1962.(AP Photo/Stephen Chernin)

    AP



"We probably didn't prepare the community for the rebuilding job that awaited him," Krebs admits. "I think there was expectation that we had enough talent that he was going to come in and make this conversion to a new scheme on offense and defense and kind of get back to some of the better years (former coach Rocky Long) had.

"But the reality is we were a 4-8 team ... and our talent really has not fit this scheme. So we are really going through a growing process, probably more traumatic than our community realizes. I think they were a little bit prepared for what's happened."

At least one source with intimate knowledge of the New Mexico program, however, pinpoints the inexperience of Locksley's staff, especially on offense, for some of the struggles.

In addition to Gerald, centers and guards coach Mike Degory and quarterbacks coach Tee Martin, the former national championship quarterback at Tennessee, are in their first seasons as full-time assistant coaches at the FBS level. Offensive tackles and tight ends coach Cheston Blackshere spent the previous three years at Columbia University after spending 2005 working as Locksley's graduate assistant at Illinois.

The Lobos rank 118th out of 120 schools in total offense after producing just 262.0 yards of offense per game and only five offensive touchdowns in the first four games.

"There is one thing to bring in guys you trust, but at this level you have to have experienced coaches," said a coach with knowledge of the situation. "You can maybe get away with one inexperienced coach but not four at such critical positions."

Krebs defends his coach and the staff he put together.

"I believe in the guy," he said. "I think he has the makings of a great head coach, I think he is a good teacher, he's surrounded himself with good stuff, they are recruiting well. I like the accountability they are instilling in the program; I like the culture change they are instilling.

"But when you are 0-4 and you've had these marks, people are questioning his leadership and I understand that. I think we have to hold tight and look forward to better days."

The question is whether Locksley will be around to enjoy them. Krebs certainly seems to hope so.

Should Locksley fail so quickly and with so much controversy, it's unlikely he would get another head coaching shot anytime soon.

"He needs a champion. Nobody is taking his side in this," Krebs said. "The local press is beating him in this. I think the guy has a chance to be a great head coach. I think he's got a lot of skill. It needs some refinement but he's got a lot of ability. He knows this is his shot. I want to make sure he is given a fair shot, he's given a fair chance to succeed like I think he can.

"Our struggles have compounded some mistakes he's made, probably heightened the tension if you will."

All because of ... Whatever.

How Push Led to Shove in New Mexico originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>J.B. GeraldJ.b.GeraldJB GableJB Geraldmadieu williamsMadieuWilliamsMike LocksleyMikeLocksleyPaul KrebsPaulKrebsrocky longRockyLongron zookRonZooktee martinTeeMartinTerrance HarrisThu, 01 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST Sarkisian Groomed for Upsets Like Thishttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/20/sarkisian-groomed-for-triumphs-like-this/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/20/sarkisian-groomed-for-triumphs-like-this/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/20/sarkisian-groomed-for-triumphs-like-this/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Steve SarkisianFor those who know Washington's Steve Sarkisian and have followed his journey from unknown junior college quarterback to first-year Pac-10 head coach, the Huskies' 16-13 victory over USC on Saturday should not come as a surprise.

That's because Sarkisian is a true idealist and competitor who had prepared himself for this moment for years.

And USC coach Pete Carroll -- the ultimate optimistic who loves every challenge -- knew this as well as anyone.

For seven seasons, Sarkisian worked under Carroll as an offensive assistant for the Trojans and although they may not have been best friends, the coaches grew close enough to respect the other's will to compete.

How could they not after spending so much time together?

From eating late night meals and holding team meetings to traveling on recruiting trips and playing pick-up basketball, it was always Sarkisian and Carroll.

A lot of time to get to know each other's tendencies and for people like Sarkisian and Carroll, that's the definition of competition.

"As far as the relationship going into this game, there's nothing I've liked more than playing against people that I really love, and friends and people that I've worked with," Carroll said prior to Saturday's game. "For whatever sordid reason that is, I don't know. I can't explain it, but it's fun to go against our guys. It will be fun to match up with a program that is similar to ours."

Unfortunately for Carroll, years from now it's likely that Sarkisian will remember Saturday's matchup as fun.

Early on, however, it certainly didn't look like it would end up that way for Sarkisian and the Huskies.

With third-year sophomore quarterback Aaron Corp making his first start due to an injury to true freshman Matt Barkley, USC featured a punishing ground game and took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.

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SEATTLE - SEPTEMBER 19: Wide receiver Devin Aguilar #9 of the Washington Huskies just misses this catch at the goal line against Josh Pinkard #36 of the USC Trojans on September 19, 2009 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The Huskies defeated the Trojans 16-13. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Josh Pinkard;Devin Aguilar
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"Early in the game, you would have thought we would have gotten beat, 50-0," Sarkisian told reporters after the Huskies defeated USC for the first time since 2001 and avenged last season's 59-0 loss to the Trojans at the Coliseum.

The Huskies definitely looked like an overmatched team. Washington's defense was getting chopped up and the Trojans' running backs Joe McKnight and Stafon Johnson ran through holes big enough to fit Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming at the same time.

But Sarkisian did not panic and his team responded. Once the Huskies figured out Carroll's conservative approach with Corp, Washington concentrated on shutting down USC's rushing attack on running downs.

A tactic that worked to perfection when the Trojans kept to the ground and failed to take advantage Corps' mobility (his biggest asset as a quarterback) by keeping him in the pocket.

"We didn't throw the ball very well today," Carroll said after the game. "It was obvious. We threw the ball for 110 yards and couldn't get the ball down the field. We rarely get in that situation."

Throughout the game, USC seemed content not to take chances passing the ball and this allowed Washington defensive coordinator Nick Holt, who spent six seasons as an assistant working under Carroll at USC, to dictate play for much of the final three quarters.

Even when the Trojans had the Huskies on the rope, their conservative approach hurt them. That was the case late in the fourth quarter.

With Washington leading, 13-10, USC drove the ball to the Huskies' 11, thanks to two misdirection runs by McKnight and Johnson. But after catching Holt's defense off-guard for big gains, two of USC's next three plays were similar runs behind the right side of the line, which forced the Trojans to settle for a field goal to tie the score at 13-13 setting the stage for Sarkisian's biggest competitive move of the game.

With the Huskies needing only a field goal to win, Sarkisian did not force things with his play-calling on the Huskies' final drive. Instead of looking for big pass plays down the field, Washington quarterback Jake Locker was given plenty to work with underneath and that was a big plus against the Trojans' aggressive defense.

Yet, early in the game-winning drive, USC still had Washington's offense under control when the Huskies were stuck with a third-down and 15 from their own 28-yard line.

Following a time-out called by Carroll, who was looking to get the ball back to win the game, Sarkisian outguessed his mentor. Knowing Carroll's tendency to play it safe with a two-deep safety coverage in situations like this, Washington called on a pass play in the middle of the field.

With USC opting not to blitz and rush only four players, Locker had enough time to complete a key 21-yard pass to tight end Jermaine Kearse for a first down to keep the Huskies' drive alive.

The rest is history. Even though Washington made a couple of more big plays that led up to Erik Folk's game-clinching 22-yard field goal, the true turning point was Sarkisian's third down call to find Kearse.

It's a play that Carroll will remember and a moment Sarkisian likely had envisioned before.

That's what competition is all about.

Sarkisian Groomed for Upsets Like This originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Lonnie WhiteSun, 20 Sep 2009 01:43:00 EST Illini's Ron Zook Was One of Ushttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/17/illinis-ron-zook-was-one-of-us/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/17/illinis-ron-zook-was-one-of-us/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/17/illinis-ron-zook-was-one-of-us/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Ron ZookCHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Ron Zook kept interrupting his storytelling with smiles and chuckles. Despite enough pressure around his fifth year as head football coach at the University of Illinois to tackle a Galloping Ghost (you know, as in Red Grange from the Illini's distant glory days), he was having a blast.

That's because, as Zook leaned forward on the couch inside his office near Memorial Stadium, he couldn't stop rattling off 35-something-year-old memories of Hepburn Hall, the most unusual of college dormitories.

"What game are they coming to?" said Zook, with wide eyes, looking across the way to his wife, Denise. After she replied, "Michigan State," he named some of the old Hepburn Hall gang and others that he invites to town every year. "About 20 of them," Zook said, before adding, "After the game, they come to my house, and it's a good time." Then he said with a little laugh, "They have a lot more fun than me."

I dare you to find another dormitory like this one. You won't, by the way, and to make my point, I'll occasionally tell you during the next three weeks about several of the 270 or so dreamers who spent the mid-1970s inside this three-story, Georgian-styled residence hall, located among the eternal red bricks and highly manicured grounds of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

This was one of 36 dorms on a campus of around 15,000 students, and like those others, Hepburn Hall was for anybody. It didn't exist solely to house nuclear physicists, CEOs of large companies or even sports journalists and prominent folks in other aspects of athletics. Even so, our generation of Hepburn Hall produced all of that. And here's the strangest thing: Many of us knew much about each other (as in our strengths, weaknesses, wishes, desires), but none of us saw any of this coming.

It just happened. It happened fast, and it happened big time. For instance, regarding the sporting universe, our Hepburn Hall produced ...

Two guys who captured national and conference Coach Of The Year honors at the Division I-A level of college football. A member of the NFL All-Rookie team who became a prolific runner in the league for a decade. A starting second baseman for a dozen years in the major leagues. A veteran pitcher who helped set the foundation for a team's record 14 consecutive division titles. An NFL offensive coordinator who was among the original icons of an expansion team. A multiple award-winning baseball coach who has taken his team to three College World Series trips. An accomplished minor-league manager for a storied franchise. A Division II athletic director.

Oh, and a national sports columnist for FanHouse.

So what's the deal here? I mean, this would be slightly more than incredible if you had this collection of individuals as alumni of the same college at any time -- but at the same time and inside of the same dormitory?

This is The Twilight Zone times The X-Files.

"I don't know what caused this. I really don't, but I do know that (Miami) is just a great, great university that's great academically, and it's kind of a little utopia with its beautiful campus that just grabs you," said Zook, 55, a native of Loudonville, Ohio . "I know from the sports point of view, most of us, but not all of us, were from the state of Ohio that has very, very good high school coaching. Then at Miami, people were recruiting character students, and the evaluation was much more on finding football players, for instance, and not so much on height, weight, speed. That sort of thing."

That was a good thing for Zook, a walk-on, who eventually spent his senior year as the captain of Miami's 1975 football team. Zook's Miami was THE Miami in the nation before that other one in south Florida. In fact, during his tenure at Miami (Ohio) as a hard-slamming, high-energy defensive back, his team known as the Redskins back then finished 32-1-1 with bowl victories in consecutive years over Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The only thing that kept Miami from going undefeated during that stretch was a one-point loss at Michigan State and a tie at Purdue.

Not only that, with Zook demanding that his teammates do nothing less along the way, Miami finished those three seasons ranked 15th, 10th and 12th respectively in the final Associated Press polls. Said Zook, "I can remember many times that we would be down playing Kentucky or whoever, and it would be a tough game, but never was there a concern on our sidelines as to whether we would win or not.

"It was always like, 'We better get our butt together. Hey, we got to get going.' And all of those lessons that I learned at Miami are the lessons that I've tried to instill into our team here and at every place I've ever coached."

In case you're wondering, Zook has coached forever, and this makes no sense. "I know I never saw this coming," he said, shaking his head, reflecting back on his days at Hepburn Hall, where he often returned from the grueling summer practices of hard-driving coaches Bill Mallory and Dick Crum with earaches, other aches and deep thoughts of never seeing shoulder pads or chinstraps again.

Which leads us to Zook chuckling again while sharing one of his favorite Hepburn Hall stories. To have him tell it, he wasn't chuckling to start his senior year at Miami -- not with the prospect of suffering more aches from those coaches by arriving late to summer drills. In fact, Zook said he was frowning back then as he roared down one of the extremely scenic but infamously dangerous two-lane highways that winds through southwestern Ohio into Oxford.

"So we're coming down that long hill heading toward town, and I'm driving, with Jim Feucht (noted Hepburn Hall wild man and Zook teammate), knowing that we're going to hell with another one of those football camps, and I'm passing these cars, and there's a car coming right at us," said Zook, rocking on the couch, with hands moving to describe the scene. "Well, Feucht looks at me and says real calmly, 'I don't think we're going to make it,' and I just keep flying down the highway."

Then Zook glanced at his wife, Denise, and said, "You never heard this story," and he continued in the same breath, "The next thing you know, I'm zipping around on campus, and we pull right up on the front yard of Hepburn Hall.

"We're out there unloading our stuff, and there's a freshman named Pat McDermott and his mom, and she's telling Coach Crum, 'You wouldn't believe it, these kids. Whoever was driving this car out there on the highway almost got killed.' "

With a baffled expression, Denise said, "Did your brakes go out?"

Zook responded, "No, I was just ..."

He laughed. In addition to his story of the moment, he could have been tickled by his career path since leaving Miami. Somehow, this northern Ohio kid who wished to become a dentist evolved into a prolific football recruiter and defensive coaching specialist. His career has spanned from Murray State, Cincinnati, Kansas and Tennessee to Virginia Tech, Ohio State and Florida. There were stops in the pros with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints.


Zook also did the equivalent of shoving a kicking tee down his throat by succeeding Steve Spurrier as head coach at Florida. Not surprisingly, he was fired after three decent seasons in 2004, mostly for not being the other guy, and then he took over a traditionally mediocre Illinois program that showed a pulse two seasons ago. The Illini pulled an upset at Ohio State along the way to a 9-4 finish, but they ended as losers overall last year for the third time in Zook's four years at Illinois.

Thus the pressure on Zook right now. Consider, too, that the Illini were wretched during a 37-9 loss in their opener this season against Missouri. They handled lowly Illinois State last week, but they play three real teams in a row (Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State) beginning a week from Saturday in Columbus.

Still, Zook's goal for Illinois hasn't changed, and it is expressed in the word "believe," which is written everywhere throughout the football complex.

"The best chance you have at reaching your own goal is to have everybody having the same goal and also having everybody help each other reach those goals," said Zook, who sounds like Ara Parseghian, which is to say his voice is inspirationally hoarse. He also is a 21st century version of Woody Hayes, a noted scholar of military history. In other words, as a disciple of the Blue Angels and all things U.S. Navy, Zook resembles the late Hayes by taking a soldierly approach to coaching.

It's just a coincidence that Zook has the traits of Parseghian and Hayes, both College Football Hall of Famers and both among the slew of those who rocked the Cradle of Coaches at Miami (Ohio) with Paul Brown, Weeb Ewbank, Bo Schembechler and others that I'll discuss in the future.

This isn't a coincidence: Once upon a time, when the world was decades younger, Zook was one of us.

Terence Moore, Class of '78, was part of Hepburn Hall, a dormitory at Miami (Ohio) University that produced a slew of prominent sports figures. He will continue with part two of this four-part series next Wednesday.

Illini's Ron Zook Was One of Us originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Ron ZookTerence MooreThu, 17 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST ACC Notebook: Miami Gets Its Wishhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/17/acc-notebook-georgia-tech-used-to-thursday-night-lights/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/17/acc-notebook-georgia-tech-used-to-thursday-night-lights/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/17/acc-notebook-georgia-tech-used-to-thursday-night-lights/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Jonathan DwyerPlaying consecutive Thursday night games has left Georgia Tech checking its calendar.

The Yellow Jackets relied on dramatics to beat visiting Clemson last Thursday, squandering an early 24-point advantage, only to have Scott Blair save the day with a 36-yard field goal with under a minute to play. After catching its breath, Georgia Tech meets Miami in an ACC Coastal Division showdown Thursday at Land Shark Stadium.

"Like they say, it is a fast turnaround," Tech coach Paul Johnson said. "We are trying to figure out what day it is. It is a huge challenge this week going to Miami, a very talented team. They have a lot of great athletes and a lot of history and tradition."
Georgia Tech, however, has recent history on its side. The Yellow Jackets have won the last four meetings in the series, including a 41-23 victory last season in Atlanta. The Hurricanes were so embarrassed by their performance, also on a Thursday night, that they wanted and asked the ACC for a Thursday night rematch in 2009. They got their wish.

UM should be fresh. The Hurricanes beat Florida State 10 days ago in their season opener. And take one guess what the Hurricanes have focused on during practice -- slowing Tech's triple option. Not that Miami head coach Randy Shannon needs to be reminded, but the Yellow Jackets had 472 yards rushing and 518 yards in total offense a year ago.

"They do run a triple option and they have about four or five different scenarios on how they will run it," Shannon explained.

"The biggest factor will be [Jonathan] Dwyer. The fullback must be accounted for on every single play. If he happens to get into the open field, we have to get him down for a 10- or 12-yard gain and then line up again. We cannot afford him to get long runs against us and that's what makes their offense go."

Tech's offense has certainly been a go-go. The Yellow Jackets have scored 30-plus points in each of their first two games of the season for just the second time in seven years. Tech might not pass that often -- 27 attempts through two games -- but the Yellow Jackets are averaging 25.4 yards per completion.

Jerrard Tarrant Let's not forget defense or special teams. The Yellow Jackets have not allowed a rushing touchdown this season and have allowed just one rushing play of 20 yards or longer. Sophomore Jerrard Tarrant has returned punts for touchdowns in each of the first two games -- 68 yards against Jacksonville State and 85 yards against Clemson.

Johnson also has calculated the importance of winning a division game.

"I think to get to where we want to go we certainly have to beat our division opponents," Johnson said.

"The last one (against Clemson) was huge in that you can't afford to lose a conference game at home. But you can say the same thing for when you play a game out of your division because it almost counts as two games. We saw how that worked last year when we lost the first division game to Virginia Tech and it came back to haunt us at the end as we were tied in the record, but we lost the (title) head-to-head."

Oops, Penalty Flag

ACC officials have reviewed the tape and a ruling has been made -- Georgia Tech's fake field goal that went for a touchdown in the opening quarter against Clemson was actually an illegal play and violated substitution rules.

On the play, Georgia Tech scored on a 34-yard pass from kicker Scott Blair to Demaryius Thomas off a fake kick. Thomas remained on the field, near the Tech sideline, while the rest of his teammates were subbed for the kicking team.

Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson said he alerted officials about the play prior to the game and said he was surprised by the ruling.

"The ACC after the game interpreted that as a violation. Alright, well, we're in the league. If that's illegal, we won't do it anymore," Johnson said. "But I've done it before and it hasn't been a problem. If you've got a trick play before the game you tell them what's going to happen, and I told them. If it had been illegal, they should've told us then."

ACC coordinator of football officials Doug Rhoads said Monday that the play should have been flagged and nullified for violating a rule prohibiting substitution tactics that may confuse opponents. The ruling, of course, won't change the game's outcome.

Shovel, Flashlight or Worm?

Al GrohVirginia coach Al Groh has relied on a number of motivational strategies during his career. He may need one soon as the winless Cavs travel to Southern Miss on Saturday.

Groh's most famous example was bringing a shovel to the sideline, which he did as an assistant with the New England Patriots under Bill Parcells in 1994. After starting the season 3-6, the shovel was meant to symbolize his players digging themselves out of a hole. The Patriots would not lose another regular season game as the shovel remained on the sideline.

Other examples include passing out flashlights to the players -- Groh did this as the head coach of the New York Jets in 2000. The gesture was a dig at the previously traded Keyshawn Johnson, who called himself a "star" in comparison to Jets receiver Wayne Chrebet, who was just a "flashlight." Going back even further, Groh, as the head caoch for Wake Forest in 1984, ate a worm after referencing an Alaskan ice fisherman, who kept worms in his lower lip in order to keep them warm and catch the best fish. On both those occasions, his teams pulled of an upset in the next game.

"I might go to something," Groh admitted. "I might put the worm third though."

Call Heads or Tails

North Carolina State's Eddie Gardner, who has been involved with the Wolfpack program in some capacity since the late 1970s and has been the football team's equipment manager since 1986, will provide the ceremonial coin toss in Saturday's game against Gardner-Webb. Gardner is retiring at the end of the month.

"He's the flipper," N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien

And, in case you are wondering, O'Brien says it's a mere coincidence and has nothing to do with his last name being Gardner and the opponent Gardner-Webb. Gardner has served in his role as equipment manager under the past four head coaches and has worked for every coach since Bo Rein (1976-79).

Don't Remind Me

Maryland's Ralph Friedgen has called last year's 24-14 loss at Middle Tennessee as one of the worst defeats of his coaching career. Saturday's rematch in College Park, Md., is also expected to be a tussle.

The Blue Raiders (1-1) are riding high following last weekend's impressive 31-14 win over Memphis. They showed improvement in all phases of the game after falling to Clemson in the season opener. Maryland, meanwhile, needed overtime last Saturday to beat visiting James Madison, 38-35. The Terps have won eight of their last nine at home dating back to the 2007 season.

While the Fridge isn't big on revenge, he expects his team to be.

"I think our kids want to win this game for what happened last year," Friedgen said. "If they don't, I don't know what's going through their veins."

By the Numbers

Boston College's two-headed quarterback -- Justin Tuggle and Dave Shinskie -- combined to throw for 223 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Kent State. ... Clemson scored 27 unanswered points in the 30-27 defeat at Georgia Tech. ... FSU quarterback Christian Ponder completed 22 of 35 passes for a career-high 324 yards in the win over Jacksonville State. ... Maryland's young defense surrendered 418 yards of total offense, including 268 rushing, in a win over James Madison. ... Quarterback Russell Wilson bounced back from a poor performance against South Carolina a week earlier, by completing 15- of-21 passes, for 228 yards and four touchdowns in a win against Murray State. N.C. State's defense allowed just one yard rushing (net) and 36 total yards in the game. ... Riley Skinner, who had all kinds of problems in the opener against Baylor, completed 18-of-26 passes for 187 yards and one touchdown in the victory over visiting Stanford. ... Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis became only the second player at Duke and 14th in ACC history to amass 50 career touchdown passes with a strike against Army. Linebacker Vincent Rey and defensive end Ayanga Okpokowuruk each had 10 tackles in the game. .. Anthony Allen averaged more than 25 yards on his five carries and finished with 127 yards, including a 82-yard score in the first quarter, in the win over Clemson. ... North Carolina has now allowed just 16 total points in the first two games, its lowest total to start a season since 1996. ... Virginia had just 177 yards of total offense and failed to snap even one play in the red zone (inside opponent's 20-yard line) in home defeat to TCU. ... Virginia Tech had 605 yards of total offense (most since 2001), including 444 rushing yards, in win over Marshall.

ACC Notebook: Miami Gets Its Wish originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Al GrohJonathan DwyerPaul JohnsonRalph FriedgenJim HenryThu, 17 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST Michigan in Rear-View Mirror for Irishhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/15/ann-arbor-rearview-mirror/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/15/ann-arbor-rearview-mirror/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/15/ann-arbor-rearview-mirror/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Notre Dame, MichiganSome final thoughts on Notre Dame-Michigan: Neither team was ranked in the top 15, so why did it feel like such a classic contest? Is it just the uniforms? The 110,000 fans? The presence of Holly Rowe on the sidelines? Maybe a little of all of the above, plus: a kickoff return for a touchdown, a Statue of Liberty play, a gutsy, fourth down QB sneak, a last-second touchdown and no shortage of controversy.

Last year's game was forgettable, but this one had the feel of a classic. Michigan should feel awfully good about itself after the win. On to the musings:

1) Who knew that Michigan's Forcier would be the more golden Tate on Saturday? Michigan frosh QB Tate Forcier has been rightly praised for his performance in Saturday, while Irish wideout Golden Tate has drawn mild criticism for the two fourth-quarter passes he dropped.

Tate actually had a pretty decent outing, catching a game-high nine passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Much has been made about the two passes Tate allowed to slip through his hands in the fourth quarter -- a rarity considering the bizarre grabs Tate has become known for the past two seasons -- but both both drops occurred on the same drive, a march that ended with Tate catching a pass at the 5-yard line and practically strolling into the end zone after the defender overplayed the ball.

Two dropped passes? Yes. But, considering that the Irish scored on that drive, anyway -- that Tate scored, in fact -- those drops were mostly irrelevant.
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2) I'm watching a replay of Saturday's game. Forcier's fourth-down QB sneak in which he jukes Irish linebacker Darius Fleming and then heads upfield, completely untouched, for a 31-yard touchdown. And then I hear Matt Millen, ABC's color commentator, say, "If you look real close, there's a jock strap on the field and it belongs to Darius Fleming."

I have two problems (maybe more, but I'll list only two) with what Millen said: First, for Matt Millen to make a snarky remark about any perceived gridiron failure taking place in the state of Michigan is absolutely shameless. Really?

Second, Millen should know better. Fleming had outside contain and he did his job. He kept Forcier from getting to the outside. Watch the play on YouTube if you don't have it on DVR. Middle linebacker Brian Smith blitzes, but he heads into traffic instead of staying home where the hole was. Smith buys the handoff fake hook, line and sinker and is still heading upfield, lost in a sea of offensive linemen, when Forcier is five yards downfield.

3) That interception by Kyle McCarthy in the fourth quarter? Tom Zbikowski would have pitched it -- Raeshon McNeil and Darrin Walls were both waiting ... it was like watching the All-Blacks take on the Kiwis. Anyway, Zibby would have pitched it and who knows, McNeil had plenty of daylight in front of him.

4) If you want to see the best run-blocking the Irish have done in, what, all of Weis's tenure, take a gander on the final touchdown scamper by Armando Allen. Sam Young basically steamrolls his man all the way to Ypsilanti, while Chris Stewart takes his man into the end zone. The entire O-line just owned the line of scrimmage on that play, something that hasn't been seen around here in awhile.

5) You know who is extremely relieved that no one in Ann Arbor is talking about him this week? LaTerryal Savoy. He's the Wolverine wideout who dropped the easy catch in the end zone one play before the game-winning TD.

6) On the game-winning touchdown, the body language of Harrison Smith says it all. It looks as if the Irish line up in the proper defense. Smith is lined up inside Greg Matthews to cut off any slant option. McNeil is lined up to outside shoulder of Mathews and, if he stays there, the Wolverine wideout never comes open. The Irish corner bites on the inside fake, though, and that allows Mathews to spring open outside. And there's Smith, just looking on helplessly.

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Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno gestures as he answers a question during his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 in State College, Pa. Penn State plays Temple at home on Saturday. (AP Photo/Pat Little)
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    Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno gestures as he answers a question during his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 in State College, Pa. Penn State plays Temple at home on Saturday. (AP Photo/Pat Little)

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    Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno answers a question during his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 in State College, Pa. Penn State plays Temple at home on Saturday. (AP Photo/Pat Little)

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    Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy speaks during a news conference in Stillwater, Okla., Monday, Sept. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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    Wisconsin head football coach Bret Bielema screams during the second half of an NCAA football game Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in Madison, Wis. It took two overtimes for a flu-ravaged Wisconsin team to defeat Fresno State. As the Badgers look toward Wofford this week, Bielema gives an update on how his team is handling the flu outbreak that affected 40 players last week. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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    In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo Penn State linebacker Sean Lee, left, walks away after sacking Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus, right, during the second half of their NCAA college football game in State College, Pa. Lee was so active against Syracuse, it seemed like the Penn State linebacker spent all day leveling opponents behind the line of scrimmage. Any lingering doubts about the health of his surgically-repaired right knee were erased in a dominating performance against the Orange. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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    In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo, Penn State linebacker Sean Lee (45) stands with assistant coach Tom Bradley on the sideline during the second half of their college football game against Syracuse in State College, Pa. Lee was so active against Syracuse, it seemed like the Penn State linebacker spent all day leveling opponents behind the line of scrimmage. Any lingering doubts about the health of his surgically-repaired right knee were erased in a dominating performance against the Orange. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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    COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Stafon Johnson #13 of the USC Trojans celebrates in the end zone with teammate Jarvis Jones #10 after scoring a two yard touchdown in the fourth quarter over the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 12, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. USC won the game 18-15. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stafon Johnson; Jarvis Jones

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7) It happens every September (and usually following a loss). One extremely earnest, hyper-sensitive Notre Dame undergrad (aren't you being redundant, JW?) takes issue with some aspect of the Saturday football experience (e.g., seniors leaving the game in the third quarter of a blowout, or male students' unhealthy infatuation with the USC Song Girls, etc.), expressing said displeasure in a letter to the editor of The Observer.

Said letter is published, triggering a vigorous excoriation from another student or students in the following day's paper. This is what's so great about Twitter: the entire slapfight is over in a matter of minutes. But in the old world forum of print media, the volley of insults can last for up to two weeks. It usually ends, by the way, with a third voice writing in to The Observer admonishing both of them for devoting so much energy to an argument about football when there's so much hunger and social injustice in the world. Who knew Sinead O'Connor reads The Observer, right?

Anyway, the first shot in this season's letters-to-the-editor war was fired Monday by Kale Frank, a drum major in the Notre Dame band. Frank, who had a sideline view of the Michigan loss as did the entire band, chastised the football players for not remaining on the field after the crushing defeat to sing the alma mater with the band.

Seriously.

Frank wrote that "I win and lose, live and die" with the team every Saturday.

It was no surprise, then, to open Tuesday's Observer and find this rebuttal from N.D. senior Corey McNeilly:

"Dear Kale Frank,
You dress up in a funny costume and play an instrument. Nothing more, nothing less. Please do not feel like you have the authority to berate the football team because they decided to leave the game early."

McNeilly signed off with a "Very Respectfully".

That is so Domer.

Michigan in Rear-View Mirror for Irish originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>John WaltersTue, 15 Sep 2009 16:37:00 EST Hawkins' Tenure at Colorado Becoming an Embarrassmenthttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/13/hawkins-tenure-at-colorado-becoming-an-embarrassment/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/13/hawkins-tenure-at-colorado-becoming-an-embarrassment/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/13/hawkins-tenure-at-colorado-becoming-an-embarrassment/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Dan HawkinsPerhaps Colorado coach Dan Hawkins somewhere internally knew his tenure was in trouble when he made the infamous 10-win prediction prior to this season.

That's what desperate coaches do to soothe a restless fan base. Smart ones just shut up and coach.

But two games into Hawkins' fourth season in Boulder, we're finding out Boise State isn't exactly the cradle of coaches and that it's time for the Hawkins experiment to end. The Buffaloes' latest embarrassment, a 54-38 drubbing at the hands of middle of the pact Mid-American Conference foe Toledo on Friday night at the Glass Bowl.

The Rockets led 23-3 at halftime and 30-3 before their first punt in the third quarter before Colorado made it deceptively interesting between late in the third quarter and the fourth.

Fans may not have wanted Hawkins to board the plane early Saturday morning. They certainly don't want the unimpressive Hawkins coaching the Buffaloes any longer.

"It's the nature of the beast that (fans) want us to win," Hawkins said. "All I can do is all I can do. We're going to have some supporters, we're going to have some detractors.

"I can't control what people think, nor am I willing. I know inside our program we're doing things right ... we've just got to grow up a little, get our momentum to turn and it can be way different."

Chances of that are about as likely as former Buffs coaches Rick Neuheisel and Gary Barnett leading the way at Holy Cross. Hawkins' body of work at Colorado, a 13-26 record, has been way too shameful. His Buffaloes' start to their supposed 10-win season -- blowout losses to ... ummm, Colorado State and Toledo -- have been way too unforgivable.

If a quarterback like Aaron Opelt, who hasn't come close to distinguishing himself in the MAC, can blister the Buffaloes defense for 428 total yard and six touchdowns (four passing, two rushing), what is Heisman Trophy candidate Colt McCoy going to do when Colorado visits Texas on Oct. 10th? What about Todd Reesing and the Kansas Jayhawks on Oct. 17th or Blaine Gabbert and Missouri on Halloween or Zac Robinson and Oklahoma State's high-powered offense on Nov. 19th.

Can you say bombs away?

CU athletic director Mike Bohn fired Barnett after the Buffaloes were torched by the Longhorns, 70-3, in the 2005 Big 12 championship game. These first two losses this season to CSU and Toledo, in which the Buffaloes dug deep first-half holes for themselves, are worse.

The onus is now on Bohn, who plucked Hawkins from Boise State after a few successful seasons, to end the misery in Boulder. Bohn sounds like a man who knows what must be done and is now beginning the process of dotting the I's and crossing the T's.

"I know there's anger. How are we going to respond? Are we going to start knee-jerking?" Bohn said to the Denver Post following Friday night's fiasco in Toledo. "If we decided it was time to go the Johnny Next Coach route, what kind of message would that send?"

It would send the message Colorado is serious about winning and returning to its national championship contention ways. Doing nothing would set the program way too far back with Nebraska on a resurgence in the Big 12 North. Prized running back recruit Darrell Scott is probably already having second thoughts about choosing the Buffaloes over Texas after the first two games of his college career.

Hawkins is placing the blame everywhere but where it belongs and that's with him and the weak arm of his quarterback son Cody, who apparently suffered a mild concussion at the end of Friday night's game. Sure, the defense gave up 624 yards of total offense to the Rockets on Friday night, but the evidence of Cody's lack of growth in three years was much more glaring.

Due to another slow start, Cody was forced to throw 64 passes against Toledo. And he was often off the mark as he overthrew several receivers, while completing 30 of them for 356 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

Still, Hawkins seemed to place the greatest blame on the defensive side of the ball.

"Man ... we just have to look at (the defense)," Hawkins said on the school's website. "There were too many big plays, that's for sure. It's a little bit of a getting adjusted issue in the game."

That might make sense in the first year of a coaching staff. It's inexcusable in the fourth.

Certainly Bohn knows as much. He's just trying to buy some time as he wonders about the wisdom in extending Hawkins last year through 2012, but his rationalizations in the process seem a little odd.

"How many times did Texas and Oklahoma take to get the right coach? About four," Bohn said to the Post. "But we're not about to give up on Dan Hawkins."

Bohn will soon have no choice. Or the fans and boosters will give up on him, as well.

Hawkins' Tenure at Colorado Becoming an Embarrassment originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>dan hawkinsDanHawkinsgary barnettGaryBarnettrick neuheiselRickNeuheiselTerrance HarrisSun, 13 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EST FSU President Rips NCAA's Investigationhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/07/fsu-president-rips-ncaas-investigation/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/07/fsu-president-rips-ncaas-investigation/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/07/fsu-president-rips-ncaas-investigation/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Bobby BowdenTALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State President T.K. Wetherell continues to voice his stern displeasure with the NCAA in the organization's handling of the Seminoles' appeal in an athletic-sanctions case. In fact, in a pregame interview Monday before the FSU-Miami game at Doak Campbell Stadium with ABC/ESPN, Wetherell described the NCAA's dealing with the Seminoles as a "bait-and-switch."

Wetherell has criticized the NCAA's plan to strip coaches and athletes of wins in 10 sports. Head coach Bobby Bowden would lose 14 victories in the ruling, all but ending his historic race with Joe Paterno of Penn State as major college football's winningest coach. Bowden has 382 victories, two behind Paterno heading into the UM showdown. The Nittany Lions opened their season Saturday with a convincing 31-7 win over visiting Akron.

"This isn't just about saving Bobby Bowden's wins as the public perception might be," Wetherell said. "It's about the NCAA, as an institution, and the agreement it had with Florida State University."

FSU is scheduled to present its case before the NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee on Nov. 15 at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. Wetherell has been at odds with the NCAA on past occasions -- he led the school's fight to keep its "Seminole" nickname.

"We are only appealing the sanction taking away wins because it flies in the face of the understanding we had with the NCAA about player eligibility and suspensions," Wetherell said. "This just seems like a bait-and-switch. I don't know what else to call it. We are appealing it because we believe it is excessive and unfair."

Wetherell didn't dismiss the wrongdoing by 60 FSU student-athletes in the cheating scandal, but he indicated the NCAA misled FSU during its investigation and reneged on an agreement it had with the university.The cheating occurred mainly through online testing for a single music history course in the fall of 2006 and the spring and summer semesters of 2007. It included staffers helping students on the test and in one case asking one athlete to take it for another.

"We worked every step of the way with the NCAA on this case, and we had an understanding that if we did everything as they said, all player eligibility matters would be resolved," Wetherell said. "We told this to our student-athletes, and they gave up their rights of appeal. In doing so, they were led to believe that all eligibility matters would be resolved if they compiled with the suspensions plan that the NCAA set forth.

"We compiled fully with this plan. We never played any ineligible players, and taking away wins is just wrong."

FSU, the NCAA and Florida news organizations also have been sparring in the courtroom.

Last week, the 1st District Court of Appeal blocked release of documents in a public-records lawsuit until the NCAA has a chance to fully appeal a lower-court's ruling to enforce Florida's open-government laws. FSU officials were prepared to turn over a transcript of an October 2008 hearing of the NCAA Committee on Infractions and a June reply to FSU's appeal in an athletic-sanctions case. Now that will wait as the NCAA's expedited appeal continues.

Deadlines for court briefs were set by the appeal court's order that require initial arguments and final replies by Sept. 21. State law requires open-records cases be handled quickly.Circuit Court Judge John Cooper, in an Aug. 28 order, said the documents were public records and that FSU, its attorneys and the NCAA were agencies subject to Florida's public-records laws.

Wetherell also made a point to say he was concerned about mounting legal fees in the case and he believes, citing state law, the NCAA should foot the bill.

"We consistently asked the NCAA to release the records and we even filed our own lawsuit to force the release of the records," Wetherell said.

"Now, we will wait to see what the courts decide. But we are very concerned about legal fees connected with this case. They will be very significant. Our lawyers tell me that in Florida, if the court decides a public record was wrongfully withheld; those withholding the records are supposed to pay all legal feels."

FSU President Rips NCAA's Investigation originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>bobby bowdenBobbyBowdenJim HenryMon, 07 Sep 2009 21:26:00 EST 'Close' Little Comfort to Toppled Bulldogshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/06/close-little-comfort-to-toppled-bulldogs/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/06/close-little-comfort-to-toppled-bulldogs/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/06/close-little-comfort-to-toppled-bulldogs/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Mark RichtThe Georgia Bulldogs felt like they were close on several possessions from breaking a big play at Oklahoma State. One block here, one block there, was an oft-repeated refrain Saturday -- and again on Sunday. Making matters worse, and in a cruel case of déjà vu, the Bulldogs have lost an important piece of their offensive line for the season.

Sophomore offensive tackle Trinton Sturdivant has been lost with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Sturdivant, at 6-foot-5, 306 pounds, injured his left knee midway through the third quarter Saturday against ninth-ranked Oklahoma State and did not return for the remainder of the game. The Bulldogs tumbled 24-10.

"I saw Trinton today (Sunday), and he was a little surprised by it," head coach Mark Richt said during his teleconference call with the media.

"He didn't figure that after the game, and it was a surprise to him and to us. He did tear the ACL in the same leg, and he will be out. He was more philosophical this time. He said he's got two choices, either give up or fight again. We know, and he knows he will be back."

Sturdivant missed the 2008 season and spring drills in 2009 due to reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation after the first ACL injury to his left knee. In 2007, Sturdivant earned Freshman All-America honors after starting all 13 games for the Bulldogs at left tackle.

His loss is a blow to a Georgia offense and a veteran line that struggled against Oklahoma State. In fact, the defeat didn't leave much room for optimism after the Bulldogs committed three turnovers and were outplayed in virtually every phase of the game. It was their first opening-day defeat since 1996 to Southern Miss.

"The offensive line play was hot and cold, it was not flawless," Richt said Sunday.

"The sack that caused the fumble was a protection issue. Most of the time, they protected well. We are very close in the running game; we were close to breaking out some long runs. A couple times we didn't finish blocks. In the passing game, we weren't sharp at all. At times, we looked good but for the most part, we weren't consistent. We were closer to being in sync in the running game than the passing game."

Georgia (0-1) will need to correct its mistakes in a hurry as it opens SEC play at home Saturday against South Carolina (1-0). While the Gamecocks have their own offensive concerns after an opening 7-3 victory over North Carolina State, the Bulldogs needs to quickly identify dependable contributors before the season gets away from them during the opening month. Georgia travels to Arkansas Sept. 19 and is at home against Arizona State Sept. 26.

Bulldogs quarterback Jay Cox, who didn't arrive in Stillwater , Okla., until late Friday night after coming down with "flu-like symptoms," didn't blame his performance on the illness. Cox completed only two passes longer than 29 yards against the Cowboys. The fifth-year senior completed just 15 of 30 passes for 162 yards and turned the football over twice in the second half, once with a fumble and once with an interception.

"I just didn't play well. I let a lot of people down," Cox said of his opportunity to make a favorable impression at replacing Matthew Stafford. "I just wanted to come out and show everyone how hard I had worked, then to come out and play like this ... it's not a good feeling."

Cox said he was surprised the Bulldogs did not have more success, finishing with 257 yards of offense against a defense that wasn't considered to be SEC-caliber - it ranked 94th nationally in total defense last year. Most disturbing was that the Bulldogs couldn't run the ball, averaging 3.2 yards per carry without Knowshon Moreno. Richard Samuel led all rushers with 20 carries for 87 yards, but the Bulldogs had just one run of more than 10 yards. Sensational receiver A.J. Green wasn't a big factor, either.

"We thought we could have some success running the ball and we were close to breaking some big plays," Cox said.

"We wanted to stay on the ground and keep our defense off the field, and hopefully make their offense antsy thinking they had to score every time they got the ball. We just didn't execute."

And now the Bulldogs, who used five different starting combinations on the offensive line last year, will have to start the musical chairs again against a stingy South Carolina defense. Senior Vincent Vance replaced Sturdivant for the remainder of the game Saturday. Georgia will get junior tackle Josh Davis (shoulder surgery in January) back soon, according to Richt. Junior Clint Boling and sophomore Cordy Glenn also give the Bulldogs viable options at tackle.

"I thought we were close several times on several possessions from breaking one, a block here, a block there," Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo told Rivals.com following the game. "We just didn't have enough big plays and it's hard to go against anybody and just methodically move the ball. We wanted to establish the run."
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'Close' Little Comfort to Toppled Bulldogs originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Jim HenrySun, 06 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EST Nothing Voluntary About Workouts, Says Former College Playershttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/04/are-voluntary-workouts-really-voluntary-in-major-college-footbal/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/04/are-voluntary-workouts-really-voluntary-in-major-college-footbal/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/04/are-voluntary-workouts-really-voluntary-in-major-college-footbal/#commentsFiled under: ,

Martellus BennettDallas Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett certainly doesn't speak for everyone who has donned a college football uniform.

But it's a good bet the outspoken second-year pro echoes the sentiment of a large population of current and former major college football players when he questions the motives of those who have accused Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff of excessive workouts.

Current and former Michigan Wolverines players have told the Detroit Free Press that Rodriguez and his staff often held them for 12 hours on Sundays following a game and that summer voluntary workouts were not voluntary at all. Some ask, what's new?

"I think it's stupid that players are keeping tabs on how much they are working," said Bennett, who spent three years as the starting tight end at Texas A&M. "They should worry about winning games.

"I'm sure every coach and school goes over the limit at some time, probably not weekly."

The NCAA has for years mandated that coaches not work "student-athletes" more than 20 hours per week in season and eight hours per week out of season. But in a game that generates millions of dollars for some institutions and has the potential to make some of its players instant millionaires at the next level, the drive to be better than the next guy -- whether your teammate or the opposition -- demands significantly more time.

But in the spirit of showing some appearance of amateurism, the NCAA limits the amount of time coaches spend each week installing game plans, breaking down film, practicing and lifting weights. The NCAA, however, doesn't put restrictions on how much time "student-athletes" can spend trying to be the best they can in their sport outside of the watchful eye of their coaches.

Those particular sessions are deemed voluntary. But in light of the allegations being waged against the Wolverines for the last week, the question is how involuntary are these voluntary workouts?

The prevailing belief is that with the dollars generated by elite football programs and the $2 to $4 million contracted afforded to major college coaches the expectations and pressure from fans and boosters say nothing is voluntary anymore.

Several coaches weighed in on the debate this week, with none admitting they force their athletes to attend voluntary workouts whether they be in the summer when the coaches are not allowed to have any coaching contact, or during other off-season months when the time is limited. But they all believe that the athletes who put in the extra work are the ones who excel on the field.

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"In the end, they realize they are not going to be capable of playing if they are not here all summer, because someone else is going to be in their place who has been there all summer," said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops. "What I've found is guys who have not had great summers, they end up injured in the first week or two. Their muscles, their legs ... they are not able to handle being out there in two-a-days and the stress of competing and play and someone else has passed them by whether it's explosiveness, whether it's injuries or this that and the other.

"Like anything and everything in the world, it's just more and more competitive. If you haven't worked and prepared yourself, someone else is going to be in there in front of you. It's just kind of the way it is. So it has definitely changed."

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini, who played in Ohio State's secondary in the late 1980s and early 1990s, doesn't see much different now from his time as a player. The need to be better than the guy across from or the guy next in line on the depth chart, was the driving force in putting in extra hours.

"If you want to play football, if you want to be prepared for a season, the NCAA limits the amount of time the players can be with the coaches, you are limited in some other aspects," he said. "If you want to be prepared as a football player, you have to spend some time, you have to be in shape when you get into camp. That's all voluntary stuff, but at the end of the day, as a player you'd better take it upon yourself to put the time in or you are not going to be prepared for what is a 12-game season.

"That's been created by the rules."

Back in the day, it wasn't out of the ordinary for major college players enjoy their summers at home with family and friends, being trusted to follow on their own a workout regimen designed by the school's strength and conditioning coaches. Times have certainly changed.

During the last 15 to 20 years it's become customary for college athletes to remain on campus during the summer months for summer school worked in around running sessions in the mornings and weight lifting in the evenings under the watchful eye of the strength and conditioning staff and for the skill positions on offense and defense there are seven-on-seven drills that utilize the playbook. Even incoming freshmen are heading to campus in June often at their own expense.

Some of the advantages are undeniable, a chance to build greater team chemistry, an opportunity to catch up or get ahead in the classroom. Surprisingly, coaches say the pressure to put in the extra work whether it be in the offseason or the summer is greater inside of the team than it is from the coaching staff.

"Everything is voluntary but the peer pressure the players put on each other is sometimes more powerful than what a coach ask you to do," said Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. "That's why the players stay around all summer."

No notes or records are supposed to be kept, but somehow the coaches know. But the reality is the NCAA has trouble policing such an exchange, which will become evident as college governing body investigates Rodriguez and his staff the next several months.

"We basically had year-round practice," said former Boise State cornerback Orlando Scandrick with a joking wink as he talked with the Dallas Cowboys media Wednesday. "In the summer it was player-run practices, but it wasn't, quote unquote, mandatory. None of it was mandatory."

Texas coach Mack Brown says when you have a veteran team, it is usually the seniors and team leaders that apply the peer pressure to put in the extra work.

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Oregons LeGarrette Blount (9) scores a point after conversion against the defense of Boise States Jeron Johnson (23) during the second half of the NCAA college football game on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009 in Boise, Idaho. BSU went on to win 19-8. Blount was involved in a post game fight where he threw a punch at a Boise State player. (AP Photo/Matt Cilley)
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    Oregons LeGarrette Blount (9) scores a point after conversion against the defense of Boise States Jeron Johnson (23) during the second half of the NCAA college football game on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009 in Boise, Idaho. BSU went on to win 19-8. Blount was involved in a post game fight where he threw a punch at a Boise State player. (AP Photo/Matt Cilley)

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    BOISE, ID - SEPTEMBER 3: Boise State fans watch the video board as LaGarrette Blount #9 of the Oregon Ducks is shown punching a Boise State Broncos player after the game causing quite a commotion and talk of him being arrested on September 3, 2009 at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Boise State defeated Oregon 19-8.(Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** LaGarrette Blount

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    BOISE, ID - SEPTEMBER 3: Jeremiah Masoli #8 of the Oregon Ducks watches the clock as it winds downs and the Boise State Broncos defeat Oregon 19-8 on September 3, 2009 at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** LaGarrette Blount

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    BOISE, ID - SEPTEMBER 3: LaGarrette Blount #9 of the Oregon Ducks watches the clock as it winds downs and the Boise State defeat Oregon 19-8 on September 3, 2009 at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Blount punched a Boise State Broncos player after the game causing quite a commotion and talk of him being arrested. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** LaGarrette Blount

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    BOISE, ID - SEPTEMBER 3: A Boise State Bronco coach instructs players Dan Paul #47 and Daron Mackey #45 to get back after LaGarrette Blount #9 (not in photo) of the Oregon Ducks punched a Boise State Broncos player after the Boise State defeated Oregon 19-8 on September 3, 2009 at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dan Paul;Daron Mackey

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    BOISE, ID - SEPTEMBER 3: LaGarrette Blount #9 of the Oregon Ducks is escorted off the field by head coach Chip Kelly after Blount punched a Boise State Broncos player on September 3, 2009 at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Boise State defeated Oregon 19-8. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** LaGarrette Blount;Chip Kelly

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    Utah State running back Robert Turbin (6) breaks a tackle by Utah defensive end Nai Fotu (42) during the second half of their NCAA college football game Sept. 3, 2009 in Salt Lake City. Utah beat Utah State 35-17. (AP Photo/Steve C. Wilson)

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    Utah State quarterback Diondre Borel (12) works to break loose from Utah linebacker Stevenson Sylvester, left, as Utah's Derrick Shelby, right, closes in during second half action of their NCAA college football game Sept. 3, 2009 in Salt Lake City. Utah beat Utah State 35-17. (AP Photo/Steve C. Wilson)

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    BOISE, ID - SEPTEMBER 3: Jeremiah Masoli #8 of the Oregon Ducks throws a pass in the first quarter of a game against the Boise State Broncos ton September 3, 2009 at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jeremiah Masoli

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    BOISE, ID - SEPTEMBER 3: Kellen Moore #11 of Boise State throws a pass against the Oregon Ducks in first quarter of the game on September 3, 2009 at Broncos Stadium in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kellen Moore

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"Vince [Young] did an outstanding job with the guys and I know Colt [McCoy] has done an outstanding job," said Brown, referencing his former quarterback and his current quarterback. "All we do when they get back is say 'How did it go?'" They say it went well that everybody worked hard."

But Brown and many of contemporaries realize that demands of major college football often exceed the allowable in-season hours and the out of season time. But they compare the commitment required to be the best to the work put in in other sports.

"When you look at it, I've related it to like an Olympic swimmer or an Olympic track star, they work year around as well," Brown said. "These young men now, that's what they do. They see us during the week and then they play college football on the weekend, that's entertainment.

"A lot of them want to continue to play, they'd like to play pro football so they work really really hard at it. Usually even when we have discretionary time for them during the spring, they are always calling wanting to get in that weight room to get better and get stronger."

Nothing Voluntary About Workouts, Says Former College Players originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>bo pelinibob stoopsBobStoopsBoPelinimack brownMackBrownmartellus bennettMartellusBennettmichigan wolverinesMichiganWolverinesmike gundyMikeGundyorlando scandrickOrlandoScandrickrich rodriguezRichRodriguezTerrance HarrisFri, 04 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST Ball State Assistant Pokes Fun at Michigan on Twitterhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/02/ball-state-assistant-pokes-fun-at-michigan-on-twitter/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/02/ball-state-assistant-pokes-fun-at-michigan-on-twitter/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/02/ball-state-assistant-pokes-fun-at-michigan-on-twitter/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez is embroiled in a controversy about whether he forced players to exceed NCAA limits on time spent on football, and many coaches from around the country have voiced their support for him. But Ball State offensive line coach Jason Eck took a shot at Michigan on Twitter.

On Sunday, Eck tweeted, "Players off today ... unlike Michigan." Eck has since deleted the tweet, but he's now learning that nothing on the Internet is ever really deleted.

The tweet can still be found on tweleted.com, which recovers deleted tweets. And it has already been picked up at ESPN.com, in the Capital Times and on College Football Talk. And so, even though Eck no longer has the shot at Michigan on his Twitter page, it's out there forever.

Although I'm sure the Ball State athletic department will give him a friendly reminder that he needs to think before he tweets, Eck's joke was harmless, and I hope he doesn't get in too much trouble over it. This is, however, yet another example of how Twitter is changing sports. For the most part, those changes are positive: Twitter has increased the information available to fans by allowing athletes and coaches to communicate directly to them, without a filter.

But some athletes and coaches wish they had a filter. Jason Eck is now one of them.

Ball State Assistant Pokes Fun at Michigan on Twitter originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Jason EckJasonEckRich RodriguezRichRodriguezMichael David SmithWed, 02 Sep 2009 08:37:00 EST Pressure's on Barkley to Prove Carroll's Decision Correcthttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/30/pressures-on-barkley-to-prove-carrolls-decision-correct/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/30/pressures-on-barkley-to-prove-carrolls-decision-correct/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/30/pressures-on-barkley-to-prove-carrolls-decision-correct/#commentsFiled under: ,

Matt BarkleyLOS ANGELES -- There's no question about the success USC's football program has had in the Pete Carroll era.

Two national championships and seven consecutive Pac-10 titles (a league record), 11-win seasons, AP Top-4 finishes and BCS bowl appearances.

Throw in the fact that the Trojans have also produced three Heisman Trophy winners, along with a truckload of first-round draft picks every year, and it's easy to understand why any decisions Carroll makes with his program are rarely second-guessed.

Until now.
More: Corp Deals With Demotion | Trojans' WR Breaks Collarbone

With USC's 2009 season opener less than two weeks away, Carroll shocked the college football world when he named true freshman Matt Barkley as the team's starting quarterback last week.

A bold move for any coach, but especially for Carroll, who has a roster stocked with talented All-American-type players still waiting for their chance to get on the field, starting with third-year sophomore quarterback Aaron Corp (who was expected to take over the position after 2008 starter Mark Sanchez left early for the NFL) and fourth-year junior Mitch Mustain (who started and won eight games for Arkansas as a freshman in 2006 before transferring to USC).

"I was totally surprised with the decision and the timing of when it was made," said veteran USC radio analyst Paul McDonald, a 1979 All-America quarterback who led the Trojans to a national championship and consecutive Rose Bowl victories.

John Jackson, a former USC wide receiver who has worked as a Trojans commentator since Carroll arrived at USC and has followed Barkley since he was a freshman at Mater Dei, added: "It certainly caught me off guard.

"Even though there's no doubt about [Barkley's] potential, you have to wonder if [Carroll] is patient enough as a coach to deal with some of the mistakes that a freshman is going to make. It doesn't matter who the player is. It could be Matt Barkley or Matt Leinart. You just know mistakes are going to happen with a young player starting at the position for the first time."

For Barkley, a celebrated recruit from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, being the main quarterback under the spotlight is nothing new. He was a four-year starter in high school who eagerly jumped into the USC quarterback mix when he enrolled early and began participating in the Trojans' spring practices in March.

"My mindset has not changed," Barkley said about dealing with the pressure of being USC's No. 1 quarterback so soon into his college career. "I feel that I'm ready. This is very similar to when I was a freshman in high school but on a much bigger stage.

"The thing is that we have such a good team with so much at stake. We know that we have a chance to win a national championship this year."

The turning point for Barkley came when Corp -- who was considered the No.1 quarterback at the end of spring workouts -- suffered a leg injury early in training camp.

With Corp sidelined because of a fractured tibia, Barkley stepped up when his workload with the first team offense increased, according to Carroll.

"Matt's been remarkable," Carroll said about Barkley, who is in line to become the first true freshman quarterback ever to start a season opener at USC. "He's just had a great introduction to Trojan football from the springtime all the way through everything we've done here. He's just done an exemplary job in every phase of everything. I can't explain how a guy this young and this new could do that, but he's done it. And it's been clear, and we have enough information.

"The opportunity that was presented to him when Aaron went down gave him an opportunity to see tons and tons of plays. He saw maybe twice as many plays as he would have seen otherwise. He got all of the work he could get against the ones, then he worked against the twos as well. So he has that experience behind him to show us whether he could hang with the speed of a pretty good defense and good, quality personnel on the other side. He handled all of it. I couldn't be more proud of this guy and what he's done to this point to position himself where he could take over right now. I'm fired up about it. I'm fired up for him. I'm fired up for our football team to see this happen."

Pete CarrollOn Saturday, USC held its final preseason scrimmage, which was conducted like a mock game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. With the Southern California heat tipping 100 degrees an hour before kickoff, a crowd of 6,000 battled the sun just to get a chance to witness Barkley in his new role as the Trojans' starting quarterback.

"That's why I'm here," said USC alum David Thomas, who has attended Trojans games for over three decades. "Like a lot of people, I was surprised that Matt was named the starter, but I figure with Pete Carroll's past quarterback experience, his opinion is trustworthy and I'm just going to go with it.

"The bottom line is that Corp got hurt at a crucial time, and I don't think he's close to being 100 percent. So, it only made sense for Barkley to be made the starter."

In leading USC's first-team offense against the Trojans' second-unit defense, Barkley did plenty of good things. He looked relaxed in the huddle and displayed a good command of the offense in completing 10-of-17 passes for 159 yards, including a four-yard touchdown throw to tight end Blake Ayles.

But there also were times when Barkley clearly showed his inexperience.

On his first scrimmage play, Barkley tripped coming away from center and forced a dangerous handoff that could have resulted into a turnover. And USC's opening drive did not end on a positive note, either, when Barkley stared down an out-route and had his pass deflected by defensive end Devon Kennard into the hands of defensive back Byron Moore for an interception.

"I thought he missed a couple of chances," Carroll said about Barkley's performance. "We misread a deep ball and I thought Devon Kennard made a great drop on that [interception]. [Barkley] also missed a post route that really is an easy shot for him that he'd hit nine out of 10 times."

But the more Barkley played, the more his confidence grew. And, this did not go unnoticed with his teammates.

"He's been a leader all of his life and it seems like his purpose on earth is to be a leader," wide receiver Brice Butler said about Barkley. "He's ready for this and he's used to this. This is nothing new to him.

"But you could see that as soon as he came here. You could tell that he was not going to be a guy following the crowd, doing what everyone else does. He's that guy who stands out. So it's easy to have confidence in him even after he makes a mistake. We see him as a pro quarterback in the making."

USC sophomore fullback D.J. Shoemate, who has known Barkley since grade school and competed against him in high school, agreed.

"Knowing Matt and his family personally, I've really gotten an opportunity to know what type of guy he is mentally and spiritually," Shoemate said. "He puts his faith in God a lot and that has allowed us to have a much deeper relationship. That's why I'm not surprised to see him in the situation that he is in. He's very focused and very driven. He's just one of those incredible athletes with so much talent, but he knows how to take advantage of the opportunity in front of him."

Listed in the USC media guide at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, Barkley has enough size and arm strength to grow into a big-time college quarterback. However, most football experts point out that his biggest test will be improving his decision making on the field.

Barkley, who had 18 passes intercepted his senior season in high school, has struggled keeping the ball away from defenders since he joined the Trojans -- a problem Barkley flashed on Saturday with a couple of ill-advised throws into coverage.

"Overall, I thought that Matt did a good job managing the offense," McDonald said about Barkley's scrimmage performance. "He threw the ball crisply and seemed to be in control. Except for a couple of throws here or there, which is something that he will work out game by game as the season goes on. But overall, I think it was mission accomplished today.

"They wanted Matt to get into the flow of the game and he took most of the snaps for the first three quarters. He's a smart kid and it will clearly be a game-by-game experience for him this season."

Carroll, who has produced 33 first team All-Americans and 53 draft picks in eight seasons at USC, said he's prepared to go into the season with Barkley, mistakes and all.

"He's still growing into the position," Carroll said. "But when you think about it, how can he possibly be a finished product at this point? But we're kind of expecting it ... All quarterbacks have to stop trying so hard. They have to take and minimize the loss on a situation by not trying too hard. That will continue to be an issue whether it's with Matt or Aaron or anybody who plays for us."

Only time will tell if Carroll's gut decision on Barkley is the right one for 2009

Pressure's on Barkley to Prove Carroll's Decision Correct originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>matt barkleyMattBarkleypete carrollPeteCarrollLonnie WhiteSun, 30 Aug 2009 14:45:00 EST ESPN Plans Interviews With All 120 College Football Coaches in 12 Hourshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/28/espn-plans-interviews-with-all-120-college-football-coaches-in-1/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/28/espn-plans-interviews-with-all-120-college-football-coaches-in-1/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/28/espn-plans-interviews-with-all-120-college-football-coaches-in-1/#commentsFiled under: ,

BRISTOL, Conn. -- ESPN has an ambitious plan to kick off the college football season next week, with all 120 Division I-A coaches expected to be interviewed in two six-hour specials on ESPNU.

For the math impaired, that means 10 interviews an hour. Suffice to say, they won't be going into much depth. But the Worldwide Leader has already booked 110 of the coaches, and they think they'll get the other 10.

"We're going to try to make history," said ESPNU anchor Lowell Galindo. "We're going to talk about everything a college football junkie would want to talk about, from the coaches' expectations for the 2009 season to Colt McCoy's facial hair."

This isn't the first time ESPN has tried something like this; in March Andy Katz tried to interview all 65 coaches in the NCAA Tournament. Katz ended up getting 64 of 65 (Cal State Northridge's Bobby Braswell couldn't make it), but what ESPNU is trying next week will be twice as hard.

The two six-hour shows will air Monday and Tuesday from 2 PM to 8 PM on ESPNU.

ESPN Plans Interviews With All 120 College Football Coaches in 12 Hours originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Michael David SmithFri, 28 Aug 2009 11:34:00 EST