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/Staring 11: Kiffin Seeks Deputy Criticizerhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/staring-11-kiffin-seeks-deputy-criticizer/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/staring-11-kiffin-seeks-deputy-criticizer/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/staring-11-kiffin-seeks-deputy-criticizer/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Late in Saturday's game against Vanderbilt, Tennessee's Dennis Rogan appeared to intercept a pass in the end zone. Only a questionable pass interference call was made. Vanderbilt received a first and goal and eventually kicked a field goal on the series. Lane Kiffin commented on the call in his post-game by telling Commissioner Slive he appreciated the call. Not content with that statement, the next morning Kiffin appeared on the Lane Kiffin Show alongside Vol announcer Bob Kesling and this was the transcript of their discussion of that play:


Kesling: This is third and goal.

Kiffin: [Heavy Sigh]

Kesling: The ball looks like it's intercepted.

Kiffin: The ball is intercepted. I thought that was a great call by the ref throwing the pass interference there. I'm sure that we were at fault.

Kesling: Here it is again.

Kiffin: You can say whatever you want. [Mike Slive] can't fine you.

Kesling: No, I think I'm under the same umbrella.

Kiffin: No, he can't fine you, don't worry. Go ahead, say what I wanted.

Kesling: Under the same umbrella.

Fortunately, I've got Lane Kiffin's solution: independent officiating criticizers who aren't affiliated with the university in any respect to do a coach's bidding.

Think about how sought after these positions would be. You'd be the de facto officiating commenter for the coach! It's like every message board poster's dream come true.

Anyway, as you can see by Lane Kiffin's comments, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive is the equivalent of a seventh grade substitute teacher trying to stop the blue word game from erupting in his classroom. (You know when one person says, for example, a euphamism for a man part and then someone else says it a bit louder until they get to the point where the teacher hears it and penalizes someone.) Basically every SEC coach is challenging the intent of the rule.

What if one coach just turned into a tremendous champion of the referees. Imagine, for instance, a postgame comment: "Boy, that call was one of the best I've ever seen in all my years of coaching," and denied that he was being sarcastic. Can you fine a coach for sarcasm, for being overly complimentary?

Anyway, with that question we're off and running with the Starting 11.

1. Much has been made of Les Miles/Col Jessep's decision on Saturday. But without the tape from the headset conversation we're in an difficult position. Much like the Watergate investigators after President Nixon cut out the 18 minutes.

Fortunately, and I expect major props for this, I've been e-mailed the existing tape and will be posting portions of it for your review throughout the Starting 11.

Immediately after the tackle as the clock begins to tick:

26, 25, 24

Booth: Coach!

Les Miles: Lemme finish.

Booth: Coach!

Les Miles: And so you're telling me that they have recreated the final "Seinfeld" episode inside of a new show called "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and they are playing it on Home Box Office?

2. I've been threatened with death over my Uga VII piece, but I'm not letting the overreaction over a dog's death go gently into that good night.

Did ESPN's announcing team really need to say that Georgia's players were playing on Saturday with "heavy hearts."

I mean ... come on.

Do you really think that Uga VII's death impacted the players at all?

Nope, not one single bit. Now, if Uga's players were playing with heavy hearts because they gave up four turnovers in the second half and lost at home to Kentucky for the first time in 30 years, well, I can see that.
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3. Twenty-three seconds, 22 seconds, 21 seconds

Booth: Coach!

Les Miles: What is a Home Box Office? Do I have one of those?

Booth: Coach!

4. No one is talking about this but Heisman hopeful Mark Ingram is very close to being passed in a yards-per-game average by, get this, another player in the SEC.

Anthony Dixon rushed 24 times for 176 yards against Arkansas. Dixon now trails Ingram by 1.38 yards per game. The only reason these two players aren't completely interchangable in terms of total running yardage is because Dixon didn't play in Mississippi State's first game of the season.

In fact, against common SEC opponents, Kentucky, LSU, and Arkansas Dixon has rushed for 534 yards to Ingram's 334. So against the exact same defenses, Dixon has been almost twice the runner that Ingram has. After this upcoming week, we'll be able to add Ole Miss and Auburn to the common opponent mix, but look for Dixon to finish the season with substantially more yards than Ingram playing against the same competition.

Leaving me with this question,what if they just held the Heisman in abeyance and could save it for future years when two better players deserve it?

5. 20 seconds, 19 seconds, 18 seconds

Les Miles: Calm down y'all. Do you want me to push the buzzer? I love that buzzer. Sometimes, when I get bored over here, I just push the buzzer to give the refs a little jolt. Imma do it now.

Pushes buzzer.

Booth: Coach!

Less Miles: Buzzzzzzzzzz. You know bumblebees have a queen. Not a king. You know what else, that buzz sound, that's the sound that Ryan Perrilloux's going to hear every time he leaves his cell.

Booth: Coach!

Les Miles: Buzzzzzzzz. Look at that old official, he's looking at me like he expects me to do something.

Sucker.

6. Question: Can you use the family bathroom at a football stadium if there isn't a family presently there?

I think so.

But what do you do if you come out and there's a mom waiting with a baby?

She's going to curse you for all eternity. Maybe not out loud, but in her mind. Your karma is ruined.

7. 17 seconds. 16 seconds, 14 seconds, 13 seconds

Les Miles: Can you believe that Spencer Pratt got his Vas Deferens snipped? One year I went to a Halloween Party dressed as a Vin Diesel. But I thought I was the Vas Deferens. Kids got me all confused. So I stood up at the party and said, "I thought I was a part of the man part, but I'm really not. I apologize to all of the ladies for saying, 'My man part could use some punch.' What I should have said, you know to be more accurate, was, 'Little Vin is happy to see you.'"

8. How disappointing is playing coaching dominoes going to be if Brian Kelly leaves Cincinnati for Notre Dame?

You'll recall that I said playing coaching dominoes was one of my favorite past-times when I'm bored in my car. This means I'm lame. But chance are, you're lame too.

Then all we've got left open is a Cincinnati job that won't be attractive enough to really set the dominoes falling anywhere. It's the coaching dominoes equivalent of the Tyson-Spinks fight, a complete let-down.

Selfishly I'm rooting for Notre Dame to pry away Urban Meyer just so we can have a colossal explosion.

9. 12 seconds, 11 seconds, 10 seconds, 9 seconds, 8 seconds

Les Miles: Easy, easy, the state trooper just called the timeout. You know how we do these things. I'm the deputy clock man. He's the clock man.

Les Miles: Okay, here's the play, everyone runs down the field and you throw it up in the air really high and we'll pray to God that someone catches.

Jordan Jefferson: A Hail Mary, Coach?

Les Miles: Lord no, Mary was just the vessel for the Lord Baby Jesus. No sir, I'm calling this the Hail Jesus.

10. If Boise State and TCU wanted to play an unscheduled game against each other, could they?

I was sitting around doodling in the dentist's office the other day, when I wondered about this. What if both teams decided to play the weekend after the conference championship games? I mean, Boise is already playing 13 games this season so what does one more, a cool 14, hurt?

If Boise didn't already have a game scheduled on Dec. 5, they could have played against each other and tried to stick a thumb in the eye of the BCS rankings. Regardless, wouldn't it be great if two small conference teams agreed to a playoff-level game just to spit in the eye of the BCS?

And then got a major corporation to sponsor the game and award the winner the national championship?

In the meantime, you can head over to twitter and read the new social media strategy of the BCS: Starting up a pro-BCS twitter feed called @insidethebcs

Totalitarianism meet social media, lovely.



11. Meanwhile, has the Pac 10 had a crazier finale than a Dec. 3 Oregon-Oregon State Civil War hate-fest for a trip to the Rose Bowl?

On a Thursday night?

I watched the end of Oregon-Arizona from a bar and it had to be the craziest game of the year.

At least the craziest game with a ton at stake.

Now I feel like Oregon-Oregon State is going to be craziest.

Staring 11: Kiffin Seeks Deputy Criticizer originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Clay TravisWed, 25 Nov 2009 11:09:00 EST Dramatic Pac-10 Is Nation's Besthttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/dramatic-pac-10-is-nations-best/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/dramatic-pac-10-is-nations-best/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/dramatic-pac-10-is-nations-best/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

OregonTUCSON, Ariz. -- Here's hoping SEC fans stayed up to watch Oregon beat Arizona Saturday night. They got to see a few things their league hasn't had enough of this season.

Drama, bedlam, theatrics, tension, hilarity and near-riotous fun. And that just begins to describe the Ducks' 44-41 double overtime win.

It finally ended as the clock struck midnight back East. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli slithered into the end zone to crash what would have been the biggest football party Tucson ever threw.

All of which settled one thing. The Pac-10 is the best conference in America.

Before SEC fans gag on their grits, allow me to clarify. Best doesn't mean the Pac-10 has the most outstanding teams. It has the most outstanding competition, which is even better.

Out West, you never know what's going to happen. Down South, you know what to expect.

Florida will win. Alabama will win.

All meaningful drama has been on hold until the SEC Championship Game Dec. 5. Otherwise, the season's been a sideshow where fans just wait on Lane Kiffin's mouth to rev up or Les Miles' brain to freeze.

That stuff is amusing, but I prefer a death match for the league title. The Pac 10's quality depth was never more evident than Saturday when California beat Stanford 34-28. That would have been the Game of the Day (Non-Charlie Weis Death Watch Division), until the Ducks and Wildcats put on their pinball show.

"It was just good, hard football with a lot of emotion," Oregon receiver D.J. Davis said.

That's what you've gotten all year in the Pac-10. That's why four teams still had realistic shots at the Rose Bowl going into Saturday. And that's why 57,863 fans showed up Saturday night, most of them wearing red.

I know, 57,863 Alabama fans would show up to watch Nick Saban eat breakfast at Waffle House. I've lived in the South most of my life. I ate Golden Flake potato chips because Bear Bryant told me to. I plan on naming my first-born son Tebow if he's virgin birthed.

In other words, you'd have a hard time convincing me anything's superior to the SEC brand. Watching Masoli do his Doug Flutie impersonation melted my prejudice.

Masoli threw for three touchdowns and ran for three more. He led a fourth-quarter rally that led to one of the most satisfying and bizarre scenes of the year.

As the clock wound toward 0:00, fans spilled over the rails and flooded the sideline.

Cue LeGarrette Blount and Boise State flashbacks.

We all remember how Oregon's tailback responded the last time the Ducks lost a close one on the road. The Most Dangerous Man in College Football has since been reinstated, though he's stuck on the bench behind redshirt freshman sensation LaMichael James.
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Thousands of fans surrounded the Oregon bench, waiting to turn the field into a wild red sea. Talk about a target rich environment for Blount's right cross.

Fortunately, Masoli was not ready to be swept up in a red tide. He calmly drove the Wildcats 80 yards and hit Ed Dickson with an 8-yard score to tie the game with six seconds left.

"He's just incredible," James said of his quarterback. "He never got down out there."

The Ducks should finally crack the BCS top 10 now. They'll be the only Pac-10 team that high, but the league had five teams in last week's top 25.

The SEC had only three, though all were in the top 10. You can be sure LSU won't be after Miles frittered away a win at Mississippi.

That qualified the Tigers as the SEC's most disappointing team. Or is it Georgia or South Carolina or Auburn or Arkansas?

Let's face it, boys. It's a down year for almost every team outside of Gainesville and Tuscaloosa. The Pac-10 doesn't have a super team, but it has a half-dozen good ones. And if you want to get technical, UCLA thumped Tennessee and Arizona State almost beat Georgia in Athens.

And lest we forget, Pac-10 also-ran USC (how funny is that?) beat Big Ten champ Ohio State on the road. Let's see the fifth-place SEC team do that.

The SEC is like an auto company that has two great cars and a bunch of clunkers. The Pac-10 can roll out a line of impressive models. Oregon is the flashiest, but it still must beat Oregon State in two weeks to win the league crown.

The only bet I'd make on that game is that it won't be as amusing as watching thousands of fans have to slink back to their seats.

"I saw it and I actually smirked," Masoli said of Saturday night's gathering storm of humanity. "It was kind of funny."

Funny, decisive, chaotic and a mystery until the end.

SEC fans may finally experience those things two weeks from now. Pac-10 fans have been getting them all year.

Dramatic Pac-10 Is Nation's Best originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>David WhitleySun, 22 Nov 2009 02:30:00 EST Oregon Cheerleader Katelynn Johnson Hospitalized After Being Struck by Bottlehttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/oregon-cheerleader-katelynn-johnson-hospitalized-after-being-str/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/oregon-cheerleader-katelynn-johnson-hospitalized-after-being-str/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/oregon-cheerleader-katelynn-johnson-hospitalized-after-being-str/#commentsFiled under: ,



Oregon delivered the knockout blow to Arizona, but the Wildcats gave themselves a black eye Saturday night when a bottle thrown by someone in the crowd sent Ducks cheerleader Katelynn Johnson to the hospital in the chaotic aftermath of Oregon's 44-41 double-overtime win.

According to OregonLive.com, Johnson, a junior, was struck in the head by a water bottle thrown from the stands and was taken to an area hospital after collapsing on the field shortly thereafter. Johnson was treated for a concussion and an Oregon spokesman said she returned to Eugene on Sunday.

The incident came on the heels of a dramatic reversal of fortunes for the Wildcats. Students from the "Zona Zoo" had gathered around the field in the final minutes of regulation, expecting to storm the field when Arizona won. But Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli hit Ed Dickson with six seconds left for the game-tying touchdown. Two overtimes later, Masoli ran in a one-yard score to stun the host Wildcats and the students dispersed.

The loss made a Rose Bowl berth unlikely for the Wildcats, the only Pac-10 team that hasn't played in the New Year's Bowl.

It also unleashed a rain of objects upon the Ducks, according to Oregon associate athletic director Joe Giansante, who said the projectiles did not come from the Wildcat student section.
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"As the team was coming in, they were getting bombarded with water bottles, batteries, and various other items coming out of the stands," Giansante told OregonLive.com. "We were yelling at everybody to keep their heads up, but one got through and hit Katelynn in the head. All the kids [on the cheerleading team] are scared, but hopefully she'll be OK."

For a team rarely in the national spotlight, the incident will become something of a black mark on what was otherwise a showcase night for Arizona.

"That's just unacceptable behavior from fans, whether it was an Arizona fan or any fan across the nation," Masoli said.

Arizona head coach Mike Stoops, who described the incident as "disturbing" at his weekly campus news conference, called Oregon athletic director Mike Bellotti to express his concern.

According to a KEZI.com report, Arizona police are reviewing tapes and conducting a full investigation to try and find the fans who threw bottles onto the field.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Oregon Cheerleader Katelynn Johnson Hospitalized After Being Struck by Bottle originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>katelynn johnsonRay HollomanSun, 22 Nov 2009 02:10:00 EST Ducks Bump Wildcats in Game of the Year Candidatehttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/ducks-bump-wildcats-in-college-football-game-of-the-year/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/ducks-bump-wildcats-in-college-football-game-of-the-year/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/ducks-bump-wildcats-in-college-football-game-of-the-year/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

It was arguably the game of the year in college football. It was certainly further evidence that the Pac-10 is back as a national conference.

After two overtimes and a touchdown with six seconds left in regulation, the Oregon Ducks outlasted Arizona 44-41 to take control of the Pac-10.

For a while, the stars seemed to align for Arizona. California upset Stanford during the the third quarter of the Wildcats' game, bumping one Pac-10 peer from Rose Bowl contention. Meanwhile, Arizona shrugged off a 14-0 deficit to take a 24-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

However, Oregon then rallied with 17 points in the final frame, including a highlight-worthy touchdown pass from Jeremiah Masoli to Ed Dickson with six seconds left that deflated the home crowd and dispersed the students, who had emerged nearby to storm the field.

Perhaps still stunned by their defensive collapse, Arizona saw Oregon score a quick touchdown to open overtime. The Wildcats answered with a touchdown of their own but failed to move the ball in the second overtime and settled for a field goal.

The lack of offensive punch was costly as Oregon went 22 yards to the Arizona three on its first play and Masoli ran into the end zone for the winner three plays later.

With that, Arizona's magical night turn to nightmare as the only Pac-10 program never to have played in a Rose Bowl likely saw its Rose Bowl hopes dashed.

Of special intrigue, the Twitterverse was aflame with folks angry they were unable to witness the end of the game. Apparently ABC/ESPN switched to local programming in some parts rather than carry the game of the year to its conclusion. This only adds fuel to Pac-10 fans' fire when it comes to conspiracies about so-called East Coast Bias.

The Ducks now have two weeks to prepare for hosting "Civil War" rival Oregon State. With a win, they clinch the Pac-10 crown and a trip to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1994. They deserve tremendous credit for overcoming a charged Arizona crowd and rallied late but their celebrated offense disappeared for a significant stretch of the game.

The highlight of the night was definitely receiver Jeff Maehl's circus catch in the back of the end zone in the first overtime Masoli dropped a pass into the back of the end zone, well contested by Arizona's best defensive back. However, Maehl muscled his way to the ball first and corralled it safely before hitting the turf. That play changed the game, not only sending it into a second overtime but demonstrating what team actually wanted this game more on a 50-50 play like that.

Ducks Bump Wildcats in Game of the Year Candidate originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Jeff MaehlJeremiah MasoliLaMichael JamesBrian GrummellSun, 22 Nov 2009 00:49:00 EST Oregon Gets Wild Win Over 'Cats in 2OThttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/oregon-gets-wild-win-over-cats/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/oregon-gets-wild-win-over-cats/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/oregon-gets-wild-win-over-cats/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Jeremiah MasoliTUCSON, Ariz.(AP) -- Jeremiah Masoli tied it with a touchdown pass to Ed Dickson with six seconds left, then won it with a 1-yard run in the second overtime as No. 11 Oregon defeated Arizona 44-41 on Saturday night and took a big step toward the Pac-10 title.

Masoli threw for three scores and ran for three more as the Ducks rallied from a 24-14 deficit early in the fourth quarter.

The Ducks (9-2, 7-1 Pac-10) will earn a Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl berth with a victory over No. 20 Oregon State in a winner-take-all Civil War on Dec. 3 in Eugene.

After Masoli hit Jeff Maehl for a 4-yard score on Oregon's first overtime possession, Foles hit Juron Criner with a 3-yard strike to tie it at 38-38.

Alex Zendejas kicked a 41-yard field goal to give Arizona a 41-38 lead in the second overtime. But Oregon answered quickly.

Masoli hit Dickson for 22 yards, and three plays later the quarterback bulled over from a yard out.

Oregon tied it at 31-31 when Masoli hit Dickson in the back of the end zone for an 8-yard score.

That came after another minor miracle for the Ducks. Oregon had tied it at 24-24 midway through the final quarter on a 43-yard field goal by Morgan Flint - a line-drive kick that hit the crossbar and bounced through the uprights.

Arizona took a 31-24 lead midway through the fourth quarter on a 71-yard screen pass from Foles to Criner, who outraced the defense to the end zone, fighting off two defenders over the final 10 yards.

Arizona appeared ready to run the clock out on its next possession. But Oregon's Talmadge Jackson III picked off a pass in the end zone, giving the Ducks one last shot.

They took over at their own 20 with 3:11 to play. With red-clad Arizona students ringing the sidelines, Masoli guided the Ducks downfield in 15 plays and 3:05, scoring with six ticks to spare.

Under pressure all night, Masoli ran for two scores and threw for two more.
Nick Foles threw four TD passes for Arizona (6-4, 4-3), which was eliminated from Rose Bowl contention.

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On a 70-degree night in the desert, Wildcats faithful packed Arizona Stadium for one of the bigger games in school history. But this was a matchup few had circled in September.

The Wildcats were picked to finish eighth in a preseason poll of reporters regularly assigned to the conference. Oregon, meanwhile, seemed adrift after opening with a 19-8 defeat at Boise State - a loss that made national news when tailback LeGarrette Blount punched a Broncos player after the game and was suspended for the season.

Blount was reinstated this month, but the Ducks' ground attack didn't miss a beat with freshman LaMichael James, who entered the game with an Oregon freshman-record 1,193 yards.

Oregon had scored at least 40 points in six of seven Pac-10 games, including its last four, and the Ducks looked unstoppable on the game's opening possession. They marched 74 yards in nine plays, with Masoli snaking 14 yards up the middle to give Oregon a 7-0 lead.

Masoli made it 14-0 with another big play early in the second quarter. Masoli spun out of a sack, scrambled to his right and pegged the ball to Maehl, who caught it in the midst of three defenders and then dove into the end zone for a 9-yard TD.

Early in the second quarter, Arizona's defense came up with a play that turned the momentum. Free safety Cam Nelson deflected Masoli's pass, and linebacker Sterling Lewis intercepted at Oregon's 44.

Five plays later, Foles lobbed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Criner, who snatched the ball away from cornerback Cliff Harris in the back corner of the end zone.

Arizona stuffed Oregon on its next possession, and the Wildcats went 37 yards in 49 seconds, drawing within 14-10 on a career-long 47-yard field goal by Alex Zendejas as the first half ended.

Arizona took its first lead, 17-10, on an 8-yard run by fourth-string tailback Nick Booth five minutes into the third quarter.

The Wildcats made it 24-14 early in the fourth quarter on a 5-yard strike from Foles to Wright 1:03 into the final quarter.

The Ducks responded with a 10-play, 79-yard march that took only 2:54. Masoli walked in from a yard out to whittle the deficit to 24-21 with 10:57 to play.

Oregon Gets Wild Win Over 'Cats in 2OT originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>FanHouse NewswireSun, 22 Nov 2009 00:10:00 EST Ducks' Blount Returns, Doesn't Playhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/15/no-blount-for-smoking-ducks/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/15/no-blount-for-smoking-ducks/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/15/no-blount-for-smoking-ducks/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Saturday was to be the college football return for embattled Oregon tailback LeGarrette Blount, but a funny thing happened along the way -- the Ducks never found a need for him in an impressive 44-21 victory over Arizona State.

The 44 points marked the fourth straight game Oregon's red-hot offense has scored 42 or more. Meanwhile, the cold night at Autzen Stadium seemingly prompted the Duck coaching staff to give Blount -- suspended since Sept. 4 for punching a Boise State player and refusing to leave the stadium peacefully -- the cold shoulder.

One Duck tailback after another -- four in all -- notched carries Saturday, none of them Blount. Perhaps there was a message to him in that, or perhaps it was a reflection of his backfield mates' efforts. LaMichael James went over 100 yards for the fifth straight game, gobbling up 149 yards and claiming three touchdowns. Overall the Ducks rushed for 266 yards, more than enough to put away the struggling Sun Devils.

After replacing ineffective starter Danny Sullivan last week with freshman Brock Osweiler, Arizona State saw Osweiler suffer a mysterious injury that brought sophomore Samson Szakacsy into the game. He was mostly ineffective but did stuff two touchdown drives between the bookends of mediocrity in all other possessions.

Meanwhile, television cameras repeatedly found a smiling, ready, benched Blount. Teammates surrounded him throughout the game, perhaps anticipating that moment he'd get the call. That proved elusive, as coach Chip Kelly went in a different direction. Oregon fans roared at one point, confusing back No. 5 with Blount's No. 9, clearly hoping for a made-for-TV moment.

His next opportunity to play, and perhaps redeem himself, will be against Arizona next Saturday. It is a huge conference battle, with a loss dangerous to Oregon and probably fatal to Arizona if they want to get to Pasadena as Rose Bowl participants.
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Ducks' Blount Returns, Doesn't Play originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Brock OsweilerChip KellyDanny SullivanLaMichael JamesLeGarrette BlountSamson SzakacsyBrian GrummellSun, 15 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST Starting 11: Counting to Five in Alabamahttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/starting-11-counting-to-five-in-alabama/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/starting-11-counting-to-five-in-alabama/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/starting-11-counting-to-five-in-alabama/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Alabama fan As the fourth quarter of CBS's coverage of Alabama-LSU went to commercial break, the cameras caught something extraordinary, an Alabama fan giving the cliched and overused four finger slogan. Okay, nothing extraordinary about that, but, this is when a bit of the Southern Gothic came into your living room, the man only had four fingers, he was missing a pinkie! So he gave the four finger sign utilizing his thumb.

My jaw literally dropped. Judging by everyone's reaction on Twitter, I wasn't the only one. The most shocking thing, of course, is that the fan gave up the pinkie to Nick Saban, wielding a machete, as part of the pregame speech. Good to see they got the bleeding stopped.

But, of course, this moment of four-finger jubilation wasn't the only thing that caught my attention. We've got Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, Cincinnati, and a groom who made it rain at this wedding reception and caused a 40-person brawl. Plus, we learn that 5 yards in Alabama math actually means 5.5 yards.

Dive in and enjoy.

1. What the heck is up with the Pac-10 results?

I'm not quibbling with the talent of Pac-10 teams. In fact, and I'll take grief for this, I actually like Pac-10 fans the most in college football, behind only the SEC. Partly that's because the West Coast is my second favorite region, so I like being out there, but it's also because the games are entertaining, the fans are pretty fun, have the second-best senses of humor in football, and there are plenty of lovely women around

Yet, does any conference in America have more shocking results? Particularly in light of the scores of the shocking games?

I'm not astounded that Stanford beat Oregon. Coming off a bye week with a good coach and a home game, the ingredients for an upset were all there, but still, Stanford hangs 51 on Oregon?

Stanford had only scored 40 once this season, against San Jose State back in September. Meanwhile, Oregon has only given up 58 points total in their last five games.

So what happens when the two teams meet? Stanford scores 51 en route to the upset.

Of course it does. That's Pac-10 football.

Again, the upset doesn't surprise me, but in most conferences in America the upset score would have been something like 20-17.

In the Pac-10, all bets are off.

2. NBC's coverage of Notre Dame football is atrocious.

My favorite part of Saturday's loss to Navy -- and there were several parts -- was when NBC labeled Jimmy Clausen "the toughest player in America."

Really? You don't think that might be a slight exaggeration? Perhaps connected to NBC's television contract with Notre Dame? Bigger question, can a quarterback ever be the toughest player on a team? I don't think so.

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But every time I watch an NBC broadcast of Notre Dame football, I'm reminded why Tom Hammond and Pat Haden are the worst announcing team in college football. It's not just the Notre Dame homerism, they're genuinely awful at explaining the game, discussing strategy, all of it. At some point, I should just do an article chronicling their ineptitude.

Anyway, I've never heard a team praised so much while only putting up seven points against a service academy. Listening to the Notre Dame-Navy game was like attending a kindergarten graduation ceremony with the woman whose son got held back for a year. And she's heaping praise on her son for the accomplishment: "I can't believe my baby did it!"

Really? Did you think he was going to be in kindergarten for the rest of his life? At some point they have to promote you. (Aside: Is kindergarten not one of the trickiest words to spell? Doesn't it seem like the first three letters should be K-I-D? I misspell this word every time I type it. I'm always ticked that I have to look it up, and then I always think, why am I using the word kindergarten again? Kind of like when I didn't write the word misspell for three years because I was terrified of the irony of misspelling the word misspell).

As for Charlie Weis, I think his era was summed up by this stat, white fullback Vince Murray carried the ball 14 times for 158 yards against his team. That's an average of over 11 yards a carry.

Think about that.

A fullback, who started the year in a battle for the second string spot at a position whose primary job is to bang into things. Who, in two previous seasons had only seen action against titans Duke and Ball State. Whose online biography has no stats but lauds him for playing with "great toughness."

He rushed for 158 yards.

All the talent that Weis has brought to Notre Dame and they can't stop Navy's white fullback, who by the way played a hell of a game, on the dive play? Putting those stats into context, that average per carry was almost twice what the next worst team has allowed him -- Rice gave up 6.5 yards a carry.

If I was a student at Notre Dame, I might make my own anti-Weis shirt. "Notre Dame: White Fullbacks Own Us."

3. Officiating errors when made via replay review are unforgivable.

I've already volunteered myself for the position of instant replay reviewer. I think I'm every bit as qualified as the people the SEC employs now. But what I really want to happen, is someone to pay the price when they blow a call on instant replay review. Because that, my friends, is inexcusable.

The Patrick Peterson interception happened really fast in the LSU-Alabama game. The fact that two officials who were standing in the position to make the call both blew it is, while sad, somewhat excusable. That's why we have video replay, right? But when a guy sitting in a booth in front of the television blows the call too, there's no point to having replay at all.

Zero.

So here's a suggestion: If a blown call happens in a game and instant replay review doesn't change it, then the booth official is suspended for life and has to spend an entire afternoon in the stocks on the campus where he made the error.

I want to be the lawyer who drafts this contract.

4. Speaking of unforgivable, how about CBS trotting out the film of all eight of Jarrett Lee's interceptions returned for touchdowns?

Why is that unforgivable?

Because Lee wasn't even the starting quarterback. That means CBS had that clip on file just in case Jordan Jefferson, LSU's starter, was injured.

Think about that for a minute.

They'd already decided to throw Jarrett Lee under the bus on the off chance that he played against Alabama.

Having said that, how unbelievable is it that Lee had eight interceptions returned for touchdowns. Especially when you look at his picks all together. It's not like he's throwing passes that get tipped away at the line of scrimmage and returned for touchdowns. All of his passes are traveling down the field. And almost all of them are 40 or more yard returns.

It really is one of the most amazing statistical abnormalities out there.

Now, does that mean that Jarrett Lee should be subjected to this every time he plays a game?

I don't think so.

Even more importantly, should LSU fans be subjected to this?

Definitely not.

5. Someone explain to me how LSU was penalized 5.5 yards for running into the kicker in the fourth quarter.

Dan Wetzel at Yahoo Sports tweeted it in real time, and now here's the actual evidence.

After the error on spotting, Alabama then converted this fourth-down play. Which was, you guessed it, shortly followed by the interception that wasn't. Then Bama kicked a field goal to go up nine points.

I'd include this photo when Les Miles inevitably tees off on the officials.

Personally, I'm hoping Miles brings in an overhead projector and puts this picture on the screen behind him. I would pay a thousand dollars of the fine myself to see Miles do this. Especially if he pulled out an old school marker and noted the ball placement.

Seriously though, isn't it incomprehensible that this could happen?

6. Jonathan Crompton is Lazarus.

Since I called for his benching, Jonathan Crompton has turned into Jesus Montana. This is why Memphis should contact me about their new opening at head coach, I know football. (If you need further evidence of this fact, I am dominating my family's former French exchange student in our weekly picks challenge in the mailbag.)

Saturday, Crompton passed for 331 yards with five touchdowns through the air and one on the ground. That's all in less than 33 minutes of football -- Kiffin pulled him after the first drive of the second half. Crompton would have gone for over 500 yards and eight or nine touchdowns if he'd played the whole game.

And while he threw the ball with precision, the most impressive part of Saturday, I thought, was Crompton's quarterback sneak for a touchdown at the end of the first half. With a running clock and one timeout left, Crompton came to the line, faked like he was going to spike the football, and then got under center and dove into the end zone for the score.

It was an incredibly smart play.

Why?

If he'd actually grounded the ball, there would have only been around six seconds left in the half. It would be second and goal and UT would have one timeout left. Time for one definite play, maybe two if you were very lucky with the clock. Instead Crompton took his shot at getting into the end zone with a running clock. If he's stopped, no big deal, call the timeout and you still get another play where run or pass is the option. The point is, the quarterback sneak there doesn't take much longer than spiking the football and it gives you a chance to score.

It was a really, really smart play.

Crompton now has 21 touchdown passes against 10 interceptions, and in the past five games he's got 14 touchdowns and only two picks. Time for a bold pronouncement that can never be justified, proven or disproven: If Crompton was coming back next season the Vols would win the SEC East.

7. What are the rules for wearing a coaches' polo if you aren't actually in the town where the game is played?

I'll tell you: You can't go coaches' polo unless you're at the game.

Period.

For the unaware, the coaches' polo has taken the SEC fashion world by storm. You know the shirts the coaches wear on the sideline? That's the coaches' polo, these things are insanely popular down South. I've never seen that many other fans wear them out, but in the SEC they're gold bullion. Basically, if you're over 35 and graduated from college, the coaches polo is your fashion security blanket, the male equivalent of women's heels at an SEC game. You can't go wrong with the CP.

Except when you can.

You look like an idiot when you wear your coach's polo out to the bar and you didn't actually go to the game. The CP is strictly gameday wear in the town of the game. Otherwise, keep them in the closet.



8. Why is no one taking shots at Cincinnati for giving up 45 points to UConn?

I'll tell you, because for much of the media, Cincinnati is like a hot chick on a beach in Venezuela, you know she exists but she's so remote you don't pay any attention to her actual physical characteristics. A large part of me is convinced that the only Bearcat game anyone has actually seen was the game against South Florida.

For instance, I couldn't watch the Cincinnati game in Nashville.

Why?

Because we got the Nebraska-Oklahoma game on regional coverage. That's despite being about 280 miles from Cincinnati. I have no idea who made this programming decision, and I'm not even sure what the rationale could possibly be. I guarantee you that more people in my city were interested in watching Cincinnati. It's a closer school, that game has more relevance for SEC fans, and ... yep, we got Oklahoma-Nebraska.

Which means we missed 711 yards of offense from Cincinnati and a 555-yard offensive performance from Zach Collaros, the Bearcats former backup quarterback.

Want another wacky stat? Prior to giving up 45 to the Huskies the most points the Bearcats had allowed all season was 20 to Fresno State.

But, you guessed it, no one really paid attention.

9. Michigan lost at home to Purdue 38-36.

My wife's family was in this weekend so we watched this game on the Big Ten Network. How disappointing is this loss if you're Michigan? The worst part is that the nation isn't even paying attention to you anymore because you've become an afterthought. At least when Notre Dame lost to Navy, a much better team than Purdue, people reacted.

Michigan losing to Purdue?

No one even reacts anymore.

George Bernard Shaw once said that the worst sin towards a fellow man is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. Presumably he had just flipped through a Michigan football game for a Home Shopping Network special at the time.

That's how far off the radar Michigan has fallen.

In his second season at Ohio State, Jim Tressel won a national championship. In his second season at Michigan, Rich Rodriguez is not going to a bowl game. Again.

My wife, a Michigan alum, came downstairs after getting our son down for his nap, looked at the television, saw the Boilermakers celebrating, and said, "Purdue! We're still Michigan."

Isn't it time for all Michigan fans to have this collective reaction and kick Rich Rod to the curb? I understand that installing the spread offense takes time, but what about the defense? You've given up 30 to every Big Ten team except Michigan State, a game you lost anyway.

Nothing is working. And Rich Rod ain't the right fit.

10. Tampa groom makes it rain at his own wedding and causes a 40-person brawl.

Pacman JonesHis 74-year-old grandmother gets beaten down in the process.

What city?

Tampa, of course.

I think I speak for everyone when I say that this wedding is destined for great things.

Pacman Jones, at least, was touched by the gesture.

11. The SEC needs a Mark Cuban type to tee off on officiating until something changes.

That person needs to be independent from the league office yet have a stake in the outcome. And he needs to be willing to keep writing checks when he's fined by the league. Remember how everyone called Cuban a whiner and then he was ultimately vindicated in many of his criticisms about the officiating? Someone else is going to be right in the long run if they hold the SEC's feet to the fire on this thing.

I'm not sure who that person is since athletic directors and coaches are beholden to the commissioner and there are no owners in the SEC, but someone has to make an issue of this.

It's to the point where, before he opened his mouth and gave the result on the interception review, I actually thought, "They're not going to change the call."

In other words, I think I'm a pretty reasonable fan and the errors are mounting to such a degree that they're interfering with my enjoyment of the on-field product.

That has to change.

Now.

Starting 11: Counting to Five in Alabama originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Clay TravisTue, 10 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST Oregon Reinstates LeGarrette Blounthttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/oregon-reinstates-legarrette-blount/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/oregon-reinstates-legarrette-blount/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/oregon-reinstates-legarrette-blount/#commentsFiled under:

LeGarrette Blount'The Punch' wasn't a knockout after all.

Oregon reinstated running back LeGarrette Blount Monday afternoon, just more than two months after he was suspended for punching Boise State defensive end Byron Hout following the Ducks' Week 1 loss to the Broncos in Idaho.

"I'm grateful to Coach Kelly that he cares enough to offer me this second chance," Blount said in a statement released by the school. "Now it is up to me to prove to people that their lasting impressions of me are not what they saw in Boise."

Blount's suspension was originally announced to be for the season, but on Oct. 2, roughly a month after the Sept. 3 incident, Oregon head coach Chip Kelly said that the running back might returning, pending the senior meeting several conditions.

The Pac-10 also signed off on Blount's suspension. Commissioner Larry Scott said he believed Blount learned a lesson during his punishment.

"After a thorough review of the situation, I am convinced LeGarrette Blount paid a significant and appropriate price for the mistakes he made on the field, and that he has learned important life-long lessons," Scott said.
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Blount will be available for the Ducks' Saturday contest against Arizona State. The following week, Oregon travels to Arizona in a showdown that could determine the conference championship and a spot in the Rose Bowl.

Blount, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound transfer from East Mississippi Community College, rushed for 1,002 yards and a school-record 17 touchdowns last season. He rushed for minus-five yards in his lone game this season.

Yet without him, the Ducks have thrived.

In his absence, Oregon has won seven straight games, including a 47-20 victory over USC on Halloween, before falling to Stanford Saturday. But little of the blame for the loss to the Cardinal fell on the offense, which still generated 560 total yards.

After rushing for just 31 yards against Boise State, Oregon has since become the nation's ninth-ranked rushing teams, primarily on the legs of LaMichael James.

Blount continued to practice with the team during his absence.

The suspension was Blount's second in his two years at Oregon. In February, he was suspended by former coach Mike Bellotti for "failure to fulfill team obligations," but was re-instated before spring practice.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.

Oregon Reinstates LeGarrette Blount originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>legarrette blountRay HollomanMon, 09 Nov 2009 13:14:00 EST One Week Later, Oregon Not So Rosyhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/one-week-later-oregon-not-so-rosy/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/one-week-later-oregon-not-so-rosy/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/one-week-later-oregon-not-so-rosy/#commentsFiled under: ,

STANFORD, Calif. -- What a difference a week makes for Oregon.

The Ducks looked invincible and unbeatable a week ago, taking apart USC like they were ... Stanford?

They spent the week answering questions about letdowns and hangovers. No way. Not going to happen. Not us.

But by sunset at Stanford Stadium, the No. 7-ranked Ducks were walking off the field after a 51-42 defeat and there was no doubt they felt the letdown.

"We didn't focus on the past, didn't look to the future. We got beat by a better team," said Oregon coach Chip Kelly. "If you say that we got caught looking behind or ahead, it takes away from Stanford. Stanford is a heck of a football team."
More Upset Saturday: Hawkeyes No Longer Perfect | Navy Sinks ND


Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli acknowledged where the postgame conversation was headed.

"People are going to talk about (letdowns) and I guess we kind of did because we didn't win today and that's the bottom line," Masoli said.

Oregon hadn't lost since the now infamous season-opener against Boise State, a run of seven straight wins in which the margin of victory was 22.7 points a game. In the last five games, nobody had gotten closer than two touchdowns.

And then came Stanford, the hard-nose team whose defense didn't look up to the task.

But it turned out the Cardinal, which secured bowl eligibility for the first time in eight years with the win, certainly were. They put up 51 points on the scoreboard, more than Oregon had given up all season. Tailback Toby Gerhart was, as coach Jim Harbaugh called him, "a warrior", rushing for 223 yards on 38 carries with three touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Andrew Luck threw for 254 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

And the Cardinal defense, which has surrendered the game in pressure situations before, held up just long enough for the victory after Oregon cut a 20-point fourth-quarter lead to six points in the final minutes.
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Oregon's defense couldn't stop Stanford and while it might not have cost the Ducks their Rose Bowl hopes, their inclusion in the national championship conversation would seem to be out the window. He said the team felt no pressure after the USC performance, no additional weight after becoming the darlings of college football, the fashionable powerhouse of the week.

"I have never heard any person on this team talk about the national championship," said senior tight end Ed Dickson.

Stanford led from start to finish, quickly going up 10-0 and holding on despite being out-gained by the Oregon offense, 570-505.

Masoli threw for a career-high 334 yards. Freshman tailback LaMichael James rushed for 125 yards and a 60-yard touchdown. But the Ducks were forced to play catch-up, Stanford held more than a 15-minute margin in time of possession, and time ran out before they could.

The Cardinal have twice finished seasons with five wins (2004 and 2008), failing to reach the postseason every season since Tyrone Willingham left for Notre Dame after the 2001 Seattle Bowl.

This win marked a huge breakthrough in the rebuilding efforts under Harbaugh. Before the game, Harbaugh said that a win in this game would mean more to the program than the 2007 upset over USC, that came in a 4-8 season, his first on The Farm.

Following Saturday's game, Harbaugh again acknowledged the significance.

"This is the best opportunity that Stanford football has had in the past 10 years to express who this team is, and they expressed it and I couldn't be more proud of them," Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh said the goal has always been more than bowl-eligibility.

"Our goal has been to win the Pac-10 championship and we're still alive for that," Harbaugh said.

One Week Later, Oregon Not So Rosy originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Michelle SmithSat, 07 Nov 2009 22:05:00 EST Stanford Runs Over Oregon in Upsethttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/stanford-shocks-oregon-in-shootout/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/stanford-shocks-oregon-in-shootout/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/stanford-shocks-oregon-in-shootout/#commentsFiled under: ,

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) -- Toby Gerhart bowled over the Oregon defense to make the Cardinal bowl eligible for the first time in eight years.

Gerhart ran for a school-record 223 yards and three scores, Andrew Luck threw for two touchdowns and Stanford held on to beat No. 7 Oregon 51-42 Saturday for its all-important sixth win of the season.

The loss by Oregon (7-2, 5-1 Pac-10) just a week after beating Southern California 47-20 opened up the conference race and cost the Ducks any shot at a berth in the Bowl Championship Series title game.

Oregon rallied with two late touchdowns to cut a 20-point lead down to six, but Stanford (6-3, 5-2) recovered an onside kick with 2:38 to go and tacked on Nate Whitaker's third field goal with 11 seconds left. The students rushed the field as the game ended.

The Cardinal snapped a seven-game losing streak against Oregon with perhaps its most meaningful win in coach Jim Harbaugh's three seasons on The Farm. Stanford had lost in its past five games with a chance to become eligible for a bowl and now are in position to play a postseason game for the first time since Tyrone Willingham's final year in 2001.

Luck took advantage of vast open areas in the middle of the Oregon defense, completing four passes of at least 20 yards in the first half alone. Even when the Ducks had good coverage, Luck managed to connect with his receivers downfield.

He finished 12 for 20 for 251 yards, throwing an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jim Dray in the second quarter and a 31-yarder to Chris Owusu after Oregon cut the Cardinal lead to 10 points early in the third quarter. Owusu had four catches for 111 yards and two long kickoff returns.

The Ducks got the lead back to 10 on a 3-yard keeper by Jeremiah Masoli, before Gerhart carried Oregon defenders into the end zone on a 17-yard run that made it 45-28 late in the third quarter.
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Gerhart had 38 carries, punishing Oregon defenders on each run. He broke the previous record of 220 set by Jon Volpe in 1988 and also broke his single-season rushing record set last year with 1,217.

On a day when the teams combined for 93 points and more than 1,000 yards, Stanford did deliver one big defensive play to end the third quarter.

With Oregon trailing by 17, coach Chip Kelley decided to go for it on fourth-and-3 from the Stanford 40. Michael Thomas, who played the role of Masoli in practice, blitzed from his cornerback position and the real version Masoli for no gain. The Cardinal tacked on a field goal to take a 48-28 lead.

Masoli was 21 for 37 for 334 yards and three touchdowns. He added 55 yards and a score on the ground. LaMichael James added 125 yards rushing, including a 60-yard score in the first quarter.

The Cardinal got off to a fast start when Owusu returned the opening kickoff 77 yards to set up a field goal. Stanford's offense didn't slow down. A 25-yard pass from Luck to Owusu set up Gerhart's first touchdown run and Gerhart scored again on the next possession to make it 17-7.

Luck added the TD pass to Dray and then threw a 39-yarder to Ryan Whalen that set up Owen Marecic's 2-yard run that gave the Cardinal a 31-14 lead. Marecic had a busy day, starting at fullback as usual and at middle linebacker in place of the injured Clinton Snyder.

Marecic was out of position on Oregon's first touchdown as James burst up the middle untouched for a 60-yard score. The Ducks got their other first-half score on a 29-yard pass from Masoli to Jeff Maehl one play after Gerhart lost a fumble.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Stanford Runs Over Oregon in Upset originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>andrew luckAndrewLucktoby gerhartTobyGerhartFanHouse NewswireSat, 07 Nov 2009 19:27:00 EST Starting 11: Every Game Counts, Except Some Count More Than Othershttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/starting-11-every-game-counts-except-some-count-more-than-othe/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/starting-11-every-game-counts-except-some-count-more-than-othe/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/starting-11-every-game-counts-except-some-count-more-than-othe/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

One of the most frustrating cliches trotted out by college football's BCS defenders is this banal line: Every game counts. I hate this three-word cliche with the fury of a thousand blazing suns. I hate the smugness with which it's delivered, I hate the fact that no one points out the obvious -- name a sport where the games don't actually count-- but I hate the fact that it isn't even true the most.

In fact, this phrase is positively Orwellian because it leaves off the final part of the sentence. Every game counts ... except some games count more than others. How else to explain the fact that everyone can brush off Boise State's win over Oregon because it happened the first game of the season?

I understand we're dealing with a broken system, but right now Boise State is continuing to plummet as they win. I wrote about the glass ceiling that Boise had reached a couple of weeks ago, but has it really reached the point where we just ignore the first week of the season?

And if we do ignore the first week of the season, what's the point of having a broken system to determine who the champion is? Because pretty soon, if they keep winning, Oregon is going to pass undefeated Boise in the BCS rankings. Already Iowa, Cincinnati, one-loss USC, and TCU have all passed Boise since the first BCS standings were released three weeks ago. What's Boise done since that first week's release when they stood at No. 4 in the country?

Beaten two teams by a combined score of 99-16.

I'm not arguing that individual results should always govern the rankings between two teams. But I am arguing this, if the regular season means anything at all, you have to rank an undefeated team above any team that they've beaten.

Absolutely, positively, have to do that.

On to the Starting 11.

1. The fact that Tennessee was going to wear black jerseys on Halloween was one of the worst kept secrets in the history of the Internets.

Eric BerryFor months, fans, media, and everyone else who cares about what color jerseys a team wears (count myself outside of this group) have gone crazy with speculation. Tennessee's athletic director, head coach, and everyone else associated with the program shot down the possibility that the Vols would wear black for months.

Then they did.

Raising this question, is it really worth lying about the color of a jersey? Why not just say: "We don't comment on jersey colors," months ago and leave it at that?

I know that UT claims the decision wasn't made until the week of the game, and while that might be true in a legal sense, it had been under contemplation for months judging by all the smoke surrounding the issue. I truly don't care what jerseys my team wears, but was the "surprise" really worth it?

I don't think so.

2. By the way, if Oregon hadn't played Boise State in the first game of the season, where are they ranked right now?

Probably fourth, right?

One of the really sad things about the current system is that Boise can't get teams to play them home-and-home for this exact reason, play a patsy at your place and you get a guaranteed win and don't deal with any long-term injury to your reputation. Play a tough team on the road and you sabotage your season if you lose.

Boise gets ripped because they haven't scheduled well enough. Well, isn't a tremendous part of that because they need to play enough home games to make some revenue for their school and because most teams are afraid to play them in Boise?

They're already playing six road games this season. That leaves them with just six home games. Most other major college teams in America are playing 7 homes games, often 8.

This is the system we've created, good teams from major conferences won't play other good teams because they don't need to and then when they won't play a smaller school we criticize the team they won't play for not having a tough enough schedule.

Awesome.

Doesn't anyone see that logical flaw?

3. Isn't it time we penalize college football players for malicious intent rather than malicious success?

Brandon Spikes tried to eye gouge Georgia's Washaun Ealey on Saturday. Urban Meyer, who doles out good ole boy justice with the best of them despite not actually being Southern, suspended Spikes for a half.

Against Vanderbilt.

Florida could probably start me at middle linebacker for a half and still beat Vanderbilt.

That's not even a joke, I really think they could.

But one of the most interesting things about this entire situation is that we're suspending Spikes because he was unsuccessful at what he attempted to do. In other words, Spikes's own incompetence as an eye-gouger actually saved him from a more severe penalty. Shouldn't we penalize a player based on intent rather than the actual result? Especially in sports since part of the reason for the punishment is to dissuade others who see the punishment.
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4. Case Keenum, who may win the Heisman by default, threw for 559 yards against Southern Miss on Saturday.

On 54 pass attempts. He wasn't sacked.

Not once.

What's more, Keenum has attempted 398 passes so far this season and has only been sacked 10 times. Counting the sacks Keenum has dropped back to pass 408 times, probably more since he's scrambled for yardage several times, but only 10 times have defenses managed to sack him.

That means almost 98 percent of the time when he drops back to pass, the ball is leaving his hand before a defender gets to him. Can you imagine how debilitating that is to a defensive line? To know that, on average, if you rush the quarterback on 50 consecutive plays you're going to get to him once?

How mentally tiring must that be?

I've read quite a bit of praise for Keenum so far this season, but I haven't read anything about Houston's offensive line and the job they've done allowing Keenum to attempt so many passes. Kudos to them.

5. Iowa's magical season continues and soon they'll be in the clubhouse at 12-0 with two weeks of football remaining.

I haven't seen anyone write about what a tremendous advantage it is for Big Ten schools that they don't play games the final two weeks of the regular season. Iowa is now 9-0. They have two home games against Northwestern and Minnesota sandwiched around a road game at Ohio State. Assuming they win all three, the Hawkeyes get to sit and watch undefeated Texas, Alabama, Cincinnati and Florida deal with the mounting pressures of the season.

For half a month, they do nothing and can only be helped by the games that take place around them.

I know the long layoff has been mentioned before in terms of a Big Ten team's performance in bowl games, and the lack of a championship game is often trotted out as evidence of a hugely uneven playing field, but I haven't seen anything written about the tremendous advantage that comes from sitting out the final two weeks of the season.

It's worth thinking about as the pressure mounts to see who will be playing in the title game.

6. Random observation from the Jacksonville Airport: They have an entrance for a seeing eye dog at the security screening area with a sign above indicating such. It's next to the wheelchair entrance.

Multiple questions: A.) Whom is this sign for? Presumably the blind person can't see it, right? I'm no expert on canines, but I don't think they can recognize the sign either. B.) How many blind people with seeing eye dogs are traveling such that they need their own line? For instance, have you ever seen a blind person with a seeing eye dog at the airport before? C.) Wouldn't anyone with a brain naturally assume that the blind person with a dog doesn't have to walk through the regular line? In other words, who is doubting that they go through the handicapped line? D.) Where do the seeing eye dogs go on flights? Do you check them at the gate like a stroller? Are you automatically in the A boarding group at Southwest? If the dog is on the plane, where does he sit?

Anyway, this is the most unnecessary sign I've sign since the White House prohibited weapons' list featured guns, knives and nunchucks. Because, you know, who hasn't planned a trip to the White House and brought along a set of nunchucks in case of a ninja attack.

7. Why did Wake Forest let their kicker attempt a 60-yard field goal to end the game against Miami?

Setting the scene: Wake is down 28-27, there are four seconds remaining, and the Demon Deacons are at the Hurricanes' 43.

Your kicker, Jimmy Newman, has a career long field goal of 42 yards. (Sam Swank, Wake Forest's longtime strong-legged kicker, graduated after last season.)

What do you do?

Not kick, right?

Seeing as how this is 18 yards further than the kicker's career long.

Well, Wake kicks.

Predictably the kick was is wide right and short by about 15 yards. It lands in the front of the end zone. Does this really make sense? It's kind of embarrassing, actually. Wouldn't you have better odds of a Hail Mary here?

Granted, Wake Forest was playing with its backup quarterback at the time, Ryan McManus, instead of usual starter Riley Skinner, who left the game after taking a knee to his un-helmeted head on a fourth-quarter run. McManus, a senior, had two strikes against him entering the game. 1) He had more tackles in his career (two, on punt coverage in 2007) entering the game than pass completions (one). 2) The highlights of his online bio including calling a "key timeout" against Baylor and that he "loves to play." What exactly gets cut so that these factoids might make the biography? He enjoys both inhaling, exhaling and wearing socks?

At any rate, even with McManus why wouldn't you at least take a chance your quarterback could throw it 43 yards or at least try some sort of hook-and-ladder or series of laterals?

Instead you humiliate your kicker.



8. At least you aren't a Marshall fan.

In case you missed it on Sunday night, which you definitely did, Marshall had a 20-14 lead with under 30 seconds to play.

Understandably, the team took a timeout to set their defense. Then, they didn't cover the wide receiver.

At all.

Out of a timeout.

Touchdown Central Florida, game over 21-20. Here's the video if you don't believe me.

Or don't watch. Since this is what keeps fans up at night. Can you imagine being a Marshall fan and thinking to yourself, "Surely, we're not leaving that guy ... F--- me, why do I root for this team?"

I guarantee you that was the exact thought pattern of 95 percent of Marshall fans watching this game.

9. Michigan, poor Michigan.

Remember all that optimism after Michigan started 4-0?

It's gone.

Illinois, a then-1-6 team, physically dominated the mighty Wolverines on Saturday. How so? With 377 rushing yards. Michigan has now lost four of five and the only win came against Delaware State. 6-6 is looking likely. Assuming, that is, Purdue doesn't roll into Ann Arbor and knock that possibility away.

At least basketball season is 'nigh.

10. Mississippi State's Anthony Dixon ran for 252 yards on 33 carries against Kentucky.

That's the second most yards rushing by a player in an SEC game in a decade.

I was at Sneaker's sports bar in Jacksonville while the game was going on. They put it on a small television over my left shoulder. I was watching Tennessee-South Carolina on one of the huge projection screens on the wall. But as the Kentucky-Mississippi State game progressed, my friend and Kentucky alumnus Tardio just got angrier and angrier. First he cursed. Then he started to slam his hands on the table after big runs.

Eventually he just put his hands over his eyes and sighed.

Is there anything worse than watching your team get run on consistently? It's so emasculating, you can actually feel the testosterone running out of your body with each gallop into the open field. This was made all the worse for Kentucky fans because Dan Mullen wore huge puffy gloves that made it appear he was coaching somewhere in the Arctic. I don't mind coats, but do you really need to coach in gloves? Lane Kiffin did the same thing on Saturday. It's the SEC in late October, at worst, it's around 45 degrees if there's a night game. I think your fingers will survive.

Anyway, getting run on is even worse when it's someone like Anthony Dixon who isn't shifty or particularly fast. He runs standing up, like a horse out for a trot in the Bluegrass. Watching his run is the insult equivalent of a middle-finger being slowly extended in your direction while someone does that goofy cranking motion to make the finger rise.

11. What if there was an eight team playoff based on the BCS standings?

Right now, we'd have an awesome set of teams. You'd have traditional powers like Alabama, Florida and Texas. But then you'd have upstart teams like Iowa, Cincinnati, Boise State, Oregon and TCU. Can you imagine how excited those five fanbases would be?

Can you imagine how excited we'd all be?

I'll tell you exactly what you'd feel like -- a quarterback lining up with less than 30 seconds to play in a game when you suddenly realized no one had covered your receiver.

Starting 11: Every Game Counts, Except Some Count More Than Others originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Clay TravisTue, 03 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST Blanket Coverage: For Pete's Sakehttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/blanket-coverage-for-petes-sake/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/blanket-coverage-for-petes-sake/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/blanket-coverage-for-petes-sake/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Pete CarrollHalloween in Eugene began with Oregon coach Chip Kelly disguised as the Duck mascot and ended with USC masquerading as Cal. Pete Carroll's Trojans are not exactly immune from defeat in the Beaver State (0-4 since 2006) but they never lose to a fellow highly ranked Pac-10 foe and they most certainly never get waxed.

That's Jeff Tedford's domain.

Hands continue to wring in the Southland -- the Orange County Register declared that "USC's complete dominance of the league, a dominance unmatched in conference history, is over" -- but I believe that Pete Carroll, much like Michael Myers, will haunt the Pac-10 for many Halloweens to come.

Also, I'd like to suggest a more salient reason for Troy's desultory play of late, one that has nothing to do with the freshman QB, the eight defensive starters lost, or the two new coordinators: jet lag (and that's not a Mark Sanchez reference).

This Saturday, the Trojans will fly to Phoenix to face Arizona State in neighboring Tempe, which will mark their sixth flight of the season. No school among the top dozen in the BCS rankings (USC is No. 12) will play six of its first nine games away from home. And only Boise State, primarily because the Broncos visited Hawaii on October 24, has accrued more frequent-flier mileage.

The Trojans are lax because of LAX. They've covered more miles than Les Miles. They've made two across-three-time-zones treks already (Ohio State and Notre Dame), which equals the total of the other 11 top-12 schools combined (Cincinnati at Oregon State and Boise State at Ohio State).

Below is a table ranking the top 12 in terms of mileage covered, with their actual BCS rankings in parentheses. Distances were rounded off to the nearest hundred miles:

1) Boise State (7)......................................13,400 miles

2) USC (12).............................................11,700

3) Cincinnati (5).........................................9,200

4) TCU (6)................................................8,200

5) LSU (5)................................................5,600

6) Texas (2)..............................................4,900

7) Florida (1).............................................3,800

8 (Tie) Iowa..............................................2,800

Georgia Tech....................................2,800

10) Oregon...............................................2,700

11) Alabama............................................1,800

12) Penn State.........................................1,300

Granted, it's not as if the Trojans were traveling by sleeper car back to South Bend. On the other hand, I'm beginning to wonder if safety Taylor Mays begins pep talks with, "This is your captain speaking."

Maybe Carroll's greatest nemesis may not be the swiftly surging Ducks. Maybe it's his athletic director.

THE ZACH ATTACK
He has only been the starter for 2½ games, but Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros has been outstanding in leading the No. 5 Bearcats to victories against South Florida, Louisville and Syracuse. Since taking over for injured starter Tony Pike, Collaros has completed 75 percent of his passes (47-of-63) for 749 yards and nine touchdown passes versus just one interception. That's the same TD-to-INT ratio that Jimmy Clausen of Notre Dame, second in the nation in passing efficiency, has.

Asked when Pike, who himself is currently seventh in the nation in passing efficiency, would play again on Monday, Bearcat coach Brian Kelly offered, "It's hard to say."

STEIN SHINES
Louisville, led by 5-8 walk-on quarterback Will Stein, beat Arkansas State, 21-13. Stein had last seen game action at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium as a local high school senior when he led Trinity to a defeat of St. Xavier in front of 37, 550 fans. Saturday's attendance at the same venue was 21,497.


TRUE BROMANCE
I cannot decide whether Riley Cooper is the Jordan Shipley of the SEC or whether Shipley is the Cooper of the Big 12. Cooper is the Gator wideout with the Head & Shoulders mane who is not only Tim Tebow's primary target, he's also his roommate.

Shipley is the childhood best friend and roommate of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy. He is also the Longhorn quarterback's favorite target. All four are straight out of "Friday Night Lights" (it's Jason Street and Tim Riggins come to life). Should Florida and Texas meet in Pasadena for the BCS championship, it'll be a question of whether Brent Musberger utters the term "bromance" during the broadcast or if he'll just refer to them as "pardners."

HMMMMMMM
Ohio State beat New Mexico State 45-0. The spread in Vegas was 44. If only everyone worked as diligently as oddsmakers.

TEMPLE IN NEED OF WORSHIPPERS?
Congrats to Temple for beating Navy. In earning their sixth straight victory, the Owls also became bowl-eligible for the first time since 1979. And so it would seem that their next home game would be an ideally opportune time for the fans in Philadelphia, and not just the Cos, to show their pride.

There's just one small problem. Temple's next home game, versus Miami of Ohio at Lincoln Financial Field, is Thursday night. That also happens to be the scheduled date for Game 7 of the World Series between the Phillies and the New York Yankees ... if necessary.

Blanket Coverage: For Pete's Sake originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>John WaltersTue, 03 Nov 2009 12:33:00 EST Oh, the Humility for Trojanshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/01/ducks-humiliate-usc/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/01/ducks-humiliate-usc/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/01/ducks-humiliate-usc/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

There's no other way to put it. Oregon's football program unequivocally demolished longtime Pac-10 overlord USC 47 to 20 on Saturday, effectively putting the brakes on two major, likely never to be repeated feats the Trojans had accomplished.

USC's record streak of seven Pac-10 championships is likely done, as is its even more impressive run of never losing by more than 11 points in the Pete Carroll era (and never by more than seven points once things really got rolling in 2002).

The Ducks finished with a 27-point winning margin and it easily could have been more. It was a two-sided wholesale destruction few outside of Autzen could have reasonably anticipated given the nature of USC's run these last few years. As a USC guy I knew it had to happen eventually, but I was thinking something like a 14-point loss, something reasonable.


But 27? That's put-your-head-in-a-blender inexplicable. That's just not how USC has ever handled things under Carroll, rarely surrendering 30 points thanks to unprecedented hauls of talent and a system Carroll (and mentor Monte Kiffin) developed to be the vanguard of NFL defenses. Oregon didn't give two hoots and went out there and sent USC's entire aura packing.

Needless to say, the Ducks are now Pac-10 favorites and USC is left likely scrambling to secure a Holiday Bowl or Sun Bowl berth, its first non-BCS appearance since an embarrassing Las Vegas Bowl defeat to Utah after the turnaround 2001 season.

If you're looking for some long-term prognosis here, good luck. At first impression, it sure looks like Oregon's coaching and system is plain better than USC's at this point. Football is a game that constantly evolves but certain fundamentals hold true over time. USC's generally clung to those fundamentals in running straightforward pro-style offenses and defenses. But perhaps that's just a little old school for the moment; even as the trendy spread offenses appear to have waned, here comes Oregon.

Coach Chip Kelly's spread and shred approach has worked wonders since the opening week embarrassment at Boise State, notching a 39-point victory against California, a 46-point victory over Washington State, a 14-point victory at UCLA, a 24-point victory at Washington and now Saturday's 27-point thrashing of USC.

Oregon has violently and aggressively lashed out since the Boise State defeat, emerging as the best non-USC Pac-10 team since the Cal Bears of 2004 who were wrongly left out of the BCS thanks to shameless politics out of Texas coach Mack Brown.

They must now soldier forward with a level head and not embarrass themselves in a tough final stretch again Stanford, Arizona State, Arizona and Civil War rival Oregon State. This is too rare a treasure to squander.

Oh, the Humility for Trojans originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Brian GrummellSun, 01 Nov 2009 00:32:00 EST No Defense for Trojans as Ducks Romphttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/01/no-defense-for-trojans-as-ducks-romp/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/01/no-defense-for-trojans-as-ducks-romp/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/01/no-defense-for-trojans-as-ducks-romp/#commentsFiled under: , ,

OregonEUGENE, Ore.(AP) -- Jeremiah Masoli threw for 222 yards and a touchdown and ran for 164 more yards with another score and the No. 10 Oregon Ducks ran past No. 4 USC 47-20 for the Trojans' worst loss since 1997.

Redshirt freshman LaMichael James ran for 184 yards and a score as the Ducks (7-1, 5-0 Pacific-10) racked up 391 yards on the ground against the Trojans, who came into the game with the fifth-best rush defense in the nation, allowing an average of just 79.9 yards a game.

Southern California (6-2, 3-2) had not lost a game by more than a touchdown since a 27-16 loss to Notre Dame in 2001, Pete Carroll's first season as Trojans coach. It was USC's worst lost since a 35-7 defeat to Arizona State on Oct. 11, 1997 and the most points allowed by the Trojans in Carroll's tenure.

Oregon remained alone in first and undefeated in the Pac-10, threatening USC's hold on the league championship for the past seven years.

Oregon fans were decked out in special black ``Fright Night'' T-shirts with a duck-and-crossbones motif to commemorate the Halloween night game - billed as the Pac-10's biggest game of the season. Afterward the fans swarmed the field, while a ring of blue-jacketed security guards circled the goal posts.

It turned out to be a Fright Night for USC's defense, which allowed 613 yards.

The Ducks have won seven straight games since an embarrassing 19-8 loss at Boise State in the opener, a game that got uglier when running back LeGarrette Blount punched a Broncos defensive end as he was leaving the field.

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Blount was suspended for the season and Oregon moved on without him. James was his replacement.

USC freshman quarterback Matt Barkley, who earlier this week predicted he would feed off Autzen's deafening noise, completed 21 of 38 passes for 187 yards and two scores. He was intercepted once.

Masoli completed 19 of 31 for Oregon, which had never before scored as many points against the Trojans.

USC went up 3-0 on the its first series of the game on Jordan Congdon's 28-yard field goal. Oregon answered with Morgan Flint's 32-yarder, but the Ducks had squandered their opportunity after Kenjon Barner's 77-yard kickoff return.

Masoli scored on a 3-yard run to put the Ducks up 10-3 late in the first quarter. USC tied it with Barkley's 3-yard pass to Ronald Johnson early in the second.

Oregon went ahead again on Andre Crenshaw's 1-yard scoring run. And USC tied it again at 17 on Barkley's 4-yard pass to Damian Williams.

Masoli found Jamere Holland with a 17-yard touchdown pass to put the Ducks back up 24-17 at the half.

From that point, USC couldn't keep up.

After Oregon extended the lead with Flint's 35-yard field goal, USC narrowed it with Congdon's 39-yarder.

James scored on a 5-yard run and fellow redshirt freshman Kenjon Barner ran for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 41-20 at the close of the third quarter.

Flint had a pair of field goals from 22 and 23 yards out to pad Oregon's lead in the fourth quarter.

Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott, who was at the game, said he planned to stay in Eugene to meet with Blount and school officials over possible reinstatement.

Scott says he'll meet with Blount, Oregon counsel, university president Richard Lariviere, athletic director Mike Bellotti and coach Chip Kelly and members of his staff.

He says the university has not made formal moves to reinstate Blount and his role ``completely depends on the university and whether they want the penalty revisited.''

The Trojans have lost four straight in the state of Oregon.

No Defense for Trojans as Ducks Romp originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>FanHouse NewswireSun, 01 Nov 2009 00:08:00 EST Oregon-USC Live Blog: How Can You Tell If the Ducks Are in Costume?http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/31/oregon-usc-live-blog-how-can-you-tell-if-the-ducks-are-in-costu/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/31/oregon-usc-live-blog-how-can-you-tell-if-the-ducks-are-in-costu/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/31/oregon-usc-live-blog-how-can-you-tell-if-the-ducks-are-in-costu/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Oregon DucksEUGENE, Ore. -- Greetings from Autzen Stadium, where just moments ago I was "looking live at Brent Musberger" as we rode up the elevator together. Brent is 70 years young and he hasn't lost an ounce of energy. It's funny. Earlier today ESPN Classic aired a replay of the 1983 NCAA basketball final (Houston-N.C. State), for which Musberger did the play-by-play (on CBS).

That was 26 years ago. And Brent is still getting the primetime gigs. I am an unabashed, unapologetic Musberger fan.

More Coverage: Texas-Oklahoma State Live Blog | Live Scores
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The weather in Eugene? Cloudy but comfortable. Autzen's press box provides one of the country's prettier views, especially with the backdrop of the fall colors. Notice, by the way, that USC's and Oregon's colors all are in sync with the various hues of leaves this time of year. That is, unless the Ducks wear black this evening.

Hope you have time to follow the Twick-or-Tweets tonight. Happy Halloween!
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Oregon-USC Live Blog: How Can You Tell If the Ducks Are in Costume? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>John WaltersSat, 31 Oct 2009 20:03:00 EST Chip Kelly's Oregon Comeback Nearly Storybook Perfecthttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/chip-kellys-oregon-comeback-nearly-storybook-perfect/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/chip-kellys-oregon-comeback-nearly-storybook-perfect/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/chip-kellys-oregon-comeback-nearly-storybook-perfect/#commentsFiled under: ,

Chip KellyEUGENE, Ore. -- Those football coaches who at least make an attempt at opening a book whose primary letters are not X and O often reach for biographies. Famous military leaders are popular.

Earlier this season Chip Kelly was reading, even committing to memory, a children's book. On the coffee table in his office here, the first-year Oregon coach kept a copy of "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day."

Certainly Kelly can relate. In his sideline debut Kelly, 45, had a terrible, horrible, no good, cable-news-channel-attention-getting, very, very bad day.

And he has not had one since. But we are getting ahead of the story.

Thursday night, Sept. 3, Boise, Idaho. There, Kelly endured the most disastrous first day on the job anyone has experienced before a prime-time, national television audience since Lucy and Ethel tried to wrap chocolates on a conveyor belt. That Kelly had never been a head football coach at any level and that Boise State had won 50 of its previous 51 home games only augmented the curiosity factor. Would the man whom current athletic director Mike Bellotti handpicked to be his successor be a success or not?

At halftime the Ducks still had not scored a point. They had yet to even gain a first down -- and Kelly's area of expertise was supposedly offense. In the moments after the 19-8 Duck loss, on a night in which players from both teams had met at midfield before the coin toss to partake in a handshake to demonstrate sportsmanship, Duck tailback LeGarrette Blount sucker-punched Boise State defensive end Byron Hout .

After only 60 minutes, Kelly had failed to demonstrate that he could put a competitive team on the field or that he had command of his team. The Blount incident, which has been replayed more frequently this season than even Tim Tebow's concussion, was particularly ugly.

The following week, Oregon alumnus Anthony Seminary, '96, e-mailed Kelly (which anyone can do; Kelly's e-mail address is right there on Oregon's athletic site on his bio page) to express his displeasure. "I was so angry with the game [even before the post-game melee]," Seminary, who lives in Portland, wrote, "I am sending you an invoice for my trip to Boise. The product on the field Thursday night is not something I was at all proud of, and I feel as though I'm entitled to my money back for the trip."

Seminary included an invoice for $439. Kelly's reply was succinct. "What's your address?" By week's end Seminary was holding a check for $439 from one Charles Kelly.

The transformation has been incredible. In eight weeks, Kelly has gone from a guy who seemed to be in utterly over his head on opening night to a coach who has done nothing but win games and admirers.

Winning games helps, certainly. Since the Boise State debacle the Ducks, minus their leading rusher of a year ago in Blount, and with their starting quarterback, Jeremiah Masoli, often out due to injury, have won six straight games. They've ended the nation's longest win streak (Utah's, which was 16 games at the time) and then positively embarrassed then-No. 6 Cal, 42-3. If Oregon, now No. 10, beats No. 4 USC on Saturday here, Kelly's heroes will have the inside track to the Rose Bowl. They'd still even be in the running for the BCS championship game.

How Kelly has handled Blount -- first suspending him for the rest of the season, in effect ending his collegiate career, and then three weeks later holding out an olive branch of potential reinstatement -- is more impressive. On Oct. 1, it was reported that Blount, whom Kelly had swiftly and decisively suspended for the entire season just a few days after the Hout incident, might possibly be reinstated for Oregon's final four games if, according to Kelly, he met certain agreed-upon conditions.

Kelly, blathered the sports-talk heads, was compromising himself by failing to honor the sentence he had originally imposed. Showing favoritism to a stud player who could help the Ducks in the thick of the Pac-10 race.

That afternoon Kelly appeared on "Pardon the Interruption." He calmly explained to the hosts, Kornheiser and Wilbon, that he had always intended to reinstate Blount. However, if he had set a possible reinstatement date then he would never know if that was the sole reason for a suddenly contrite Blount, who'd had behavioral issues before. Kelly's plan was to not dangle a carrot and see if Blount reformed for the right reasons.



You can choose not to believe that -- especially if you attend school in Corvallis. I am going to take Kelly at his word. What has come across as self-evident since that night in Boise is that he is not influenced by outside opinion. The New Hampshire native has a manner of doing things his own way, even though his boss (Bellotti) happens to be the most successful coach in school history.

Less than a year into the job, Kelly appears enthused, committed and balanced. He will personally step into a lecture hall once a week or so to take attendance with his players. He runs a detention hour on Friday evenings in the offseason (and Monday nights in season) that is basically an extended sweat session for players who miss meetings or are late to practice. It may be punitive, but at the end of the session Kelly will assemble everyone for a "team photo." He'll discuss an episode of "Entourage" with as much passion as he will what uniform colors the Ducks should go with in a particular week (after all, what coach has more choices?).

It is shaping up to be a terrific, happy, not bad, very good season for coaches named Kelly: Brian in Cincinnati and Chip in Eugene. The question is, Who among us ever thought we'd be saying that about both after that Thursday night in Boise?

Chip Kelly's Oregon Comeback Nearly Storybook Perfect originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>chip kellyJohn WaltersFri, 30 Oct 2009 15:53:00 EST In Perry, Blount Still a Hometown Herohttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/15/even-now-blount-is-still-hometown-hero/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/15/even-now-blount-is-still-hometown-hero/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/15/even-now-blount-is-still-hometown-hero/#commentsFiled under:

LaGarrette BlountPERRY, Fla. -- As LeGarrette Blount follows the corrective measures that may signal his return to the Oregon football team next month, residents in this small, coastal city off Highway 27 still don't understand what triggered The Punch. Mark Southerland, a local businessman, School Board member and Taylor County High School resident historian, waited two days after Blount's meltdown on national television before he telephoned.

Blount recognized the 850 area code and number and immediately answered. Southerland didn't want to know why. Never asked, in fact. Instead, Southerland, who played football with Blount's father Gary at Taylor County in the mid-1970s and considers himself a family friend, offered advice and support. A remorseful Blount, 2,357 miles from his Florida safety net in Eugene, Ore., quietly listened.

"I told him three things," Southerland, 49, said in an interview with FanHouse.

"No. 1, you learn from every mistake that you make and you need to learn from this. No. 2, they are allowing you to get your education, so get it. And, No. 3, you need to stay in the best shape of your life because the pros won't get to see you run on Saturdays, so they are going to attend practice to see you. They don't want troublemakers in the pros.

"LaGarrette's not that way at all."

Of course, Blount was that way for an unforgettable moment during the evening of Sept. 3. Nobody in their right mind has debated otherwise. Even Blount, after the fact, quickly admitted he "lost his head."

Oregon at Boise State, in a game that kicked off the 2009 college football season. Celebrating the 19-8 victory on the Broncos' trademark blue turf, defensive end Byron Hout yelled in Blount's face and tapped him on the shoulder pad. Before Boise State coach Chris Petersen could pull Hout away, Blount landed a right to Hout's jaw, knocking him to his knees, his eyes rolling up in his head. A clearly agitated Blount also had to be restrained by teammates and police from fans heckling him on the way to the locker room.

It was not the first time Blount had been in trouble at Oregon. Former Ducks' coach Mike Bellotti benched Blount for three quarters against Cal last season and suspended him indefinitely in February for "failure to follow team obligations." But the running back seemed more comfortable with his new coach, Chip Kelly, earning praise for his improved attitude under Kelly and making the outburst all the more unexpected.

Well past midnight on the East Coast, Southerland had already gone to bed. He was in for a rude awakening.

Mark SoutherlandIronically, it was only a week or so earlier when Blount, on a whirlwind visit home, stopped in Southerland's furniture store on the north edge of town. Southerland, also a memorabilia dealer, has compiled video of every Taylor County High football game since 1961. (He also has every yearbook since 1948).

Southerland gave Blount a DVD of his father's Bulldog career (1974-77), which ended in defeat against Bartow High in the state finals. If LaGarrette Blount's not the best football player to hail from Taylor County, the third largest in the nation by acreage, but with just under 20,000 residents -- 6,500 in the Perry city limits -- then Gary Blount just might be.

Gary was a 6-foot-3, 250-pound middle linebacker. He also kicked off. He had glasses, a wide smile and wore a hat everywhere he went, even on the football sidelines when not in the game. Legend has it that Blount split an opponent's helmet on a block and routinely sailed kickoffs out of the stadium. Both are true, Southerland said. "When he hit people, they stopped," he said.

The difference between old man and son was speed. LaGarrette Blount, a 6-foot-2, 246-pounder, is a unique blend of power and quickness.

That's why Blount, a 1,000-yard rusher in 2008 with promising pro potential, smiled and, in his deep voice, told Southerland he couldn't wait for the season to start. But that's all he can do now. Wait -- and make the mature, sound decisions that may help him get back on the field for the last four games of the regular season.

His senior season at the moment?

One game. One defeat. Eight carries for minus-5 yards. And one sucker punch.

The video went viral the next day, seemingly streaming non-stop across the Internet and televisions from coast to coast. It also served as a parody for late-night talk shows. Kelly, in his first season as Oregon's head coach, told a sobbing Blount that, after reviewing tape of the altercation, he was suspended for the season.

"Totally stunned," Southerland said when he watched the replay that next morning for the first time.

"I saw the news and fell out of my seat. No way do you expect that from him. No way. I don't know what the guy said to him, but whatever it was. ... that was totally out of character. He's yes-sir, no-sir. Humble. If he's fooled me, he's done a good job."

Taylor High School principal Michael Thompson, 51, a former prep football player at Rickards, an hour's ride north to Tallahassee, also watched the replay in disbelief. Blount had sat across from Thompson in the Principal's office many times during Blount's prep days.

"It wasn't the young man I know. I have never seen that explosive side. ... He has already lost a lot but, given a second opportunity, he won't make this mistake again."
- Michael Thompson, Blount's high school principal A four-year starter and three-time 1,000-yard rusher, Blount was popular with teachers and classmates. He was on the homecoming court. He wasn't perfect -- what high schoolers are? -- but he wasn't a bad apple by any means. He later volunteered to serve meals at the local Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce meetings and also returned to talk to students.

Thompson and Blount chatted about academics, athletics and goals.

"He was a C-average student but he could have been a lot better if he worked at it," said Thompson, who oversees 685 high school students. There are 3,200 students in the Taylor County public school system, from Pre-K to 12th grade.

"I told him with your size and speed, you can do whatever you want to because scholarships are going to come your way. But don't forget about your education," Thompson continued. "His goal was to play professional football. That was achievable but I told him he needed to stay focused in college to give himself that opportunity.

"When I saw [the news], it wasn't the young man I know. I have never seen that explosive side. If I had the opportunity to talk to him right now, I'd tell him again there's always obstacles in life. You have to be accountable with how you respond. You must think, then react -- not react, then think. He has already lost a lot but, given a second opportunity, he won't make this mistake again.

"Even if you fall down, get your butt up, dust yourself off and keep going. You owe that to yourself."

Kelly said he hoped Blount's ultimate legacy "won't be a YouTube clip of what happened to him on September 3rd in Boise, Idaho." On Friday, Oct. 2, Kelly discussed a plan that would give Blount an opportunity to be reinstated to the program later this season, provided he continues to follow a plan set in place after the first game.

Blount has been participating in Oregon practice as a member of the scout team and has been attending classes under scholarship. No. 13 Oregon, off this week, has ripped off five consecutive victories since the Boise State debacle.

Southerland is grateful for Kelly's change of heart.

"Coach didn't give up on him and I told LeGarrette not to give up on himself," Southerland said.

Blount hasn't stopped apologizing for his indiscretion, even writing to the student newspaper, The Emerald, and asking the Oregon community for its forgiveness. He has undergone anger management counseling. He telephoned Hout and Petersen to apologize and consulted with Kermit Washington, a former NBA star known primarily for punching Rudy Tomjanovich, as well as Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden and Dr. Harry Edwards on how he can learn from his mistake and move on. He's also on course to graduate with honors, according to Southerland.

Taylor County High School"When he returns he always comes by to see us, to offer support and encouragement to the kids, and I just think that's part of his personality. I can't imagine what happened that day," said Debra Mash, an administrative assistant at Taylor County High. Janet Johnstono, in her 11th year in the school's computer lab, added, "LeGarrette was always respectful when he was here, and honestly, I don't think he realizes the potential that he has."

Gary Blount and wife Barbara declined to be interviewed for this story. Mark Southerland's son Drew, 20, a sophomore starting offensive lineman during Blount's senior season in 2005, keeps in touch with Blount and former teammates and classmates on Facebook.

"He was a beast on the football field but a friend off," said Drew, whose younger brother Tony currently plays for the Bulldogs, rejuvenated under first-year coach Shane Boggs. The program has undergone two coaching changes since Blount attended Taylor County.

"He was always above everyone, physically and athletically," continued Drew, who resides in Tampa but had returned home for a few days. "I've never seen him do anything like what I saw that night [against Boise]. Never. He had his chances, too, because his trigger could have been pulled with what some of stuff these teams did to him [during games], going after his knees. The cheap shots. He could have blown up, but he never did."

Following his prep career, Blount didn't meet academic requirements and attended East Mississippi Community College, where he rushed for 2,292 yards and 18 touchdowns in two seasons and was named the country's top JUCO running back by Rivals.com. With coaches from both schools in attendance, Blount could have signed with Florida State, but instead opted for a fresh start in the Northwest at Oregon.

The Punch has certainly changed the ending. Nobody knows or wants to venture to guess what Hout shouted at Blount. Still, all may not be lost.

"When I talked to LeGarrette -- I've talked to him twice now -- he told me that he didn't want to come home," Southerland said.

"He knew if he did, he may never leave. He has proven himself to me and has changed my mind. I even told his mother that, honestly, I didn't think he'd ever make it academically when he left Taylor County. I thought he'd flunk out and be home. I am proud of him, and many others are, too. [The Punch] happened. I know he regrets it.

"I just want to let him know that we are thinking about him and a lot of people in town are keeping him in mind and in our prayers."
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Boise State's Austin Pettis pulls down a long pass reception as Tulsa's James Lockett defends during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Okla., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/David Crenshaw)
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    Boise State's Shea McClellin knocks down a pass against Tulsa during a college football game in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wednesday, October, 14, 2009. (Shawn Raecke/Idaho Statesman/MCT)

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    Boise State's Tyler Shoemaker runs the ball against Tulsa in the first half of a college football game in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wednesday, October, 14, 2009. (Shawn Raecke/Idaho Statesman/MCT)

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    Boise State's Austin Pettis runs the ball against Tulsa during first-half action in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wednesday, October, 14, 2009. (Shawn Raecke/Idaho Statesman/MCT)

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    Boise State's Doug Martin gets tripped up against Tulsa during an NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wednesday, October, 14, 2009. (Shawn Raecke/Idaho Statesman/MCT)

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    Boise State's Doug Martin gets tripped up against Tulsa during an NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wednesday, October, 14, 2009. (Shawn Raecke/Idaho Statesman/MCT)

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    Boise State's Austin Pettis runs the ball against Tulsa during first-half action in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wednesday, October, 14, 2009. (Shawn Raecke/Idaho Statesman/MCT)

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    Boise State's Austin Pettis pulls down a long pass reception as Tulsa's James Lockett defends during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Okla., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/David Crenshaw)

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    Tulsa's Jamad Williams runs between Boise State defenders Winston Venable (17) and George Iloka during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Okla., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/David Crenshaw)

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    Boise State wide receiver Austin Pettis has a word with Tulsa linebacker Curnelius Arnick just after Pettis scored on a touchdown pass during an NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Okla., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. Boise State center Thomas Byrd congratulates Pettis. (AP Photo/David Crenshaw)

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In Perry, Blount Still a Hometown Hero originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>LaGarrette BlountLagarretteBlountJim HenryThu, 15 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST LeGarrette Blount May Play for Oregon This Season After Allhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/02/legarrette-blount-may-play-for-oregon-this-season-after-all/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/02/legarrette-blount-may-play-for-oregon-this-season-after-all/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/02/legarrette-blount-may-play-for-oregon-this-season-after-all/#commentsFiled under:

Oregon coach Chip Kelly has had a change of heart, saying today that he might allow running back LeGarrette Blount to play this season even though he previously announced that Blount was suspended for the entire year for punching a Boise State player following the season opener.

Blount is one of Oregon's most talented players, so if he plays again this season it will certainly help Oregon win more games. But Kelly insisted at a press conference Friday that he wasn't motivated by anything other than a desire to do what experts told him was the best thing for Blount:
"After speaking with a number of nationally renowned professionals in the field, which included Dr. Harry Edwards and Tony Dungy, I came to the conclusion that leaving the door open for LeGarrette's potential return as an active player was the best solution," Kelly said.

"He has a rigid set of conditions he must live up to and there are certainly no guarantees in place. This merely provides him the opportunity for my reconsideration in the future should he meet those demands."
Blount has continued to go to class and practice with the team, and Kelly says that if he continues to follow all team rules, he can play again starting on November 7 against Stanford. If he's back against Stanford, that would constitute a seven-game suspension -- still a stiff sentence, but one that gives Blount a chance to have a meaningful impact on the Oregon team this season. If he's a model citizen for the next month, that's a chance he deserves.

LeGarrette Blount May Play for Oregon This Season After All originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Michael David SmithFri, 02 Oct 2009 15:51:00 EST LeGarrette Blount Formally Apologizeshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/01/legarrette-blount-formally-apologizes/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/01/legarrette-blount-formally-apologizes/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/01/legarrette-blount-formally-apologizes/#commentsFiled under: ,



LeGarrette Blount, the Oregon running back who became the talk of college football when he punched a Boise State player on the field after the Ducks' season-opening loss, apologized today for that punch in an open letter published by Oregon's student newspaper. Blount accepted full responsibility, and he said nothing said by Boise State's Byron Hout justified Blount punching him.

Blount wrote in the Daily Emerald:
There is no justification for my behavior - not the "heat of the moment," not the "agony of defeat," and definitely not anything said or done by an opponent.

Being a student-athlete at the University of Oregon should be about being a good student working to positively represent the University and its football program under coach Chip Kelly, and handling both victories and defeats with sportsmanship, class, and character. That night, I used poor judgment and lost self-control. My actions reflected poorly upon my teammates, our football program, and our University. And for this, I offer my sincerest apologies and heartfelt regrets.
Blount deserves credit for his apology, and especially for his refusal to blame Hout, who started the whole incident by grabbing Blount's shoulder and taunting him. He's suspended for the rest of the football season, but Blount sounds like a young man who still wants to make the most of his senior year at Oregon.

LeGarrette Blount Formally Apologizes originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Byron HoutByronHoutLeGarrette BlountLegarretteBlountMichael David SmithThu, 01 Oct 2009 15:49:00 EST Battle for Respect Turns Into Cal-amityhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/26/cal-not-all-its-quacked-up-to-be/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/26/cal-not-all-its-quacked-up-to-be/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/26/cal-not-all-its-quacked-up-to-be/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Take a big thick red marker and draw a line through California on the list of top Pac-10 football teams looking to gain some national respect this season.

Isn't that what you do to fraudulent programs that fail to show up in statement games?

Well, that's what happened to Cal, who entered the weekend undefeated and ranked sixth in the AP poll but got hammered by unranked Oregon, 42-3, in a game that wasn't even that close at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.

While Cal blew a chance to step up in the national landscape, the Ducks took full advantage of their opportunity.

After basically being written off at the start of the season following a disappointing loss at Boise State, which was overshadowed by LeGarrette Blount's post-game punch and season-long suspension, Oregon has now won three games in a row, which include back-to-back wins over ranked teams (Utah and Cal).

"The rankings don't matter to us," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said after the Ducks accounted for 524 total yards and held Cal to 206. "We knew we were going to win this game, we just made it happen. It's all about preparation."

To say that the Ducks gave Cal coach Jeff Tedford's mysterious team a beat down would be a major understatement. It was the Bears' most lopsided defeat ever under Tedford and the program's worst since USC beat Cal, 55-14, in 2001.
"The rankings don't matter to us ... We knew we were going to win this game, we just made it happen. It's all about preparation."
-Chip Kelley
"It all came down to us executing," Cal offensive lineman Mike Tepper said. "We'll take a look at film and learn from it. I've never been shut out before. This is definitely a huge learning experience.

"[Oregon's] guys were lighter and faster. But in the end, we shot ourselves in the foot left and right ... we just got beat. We got beat bad."

The Bears, who dropped to 3-1, looked good early when they forced an Oregon fumble on the opening kickoff and capitalized on the turnover to take a 3-0 lead.

But then everything seemed to fall apart for Cal on both sides of the ball and the player who hurt the Bears the most was Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli.

Starting with his struggles at Boise State to open the season, Masoli's stock had dropped considerably heading into Saturday's game: the Ducks had the Pac-10's worst passing offense, averaging 128 yards per game, and Masoli had completed less than 50 percent of his passes without a touchdown this season.

Masoli and the Ducks' offense rediscovered their game against the Bears, who looked confused and unprepared for most of the contest.

Masoli completed 21 of 25 passes for 253 yards with three touchdowns going to tight end Ed Dickson, who finished with 11 catches for a career-high 148 yards. Oregon also ran the ball well with LaMichael James rushing for 118 of the team's 238 yards gained on the ground.

"On offense the sky's the limit for us," Masoli said after the game. "We're the only ones who can hurt us. These last couple of weeks we've been in a funk, but today we moved past that."

Getting the ball to Dickson early and often played a key role in Oregon's passing attack. Listed at 6-5 and 243 pounds with 4.5 speed in the 40, Dickson is a matchup headache for any defense. But until Saturday, Dickson had been missing in action this season.

That was not the case against Cal.
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"I think he is the best tight end in the Pac-10," Kelly said about Dickson, who had only four catches in three games prior to Saturday. "He is a game-changer at that position."

Cal's game-changer, Heisman Trophy candidate Jahvid Best, was never a factor against the Ducks. After rushing for a career-high five touchdowns in Cal's win at Minnesota last week, Best was limited to 55 yards against Oregon, which limited him from any breakaway runs.

And with Best held in check, the Bears turned into an average team with a suspect quarterback in Kevin Riley, who completed only 12 of 31 passes for 123 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Fortunately for the Bears, they will not have to wait long to redeem themselves because they host USC next week in Berkeley.

"I still have confidence in our guys," Tedford said about his team. "We'll go back to work this week with a good attitude and a lot of focus. I love this team, and I love our kids. It's one loss. It's a tough loss so we'll make sure we work extremely hard next week."

Battle for Respect Turns Into Cal-amity originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Lonnie WhiteSat, 26 Sep 2009 23:16:00 EST