NCAA Football FanHouse

Nebraska and Southern Miss. Set Future Dates

Jeff Adams — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Nebraska Football, Big 12, Conference USA, Southern Miss Football

Nothing like looking ahead a few years and trying to imagine what the college football landscape might be like. Toward that end Nebraska and Southern Mississippi have agreed to a three-game series. The teams will meet in 2012, 2013 and 2015(!).

The first game in the series will be played on Sept. 1, 2012, in Lincoln, and will mark the Huskers' season opener. The Huskers will travel to Southern Miss for a game on Sept. 7, 2013, with the final meeting in the three-game contract set for Sept. 5, 2015.

As a Husker fan, I like the addition of the Golden Eagles to our future non-conference slate. If nothing else, their presence hopefully signifies a move away from laughable schedules such as the Huskers' 2009 version, which includes a trio of Sun Belt Conference foes in Florida Atlantic, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Arkansas State (in addition to Virginia Tech). I have a sneaking suspicion that this might be the work of new athletic director Tom Osborne (pictured at right). Speaking of Dr. Tom, here is what he had to say about the games with USM:

"Southern Miss has an outstanding football program with a tradition of taking on top programs around the country," Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne said in a statement. "We had a competitive three-game series with them a few years back and this should be another challenging set of games for our football team against a good opponent."

Nebraska and Southern Miss have met three times before. The last meeting - a 21-17 Golden Eagle victory in Lincoln - is best remembered by Husker fans for Joe Dailey's inexplicable decision to scramble out-of-bounds as time expired.

Ah, the good old days.

Nebraska and Southern Miss. Set Future Dates originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If You Have a Job, Terry Bowden Would Like It

Brian Cook — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:37:00 EST

Filed under: NCAA FB Coaching, Southern Miss Football

Poor Southern Miss fans must have had a heart attack when the Clarion Ledger ran a piece titled "USM Notes: Terry Bowden Would Like To Coach," envisioning the squeaky dwarf late of ABC prowling the sidelines in Hattiesburg.

Fortunately for cardiologists near the Arkansas border, the contents of that article are mercifully unrelated to USM. See, Bowden wants to coach you, no matter who you are or what you play:

"All I would want to say is that I'm very interested in any program where I feel like I would be a good fit, where there was a need I could fill," Bowden said. "If that means a place that has never won seven games before, then I'd like to help them win seven games. If that means a place that has never won a championship before, then I'd like to help them a win a championship."

Have a football program? Of any sort whatsoever? Or, I guess, like volleyball or something? Whatever! Terry Bowden's your man.

He'd be perfect for the Unversity of Phoenix Phoenixes (We're From Pheonix! Or the Internet!), which is a fake team my friends and I made up that travels around the country getting its teeth kicked in by local rivals -- the University of Phoenix is everywhere and therefore local rivals with everyone -- for 500k a pop. Since winning is no object, Bowden would be perfect.

(HT: EDSBS.)

If You Have a Job, Terry Bowden Would Like It originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jeff Bower Is Fired, Er, Resigns, Er, wha?

Brian Grummell — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:50:00 EST

Filed under: Conference USA, NCAA FB Coaching, Southern Miss Football

If we ever get an answer about whether the Southern Miss coach resigned or was fired, what I really want to know is why? Jeff Bower has long been considered one of D-IA's best coaches, making a winner out of an otherwise anonymous program and staying loyal for well over a decade of bowl appearances and competitive play.

Check out Google News right now, could there be a more contradictory coaching story out there right now?

Got that? Me either.

Jeff Bower Is Fired, Er, Resigns, Er, wha? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Half Live Blog: Southern Miss @ Boise State

Brian Grummell — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 21:45:00 EST

Filed under: Conference USA, WAC, Boise State Football, Southern Miss Football

Southern Miss @ Boise State | 1st Half | 2nd Half

Boise State leads 28 to 10 over Southern Miss.

Be sure and read the first half live blog ... ESPN broadcasters love to dance. They just flashed video of Lou Holtz doing some crazy dance, then Rece Davis joining him. Earlier, Craig James was dancing all weird in the booth. Not to go all Peyton Manning on you guys, but "alright, now stop that. Seriously, stop."

Early conclusions: Craig James is high (maybe). Boise's remote. Southern Miss can't stop basic runs like "pitch left". Boise State has the highest per capita of shopping mall Santa's. I'm missing The Office and CSI.

Live Blog after the jump ...

9:26 - Lou Holtz just compared USF to a bumblebee. And he said a hypocrite is someone who complains about sex and violence on their VCR. Wow. I love these pep talks!

Brian Cook reminds me that USF is now DOOMED. Lou Holtz's talks are cursed.

9:34 - Score! The pep talk is online. Video below.

9:40 - Nice first drive here for Southern Miss so far. Some draws, a quarterback scramble, a third down plunge, an out pass, it's all working. Make that a second third-down conversion as Marty Tadman got run over.

9:43 - Oh Lord ... That was a touchdown if the tight end catches it. His quarterback took a nasty hit to get that perfect pass in there. That's disappointing.

9:44 - Redemption! Nelson caught that one and sneaks in for the 23-yard touchdown. Boise State's waaaayyyy too relaxed right now. If you've read me at all before, you know I call this type of play "The Relent". Southern Miss is making its way back in this game as Boise sits fat and happy. Missed extra point though, doink! Boise State 28, Southern Miss 16

9:50 - It's been tough sledding on the ground so far for Ian Johnson, but that's his second drive-changing reception. Again, more deceptive moves there. He's got this weird little shoulder dip that guys bite hard on. Quick sideline shot there, looks like he's bleeding from his mouth? How about one more good run? Yes, let's do that. Johnson takes the direct snap after a quick rest and plows behind his blockers to get inside the 10 yard line.

9:53 - Touchdown Boise State, one yard untouched score for Ian Johnson. Wife shot #6 or 7 or 8 here. She's still pretty, Boise's still good. Boise State 35, Southern Miss 16

9:59 - More bearded men. Their cameramen have a thing for beards ...

10:00 - Southern Miss quarterback Jeremy Young just went down with an injury. Hopefully he's alright, looked like something near his shoetops was bothersome. Update: high ankle sprain. Good luck seeing him play in the next few weeks. Hellooooo, Steven Reaves.

10:14 - Things are slowing down here. Noting the scriptural ink on Marty Tadman's arms, Craig James has gone all pastor/preacher on us. Flutie joins in.

10:15 - Yet another wife shot. Normally I'd be annoyed but she's a pretty gal.

10:18 - Nice 4th down stop inside their own red zone there for Southern Miss. End of the third quarter.

10:27 -UHHHHHH. Complete pass, fumble, called incomplete on the field, reviewed, call on field stands. I'd bitch more about this, but I was wrong about the Temple game two weeks ago. Boise responds by fumbling their punt return. What a mess.

10:31 - What ... The ... ? Boise State player Vinny Perretta is in line at the Port-O-Potty. Don't they have restrooms in the locker room? I know construction's going on at the stadium, but ... ? Nice find, ESPN.

10:33 - Missed field goal for Southern Miss. That was their last chance to have any hope tonight. Time for both teams to sit on the ball here and ice this thing.

10:45 - Field goal Boise State. Boise State 38, Southern Miss 16. Boise's easily going to beat its 10/11 point favored status.

10:48 - Boise State strong safety Marty Tadman has 12 tackles tonight. That suggests that Boise didn't respect the Southern Miss tight end/passing game for that to happen. Plus Southern Miss just ran a lot.

10:53 - James to Flutie: "Think Ian Johnson's an NFL guy?" ... "Maybe. He might get into a camp and do something". Sounds about right, although as a friend with the knack for player evaluation tells me all the time: "talent can't judge talent". It's not an absolute, but Michael Jordan's a terrible evaluator of basketball ability in others, for example. Gotta go with your own opinions or those of others who you trust can evaluate players.

What is ironic is that Flutie called Johnson a bit smaller than he thought he was (or was that James?).

11:03 - Ballgame.

Second Half Live Blog: Southern Miss @ Boise State originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 27 Sep 2007 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Half Live Blog: Southern Miss @ Boise State

Brian Grummell — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 20:43:00 EST

Filed under: Conference USA, WAC, Boise State Football, Southern Miss Football

Southern Miss @ Boise State | 1st Half | 2nd Half

I'm up against it. My job here tonight is to draw eyeballs and clicks to FanHouse while writing about this Thursday night matchup between two non-BCS powerhouses. It's going to be a good one, however ...

Now stick with me here but I have a hunch - just a hunch, mind you - that the majority of you reading this (or potentially reading this) are going to be glued to something else on TV tonight. Like ... The Office season premiere, maybe?

Yeah I want to know how the Jim/Pam/Karen thing resolves itself too. I'd also like to see CSI and what happens to the abducted Sara Sidle. I hope she lives, she reminds me of someone I know and that's just heartbreaking to know she might die. And then there's other distractions I could care less for but steal my readers like Grey's Anatomy, Survivor, Earl, ER and other franchises. Dare I mention a sanitized version of Killing Me Softly, Forrest Gump, The Untouchables, CSI reruns on Spike, Beerfest, Spies Like Us and Field of Dreams?

My boss here isn't down with me waving the white flag so let's make a deal. You watch your shows, but also have the laptop handy or be near a computer to keep tabs with us over here as I update you about tonight's game. Sound good? Good. Also: don't tell me what happens in The Office or CSI. DO NOT WANT. I'm watching the game for you, remember? I've got the TiVo set, but until the game is over I'm in the dark about any other events on TV tonight so let's keep it that way.

Live Blog starts at 7:30 Eastern ~ ~ ~ Vitals, TV Info and Pregame Notes after the jump ...VITALS

- Southern Miss @ Boise State
- TV: 7:30 Eastern, ESPN
- Announcers: Doug Flutie, Craig James, Chris Fowler, Erin Andrews
- Boise State is favored by 11

- Phil Steele Facts (Southern Miss): This will be the 1st gm between the universities as SM is 36-16 vs current WAC schools. First trip west of Texas S/'03 opener at Cal. SM is 5-1 in their 3rd straight road game.

- Phil Steel Facts (Boise State): First meeting. Boise State is 13-1 all-time against current CUSA members. Coming into 2007, Boise St has won 11 straight non-conference home games.

PREGAME NOTES (Continuously Updated)

. . . Now's a good time to reveal I own a small portion of Boise's blue turf. A friend was working in Boise a few years ago, somehow ended up on the field and mailed me a few of the blue threads she "borrowed". Cool gift, no? . . . What's going on with Craig James' hair? It's like something from a 1950's TV news anchor . . . This time last year, Boise State was hosting Oregon State and nobody knew who Ian Johnson was. That all changed when Erin Andrews did a profile story on his unique crochet talent and wore one of his knit beanies . . .

7:49 - Southern Miss is calling its defense the "2007 Nasty Bunch"

7:50 - Touchdown, Boise State. That took all of four plays sprung by a long kickoff return to near midfield. Receiver Jeremy Childs was able to muscle his way for that touchdown after pulling in the pass at the three yard line. Boise State 7 - Southern Miss 0

7:55 - Man, Boise just finds ways to pump out pretty cheerleaders. The daughter of Southern Miss coach Jeff Bowers also cheered for their school a few years ago.

8:08 - Touchdown Boise State, again! This is looking easy. But maybe Southern Miss can pull a reverse Boise State and come back from down 14-0. Remember last year, Boise State trailed big against Oregon State before going on a touchdown fiesta. Boise State 14, Southern Miss 0

8:13 - Southern Miss needs to like, move the ball, man. Boise State's taking advantage of these short fields. Credit to ESPN for getting Boise State's coach to admit how important special teams were for his team and then we go out and watch the game and it's been the difference in this game.

8:16 - Crowd shots are always fun at Boise State. You're always bound to see a few bearded wonders. I think this is the place the malls go shopping for their Santa Claus.

8:17 - Three possessions, three punts for Southern Miss. A 21-0 hole is not where they want to be but that's where they're headed with Boise's third possession starting at their own 44.

8:19 - Ian Johnson is so deceptive in the open field. He caught a routine dump-off pas on third down and then did this silly lean left that completely sold a defender. Two steps right and a killer block later, Johnson had a nice gain and a first down. Everyone knows he's not the fastest guy around but he still finds ways to freeze defenders.

8:22 - Interception in the end zone, nice break for Southern Miss there. Nice play-action call, no safety on a throw to the end zone, just underthrown there. That one is most definitely on the quarterback but a good idea to bury Southern Miss early.

Those of you at home missed a funny scene ESPN had tape of. Two of Boise's offensive linemen decided to compete in a 100-yard race. There's nothing like big fat men running way farther than they should right? Anyway, one of the guys had loooong hair and said he'd cut it off if he lost.

He lost. Off went the hair. Ok so end of the first quarter, be back in a minute.

8:28 - The first sign that Souther Miss' offense sucks: pop-up passes. Any offense that mixes in more than the rarest of "500" type passes to get completions (think Florida State the last few years) is doomed to failure. Now it's all beginning to make sense.

8:32 - ESPN's been talking up Tharp's backup, Michael Coughlin. Sure enough, Boise's playing the youngster for a series as well as a handful of young tailbacks. Ian Johnson has nine carries for just 17 yards and just sprung himself for another 30 or so but was doomed by a holding penalty against his line.

8:34 - ESPN's giving Johnson's wife Chrissy Popadics the Posh Spice treatment with shots of her in the stands cheering. Like a good spouse she's wearing his uniform and some Posh-like shades. Can you be Hollywood in Boise, Idaho?

8:37 - Painted on the back of Boise's bench: "Taco Bell Arena". For reals? That's not the stadium name now, is it?

8:38 - Credit to both defenses. Star tailbacks Damion Fletcher and Ian Johnson have been completely shut down tonight aside from a handful of Johnson receptions.

8:39 - This is the second Thursday in a row the announcers are complaining about the press-box accomodations. Gentlemen: Boise's a nice place and all, but ... you're in Boise.

8:40 - Don't look now but Southern Miss is driving.

8:42 - Field goal good. With 10 minutes left in the second quarter, Boise State 14, Southern Miss 3

8:44 - I don't always agree with his opinions on some matters, but Doug Flutie is a great asset in the booth. He's really helpful in detailing some of the micro and macro issues involved with the quarterback position, reading defenses, offensive approach and players' mentality.

8:47 - I hope someone is recording this game. ESPN is showing a funny picture of Craig James looking silly on a horse. In real life he's a rancher/cowboy, owns some property in Texas (and possibly elsewhere). The horse's name is "Paint". ESPN then showed Boise's horse/Bronco, and he says "that's a gentle horse, you can see in its eyes". Now he's talking about putting his mother-in-law on his own horse because it's so gentle. Uh huh ...

8:49 - Outstanding (!!!) catch by frosh receiver Titus Young. Double move and then a Willie Mays-like catch over his shoulder. Someone get that on YouTube.

8:51 - Chrissy Popadics (errr, Johnson) shot #2 as Ian Johnson takes the inside handoff for a touchdown. Nice run, classic Ian Johnson there shaking a tackle and then muscling his way for the last five or so yards. Boise State 21, Southern Miss 3

8:56 - Southern Miss fumble, Boise State falls on it in Eagle territory. Boise might just put the game away here and now.

8:57 - Yep. Touchdown, Ian Johnson. Two easy runs there, toss left and sweep/outside zone run, the second of which took him to the end zone. Third (or fourth?) shot of the wife. She purty. Ok so should I even return for a Second Half Live Blog? It's Boise State 28, Southern Miss 3

8:59 - Good discussion here. The camera picks up Southern Miss' coach mouthing "that's so easy". Announcers talking about how basic those plays are. TRUE, but that's Boise's bread-and-butter. That's their identity in spite of all this trick play talk. They throw a lot of looks at you but are best at some basic runs that they're very familiar with running.

9:06 - Factoid of the night: Jimmy Buffett is a Southern Miss grad. Yep, and Barq's Root Beer is based in Biloxi. Do we need a MississippiFacts.com to keep us busy?

9:08 - "Is the blue turf any softer?" No clue, but Southern Miss' QB just took a nice hit there that almost popped his helmet off. Oh BTW, Touchdown Southern Miss. Shot of bearded man #3 tonight and Craig James is laughing all goofy for the millionth time tonight. Boise State 28, Southern Miss 10

9:10 - Video proof of Craig James dancing like ... he can't dance. It's getting weird in the booth right now. My colleague Brian Cook thinks James is high. I shrugged it off but it's starting to look that way.

9:12 - First half over. Be sure to stop by the Second Half Live Blog.

First Half Live Blog: Southern Miss @ Boise State originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 27 Sep 2007 20:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Southern Miss Stadium to Get a Facelift

Brian Stouffer — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 01:20:00 EST

Filed under: Conference USA, NCAA FB Campus, Southern Miss Football

Not wanting to get left out of the excitement, Southern Miss announced that it will be upgrading its football stadium... to the tune of $31.8 million dollars. The expansion will include 3,700 seats, 34 suites, and 320 "club level seats". This comes as great news to Southern Miss alumni such as Brett Favre, The Sunday Morning Quarterback, and, of course, Jimmy Buffett.

The coaching staff at USM is excited about this decision and the direction it will take the program, which ranked 5th in Conference USA for attendance last year.

"I think it puts a big smile on everybody's face," assistant head football coach Randy Butler said. "It's a positive. We've used it in recruiting, but now you can actually look out there and see construction. It's another positive for Southern Miss, our athletic department and our football program."

Southern Miss Stadium to Get a Facelift originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 06 Mar 2007 01:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boise State and Southern Miss Agree to Home-and-Home

Brian Stouffer — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 20:41:00 EST

Filed under: Conference USA, WAC, Boise State Football, Southern Miss Football

College football fans will see a veritable clash of the titans on September 22 in Boise this year, if by "titans" you mean "top ten non-BCS teams in an out-of-conference matchup". Of course, it's a lot last dramatic when you put it that way.

In all seriousness, Boise State and Southern Miss have been more or less the top of the class in terms of consistent performance for non-BCS teams over the past several years, and their matchup will be an early-season quest for bragging rights among the outsiders.

I suggest they call it the "Potato Bowl". Or the, uh, "Brett Favre Bowl".

Boise State and Southern Miss Agree to Home-and-Home originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 28 Feb 2007 20:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wooo. GMAC Bowl Liveblog: Fourth Quarter

Brian Cook — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 22:27:00 EST

Filed under: Big 10, Conference USA, Bowl Games, Ohio Football, Southern Miss Football

10:29 PM. This one's all over but the quiet muttering. Southern Miss leads 28-0 and Ohio has just crossed midfield for the second time all day. Solich breaks out the option, but that works about as well as everything else has today: not at all.

10:35 PM. So, there's a big game tomorrow. Meanwhile, Ohio's getting sacked and trying halfback passes and generally running around futilely, but this one's over. Let's talk shop.

Theory: Ohio State will spread Florida like they did Michigan because they have similarly intimidating defenses against conventional attacks but corner depth best described as "not extant."

Hey... wait! Ohio Touchdown on that option play action that never works in NCAA. Now 28-7. They've got 9:34 to score... uh... three more touchdowns. Anyway, there's a game tomorrow.

10:43 PM. So the onside kick fails and USM takes over on the Ohio side of the field.

Theory: Reggie Nelson will not allow three long touchdowns like the Michigan safeties did. Ohio State will have to earn their touchdowns, which they probably will, but 42 points is not a likely total. Nor anywhere close. (USM punt.)

But Ohio State is probably going to have a number of those maddening drives where Smith is robotically effective and they'll score some points. The threat of a Ginn bomb is ever-present, too. Ohio State will score. (Horrible decision by Ohio quarterback leads to interception, USM ball at the 30).

On the other side of the ball, Ohio State is sort of similarly vulnerable. Antonio Smith was toasted frequently versus Michigan (inadvisable pass from USM results in an Ohio interception... nice play that's not interference since he was going for the ball). But Chris Leak has not displayed the same sort of coolness under pressure and ability to read and fire so rapidly, plus the aggressive Ohio State defense will not yield such easy outs from pressure. (Ohio driving with around three minutes on the clock).

Holy crap: USM's Mark Bower is in his 16th year at the same school, which places him fourth in the country in seniority.

11:04 PM. Ohio turns the ball over on downs and Stephen Reaves, late of Michigan State, has taken over at quarterback. With a minute left this one's done. Final score: 28-7. Catch us tomorrow for the Not Fiesta Bowl blowout.

Wooo. GMAC Bowl Liveblog: Fourth Quarter originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 07 Jan 2007 22:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wooo! GMAC Bowl Liveblog: Third Quarter

Brian Cook — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 21:53:00 EST

Filed under: Conference USA, MAC, Bowl Games, Ohio Football, Southern Miss Football

9:52 PM. Well, first play of the second half is a fumbled pitch and a five-yard loss. Hope! Not really. On third and ten Young buys some time with a late rollout and hits a corner route nicely for the first. Ohio's totally outclassed here. How did they manage to go 7-1 in the MAC?

Our first flag of the second half is yet another offsides on Ohio, their third. Each time they've lined up offsides. How does that happen?

10:00 PM. This is turning into a pretty impressive USM drive. Fletcher's just cut and spun his way to a Mike Hart-esque first down. Only 2.2 YPC so far... this attempted throwback pass to the QB won't help -- it was covered, when does that ever happen -- but he managed to pick up a couple out of what could have been a five-yard loss.

Aaaand that's an awesome five-yard WR screen that ended up with a reversed field and one of those OH GOD moments where it's either going to be a ten yard loss or a touchdown (or, evidently, a five yard gain). Block in the back brings it back.

Fletcher makes a glorious stop-and-go cut to the backside. Would never, ever work against a team not named "Ohio" but damn impressive anyway. Third and six after a second and twenty one and Harrison rips off another 16-yard gain... holding brings it back, but way downfield so it's a third and one, which is converted. WR screen for nine is followed with ANOTHER ridiculous Fletcher cutback that somehow gets the corner -- this is not a good defense -- and ends at the pylon. Touchdown, 28-0 USM, and that was a nine-minute will-killing drive that ends the game.

10:10 PM. Ugly. Even when Ohio gets a play that works the team screws it up. Throwback to the TE is one-hopped on first and ten. On third and four Emerson is sackdefied, punty time, and the announcers are officially permitted to start yammering about anything other than the game in front of their eyes. Please.

10:20 PM. Well... that's it for this quarter. It's 28-0 Southern Miss. Southern speed!

Wooo! GMAC Bowl Liveblog: Third Quarter originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 07 Jan 2007 21:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wooo! GMAC Bowl Liveblog: Second Quarter

Brian Cook — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 20:51:00 EST

Filed under: Conference USA, MAC, Bowl Games, Ohio Football, Southern Miss Football

8:48 PM. Occasionally when Austin Everson, the Ohio quarterback, drops to throw he finds guys wide open way downfield. He's just done this again, getting the Bobcats into USM territory with the score tied 0-0 at the start of the second.

Wait... something's happening! A ball thrown deep! WIDE OPEN! underthrownbyfiveyards. Grumble. Ohio drive ends with a punt; Lasher puts it down around the ten. Still zero-zero.

Have I mentioned that Carmen Electra is clearly on the downside in these Taco Bell commercials?

8:52 PM. Andre Ware was the Grand Marshal of something called the "GMAC Bowl Parade," which appears to be just like the Rose Parade without the roses, floats, horses, and marching bands. But other than that it's basically the same.

Young alternates plays where he looks really good with plays like this one, where he short hops a wide open curl route by about five yards. Teams have 60 yards of offense each. Wooo! Penalty! Declined... offsides on a successful wide receiver screen. Hey: that was fun. Bobby Weakley, who is a monstrous bubble-butted fullback spins and rumbles his way to a first down. Huge cutback lane for Corey Harrison gets USM into Ohio territory. There are hints of things that may happen... sack on first and ten makes those hints a mere rumor.

Hey! A zone read develops nicely and Corey Harrison, who had a nice run earlier in the drive gets past a bunch of unfortunately-positioned blitzers, cuts back against the safety, and completes a 90-yard USM drive. 7-0, USM.

9:02 PM. Ohio's backup is in and waggles out, deciding to run for about five. One touchdown versus six interceptions so far this year. Ohio goes three-and-out and punts. Ohio has a guy on the sideline named "Febus," which is awesome. Save me Febus!

9:07 PM. Bobby Petrino is the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons! Zounds. This has implications beyond his coaching, as it makes Brian Brohm extremely likely to leave, doesn't it? I suppose if they retain the rest of the staff, including his brother, he would stay. Early money is a coordinator elevation.

Meanwhile, USM is driving into Ohio territory again. Nice floating touch pass against cover zero finds its way into a USM receiver's hands and sets up first and goal. Beauty throw from the erratic but occasionally brilliant Young. Next play is a USM dive touchdown. 14-0, USM.

9:19 PM. This one is getting out of hand, I think. With 3:03 left in the half and no discernible Ohio passing game, a score of some sort right here is critical for the Bobcats. This does not appear to be happening. Ohio quickly finds itself in third and six.... pick! Pick-six! 21-0, USM. This baby is over. I'm calling it.

9:24 PM. Ohio's running with 30-ish seconds on the clock here. The Bower switch -- he was the guy who tossed the interception -- looks awful in retrospect. Half's over. Catch us in the second half.

Wooo! GMAC Bowl Liveblog: Second Quarter originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 07 Jan 2007 20:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wooo! GMAC Bowl Liveblog: First Quarter

Brian Cook — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 20:07:00 EST

Filed under: Conference USA, MAC, Bowl Games, Ohio Football, Southern Miss Football

8:06 PM. Kickoff? Already? Where's the rest of the hype? Is it because this is the least awesome second-to-last game of the college football season since... well, ever? (No offense intended to the fine program that spawned Sunday Morning Quarterback.) Ohio goes three-and-out on its first possession and punts. Meanwhile, the teams can't go a play on the other side of the ball without picking up penalties: three already... four. Delay of game. The GMAC bowl!

8:12 PM. Gary Thorne's doing the game and I must confess a deep affection for the man, who MAKES EVERYTHING EXCITING!!! Also, when he does hockey he constantly name drops colleges -- a big deal, if you know anything about the rivalry between the Canadian Junior system and the NCAA in hockey, which you don't because you're not from Minnesota or New England or Michigan. Punty punt time.

8:21 PM. Zing! Seam route to a guy with four catches gets Ohio out of nasty field position, but they bog down after that. Sideline reporter Matt Stone -- perhaps the last of his ilk who is not a professionally hot (-ish) woman -- has an entertaining exchange with Thorne about the clear plastic facemasks that many players wear; in the rain they've become a liability and come off.

More penalties: holding, illegal formation. Punty time again.

8:29 PM. Wait... Georgia scored four second-half touchdowns and Stafford ended up with something like 130 yards passing? WTF happened in that game? USM's Damien Fletcher makes a nice backside hop cut and rips off a first down, but gets nowhere on the next two plays. Young holds in the pocket long enough to convert the ensuing third down and we have our first threatening drive of the night.

Thorne's amazed that the middle linebacker is making a bunch of tackles on runs up the middle... uh, okay. Third down is short, but converted by a roughing the passer penalty. Late and legitimate. Would have been fourth and short in the grey zone where they'd probably go for it.

Ensuing option is shut down beautifully. You can't run the option against Frank Solich! If there's one team in the country other than Navy that's intimately familiar with the Ohio Bobcats. NEXT play is also a loss on a run, leaving USM with a third and 18. We-give-up flat pass is overthrown and USM faces a 41 yard field goal. Up... yuck. No good. If it's any consolation to USM, that probably would have been a missed extra point, so the lost yardage was irrelevant.

8:39 PM. It's a shame the rest of the country misses out on these commercials from what purports to be a "plumbing company" called Michigan Power Rodding. If that's not a male escort service directed at lonely housewives, someone's pissing away mountains of money.

This is irrelevant, but since nothing is ever going to happen in this game -- slant for a third down conversion for Ohio -- and there's a slightly bigger game tomorrow, let me share this comment just posted on the Not Fiesta Bowl preview:

As usual whenever these over rated [sic],three yards & a cloud of dust [factual sic] Big 10 teams plays a poor outmanned team from the SEC all we hear is how the SEC team will be lucky to escape with their lives. And as usual the team representing the SEC will beat the living s**t out of the Big 10 team! Why you ask? Because the SEC is the strongest conference in the country,hand's down.[sic]

This guy's name? "ALL VOL," a gentleman who evidently doesn't remember what happened less than a week ago.

Meanwhile, more runs that go nowhere. First quarter has expired. Catch us in the second.

Wooo! GMAC Bowl Liveblog: First Quarter originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 07 Jan 2007 20:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Omnipresent Threat of Pellet Guns Spreads to USM

Brian Cook — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:46:00 EST

Filed under: Conference USA, Southern Miss Football

When Purdue wide receiver Selwyn Lymon took a pellet in the eye during some sort of real life Counter-Strike game and was proclaimed questionable for the Northwestern game, that was funny. It's not funny anymore, though. Two Southern Mississippi players have been kicked off the football team for shooting a fellow student with... a pellet gun!

Two reserve Southern Miss defensive backs were kicked off the football team Wednesday after being charged with aggravated assault.

Sophomore Cornelius McGee and freshman C.J. Bailey were also dismissed from the university after being charged with the felony. Authorities said the two are accused of shooting a fellow student with an air-powered pellet gun.

Clearly, this is more than just an isolated incident. My theory: pellet guns are a hyper-advanced alien race capable of controlling the minds of underclass football players and making them do stupid things for the home planet's amusement. Occam's razor.

Omnipresent Threat of Pellet Guns Spreads to USM originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Things Are Not Going Well In Mississippi

Brian Cook — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 15:35:00 EST

Filed under: Mississippi Football, Conference USA, SEC, Southern Miss Football

...unless you're USM Coach Jeff Bower, right.

I doubt many are still following the deep pit of despair that has become football in the state of Mississippi, but we strive to keep the reader update on all aspects of college football, no matter how morbid. If we had to declare one in-state program deader than the other it would be Mississippi State, who lost to Tulane, a 1-2 Conference USA team that may or may not still be underwater, in week three. Compounding matters: the 32-29 final score was deceiving, as going into the fourth quarter the Green Wave led 32-7(!). This has caused columnists to unconvincingly fake their own death.

No, wait. That's pretty bad but Ole Miss is coming off a trio of blowout losses to... wait for it... Missouri, Kentucky(!), and Wake Forest(!!) in which the Rebs were outscored 92-24. The Orgeron is flipping out at neighbors and having people win the internet at him. They're probably deader.

All that leaves a surprising third team as obviously the best in the state: 3-1 Southern Miss, owners of a victory over NC State, a team that's not good but showed something resembling a pulse versus Boston College, and UCF, a team that probably will hammer Tulane. Did I mention the Green Wave lost to Houston? 45-7?

(HT: Rammer Jammer Yellow Hamer.)

Things Are Not Going Well In Mississippi originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 28 Sep 2006 15:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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