tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21937830167900820922024-03-05T10:10:46.698-05:00College Football ZealotsFor College Football Fans by College Football FansKevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.comBlogger335125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-51802901109768617522011-02-02T00:48:00.000-05:002011-02-02T00:48:29.128-05:00Join Us At Our New SiteIt only seems fitting that on National Signing Day we are moving on to a new site and are taking our talents to the <a href="http://bloguin.com/">Bloguin Network</a>. Finding the new site will be easy, just drop the blogspot from the title so we are now just simply <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.com/">CollegeFootballZealots.com</a>. The Bloguin team has also re-designed our site and has made us a cool new banner that looks pretty awesome if I do say so myself. Over the next few days there will be some tweaks to the new site but it is up and running and functional so head on over there and check it out and drop us some feedback. If you have a subscription to our rss feed you can update to the new one which is <a href="http://www.collegefootballzealots.com/rss">http://www.collegefootballzealots.com/rss</a>.<br />
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I have really enjoyed the first year of this blog. Writing and reading what others have wrote and making connections with other bloggers out there that have helped us along the way and I look forward to more of the same as we approach our second year.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-48650725246558859772011-02-01T14:34:00.004-05:002011-02-01T16:15:13.991-05:00Bama Recruiting Overload: Last Minute ThieveryYesterday I took a look at the top uncommitted prospects left on Alabama's recruiting board. Today, I'll be giving you a couple of prospects that are currently committed elsewhere who the Crimson Tide has a legitimate shot at landing on Signing Day. Of course, turnabout is fair play, and while Bama is looking to pick someone else's pocket, others are looking to get their hand in Bama's. We'll start by taking a look at some current Tide verbals who may end up wearing something other than Crimson next season.<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Tide Commits On The Move...?</strong><br /><br />Daryl Collins, Wide Receiver (Alabama)<br /><strong>Rivals</strong>: 3* <strong>Scout</strong>: 3*<br /><strong>Committed to Bama Since</strong>: 3/23/2010<br /><br />The long-time commit currently finds himself on the wrong end of the Tide's numbers crunch. Bama is currently carrying way more verbal commitments than they actually have room to accept (around 10 more, to be precise) and looking to add a few more. In particular, they're a bit overstocked at the wide receiver position with 4 true WR commits and a few more guys who can play the spot but may go to defense. Of the 4 true WRs, Collins is by far the least heralded. It may sound harsh, but he's the sort of solid player with some upside that you take as insurance in case your bigger targets don't pan out. Unfortunately for Collins, Bama hit it big with nearly all of it's WR targets, namely Marvin Shinn and Danny Woodson, Jr. As of today, Bama is still willing to honor Collins' commitment but only with a greyshirt offer (meaning he won't be able to join the team on scholarship until next spring). Obviously that's not the most desirable situation for a recruit, so, with the blessing of Bama's coaching staff, Collins has recently been exploring his options with Kentucky, Louisville, and Southern Miss. Of the three, Kentucky seems to be his most likely destination, if he wants to play next season.<br /><br /><strong>My Best Guess</strong>: Switching to Kentucky <br /><br />LaMichael Fanning, Defensive End (Georgia)<br /><strong>Rivals</strong>: 4* <strong>Scou</strong>t: 4*<br /><strong>Committed to Bama Since</strong>: 4/17/2010<br /><br />Another long-time commit that's recently been taking a look around. Fanning is quite a physical specimen (6'6", 285 lbs.) with huge upside but is rumored to be a longshot to be academically eligible to enroll this fall (not surprising for a guy who's bounced around to four different high schools), and there's some scuttlebutt that the Tide wouldn't be disappointed if he committed elsewhere so they don't get a surprise in August if he were to somehow get eligible and have to conjure up a roster spot for him. Fanning spent this past weekend on an official visit to Auburn but hasn't talked to the media since, so it's unclear where he stands right now.<br /><br /><strong>My Best Guess</strong>: Sticking with Bama<br /><br />Isaac Luatua, Offensive Lineman (California)<br /><strong>Rivals</strong>: 3* <strong>Scout</strong>: 3*<br /><strong>Committed to Bama Since</strong>: 6/8/2010<br /><br />This one is all hunch. Luatua has gone almost totally under ground since his commitment to the Tide in June. He has taken no official visits and hasn't talked to the recruiting media in months. But it sure is a long way from La Miranda, California, to Tuscaloosa. And just because it hasn't been documented in the press doesn't mean he hasn't been looking. I'm not going to call for it, but don't be surprised if he ends up signing somewhere closer to home tomorrow.<br /><br /><strong>My Best Guess</strong>: Sticking with Bama<br /><br />As of today, I think every other Tide commit is as solid as solid gets, and it would be a major surprise if anyone other than these 3 went elsewhere. Now we'll hit the flipside.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Rival Commits On The Market...?</strong><br /><br /><br />Brent Calloway, Athlete (Alabama)<br /><strong>Rivals</strong>: 4* <strong>Scout</strong>: 4*<br /><strong>Currently Committed To</strong>: Auburn<br /><br />I'm not going to rehash the sordid details of this one. If you need to, <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2011/01/alabama-bric-brac-is-back.html">you can catch up here</a>, just scroll down a bit. I think most Bama fans had written off Calloway following that whole fiasco. But apparently Nick Saban hadn't. He convinced Calloway to take an unexpected official visit to Tuscaloosa last weekend and made one last push to convince him to sign with the Tide. How successful was he? Calloway isn't talking. To anybody. And likely won't until he signs his LOI tomorrow. However, it's worth noting that at the same time Calloway was on his visit, his adoptive father was quoted in an <a href="http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/01/29/recruits-dad-not-pleased-with-how-son-flipped-from-bama-to-auburn/">incendiary article</a> lambasting the way his son switched his commitment and not-so-subtly knocking the credibility of Auburn's coaches. While his father did say the ultimate decision would belong to Calloway, I think it's safe to say which choice the family supports. And you really can't underestimate that. So it would seem the late momentum is with the Tide. But the Auburn coaches are nothing if not dogged recruiters (to put it nicely) and they tend to not lose guys once they get their hooks into them.<br /><br /><strong>My Best Guess</strong>: Sticking with Auburn<br /><br />Robenson Therezie, Safety (Florida)<br /><strong>Rivals</strong>: 4* <strong>Scout</strong>: 4*<br /><strong>Currently Committed To</strong>: Auburn<br /><br />If the rumors are to be believed, Therezie actually contacted Tide coaches and said he would be committing to Bama at the Under Armor All-American game. But then the game came and he instead announced for Auburn. He's since remained committed to the Tigers but has also kept his ears open to other overtures, and Bama has stayed on him. In fact, it could be argued the Tide has more momentum with Therezie than Auburn, despite maintaining his commitment. But like I just said, for whatever reason (coughcough), this AU staff doesn't lose guys too often.<br /><br /><strong>My Best Guess</strong>: Sticking with Auburn<br /><br /><br />So for those of you keeping track, I've predicted Bama to pick up one uncommitted prospect tomorrow, lose one current commitment, and strike out on their two main committed targets for a net of...0. Watch out for Nickolas Brassel, though. And there may be a little more smoke coming from Jeoffrey Pagan than I previously gave us credit for.<br /><br />I'll check back in sometime tomorrow to evaluate where we're at.J.Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09590351427199777459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-80568987951667606722011-01-31T14:08:00.003-05:002011-01-31T16:00:41.601-05:00Bama Recruiting Overload: Uncommitted HypeWith less than 48 hours remaining until Signing Day, the year-long recruiting hype train is, really, just getting warmed up. The next 3 days are going to be filled with a non-stop barrage of rumors and innuendos, never letting up until every last teenager has done something silly with a baseball cap and every last LOI is faxed. And as has been the case every year since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is expected to be at the forefront of it all on February 2nd, for better or for worse (but mostly better). Will Bama fans be feeling triumphant when it's all said and done, as they were in 2008 and 2009 when the Tide reeled in #1 rated signing classes? Or will we be left feeling melancholic and strangely disappointed after missing out on several high-profile prospects late in the game like last year (though still finishing with a consensus Top 5 class, mind you)?<br /><br />As regular readers may have picked up on by now, I'm a little bit jaded to the whole recruiting phenomenon. But don't get me wrong: I have no doubt that recruiting is the lifeblood of a college football team. It's a fact. The teams that do it the best consistently tend to be the best teams on the field in the fall. And I want Alabama to be one of those teams. I think I'm mainly just turned off to the industry of recruiting and the culture of general insanity that's grown up around it (and really exploded over the last 5 years or so). As Pat Forde said in regards to the Cam Newton situation, and I think generalizes to the broader state of the recruiting industry, we've all gotten a little too far into the sausage factory.<br /><br />All that said, this here's a college football blog, and recruiting is going to be THE story in college football this week. So I'm gonna do my duty to add to the insanity by giving you the best coverage of Alabama's 2011 recruiting class that I'm capable of (which may not be much).<br /><br />Much like last recruiting cycle (and likely every cycle from here on out as long as Saban is around), Bama hoarded commitments early in the process and will be spending most of the end of the cycle protecting their current commits from poachers and chasing after a select few elite prospects. This way of doing things led to somewhat of a sleepy Signing Day in 2010, but that doesn't look to be the case this year. The Tide is still a legit player for several big-time recruits capable of making an instant impact on campus. So today, I'm kicking things off with a look at the top uncommitted prospects that Alabama is still actively recruiting and has a realistic shot at signing. <br /><br />Jadeveon Clowney, Defensive End (South Carolina)<br /><strong>Rivals</strong>: 5* <strong>Scou</strong>t: 5*<br /><strong>The Competition</strong>: South Carolina<br /><br />This guy needs no introduction. He's #1 on everybody's board, but his recruitment has essentially been a two-horse race between Bama and his home state Gamecocks since this past summer. At one point, there was even a status update on his Facebook page saying that he had chosen the Tide, but that turned out to be a false alarm. Actually, I'm still not sure what that was about. If all things were equal, I think he'd be a lock to Alabama. He projects as a prototypical Jack linebacker (pass rush specialist) in Saban's scheme. However, distance from home is a big concern for his family, particularly his mother and she seems to be the identified "decision maker" in his recruitment. She recently accompanied her son on an official visit to Tuscaloosa (her first trip to T-town), and word is Mrs. Saban worked Mama Clowney hard. But was it too little too late? No one knows since Clowney has reportedly shut down all communication in the lead up to his announced signing date of February 14th. But the Gamecocks have developed an improbably strong pull amongst in-state recruits over the past few years, and I'd have to consider them the slight betting favorite.<br /><br /><strong>My Best Guess</strong>: South Carolina<br /><br />Cyrus Kouandjio, Offensive Tackle (Maryland)<br /><strong>Rivals</strong>: 5* <strong>Scout</strong>: 5*<br /><strong>The Competition</strong>: Auburn, Iowa, New Mexico<br /><br />If Clowney is the top guy on Bama's board, Cyrus isn't far behind. He's 6'7", 322 lbs, and has an incredibly well-developed physique for a high school OL. He looks chisled out of stone. More to the point, he looks like a 4-year starter at left tackle. His older brother, Arie, signed with the Tide last year and redshirted this past season. Needless to say, Nick Saban and his coaching staff have a long-standing relationship with the family and have to be considered the heavy favorites to land the big guy. But you shouldn't assume this is a "lay down" either. Cyrus is on the record regarding his reservations about competing against his brother for playing time (reportedly allayed by the coaching staff laying out their plans for Arie at RT or guard only) and has repeatedly declined to name a leader and has taken every one of his official visits, including back to back trips to Iowa and Auburn. Auburn is a late addition to Cyrus' Top 5 and mainly got there by virtue of Miami falling off his list after the sacking of Randy Shannon. There was some talk that Auburn would make a logical alternative to Bama if his concerns about competing with his brother won out (due to being an easier trip for his parents to visit both), but it's really difficult for me to believe Auburn could pull him from Bama after getting into the game so late. If that were to happen, I'm sorry, but something smells funny on the Plains, as usual.<br /><br /><strong>My Best Guess</strong>: Alabama<br /><br />Isaiah Crowell, Running Back (Georgia)<br /><strong>Rivals</strong>: 5* <strong>Scout</strong>: 5*<br /><strong>The Competition</strong>: Georgia<br /><br />At one point, Crowell was the Tide's #1 running back target in this class. Maybe he still is (if so, it didn't stop Bama from taking the commitment of fellow 5* RB Dee Hart and get him enrolled this spring). Crowell's commitment has been a bit of a roller coaster. Early in the process, he was basically a lock for Bama. Georgia made some significant strides with him over the summer to make it a 50/50 race. But then the Dawgs went on that horrible losing streak early in the season and lost momentum. Since the season ended, Georgia has put an all-out blitz on Crowell, sending small armies of coaches to visit him at once and offering a scholarship to his previously no-scholarship-offer-having friend. So they worked it back to something close to 50/50 again, with maybe a slight edge to UGA. I think the tipping point for his decision was the commitment of Hart, though. You just DON'T get two backs of that caliber in the same class. Not enough carries to go around. Bama is still fighting for him, but ultimately I think this plays out like Auburn's pursuit of Marcus Lattimore after already taking Michael Dyer last year. It's one or the other, never both.<br /><br /><strong>My Best Guess</strong>: Georgia<br /><br />Nickolas Brassell, Wide Receiver (Mississippi)<br /><strong>Rivals</strong>: 4* <strong>Scout</strong>: 4*<br /><strong>The Competition</strong>: Ole Miss<br /><br />The one-time Mississippi State commit now seems to no longer even be considering the Bulldogs. After his decommitment (what a word), it was widely assumed Brassell would quickly follow his good friend Tobias Singleton to Ole Miss, but that was not the case. Brassell kept his options open which left the door cracked for the Tide to get in as a serious player for his signature. In fact, Bama was able to score his last official visit this past weekend. And while Bama isn't exactly hurting for receivers in this class (already holding commitments from 4 pure wideouts), Saban is leaving no stone unturned as he attempts to find his next #1 receiver after the departure of Julio Jones. There is also some scuttlebutt that Saban may have talked to Brassell about making a move to defensive back (which IS a position the Tide could use a little help with in this class) on his visit. His openness to this possibility will probably go a long way towards influencing his decision. Right now, this one is too close to call.<br /><br /><strong>My Best Guess</strong>: 50/50<br /><br />Jeoffery Pagan, Defensive End (North Carolina)<br /><strong>Rivals</strong>: 4* <strong>Scout</strong>: 4*<br /><strong>The Competition</strong>: Georgia<br /><br />Much like Brassell, Bama got serious about Pagan (one-time Florida commit turned Clemson commit turned uncommitted) late in the process. On the surface, it bodes well for Bama that Pagan decided to part ways with Clemson following his official visit in Tuscaloosa. The Tide had a tremendous amount of momentum at the time, but that was quickly derailed when Ray Drew committed to Georgia. Pagan has a good relationship with Drew, and the general consensus was that Pagan was going to end up wherever Drew did as long as it wasn't Auburn. Well, it wasn't Auburn. Bama is going to keep working on him, but it would be a major surprise if he inks anywhere other than Georgia.<br /><br /><strong>My Best Guess</strong>: Georgia<br /><br />So there you have it. Of the top uncommitted guys, I say we get Kouandjio, maybe Brassell, and that's it. Not a very inspiring projection for Signing Day, I know, but you have to keep in mind Alabama already has Rivals' #1 ranked recruiting class WITHOUT any of these guys. While they likely wouldn't hold onto that spot (who cares?) with strong finishes from the likes of FSU or Georgia, the fact is it's an incredibly strong class as it stands right now. It only gets better with the addition of any of these guys, not worse without them.<br /><br />So that's that.<br /><br />I plan to be back tomorow to look at which current Bama commitments might end up elsewhere come Signing Day and which other schools' commitments may end up in Crimson when it's all said and done.J.Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09590351427199777459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-78739929721042471622011-01-31T09:28:00.001-05:002011-01-31T09:30:42.746-05:00Missouri Tigers: 2010 Exit Survey2010 CFBZ Prediction: <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2010/08/big-12-preview.html">2nd Place in Big 12 North </a><br />
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 1st place in the Big 12 North (10-3, 6-2)<br />
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Missouri started out the season sky high by winning their first seven games including a huge victory over then Oklahoma. After knocking off the Sooners, the Tigers took the #6 spot in the Nation into Lincoln Nebraska but fell 31 to 17 after falling behind by 24 points in the very first quarter. The loss to Nebraska hurt but it was the lost the very next week against Texas Tech that would keep them out of the Big 12 Championship game. Missouri closed the season by winning 3 straight against Big 12 North foes before falling to an underachieving Iowa team at the Insight Bowl to finish the year 10-3. From 2009 to 2010 the Missouri defense decreased their points allowed from 25.4 all the way down to just 16.1 per game which ranked them 6th in the Nation in scoring defense. Missouri also had a turnover margin of +11. When you think of Missouri you think of offense but it was an improved defense that helped them to their 10-3 mark this year. We caught up with the SB Nation Missouri Blog <a href="http://www.rockmnation.com/">Rock M Nation</a> to get their take on the 2010 Tigers and get a sneak peak into 2011. <br />
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<i><b>1. Missouri finished 10-3 and 6-2 in the Big 12. <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2010/06/pre-season-preview-missouri-tigers.html">It was pretty much where you had predicted them to finish in our Pre-Season Preview</a>. What were your favorite memories from the 2010 season?</b></i><br />
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I don't think there's any doubt that one game/weekend will stand out above all else when Tiger fans look back at 2010. The date 10/23/10 is now forever etched in Mizzou lore as perhaps the best homecoming weekend ever for the school that is recognized as the birthplace of homecoming. The win against Oklahoma, and everything that surrounded it, wasn't just the win of the year, it's been called by many a "once in a generation" type of weekend. College GameDay made its first appearance in Columbia and Mizzou fans promptly rewrote the GameDay attendance record by packing 18,000 people onto the quad. They packed Faurot Field that night and helped every step of the way as Gary Pinkel got the "Oklahoma monkey" off of his back. From the moment Gahn McGaffie – an up-man, no less – ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, Mizzou knew something special could happen that night. And it did.<br />
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<i><b>2. If you could have a "re-do" for one game which would it be?</b></i><br />
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We'll ignore the Iowa loss and take it for what it is: a tough bowl loss against a solid team. That leaves Mizzou's only other two losses up for deliberation. The Nebraska loss was crippling not just because of its ramifications, but primarily because of how it happened. Mizzou could not have looked more helpless in the first quarter, as the Huskers rolled up and down the field with no resistance and Blaine Gabbert was already under siege and taking fire. Mizzou did fight back to make the score semi-respectable for those that didn't watch the game, but for those who did, it was an ugly loss by nearly any qualifier you choose. That leaves the other loss, a road loss to Texas Tech, which I think would be my personal "re-do" game simply because it was one Missouri should have won. Two 70-yard touchdown runs in the first quarter made it look like Missouri was going to waltz through with a win, but the Mizzou offense disappeared and Taylor Potts replaced Steven Sheffield and re-energized Tech. The Nebraska loss was the one that could have meant a Big 12 North title for Missouri, but it was the Tech loss that really sticks in the sides of Mizzou fans because it was one that the Tigers really should have been able to close out.<br />
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<i><b>3. Blaine Gabbert has thrown for over 3,000 yards in each of the last two years but has declared for the NFL draft. Who is waiting in the wings to replace him?</b></i><br />
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The presumptive starter at this point will be sophomore James Franklin, who saw minimal time in 2010 as the No. 2 behind Gabbert. Franklin is going to be a bit of a different look from Gabbert, as he lacks the cannon Gabbert had but also possesses a few other skills Gabbert didn't. He is considered a "mobile" or "dual-threat" quarterback, but those labels can often unintentionally degrade a quarterback's ability as a passer. Franklin throws with good touch and throws an extremely catchable ball, much like Chase Daniel did, though we're still unsure about his ability as a downfield passer simply because he was never given the chance to air it out. Additionally, if Franklin gets the nod, it should mean a bit of an overhaul for the Missouri running game, as his inclusion in the offense means Missouri can insert the zone read as a staple in the running game. He'll have a bit of a battle for the job in camp, as Tyler Gabbert (Blaine's younger brother) came on strong during bowl practices, but at the moment, it's Franklin's job to lose.<br />
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<i><b>4. Who were the most surprising players this season?</b></i><br />
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Offensively, you could pick from any one of the trio of tailback Henry Josey, receiver T.J. Moe or tight end Michael Egnew. All were outstanding in 2010 despite having contributed almost nothing in prior years (Josey was a true freshman, and Moe and Egnew entered the season with nine combined career receptions). All three played instrumental roles in Mizzou's offensive success, as Moe wrote himself into Mizzou lore with the "Moe Miracle" late in Mizzou's improbable comeback against San Diego State and Egnew became next in line as another All-American tight end at Missouri. But I think the two most surprising players on Missouri's team this season were on defense. Safety Jarrell Harrison was considered by some to be the team's most unheralded player and perhaps the defensive MVP. He was third on the team in tackles with 69 and picked up two interceptions, and while his numbers aren't mind-boggling, he was a steadying presence in the Missouri defensive backfield, especially once he was asked to lead even more upon the suspension of safety Jasper Simmons. Harrison even played at linebacker against Iowa State – the first time he had done so since grade school – to help defensive coordinator Dave Steckel deal with attrition at the position. The other surprise defensively was end Brad Madison, who led Mizzou with 7.5 sacks, including 3.0 against Texas A&M while filling in for an injured Aldon Smith. His play in 2010 is why fans aren't jumping off ledges with Smith's declaration for the NFL.<br />
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<i><b>5. What does Missouri need to do to improve this off-season so it can challenge for the Big 12 (or whatever they will be calling it) Title?</b></i><br />
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Mizzou's chances at the Bevo Ten Championship (see what I did there?) aren't necessarily going to be based on what they can improve but rather what they can replace. Mizzou only lost four senior starters total on both sides of the ball and then lost its two NFL-bound players. The quarterback situation will receive the multitude of the spotlight, and for obvious reasons. Missouri should feel largely confident in its ability to replace Aldon Smith at defensive end, but the really pressing need Missouri will find itself with is the defensive backfield. After being the team's weak link in 2008 and 2009, the defensive backfield was outstanding in 2010, but it now loses two seniors at cornerback with six combined years of starting experience in Carl Gettis and Kevin Rutland, as well as Harrison, mentioned above. Mizzou coaches and reporters say they've been recruiting much better athletes at defensive back, and now it's time to prove it. Cornerbacks Kip Edwards and E.J. Gaines both looked very solid during their appearances in 2010, and Missouri's shot at the conference may rest on their ability to assume starting roles with minimal trouble.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-26272976133156251572011-01-30T10:20:00.001-05:002011-01-30T10:21:22.825-05:00This Week In College Football: Iowa, Recruiting, Paul Johnson, Muschamp and Herschel<b>Iowa Hawkeyes Hospitalized</b><br />
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Thirteen Iowa football players were hospitalized this week with rhabdomyolysis as a result of winter workouts. Rhabdomyolysis is defined as a rare, but serious, medical condition in which skeletal muscle fibers rapidly breakdown and release proteins into the bloodstream. It's characterized by profound muscle weakness and tenderness, and brown-colored urine.The condition could lead to kidney failure, arrthymias, and death if not treated quickly. So needless to say, this was a pretty big deal. Thirteen kids in the hospital on one team, with no real commonalities in class or position. The Head Coach is out on the road recruiting and you have a lot of pissed off parents demanding answers. Not a pretty site and a mess for the Hawkeyes program which has been dealing with a lot of adversity lately. There were a lot of questions and there still remains many. Tox screens have reportedly came back negative. As of Friday, five of the players were out of the hospital. Most teams go through very strenuous work outs in the off-season and that will continue but hopefully teams will learn about the dangers of having too strenuous of work-outs after extended lay-offs. This is a story we will continue to watch and hopefully everything will work out for those afflicted in the Iowa program. <br />
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<b>Recruiting Update</b><br />
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NSD (National Signing Day) is February 2nd. For those of you that are calendar challenged that's this coming Wednesday! You can simply flip on the 4-letter network on that day at any time and I'm sure you will get your fill of recruiting. One team that is really coming on strong, much to my delight, is the Georgia Bulldogs. <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2011/01/big-recruiting-day-for-georgia.html">They were the big winner last week when they landed TE Jay Rome (ESPNU #18) and WR/DB Malcolm Mitchell (ESPNU #45)</a>. It was more good news this week when DE Ray Drew (ESPNU #13) made his verbal commitment to Georgia on Friday. Drew is a 6'5, 253 lb 5-star prospect that looks like he can make an immediate impact (not that he's going to be a starter Day 1 but he should get some burn). He will be wearing #47, which was worn by Georgia legend David Pollock. Drew looks to play OLB like Justin Houston did and could also play some DE in the 3-4. Earlier in the week Georgia had also gotten a commitment from the top OL in the state, Xzavier Ward. He's ranked as a 4-star guy from ESPN (and 3-stars from Rivals and Scout) and is listed as #9 on the AJC Fab 50 (basically a list of the top 50 recruits in the state of Georgia). Georgia currently has 7 of the top 12 players in the Fab 50 and could get an 8th on NSD. Georgia has also come out of nowhere to be in the running for DE Jeffrey Pagan, ESPNU #53, who recently de-committed from Clemson (he also previously de-committed from Florida so you might not want to get too excited about him until he signs his name on the line) and ESPNU #150 OL Antonio Richardson. Between those guys and NT John Jenkins and RB Isaiah Crowell it will be a very interested Wed for Georgia fans. The MVP of this recruiting run for Georgia has been Mike Bobo. He is winning South Georgia against some very good recruiters. <br />
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ESPNU#28 RB Savon Huggins made his decision on Friday and he picked Rutgers over North Carolina. Huggins becomes the first top-rated New Jersey recruit landed by Rutgers in the Greg Schiano era. After a very disappointing 2010 for Rutgers this could be a spark that they need. Rutgers is currently listed as #30 on the rivals list of top teams but they are second behind only Charlie Strong and Louisville in the Big East. <br />
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<b>Paul Johnson's Double Standard</b><br />
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While we are on recruiting let's talk a little Georgia Tech and Paul Johnson. Before I get into this let me say that I think Paul Johnson is a great offensive coach but I just don't understand him on this point. On Thursday Paul Johnson rescinded his scholarship offer from DT Tre Jackson. He did this because Jackson, who committed to Tech in October, has started to heat up and has gotten some calls from schools such as FSU and was going to take a visit to see what they offered (no not in the Cecil Newton sense). Well, Paul did not like this as he has a rule that once you verbally commit to Tech that you are not allowed to visit other schools or your scholarship offer will be rescinded. I have a couple of issues with this. The biggest issue I have is that Paul has no problem talking to kids that are verbally committed to other schools and having them take visits to Tech because if they are willing to come on a visit then he doesn't consider them committed to that school. So he has no problem taking a kid who breaks his commitment from one school to accept his but he doesn't want to be rejected by someone who might be thinking of changing his commitment. I was able to listen to 790theZone a bit on Friday and all of the Tech fans that called in did not like way Johnson was handling this. In my eyes, Johnson needs to realize that he coaches at Georgia Tech- not Alabama or USC or Florida or Texas (a school that basically recruits itself). Johnson needs all the players he can get, especially on defense where Tech has not been good at all in the last two years, and in this era of college football and recruiting coaches have to re-recruit guys that have already committed. Paul Johnson needs to wake up and spend some time re-recruiting instead of giving up due to fear of rejection. You coach at Georgia Tech, the last time I checked it's not exactly recruiting itself and while some players go to the NFL it's not a pipeline to the NFL. Re-recruiting is part of the game now and if you aren't willing to do it then you aren't a good recruiter and will suffer on the field.<br />
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<b>Will Muschamp's First Tough Call</b><br />
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Florida CB Janoris Jenkins was recently charged with possession of marijuana. This was his second brush with the law in the last two years as he also was arrested in May of 2009 when he resisted arrest. During Urban Meyer's reign at Florida there were a lot of off-the-field issues. When Will Muschamp took over here's what he had to say about "The Florida Way":<br />
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<div class="pagpag1" style="display: block;">“There's a certain thing that I'm going to refer to as the Florida Way, and that's the way they need to act and that's the way they need to represent our university...I'm going to demand that and I think that you'll understand in time that that's something that's very important to me...When you walk into a home and you talk about being a student-athlete at the University of Florida, I talk in terms of I want all of our student-athletes to come into our program to be a better person for having been at Florida. And I'm not just talking from a football standpoint. I'm talking about the off-the-field things.”</div><div class="pagpag1" style="display: block;"><br />
</div><div class="pagpag1" style="display: block;">Sounds good, there is a new sheriff in town and Muschamp is not gonna take any ish. But wait...your best defensive player just got busted for pot and it's not the first time he's been in trouble with the law! So what do you do in your first "player issue" decision? What do you do that will make a statement to your players about the new direction of your team and "The Florida Way"? Muschamp says he will handle the situation "internally at this time." Of course, you will because that's the real Florida way. It's easy to talk the talk, but Muschamp is yet to walk the walk. You can't change a culture by ignoring it and hoping it goes away. I'm sure Florida would have really missed him for the Florida Atlantic and UAB games but I guess Muschamp really thinks they need him to win those games. Just wait until that second string LB screws up though, he's gonna pay.</div><div class="pagpag1" style="display: block;"><br />
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</div><div class="pagpag1" style="display: block;"><b>Herschel Walker</b><br />
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So it's not technically College Football....on Saturday night Herschel Walker made his second entrance into the Octagon and just overwhelmed his opponent, Scott Carson. Herschel jumped on Carson early and took him down with a right hand and then stayed on top of him and controlled him with punches. Carson tried to get back to his feet and Walker continued his barrage until the referee stopped the fight. Let's not kid ourselves, Carson is not a "name" in MMA and is still a hand-picked opponent for Herschel but it was impressive seeing Herschel's progression since his last fight as he looked a lot more comfortable and was a lot more aggressive. It will be interesting to see what happens as Herschel continues to fight tougher guys.</div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-37275976797573153192011-01-27T23:20:00.000-05:002011-01-27T23:20:50.668-05:00Boise State Broncos: 2010 Exit SurveyComing off of a 14-0 record the previous year, 2010 set-up as Boise State's best chance yet to make a run at the National Championship. Boise State started off with an impressive victory in the opening week against Virginia Tech. In week three Boise State beat it's other BCS non-conference opponent as it took out talented but jekyl & hyde Oregon State. Boise State then went on a run of terror against non-BCS Conference foes where their closest margin of victory was 29 points against Louisiana Tech. After destroying Fresno State by the tune of 51-0, the Broncos fell to a ranked Nevada team 34-31 in OT by a missed FG. Did Boise's run of easy targets set them up for the loss? It's tough to be in a position like Boise is in. You play in a conference where their isn't anybody else on your level so you basically play 8 easy "gimme" games a year. You try to schedule up but a lot of the bigger name teams don't have anything to gain by playing Boise (and have much more to lose) so Boise ends up only getting big match-ups here and there and it's almost always at their opponents stadium or near their opponents lair. While it's much easier for Boise to run the table than say LSU or Alabama there is also the argument that maybe they aren't as battle tested as they could be if they played in a better conference. Led by 2011 Heisman Candidate Kellen Moore and talented WRs Austin Pettis and Titus Young, Boise State had another great season in 2010 and I think that Boise can play with any team in the country on any given day. The question that we will never know (at least not right now) is how Boise would do if they played big-time talent week in and week out and had to face the grind of a conference schedule that teams in the SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten face instead of having borderline scrimmages every week instead of conference games. Would the attrition of playing against tougher teams and better coaches wear on the team mentally and physically or would it keep them sharper because they know they have to be on their A game every week? That's one of the questions that keeps Boise on the outside looking in when a lot of pollsters make their ballots and I can't say that I blame them. I would love to see Boise get a chance to step up into a bigger pond and play a tougher schedule and see how they could do. Next year Boise again looks like it has a two-team schedule as they open up against a talented Georgia team that severely under-achieved in 2010 and they end it against a tough TCU team that will be starting a new QB this year. In 2010, even if Boise had gone undefeated they would not have played for the National Championship because of a combination of their schedule and the fact that two teams from BCS Conferences went undefeated. In 2011, Boise State's National Championship hopes again rest on them winning out and having other teams fall by the way-side. We caught up with Kevan Lee of the SB Nation Boise State Blog <a href="http://www.obnug.com/">One Bronco Nation Under God</a> (OBNUG) to get his take on the 2010 Broncos and get a quick peak into 2011.<br />
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<i><b>1. Expectations ran high for the Broncos this year. Do you feel that this team met expectations this year?</b></i> <br />
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Boise State fans had some pretty high expectations - like winning a national championship. So no, Boise State did not meet expectations. Now, whether or not those expectations were reasonable or fair is an entirely different question and one that I'm glad you didn't ask. I don't have the answer to that one.<br />
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Thing is, this was perhaps the greatest football team in Boise State history. Obviously, there's room for debate about that since the "greatest team" couldn't do what so many previous ones had - go undefeated. Football's a weird game like that, where anything can happen and on-paper greatness can be undone by a series of bounces or a pair of short uprights. What? Was that out loud? My apologies. I do not mean to hijack this Q&A into a discussion about WAC officiating, which is terrible. Just saying.<br />
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<i><b>2. Which player were the biggest surprise of the season?</b></i><br />
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DE Shea McClellin had the outstanding season that many expected DE Ryan Winterswyk to have. It helped that Winterswyk was double teamed all the time in order to avoid said outstanding season. But still, McClellin made at least one play per game where you thought, "Wow, this kid is really good at football," or "Wow, toeheads can excel in organized sports." (As a toehead myself, I can understand the poignancy of the latter.)<br />
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A lot of other players could fall into the "surprise" category, too, but I'd like to point out one really obvious one: Titus Young. He surprised me with the way he became Boise State's clear-cut No. 1 receiving threat despite the presence of Austin Pettis. That, my friend, is not easy to do.<br />
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<b><i>3. Which player are you most excited about for next season?</i></b><br />
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The combination of Kellen Moore / Doug Martin is going to keep Bronco hearts warmed all offseason long. BSU has college football's best quarterback (blah blah Andrew Luck, yeah I get it) and one of its most dynamic running backs. The returning starters aren't nearly as many as last year, but that fact seems a little easier to swallow with Moore and Martin returning to the backfield.<br />
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<i><b>4. Boise State had a great duo of senior receivers (Austin Pettis and TItus Young). Who steps up to replace them next year?</b></i><br />
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The players who are most likely to fill in for Pettis and Young will probably come from this group: Tyler Shoemaker, Mitch Burroughs, Chris Potter, Geraldo Hiwat, Aaron Burks, and Kirby Moore.<br />
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My money is on Shoemaker to play the Pettis role next year. His style of play is similar to Pettis in that he is a big body with strong hands who can make plays on key downs and distances. Whether he has the route-running and separation skills needed to survive as Boise State's WR1 remains to be seen.<br />
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Opposite Shoemaker, I think Hiwat gets the call. If the Broncos are serious about filling in for Pettis and Young as closely as possible, they'll need a burner and a deep threat outside. Hiwat would be the obvious choice in that role based on his cameos in-season.<br />
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Moore is my pick for the starting slot receiver, although I wouldn't be surprised if he pushes either Shoemaker or Hiwat for playing time at the X or Y spots.<br />
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<i><b>5. How big is the Georgia game to start off the year? Boise will be coming in as the higher ranked team and the favorite but Georgia will have a chip on it's shoulder after having two consecutive disappointing seasons. </b></i><br />
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This game is just as big as the VT one was last year. If Boise State wins, it has a good road to a BCS berth. If it loses, season over. #collegefootballsigh<br />
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The difference will be that not as many people will talk about this one since Georgia may not be a preseason Top 25 team. Psychologically, the remnants of the 2005 disaster still remain for Bronco fans, but as far as the players are concerned, none of them played back then and it won't matter. The more important factors will be how quickly Boise State's new starters gel in the starting lineup. This Bronco team could be very good by November but still a little shaky in September.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-64504177435895480052011-01-26T20:38:00.002-05:002011-01-26T20:40:09.262-05:00Ohio State Buckeyes: 2010 Exit Survey2010 CFBZ Prediction: <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2010/08/big-ten-preview.html">1st place in the Big Ten</a> <br />
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 1st place in the Big Ten (12-1, 7-1)<br />
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Ohio State had another very good year in 2010 as Jim Tressel led the Buckeyes to their 6th straight double digit win total. It was also the 6th straight year that Ohio State lost no more than one conference game. Now that is an impressive stat. Ohio State's lone slip up this year was at Wisconsin where they fell by 13 when they were ranked as the #1 team in the country in the AP Poll. 2011 will be a very interesting year for the Buckeyes as they will start off their first five games without four offensive starters QB (Terrelle Pryor), RB (Dan Herren), OL Mike Adams, WR DeVier Posey. For my money the most interesting games for the Buckeyes next year will be the Sept 17th game at Miami (Fl) where Al Golden and gang will look for a signature win and the first game that the suspended players are back- which is at new Big Ten school Nebraska. Will the suspended players be ready to compete at mid-season form or will they be rusty? To talk Ohio State football we summoned HD Handshoe of <a href="http://blog.blockonation.com/">BlockONation</a> to get the answers to some of our questions about the 2010 season and get a quick peak at 2011.<br />
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<div class="im"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. </span><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-weight: bold;">Ohio State</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> had a very strong year going 12-1 and beating Arkansas in the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sugar Bowl</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">. What were your favorite memories from the 2010/2011 season?</span></i></div><br />
I have a couple. Beating Michigan is always great so that stands out. Tressel is now 9-1 and OSU has not lost to UM in 7 years, and then of course the Sugar Bowl win and finally ending the 0-for-forever (0-9) steak vs. SEC opponents in the postseason is a huge weight lifted off of the fans, Tressel, and the program as a whole.<br />
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<i><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Which players surprised you the most with their play?</span></i></div><br />
Well, we always have high expectations of all of our players, especially our starters, so I was not overly surprised during the season by anyone's play, although I will say that Dane Sanzenbacher certainly exceeded all expectations, leading the Buckeyes in both receptions (55), receiving yards (948), and touchdown catches (11).<br />
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<i><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Which players are you most looking forward to watching play next year?</span></i></div><br />
With the looming suspensions, it's going to be very interesting to see what happens this Spring as the Buckeyes prepare to replace QB Terrelle Pryor, RB Dan Herron, and WR DeVier Posey for the first 4-5 games. <br />
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Coach Tressel will do what's best for the team but I am hoping to see either Kenny Guiton or Taylor Graham at QB, but 5th year senior Joe Bauserman could get the call, or top recruit and early-enrollee Braxton Miller could burn what we all believed would be a redshirt season if he outshines the others.<br />
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At running back, it's hard to say who will emerge. The Bucks are loaded with young talented guys all looking for their shot. Jordan Hall, Jaamal Berry, Carlos Hyde, or Roderick Smith will get that chance. We may also see more than one of them get a lot of touches in the first 4-5 games, and perhaps beyond that if they are tearing it up. Herron may end up wishing he had declared for the NFL...<br />
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With Posey suspended, and Sanzenbacher graduating, the big shoes to fill are obviously at WR. It's too early to call but my gut says Corey Brown, James Jackson, TY Williams, James Louis, and Chris Fields could all potentially see significant time. All these guys were 4 or 5 star recruits, but Brown is the only one who has any real experience this far, so it is a concern due to that lack of experience.<br />
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<i><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Five Buckeyes</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> are suspended for the first five games of next season. The two games to watch during this stretch are Miami (Fl) and Michigan State. Who do you think is going to step up in their absence and how difficult will it be filling the void these guys leave for 5 games?</span></i></div><br />
I kind of touched on this already but I will also say Miami and Michigan State are good teams so there are no guarantees in those games, but if Tressel limits the risks for our young QBs and inexperienced WRs and leans on the slew of talented RBs and what should again be one of the best defensive units in the country, I'm pretty confident both games are winnable and 5-0 is still a very real and attainable possibility for OSU even without Pryor and company.<br />
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<i><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Heading into the 2011/2012 season, what are the major things that the Buckeyes need to improve in order to get back to the Rose Bowl or a </span><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; font-weight: bold;">BCS Championship Game</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">?</span></i></div><br />
They have to replace studs Chmidi Chekwa and Cam Heyward on defense, and the WR position is obviously the biggest concern based on the lack of game experience, but they are Ohio State - they have players and they always reload. <br />
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I can't help but think of the big kick/punt returns by Miami and Wisconsin against the Buckeyes last season, so Special Teams, specifically the kick and punt coverage units must be better. If Wisconsin didn't get the huge touchdown return they did against Ohio State, the Buckeyes just might have won that game and they would have likely played for the BCS title last year.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-75747323377465821642011-01-24T22:39:00.001-05:002011-01-24T22:40:24.913-05:00Kentucky Wildcats: 2010 Exit Survey2010 CFBZ Prediction: <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2010/08/sec-preview.html">4th in the SEC East </a><br />
2010 Actual Finish: 5th in the SEC East (6-7, 2-6) <br />
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Rich Brooks finished the last of his seven seasons at Kentucky in 2009, leading Kentucky to four straight winning seasons and four straight bowl berths at the end of his run. Joker Phillips took over the helm this year and is tasked with trying to get Kentucky over the hump in the SEC East and turn them into a contender. In Joker's debut season their were some good moments for the Wildcats (opening the season with a win over Louisville and beating SEC Champ South Carolina top that list) and there were some struggles (going 2-6 in the SEC and 1-5 on the road). After only one year on the job the jury is still out on Joker but we do know that he has some big shoes to fill on offense with Mike Hartline and Randall Cobb departing. We caught up with the Kentucky based SB Nation blog <a href="http://www.aseaofblue.com/">A Sea of Blue</a> to get their take on 2010 and a sneak peak into 2011.<br />
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<i><b>1. Kentucky finished the year 6-7 and 2-6 in the SEC. Do you consider Joker Phillips inaugural season a success, a failure or somewhere in the middle?</b></i><br />
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Somewhere in between, I would say. It's impossible to call a losing season overall a success, and 2-6 in the SEC just not good.<br />
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I think mostly that Phillips earns a pass on this season because most people understand that it was his first season as head coach, and head coach is not the same as offensive coordinator. Short of failure, perhaps, but certainly a disappointment. The defense was just plain incompetent, and the offense was too hot and cold.<br />
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<i><b>2. What were your favorite moments of the year?</b></i><br />
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Number one would have to be defeating South Carolina in Lexington. Kentucky has suffered long at the hands of Steve Spurrier, and that long losing streak against the Gamecocks has been one of the major targets of UK football fans. It was especially satisfying to come back from down 18 at the half to win in the game's closing minutes.<br />
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Number two would be defeating Louisville for the fourth straight time. Louisville is a huge rival, and they had a 4-game streak against Kentucky between 2003 and 2006. It was really nice to get revenge for that.<br />
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Finally, seeing Randall Cobb break the single-season all-purpose yards record at UK. Cobb has been a Godsend for Kentucky football, and that feat just cemented his well-deserved legend here at UK.<br />
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<i><b>3. If you could have a "re-do" for one game, which would it be?</b></i><br />
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Ole Miss in Oxford. Kentucky had every chance to win that football game, and blew it. That would have possibly put the Wildcats on a great trajectory for a special season, and we allowed it to slip away with turnovers.<br />
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<i><b>4. Which players surprised you the most with their performance last year?</b></i><br />
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That's easy -- Mike Hartline. Hartline went from a player who couldn't throw a spiral one time out of 10 to the SEC's second-leading passer. It was a transformation that almost nobody in the Big Blue Nation expected, but it made the difference between a bowl season and maybe a four-win season.<br />
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<i><b>5. Star receiver Randall Cobb and QB Mike Hartline must be replaced next season. Who will step up to take their place?</b></i><br />
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Good question. Morgan Newton would seem to be the odds-on favorite to take Hartline's spot, but many, including me, fear that Joker Phillips is going to give short shrift to the talented Ryan Mossakowski, who is a better pure passer and the more highly rated of the two coming out of high school. At least we do have options at quarterback, but Newton failed to impress in the loss to Pittsburgh in the BBVA Compass bowl.<br />
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For Cobb, there are no clear successors at the spot. La'Rod King showed great promise as our #3 receiver this year, but it seems a stretch for him to replace the multidimensional Cobb. Brian Adams and Matt Roark both made a few plays this year, but most Wildcat fans are skeptical about them as starters. Highly touted Aaron Boyd has been a disappointment, and hardly ever saw the field this year. It's hard to imagine him stepping up, but he has the talent if he ever gets the work ethic right.<br />
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Incoming freshman Demarco Robinson is an intriguing and overlooked prospect, and he has the kind of skills that could make him an impact player somewhat in the mold of Randall Cobb. He isn't a QB like Cobb was in high school, but he is an explosive athlete who can catch, run, and play the return game.<br />
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The player I really hope does well is junior wideout Gene McCaskill, who suffered an injury last year. He showed great promise before he was hurt, and if he comes back 100%, he could be a big playmaker at the wideout spot.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-56459703788176704792011-01-24T12:17:00.000-05:002011-01-24T12:17:18.260-05:00Toledo Rockets: 2010 Exit SurveyComing off four straight losing seasons the Toledo Rockets took a big step forward this year under second year coach Tim Beckman. In 2010 the Rockets 8-4 in the regular season and garnered itself it's first bowl invite since 2005. Toledo finished an impressive 7-1 in the MAC, with the lone loss being to the MAC West Champs Northern Illinois. Out of conference Toledo ran into a couple of brick walls in the form of Arizona and Boise State but they did collect a good out-of-conference win against Big ten foe Purdue. We caught up with the Toledo Blog <a href="http://www.letsgorockets.com/">Let's Go Rockets</a> to get some of our questions answered about the Rockets 2010 season.<br />
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<i><b>1. Toledo went from 5-7 in 2009 to 8-5 and in a bowl game in 2010. How satisfied are you with the season and what were the major reasons for the turnaround?</b></i><br />
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Before the season began, we predicted a solid 8-4 season with a possible bowl game for Toledo this year. Realistically, we envisioned losses to Arizona, Purdue, Boise, and a MAC loss along the way. Toledo dropped one to Wyoming after a great win at Purdue but other than those two games, we were close in our prediction. Returning to the post season is a big step in getting Toledo back where it needs to be to contend in the MAC every year. Getting 8 wins makes this a satisfying season for us but the goal of a MAC Championship and bowl victory are still pressing for next season.<br />
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Factors contributing to the turnaround at Toledo have been the improved facilities, embedding competition in everything (Beckman is keen on competing), great recruiting by Beckman and staff, and the renewed hardwork and dedication that the staff and players have put in this year. Next year should be even better!<br />
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<i><b>2. What were your favorite moments of the season?</b></i><br />
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We have several favorite moments this season. Winning against Ohio, early in the season, helped the Rockets and their fans to realize this team could be pretty good, if not better than expected. Defeating Purdue was a big step in showing the team that we could compete with opponents, regardless of conference and gave the MAC a needed reputation bump. The whooping the Rockets laid on the Falcons is a favorite, because, well... BGSUcks.<br />
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<i><b>3. Which players surprised you the most this season?</b></i><br />
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Although Eric Page earned multiple awards this season, we feel that the biggest surprise was the balance on offense. Eric Page could have received a lot more looks than he did, but the balance in the running game kept defenses guessing. While Morgan Williams appeared to be the back that would carry the load in the ground game this year, Adonis Thomas really stepped up as an effective and capable running threat. While battling injury, David Fluellen also played a key role in the running game.<br />
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<i><b>4. Who are you most looking forward to watching play next year?</b></i><br />
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We are really looking forward to seeing what Eric Page can do in his Junior season as well as watching Thomas and Fluellen carry the load in the backfield. Fluellen has a chance to be a star. Toledo is fortunate to have a strong group of incoming players - freshmen, JUCOs, and transfers - who should make an impact right away and we’re anxious to see their positive impact on both sides of the ball.<br />
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<i><b>5. What does Toledo need to do in the off-season to keep their momentum going forward and challenge for a MAC Championship?</b></i><br />
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Toledo absolutely cannot let up on the momentum they’ve built this season. Beckman has built a culture of competition at Toledo that has starters and non-starters alike vying for playing time every week. This keeps everyone pushing to be better and working hard every week and we’ve seen the dramatic results of this effort on the field. Beckman has another talented class of recruits headed to the program and the integration of their talents with an established system of play will be important in allowing the largest possible impact of these talents on the program. The Rockets have to continue to hone their offensives weapons to take pressure off Eric Page and allow for more varied looks on offense. Also, the Rockets have to clean up their special teams play to avoid giving up big plays and help the defense in field position. These are all realistic goals for the off-season that Toledo can use to strengthen the chances of playing for a MAC Championship in 2011.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-30321814539432693362011-01-23T13:03:00.000-05:002011-01-23T13:03:33.618-05:00This Week In College Football: Coaching, Recruiting and TransfersEach week during the off-season I will be doing this feature that will simply be called "This Week In College Football". We will cover the biggest news and stories of the past week and give some opinions and analysis. <br />
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<b>Coaching Changes</b><br />
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Most of the interest this off-season in coaching has been in Head Coaching positions. We've covered some of these like <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2011/01/brady-hoke-at-michiganwill-it-work.html">Brady Hoke</a>, <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2010/12/will-muschamp-to-florida.html">Will Muschamp</a>, <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2010/12/steve-adazzio-to-temple-good-hire-or.html">Steve Adazzio</a> and <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2010/12/indiana-hoosiers-2010-exit-survey.html">Kevin Wilson</a>. But now that the Head Coaching dust is settling maybe just as interesting a topic is assistant coaches. Having the right assistant coach that is the yin to your yang can be vital for a coach. Just ask Gene Chizik how much he values Gus Malzahn and what he did with the Auburn offense and Cam Newton this year. We've touch on some of these assistant coaching changes in our "Exit Surveys" already like <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2011/01/oklahoma-sooners-2010-exit-survey.html">Oklahoma</a>, <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2011/01/west-virginia-mountaineers-2010-exit.html">West Virginia</a>, and <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2011/01/oklahoma-state-cowboys-2010-exit-survey.html">Oklahoma State</a>. Did I mention that I really like the addition of Dana Holgerson to the West Virginia staff? I don't know how great it will work in the first year with Bill Stewart still in charge but watch out for West Virginia in the next few years. With one exception I really like what Mack Brown and Texas has done with his staff. Of course, Mack has the advantage of being Texas which is a destination job. Mack went out and got Boise State's offensive coordinator (Bryan Harsin) and also got Mississippi State's defensive coordinator (Manny Diaz). Let's take a look at Diaz really quickly. Mississippi State's defense reduced it's points allowed by 7 points in his only year in Starkvegas, had 10 more sacks than last year, 29 more tackles for loss, and decreased opponents red zone performance by nearly 10%. I think Diaz will be a very capable replacement for Will Muschamp. The hire I question, as a biased Georgia fan and alum, is why Mack Brown would hire Stacy Searles as his OL coach. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Georgia gets a fresh start without him but this was strictly a "reputation" hire and nothing more. The last two years the Georgia offensive line has been pitiful. In my opinion it was the most under-performing unit in all of college football. Georgia QB Aaron Murray was running for his life and RBs Caleb King and Washaun Ealey grew accustomed to getting blown up by the defense immediately after receiving the hand-off (which often times resulted in disaster for Georgia). Good luck with that Texas, but I think Harsin and Diaz should more than compensate for the Searles hire.<br />
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Another very interesting hire is Steve Kragthorpe at LSU as Offensive Coordinator. Les Miles already has a great defensive coach in John Chavis so now he just needs to figure out the offensive side of the football. Kragthorpe is probably most well known for his tenure at Louisville, where he only won 5 Big East games in 3 years. He has NFL experience as a QB Coach and college experience as an OC but it's been a while since he's been in that position. The main reason that it looks like Kragthorpe was the guy hired is that Miles valued someone who could develop QBs. It is going to get really interesting in Baton Rouge to see if Jordan Jefferson can fend off exiled Bulldog Zach Mettenburger for QB1. In our "Way To Early" Top 10 for 2011 we've got LSU at #4 (don't tell anybody though because we haven't posted it yet. This is just a secret between me and you). If the LSU offense gets it going this year they will contend for the National Title. Even though this could be the pivotal coordinator hire of the year I still wish Les Miles would have hire Mike Leach to run the offense. Could you imagine the hijinks that would have ensued? It would have been reality TV worthy and I think it probably would have worked on the field too.<br />
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<b>Recruiting and Oversigning</b><br />
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With NSD (National Signing Day) fast approaching recruiting is really heating up. The big news this week was former Texas commitment, 5-Star OL Christian Westerman, flipping his verbal commitment to the National Champion Auburn Tigers. Another big winner this week was Mark Richt and Georgia gaining commitments from teammates (and 4-Star prospects) TE Jay Rome and WR Malcolm Mitchell. We also had some indecision from ESPNU 150 (#90) DE Stephon Tuitt who flipped his commitment from Notre Dame to Georgia Tech and then back to Notre Dame. I'm sure he won't be the last guy to flip a commitment before NSD.<br />
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<a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2011/01/recruiting-who-can-make-immediate.html">While recruiting is a crap shoot</a>, there are still uncommitted guys that can come in and make an immediate impact for their teams and some fans made some noise this weekend to let these guys know that they are wanted. The first is ESPNU 150 #1 prospect DE Jadeveon Clowney. He's 6'6", 240 and looks like a monster on film. His list of finalists is Miami (Fl), Alabama, South Carolina, FSU and LSU. Clowney was at the South Carolina basketball game this weekend and the fans there treated him to some "We Want Clowney! We Want Clowney!" chants. Another uncommitted prospect is RB Isaiah Crowell. Crowell is down to Alabama and Georgia. Georgia just recently beat out Bama for Rome and Mitchell so it would really be an upset for Georgia to win out on 3 straight prospects from them (although Bama did land DE Xzavier Dickson, who was also considering Georgia, earlier this month). Crowell took his official visit to Georgia this weekend and he watched the Dawgs romp the Mississippi State Bulldogs in basketball and was treated to some chants of "I...sai ... ah!!" Some of my blog mates will tell you that recruiting is way too hyped and while I agree with them I also think that there are impact guys out there who can turn a program (just ask Auburn). I was born and raised in the south so college football is a 365 day sport here and we need something to talk about!<br />
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While we are on the subject of recruiting let's talk for a minute about oversigning. Teams are allowed to have 85 scholarship athletes on their team, with no more than 25 scholarship players enrolled per season (teams are allowed to have early-enrollees count against the previous year if the team was under 25 for that year). Despite these limits teams still over-sign and find ways to get themselves under the limit. Some athletes don't make the grades, some might flip their commitments at the last minute (see also: Da'Rick Rogers) and some are gray-shirted (which means that the recruit waits to enroll until December and then counts against the next year). Yet some teams are already over the limit of 25. Right now South Carolina is at 30 commitments and Arkansas is at 28. Others, like Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU are currently scheduled to be over their 85 scholarships by around 10. I will use an example to illustrate the big problem I have with oversigning. Last year OL Elliot Porter committed to LSU only to be told, WHEN HE ARRIVED ON CAMPUS, that they did not have a scholarship for him and they asked him to gray-shirt. Porter had committed to LSU in July and then didn't find out that they didn't have room until August of the next year. It's situations like this that make oversigning a big issue. The NCAA already has a limit of 25 so what they should do is just simply enforce that rule. Any team that signs over 25 recruits will have that number subtracted from the next years total. So if they sign 28 then that means that they only get 22 next year. Each team would also have the ability to "petition" the NCAA if something unforeseen happened (ex: coaching change, excessive injuries) that opened up extra scholarships and they could get an exemption to go over the 25. Those are just my thoughts on the issue.<br />
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<b>A Farewell to Michigan</b><br />
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We found out this week that former starting QB for Michigan Tate Forcier will indeed transfer. You guys remember him, right? He was the starting QB for RichRod in 2009 (threw for over 2,000 yards as a freshman) before being passed by Denard Robinson. He was declared academically ineligible and missed Michigan's bowl game, but I don't think he was the reason the Wolverines got utterly destroyed by Mississippi State. Then there was a tug-of-war with whether he was going to transfer or not. Well, this week Tate tweeted his intentions saying that he wanted to stay but it was clear Michigan gave up on him. So now the questions are how quickly he can get back in good academic standing and where he will transfer to. In 2010 he was rated by ESPNU as #144 on their ESPNU 150. Ole Miss pops up in my head immediately. Houston Nutt loves him some transfer QB (see also: Jeremiah Masoli) so that could be a possibility (Ole Miss is +10 in oversigning right now but that doesn't seem to matter to Mr. Nutt). Stories are popping up that Montana is a potential landing spot for him but I'd prefer he stay in D-1 (Montana flirted with moving up to the FBS but decided not to do so) to see what he is capable of and if he can become a good starting QB for someone. He's from San Diego so somewhere on the left coast would be the most likely option (his brother Chris previously transferred from UCLA to Furman and before that his brother Jason transferred from Michigan to Stanford). If I was a coach in the WAC or the MWC I would seriously be looking at this kid.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-32376684722274710012011-01-22T09:42:00.000-05:002011-01-22T09:42:39.616-05:00Nebraska Cornhuskers: 2010 Exit Survey2010 CFBZ Prediction: <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2010/08/big-12-preview.html">1st Place in Big 12 North and Big 12 Champion</a><br />
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 1st Place in Big 12 North and Big 12 Runner-Up (10-4, 6-2)<br />
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Nebraska came really close to having a special season but it came apart in the last four games for them. The Cornhuskers got off to a 9-1 start including wins over Okie State and Missouri (who was ranked #6 at the time). On November 20th Nebraska fell to Texas A&M 9-6 in a game where they set school records for penalties and penalty yards. After beating Colorado to get their record to 10-2 they lost a close one in the Big 12 Championship Game to rival Oklahoma 23-20. Probably the most disappointing moment of the season came when Nebraska fell flat in it's bowl game against Washington (a team it had previously beaten this year 56-21). We were able to talk our Nebraska blogger, Brandon, down off of his ledge long enough for him to answer some questions for us about the 2010 season and get a quick look into the 2011 season. You can also follow him on twitter @bigstad24, he should be an interesting guy to follow next college football season as it will be Nebraska's first in the Big Ten.<br />
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<i><b>1. Nebraska finished 10-4 losing 3 of their last 4. Looking back on the season was it a success, a failure or somewhere in between?</b></i><br />
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I, personally, have to label this season as a failure. I never really bought into the hype of Nebraska being a National Championship contender but you could definitely see that the talent was there to do so. Unfortunately, there were too many holes to prevent it from happening. I admit that I was snowed after the Washington and Kansas State games when the offense looked like the Nebraska of old with its domination of the run game and a defense that could shut down pretty much any offense. Then…the Texas game occurred and from that point forward they didn’t look like the same team. Taylor Martinez was exposed as not having the confidence that he should, the defense was shown prone to being beaten by the run, and the coaching staff was exposed as having little creativity offensively (save for a few Rex Burkhead plays in the last few games…) to get scores. So it became a failure when in three of the last four games you lose 9-6 to Texas A&M taking you out of a potential (albeit…small) chance at a National Title. You lose in heartbreaking fashion to Oklahoma, going back to your Quarterback who had been stopped repeatedly and not sticking with what was working and losing your last game on the way out of the Big 12 Conference. Then finally you lose to a team which you had dominated earlier in the season, and while you may have taken a lot of money away from their Quarterback, you still couldn’t get anything going offensively. If this seems like a successful season to you then by all means take it, but for it was a failure.<br />
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<i><b>2. If you could have one game to "do over" which one would it be?</b></i><br />
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As much as people would probably expect me to say that I would like to redo the Texas A&M or Oklahoma game, I would rather redo the Holiday Bowl game against Washington. I think that you have to win a game of that magnitude after the prior month going so awry. I don’t think it hurt recruiting too much, but it seemed as if the team just lost focus and seemed badly distracted going into and during that game. As I said before you NEED to win that game so that you can prove the naysayers wrong, and regain some of the luster you lost with two of the losses which you suffered late. It also shows that you may have not been as good as you were touted to be EARLY in the season when you had already beaten that team. You need people to perceive that your team is dominant even if they actually aren’t that way you can keep the intimidation factor. With this loss? You lose that factor, and you also lose the idea of, “A couple of bad breaks…” being the difference in your season.<br />
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<i><b>3. Which player were the most surprising to you this year?</b></i><br />
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The player that most surprised me this year was Lavonte David. I understand that he was a decent prospect coming out of JUCO last year, but for him to play that hybrid safety/linebacker position and in a dominant manner was something to behold. I don’t think he has much of a future at the next level as a linebacker, but with his ability to cover and run and his tackling ability he will make whatever team drafts him very happy as a Strong Saftey.<br />
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<i><b>4. Which players are you most looking forward to watching in 2011?</b></i><br />
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Jared Crick because I think he has a chance to be another awesome defensive tackle; I don’t think he will ever get to a Suh-type level, but I certainly think he could be an awesome force on the inside of a defense for years to come. The aforementioned Lavonte David. Alfonso Dennard is also one to watch because of how well he played with Prince Amukamara on the other side of him. I am anxious to see if he can be the same type of corner when he is the focal point of the secondary, and see if he can shut down one side of the field like Amukamara did this entire year. I am also very pumped to see Rex Burkhead as the main running back and see if he can keep up what he did at the end of this year as a do everything style back, and be able to shoulder the load of the carries with no Roy Helu there to help him out.<br />
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<i><b>5. Nebraska is in the same Big Ten division as Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Northwestern. How do you like Nebraska's chances in this division and what do they need to do this off-season to compete for a Big Ten Championship in their first year?</b></i><br />
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I like Nebraska’s chances in this division for sure because of how different every other team in it will look next season. Michigan is going to be rebuilding again, Michigan State was greatly exposed by Alabama and I don’t think they can do the same thing they did this past season. Minnesota is going to have a new coach to go along with the same players from a very poor season. Then there is Northwestern whom I think is a sleeper in this division and could win it, but they have never proven to win the big game yet, and I don’t have much faith that you can just learn that over an off-season. What does Nebraska need to do this off-season? I think that a change must be made with the offensive coordinator. I know that Bo Pellini has given him a “vote of confidence” but to me you can’t expect any different result on offense with the same person in charge. Where they would turn? I have no clue, but I know it probably can’t be with current Oregon Wide Receiver’s coach Scott Frost as this was his first year as a coach on the offensive side of the ball. I also don’t think Joe Ganz (a current Graduate Assistant) can just jump up to Quarterback’s coach, but I think that this is what needs to change the most because the defense is always going to be there to stop people. All that you need is one more point than the defense allows, and right now I don’t think that this offensive staff can get that done on a consistent basis.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-47724375695424787602011-01-21T08:28:00.000-05:002011-01-21T08:28:05.328-05:00Syracuse Orange: 2010 Exit Survey2010 CFBZ Prediction: <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2010/08/big-east-preview.html">8th Place in Big East</a><br />
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 4th Place in Big East (8-5, 4-3)<br />
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The Syracuse Orange were one of the best stories of 2010. Pretty much everybody who covers college football in any format, or for that matter watches college football, picked the Orange to finish dead last in the Big East this past season. A funny thing happened along the way, the Big East was down and Syracuse was a lot more competitive than expected under second year coach Doug Marrone. Syracuse started off their season 4-1 as they beat 3 of the easiest teams to beat in college football but we aren't judging them (when you haven't been very good lately you should schedule down and that's what they did) and they did also schedule Boston College and Washington so it wasn't all cupcakes on the non-conference slate. October 9th was the first statement of the season when Syracuse went to South Florida and won 13-9. Syracuse then fell to Pitt but quickly bounced back with a shocking win over Big East favorite West Virginia and then a win over Cincinnati. West Virginia fans look back to that loss as the reason they didn't win the conference and go to a BCS game instead of UConn. Syracuse came back to earth a little at the end of the season going 1-3 including losses to Big East Champ UConn but they bounced back with a controversial bowl game win over Kansas State to finish 8-5. This season marked Syracuse's first winning season since 2001, when they went 10-3, and their first bowl game since 2004 where they lost to Georgia Tech. It has been a long road back to relevance for the Orange and it will be very interesting to see if Doug Marrone and his staff can maintain this level of success in the years to come. Picked to come in dead last in the Big East the Orange actually finished only 1 game behind UConn, Pitt and West Virginia in the final standings. To help us re-cap the 2010 season for the Orange we caught up with Brian Harrison of the Syracuse based blog <a href="http://orange44.blogspot.com/">Orange 44</a> for a little Q&A.<br />
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<i><b>1. Syracuse exceeded everybody's expectations this year by finishing 8-5 and winning a bowl game. At what point did you know this was going to be a break-through season for the Orange? </b></i><br />
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The defining moment has to be when Syracuse went down to Morgantown and beat the then #20 West Virginia Mountaineers. Syracuse had not beaten WVU since 2001 and doing it at Morgantown was a huge plus and a major turning point for Syracuse. With a lot of fans still not on board after a big homecoming loss to Pittsburgh the week before a lot of fans truly didn’t believe in this year’s squad until they had that huge road win and proved that this wasn’t a squad that just got lucky. This was a hard nosed defense that could stop some of the best offenses in the country.<br />
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<i><b>2. What were some of your favorite moments of this season?</b></i><br />
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During Syracuse’s match with USF Syracuse put together a 98 yard drive. It was pretty magical to watch as Syracuse methodically moved the ball down the field. This was one of the first moments of the season that was a true test against a good team that showed massive improvement in the offensive ability for Syracuse. Also the ending moments of both the games Syracuse played against West Virginia and Rutgers. In both Syracuse was forced to stop the opposing team’s offense to win the game and both times Syracuse ended up with sacks on the quarterbacks on fourth down to win the game.<br />
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<i><b>3. Which players were the biggest surprises of the season?</b></i><br />
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Tight ends Nick Provo and Jose Cruz were surprisingly reliable targets throughout the season and were very valuable on third downs. But the biggest surprise was the dependability of freshman K Ross Krautman. He was 18/19 on the season, his longest was 48 yards (made outdoors), and was one of the most dependable elements of a special teams unit that ended up firing their coordinator before the end of the season.<br />
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<i><b>4. Which player are you most excited about for next season?</b></i><br />
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Antwon Bailey was the backup RB for Delone Carter and he found success in both running the ball, but was as equally dependable a receiver. He will get a lot more reps next season as he should be the primary back on the depth chart coming out of the spring. I look forward to seeing what he can do next year. Additionally, Marcus sales had one touchdown catch all season, but had three TDs in the Pinstripe Bowl, including massive home run catches. He will be a major target next season.<br />
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In terms of freshmen coming in, besides the potential commitment of DE Ishaq Williams (deciding between Syracuse, Penn State, and Notre Dame [both his parents attended Syracuse]), it would be TE Louie Addazio. He is the son of now Temple Head Coach Steve Addazio, former Florida Offensive Coordinator and Syracuse alumnus. He is a blocking TE, who will obviously get looks from Ryan Nassib to catch the ball, especially in the Red Zone. But really, he will instantly firm up an already vastly improved offensive line.<br />
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<i><b>5. What does Syracuse need to improve on this off-season to keep its positive momentum and possible challenge for the Big East Title?</b></i><br />
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Syracuse still desperately needs to improve its passing defense. For the last five plus years the way you beat Syracuse was to pass the ball as Syracuse could rarely stop any passing attack. They got better this past year, but they need to improve even more so they can cover receivers tighter and not play such soft zone coverage. Additionally the receivers will need to improve. Several would have a good game here or there, but there were too many games with big drops that would have been huge plays and they would have changed the outcome of the game. Everything else should still remain pretty solid and only get better.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-25575879051070164352011-01-20T22:41:00.000-05:002011-01-20T22:41:53.980-05:00Big Recruiting Day For GeorgiaIt was just about a week and a half ago when Georgia landed their first three verbal commitments since August in the form of <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2011/01/georgia-bulldogs-recruiting-update.html">DB Damian Swann, LB Ramik Wilson and WR Sanford Seay</a>. With National Signing Day quickly coming up on us two Georgia targets chose Wednesday to make their verbal commitments. TE Jay Rome, #18 on the ESPNU 150, and teammate WR/DB Malcolm Michell, #45 on the ESPNU 150, both announced their college intentions today but did it at different locations (which caused me to think they might be going separate ways). Jay Rome went first and announced on ESPNU that he would be attending Georgia over Alabama. I was expecting this as Rome has been rumored as a heavy lean towards Georgia for the last several weeks. And why not, Georgia has a really good recent history with TEs making it to the NFL (Leonard Pope, Ben Watson, Randy McMichael, Jermaine Wiggins). I'm not sure what kind of immediate impact Rome will have on the field as Georgia has Orson Charles and Aron White ahead of him but I think he will see the field this year and could set up some good mis-matches if on the field at the same time as Charles.<br />
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Next up was Malcolm Mitchell. Mitchell announced his intentions at a local restaurant and on a radio show. Jay Rome made it back from his ESPNU trip, which was filmed in Tallahassee, in time to be decked out in Georgia gear for the announcement. Mitchell started off by announcing that Florida was still in the mix and he thanked Georgia coaches (which is the recruiting kiss of death). But in the end Mitchell, who himself said that Alabama had led the whole way in his recruiting, chose Georgia. Mitchell is very interesting because he can go both ways on the field and Rivals has him listed as the #1 CB prospect in the Nation and #30 overall. Recruiting rankings are so subjective but it still feels good when you read that Georgia has Rivals #1 and #3 CB recruits from this years class. But will Mitchell play CB or will he play WR at Georgia? Obviously WR is a little more wide open in the immediate future with the departure of AJ Green and Kris Durham and CB is in decent hands with 3 returning players (Boykin, Commings and Smith). Mitchell caught 77 passes for 1,419 yards and 13 TDs in his senior season. His coach called him "the best athlete I've ever coached." <br />
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Also this week, Georgia scored a commitment from DB Quintavious Harrow, who just happens to be a friend and teammate of Isaiah Crowell. Harrow did not have any previous offers but did take a visit to Alabama on January 14th according to Scout.com. Harrow is undersized at DB but could be an asset in the kick game and on special teams with his 4.4 speed. Some have said that he didn't get any offers because his academic standing was in question until recently. Scout has him listed as a 2-star prospect. Harrow is not somebody who looks to contribute immediately but could be a Tim Jennings or Tyson Browning type down the road (although both of them were rated higher by recruiting services). <br />
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These two kids (Rome and Mitchell) haven't even stepped on campus and we don't know if they will be all they are cracked up to be but it was a feel good moment that Georgia needed. After a dismal season things are starting to look up with the latest flurry of verbal commitments and Texas poaching our OL coach (yes I think this is a positive, the Georgia OL has been awful the last two years and this past season was one of...if not THE...most underperforming units in all of college football). Now we await word on RB Isaiah Crowell, DE Ray Drew and NT John Jenkins. If Georgia lands 2 of those guys then this really might be the "Dream Team" that the Georgia coaches are touting.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-24416555993887573212011-01-20T13:47:00.003-05:002011-01-20T15:24:45.424-05:00Alabama Bric-A-Brac is BackWell, the offseason has thoroughly settled in on us, so it's time for the return of my completely irregular updates on what's happening with Alabama football, or just whatever I think is pertinent to talk about at any given moment. I figured now would be a good time to tie up some loose ends from the past couple of weeks as we get ready for the inevitably wild conclusion of the 2011 recruiting season that will no doubt be fueling the blog for the next week or so.<br /><br />Let's get this started...<br /><br /><strong>The NFL Draft: No Surprises</strong><br /><br />Last time I checked in, we speculated on which Bama juniors would be declaring for the Draft. Three were absolute no-brainers to leave school early, and they did as expected. Marcell Dareus, Julio Jones, and Mark Ingram will all be 1st round picks (probably in that order), so congrats to them. However, there was a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the decisions of Dont'a Hightower, Mark Barron, Courtney Upshaw, and Marquis Maze.<br /><br />Hightower announced his intentions to return to Alabama for his senior(?) season alongside Dareus, Jones, and Ingram, ending that press conference on a somewhat happy note. A week later, Barron held his own presser and also stated he would be returning to school. Neither Upshaw nor Maze made public decisions, but the deadline to declare came and went without either filing their draft papers. I was a bit taken off guard by Maze's decision, as most of the information I was getting said that his mind had been made up to turn pro for some time.<br /><br />All in all, I think everyone made the right decision for their respective careers.<br /><br />I'm really excited about Mark Barron coming back. Due to graduation, attrition, and suspension, the Tide began the 2010 season with only one safety with any significant playing experience (that being Barron). When the Tide begins the 2011 season, the Tide will have FOUR safeties with that experience once Robbie Green returns from his NCAA suspension. The secondary will go from being a major weakness to a major strength next season.<br /><br /><strong>Another Coaching Change: Nick Saban Is Never Surprised</strong><br /><br />In yet another "blink and you'll miss it" shakeup of the coaching staff, offensive line coach Joe Pendry retired and was quickly replaced by Miami (FL) OL coach Jeff Stoutland.<br /><br />Pendry actually came out of retirement to join Nick Saban on his first staff at Alabama. There was a good deal of skepticism surrouding that hire in 2007, but he ultimately silenced his critics when he forged two of the most dominating offensive lines I've ever seen in 2008 and 2009. In addition to being the OL coach, Pendry also served as what you might call an unofficial "co-offensive coordinator" during his time at Bama. It's unclear if Stoutland will serve in a similar capacity, but it's doubtful.<br /><br />I'm not terribly familiar with Stoutland's work, so I don't have much of an opinion on the hire. I will say I wasn't impressed by much of anything that happened at Miami over the past few seasons, but who knows how much of that was top-down incompetence stemming from Sleepyhead Shannon himself. (I'd guess a lot.) All I know is that he was Pendry's recommendation to take over and Saban doesn't miss on hiring assistants too often.<br /><br />So we'll see how it goes. He certainly has big shoes to fill, and I hear Pendry intends to remain in Tuscaloosa in some sort of "advisory role" for the team.<br /><br /><strong>Army High School All-American Game Madness</strong><br /><br />With the lack of any major surprises coming in the form of Draft departures, the biggest tremors felt in the Bama fanbase came at the Army All-American game. The broadcast began with long-time Alabama commit Brent Calloway (then a 5* prospect according to Rivals) publicly decommitted from the Tide and then said he would choose a new college destination later in the game. Which he did...and it was Auburn.<br /><br />So that was weird and just plain sucked. In a later interview concerning his decision, Calloway basically came out and said he had been scared off by Alabama's depth chart. A tweener athlete who played running back and linebacker in high school, Calloway projects very highly as an LB in college and not very highly at all at running back. Bama was offering him the opportunity to at least attempt to play RB first, but Calloway noted Bama's 6 scholarship RBs on the roster and didn't like his odds of getting playing time there. Bama is likewise stacked at linebacker, and, as Calloway noted, they're generally much bigger than him.<br /><br />And with all that in mind, as well as the encouragement of friend and Auburn commit Jonathan Rose, Calloway elected to take his talents to Auburn, where the paths to playing time at running back and linebacker are much clearer.<br /><br />You always hate to lose a great athlete like Calloway, but I have no problem with his decision. I do have an issue with the way he did it, attempting to humiliate Bama on national TV, but...you know...he's a high school kid. They do dumb things. And I have no doubt he was encouraged to do it by some of the sleazebags on the AU staff. Good luck to him.<br /><br />But it wasn't all bad news!<br /><br />After the Calloway business was said and done, the Tide FINALLY nailed down a public commitment from 5* RB and the Army Player of the Year, Dee Hart. Hart has wanted to be at Alabama all along but various issues have always gotten in the way, most recently Hart's desire to be an early enrollee which Bama didn't have room for. But apparently they got that ironed out, and Hart donned the crimson cap, at last. Or rather...he pulled out a Bama hat...said he was going to Bama...and then put the hat on the head of his friend, teammate, fellow 5* prospect, and long-time Bama commit Hasean Clinton-Dix. <br /><br />Quite the bromance those two have.<br /><br /><strong>Good Journey, BJ Scott</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/01/south_alabama_welcomes_four_tr.html">It's official.</a><br /><br />And now for the mea culpa...<br /><br />Okay, last summer I wrote this glowing mini-biography on him: <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2010/06/alabamas-x-factor-bj-scott.html">Alabama's X-Factor: BJ Scott.</a><br /><br />And then a funny thing or two happened on the way to his breakout game. Or two.<br /><br />First and foremost, JUCO transfer Dequan Menzie, once thought lost for the season with an Achilles injury, made a miraculous recovery over the summer and earned one of Bama's 3 primary cornerback spots in fall camp. Saban doesn't sign JUCO players not to play, so it was no surprise a (mostly) healthy Menzie locked up a spot in the playing rotation.<br /><br />At the same time, true freshman Demarcus Milliner had a mental breakthrough and started picking up the defensive schemes quickly. Reportedly, this was the aspect of the game that Scott struggled with the most. And Saban will ALWAYS favor the player who does a better job handling the mental aspect of his scheme. (See also: Milliner's fellow true freshman CJ Mosely leapfrogging several guys at linebacker by displaying a "Rolando-like" grasp of the defense.)<br /><br />And just like that...Scott lost his starting job. By the time fall camp was over, he had even been passed over as (what I would call) the "emergency" corner by LSU-transfer Phelon Jones. He saw extremely limited playing time during the season and ultimately suffered an ankle injury that shut him down at the end. The one bright spot for Scott in 2010, and perhaps in his entire Bama career, was his garbage time interception in the Tennessee game that caused a minor earthquake of jubilation on the Tide sideline.<br /><br />So, I'll just admit it...I was wrong on this one. Horribly wrong. And I'm really disappointed for BJ, who, by all accounts, is a good guy and teammate. Hopefully, he'll have a great two years at South Alabama.<br /><br />Oh, and don't let anyone tell you that he was cast off to make room for new recruits. Completely unfounded. In fact, as recently as a week ago, Saban had met with Scott to try to convince him to stay. Even if he was never going to play a meaningful down at Alabama, you don't get rid of guys with his work ethic and attitude who are as popular with the team as BJ was/is.<br /><br />That said, I think BJ's story serves as a cautionary tale during the Silly Season that is recruiting in January and February. He himself was once a 5* propect on his way to star at one of the most storied programs in college football...Today, he leaves having accomplished nothing individually and will finish his career on an unclassified team that didn't even EXIST when he graduated high school. The moral of the story? Chill OUT, people. I'm as interested in recruiting as the next guy, but keep stuff in perspective. These are kids, and nobody REALLY knows how they're going to turn out in 3 or 4 years time.<br /><br />It's not worth freaking out over if your coveted 5* offensive tackle signs with your hated rival. (Foreshadowing?) It's definitely not worth stalking a kid's Facebook page and posting insults about him. Or whatever.<br /><br /><br /><br />With that in mind, I'll be back some time soon to fuel that insanity with a check-up on Alabama's 2011 recruiting class! Who's coming!? Who's going!? I HAVE THE ANSWERS.J.Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09590351427199777459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-28229912437793347742011-01-19T14:30:00.003-05:002011-01-19T14:37:31.829-05:002011 NFL Mock Draft Version 1<div style="text-align: left;">This is my first offering to this blog and I would like to thank Kevin for the opportunity to post here. I have been posting mocks at various places for the last 7 years so it's always nice to have somewhere new to share my thoughts. This is my first mock post the deadline for underclassmen to declare and I haven't done any descriptions for the picks but they will be coming in the next one after the Super Bowl.<br /><br />1. Carolina Panthers = Nick Fairley DT Auburn (Jr)<br />2. Denver Broncos = Da'Quan Bowers CB Clemson (Jr)<br />3. Buffalo Bills = Blaine Gabbert QB Missouri (Jr)<br />4. Cincinnati Bengals = Robert Quinn DE North Carolina<br />5. Arizona Cardinals = Patrick Peterson CB LSU (Jr)<br />6. Cleveland Browns = A.J. Green WR Georgia (Jr)<br />7. San Francisco 49ers = Prince Amukamara CB Nebraska<br />8. Tennessee Titans = Ryan Mallett QB Arkansas (Jr)<br />9. Dallas Cowboys = Marcel Dareus DE Alabama (Jr)<br />10. Washington Redskins = Cameron Newton QB Auburn (Jr)<br />11. Houston Texans = Cameron Heyward DE Ohio State<br />12. Minnesota Vikings = Adrian Clayborn DE Iowa<br />13. Detroit Lions = Akeem Ayers OLB UCLA<br />14. St. Louis Rams = Julio Jones WR Alabama (Jr)<br />15. Miami Dolphins = Mikel LeShoure HB Illinois (Jr)<br />16. Jacksonville Jaguars = Cameron Jordan DE California<br />17. New England Patriots (through Oakland) = Aldon Smith OLB Missouri (Jr)<br />18. San Diego Chargers = J.J. Watt DE Wisconsin (Jr)<br />19. New York Giants = Derek Sherrod OT Mississippi State<br />20. Tampa Bay Bucs = Ryan Kerrigan DE Purdue<br />21. Kansas City Chiefs = Von Miller OLB Texas A&M<br />22. Indianapolis Colts = Tyron Smith OT USC (Jr)<br />23. Philadelphia Eagles = Jimmy Smith CB Colorado<br />24. New Orleans Saints = Mark Ingram HB Alabama (Jr)<br />25. Seattle Seahawks = Corey Liuget DT Illinois (Jr)<br />26. Baltimore Ravens = Gabe Carimi OT Wisconsin<br />27. Atlanta Falcons = Justin Houston DE Georgia (Jr)<br />28. New England Patriots = Anthony Castonzo OT Boston College<br />29. Chicago Bears = Jonathan Baldwin WR Pittsburgh (Jr)<br />30. New York Jets = Torrey Smith WR Maryland (Jr)<br />31. Green Bay Packers = Mike Pouncey OG Florida<br />32. Pittsburgh Steelers = Marcus Cannon OT TCU<br /><br />Top 5 available on my big board<br /><br />Kyle Rudolph TE Notre Dame<br />Martez Wilson MLB Illinois<br />Stephen Paea DT Oregon State<br />Stefen Wisniewski OC Penn State<br />Rahim Moore FS UCLA</div>Kris Zellnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01251555050992575448noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-74713302232009608132011-01-18T20:12:00.001-05:002011-01-18T20:13:41.178-05:00Northwestern Wildcats: 2010 Exit Survey2010 CFBZ Prediction: 6th Place in Big Ten<br />
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 7th Place in Big Ten (7-6, 3-5)<br />
<br />
Northwestern finished just about where we thought they would this year. They beat up on some inferior opponents to start the season 5-0. Then they lost a game at home to a Purdue team that would finish 4-8. The Purdue loss was definitely their worst loss and stands out when looking at their season. After going 5-0 to start, Northwestern finished up 2-6 in their last 8. The high point of the season was beating Iowa, then ranked #13, 21-17. However, the win was bittersweet as the Wildcats also lost their dynamic QB Dan Persa in that game and without him finished the season 0-3 including losses in very winnable games against Illinois and Texas Tech. To find out more about the 2010 Northwestern Wildcats we reached out to the Northwestern blog <a href="http://www.laketheposts.com/">Lake The Posts</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>1. In our Pre-Season Preview you said 8-4 would be a very successful season and anything less than 7-5 would be a major disappointment. Northwestern finished 7-5 in the regular season (7-6 after the bowl). How do you feel now that the season is over? Was this season a success, a failure or somewhere in between?</b></i><br />
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Somewhere in between. Overall, a disappointment as we continued the nation's current longest bowl losing streak. I'm always one to not use injuries as an excuse as they are part of the game. I think NU's inability to still have the "put teams away" demeanor is the most disheartening. Clearly the emergence of Dan Persa was THE storyline of the season as 'Cats fans believe we have a legitimate Heisman candidate in 2011. Without Persa I shudder to think how far we would've fallen after 2009.<br />
<br />
If I had to fairly go back in time and assess expectations for the 2010 season it would go something like this:<br />
<br />
1) Confident at QB and skill position players b/c we've proven we can reload at both in our spread system. Fitz was very confident in Persa and we believed.<br />
<br />
2010 post analysis - spot on and even bested expectations.<br />
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2) OL should be a strength as we return everyone and RB game has to be better since Fitz put it as a point of emphasis and he believed it was much improved.<br />
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2010 post analysis - pretty big disappointment. The OL struggled in pass protection and our run game, while OK by committee and overall stats really was a trial and error experiment.<br />
<br />
3) Defense - some pretty big question marks as our secondary is the most suspect and replacing Corey Wootton at DE will be a tall task. LB should be good though.<br />
<br />
2010 post analysis - biggest disappointment. NU gave up 550+ yards in total offense in last three games - all post-Persa and all losses. We ranked 97th in total defense and simply lacked the ability to do some very basic fundamentals like wrap guys up when we had them. Our pass rush was God-awful.<br />
<br />
4) Special Teams - Our punting is pretty bad and kick coverage has been an Achilles heel but hopefully Stefan Demos will recover from the Outback Bowl and have a bang-up year.<br />
<br />
2010 post analysis: aside from placekicking where Demos played injured all year and struggled on FGs and PATs, it was a night-and-day improvement. Brandon Williams was an unsung hero as a punter and our return game, ignited by Venric Mark shows huge promise for the future, while our kick coverage teams might be the most improved unit on the field.<br />
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<i><b>2. What were your favorite memories from this season?</b></i><br />
<br />
In no particular order, yet another "upset" against Iowa in a classic performance by Dan Persa, being up 21-0 at Penn State and having Sean McDonough gushing about the level of athleticism at NU.<br />
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<i><b>3. Which players surprised you the most this season?</b></i><br />
<br />
In general, I'm going to go with the true freshmen on this one. Fitz is a vocal proponent of redshirting so for him to play a true freshman it takes a lot. Fitz unleashed many frosh this season and they were impact players like WR Rashad Lawrence, WR Tony Jones, KR/PR/WR Venric Mark, RB Adonis Smith and DT Will Hampton. Its great to visibly see so much improved talent on the field and really bodes well for the future.<br />
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<i><b>4. Who are you looking most forward to watching next season?</b></i><br />
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Obviously all eyes are on the recovery of Dan Persa which is reportedly ahead of schedule. I'm looking forward to Adonis Smith making a big jump at RB next year with a full off-season to really dive deep in to the system. We're all sitting back arms crossed waiting for someone, anyone to step up and lead this team on defense.<br />
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<i><b>5. Northwestern has been placed in a division with Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Nebraska. Where do you think Northwestern fits in and what do they need to do this off-season to move up the ladder in their division?</b></i><br />
<br />
I think most objective fans would look at the end of 2010 and say the projected order of finish for 2011 would be:<br />
1)Nebraska<br />
2)Iowa<br />
3)MSU<br />
4)Northwestern<br />
5)Michigan<br />
6)Minnesota<br />
<br />
However, I'm not objective. With Persa returning as a senior captain, this has the makings of one of those once every 3-4 year jump years where NU actually competes for the top of the pack in Big Ten play. MSU and Iowa are both realistic to overtake in 2011 and a 2nd place finish isn't unrealistic. However, that will rely on us converting all of our productive offense into 7 points instead of 3 points on drives and of course a defense that can prove it can make a few stops in key spots. I put the bar of success season at 9-3 in the regular season and that includes a couple of non-conference gut check road games at Boston College and Army - both bowl teams in 2010. NU catches a schedule break in 2011 with no Ohio State, no Wisconsin (we also unfortunately lose Purdue) with 3 of the 8 opponents experiencing year one coaching changes (Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana). You can't ask for a better schedule.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-68468587611470455832011-01-18T19:34:00.000-05:002011-01-18T19:34:13.357-05:00Final 2010/2011 CFBZ Top 25 Poll<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 446px;"><col style="width: 34pt;" width="45"></col> <col style="width: 88pt;" width="117"></col> <col style="width: 38pt;" width="50"></col> <col style="width: 146pt;" width="195"></col> <col style="width: 29pt;" width="39"></col> <tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td height="20" style="height: 15pt; width: 34pt;" width="45"><br />
</td> <td style="width: 88pt;" width="117"><br />
</td> <td class="xl68" style="width: 38pt;" width="50"><u>W-L</u></td> <td class="xl65" style="width: 146pt;" width="195"><u>Final Game</u></td> <td class="xl68" style="width: 29pt;" width="39"><u>PR</u></td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">1</td> <td>Auburn</td> <td class="xl67">14-0</td> <td>beat #3 Oregon 22-19</td> <td class="xl64">1</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">2</td> <td>TCU</td> <td class="xl67">13-0</td> <td>beat #6 Wisconsin 21-19</td> <td class="xl64">3</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">3</td> <td>Oregon</td> <td class="xl67">12-1</td> <td>lost to #1 Auburn 22-19</td> <td class="xl64">2</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">4</td> <td>Stanford</td> <td class="xl67">12-1</td> <td>beat #15 VT 40-12</td> <td class="xl64">5</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">5</td> <td>Ohio State</td> <td class="xl67">12-1</td> <td>beat #12 Arkansas 31-26</td> <td class="xl64">6</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">6</td> <td>Wisconsin</td> <td class="xl67">11-2</td> <td>lost to #2 TCU 21-19</td> <td class="xl64">4</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">7</td> <td>Oklahoma</td> <td class="xl67">12-2</td> <td>beat Uconn 48-20</td> <td class="xl64">9</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">8</td> <td>LSU</td> <td class="xl67">11-2</td> <td>beat #18 Texas A&M 41-24</td> <td class="xl64">11</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">9</td> <td>Alabama</td> <td class="xl67">10-3</td> <td>beat #14 Mich State 49-7</td> <td class="xl64">10</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">10</td> <td>Nevada</td> <td class="xl67">13-1</td> <td>beat Boston College 20-13</td> <td class="xl64">12</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">11</td> <td>Boise State</td> <td class="xl67">12-1</td> <td>beat #25 Utah 26-3</td> <td class="xl64">13</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">12</td> <td>Arkansas</td> <td class="xl67">10-3</td> <td>lost to #5 Ohio St 31-26</td> <td class="xl64">7</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">13</td> <td>Oklahoma St</td> <td class="xl67">11-2</td> <td>beat Arizona 36-10</td> <td class="xl64">16</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">14</td> <td>Mich State</td> <td class="xl67">11-2</td> <td>lost to #9 Alabama 49-7</td> <td class="xl64">8</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">15</td> <td>Virginia Tech</td> <td class="xl67">11-3</td> <td>lost to #4 Stanford 40-12</td> <td class="xl64">14</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">16</td> <td>FSU</td> <td class="xl67">10-4</td> <td>beat #19 South Carolina 26-17</td> <td class="xl64">23</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">17</td> <td>Miss State</td> <td class="xl67">9-4</td> <td>beat Michigan 52-14</td> <td class="xl64">21</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">18</td> <td>Texas A&M</td> <td class="xl67">9-4</td> <td>lost to #8 LSU 41-24</td> <td class="xl64">18</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">19</td> <td>South Carolina</td> <td class="xl67">9-5</td> <td>lost to #16 FSU 26-17</td> <td class="xl64">19</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">20</td> <td>Nebraska</td> <td class="xl67">10-4</td> <td>lost to Washington 19-7</td> <td class="xl64">15</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">21</td> <td>Missouri</td> <td class="xl67">10-3</td> <td>lost to Iowa 27-24</td> <td class="xl64">17</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">22</td> <td>UCF</td> <td class="xl67">11-3</td> <td>beat Georgia 10-6</td> <td class="xl64">24</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">23</td> <td>Maryland</td> <td class="xl67">9-4</td> <td>beat East Carolina 51-20</td> <td class="xl64">-</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">24</td> <td>NC State</td> <td class="xl67">9-4</td> <td>beat West Virginia 23-7</td> <td class="xl64">-</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">25</td> <td>Utah</td> <td class="xl67">10-3</td> <td>lost to #11 Boise St 26-3</td> <td class="xl64">22</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><br />
</td> <td><br />
</td> <td><br />
</td> <td><br />
</td> <td><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td colspan="6" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">Dropped Out: West Virginia, Hawaii</td> <td><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><br />
</td> <td><br />
</td> <td><br />
</td> <td><br />
</td> <td><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"> <td colspan="7" height="20" style="height: 15pt;">Also Receiving Votes: Miami (Oh), Air Force, Tulsa, Iowa, West Virginia</td> </tr>
</tbody></table>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-44182448791287748732011-01-17T10:34:00.000-05:002011-01-17T10:34:16.646-05:00Michigan Wolverines: 2010 Exit Survey2010 CFBZ Prediction: 7th Place in Big Ten<br />
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 7th Place in Big Ten (7-6, 3-5)<br />
<br />
Michigan has started out the last two years looking like it might be ready to turn the corner under Rich Rodriguez. Both years they beat Notre Dame and this year they added a season starting win over eventual Big East and BCS Bowl Invitee Connecticut. QB Denard Robinson broke out and finished 2nd in the Big Ten with 1702 yards rushing (only 4 yards behind Illinois Mikel Leshoure). Robinson also passed for over 2500 yards. Michigan offense finished 13th in the Nation in rushing yards and 25th in the Nation in points scored. Sounds good right? Well, Michigan lost 6 of their last 8 games to finish 7-6 and their season was capped off when they were annihilated by Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl 52-14 (but this isn't your father's Mississippi State...this is Dan Mullen's Mississippi State). So what happened? For the most part it was a lack of defense. Michigan ranked 107th in scoring defense, 95th in rushing defense, and 112th in passing defense. It's tough to win football games when you are giving up over 30+ points per game (in their 6 losses the least amount of points they gave up with 34 to Michigan State). RichRod was shown the door and Michigan brought in San Diego State Coach Brady Hoke to take the helm. <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2011/01/brady-hoke-at-michiganwill-it-work.html">We have some thoughts up here on Brady Hoke if you'd like to click over and read them</a>. For some up close information about the Wolverines 2010 season we once again partnered with the with the colorful Michigan blog <a href="http://midnightmaize.blogspot.com/">Midnight Maize</a> to get their thoughts.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>1. Michigan went 7-6 this year. You predicted 7-5 or 8-4 for the regular season. Was this season a success, a failure or somewhere in between?</b></i><br />
<br />
It was success on the individual level and failure on a team level. We discovered that Denard Robinson is pretty good. Denard went on to break records and made us worth watching. He went on to win some Big Ten awards and to give us a ray of hope for the next 2 years. Michigan failed on a team level. Only beating teams that were avg to bad and being pounded by the good to very good teams. Struggled again in the Big Ten. Defense was a mess all over the field while being blown off the field in the bowl game. In the end the coach gets fired. It was a huge failure on many levels. <br />
<br />
<i><b>2. Obviously the most glaring weakness for the Wolverines was their inability to stop anybody's offense. What are the biggest changes that need to be made on the defensive side of the football?</b></i><br />
<br />
Lets just put this out there. The defense is a complete mess from A to Z. Some kids have switched positions so many times that they just aren't good at what they are suppose to do. We have also changed our base defense so many times that the kids are always thinking instead of playing. We will be on our 3rd D-Cord in the last 4 years. We have recruited kids who have either busted out (Justin Turner) or haven't had an impact at all (Big Will,was changed to the OL). The best thing that we could do is to have the D-cord stick around for more than 2 years and to recruit kids by position and keep them there. Rich Rod would recruit a WR and move him to safety or have a guy like Craig Roh play LBer when he was clearly better at DE and played that in high school. They really can't get worse from 108th in total defense. I expect some improvement under Hoke since he seems to give a crap about what happens on that side of the ball. Seeing the defense force a punt once in a while will be a nice welcome. <br />
<br />
<i><b>3. What are you favorite memories from this past season?</b></i><br />
<br />
It was the Notre Dame game and the Illinois game. I was at the Illinois game and had great seats at the 40 and close to the field. Watching a 67-65 thriller is pretty fun. It was more than likely Tate Forcier's last great moment at Michigan. The ND game was Denards coming out party. He ran wild for 847927 yards and put the nation on notice that Michigan had a new QB. ND win was great at the time also for the fact that we still had hope at that point and no one really knew how bad the defense was at that point (ignorance is bliss). <br />
<br />
<i><b>4. If you could have a do-over from any game, which one would it be?</b></i><br />
<br />
PSU game. I feel like that was the start of the end for Rich Rod. You could feel it slipping away at that point. PSU was a shell of its self from the previous year. Evan Royster was having an awful year and than he shows up and runs wild on Michigan. The team just put in a terrible effort. I look at that game as the game Rich Rod was put on notice. It only got worse from there.<br />
<br />
<i><b>5. Michigan finished only 3-5 in the conference. What does it need to do this off-season to get back in contention with the Ohio State and Wisconsin?</b></i><br />
<br />
5. Michigan is light years behind OSU. Michigan is is pretty far behind Wisconsin at this point too. We are sorta starting over again with Brady Hoke. He has a lot better roster to work with which is the upside. Rich Rod was given a walk on and Steven Threet for a QB and was told to win anyway. Hoke will have some weapons. We still need to recruit some better horses on defense (not gonna happen in this class) and just have some stability for the next few years and we will be with OSU again. I wish I could tell you it was just the young secondary or the bad LBing coaching but its so many things that its gonna take a season to figure out and fix. This fresh start was the right call. I look forward to us finally getting better and not just on one side of the ball.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-73917482785369265642011-01-16T23:51:00.004-05:002011-01-17T00:00:25.561-05:00Recruiting: Who Can Make An Immediate Impact in 2011?The day for underclassmen to declare their desire to play in the NFL has passed. Now the attention turns to filling vacant coaching positions and recruiting. As technology and the internet has expanded, recruiting has taken on a bigger and bigger role with fans. There are countless sites devoted to recruiting that fans pay their hard earned dollars to in order to get an inside view of players that their team is recruiting. Recruiting has turned into a big business. But it's still hit and miss and not all of these prospects are going to pay dividends immediately, several need time to mature and also need opportunity. For the purpose of this blog I'm going to use the ESPN 150 as a point of reference. Looking back at the Top 10 over the last few years it's a pretty impressive list. <br />
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2007- Joe McKnight, Eric Berry, Noel Devine, Terrance Toliver, Jimmy Clausen<br />
2008- Da'Quan Bowers, Julio Jones, Terrell Pryor, A.J. Green, Patrick Peterson<br />
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As fans we look at these recruits and a lot of times expect them to come in and play at a high level right out of the box. Sometimes that happens but other times it takes the right kid, the right situation (playing time, coaching staff, etc) and the right position (some positions are easier to come in and start at than others). Right now 5 of the Top 10 ESPNU Top 150 have not verbally committed. But how many of these guys can come in and have an immediate impact for your team next year? Let's take a look back at the <a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/recruiting/top150prospects/_/class/2010">Top 10 of the ESPNU 150 Class of 2010</a> and see how they did in their Freshman seasons.<br />
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#1 Ronald Powell, Florida (ATH/DE)<br />
Played in 13 games; had 16 solo tackles (25 total), 1 sack and 2.5 TFL<br />
Named to Coaches SEC All-Freshmen Team <br />
Named to Phil Steele's Postseason All-Freshman 5th Team<br />
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#2 Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas (DE)<br />
Played in 8 games; had 6 solo tackles (13 total tackles), 1.5 sacks and 3 TFL <br />
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#3 Dominique Easley, Florida (DT)<br />
Played in 7 games; had 1 solo tackle (4 total tackles)<br />
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#4 Jordan Hicks, Texas (OLB)<br />
Played in 12 games; had 9 solo tackles (21 total tackles), 1 sack and 1 TFL<br />
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#5 Michael Dyer, Auburn (RB)<br />
182 rushes for 1093 yds, 6.0 ypc and 5 TD<br />
Named to Coaches All-SEC Freshman Team<br />
Named to Phil Steele's Postseason All-Freshman 2nd Team<br />
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#6 Lemarcus Joyner, FSU (CB)<br />
Played in 14 games; had 18 solo tackles (23 total) with 1 interception<br />
returned 16 kickoffs for and avg of 20.5 yds/return<br />
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#7 Robert Woods, USC (WR)<br />
65 receptions for 792 yds and 6 TD<br />
led team in receptions and receiving yds <br />
Named to Phil Steele's Postseason All-Freshman 1st Team<br />
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#8 Seantreal Henderson, Miami Fl (OT)<br />
Named to Phil Steele's 2010 Postseason All-Freshman 2nd Team <br />
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#9 Matt Elam, Florida (ATH/SS)<br />
Played in 13 games; had 16 solo tackles (22 total), 1 sack and 3 TFL<br />
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#10 Jonathan Dowling, Florida (S)<br />
appeared in two games before being kicked off the team in November<br />
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Let's remember that these are just stats from these prospects Freshman years and these guys have several great years in front of them. That being said, from a fans prospective- which is looking for who can have an immediate impact for my team- it's more likely that you need to look at offensive skill positions (see: Michael Dyer and Robert Woods) to find guys that can really come in and make a significant impact in their freshman seasons. You can also look further down the ESPNU 150 to find more examples of this. South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore was the #19 prospect on this list and he had an outstanding season rushing for over 1100 yards and helping to lead the Gamecocks to an SEC East Championship. The #26 prospect WR Justin Hunter (Tennessee) came in and caught 7 TD passes.<br />
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Looking at <a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/recruiting/top150prospects/_/class/2011">this years ESPNU 150</a> from the perspective that the skill position players have a better chance to make a major impact we are left with 3 running backs (when looking at the Top 10). Isaiah Crowell is the #5 prospect and is still deciding between Georgia and Alabama. Malcolm Brown is #7 and is verbally committed to Texas and Aaron Green is #10 and a verbal commit to Nebraska. Out of the Top 10 those are the players that are most likely to come in and have an immediate impact. It really doesn't mean anything until these guys step on campus and their coaches see if they are ready to play but I thought it was interesting to look back at who had a big immediate impact from last years 2010 ESPNU Top 150 and what that might mean for 2011.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-70602067090185648082011-01-16T10:51:00.001-05:002011-01-16T10:51:56.562-05:00This Week In College Football: Auburn Wins The ChampionshipEach week during the off-season I will be doing a new feature that will simply be called "This Week In College Football". We will cover the biggest news and stories of the past week and give some opinions and analysis. <br />
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<b>AUBURN 22 OREGON 19</b><br />
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The biggest story of the week was the National Championship Game on Monday night and it was a good one. Everyone expected an offensive shootout but what happened was actually a defensive battle. Auburn was held 19 points below their season average and Oregon was held 28 points below theirs. Auburn hitman/assassin Nick (Un)Fairley was a beast and was a difference maker in this game. Cam Newton has really been a one-man wrecking crew for Auburn this year but on this day it was Freshman Michael Dyer, who spurned the home state advances of Bobby Petrino and Arkansas in recruiting to choose Auburn, who made the biggest play when it needed to be made. The SEC is now 7-0 in BCS Championship Games and has won the last 5. The SEC is simply dominant when it comes to the National Championship Game. Who will be the next team to step up? I'm thinking LSU or a return for Alabama.<br />
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<b>SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?</b><br />
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If I go there will be trouble...and if I stay it will be double. Saturday was the last day for underclassmen to declare themselves eligible for the NFL Draft. <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2011/01/staying-in-school-who-will-have-biggest.html">Earlier today I took a look at those who stayed who will have the biggest impact on their teams next year</a>. So who are the top guys who decided to head for the NFL? Let's start with the National Champion Auburn Tigers. QB Cam Newton and DT Nick Fairley are both headed to the NFL. My blog mate Ross believes this may not be that bad for the Tigers as it opens up a lot of cap space for them (cue the laugh track). Staying in the SEC you have a "Who's Who" of college players who will be going pro...Randall Cobb, Marcell Dareus, A.J. Green, Justin Houston, Mark Ingram, Julio Jones, Ryan Mallett, Patrick Peterson and Stevan Ridley. I wouldn't mind starting an NFL team with that talent. So who was hit hardest by the defections? Was it Missouri who losses QB Blaine Gabbert (who CBS Sportsline has listed as their #1 QB), Pitt (who lose a RB, a FB and a WR), Georgia (who losses it's best offensive and defensive player), Alabama (who loses Julio Jones, Mark Ingram and Marcell Dareus). Nope, it's Auburn as they lose Cam Newton and Nick Fairley. Without those guys Auburn probably finishes anywhere from 3rd to 5th in a tough SEC West. Clemson losing RB Jamie Harper and DE Da'Quan Bowers hurts, but let's be honest...Clemson wasn't any good with those guys. Ryan Mallett leaving Arkansas was expected, it will be interesting to see how his replacement does in Petrino-land. <a href="http://www.mockingthedraft.com/2011/1/15/1937250/its-nfl-draft-declaration-day-see-whos-in-and-who-were-waiting-on">SB Nation's Mocking the Draft has a pretty good list of who's going to the NFL, so check them out. </a><br />
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<b>COACHING SHUFFLE</b><br />
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The biggest opening this off-season was Florida and Michigan. <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2010/12/will-muschamp-to-florida.html">Florida was filled early by a high profile assistant</a> and <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2011/01/brady-hoke-at-michiganwill-it-work.html">Michigan made a surprising choice that you can read about right here</a>. Pitt named their second coach since firing Dave Wannstedt as they went for Todd Graham of Tulsa. Graham was 36-17 at Tulsa including 3 10-win seasons. Tulsa posted some impressive offensive stats last year (6th in points, 13th in passing yards and 15th in rushing yards). I like the hire. On the flip side Connecticut decided to go for a guy who has been in the Big East before. They chose Paul Pasqualoni. Pasqualoni had some success at Syracuse in his first 8 years but was shown the door after going 16-20 in his last 3 years. I'm not a huge fan of the hire. When I look at the UConn job, I think young up-and-coming coach, I don't think of hiring a guy who was DC for an NFL team that went 6-10. <br />
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<b>WHO'S THE EARLY PICK FOR 2011?</b><br />
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The National Championship is just days old, underclassmen have declared their eligibility for the NFL Draft and recruiting is in it's last (but very important) stage. So it's only natural for us to start picking next years #1 team. Without analyzing schedules or recruiting there are definitely a few teams that I like. You have to pick someone from the SEC so right now I'll go with the tandem of LSU/Alabama. I really like what Oklahoma has coming back so they are in the Top 5. Don't forget about Oregon, they still look dangerous. That's my quickee top 4 right now. I also like Oklahoma State and Boise State but I'm not in love with them...yet.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-38292116823337996872011-01-16T09:50:00.001-05:002011-01-16T09:50:52.379-05:00South Carolina Gamecocks: 2010 Exit Survey2010 CFBZ Prediction: 3rd Place in SEC East<br />
2010 Actual Finish: 1st Place in SEC East (9-5, 5-3)<br />
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In 2010 the South Carolina Gamecocks finally reached the top of the SEC East. Thanks to down years from Florida, Georgia and Tennessee and wins over all of those teams the Gamecocks finally took their turn at the top in their half of the SEC. South Carolina had some big wins this year with the biggest coming against Alabama as they knocked off the #1 team in the country. Freshman RB Marcus Lattimore was amazing at times, finishing 3rd in the SEC in rushing yards, and showed how one guy at a skill position can really make a difference for a team. The other guy who should be singled out is Alshon Jeffrey. In a league of stud receivers (A.J. Green, Julio Jones, Randall Cobb, etc) Jeffrey led the league in receptions, receiving yards and TD receptions. 2010 ended on a sour note for the Gamecocks as they got spanked by eventual National Champion Auburn 56-17 in the SEC Championship Game and then lost to FSU in the Chik-fil-A Bowl 26-17. Those two losses might just help to keep the Gamecocks heads on straight going into next year as they challenge for their second consecutive SEC East Crown. We caught up with South Carolina blog <a href="http://leftoverhotdog.com/">Leftover Hot Dog</a> to find out their thoughts on the Gamecocks of 2010.<br />
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<i><b>Despite ending the season on a down note (losses to Auburn and FSU) South Carolina finally broke through and won the SEC East. What were your favorite memories from the season?</b></i><br />
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Doing the impossible...beating then number one Alabama at home on national tv, beating Florida in the "Swamp" for the first time to claim the SEC East and then taking part in the SEC Championship Game itself. Those are my favorite things about 2010 Gamecock football and what will be used to build the program. <br />
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<i><b>Which player was the biggest surprise of the season?</b></i><br />
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The biggest surprise was the quick development of Marcus Lattimore. Everyone knew he was good coming out of high school but he was really good his freshman season at USC. He is one of the main reasons South Carolina had a special season. He accounted for 19 USC touchdowns and won many postseason Freshman of the Year awards. Safe to say, he is the real deal and will be a topic of conversation in 2011.<br />
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<i><b>Which player are you most excited about for next season?</b></i><br />
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I could say Marcus Lattimore or potential USC recruit Jadeveon Clowney but I will go with Alshon Jeffery. The Gamecocks key passing target was another reason the Gamecocks had success in 2010 and are primed for more good things in 2011. The wideout can catch anything and has the speed to stretch the field. He had 88 catches for 1,517 yards and 9 TDs in 2010. Expect even more in 2011 as he will claim sole possession of the "Best WR in SEC" title now UGA's Green is gone. <br />
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<i><b>Stephen Garcia has one more year in Columbia. Is he the man next year or will we continue to see more of Connor Shaw?</b></i><br />
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Stephen Garcia is someone you love and hate. 2010 was a great year for him as he threw for 3,059 yards and 20 TDs. But the backup QB is the most loved player and Connor Shaw has the talent to lead the team. I don't see it happening in 2011, at least to start. This is Garcia's team and he guided them to the SEC Championship. You will see Connor Shaw get a chance but I feel Garcia will get the nod to begin 2011 as the QB for Coach Spurrier. Now will Garcia hold onto the starting spot...well that is up to Garcia.<br />
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<i><b>5. What does South Carolina need to improve the most this off-season to try and retain their SEC East Title?</b></i><br />
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South Carolina needs to add depth all around, improve linebacker play, get the secondary playing better as a unit, improve the offensive line and not be satisfied with what was accomplished in 2010. Do all that and hello SEC title as Carolina will return a lot of talent and the SEC East is still building so the opportunity to repeat as champs is present in 2011.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-44142404554538431012011-01-16T01:17:00.003-05:002011-01-16T23:55:16.484-05:00Staying In School: Who Will Have The Biggest ImpactEvery year college players have the chance to realize their dreams and cash in on a potentially lucrative career by taking their talents to the NFL. Let's take a look at some of the guys who passed up the possibility of declaring for the NFL draft in order to stay in school and possibly help lead their teams to Conference and National Championships.<br />
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1. Justin Blackmon and Brandon Wheedon, Oklahoma State- Okie State was picked by everybody to finish near the bottom of the Big 12 South this year. But led by Brandon Wheedon, Justin Blackmon and Kendall Hunter they put up the 2nd most points in College Football and passed for the 3rd most yards. As a redshirt sophomore Justin Blackmon emerged as one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the land. In 12 games he caught 111 balls for 1782 yards and 20 TD. He finished 1st in the Nation in TD receptions, 1st in Receiving Yards per game, 2nd in Total Receiving Yards, 2nd in Receptions per Game and 3rd in Total Receptions. To say it was a break-out season would be a huge understatement. In 2009 Brandon Wheedon backed up Zac Robinson and only threw 24 passes all season. This year he got his opportunity and did not waste it. Wheedon put up 4277 yards passing (2nd to only Landry Jones in Big 12 land) and was the highest rated passer in the pass happy Big 12. I'm not sure about how valued Wheedon is by the NFL, especially since he's a 27 year old college QB, but getting both of these guys to come back to school (especially Blackmon) was a huge coo for Mike Gundy. Now the biggest question is how the Cowboys offense will function with Dana Holgerson moving on to West Virginia. <br />
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2. Andrew Luck, Stanford- This was the most surprising of all as Luck was thought by many to be the #1 overall pick in the draft. Luck would be my #1 with a bullet if Jim Harbaugh had come back to coach Stanford. Stanford did stay in house with their coaching choice to replace Harbaugh by picking Offensive Coordinator David Shaw. Keeping the offense in tact will be huge for Shaw and Luck. Luck was the third highest rated passer in the Nation (behind some guys named Cam Newton and Kellen Moore) and also led the Pac-10 in Passing Yards and TD. I think it's safe to say that Stanford is here to stay (at least for another year).<br />
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3. Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma- Oklahoma went 12-2 this year and won the Big 12 Championship. Now they are poised for a run at the National Championship and Broyles coming back gives them the shot in the arm that they might just need to get them over the hump. Broyles led the Nation last year with 131 catches and helped Landry Jones become a much better QB in 2010. Broyles also led the Nation with 9.4 receptions per game, that's an incredible number and Big 12 defenses are going to have their hands full with Broyles and the Sooners offense next year.<br />
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4. Kellen Moore, Boise State- Ok, so maybe he's not widely coveted by the NFL. But we still see guys go pro that have no business doing so. Moore is only listed as 6'0" so maybe he's not the typical NFL QB but he sure is the cog that keeps Boise State going. This year the Broncos lose their top two receiving targets in Titus Young and Austin Pettis (both reeled in 71 catches last year) so keeping Moore is huge for maintaining the offense and breaking in some new targets. Moore's stats are as impressive as any other QB in College Football. Over the last two years he has passed for over 7000 yards and has 74 TD and only 9 Interceptions.<br />
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5. Case Keenum, Houston- This isn't the typical staying in school but Keenum was a 5th year senior who suffered a torn ACL and missed the last 9 games of last season. Without Keenum, Houston finished the season winning just 3 of their last 9 and concluded the season with a record of 5-7. With Keenum they went 10-4 in 2009. In the two years spanning 2008 and 2009 Keenum passed for over 10,000 yards and posted 44 TD in both of those seasons. If nothing else, Keenum provides us bloggers and sports writers some stats to drool over. Keenum was granted a 6th season by the NCAA and this guy is looking forward to watching it.<br />
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6. Jared Crick, Nebraska- There are some good defensive players who passed up the draft but this one might have the biggest impact. Last year Crick posted 70 total tackles (3rd on the team), 14.5 tackles for loss (5th in the Big 12) and 9.5 sacks (2nd in the Big 12). Nebraska was 9th in scoring defense last year in the Nation but their offense faltered and they fell to defeat in 3 of their last 4 games. With Crick coming back Nebraska doesn't need to worry about their DL as they prepare for their first game in their inaugural season in the Big 10. <br />
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Honorable Mention: Michael Floyd/Notre Dame, Mark Barron/Alabama, Janoris Jenkins/Florida, LaMichael James/Oregon, Russell Wilson/NC StateKevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-23225675879233969062011-01-13T22:44:00.012-05:002011-01-13T22:54:31.995-05:00Brady Hoke at Michigan...Will It Work?The Michigan Head Coaching position is one of the best gigs in all of College Football. Michigan has a long and storied history but recently it's fallen on hard times. From 1969 to 1989 Bo Schembechler won 79% of his games and won 13 Conference Titles in 21 years. Lloyd Carr won 5 Conference Titles in 13 years, and a National Championship, but began to tail off towards the end of his run (and the fact that he lost 6 of his last 7 games to rival Ohio State did not help) and ended up "retiring". Being the Head Coach at Michigan is serious business. The Wolverines brought in Rich Rodriguez from West Virginia thinking that he would take the Big Ten by storm with his offensive acumen. In his 3rd year at the helm, Rich Rod's offense did finally take off (placing 13th in the Nation in rushing yards, 36th in passing yards and 25th in points per game). But unfortunately, the defense that was put on the field never gave the Wolverines a chance to win a big game. Rich Rod finished his 3rd year with a 15-22 mark, the worst winning percentage in Michigan history. So who would replace Rich Rod?<br />
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There was a great discussion a week or two ago on the fantastic Barnhardt & Durham show (airs on 790 the zone in Atlanta 10am to 1pm) that discussed the Michigan coaching position. The take was that they needed a larger than life persona to take over and be successful at Michigan. A guy like a Nick Saban or an Urban Meyer (not that those guys were mentioned in connection with the job...but those types of guys), a guy that would be in complete control of the program from the out-set. A guy with unquestioned clout and an ability to instantly be "The Man" when put in front of the players, the media, the administration, the recruits, the boosters, etc. Maybe I'm taking it out of context or I'm mis-remembering (too many steroids when I was pitching for the Red Sox) but that's who they thought Michigan needed. A guy like Jim Harbaugh. Well, Harbaugh ended up in the NFL and Michigan went out and hired Brady Hoke.<br />
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Wait a minute? Who is Brady Hoke? Hoke is, believe it or not, a man who coached under Lloyd Carr. Remember Carr, the guy that was pushed into "retiring"? Kind of a strange hire for such a prestigious position at one of the elite College Football franchises. But I'm not here to bash Brady Hoke. He could turn out to be a great coach for Michigan and a great hire. Hell, look at Gene Chizik. Everybody hated that hire and look at it now. Brady Hoke has been a Head Coach at Ball State and San Diego State. At Ball State he went 34-38 but did go 12-1 in his final year. At San Diego State he went 13-12 going 9-4 last year. As a Head Coach he is 47-50 overall. For one of the most prestigious coaching jobs in College Football it's weird that they <strike>settled </strike>went with a guy who hasn't even won half of the games he coached (and at schools that were not in a BCS Conference). It sounds like I'm trying to bash the guy but really I'm just listing his record and scratching my head a little. But hey, that Gene Chizik guy was 5-19 at Iowa State.<br />
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Just like we did with the <a href="http://collegefootballzealots.blogspot.com/2010/12/steve-adazzio-to-temple-good-hire-or.html">Steve Adazzio hire at Temple</a> I decided to get some input from around the country that might be a little closer to the situation that I am. Here is what they had to say:<br />
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<b><a href="http://toddkaufmann.blogspot.com/">Todd Kaufmann</a> (Columnist for Sports Page Dallas and an expert on all things San Diego):</b><br />
<div><i>Brady Hoke is not the name Michigan fans wanted and while I can't really blame their frustration I do think he'll do better than a lot of people expect. Hoke knows this program. He coached under Lloyd Carr from 1997-2002 so he's not a rookie to this program or its pressures. However, being a head coach at San Diego State is nothing like being the head coach at Michigan. A lot is going to be expected of him right off the bat. I think any less than 8 wins next season will bring the program and the athletic director under fire again.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.blackheartgoldpants.com/"><b>Ross (From SB Nation's Iowa Blog Black Heart Gold Pants):</b> </a></div><div><div><i>Brady Hoke seems like both a safe and a risky hire. It's safe in that he has experience rebuilding programs (Ball State, San Diego State), he has history with Michigan that should appease many of the traditionalists, and his teams tend to play a style of football that's long proven to be effective in the Big Ten. But it's risky in that he's never succeeded at this level (and his success at his past destinations is mitigated by the fact that he still has a sub-.500 career record and only a handful of good seasons), he's never recruited at this level (except as an assistant coach), and he inherits a program devoid of talent in many areas (primarily on defense) and that's ill-suited to his preferred schemes -- and a jilted fan base and administration that has little patience for failure. One of the biggest keys for Hoke will be how well he's able to manage the transition period between the RichRod era and his own tenure; if he can bend his preferred schemes well enough to accommodate Denard Robinson's obvious talent, Michigan may be able to ride out this rough patch with an adequate record. But if he can't do that and Michigan is forced to start from scratch, there could be some very ugly years in store. </i></div><div></div><i>The first thing he needs to do is assemble a top-flight coaching staff and hit the recruiting trail hard to salvage what's left of the current class and try to poach a few late signings -- preferably on the defensive side of the ball. It's also that side of the ball where Hoke needs to do the quickest turnaround; assuming he's able to keep Robinson and adjust his offensive schemes to fit Robinson's talents, the offense should be solid (though it would also help if he can recruit or develop a running back to give Robinson some much-needed assistance). If he can't transform the defense in a hurry, though, they aren't going to be much better in 2011 than they were in 2009 or 2010. Overall, Hoke strikes me as a solid hire, but not a home run. He's been good but not great elsewhere and his teams have had trouble getting wins in their biggest games. He should be able to get Michigan out of the laughingstock category and make them more competitive, but I'm skeptical about his ability to transform them into a true national power again. </i></div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://midnightmaize.blogspot.com/">Shredder (from the ridiculously awesome Michigan blog Midnight Maize):</a></div><div><div><i>Not very sexy is it? No its not. But can it work? Yes. The most important thing will be for Hoke to recruit. I see he did well at Michigan but didn't bring in many studs at Ball State or SDSU. As much as I love some of RR recruits, some just didn't have any right getting a Michigan offer. I hope Hoke can start selling Michigan early and now. This class will be the worst class at Michigan in years or maybe ever. He will really need to bounce back next year with a good class. Winning would be a huge boost. </i></div><div><i><br />
</i></div><i>As for coaching I think he can do this. He seems to be willing to give his life away just so Michigan can get back to being Michigan. He has passion and I think his defense and offenses will be very flexible. Something that killed RR chances at Michigan. Is he Jim Harbaugh? No that would have gave Michigan instant "sexy" with the nation and recruits but this is a very solid hire. Better than Miles imo. Miles was just to damn old and shady. That's not a combo you want going forward. Michigan fans need to give full support. We can't have these "ahhh Hoke hasn't done enough for this job" etc etc. We need to learn from our mistakes by not giving RR a fair shake from the start. It killed the last three years. Some major bloggers are crying about the hire but I am someone that gives people chances. The sexy name didn't work with RR and now we went out and got a guy who will work until he falls over to make Michigan great again. Count me in.</i><br />
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</div><div></div><div>Will Brady Hoke be able to live up to the standards at Michigan? Is he the right coach for the job? Only time will tell. Maybe he'll pull a Gene Chizik and be hoisting a trophy over his head in the next few years but I think his rebuilding job might be more than a couple of junior college guys and a great offensive coaching hire can cure. There is no question that this will be one of the more interesting stories in the Nation over the next few years.<i> </i></div><div><i> </i></div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-78789488776570749462011-01-13T22:03:00.001-05:002011-01-14T09:31:35.936-05:00East Carolina Pirates: 2010 Exit SurveyWhat do you get when you combine the 16th highest scoring offense in the Nation with the 199th ranked scoring defense? Complete and udder chaos, AKA an East Carolina game. It was a wild year for East Carolina. Led by first year coach Ruffin McNeil the Pirates won 5 of their first 7 games beating NC State and Southern Miss on the way. Unfortunately, the season took a turn for the worse and they dropped 5 of their last 6 including drubbings to Navy (76 to 35) and Rice (62 to 38). To make sense of this wild year we brought back Michael Perry, the sports editor for the ECU student newspaper <a href="http://www.theeastcarolinian.com/">The East Carolinian</a>, to find out his thoughts on the 2010 Pirates.<br />
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<i><b>1. In our Pre-Season preview you said you thought East Carolina would win six or seven games. They finished 6-7. Now that the season is over how do you feel about the season? Was it a success, a failure or somewhere in between?</b></i> <br />
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Great question. This has been a big debate among local media members and those on my staff and I believe I've come to the conclusion that the season ECU had was unsuccessful if you compare them to years passed, but if you look at them as a young program with new coach they were an overwhelming success. They hung tough in close games and had a wonderful first half of the season. The main downfall was the young defense, from Coordinator to player, everyone on the defense was inexperienced.<br />
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<i><b>2. What was the turning point of the season?</b></i><br />
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The turning point for ECU was the debacle against Navy. Not to say Navy is not a solid football program but an option offense should put up numbers like that. The loss to Rice and the way the Pirates lost to SMU added to this teams terrible second half performance.<br />
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<i><b>3. East Carolina had a dynamic offense this year putting up 36 points per game but on the other side of the football they often couldn't stop anybody. What were the major issues with the defense and what needs to be fixed going into next year?</b></i><br />
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To not steal any credit from my football beat writer Adam Bunn who said it best, it was purely fundamentals. Bad tackling, not knowing assignments in the secondary, not staying composed. These are all things that young defenses go through, but with a season behind them this defense can not support itself with the crutch of the "young defense" next year.<br />
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<i><b>4. Who was the most surprising player this season?</b></i><br />
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Tough one. Sounds funny to say Dominique Davis as he was already known to be a promising quarterback, but in person the way that guy ran the offense was a thing of beauty. From the standpoint of an all out surprise it has to be Lance Lewis (WR). I would argue he was the most lethal receiver in the Pirates' offense this season.<br />
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<i><b>5. Who are you most looking forward to watching in 2011?</b></i><br />
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Again I will give the nod to Lewis. The program was all about Dwayne Harris this year, supposedly, but Lewis is a big fast receiver who can make plays. I look forward to hearing from Davis to Lewis all next season. I am also excited to watch Dustin Lineback once again. The guy has an old school linebacker build and he is involved on virtually every tackle on defense.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2193783016790082092.post-26227963589461405502011-01-13T21:51:00.001-05:002011-01-13T21:52:01.506-05:00North Carolina State Wolfpack: 2010 Exit Survey2010 CFBZ Prediction: 4th Place in ACC Atlantic<br />
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 2nd in ACC Atlantic (9-4, 5-3)<br />
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The Wolfpack came into this season on a string of 4-straight losing seasons, 3 of them led by Tom O'Brien. The pundits, yes we were one of them, didn't think that this year would be much different. Led by Junior QB Russell Wilson the Pack finished 18th in the Nation in Passing Yardage per game and 32nd in Points scored. They started off the season 4-0 beating Cincinnati, Georgia Tech and Central Florida. Who would have thought that at the end of the season the UCF win would be the most impressive out of that bunch? NC State went on to get some good wins (FSU, UNC, Boston College and West Virginia) on their way to their first winning season since going 7-5 in 2005. To get the scoop on the Wolfpack's 2010 season we caught up with the NC State blog <a href="http://www.riddickandreynolds.com/">Riddick & Reynolds</a>. <br />
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<i><b>1. NC State exceeded a lot of expectations by finishing 9-4 this year, what were you favorite moments of the season?</b></i> <br />
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My highlight of the year was the Carolina win. Yeah, it extended Tom O'Brien's streak to 4-0 against the Heels since taking over as State's coach, but it was the way the game was won that did it for me. In that sense, it could've been any opponent on the other side of the trench. Trailing most of the first part of the game, State takes the lead on two of the most remarkable plays this season, a tipped pass touchdown on 4th down and a punt return for a touchdown shortly thereafter to take the lead for good. It was just a fantastic, fantastic game regardless of the fact it came against the Tar Heels (though that certainly didn't hurt:) )<br />
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<i><b>2. Which player was the biggest surprise of the season?</b></i><br />
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I'll give you one from each side of the ball. True freshman Mustafa Greene was a revelation at tailback when the Pack entered the season not knowing who would tote the ball, let alone if the running game would have any efficacy. Greene showed everything you like to see in a back several years more experienced: toughness, decisiveness at the point of attack and the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He showed that in the bowl game against West Virginia when he took a swing pass to the house, fighting through tackles with a strong blow on WVU's cornerback at the end of the run. The only problem with Greene this season was that he wasn't used more, certainly through no fault of his own. I expect great things from him moving forward if he stays healthy.<br />
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Defensively, I'd probably say Audi Cole was the biggest surprise in the conventional sense, i.e. someone who came relatively from nowhere to really elevate his game. I was surprised at Nate Irving's effectiveness following his car crash and rehab stint, but we all knew what Nate could deliver when 100%. Cole, however, took a huge leap forward in his growth as a linebacker and really complimented the skillsets of Irving and Terrell Manning. Cole had a tremendous game against Central Florida and had perhaps the most impressive interception of the year when he backpedaled into coverage, read the QB's eyes and made a leaping grab in front of the intended receiver. I couldn't have pictured him making that play last season.<br />
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<i><b>3. What game was the turning point of the season?</b></i><br />
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Probably the Florida State win. A lot of having a great season is having the ball bounce your way (just ask Wake Forest in their ACC title season), and when it seemed all hope was lost, Ponder fumbling the ball in the fourth quarter to seal the victory showed me that we were having one of those years where the breaks go your way. They didn't ALWAYS go in our favor, but I'd say more good than bad was on our ledger in 2010. State was much healthier this year, too, and when we were midway through the year and had not lost any key player for any notable length of time, that was another hint that 2010 could be a good season.<br />
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<i><b>4) Which player are you most excited about for next season?</b></i><br />
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I really want to see what kind of job Mike Glennon can do at quarterback, so as strange as it may sound to wish Russell Wilson well and along on his way, I want Mike to get two years at QB before his time here is done. The reason is if you look at our depth chart, 2012 shapes up to be loaded with a lot of junior and senior talent on both sides of the ball. It may be our best opportunity in the foreseeable future to take another run at an ACC title. If Wilson returns in 2011, that leaves just one year for Glennon, and if 2012 lines up like it should, I'd rather have a two-year starter in Glennon under center than someone taking the first starts of his career.<br />
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<i><b>5. What do the Wolfpack need to improve this off-season to maintain their success from 2010 and possibly challenge for the ACC title in 2011?</b></i><br />
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We have to develop a running game, first and foremost. As exciting as the passing game can be at times, it's useless when you're trying to close out a game or wear down an opposing defense's front seven. I think the potential is there with Greene but our blocking up front has to improve. And our defensive backfield still needs work; the great play of our blitzing linebackers tended to mask their shortcomings this year. Their poor play cost us the Maryland game and ultimately the shot at the ACC title.<br />
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Next season shapes up well for a run at the Atlantic again...but for Florida State. The 'Noles look like they'll be back to their old dominant ways under Fisher and life will be even tougher for State and the rest of the Atlantic moving forward. The challenge for O'Brien is to keep pace and that will not be easy.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10725852809071169966noreply@blogger.com0