Week of June 24--Best CFB Stories on the Web

RJ Esq · Jun 24, 2007

Feds will not indict McDougle, father says
Family urges UT to reinstate player
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By JOE VARDON
BLADE STAFF WRITER

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The father of Harvey "Scooter" McDougle, Jr., says his son will not be indicted by federal prosecutors in an alleged point-shaving case.

<CENTER></CENTER>And the University of Toledo football player's grandmother wants him to be reinstated on the Rockets' team.

<CENTER></CENTER>Mr. McDougle, 22, of East Cleveland is a UT running back who has been suspended from the team since March because of his alleged involvement in a point-shaving scheme.

<CENTER></CENTER>According to his father, Mr. McDougle met with federal prosecutors again Wednesday and was told by his attorney that he would not be indicted or forced to testify against his teammates.

<CENTER></CENTER>Meanwhile, Mr. McDougle's grandmother, Barbara McDougle, of Cleveland, has been peppering university President Lloyd Jacobs with petitions to have her grandson reinstated on the football team.

<CENTER></CENTER>She said she sent him a letter in early May and an e-mail yesterday, both chastising Dr. Jacobs because Mr. McDougle's suspension has not been lifted.

<CENTER></CENTER>Mr. McDougle was charged March 29 in U.S. District Court in Detroit with betting on a UT football game and recruiting other university football and men's basketball players to engage in point-shaving.

<CENTER></CENTER>In exchange, the complaint alleged, these players received cash, cars, and were entertained by a Detroit gambler at a Detroit casino.

<CENTER></CENTER>If convicted, Mr. McDougle could have faced a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

<CENTER></CENTER>Those charges were dropped April 18, but attorneys for both sides said at the time the case against Mr. McDougle was far from over.

<CENTER></CENTER>The player's father, Harvey McDougle, Sr., said yesterday that his son has been cooperating with the investigation.

<CENTER></CENTER>"They don't have any evidence against him," the elder Mr. McDougle told The Blade. "All they have are some phone conversations with people asking him if he's going to play and are they going to win. As far as I know, there never was a phone conversation of Scooter betting on a game or someone asking Scooter to throw a game."

<CENTER></CENTER>Mr. McDougle's attorney, James Burdick, denied telling anyone the UT football player would not be indicted in this case.

<CENTER></CENTER>However, Mr. Burdick said Mr. McDougle is not guilty of any gambling charge.

<CENTER></CENTER>"My guy is innocent," Mr. Burdick said. "He has not fixed any games and is not guilty of shaving points in any games."

<CENTER></CENTER>When asked if Mr. McDougle was guilty of anything else, Mr. Burdick replied: "My client has not fixed any games."

<CENTER></CENTER>Ms. McDougle said her grandson's suspension from the football team should've ended once the initial charges were dropped.

<CENTER></CENTER>She accused Dr. Jacobs and the university in her initial letter of not supporting Mr. McDougle while being accused, but not proven guilty, of a crime, and ripped the president in yesterday's e-mail for not responding to her letter.

<CENTER></CENTER>"Your lack of response only solidifies my belief that the University of Toledo was definitely not the right choice for Scooter," Ms. McDougle wrote in her e-mail to Dr. Jacobs, which was obtained by The Blade.

<CENTER></CENTER>Ms. McDougle also wrote later in that e-mail: "Your silence further indicates that you could care less about the life of a young man who has remained faithful and loyal to the school…."

<CENTER></CENTER>UT spokesman Tobin Klinger said Dr. Jacobs was contemplating how to respond to Ms. McDougle's letter.

<CENTER></CENTER>Her grandson is still enrolled in school and is on scholarship, but Mr. Klinger said Mr. McDougle's status with the football team hasn't changed because the federal investigation is ongoing.

<CENTER></CENTER>To that end, Ms. McDougle said her family has been led to believe that her grandson will not face any further gambling charges.

<CENTER></CENTER>"Scooter doesn't know anything about gambling, period," Ms. McDougle said. "I'm the gambler in the family, not him. And I play bingo and the lottery."

<CENTER></CENTER>Gina Bayala, a spokesman for the U.S. attorneys in Detroit, declined to comment except to say that the investigation was continuing.

<CENTER></CENTER>The federal complaint filed in March alleged that Mr. McDougle participated in a point-shaving scheme operated by Ghazi "Gary" Manni, of Sterling Heights, Mich., from the fall of 2003 [Mr. McDougle's freshman year] through last winter.

<CENTER></CENTER>The complaint accused Mr. McDougle of recruiting UT football and basketball players who would keep the final scores of games within a certain point spread for Mr. Manni, who would bet on those games.

<CENTER></CENTER>The FBI said at least one player was offered $10,000 to sit out a game, and several players received "cash, a car, a phone, and other things of value" from Mr. Manni.

<CENTER></CENTER>Federal agents also accused Mr. McDougle of asking Mr. Manni to place a $2,000 bet for him on UT's game against Texas-El Paso in the 2005 GMAC Bowl. Mr. McDougle sat out that game because of injuries, and the Rockets defeated their opponent 45-13.

<CENTER></CENTER>According to the indictment, on Dec. 14, Mr. McDougle told federal agents that Mr. Manni had given him cash, a car, and other items, which is likely a violation of NCAA rules.

<CENTER></CENTER>But the UT athlete denied changing his play to affect the outcome of a football game, according to the federal complaint.

<CENTER></CENTER>Mr. McDougle, Sr., said his son is keeping himself in shape and hopes to play for the Rockets this season, which begins Sept. 1 in a nationally televised home game against Purdue. If reinstated, Mr. McDougle would be a senior for the Rockets this season.

RJ Esq · Jun 24, 2007

USC totals eight violations in self-reports

Football team involved in three incidents, but only one at Level I

By SETH EMERSON - semerson@thestate.com

The USC athletics department self-reported eight NCAA secondary violations since the beginning of this year, the school announced Friday.
Five of the violations were Level I and were reported to the NCAA. The other more minor violations were sent to the SEC office.

The football team was involved in three of the violations, but only one was Level I. The school reported that an unnamed member of the football staff had contact with a prospective recruit in March during a so-called dark period, when the only permissible contact is supposed to be accidental.

“It was alleged that it was pre-arranged,” said Val Shealy, USC’s associate athletics director for compliance, declining to say who made the allegation. “We had a statement that said it wasn’t. But we reported it anyway.”

Shealy said the team stopped recruiting the player, and the Gamecocks assistant coach received a letter of caution. The player committed elsewhere.

The other reported Level I violations:

• Two women’s soccer players competed for a club team before the school’s final exam period was over. Shealy said the players thought they could play for the club team once their exams were over. They were unaware they had to wait until the end of the school’s exam period.

• A women’s tennis player was found to have played in a professional league in Germany before arriving at USC. The player, who left the team, had to sit out a few matches.

• In February, a baseball player practiced and played in a game while not technically enrolled in the required 12 hours of classes. Shealy said it was a paperwork issue that was resolved quickly and the player was not penalized.

• In a similar incident in April, a men’s track athlete practiced and competed while not enrolled full-time.

The Level II violations:

• In late January, a football coach had contact with a recruit the same day the player had a game in another sport.

• The volleyball coaching staff held a required team activity the week prior to final exams.

• A football player was featured in a brochure for a team camp. The player was not working in the camp, so it was impermissible by NCAA rules.

Wellness report. The school also announced six positive marijuana tests from student-athletes and one positive test for a prescription drug without an authorized prescription during the past six months. Forty-one athletes were tested for anabolic steroids and 400 for drugs of abuse.

RJ Esq · Jun 25, 2007

USC recruit stabbed in fight at apartments

No charges have been filed in incident; athlete ‘in good spirits’

By JEFF WILKINSON and SETH EMERSON - jwilkinson@thestate.com semerson@thestate.com

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Quintin Richardson, 18, is a USC football recruit and Spring Valley High graduate.


A USC football recruit was stabbed at a Richland County apartment complex early Sunday morning.
Quintin Richardson, 18, was stabbed during the fight in the courtyard of Hunter’s Green Apartments at 1013 N. Kings St., according to a spokesman for the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Lt. Chris Cowan said an argument between Richardson and 19-year-old Ross Grant escalated into a “physical altercation.”
Deputies learned of the incident when Richardson showed up for treatment at Providence Hospital Northeast at about 2:25 a.m. Cowan declined to detail Richardson’s injuries but said he had been stabbed in the upper body.
No charges have yet been filed as a result of the incident.
“We still have a lot of people to interview,” Cowan said Sunday. “We’re trying to determine what the altercation was over and who needs to be charged.”
Richardson was in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries at Palmetto Health Richland, said Cowan and family members.
Listed at 6 feet 4 inches tall and 270 pounds, Richardson is one of the top recruits in South Carolina’s nationally ranked incoming freshman class. He was set to compete for playing time on the Gamecocks’ offensive line.
The former Spring Valley star was ranked in the top 100 of rivals.com and scout.com, a pair of national recruiting Web sites, before slipping after missing most of his senior season with a knee injury.
Richardson was still selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American game, a national high school senior all-star game. He committed to South Carolina in April of his junior year at Spring Valley.
Last summer Richardson said: “There are a lot of South Carolina fans around here. They are going to want to see what all the hype is about. I’m going to come out and play the game. I’m not feeling any pressure. But I also want to show the fans and everyone that I can play some football.”
Richardson’s godfather, Willie Sutton, said the player was recuperating at the hospital. Sutton said Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier had called to check on him, along with numerous other coaches at USC and Spring Valley.
“He’s in good spirits,” Sutton said. “He’s got a pretty good doctor. It’s in the Lord’s hands right now. We’re going to take it one day at a time right now.”

RJ Esq · Jun 26, 2007

Dockery, offensive line hope to rehab, rebuild

Young front needs junior's leadership, experience this season

By Alan Trubow Alan Trubow
American-Statesman Staff
Tuesday, June 26, 2007

On a unit full of questions, he is the biggest unknown, a 320-pound question mark.

Will he recover physically in time to play? Mentally? Can he be the same player he was in 2006?

Junior guard Cedric Dockery, who is entering the final phase of his rehabilitation from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, hopes the answer to all of those questions is yes.

So do the Longhorns. Entering the 2007 season, their biggest concern is the offensive line, and there's no apparent, immediate remedy like Dockery.

"We're young. We're inexperienced," the 6-foot-4-inch Dockery said. "It's a year when a lot of people are going to be looking at us wondering how it's going to turn out."

There's Dockery, who started the first six games last year but hasn't participated in any football-related activity since the 28-10 victory over Oklahoma, when a misstep resulted in his torn right ACL.

Then there's the rest of the offensive line, which returns tackles Adam Ulatoski (seven starts) and Tony Hills (13 starts). But the unit lost 115 starts with the departure of tackle Justin Blalock, center Lyle Sendlein and guard Kasey Studdard. It also lost J'Marcus Webb and Roy Watts, who transferred, and starting tight end Neale Tweedie.

Basically, the line and Dockery are in the same place heading into the season: trying to rebuild to what they once were.

"That's a good way to look at it," offensive line coach Mac McWhorter said. "But I've been in this situation before — not at Texas, but in my 34 years of coaching. This is the most turnover I've had here. These guys are unknown and untested. But they're also a snap away from being stars, and they've got the talent.

"As for Cedric, people have come back from ACL tears before," McWhorter said. "He just has to deal with the personal rehab of getting back into shape, and he has to deal with the mental rehab, of being able to trust your knee with bodies flying all around you."

Dockery understands there are different ways of looking at things. While his head is on right, he admits having to grow up a bit in the past.

"My coaches would have told you that, if you would have met me on the field in the past, I wasn't as good of a player as I am now," Dockery said.

"When I was younger, I only cared about myself. I had to understand that it's not about me, it's about team. That's how I look at it now. That helps me deal with what I'm dealing with."

That's a lot.

Dockery has dealt with the injury, which not only occurred as he was finally coming into his own, but also during the most important game of the season.

"I was finally confident out there," said Dockery, who tried going back on the field after the injury only to realize the severity. "It happened at a bad time."

After surgery, Dockery watched his team succeed through most of 2006 before falling to Kansas State and Texas A&M in consecutive games. He watched the Alamo Bowl victory against Iowa, which he called the toughest time of his career.

And he watched spring practices as sophomore guards Chris Hall and Charlie Tanner improved to the point where they now are listed ahead of Dockery on the depth chart heading into fall practice.

"We're going to play the best five guys. That's always been our motto here," McWhorter said. "Cedric was good enough to start for us last year, but he's going to have to battle those two guys."

This is where Dockery's maturity comes in. He's OK with that now. He's earned a starting spot before. He can do it again.

In fact, Dockery — who is hoping he will be cleared to practice at his next doctor appointment — welcomes the competition.

"It makes you even more motivated, more hungry," Dockery said. "If they're the guys who make our team the most successful, they should play. Hopefully, the coaches think I'm that guy.

"But as a unit, we've grown tremendously. I've seen guys mess up at the beginning of spring practice, but now they're not making those mistakes. By the time the season starts, we should have eight guys who are talented enough and ready to contribute."

Dockery includes himself in that eight.

It's why he continues with the three hours of rehabilitation every day.

It's why he keeps looking forward instead of back.

It's why he talks about the line as if he's already back.

"I have to work myself back into the rotation," he said. "I've got a lot to offer, not only as a player, but as a leader. But even going through an injury like this, hopefully the younger guys can look up to me for advice.

"Hopefully, they'll say 'he's battle tested, he's been through a lot, he knows what he's talking about.' No matter what, I'm one of the oldest guys on the line this year and I'm going to be the oldest guy on the line next year."

But the Longhorns need him now.

Because they've got questions. And Dockery is a great answer.

RJ Esq · Jun 26, 2007

college football
U of L dismisses freshman RB/LB

Tyler Wimsatt, a redshirt freshman from Owensboro, was dismissed from the University of Louisville football team.

U of L spokesman Rocco Gasparro said Wimsatt, who didn't see any game action last season, was dismissed for a violation of team rules.

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</TD><TD width=10></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Wimsatt came out of Owensboro High School as a running back/linebacker and was named honorable mention All-State as a senior by The Courier-Journal. He accounted for 1,500 all-purpose yards as a senior and was Owensboro's MVP.

[FONT=arial, geneva]RB commits to IU[/FONT]

Cortez Smith became the first player to orally commit to Indiana University since coach Terry Hoeppner's death last week.

Smith, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound running back from Detroit, picked the Hoosiers over Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Ball State.

[FONT=arial, geneva]Penn St. disciplines 10[/FONT]

Penn State disciplined 10 players for their roles in an April 1 off-campus fight in which two people were hurt.

The university said four were temporarily expelled from July 1 through the end of the summer semester, two were put on permanent probation and ordered to take counseling, and the other four were put on probation for a year.

All players could be eligible next season if they complete the terms of the discipline.

Defense attorneys identified the four expelled as safety Anthony Scirrotto, defensive lineman Chris Baker, linebacker Jerome Hayes and cornerback Lydell Sargeant.

Scirrotto and Baker face an August trial on criminal charges including burglary, assault and harassment in connection with the fight.

RJ Esq · Jun 26, 2007

2007 Big East Football Prospectus Part 7: West Virginia

<SMALL class=metadata>0 Comments </SPAN>Published on 6.25.2007 by Brian Harrison http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=11343653&postID=9125536043808071503 http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=11343653&postID=9125536043808071503 </SMALL>

Editor’s Note: This is part seven of an eight part series giving analysis of each of the eight teams in the Big East Football Conference, proceeding alphabetically, but ending with Syracuse. A new team will be released each weekday for the next eight days. Feel free to use the comment section to supplement the facts and analysis presented, however my opinions will stand. Enjoy and I hope you are looking forward to the new Big East football season as much as I am. Part six can be found here.

West Virginia
Preview – Coach Rich Rodriguez begins his 2007 campaign in a pretty good place. Having been competing for the top spot in the Big East the last two seasons, including a BCS bowl win, he is sitting pretty at WVU. After much debated Alabama talk over the winter he is back at the helm with the most productive duo in the Big East with QB Pat White (118/179, 1655yds, 13 TD, 7 INT, sacked 12 times, Rush 1219yds on 165att, 7.4avg, 18 TD) and RB Steve Slaton (1744yds on 248att, 7.0avg, 16 TD). The biggest “problem” for WVU last year was their defense, which allowed competent teams to score fairly easily. Coach has changed some players around in the spring game and the defense should be a little more effective this season, although the loss of excellent linebackers will not help. Look for the pass rush of WVU to be much more aggressive this year, and the secondary to be rebuilt very competently. Slaton will not be the only option at tailback, so look for WVU to mix up who takes the handoffs. Even though the top receiver for the team is gone, there are still plenty of targets for White to throw to.

Key Returning Players – QB Pat White, RB Steve Slaton, WR/KR Darius Reynaud

Key Losses – LB Jay Henry, LB Kevin "Boo" McLee, G Jeremy Sheffey

My Thoughts – This team I feel is still the team to beat in the Big East this season. They are excellent at scoring, will be tougher on defense, and have a lot of pieces to run for not only a Big East Championship, but perhaps a National Championship as well. This team will also be fun to watch and will probably be featured a lot on ABC and the ESPN. Moral of the story… get ready to burn some couches.

Will We Beat Them? – No. Unless the earth freezes over, pigs can fly, and Fitzy starts liking the Yankees, I don’t think we can beat them. But hey, at least it will be a fun game. And take comfort in the fact that, chances are, you are thinner and better mannered as the WVU fans that will be in the Dome.

RJ Esq · Jun 26, 2007

2007 Big East Football Prospectus Part 8: Syracuse

<SMALL class=metadata>0 Comments </SPAN>Published on 6.26.2007 by Brian Harrison </SMALL>

Editor’s Note: This is part eight of an eight part series giving analysis of each of the eight teams in the Big East Football Conference, proceeding alphabetically, but ending with Syracuse. A new team was released each weekday for the last eight days. Feel free to use the comment section to supplement the facts and analysis presented, however my opinions will stand. Enjoy and I hope you are looking forward to the new Big East football season as much as I am. Part seven can be found here.

Syracuse
Preview – After finishing in the basement of the Big East for two years in a row, the 2007 Orange begin their campaign under Coach Greg Robinson with a new QB behind center in Andrew Robinson. Looking sharp in the spring game, he led several scoring drives and will be competent, possibly excellent, this coming season. Once again, Robinson must try to field a offensive line that may not be up to standards. Look for him to again try combinations, but they should be fairly competent as he has three, possibly four (academic issues) returning players, and seniors and juniors up to the task. The running backs are also an issue as Curtis “Boonah” Brinkley (571yds on 139att, 4.1avg, 2 TD) will be out for the 2007 season. RB’s Delone Carter (713yds on 156att, 4.6avg, 4 TD) and Paul Chiara (59yds on 17att, 3.5avg, 0 TD) will handle most of the carries this season. This will be the biggest question and the shakiest part of our team. The receivers will be tight on this team, with Taj Smith returning (with a fresh year of eligibility), along with Mike Williams and Rice Moss. Tight ends Tom Ferron and J.J. Nesheiwat will also be solid this year in receiving again. The defensive lost a lot of players in the linebacker area but will be solid again with players stepping up. The secondary will again be anchored by Joe 5 Fields and looked sharp and speedy in the spring game. Losing Heisman hopeful Brendan Carney hurt the special teams unit, but they have two competent punters competing to replace him.

Key Returning Players – WR Taj Smith, RB Curtis Brinkley, FS Joe 5 Fields

Key Losses – LB Kelvin Smith, LB Jerry Mackey, CB Tanard Jackson

My Thoughts – This team will again improve upon the season before. With a new quarterback not named Patterson there is again renewed hope that the Orange will return to some semblance of a winning season. The passing game should be vastly improved, and with the number one target back on the field, the white line is the only limit to how far they can go. The running back situation is not the best, but it is far from the worst as well. The offensive like should improve from last season, especially with a new coach in the area, and the quarterback should be sacked less now that he is significantly thinner than Perry.

How will we do? – I think this team has a legitimate shot at winning three out of the seven conference games the team will play, those being Connecticut, Cincinnati, and South Florida. We have a chance at winning seven games in total, the other four being Illinois, Miami (OH), Buffalo, and Washington. I’m not saying we are going bowling, but I do think this team will produce more in the last two seasons. And for Greg Robinson’s sake they sure better. Really all any of us are looking for is a competent offence, close games, and more wins than last year. If he does this, we will see Ol’ GRob make it to season four. For the first time in a couple of years, I have a feeling we will not be any part of last place in the Big East Conference. Either way, I am optimistic and looking forward to another great season of college football, and another big season in the Big East.

Editor’s Note: The following analysis of the team is pending an utter and total collapse before the start of the season, as well as during the season. If something does happen… Matt Glaude did it.

E.T.G. · Jun 26, 2007

Pretty crazy how the Gamecock recruit got stabbed. He was one of the biggest recruiters for SC this yr. Also was a 4* recruit according to rivals.

RJ Esq · Jun 26, 2007

Rockets' McDougle ruled ineligible
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McDougle

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By JOE VARDON
BLADE STAFF WRITER

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Neither the pleas of his family members nor an ultimate exoneration by federal prosecutors and investigators may be able to save Harvey "Scooter" McDougle Jr.'s football season at the University of Toledo.

<CENTER></CENTER>McDougle, 22, the Rockets running back who is suspended from the team because of his alleged connection to a point-shaving scandal, has been ruled academically ineligible for the 2007 season.

<CENTER></CENTER>Paul Helgren, UT's assistant athletic director for media relations, confirmed McDougle's ineligibility status to The Blade yesterday, but would not discuss any other details because of a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.

<CENTER></CENTER>To be considered eligible for athletic competition at UT, students must maintain a certain grade-point average, pass a set number of credit hours each year, and stay on track to complete an undergraduate degree within five years.

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VIEW: UT letters from President Lloyd Jacobs to staff

AUDIO: UT interview President Lloyd Jacobs

AUDIO: University of Toledo news conference (April 2, 2007)

VIEW: Affidavit in support of criminal complaint </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<CENTER></CENTER>University officials confirmed that McDougle is still a student at UT and is on scholarship, but has been suspended from the football team since his March 29 arrest in connection with an alleged point-shaving scheme.

<CENTER></CENTER>Initial criminal charges against McDougle were dropped April 18, and his grandmother has written twice to UT President Dr. Lloyd Jacobs seeking her grandson's reinstatement on the football team.

<CENTER></CENTER>Even if Dr. Jacobs were to lift the suspension, it doesn't appear that McDougle will be in uniform for the Rockets because of his academic status.

<CENTER></CENTER>McDougle's father, Harvey McDougle Sr., who last week told The Blade his son would not be indicted on point-shaving charges or forced to testify against his teammates, said UT was wrong about his son's eligibility.

<CENTER></CENTER>"He's not academically ineligible, and that's all I can say," McDougle Sr. said. "I'm so sick of that university, I don't even know what to do with all of this."

<CENTER></CENTER>When pressed about McDougle's academic status by The Blade, Helgren said: "We are getting this from our compliance director [Brian Lutz]. He is ineligible. It's unequivocal."

<CENTER></CENTER>McDougle Sr. said his son is currently working in an internship program for UT credit and didn't know why he was considered academically ineligible for football.

<CENTER></CENTER>McDougle Sr. criticized UT coach Tom Amstutz for not calling him since his son was arrested, and accused the university of not supporting McDougle since the federal point-shaving investigation became public.

<CENTER></CENTER>"If it were up to me, he'd be gone from there," McDougle Sr. said. "But he's loyal and he loves the game, and he wants to stick it out in Toledo."

<CENTER></CENTER>If McDougle avoids any further legal trouble and is not found to have broken any NCAA violations through his relationship with a Detroit-area gambler, then this will be the second season he will have lost eligibility because of academics.

<CENTER></CENTER>According to the Rockets' 2006 media guide, McDougle sat out his freshman season in 2003 due to NCAA academic restrictions.

<CENTER></CENTER>Right now, McDougle, who's major is listed in the media guide as "individualized studies in the University College," is waiting for the smoke to clear from the alleged point-shaving scheme he was accused by federal agents of participating in with Ghazi "Gary" Manni.

<CENTER></CENTER>McDougle was charged in March in U.S. District Court in Detroit with betting on a UT football game and recruiting other university football and men's basketball players to engage in point-shaving.

<CENTER></CENTER>The complaint accused McDougle of recruiting UT football and basketball players who would keep the final scores of games within a certain point spread for Manni, who would bet on those games.

<CENTER></CENTER>The FBI said at least one player was offered $10,000 to sit out a game, and several players received "cash, a car, a phone, and other things of value" from Manni.

<CENTER></CENTER>Federal agents also accused McDougle of asking Manni to place a $2,000 bet for him on UT's game against Texas-El Paso in the 2005 GMAC Bowl. McDougle sat out that game because of injuries, and the Rockets defeated their opponent 45-13.

<CENTER></CENTER>According to attorneys for both sides, the charges against McDougle were dropped as a matter of procedure and could be refiled.

<CENTER></CENTER>McDougle Sr. said his son met with federal prosecutors last week, and after that meeting was told by his attorney that he would not face additional charges.

<CENTER></CENTER>McDougle's attorney, James Burdick, said his client wasn't guilty of any gambling charges, but denied telling anyone that the UT football player would not be indicted in this case.

<CENTER></CENTER>Even if McDougle Sr. is correct and his son avoids the courtroom, McDougle may still be found in violation of NCAA rules.

<CENTER></CENTER>According to the federal complaint, on Dec. 14, McDougle told the FBI that Manni had given him cash, a car, and other items, but denied changing his play to affect the outcome of a football game.

RJ Esq · Jun 26, 2007

Prognosis good for USC recruit

Richardson’s life, career not in danger as police continue their investigation

By SETH EMERSON - semerson@thestate.com

USC football recruit Quintin Richardson remained in the hospital Monday with non-life threatening knife wounds, while police continued to investigate whether charges will be brought in the incident.

Richardson, 18, was stabbed “several times” in the lower back and arm early Sunday, according to the incident report released by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

“We don’t know yet what happened,” said Lt. Chris Cowan, a spokesman for the sheriff’s department. “There are a lot of people out there, there’s a he-said, she-said. And we can’t make any charges based on he-said, she-said.”

Richardson’s injuries do not appear likely to jeopardize his football career. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound offensive tackle was due to be released from Palmetto Health Richland Hospital late Monday night or today.

“He’s doing just fine, he’s just going to rest now,” said Jimmy Noonan, Richardson’s coach at Spring Valley High. “The prognosis is good, and I guess in a couple weeks he’ll be back in the weight room.”

Richardson, considered one of the top members of USC’s highly rated recruiting class and its only offensive lineman, was expected to contend for playing time as a freshman.

Willie Sutton, Richardson’s godfather, said the player planned to enroll for freshman orientation on July 5. He had started working out with the Gamecocks, Sutton said.

Cowan said police were interviewing witnesses Monday afternoon. It was unclear whether they had interviewed Ross Grant, 19, who is listed in the incident report.

In a statement released Monday afternoon, Cowan said police are trying “to determine why a verbal altercation turned physical.” The fight happened in a residence at Hunter’s Green Apartments at 1013 North King’s Way. Sutton said Richardson lives elsewhere.

According to the incident report, Richardson was holding Grant down when Richardson, as he later told police, felt like someone was poking him in the back. At that point, two witnesses separated the two, and Grant left the area.

A third witness then placed a knife in a plastic bag, and the first two witnesses took Richardson to the hospital.
Grant could not be reached for comment.

RJ Esq · Jun 27, 2007

Updated: Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Trevonics: Summer common sense breakdown

By Trev Alberts
formerly of ESPN.com

Rich creamery butter! It's not even July yet, and we've got a slate of mouth-watering schedule treats to savor from SI's own Stewart Mandel. I'm not going to go toe to toe with the nice legitimate journalist about his selections. I'll just say they are a bit conservative and leave it at that. Fair and equitable, that SI is....yeah thats not a palindrome....anyway, because I'm feeling exceptionally handicapable today let's have some fun. Combining two of our favorite offseason pastimes, arbitrary lists and wild speculation, dust off the scoreboard!

2006 Season:
Straight Up: 85-32
Against the Spread: 64-50-2

Remember, all lines are strictly for entertainment only. Any action on said fictional lines will be considered dead on arrival, and for his safety, the kid has been locked up in the supply closet. It's for his own good.

Nov. 29th Louisville (-6.5) vs.Rutgers
Sorry, Rutgers, I'm not seeing it this year. Yes, you will have a fine season. No, I don't see last year happening again. Every team on the rise has its share of stumbles, and you, my friends, will have plenty this year as we all remember what "regressing to the mean" is talking about. Louisville, if healthy, should have more than enough firepower to stretch Papa John's field like the easily attainably pizza dough metaphor I just attempted.
Trev's pick: Louisville (and it'll be a "blackout game", mark my words)

Nov. 23rd Hawaii (-3.5) vs. Boise State
The Colt Brennan Show gets a very special season finale before struggling with obscurity in the holiday break. Boise State, jetlagged from long travels, film script pitches, and other assorted tie-ins to recent fame, will fall in a classic WAC squeaker, 56-52. You can call it the NCAA curse, Mr. Zabransky.
Trev's pick: Hawaii

Sep. 29th Alabama (+6.5) at Florida State
The official Nick Saban bandwagon starts here. I'm positive that the line will be screwed up for multiple reasons, FSU home game, "unproven Saban," light preceding opponents, etc etc, and the two teams will be equally hyped in opposite directions. FSU, possibly dismantling Clemson and looking forward to playing out the remainder of their "3 game season" might get caught up in the hype more than Alabama, and that's basically what this game will boil down to. 'Bama, likely having worked out the wrinkles against Arkansas and Georgia, flies in "under the radar."
Trev's pick: Alabama

Oct. 6th Oklahoma (+3.5) vs. Texas
The Red River Shootout is a "must-see" game. Shocking. Oklahoma has Phil Steele mojo, despite not really having a quarterback nailed down. Colt McCoy, if that is his real name, keeps the line unreasonable, and I won't have to split the pick. Moving on.
Trev's pick: Oklahoma

Sep. 15h Nebraska (+13.5) vs Southern Cal
In reality, this line won't be that high. It will be much much higher. Trojan euphoria is once again sweeping the nation, and even the Poodle will march into the very gates of bright red Husker Hell Itself, everyone this side of Omaha will have his back. Heck, the anti-Callahan cult might just be pulling for him too. I think my boys keep it close, but even now, I don't see any reason to keep this pick intact. Southern Cal: really good. I think I read that some where.
Trev's pick: Southern Cal

Nov. 3rd. Alabama (-3.5) vs. LSU
Speaking of red-based hell, Alabama. 92,000 plus worshipping their new Dark Lord Saban vs. an entire parish of Louisiana's finest voodoo practitioners, the darkness will be insurmountable. The shakers will blot out the sun. By now, the Bama's Back Bandwagon could be rolling at full speed, and the momentum may be too much to overcome. LSU begins their "best 1 loss team" campaign on Nov. 4th.
Trev's pick: Alabama

Nov. 10th Wisconsin (-2.5) vs. Michigan
November is shaping up to be a sumptuous feast of football armageddon. Regardless of the Badgers season, I'm pulling for another good one, this game has been circled at Camp Randall for some time right now. Although Michigan looks like it can keep up its new juggernaut reputation, nothing will be able to overcome the Miller-fueled masses. Top 5 team vs. top 5 party school. Get the eff out of this game's way.
Trev's pick: Wisconsin

Nov. 8th West Virginia (+3.5) vs. Louisville
Keeping with the riding the home teams, I have to get behind Morgantown. Rather, I'd love to get Morgantown behind me. Something about that place at night just seems so...so...unwholesome. Not slowing down too much and moving on, I like WfnVU in a moonshine-based slobber knocker.
Trev's Pick: West f'n Virginia

Nov. 10th Cal (+3.5) vs. Southern Cal
Here's where it all comes crashing down for the football landscape. Cal has got the tools, the home field, and at this point, an entire country behind them. The stage will be set for a Southern Cal loss to unleash unholy BCS doomsday upon the system, and I'm already pulling for it. Hard. No quarter. The state will flow with the blood of the nonbelievers.
Trev's pick: California

Oct. 6th LSU (-2.5) vs. Florida
Remember all of that mojo from earlier? Well, here it is. All of the great made-up storylines from the other 9 games rolled into one extreme clash of evil. Death Valley at night, LSU seeking revenge, a touted Tiger team, and Tim Tebow alone at the helm. Holy. Crap. Did I mention some of the strongest cocktails south of the Mason-Dixon line? Hurricanes, Hand Grenades, and darkness. Lots of darkness. Many people have the Gators pegged for a fall, and its going to start right here. 4 out of 5 witch doctors approve.
Trev's pick: LSU

Of course, I'm going to look back on this as early as say...Labor Day, and say "What was I on?" At least we'll all know that answer. Jager. Obvious.

RJ Esq · Jun 27, 2007

The Consensus, Homerism Edition: Southern Miss Will Win Conference USA
By SMQ
Posted on Tue Jun 26, 2007 at 04:09:13 PM EDT
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What everyone believes this summer, non-obvious division

One game short last year and with the most returning starters in the league's top half, the beloved Eagles are on top again, at last. Why do I feel nauseous?

The Chorus:

Phil Steele:
Six of my 8 sets of power rankings call SM the best team in CUSA ... The key to me calling them for the top spot is they get to host both UCF and Memphis, who are their main 2 rivals in this year's chase for the Eastern Crown, and SM is very hard to beat at The Rock.

The Sporting News:
Amid all this schizophrenia, only Southern Miss has been a constant ... [and] again projects as the league's power broker, the squad with the best talent, most consistent coach and fewest questions to answer.
[...]

This is the closest thing to an SEC team outside of the SEC. (Ranked 24th in Top 25)

Athlon:
Southern Miss has all the pieces in place for a dominating run to the conference title. Coach Jeff Bower has an experienced dual-threat quarterback in [Jeremy] Young, the Conference USA's top running game and an All-America candidate at tight end. Bower also has one of the league's top defenses.

Street and Smith's:
Southern Miss ranked first in the league and 25th nationally in rushing last season. Eight starters return from a defense that allowed the fewest points in C-USA. The combination makes the Golden Eagles a no-brainer pick to be the league's best of the East once again.

The Dissent:

None that I'm aware.

This is the kind of unchecked optimism, so long in coming since the days it was taken for granted, now met more with foreboding. This is not a very dominant team for such unanimity. Coming as it does more by default skepticism of the rest of the oft-dissed conference than by any substantial belief in the talent or virtue of my alma mater, I'm compelled to temper the party with the inherent, shall we say, inefficiencies that have limited it to a single championship banner in a decade of consistent opportunity:
* Conservatism/Lack of Big Play Ability It's very satisfying to have a consistent runner like Damion Fletcher on board, but he reportedly runs like a 4.7 40 and his longest run as a freshman didn't even get that far (36 yards). The entire offense only generated one play longer than 50 yards, the result of an egregious missed tackle by some hapless member of the Central Florida secondary, and hasn't finished near the top half of the country in total offense since 1999. We like our passes short, safe and predictable, or not at all. Actually, is "not at all" an option? If at any point this fall it appears it might be, expect Jeff Bower to take it.

Hmmm...maybe it's time to try the middle screen again...
- - -

* Excessive Reliance on Special Teams and Opportunism Phil Steele is fond of pointing out Southern's habit of being outgained in conference games - by 62 ypg in 2003, 21 ypg in 2004 and 38 ypg in 2005 - yet still managing to win via a perpetually robust turnover margin and a sound kicking game. Even with the slight reversal of the yardage trend last year (USM created a gaping 16-yard chasm against C-USA teams), the Eagles still relied heavily on seven touchdowns by the defense and special teams and the fortune of a plus-six turnover margin. The point here is that actual every-down production and physicality is not significantly above the rest of the league by any means.

* The Annual Upset Not by, per the old "giant killer" tag, but of: as you might expect from the last category, Southern Miss has lost as a favorite in title-killing fashion since 2001 to Memphis, TCU, South Florida, Tulane, Cincinnati, TCU again, Tulsa, Memphis again and East Carolina.

This doesn't happen all that frequently (see the "cupcake" bit below), but maybe two of those losses - the second times around against Memphis and TCU - weren't complete shocks, and every version of USM save the 2003 conference champion has had its season derailed by at least one of those games. That team had to mount an improbable, penalty-aided comeback at Cincinnati in the process of going 8-0, and the `04 and `05 teams only wound up in bowl games because of similar absurdity amid certain defeat against Houston and Marshall. The margin between big prizes and humiliation has been miniscule for a series of teams that subsequently tend to be described as "scrappy."

* The Ceiling The model Southern Miss team this decade is 2003, the only team in that span to win a championship or reach nine wins in the regular season. Last year's team, with the twelfth game against I-AA SE Louisiana, was the only other since the 1999 champs to win eight; before that, totals were 7-6-7-9-6-6. On a twelve-game schedule, with non-conference gimmes Tennessee-Martin (ugh) and Arkansas State, USM should count on having to win at least nine to get back to the C-USA championship. I've written already that this bar ought to be raised.
The virtue of Southern Miss football in all its stodgy glory is its consistent ability to devour the half dozen or so cupcakes that come its way every year and that make up roughly half or more of the crucial conference schedule. For that, and for beating a more respectable mediocrity or two, it gets to go to the New Orleans or GMAC bowls. In lieu of turning a new leaf in any of the above trends, it's there, in the milds of this year's C-USA slate, that so much of the promise of a coveted championship rests. Specifically, the league's biannual, wholesale rotation of interdivision matches dumps West favorites Houston and Tulsa - against whom the Eagles are 1-4 the last two years, three of the losses by double digits - for home games with conventionally "rising" but more managable Rice and SMU. Losing Tulane for a trip to transfer haven UTEP balances the rotation some, but the whole, with no consensus challenger in the East, is a net gain in victory potential.

A time to laugh, a time to weep, and a time for every purpose under heaven.
- - -

Aside from the external opportunities, this is the first Southern Miss offense in at least five years that expects to bring something to the table instead of merely hoping the cloth doesn't slide off onto the floor. Fletcher's persistent slashing seemed to be solely responsible for increasing the team's per carry average by a full yard, turning one of the most hopeless, inconsistent running games in the conference into its model of zone blocking efficacy. Fellow freshman Tory Harrison's addition to the rotation spurred four consecutive 200-yard games in the November stretch run, as many in one month as the team had managed from 2003-05 combined, but still the rub on a return to the Liberty Bowl is Fletcher's spotty health: three career-starting interior linemen might be missed, but running backs regularly failed behind them before, and the entire offense ground to a halt when Fletcher was forced out of strong games in eventual losses at Tulsa and then Houston in the C-USA championship. I've said this before, even before last season, but the very limited passing game doesn't pick up the slack when USM fails on the ground - so many of Young's problems have been blamed on an unforgiving turf toe, but that's a cop out: he completed 64 percent with eight touchdowns and no interceptions last year in the eight games USM topped 140 yards rushing, and fell way, way off when Fletcher was held in check, to 52 percent and six picks to only three touchdowns. The Eagles were 7-1 in the former case and 2-4 in the latter.

Assuming Fletch is still doing his poor man's Mike Hart, even a gimpy, turf-toed Young will be good enough to take advantage of defenses' diverted attention. Whether or not it actually gets diverted, and the offense is a worthy compliment to conference's undisputed top defense as a result, is up to the new members of the interior line.

RJ Esq · Jun 27, 2007

Who Gets Blown Out the Most in the SEC?

Posted Jun 26th 2007 1:53PM by Ryan Ferguson
Filed under: Alabama Football, Auburn Football, Florida Football, Georgia Football, LSU Football, Tennessee Football, SEC, Arkansas Football, South Carolina Football, NCAA FB Coaching, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, LSU

Odd question. Interesting question. Phillip Marshall asks the question at al.com's Tracking the Tigers blog.

Marshall ponders the thought because of the "complaint most-often voiced" about Auburn's Tommy Tuberville, which is that he loses big too often. (That's a surprise to me, because I've never associated Tuberville with losing big in anything at Auburn.)

Marshall looked back five years but excluded Vandy, either of the Mississippi schools or Kentucky. (Why exclude them?) He also defines a "blowout" as a loss by 14 points or more. The results:

1. Nutt, 10
2. Saban, 9
3. Fulmer and Tuberville, 8
5. Spurrier, 6
6. Richt, 3

Your chances of blowing out Mark Richt are slim to none, baby.

Thoughts:

1) Houston Nutt. No surprise. Two of his worst blowouts came in the last two years against Southern Cal. The Hogs dropped their pants to the score of 70-17 in '05 and 50-14 in '06. Oddly enough, Mitch Mustain played in the second game, and now he's practicing with the Trojans out in Los Angeles. Go figure.

Many think Nutt's on very thin ice this year, and that unless he wins the SEC West again, he'll be gone.

2) Saban!?
That's surprising -- really surprising! He lost by 24 or more points five times. Plus he stunk it up with the Dolphins in the NFL, not that I hold that against him; it's pro ball, totally different, and most college coaches aren't successful after making that jump. I hope the Bama braintrust isn't too wrapped up in Saban's great penultimate outing at LSU, when he won a national title

3) Fulmer and Tuberville. Huh. So the 'Tub is up there with 8. I honestly wouldn't have guessed that, what with Auburn's awesome success these past few years. Fulmer? Yeah, I can believe it.

4) Spurrier at six -- this is more than I would have thought, until I dug beyond the article to discover that three of the six came in his last two years at South Carolina -- another testament to his amazing run as Head Gator.

5) Richt at 3. Richt again -- one of the most successful, yet underrated coaches in the SEC. His Dawgs always compete strongly, but rarely at the highest level. It is odd that the Dawgs have been the most successful team (within the conference) in this decade, yet they've never seriously contended for a title bid. I'm guessing Florida's been the obstacle standing in the way of further success for Richt. He will have to start beating the Gators to take Georgia to the next level.

RJ Esq · Jun 27, 2007

What Will JC Do?

by HornsFan Tue Jun 26, 2007 at 11:37:14 AM EDT

After the 2005 championship season, I giggled drunkenly about Jamaal Charles and his chance to be the "best tailback to ever play at Texas when it's all said and done." (There's a reason I love Bill Walton, you know...)

Charles' sophomore encore, and the running game as a whole, was a mild disappointment, however. Compare Jamaal's freshman and sophomore seasons:

His net production didn't drop off much in 2006, but his efficiency plummeted. After a whopping 7.4 yards per carry in his freshman campaign, Charles regressed to the mean, picking up only 5.3 yards per pop last season.

To put the numbers in context, last year's 7+ yards per carry (min. 100 attempts) tailbacks are charted below:

Meanwhile, down in the 5.3 yards per attempt range, Charles is surrounded by Jonathan Stewar, Tyrell Sutton, and Matt Forte.

Yards per carry, of course, is not the be all and end all of a running back's worth. After all, Ricky Williams "only" averaged 5.9 yards per attempt during his Heisman Trophy-winning senior season. Rutgers' Ray Rice set the Big East rushing record last season on 5.4 yards per attempt.

But therein also lies the rub: Williams (366 attempts) and Rice (335 attempts) were given the football over and over again. And then still more. Charles rushed about half that many times in 2006. Though his efficiency numbers are fine (if not elite as they were in '05), an elite tailback must excel at one or the other. Either he must spring for big yards per attempt or he must be capable of handling two or three dozen carries per game, while maintaining a solid average.

Charles accomplished neither in 2006. Splitting carries with Selvin Young, he never had the opportunity to amass large numbers of attempts, and when he did get the ball, he didn't produce like the elite back that many of us think he is.

So what now? If Charles is as special as we think he is, there's some reason to think he could enjoy an explosion in production similar to the gains Reggie Bush enjoyed between his sophomore and junior seasons (from 6.4 to 8.7 YPA). Given the concerns about Charles' ability to carry a heavy workload, that's probably the ideal scenario - a modest increase in attempts (up to, say, 200, the number of attempts Bush had in '05) with a jump in efficiency back to his freshman season rates.

Reggie Bush may not be an ideal comparison for any running back, and I don't mean to say Charles has that kind of season in him this (or any) year. Still, we've seen enough highlight material from Charles to know that he's got similar explosiveness and the ability to pick up 6.5+ yards per attempt.

While many wonder whether Charles is built for 25-30 attempts per game, I think the more important question is how Davis gameplans the offense as a whole. You'll soon grow tired of hearing me talk about this, but one more time: the strength of the Texas passing offense ought to motivate Davis to run off of the pass, and not vice versa. If that happens, I haven't a doubt in the world that Charles can enjoy a 200 attempt, 1300 yard season.

RJ Esq · Jun 27, 2007

BIG EAST: OUR DERAILED TRAIN OF THOUGHT EXPLAINED

EDSBS Live! is going to focus on the Big East today, and with good reason: any and all Big East attention we might pay to the Big East has been clouded by our Owen Schmitt worship and the fact that trying to figure out what’s happening in the Big East is very, very difficult at the moment. So we’re going to air the thought process, talk to a few people, and settle the whole thing over cocktails tonight in ninety sloppy internet radio moments.

Owen Schmitt: clouding our thoughts on the Big East with his awesomeness.

But our ramshackle thinking of the moment on the conference goes:

The Big East is full of smallish, very well-run programs, and two biggish, very well-run programs. Consider the picture four years ago for the Big East: a conference with its two prime milkers taken to different pastures (wooo SEC agricultural metaphors!) looked like a major conference downsizing itself into Conference USA-hood. Go check the number of articles on any blog or site back then proclaiming the death of the conference as a whole–they litter the back pages of the internet like so many Y2K panic articles/”Kings of Leon are the next shizznat” pieces.

The Big East is doomed! Bigfoot is Yag! All the hot rumors of 2003.

What they failed to take into account were Mike Tranghese’s negotiating chops and the leveling effect the removal of the two apes of the conference would have. They drafted cannily from the lower rungs of the college football ladder, bringing USF and Cincy into the fold, and watched and learned the same lesson all wrestling fans learn in their first match: watching the midgets wrestle is a lot more fun than watching the big guys waddle around the ring.

And when the midgets drop suplexes on megaconferences in bowl games…well, now that’s real entertainment. West Virginia’s stunning victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl was the curve-setter. It was script sirloin for some budding screenwriter, complete with an improbable fake punt to seal the game after a surging Georgia comeback in the second half.
(Apologies, Bulldogs. But it has to be shown here.)
</EMBED>
The Big East’s mid-sized to smallish programs are in tight competition, albeit with some top-heavy programs leading the way. Natural softshoe segue to…

We’re not sure what’s going to happen with Louisville. Coaching changes always give us grand mal seizures of anxiety as a prognosticator, and nothing’s quieting our nerves here. Anyone with a modicum of gray matter has to accept that Steve Kragthorpe, good as he might be, is a step removed from Bobby Petrino in terms of quality. All we really know about him is that he’s “serious about discipline,” and that he breathed life into Tulsa. He’s likely not as good a coach as Rich Rodriguez, though, and that blows us into the general direction of West Virginia, where the only significant coaching change comes on the offensive line with the loss of coach Rick Trickett.

Kragthorpe, however good he may be, will likely be a dropoff from 10-2 constant Petrino. By default that leaves West Virginia, the other mini-goliath in the conference.

Which leaves USF as the thinking man’s, couture pick for the Big East’s new overlord runner-up to the Mountaineers, who return cheetah-human hybrids Pat White and Steve Slaton to the backfield. Again, little changes for USF: frosh Matt Grothe and his amazing, Depeche Mode-themed highlight tape return to a spread offense on offense, and Jim Leavitt’s defense will keep them in every game they play, including their early season matchup against Auburn. (Tuberville teams’ slow starts should have Auburn fans hyperventilating over this game.)
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They also wha-hoooped West Virginia in Morgantown and seem to play the Rodriguess! option game with discipline, something few other college teams seem to do. Then again, they also struggle in games they should blow through, as evidenced by the 21-20 FIU game last year where they nearly lost to Ned and Company. So take them as the continually rising but not quite there pick for the Big East: solid fundamentals, good prospects, but still lacking the overall program depth and consistency.

Which leaves you with Rutgers, basically, as the other option for a pick in the Big East. Steele’s all over Rutgers as being a huge letdown team this year since they came out on the lucky side of some damning offensive statistics (being hugely outgained but still winning, etc.) There’s merit to this–Rutgers got very, very lucky in many of their games last year, adding to the fairy-tale glow surrounding their ‘06 season. (Fairy tale minus the witches shoving children in ovens, etc. ) They were trounced by an iffy Cincinnati team 30-11, never got a grasp on the passing game, and generally looked like a team riding the high side of probability for most of the season.

And yet they sit there with eight home games this season, including a home bout against West Virginia and their pair of serious out-of-conference games against Maryland and Navy also coming to them at home. They could just as easily have the same season they had last year, which of course still means dropping two in conference and getting a prime bowl slot against a perfect bowl team for suckers like Kansas State, who they trounced last year in the Texas Bowl 37-10.

Putting hand over eyes, throwing dart… We suppose that means that we go into this thing standing next to our burning couch, firing a musket, and vowing to power vomit whiskey and venison sausage for old WVU this fall for the Big East title. And if Pitt makes any noise whatsoever, we’ll grow a Wannstache in apology/tribute.

RJ Esq · Jun 27, 2007

This is South Carolina Football. Another Cock gets Bomared for a moral victory… June 26, 2007

Posted by Jai Eugene in SEC Traditions, Gang Bangers, Outlaw Program, Bomared, Spurrier, SEC Coaches, SEC, Gators, Gamecocks, steve spurrier, SEC Football. trackback

New details have emerged in the weekend stabbing of a University of South Carolina football recruit …Quintin Richardson [wltx]. (thanks for the tip from A Non USC fan living in hell aka Columbia, SC)

The report said Richardson was at the Hunters Green apartment complex off Alpine Road when he got into a verbal altercation with a 19-year-old man. In the report, Richardson told deputies the argument turned physical and while he was holding the man down on the ground he felt something poking him in the back. Richardson told deputies he later realized he’d been stabbed.

Bomar. Getting Bomared. Bomar is the common theme in South Carolina Gamecock Football. You know that Steve Spurrier has got to be disappointed. He had worked so hard to bring the Florida Gator “Thug” attitude to Columbia but he can’t quite shake the Bomaric [Bomar defined] mindset of his players and Cock fans.

In truest Gamecock football tradition, Richardson was winning the fight but only to

find a way to get Bomared. The knife in the back sealed the bomar. Rest easy Cocks, this can be chalked up as yet another “moral victory” that defines South Carolina Football and those who worship the Cocks. It is what makes South Carolina…well, South Carolina.

RJ Esq · Jun 27, 2007

Living And Dying With Colt McCoy

by HornsFan Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 11:53:44 AM EDT

You know how we all have our handful of points we like to beat mercilessly into the ground? Like, HornsChamp's got his scheduling gripes. EyesOfBevo thinks the short-yardage blocking has left a lot to be desired. And so on?

I've certainly got my own. Chris Ogbonnaya reminds me of Priest Holmes. Quan Cosby may approach the receptions record this year. <DEL>Robert Joseph is ready to break out as a star in the secondary.</DEL>
<DEL></DEL>
Today, in case you've missed my scattershot notes on this point, I lay out my big one for 2007: Texas lives and dies with Colt McCoy.

As the summer winds on and August approaches, the same handful of points will be debated endlessly by Texas fans this year.

How will the secondary perform?

Can we get more consistent play from the linebackers?

Can we fix the short-yardage running game?

The answers to each of those questions will be important in determining the outcome of the 2007 season, but not, I'm going to argue, as important as the passing game.

Picture, thousand words, etc:

The red boxes indicate Colt's down games (as defined by QB rating). To sum:

Ohio State His first real game, against one of the nation's very best teams in 2006, with coaches unsure what he's capable of. Colt struggles, Texas is handily defeated.

Nebraska Colt goes into Memorial Stadium, fights through a snowstorm, delivers one of the greatest TD throws I've ever seen (to Limas Sweed, for 50 yards, as he's obliterated on a blitz), and gets Texas into last-second, game-winning field goal range. We lose that game with a lesser quarterback.

Texas A&M Colt listens to overbearing father, plays through pain, is ineffective, and Texas loses.

And that's it. Three games in which Colt struggled, with Texas going 1-2. Texas' other loss, to Kansas State, helps illustrate the point, as well. A healthy McCoy marches the 'Horns down the field for an opening drive touchdown (McCoy 4-4, 51 yards). McCoy gets hurt, Snead comes in, the offense isn't as effective, the team collapses as a whole, etc.

(Non-Texas fans, pointing to the 45 Wildcat points, like to argue that the Kansas State loss was due to a failure on defense. Longhorn fans know better. The defense was abysmal, but the 'Horns lost because of two fumbles (Charles, Young), a blocked punt, and erratic passing from Snead. With McCoy, Texas scores 46+. Whatever it would have taken, Colt had it. No doubt in my mind.)

((While we're gettin' parenthetical, Aggies like to point to their 200+ yards rushing in chest thumping their win, saying it was the Texas defense which lost the game. Again, Longhorn fans know better. The Aggies deserve credit for their outstanding afternoon rushing the football, and for taking advantage of McCoy's weaknesses, but there's no chance in hell that 12 points wins that football game if Colt is 100%. Hell, it took a tremendously weak pass interference penalty to keep Texas from 14 points. Which would have won the game.))

So, what's the point of all this? I'm just starting to beat my war drum - Texas will sink or swim with Colt McCoy's health and effectiveness. With new faces on the offensive line, the running game, important as it is, will need to feed off the passing game. (Which is fine. It's a mistake to think you can only open up the pass via the run; the opposite is true, as well.)
The pass defense simply can't be any worse than it was in 2006, statistically speaking.

Provided Texas enjoys better luck with injuries, the linebackers, too, can't help but improve. I'm even coming around to the idea that this can be a team strength this year. Shoot me, I'm an optimist.

All told, I'm sold on the idea that the wins will come to the degree that Colt performs well. Which means that the pass blocking in general, and Tony Hills in particular, are far more important than anything else. That, and Greg Davis' willingness not to get overly-caught up in an "establish the run at all costs" mindset. If he sees thinks like I do (and the evidence from last year indicates he does), his gameplan will work quite the opposite - spreading the field, using Colt-to-Quan/Finley as his running game of sorts, while stretching the field with Sweed and Shipley. Once teams get tired of that particular form of punishment, there ought to be ample room for Charles and Co. to scamper about.

Adjust your mindsets, Longhorn fans. Ricky Williams, Cedric Benson, Vince Young, and a stacked offensive line are all out. Colt McCoy and the best receiving corps in school history are in.

Used properly, and remaining healthy, that's a BCS Bowl-bound offense.

RJ Esq · Jun 27, 2007

FIU Preview and Links to All Other Teams Done Today by the geniuses as SundayMorningQB.com:

A Reasonably Anticipatory Assessment of: Florida International

By SMQ
Posted on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 05:11:41 PM EDT
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A random look at next fall, sans the inevitable injuries, suspensions and other pratfalls of the too-long interim.
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<TABLE style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000 1px solid; FONT-SIZE: 10px; BORDER-LEFT: #000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000 1px solid" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 width=190 border=0 1?>The least you should know about Florida International...
<TBODY><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #445893"><TD>2006 Record</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #eae169"><TD>012 (0-7 Sun Belt, 8th)</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #445893"><TD>Past Five Years</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #eae169"><TD>15-41 (3-11 Sun Belt, 2 yrs.)</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #445893"><TD>Returning Starters, Roughly</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #eae169"><TD>14 (8 Offense, 6 Defense)</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #445893"><TD>Best Player</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #eae169"><TD>Cornerback Lionell Singleton was the best player in a pretty decent secondary, all things considered, picking off five passes in the first four games and leading the league in kickoff return average (he took one for a touchdown against Bowling Green, in addition to his two picks) as well as passes broken up. Across the board all-SBC pick and possessor of the “best instincts” in the conference according to Street and Smith’s, on display below (#22) during his ejection/suspension-inducing performance in the FIU-Miami brawl.

</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #445893"><TD>Bizarre Tradition</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #eae169"><TD>An unfair category for a program still hosting a few redshirts from its first-ever recruiting class in 2002. The closest FIU comes to football tradition is banal: the “Shula Bowl” with equally nebulous Florida Atlantic, being an underdog (the Panthers are 1-3 straight up as favorites), hypothetical mascot “Roary the Panther” or possibly the rather understaffed “Golden Stars,” but for now, at least, it’s best known for last year’s throwdown against Miami.</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #445893"><TD>Bizarre Item of Dubious Interest</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #eae169"><TD>Under the heading “We Are FIU” on the school’s football homepage, an option exists to navigate to something called “Panther Rage.” What is Panther Rage? I don’t know, but it must be good – nay, great – because it’s forbidden. Also: the roster lists three players from a hometown outside the state of Florida, and none from outside the continental United States, thus fulfilling the ideal Dobbs-Buchanan definition of “international.”
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What's Changed: The biggest change is the hiring of reform-minded Mario Cristobal and an entirely new staff, but more on him later. Four our purposes, one of the most amazing stats of 2006 was 0-12 FIU's proclivity for making plays in opposing backfields, unmatched by any other defense. The Panthers averaged just over eight tackles for loss and put three players - Antwan Barnes, Alexander Bostic III and the outstandingly-named Keyonvis Bouie - in the top seven for TFLs nationally; Sun Belt offenses typically went backwards more than 30 yards over the course of a game, which had tangible effects for a secondary that finished fourth in the country in pass defense and for a possibly misleading run defense (just 3.6 per carry).

Barnes, Bostic and Bouie: all graduated. The single most productive returning member of the front seven in the Killer Bees' wake is end Reginald Jones, who had one sack. The corners, Lionell Singleton and Robert Mitchell, made a lot of plays but will likely be facing quarterbacks this time with a slightly larger window to get rid of the ball.

What's the Same: Words are impossible to overstate the void in my soul when forced to consider Florida International's 2006 offense.
<TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2><CAPTION align=top>2006 FIU Scoring</CAPTION><TBODY><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #445893"><TD align=middle>Game</TD><TD align=middle>Offense</TD><TD align=middle>Total</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>@ Mid. Tenn.</TD><TD align=middle>6</TD><TD align=middle>6</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #c0c0c0"><TD align=right>@ USF</TD><TD align=middle>7</TD><TD align=middle>20</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>B. Green</TD><TD align=middle>21</TD><TD align=middle>28</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #c0c0c0"><TD align=right>@ Maryland</TD><TD align=middle>10</TD><TD align=middle>10</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>Ark. State</TD><TD align=middle>6</TD><TD align=middle>6</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #c0c0c0"><TD align=right>at N. Texas*</TD><TD align=middle>10</TD><TD align=middle>22</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>@ Miami</TD><TD align=middle>0</TD><TD align=middle>0</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #c0c0c0"><TD align=right>@ Alabama</TD><TD align=middle>3</TD><TD align=middle>3</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>UL-Monroe</TD><TD align=middle>0</TD><TD align=middle>0</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #c0c0c0"><TD align=right>UL-Lafytt.</TD><TD align=middle>7</TD><TD align=middle>7</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>vs. Fla. Atl.</TD><TD align=middle>0</TD><TD align=middle>0</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #c0c0c0"><TD align=right>Troy</TD><TD align=middle>6</TD><TD align=middle>13</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>Average</TD><TD align=middle>6.3</TD><TD align=middle>9.6</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

* - FIU scored six points on a pair of field goals during seven-overtime marathon

Imagine the cycle of hope, frustration, despair and finally resigned, sad acceptance of inadequacy that must follow for an offense that failed week after week, in every game but one - the narrow home loss to Bowling Green - to produce better than a single touchdown, if it was fortunate enough to manage that; beginning with the Oct. 14 defeat at Miami and the subsequent suspensions, the Panthers went more than a month before finally finding the end zone against UL-Lafayette on Nov. 18, the fourth of a five-game stretch in which FIU scored 0, 3, 0, 7 and 0 points. The defense/special teams scoring was on pace with the offense over the second half of the season - one touchdown apiece in the last six games - until a largely meaningless pass from Josh Padrick to Chandler Williams with four minutes remaining in the finale gave the Big O an insurmountable lead.

Padrick and Williams qualify as the most notable names each of the last two seasons, but their graduation should have been to little fanfare - Padrick threw 14 interceptions last year to just five touchdowns; Williams' 67th and final catch was his only score - with the return of leading rusher and intrepid defender of valor A'mod Ned, a couple notable receivers who logged starts as freshman and all five linemen. A new, wholly inexperienced quarterback here cannot prevent some progress back towards the mean, which before last year's excursion into the single digits was in the neighborhood of 23 points per game; given some early signs of something on a slightly higher plane than "hopeless" last year before Ned was injured against Arkansas State, the scoring output of a now-veteran unit could conceivably double.

One more note about Ned: his official NCAA statsheet indicates he did not play at all on Oct. 7 against North Texas, nor Oct. 28 at Alabama, but did he participate in the Oct. 14 visit to the Orange Bowl in between? Yes, according to the NCAA, though the fact that he did not touch the ball and spent the game in jeans and on crutches argues otherwise. Unless, of course, the Association is counting...

...as "participation."

How to Kick Your Way to the Curb: FIU almost broke even (5-6) in 2005 and, as noted by Phil Steele, couldn't have had cut it any closer to a 5-1 start last year thanks to the defense: missed PATs were the margin in one-point losses at both Middle Tennessee State and South Florida, a last-second comeback bid against Maryland ended with an interception at the UMD nine-yard line, North Texas needed a record-breaking seven overtimes to put the Panthers away and Bowling Green hung on in the closing minutes to win a back-and-forth game by five. Five losses, 14 points. The loss at Miami the week after the UNT marathon and especially the suspensions coming out of that game doomed any possible efforts to salvage optimism.

The kicking game was a killer: Chris Patullo missed the extra points and another field goal that cost FIU its first two games, and Dustin Rivest missed four field goals in overtime alone against North Texas (his UNT counterpart missed three before hitting the game winner). Chris Cook had two punts blocked during the suspension games and FIU wound up with the worst net average (27.2) in the country.

Overly Optimistic Post-Spring Chatter: Cristobal is new and young and therefore inherently enthusiastic about taking on one of the really ominous <STRIKE>re</STRIKE>-building projects in college sports after conditions went very, very far south in every possible way on poor Don Strock. But where it currently reads "TBA" next to a basic piece of information like "Stadium," at least the Panthers figure to have something in place by 2008 better than their current digs, permanent seating seven thousand. The school broke ground last month on an expanded version that will open next fall with 18,000 seats and all the faddish luxury box-type amenities, then expand further to 45,000 by 2011. If that many people are in line to pay to see an FIU game in 2011, Cristobal will be too busy swimming in his money vault at a down-on-its-luck ACC also-ran to notice.

They'll be in the Orange Bowl in the meantime. Security has been alerted.

Florida International on YouTube: Obviously, FIU has its PR issues - besides fielding the nation's only winless team, its lowest-scoring offense and its greatest number of players suspended in a bench-clearing melee with a crosstown rival, the Panthers were also hit with a staggering nine scholarship suspensions (and another two in basketball) for failing to meet the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate - but all in all, it's a beautiful life in South Florida! Focus on the positive with the girls of the Miss FIU pageant:
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See Also: Antwan Barnes does the ice cream and cake ... A day in the life of an FIU student, a lot like a day in the life of students everywhere these days ... Optimism on the march: next year's video will include actual video ... And dammit, this our country! You gotta stand and fight!
Conventional Wisdom: Athlon projects FIU as the worst team in the country again, admitting "the Golden Panthers shouldn't go 0-12 again," but still projecting every game on the schedule as a loss - no toss-ups, all defeats. Ditto, with less specification, by The Sporting News, which also rather lazily sees another 0-12, 119th-ranked autumn of woe ahead. At least Phil Steele and Street and Smith's are giving FIU a little much-needed tenderness: both have the Panthers seventh in the Sun Belt, ahead of North Texas.

Cristobal knows not what peril and death lay ahead on his pioneering Caribbean expedition.
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Best-Case: The first four games are brutal, hope-we-stay-healthy beatdowns in waiting at Penn State, Miami and Kansas and at home against prospect-hunting Maryland, with another game at Arkansas right before Halloween, which means FIU would have to upset one of those teams (all winners last year, to various degrees) or run the table in the Sun Belt to make a legitimate case for a bowl game. "Best case" is not wild optimism. The Panthers might pull that upset - they were very close at Maryland last year, so what the hell, chalk up the Terps - but a winning record in-conference is too much of a leap. The peak is probably 4-8.

Worst-Case: See above. The Panthers won't be favored to win until November at the absolute earliest, if they're ever a favorite at all. The worst is the worst: 0-12 is the easiest answer to give about this team.

Non-Binding Forecast: Early poundings away from home, wherever that is for now, facilitate a nice three-game home stand to close the season against UL-Lafayette, Florida Atlantic and North Texas. The Panthers could improve enough to win one of those after taking out a UL-Monroe or Arkansas State earlier in the year and wind up 2-10; 3-9 if the quarterback isn't completely terrible. Baby steps.
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Previous Assessments, Reasonable and Absurd...

<TABLE height=1 cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=3 width=750><TBODY><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #c0c0c0"><TD>March 12: Tulane</TD><TD>March 13: Baylor</TD><TD>March 16: UCLA</TD><TD>March 20: Kentucky</TD></TR><TR><TD>March 21: Oregon</TD><TD>March 22: Arizona State</TD><TD>March 23: BYU</TD><TD>March 27: Missouri</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #c0c0c0"><TD>March 28: Troy</TD><TD>March 29: Iowa State</TD><TD>April 3: Alabama</TD><TD>April 4: Akron</TD></TR><TR><TD>April 5: Cincinnati</TD><TD>April 9: UL-Monroe</TD><TD>April 10: Army</TD><TD>April 11: Syracuse</TD></TR><TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #c0c0c0"><TD>April 18: Florida</TD><TD>April 20: Southern Miss</TD><TD>April 25: Southern Cal</TD><TD>May 1: North Texas</TD></TR><TR><TD>May 3: SMU</TD><TD>May 8: Nevada</TD><TD>May 14: Tennessee</TD><TD>May 21: TCU <TR><TR style="BACKGROUND: #c0c0c0"><TD>May 24: Notre Dame</TD><TD>May 29: UAB</TD><TD>May 30: Georgia</TD><TD>May 31: Temple</TD></TR><TR><TD>June 1: Houston</TD><TD>June 12: Wyoming</TD><TD>June 25: Nebraska</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

RJ Esq · Jun 27, 2007

Aggies Insider: Fran's make-or-break season? Hardly

[SIZE=-1]Web Posted: 06/26/2007 06:09 PM CDT

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[SIZE=-1]Brent Zwerneman
Express-News Staff Writer[/SIZE]

COLLEGE STATION – Last football season, I refused to take it one game at a time, or even one year at a time, by glancing at Texas A&M’s 2007 schedule.

The early message: Enjoy 2006 while you can.

Based on a warm, buttery soft non-conference schedule last season, the Aggies sliced their way through their easiest slate since the Big 12 started play in 1996.

It’s not that the Aggies haven’t played Kansas, Oklahoma State and Baylor on the road in the same season before. But in 1998, they also played Florida State. In ’02 they took on both Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech.
Last year, playing the same league schedule as ’98 and ’02, A&M’s toughest non-conference foe was Army. The result? A 9-4 record and good times all around for the maroon faithful (Holiday Bowl? What Holiday Bowl?)

Anyway, an Aggies neighbor here in town firmly stated Monday that this is Dennis Franchione’s make-or-break season in College Station. I didn’t realize she had that much pull with the Aggies brass.

I argued that A&M will have a better team than last season -- and a worse record. For starters to a tough last two-thirds of the schedule, the Aggies play a non-conference, Thursday night road game at Miami, a recently-proud program now under first-year coach Randy Shannon.
(By the way, I always enjoy the obligatory articles with headlines like, “Shannon gets tough at Miami” -- that one is from ESPN.com -- that surface when a new coach takes over. Like the players are going to say, “Holy cow! Things are a whole lot easier under this guy! Practices are more disorganized and we’re lifting less in the weight room, too!”)
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Last year, A&M squeezed out a three-point victory at KU and a one-point victory in overtime at OSU. This year, A&M plays league road games at Texas Tech, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri.

The Aggies haven’t won in Lubbock since 1993. They haven’t won in Lincoln, Neb., since 1955 (no, I didn’t cover that game). They haven’t won in Norman, Okla., since 1997. They haven’t won in Columbia, Mo., since 1999.

In other words, A&M hasn’t won at any of those places this millennium (or century, if that grabs you more). In 2003, Franchione’s first season at A&M and the last time the Aggies played this league slate, A&M lost at the above four hotspots by a combined 167 points.

One-hundred-and-sixty-seven points! (Right, that team didn’t have Mike Goodson. You got me.)

Obviously they’ve got a little ground to make up. They have, too, under Franchione, who’s 25-23 in four seasons and, by all appearances (the aforementioned 9-4), has this program on the upswing.

But have they made up 167 points in four seasons? Doubtful. I’m guessing 8-4 this season, again, with a better team than last year’s (and not a bad mark, anyway). These Aggies have shown the ability to surprise, however, for better or worse. Last season, they swaggered into Austin and defeated Texas 12-7 -- to the surprise of everyone not wearing maroon jerseys.

A month later, they staggered back from San Diego (oops, I wasn’t going to mention the Holiday Bowl) following a 45-10 whipping by California.
Should the Aggies tank this season and Franchione is shown the way to Highway 6, a new coach will stroll into a much more favorable schedule in 2008. That’s also the same season, however, that Franchione’s patience in plenty of red-shirting, and the fact that Goodson will be a junior and quarterback Stephen McGee will be a senior, finally will come to full-blown fruition.

And, finally, there will be absolutely no reason why the Aggies shouldn’t have a great shot at their first Big 12 title in a decade. Thanks to a veteran, talented team -- and a more flattering schedule. There I go again, looking ahead …

RJ Esq · Jun 27, 2007

Tigers' Holliday to focus on football

He skips World Championships but still eyes 2008 Olympic Trails

Wednesday, June 27, 2007 By Jim Kleinpeter
Staff writer

BATON ROUGE -- LSU sophomore Trindon Holliday chose running with the football to running for the finish line Tuesday.
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</NOSCRIPT>Holliday, a Tigers wide receiver and track sensation, opted to skip the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan, to prepare for the upcoming football season.

The World Championships are scheduled from Aug. 25 to Sept. 2 and would have forced Holliday to miss all of fall football practice and LSU's first three games. The Tigers open their football season Aug. 30 at Mississippi State, but LSU Coach Les Miles said Holliday would have to sit out the next two games before he would be in game-ready shape.
Holliday consulted with Miles, track coach Dennis Shaver and his mother, Gwen Richardson, before making the call.

"I really wanted to run in that meet," said Holliday, a 5-foot-5, 159-pounder who qualified in the 100-meter dash and the 400 relay pool at the U.S. Track & Field Championships this past weekend in Indianapolis. "It was tugging at me pretty hard, but I really love football.

"It really came down to me looking at the fact that I'd miss all of fall camp and the first couple of games during the season. I really didn't want that. I also felt like it was important for me not to fall behind by missing so much class at the beginning of the semester. I pretty much based my decision on those two factors."

Holliday said he also doesn't want to miss a chance to play on a national championship football team. LSU is a consensus top-five pick and is rated as high as No. 2 in several preseason rankings.

New offensive coordinator Gary Crowton's offense is expected to utilize Holliday's talents. Holliday didn't catch a pass last season, but he rushed for 172 yards on 14 carries, a 12.3-yard average. He probably will get more action at receiver with the departures of starters Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis, who now are in the NFL.

Holliday also is one of the leading candidates for duties as a punt and kickoff returner. He sealed LSU's 31-26 victory at Arkansas last season with a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Miles was pleased with Holliday's decision, and he praised Holliday for making a patient, informed choice.

"This decision will benefit Trindon in the long run in terms of his education and either sport he may choose to pursue in the future," Miles said.
Holliday qualified for the World Championships by finishing second in the 100 in 10.07 seconds, .05 off his school-record of 10.02. He believed it will pay dividends as he prepares for the upcoming football season and the U.S. Olympic Trials next summer.

"The whole purpose of me going to the meet was to get the experience I need to make the Olympic team next year," he said. "It was a lot of fun and was a great experience for me to be able to run against the best. I handled that pretty well, and now it's back to football."

Said Shaver: "Now he knows what to expect when he lines up against the best sprinters in the world."

RJ Esq · Jun 27, 2007

Ten showdowns that could shape the 2007 campaign June 27, 2007

Let me paint a picture. An apocalyptic BCS picture. If Florida can win the BCS NC with the offense that they had, then a Big East team could win it all too. Think about it. The typical Big East “power” plays a pretty pussified schedule and to make things worse, ESPN loves the shit out of them. Could we feasibly be in for a replay of last year’s Orange Bowl? A Wake Forest-Louisville slugfest? One of the most boring bowl games ever?……Jesus that would be horrible. No way would I watch a game like that and to think that it would decide a National Champion?
God help us all as Mark May, Lou Holtz and the rest of the ESPN dickweeds pound us into Big East football is best submission.

Ten showdowns that could shape the 2007 campaign [SI Stewart Mandel].

1. Florida at LSU, Oct. 6
An SEC matchup. That by itself makes it a great game. LSU made Herban cry a couple of years ago. Bet he cries again.

2. USC at Cal, Nov. 10
Fluffing Cal again. Cal has made a living off of beating USC a few years ago. LSU and VT should have made this list before this game. A much better matchup than any of the Big East games that somehow made it on here.

3. Louisville at West Virginia, Nov. 8 Who the fuck cares? well besides ESPN, the Big East fans and smallish offensive linemen that can’t get into any other D-1 Schools nobody gives a shit.

4. Michigan at Wisconsin, Nov. 10 Token Big 10 game. A conference that is quickly becoming as irrelevant as the Big East.

5. LSU at Alabama, Nov. 3
Alabama’s only on here because Saban is facing his old school and offensive coordinator. I’m surprised they didn’t put the Iron Bowl on there because he’ll be facing his old defensive coordinator. I’ll be glad when they get all the story lines out of the way and we can focus on football.

6. USC at Nebraska, Sept. 15
Since when did Nebraska all of a sudden become good?

7. Texas vs. Oklahoma, Oct. 6 I got nothing on this game. At least it’s not another Big East “classic”

8. Florida State vs. Alabama, Sept. 29
What is the big man crush on Saban? He’s a great coach, but they act like he’s going to turn the SEC upside down in his first season back. Nothing against Saban, but the SEC has the best coaches in college football; it’s not like he’s coaching against a bunch of amateurs (except for Ed Orgeron and Les Miles).

9. Boise State at Hawaii, Nov. 23
Boise st vs Hawaii??? haaaaaaaaaaah this seriously made the list?

10. Rutgers at Louisville, Nov. 29 Again, who gives a shit? Someone tell me why the Big East gets a BCS bid?

RJ Esq · Jun 27, 2007

VaTech lands first ESPN GameDay of 2007

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Get ready Hokie fans, ESPN College GameDay is coming to Blacksburg for the September 1st matchup against East Carolina.

"Virginia Tech is a special place and the community is one of the most respectful and passionate we have visited," said Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president of production. "Our coverage will be considerate of the emotional day facing the students, faculty, and people of Blacksburg and the country." Virginia Tech football head coach Frank Beamer added, "Every time College GameDay has come to Blacksburg it has been exciting. This time, I think there will be a greater togetherness than ever before."
"As we embark on a new academic year and football season, we are very pleased that College GameDay will join us on campus for our season opener," said Virginia Tech Director of Athletics Jim Weaver.

Earlier reports by Scout.com and Cal Bears fans proved to be just wishful thinking.
The 2007 season-opener will be the GameDay crew's sixth visit to Virginia Tech.

RJ Esq · Jun 27, 2007

WASHINGTON SAYS IT IS A GOOD SEASON TO DIE

As pointed out elsewhere, Washington’s got a testicle-busting schedule on their hands. (Holy mixed anatomical metaphors!–ed.) Ty Willingham and company have decided what a good day to die is, and that is on Saturday. To wit:

Syracuse: Um, the Washington of the Big East? Even pitching here, but played in the Carrier Dome, which Syracuse actually inflates with pure helium during games. Unaccustomed to the pure, toxic form of the gas, Washington dies a squeaky little death in this game. (Don’t believe it? You come up with a better explanation of why good teams go bad in the unassuming Syracuse game environment.)

Ty Willingham and the Huskies: this year, they dine in hell.

Boise St: Beat a better Pac-10 team this past season in Oregon State, which looked like ashen heaps of shame for the Beavers until the Statue of Liberty Game. Now they’re the favorite here, which means they’ll have difficulty dealing with the pressure, stumble, and still win this game running.

Ohio State: Loss. Will not get ugly after the second quarter. Because it will be 20something to three then, and Tressel and the Sweatervest Mafia will call off the dogs. Fortunately, as this will be Tennessee/Florida week, no one will watch this game anyway, so it will be a quiet death.

UCLA: Loss. Fire Karl Dorrell!

USC: Hmm…are we mad to think that after a 26-20 near miss for USC last year, that Ty Willingham and company can pull this one out at home? Are we? And those purple gargoyles eating the curtains–they weren’t there five minutes ago, right? HUGHHHHH!!!

Arizona St Win! Why not. They’ll win one of these midseason games based on sheer spite acquired from the gauntlet of the first five games. Or they’ll be crushed, burned-out husks of themselves already. Hard to tell, really, but we like to think pink here at EDSBS.

Oregon Loss. Distrust this pick, however, as Dennis Dixon has a tendency to look very, very sleepy at times. (Hell, distrust them all…)
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Arizona: Win! But only because Willie Tuitama, spinning wheels in the first year of the Mike Leach offense, throws four picks in his 62 attempts on the game.

Stanford: Jim Harbaugh, declaring himself eligible for a fifth season of eligibility, suits up and drives the Cardinals to their only win of the season, repeating their record of 1-11 from 2006. When asked why, Harbaugh simply answers “Because Jim Harbaugh bows to no man.”

Oregon St: Loss. We think, on a serious note, that beating USC transformed this team for good last year, or at least was the on-field manifestation of Mike Riley slowly rebuilding this program after the sugar binge of cheap success Dennis Erickson took the program on at the turn of the millennium. Plus they have a lineman who stole a Yag sheep. We can’t, by rule, root against that.

California: Loss. Jeff Tedford fields the same team of Tedfordbots every year, and most years they beat Washington. It’s superior technology. Can’t fight that.

Wash St: Um…win? Who knows-both teams are treading the same miserable path out of the bottom of the Pac-10. These games usually come down to turnovers. That’s announcer-speak for “both teams are about even, but we haven’t done our homework due to an unfortunate drinking incident with Musburger at the Coyote Ugly last night. You do NOT want to see that man with his shirt off pouring shots down his chest. It’s something a man shouldn’t have to see.”

Hawaii: Hello, 22 year old athlete. You’re in Hawaii, and you’ve just undergone a season’s worth of federal, “pound you in the ass” prison football in the brutal Pac-10. In addition to that, you played Boise State, Syracuse, and Ohio State, and lost to at least two of them. You hurt. Your body’s tired. You’re defeated.

And then, you get on a plane in rainy Seattle, and walk out in paradise. Palm trees; sunshine; hot, beautiful flesh moving tantalizingly under very small bathing suits. Someone puts a drink in your hand, and you’re at a bar kissed by the salt breezes of the Pacific, which looks so much friendlier here a few time zones over.

When’s practice tomorrow? Yes, practice…why am I here again?
LOSS.

That’s quite a homefield advantage you have there.

That’s pessimism illustrated, there. But if Washington goes bowl eligible after that schedule, someone get Ty Willingham his pre-Notre Dame Taoist genius buzzcap back, because that is honestly the nastiest schedule this side of the Tournament Map in Mortal Kombat 2. 6-5 at Notre Dame got him fired; 6-6 with this twelve game schedule would be an act of alchemy meriting Nobel consideration with the Coach of the Year nomination coming as a nice bonus.

RJ Esq · Jun 28, 2007

UT walk-on dimissed after coke arrest

Posted: Thursday June 28, 2007 1:11PM; Updated: Thursday June 28, 2007 4:09PM

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee dismissed walk-on Justin Jackson on Thursday after police arrested him on felony charges of possessing and selling crack cocaine.
Jackson, 21, was arrested by Knoxville Police on Wednesday night, police spokesman Darrell DeBusk said
Coach Phillip Fulmer announced Jackson's dismissal on Thursday.
"One of our walk-on players was arrested last night and is facing very serious accusations. By even being near this type of behavior, Justin has embarrassed himself and his team," Fulmer said in a statement.
"We expect all our players -- scholarship or walk-on -- to be good citizens. I regret it whenever any university student makes bad choices of this nature. The legal and university process will be followed, but Justin is no longer a member of our team."
DeBusk said an officer saw Jackson's car stopped shortly before 8:30 p.m. and was investigating him for a possible seat belt violation when he saw what appeared to be crack in the vehicle.
After a search of Jackson and the vehicle, a bag of marijuana and $632 in cash were found, DeBusk said. Jackson was charged with two counts of felony sale or possession of a controlled substance.
Also arrested was Guy Jenkins, 25, who was standing next to the car and was charged after police found 37 bags believed to contain crack cocaine, DeBusk said. Jenkins was charged with one count of selling or possessing drugs.
The case is still under investigation, DeBusk said. Jail officials didn't immediately return calls seeking information about whether Jackson is still in custody.
Jackson, a former West High wide receiver, transferred to Tennessee from Maryville College. He was a non-recruited walk-on for the 2006-07 season.
In 2005, eight Tennessee players were either arrested or cited for crimes ranging from assault to underage drinking. In 2006, seven Tennessee players were arrested on a similar range of charges, but one of them was acquitted at a trial on charges of threatening another driver by waving a toy gun.
Another player was dismissed from the team last year after he made an inappropriate comment to a woman and her daughter at a restaurant.

RJ Esq · Jun 28, 2007

'Bama QB Barnes Settles on Weber State

Posted Jun 28th 2007 2:09PM by Pete Holiday
Filed under: Alabama Football, SEC
A few weeks ago Alabama bench-string QB Jimmy Barnes decided he'd transfer. His father subsequently did a little whining about how horribly the great satan treats the players. Many of the other players seem, despite this allegation, seem to genuinely love Saban and the way he's running the program. Barnes decided to transfer down so he could avoid sitting out a year.

Today Barnes chose his poison: Weber State.

More interesting than that, however, is how Tide fans are responding. By and large, most fans and bloggers seem to be unmoved by Barnes' father's jabs and are wishing the kid well, which is the class thing to do. After all, John Barnes comes off as the kind of father that's trying to live out his failed dreams through his son, and Jimmy's relegation to bench warmer had to sting a little bit.

Regardless, Weber State just picked up a good quarterback who didn't really fit into a new coach's scheme. Best of luck to them next season.

RJ Esq · Jun 28, 2007

Virginia RB Payne suspended for academic reasons

Associated Press




Updated: June 27, 2007, 7:26 PM ET

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginia running back Keith Payne has been suspended from the team for failure to meet academic responsibilities.
"Keith is not holding up his end of the deal despite significant direction and effort from many people around the University," coach Al Groh said in a statement Wednesday. "We hope he will respond positively to this challenge, do what is expected of him and return to positive status."
Groh did not say how long Payne, a 243-pound redshirt freshman who was expected to compete for the starting job, would be suspended.
Payne ran for 29 yards on eight carries in Virginia's spring game. His departure, at least temporarily, leaves Cedric Peerman and Raynard Horne as the leading candidates to take over the starting tailback's job.

RJ Esq · Jun 28, 2007

<TABLE cellPadding=8 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=articleTitle>Frazer to leave Notre Dame, may land at UConn</TD></TR><TR><TD class=articleByline>NEILL OSTROUT nostrout@ctpost.com
Connecticut Post Online</TD></TR><TR><TD class=articleDate>Article Last Updated:06/26/2007 11:49:29 PM EDT</TD></TR><TR><TD height=10></TD></TR><TR><TD class=articleBody>Notre Dame quarterback Zach Frazer is transferring away from the Irish program and is about to settle in the Big East.
According to multiple sources, the 6-foot-5, 226-pound Frazer's final choices are Cincinnati and UConn. He is expected to make a decision at the end of the week.
Frazer made an official visit to the Storrs campus the weekend of June 16, and the UConn coaches briefly recruited Frazer when he was attending Mechanicsburg (Pa.) High School.
Originally a candidate to replace the departed Brady Quinn, Frazer would have apparently taken a back seat to incoming freshman Jimmy Clausen. When Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis announced the candidates to be his starting quarterback last week, Frazer's name was not among the three listed.
Frazer was 0-for-4 with one interception in Notre Dame's spring game. A Notre Dame spokesman said Tuesday that he wasn't sure if Frazer had asked to be released from his scholarship yet, but that if not the request is imminent.
Frazer also considered Rutgers, Miami and others after deciding to transfer.
UConn's starting quarterback for 2007 is still up unknown, never mind 2008 when Frazer would become eligible if he transferred to a Division I-A school. Sophomore Dennis Brown and junior Tyler Lorenzen are the candidates to lead the Huskies this season. True freshman Cody Endres will join the program this fall, too.
Frazer, who did not see any action as a freshman for the Irish, would have three seasons of eligibility remaining when he transfers. After throwing for a Pennsylvania-record 3,674 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior at Mechanicsburg, Pa., in 2004, Frazer committed to Notre Dame. He threw for 1,901 yards as a senior. USA Today later named Frazer the 12th-best player in the nation.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

mutosufan · Jun 28, 2007

Four FSU signees get banned from Disney.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/comm...07jun27,0,4324652.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout

RJ Esq · Jun 29, 2007

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> duo's return still TBA
</TD><TD class=news_story vAlign=top width=400>By CARL DUBOIS
Advocate sportswriter
Published: Jun 28, 2007
LSU football coach Les Miles said sophomores Ryan Perrilloux and Ricky Jean-Francois are enrolled in summer school, but he declined to talk in detail about a timetable for their full reinstatement with the Tigers.
Speaking Wednesday at an informal news conference with reporters, Miles said everything he hears about the players is positive, and he said there’s no urgency for a more comprehensive update on the suspended players.
“It’s only acute when it has to be written about,” Miles said. “There’s no specific date that it’s just tremendously important that we talk about it.”
Miles indefinitely suspended Perrilloux, a backup quarterback from East St. John High School in Reserve, in May after police issued Perrilloux a misdemeanor summons for trying to use his brother’s I.D. to board a casino.
Perrilloux, 20, was previously cited for several traffic violations and was questioned during a federal counterfeiting investigation in the spring. Miles gave no new information about those matters.
Miles suspended Jean-Francois, a defensive lineman from Miami voted a 2006 Freshman All-American by The Sporting News, before LSU left Baton Rouge for the Sugar Bowl. Miles, citing violation of an unspecified team rule, said Jean-Francois didn’t make the trip to New Orleans for the Jan. 3 game.
The day after LSU’s 41-14 victory over Notre Dame, Miles said he expected Jean-Francois to be back in good standing for spring practice, but Jean-Francois ultimately did not participate in those practices.
Miles said he’s making sure Perrilloux and Jean-Francois are “doing what they should be doing” and making sure they’re staying in shape. He refused to say when he might let them rejoin official team activities.
“Lessons, many times, don’t fall in line with the calendar,” Miles said. “Sometimes it’s not a great time.”
Miles brushed off the first question Wednesday about Perrilloux.
“I don’t want to talk about that, to be honest with you,” Miles said before adding everything he’s heard is Perrilloux is “doing well to this point, but there’s really been no change.”
Miles was equally dismissive when a reporter asked at what point Miles might decide Perrilloux has missed too many team workouts.

“At some point,” Miles said.
“It’s way too early to talk about that guy right now,” he said. “I’m just letting you know that will all take place, and it will become much more acute later. “Right now we’re just going through the summer. Everything I hear is good. Everything I hear is positive. We’ll look down the road at the appropriate time.”
He had little to say about Jean-Francois’ progress toward full reinstatement.
“Nothing really to speak of there,” Miles said. “Just going ahead.”

Chris Mitchell
Miles listed sophomore Chris Mitchell as one of several players in the mix for playing time at wide receiver. Miles said he had no information that Mitchell did anything wrong early this month, when the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office questioned him about a shooting incident outside a Metairie nightclub.
“Oh, everything that I got was that he did nothing,” Miles said. “So if he did, then I need to know, but my opinion? What appeared to be an innocent bystander may well be that.”
Jefferson Deputy Chief Tom Gorman said early this month Mitchell cooperated with the investigation and said the Sheriff’s Office had “no interest in charging him with anything.”
The police report said Mitchell drove his mother’s sport utility vehicle to Kenny’s Key West nightclub in the Fat City section of Metairie in early June.
Gorman said an unidentified person fired shots while leaning out of the SUV’s passenger window. Mitchell’s brother, Jabarre, was driving the vehicle when it was stopped about two blocks from the club, Gorman said.
Jabarre Mitchell was arrested and booked with being a felon in possession of a gun and being a principal to illegal use of a weapon and to use of a gun in connection with drug activity. Jabarre Mitchell pleaded guilty to burglary in 2005, according to court records.
Two people were wounded in the shooting at Kenny’s Key West, where 50 casings and several live rounds were found in the parking lot and on nearby streets, the report said.
Gorman said it was unclear whether Chris Mitchell was riding in the SUV when it was stopped. Gorman said: “If we had specific and verifiable information that Chris left the vehicle or was firing the weapon, he would be arrested.”
Mitchell played in eight games last year at LSU and caught a pass for 3 yards.

Offseason troubles
Miles dismissed three players — Troy Giddens, Zhamal Thomas and Kyle Anderson — following their arrests in the spring. Miles said he addresses character issues every time he talks to the team.
He said players have to show leadership during the offseason, when most off-the-field problems occur in college football.
“There’s no way that a team of quality does anything but lead itself,” Miles said, “and we have quality leaders. I think that that’s happening right now.”
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

RJ Esq · Jun 29, 2007

Ingram finds return to FSU's fold thrilling

The free safety looks for redemption after flunking out with the Seminoles in 2005.

Emily Badger
Sentinel Staff Writer
June 29, 2007
TALLAHASSEE
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Free safety Kenny Ingram left his Florida State teammates, by his own doing but not his own choice, just as they were preparing to leave town in December 2005 for the Orange Bowl.

The once-touted Edgewater recruit lost his scholarship because of academic ineligibility. He was a redshirt freshman at the time, and the track record for past ineligible players was that most never returned. This week, Ingram said he overcame not only those long odds, but also his personal doubts and plenty of shame.

"When you leave your team like that, you feel like it's kind of your fault, like you're letting them down," Ingram said. "I let my mom down, and people who were counting on me. So when I got back, I just thanked God."

Monday, Ingram took part in workouts with FSU for the first time in 18 months. He spent that time working toward his associate's degree, last summer at Tallahassee Community College, then all of the past school year at East Central Community College in Decatur, Miss.

All along, there have been rumors of his return -- during two-a-days last fall, during spring practice earlier this year.

Ingram's occasional appearance on the sideline and around the practice facilities fueled speculation he would be back.

"As soon as East Central Community College called me and said, 'You got your AA degree,' I just took a big sigh of relief," he said. "I came up here that same day and talked to the coaches, academic advisors, got the ball moving."

That was about a month ago. It was a dramatically different scene from the one that accompanied his news in 2005. "It was hard for me to even say it; it was a hard fact to face," he said. "Man, as a family, we cried for days."

Now Ingram is back. This fall, he'll live down the hall from a player who moved into the secondary while he was gone.

"He's very hungry," sophomore rover Myron Rolle said. "Very, very hungry. You see him out running the 110s, the 7-on-7s -- he does all that extra stuff to get back to where he needs to be."

RJ Esq · Jun 29, 2007

ABC, ESPN Shake Up College Football Announcers June 29, 2007

Saturday Night Football” on ABC will bring in Kirk Herbstreit as an analyst for all games this season, along with the familiar voices of commentator Brent Musburger and reporter Lisa Salters. Herbstreit was an analyst for some “Saturday Night Football” games last season, and will continue to work on ESPN’s Saturday morning “College GameDay.” It is sad the Brent Musburger is still around, commanding the spotlight. He and Chris Berman began the personality first and sports second genre of announcers that we have today. Brent if you remember had the mancrush of AJ Hawk and Courageous Brady Quinnn and he gave us his signature line of: You are looking live!

Brent needs to visit a taxidermist.

Big East fans rejoice!!! You get the A team: ESPN’s Thursday night games will feature Doug Flutie and Craig James as analysts, with returning commentator Chris Fowler and reporter Erin Andrews.

Big Easters should feel right at home with Fowler. He hates the SEC and if you remember, he was the original host of scholastic sports (or whatever the fuck it was called). Covering the Big East should be just like covering high school football for Fowler. No drop off at all!!!

RJ Esq · Jun 29, 2007

Larry Coker Hired at ESPN; Thursday Night Crew Reshuffled

Posted Jun 29th 2007 2:54AM by Brian Grummell
Filed under: NCAA FB Media Watch

Score one for the FanHouse: we saw this coming more than a month ago. ESPN has hired former Miami coach Larry Coker to call games. Unfortunately, they buried him at ESPNU.

Personally, I'd rather have him in the studio given the glowing praise sent his way by the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel's Omar Kelly:

Television networks are making a HUGE mistake by not hiring Larry Coker to be a college football analyst. Coker's the funniest person in sports I know, and boy does he have some stories to tell. He's such an honest man I'm sure he'd share all his dirty laundry to the nation. The funniest thing about Coker is the fact that he couldn't tell a lie to save his life, or at least a good one. We in the media often found it comedic the way he'd always confess in the middle of his attempts to deceive. That characteristic is way out of the norm of today's head coaches.

Aaaargh! ESPN got this half right.

A mixed bag from the same AP story:

[Doug] Flutie will join Craig James and Chris Fowler in the booth for ESPN's Thursday night matchups.

Flutie's good in the booth, worse in studio so that's alright. James is better left out of the studio as well, but I'll miss last year's harmonious Thursday night crew of Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Chris Fowler and Erin Andrews. Things just won't be the same without Kirk Herbstreit around to call Erin Andrews his little poopsie.

RJ Esq · Jun 29, 2007

Underachieving to the max!

By JazzyUte Section: Football
Posted on Fri Jun 29, 2007 at 01:08:49 AM EDT

</I>

Like, oh my God! The Aztecs are sucking to the extreme and totally want to make me barf. It's mega ridiculous how a team with mondo talent can be like so ooglay that it makes you want to smack your own momma. Like gag me out the door already!

Whoa there, what's up with this 80s slang? Well, I'm in an 1980s mood, groovin to some Eddie Murphy and watching a bit of those crazy Brat Pack kids. Either Sixteen Candles or The Breakfast Club, I can't remember the name. But I'm also reminiscing about the last time San Diego State was actually good in football. That was in the decade of the 80s, small government, Wall Street, coke and the Soviet Empire. Pong was a hit and a few horny older ladies were dominating the television. Ok, so the 1970s were far better to the Aztecs than the 80s, but it was still a decade where San Diego football hadn't cemented itself as one of the worst programs out west. That changed in the 1990s and continues today.

But, as most Aztec fans remind us, it wasn't always that bad. In fact up until around the late 80s, Aztec football was pretty decent, if not at least average. It started with Don Coryell in 1961 and essentially ended with Al Luginbill in 1993. That was a span of 33 years and during that span, the Aztecs won 60% of their games -- 29th best in the nation. Since, San Diego State has only won 43% of their games -- 84th best in the nation.
Ouch.

So what in the hell happened to Aztec football? Well I can't answer that, but I'm sure some Aztecs fans can. But what I do know is that since the Mountain West Conference was formed in 1999, San Diego State has routinely had some of the best talent in the league. And why shouldn't they? I mean it's San Diego! If anyone has ever been to San Diego, you would see why any recruit would be stupid to not want to play there. It's got the perfect climate, is close to the beach and is astonishingly beautiful. Yet San Diego State hasn't played in a bowl game since 1998 and haven't won one in 38 years. It's also been nearly 10 years since the Aztecs last winning season, which was a 7-5 campaign in 1998 (a bowl loss to North Carolina).

With all the talent San Diego State has -- 21 players in the NFL -- they should be producing more than 4 wins a season (the Aztecs average since the MWC formed). But they aren't and it appears that once again this will be the case in 2007. But why? I really have no answer. Maybe it's the lack of coaching, or the fact San Diego State just does not have enough talent to be competitive. While they are constantly one of the better recruiting teams, how much of that talent actually goes toward depth?

And if it doesn't, are the Aztecs playing players that would be best suited for the University of San Diego (D1-AA) as opposed to San Diego State? That could be the underlying problem with SDSU, their inability to recruit enough depth to make that leap toward the top of the conference.

It also doesn't help that San Diego State fails to employ a philosophy that best suits their strengths. Programs like New Mexico, who have been ok in the conference, mask their lack of talent by stingy defensive play and by winning in the trenches. Utah did the same thing in the 90s under McBride, and then went with the radical spread offense under Meyer that catapulted them into a BCS bowl game. The Aztecs run a pretty conservative offense and seem to not have recruited to play a hard nosed, slam them to the turf type of defense. Which is a surprise, at least the former, since Chuck Long was hired to bring in an explosive offense and last year watched as the Aztecs averaged only 270 yards and 14 points a game. For being such an offensive mastermind, his offense sure looked terrible. But then again Tom Craft was brought in back in 2001 to turn around the Aztecs offensive woes. He had even earned the moniker of "Air Craft" for his airing out philosophy, yet it did little in wins and even less in rebuilding the program. Craft was fired after a 5-7 season in 2005.
For whatever reason, San Diego State just has not been able to get it done. I think, with their location and talent, they would be best served by going to a gimmick style offense, which might throw teams off enough to build something down there. Of course, what Craft ran was supposed to revive them also and it didn't come close to living up to expectations. But the current offense is not cutting it and won't cut it in the future.

Especially since San Diego State hasn't been known for their defense in quite some time.

pags11 · Jun 29, 2007

thanks for all of this...

MrMulligan · Jun 29, 2007

RJ Esq said:
ABC, ESPN Shake Up College Football Announcers June 29, 2007

Saturday Night Football” on ABC will bring in Kirk Herbstreit as an analyst for all games this season, along with the familiar voices of commentator Brent Musburger and reporter Lisa Salters. Herbstreit was an analyst for some “Saturday Night Football” games last season, and will continue to work on ESPN’s Saturday morning “College GameDay.” It is sad the Brent Musburger is still around, commanding the spotlight. He and Chris Berman began the personality first and sports second genre of announcers that we have today. Brent if you remember had the mancrush of AJ Hawk and Courageous Brady Quinnn and he gave us his signature line of: You are looking live!

Brent needs to visit a taxidermist.

Big East fans rejoice!!! You get the A team: ESPN’s Thursday night games will feature Doug Flutie and Craig James as analysts, with returning commentator Chris Fowler and reporter Erin Andrews.

Big Easters should feel right at home with Fowler. He hates the SEC and if you remember, he was the original host of scholastic sports (or whatever the fuck it was called). Covering the Big East should be just like covering high school football for Fowler. No drop off at all!!!

The one thing us DEGENERATES love about Musberger is that he always seems to know the spread and O/U.................:smiley_acbe::smiley_acbe:

Mully :cheers:

RJ Esq · Jun 30, 2007

BYU Loses Backup Quarterback

Posted Jun 29th 2007 8:50PM by Brian Grummell
Filed under: Mountain West, Brigham Young Football

Junior college transfer Cade Cooper has left BYU almost as swiftly has he arrived.

The Snow College product arrived in the spring expecting to challenge for a starting job with Arizona State transfer Max Hall. He left the spring with a severe foot injury and likely facing several younger challengers for the #2 job next fall. Enter the fallback route for itinerant quarterbacks: the transfer.

Cooper's injury - compared to the Lisfranc injury where ligaments tear in the foot - is fairly serious, requiring at least a year of recovery. Hall clearly beat him out in the spring, but the injury, recovery time and depth chart issues may have forced his hand and the transfer.

What does this mean to the average college football fan? Not much, but it would behoove you to scratch his name out of the Phil Steele College Football Preview's BYU page. He was listed as a PS#5 quarterback, headlining BYU's signing class. Sadly, expectations are all for naught after a cruel twist of fate did in not his elbow or back but a solitary foot.

RJ Esq · Jun 30, 2007

The Consensus: TCU is a Top 25 Team/Will Win the Mountain West
By SMQ
Posted on Fri Jun 29, 2007 at 04:48:25 PM EDT
</I>

What everybody thinks this summer, non-obvious division...

- - -

Granted, top 25 criteria are notoriously unregulated, subjective exercises - are we talking power polling, or a practical assessment of where a team will actually finish in the final polls or what? - but whatever it is, TCU's got it across the board:

The Chorus:

Phil Steele:
TCU has not allowed a 100 yard rushr in 20 games...They have had FIVE top 25 finished in the last seven years! While the Frogs must play both Texas and BYU on the road, I give them a solid shot at another 11-1 season and they are my pick to win the MWC. (Top 25: #23)

The Sporting News:
A game against Texas means TCU's quest for a big-boy bowl almost certainly will be denied again. But TCU's always-strong defense almost guarantees a perfect run through the Mountain West. (Top 25: #20)

Athlon:
Things are good at TCU...That's what 11 wins in three of the last four seasons can do. That success also creates expectations. Patterson prefers his team to be unranked and out-of-mind, but as long as they keep winning, the Frogs will be listening to preseason hype for seasons to come. A spot in the BCS is within reach... (Top 25: #25)

Street and Smith's:
Could TCU be the next Boise State?

[...]

Whether or not they get to the BCS may depend on a lot of factors, but this much is certain: TCU is the team to beat in the MWC. With BYU and Utah having to play unproven people at quarterback, it's hard to imagine anyone seriously challenging the Horned Frogs for the top spot. Top 25: #23)

Lindy's:
While TCU has spent most of the decade knocking loudly, the BCS door was eventually kicked in, first by Utah and then more spectacularly by Boise State. This time, the Horned Frogs could finally be the ones busting up the joint.

[...]

TCU should smother its MWC opponents, and that will be the key. If the only blemish on the schedule is a loss at Texas ... well, the polls should be forgiving -- how about the computers? The Frogs need to finish No. 12 or better for a certain BCS spot. (Top 25: #15)

The Dissent: Nunca.

- - -

TCU partisans could rightly object to two of the preceding assumptions: that their team's status in the top 25 is not "obvious" - as Steele notes, it's finished there with double digit wins four of the last five years, and in 2000, as well - and that playing Texas means certain doom for a shot at a "big boy bowl" (even I'm a little put off by the condescension in that line). They're not likely to view it as a coincidence that Oklahoma had its worst offensive performance of the past two years in the `05 opener, a 17-10 TCU win in Norman, or that Texas Tech had its lowest-scoring effort (3 points) in Mike Leach's tenure last year in Fort Worth, and because basically the entire defense is back, healthy, also not likely to see the trip down to Austin as pessimistically as the rest of us.

But then, the state of Utah might equally object to the concession that its teams - each of which has its turn running through the Mountain West in the last three years, too - should be "smothered" and unable even in the writer's imagination to "seriously challenge" last year's runner-up, a team that lost to BYU and Utah by two touchdowns apiece in consecutive weeks. In consecutive weeks in 2005, the Utes and Cougars fell to the eventual league champs by, respectively, a field goal and a failed two-point conversion, both in overtime. If you want to play round robin with the league's Big Three during the Frogs' first two seasons in the MWC, all three teams are 2-2 against the other two, with three of the six games decided in OT and another (BYU-Utah last year) by two points on an improbable touchdown pass at the gun; only TCU's two losses last year didn't go to the final snap. Gary Patterson, after last year's home loss to the Cougars, questioned his team's ability to "handle success." This seems fairly egalitarian for such unanimity, to say nothing of terms like "smothered."

If you played here, you'd know: Mountain West pimpin' ain't easy.
- - -
Those schools' "unproven people at quarterback" - at Utah that's 2005 starter and unanimous preseason all-MWC pick Brian Johnson, who obliterated Alex Smith's sophomore production by accounting for almost 3,400 total yards and 26 touchdowns in ten games before suffering the injury that led to last year's optional redshirt (he still practiced with the scout team), and hyped Arizona State transfer Max Hall at BYU, back from a mission and a year behind prolific John Beck - have passed at least the trials faced to date by dueling Frog quarterbacks Marcus Jackson, a sophomore, and redshirt freshman Andy Dalton. For his experience, versatility and efficiency (9 TDs, 0 INTs in TCU's last six games), low-key Jeff Ballard conceivably leaves a mandate in his system that rivals Beck's in his. TCU's unrelenting defense has a better than even chance in finding its counterpart in the Utes' offense, which already rivaled the Frogs' as the most balanced in the conference and with Johnson and every contributor aside from the right tackle back has every right to push its scoring average back over 30 points. BYU was the only MWC team that broke that threshold last year, and as the defending champs return more starters altogether than either of the other perceived challengers - and hosts both of them - it's no reach to put their impending second-place status solely on the attrition from Beck to Hall.

Most of this, actually, is duly acknowledged; "it would not surprise" Steele if BYU repeated as conference champion, and TSN slips BYU into its last top 25 spot, too, just five below the favorites. No one - and this I find very hard to figure out - has remotely the same love for Utah, which to me looks like an oversight because the Utes happen to play both TCU and BYU on the road (and, where the overall rankings are concerned, also face Oregon State, UCLA and Louisville). None of the three has as great a potential liability as the Frogs have at quarterback, though none have anywhere near the trump card as TCU has across its entire defense; almost half the all-conference defense comes from that number. In that sense, as everyone predicts, TCU may just be better than the rest of the league. But where its bid for the upper echelon is concerned - and this depends so much on Max Hall, who along with Marcus Jackson holds the competitive fate of the entire conference in his hands - Texas is just the icing; the cake will still have to be made within the Mountain West.

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