2010 CFBZ Prediction: 2nd Place in Big 12 North
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 1st place in the Big 12 North (10-3, 6-2)
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 Rock M Nation to get their take on the 2010 Tigers and get a sneak peak into 2011.
1. Missouri finished 10-3 and 6-2 in the Big 12. It was pretty much where you had predicted them to finish in our Pre-Season Preview. What were your favorite memories from the 2010 season?
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.
2. If you could have a "re-do" for one game which would it be?
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.
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?
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.
4. Who were the most surprising players this season?
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.
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?
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.
Showing posts with label 2010 Exit Surveys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010 Exit Surveys. Show all posts
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Boise State Broncos: 2010 Exit Survey
Coming 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 One Bronco Nation Under God (OBNUG) to get his take on the 2010 Broncos and get a quick peak into 2011.
1. Expectations ran high for the Broncos this year. Do you feel that this team met expectations this year?
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.
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.
2. Which player were the biggest surprise of the season?
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.)
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.
3. Which player are you most excited about for next season?
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.
4. Boise State had a great duo of senior receivers (Austin Pettis and TItus Young). Who steps up to replace them next year?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
1. Expectations ran high for the Broncos this year. Do you feel that this team met expectations this year?
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.
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.
2. Which player were the biggest surprise of the season?
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.)
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.
3. Which player are you most excited about for next season?
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.
4. Boise State had a great duo of senior receivers (Austin Pettis and TItus Young). Who steps up to replace them next year?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Ohio State Buckeyes: 2010 Exit Survey
2010 CFBZ Prediction: 1st place in the Big Ten
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 1st place in the Big Ten (12-1, 7-1)
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 BlockONation to get the answers to some of our questions about the 2010 season and get a quick peak at 2011.
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.
2. Which players surprised you the most with their play?
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).
3. Which players are you most looking forward to watching play next year?
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.
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.
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...
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.
4. Five Buckeyes 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?
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.
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 BCS Championship Game?
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.
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.
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 1st place in the Big Ten (12-1, 7-1)
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 BlockONation to get the answers to some of our questions about the 2010 season and get a quick peak at 2011.
1. Ohio State had a very strong year going 12-1 and beating Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. What were your favorite memories from the 2010/2011 season?
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.
2. Which players surprised you the most with their play?
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).
3. Which players are you most looking forward to watching play next year?
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.
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.
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...
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.
4. Five Buckeyes 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?
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.
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 BCS Championship Game?
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.
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.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Kentucky Wildcats: 2010 Exit Survey
2010 CFBZ Prediction: 4th in the SEC East
2010 Actual Finish: 5th in the SEC East (6-7, 2-6)
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 Sea of Blue to get their take on 2010 and a sneak peak into 2011.
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?
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.
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.
2. What were your favorite moments of the year?
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.
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.
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.
3. If you could have a "re-do" for one game, which would it be?
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.
4. Which players surprised you the most with their performance last year?
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.
5. Star receiver Randall Cobb and QB Mike Hartline must be replaced next season. Who will step up to take their place?
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.
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.
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.
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.
2010 Actual Finish: 5th in the SEC East (6-7, 2-6)
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 Sea of Blue to get their take on 2010 and a sneak peak into 2011.
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?
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.
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.
2. What were your favorite moments of the year?
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.
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.
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.
3. If you could have a "re-do" for one game, which would it be?
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.
4. Which players surprised you the most with their performance last year?
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.
5. Star receiver Randall Cobb and QB Mike Hartline must be replaced next season. Who will step up to take their place?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Toledo Rockets: 2010 Exit Survey
Coming 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 Let's Go Rockets to get some of our questions answered about the Rockets 2010 season.
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?
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.
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!
2. What were your favorite moments of the season?
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.
3. Which players surprised you the most this season?
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.
4. Who are you most looking forward to watching play next year?
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.
5. What does Toledo need to do in the off-season to keep their momentum going forward and challenge for a MAC Championship?
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.
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?
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.
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!
2. What were your favorite moments of the season?
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.
3. Which players surprised you the most this season?
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.
4. Who are you most looking forward to watching play next year?
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.
5. What does Toledo need to do in the off-season to keep their momentum going forward and challenge for a MAC Championship?
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.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Syracuse Orange: 2010 Exit Survey
2010 CFBZ Prediction: 8th Place in Big East
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 4th Place in Big East (8-5, 4-3)
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 Orange 44 for a little Q&A.
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?
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.
2. What were some of your favorite moments of this season?
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.
3. Which players were the biggest surprises of the season?
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.
4. Which player are you most excited about for next season?
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.
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.
5. What does Syracuse need to improve on this off-season to keep its positive momentum and possible challenge for the Big East Title?
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.
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 4th Place in Big East (8-5, 4-3)
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 Orange 44 for a little Q&A.
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?
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.
2. What were some of your favorite moments of this season?
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.
3. Which players were the biggest surprises of the season?
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.
4. Which player are you most excited about for next season?
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.
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.
5. What does Syracuse need to improve on this off-season to keep its positive momentum and possible challenge for the Big East Title?
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.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Northwestern Wildcats: 2010 Exit Survey
2010 CFBZ Prediction: 6th Place in Big Ten
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 7th Place in Big Ten (7-6, 3-5)
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 Lake The Posts.
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?
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.
If I had to fairly go back in time and assess expectations for the 2010 season it would go something like this:
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.
2010 post analysis - spot on and even bested expectations.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2. What were your favorite memories from this season?
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.
3. Which players surprised you the most this season?
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.
4. Who are you looking most forward to watching next season?
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.
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?
I think most objective fans would look at the end of 2010 and say the projected order of finish for 2011 would be:
1)Nebraska
2)Iowa
3)MSU
4)Northwestern
5)Michigan
6)Minnesota
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.
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 7th Place in Big Ten (7-6, 3-5)
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 Lake The Posts.
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?
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.
If I had to fairly go back in time and assess expectations for the 2010 season it would go something like this:
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.
2010 post analysis - spot on and even bested expectations.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2. What were your favorite memories from this season?
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.
3. Which players surprised you the most this season?
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.
4. Who are you looking most forward to watching next season?
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.
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?
I think most objective fans would look at the end of 2010 and say the projected order of finish for 2011 would be:
1)Nebraska
2)Iowa
3)MSU
4)Northwestern
5)Michigan
6)Minnesota
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.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Michigan Wolverines: 2010 Exit Survey
2010 CFBZ Prediction: 7th Place in Big Ten
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 7th Place in Big Ten (7-6, 3-5)
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. We have some thoughts up here on Brady Hoke if you'd like to click over and read them. For some up close information about the Wolverines 2010 season we once again partnered with the with the colorful Michigan blog Midnight Maize to get their thoughts.
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?
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.
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?
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.
3. What are you favorite memories from this past season?
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).
4. If you could have a do-over from any game, which one would it be?
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.
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?
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.
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 7th Place in Big Ten (7-6, 3-5)
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. We have some thoughts up here on Brady Hoke if you'd like to click over and read them. For some up close information about the Wolverines 2010 season we once again partnered with the with the colorful Michigan blog Midnight Maize to get their thoughts.
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?
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.
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?
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.
3. What are you favorite memories from this past season?
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).
4. If you could have a do-over from any game, which one would it be?
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.
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?
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.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
South Carolina Gamecocks: 2010 Exit Survey
2010 CFBZ Prediction: 3rd Place in SEC East
2010 Actual Finish: 1st Place in SEC East (9-5, 5-3)
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 Leftover Hot Dog to find out their thoughts on the Gamecocks of 2010.
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?
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.
Which player was the biggest surprise of the season?
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.
Which player are you most excited about for next season?
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.
Stephen Garcia has one more year in Columbia. Is he the man next year or will we continue to see more of Connor Shaw?
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.
5. What does South Carolina need to improve the most this off-season to try and retain their SEC East Title?
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.
2010 Actual Finish: 1st Place in SEC East (9-5, 5-3)
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 Leftover Hot Dog to find out their thoughts on the Gamecocks of 2010.
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?
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.
Which player was the biggest surprise of the season?
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.
Which player are you most excited about for next season?
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.
Stephen Garcia has one more year in Columbia. Is he the man next year or will we continue to see more of Connor Shaw?
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.
5. What does South Carolina need to improve the most this off-season to try and retain their SEC East Title?
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.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
East Carolina Pirates: 2010 Exit Survey
What 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 The East Carolinian, to find out his thoughts on the 2010 Pirates.
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?
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.
2. What was the turning point of the season?
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.
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?
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.
4. Who was the most surprising player this season?
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.
5. Who are you most looking forward to watching in 2011?
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.
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?
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.
2. What was the turning point of the season?
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.
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?
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.
4. Who was the most surprising player this season?
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.
5. Who are you most looking forward to watching in 2011?
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.
North Carolina State Wolfpack: 2010 Exit Survey
2010 CFBZ Prediction: 4th Place in ACC Atlantic
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 2nd in ACC Atlantic (9-4, 5-3)
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 Riddick & Reynolds.
1. NC State exceeded a lot of expectations by finishing 9-4 this year, what were you favorite moments of the season?
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:) )
2. Which player was the biggest surprise of the season?
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.
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.
3. What game was the turning point of the season?
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.
4) Which player are you most excited about for next season?
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.
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?
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.
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.
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 2nd in ACC Atlantic (9-4, 5-3)
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 Riddick & Reynolds.
1. NC State exceeded a lot of expectations by finishing 9-4 this year, what were you favorite moments of the season?
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:) )
2. Which player was the biggest surprise of the season?
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.
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.
3. What game was the turning point of the season?
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.
4) Which player are you most excited about for next season?
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.
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?
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Oklahoma Sooners: 2010 Exit Survey
2010 CFBZ Prediction: 1st Place in Big 12 South (Runner-Up in Big 12)
2010 Actual Finish: Big 12 Conference Champion (12-2, 6-2)
I wasn't a big believer in the Oklahoma Sooners coming into the 2010 season. They were coming off of an 8-5 season and had lost the majority of starters off of their defense. Bob Stoops did a good job this year of getting the troops back and marching to a 12-2 season and a BCS Bowl victory. The two losses stick out a little because they were against Missouri and Texas A&M, two good teams but teams that barely cracked the Top 20 in the final AP poll while Oklahoma finished 6th. Oklahoma carries a lot of momentum into the 2011/2012 season and they look like a team that will be a sure fire pre-season Top 5 pick. They finished off their schedule this year by beating up Texas Tech and Baylor and then beating rivals Nebraska and Oklahoma State in a couple of close, tough games. We turned to the Oklahoma Sooners Blog Land Thieves to find out what they thought about the 2010 Oklahoma Sooners.
2010 Actual Finish: Big 12 Conference Champion (12-2, 6-2)
I wasn't a big believer in the Oklahoma Sooners coming into the 2010 season. They were coming off of an 8-5 season and had lost the majority of starters off of their defense. Bob Stoops did a good job this year of getting the troops back and marching to a 12-2 season and a BCS Bowl victory. The two losses stick out a little because they were against Missouri and Texas A&M, two good teams but teams that barely cracked the Top 20 in the final AP poll while Oklahoma finished 6th. Oklahoma carries a lot of momentum into the 2011/2012 season and they look like a team that will be a sure fire pre-season Top 5 pick. They finished off their schedule this year by beating up Texas Tech and Baylor and then beating rivals Nebraska and Oklahoma State in a couple of close, tough games. We turned to the Oklahoma Sooners Blog Land Thieves to find out what they thought about the 2010 Oklahoma Sooners.
1. Oklahoma finished 12-2 and won a BCS Bowl Game. Do you feel the season was a success?
Yes, I think it was a successful season. At the beginning of the year, I predicted 11-1 and demanded a Big 12 Championship. Well, we went 10-2 in the regular season, with the loss to Missouri being a surprise. Texas' woeful season allowed the Sooners to win the Big 12 South anyway, and the Sooners benefitted from another three way tie. After the Mizzou game, I'd all but given up on the season, but the Sooners rebounded after the Aggie loss to run the table.
2. Offensive Coordinator Kevin Wilson has moved on to become a Head Coach at Indiana. Who will be taking his place and what do they bring to the table?
QB Coach Josh Heupel and WR Coach Jay Norvell have been promoted to co-offensive coordinators. I'm indifferent on Norvell. The only things I know about him are that he a) coached under Karl Dorrell and Bill Callahan; b) was at Iowa with Stoops; c) dropped the f-bomb at a ref and got a penalty during the season. Heupel is a former QB, led us to a national championship as a senior in 2000 and has demonstrated an amazing abiltiy to groom QBs (Thompson, Bradford, Jones progressed remarkably under his tutelage). Heupel has an uncanny feel for the game, which he demonstrated as a QB and demonstrated that ability again in the Fiesta Bowl with his game plan.
3. What were your favorite moments of 2010?
a) Jonathan Nelson chasing down a Cincy receiver from behind; b) Landry's 4th quarter during the OSU game; c) Tim Winchester's fumble recovery against Texas to seal the victory; d) the domination of Florida State; e) Travis Lewis' interception in the end zone against Nebraska.
4. Which players surprised you the most in 2010 with their performance?
Offensively, I'd have to say Cameron Kenney and Demarco Murray. Kenney came on strong at the end of the year and had several clutch catches in the OSU and Nebraska games. Demarco stayed healthy. While I wish he still had his quickness, he was a steady, versatile force throughout the year. Defensively, I'd say Jamell Fleming and Demontre Hurst as CBs and Tony Jefferson as another DB. They played very well for their first cracks at significant playing time.
5. Who are you most looking forward to watching in 2011?
RB Roy Finch; a healthy WR DeJuan Miller, Ryan Broyles for another year. I'm looking forward to seeing Ronnell Lewis continue to progress as a DE. I'm looking forward to Tom Wort learning to play quickly, but not in a hurry. I'm looking forward to anyeone being a force as a defensive tackle. If the Sooners can find someone to be a run stopper on the interior D line, it could be a special season.
Iowa Hawkeyes: 2010 Exit Survey
2010 CFBZ Prediction: 2nd Place in Big Ten
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 4th Place in Big Ten (8-5, 4-4)
2010 was a year of high expectations for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Coming off an 11-2 record we had then ranked #7 in our Pre-Season poll. Sports Illustrated pegged then as #6 in their College Football Preview. Iowa started off 7-2 losing by 7 at Arizona and by 1 to Wisconsin. But then the season took a turn for the worse and Iowa finished the regular season by dropping 3 consecutive games (at Northwestern, vs Ohio State and the killer at Minnesota) to finish 7-5. Iowa got a little bit of redemption by beating a ranked Missouri team in the Insight Bowl to finish off the year at 8-5. We reached out to our friend Ross from Black Heart Gold Pants to get his take on the 2010 and get a quick look into 2011.
In our Pre-Season Preview you picked Iowa to go 10-2. They looked well on their way to that until the Northwestern game. What went wrong on the way to 8-5?
Injuries took their toll on defense (especially at linebacker, where Iowa was down to a pair of freshmen for much of the last month of the season), but the biggest problem was an inability to make enough plays on offense and defense. The defense typically played well for roughly 56 minutes in the losses, but gave up back-breaking drives late in the fourth quarter in all five of the losses. That was hard to watch. Still, in many cases the defense was put in those bad late-game spots by an ineffective offense; against three of the worst defenses in the Big Ten (Indiana, Northwestern, Minnesota) the Iowa offense could muster only 18 points, 17 points, and 17 points (the 24 they scored against Minnesota was aided by a kick return TD). That's just pathetic production out of an offense that was loaded with experience and talent.
If you could have a "re-do" for any game which game would it be?
With five losses it's so hard to pick just one... but it has to be either the Wisconsin or Northwestern losses and if you put a gun to my head, I'd probably go with the Northwestern game. The Wisconsin loss was painful and eminently winnable, but it did come against a team that wound up being very good and Iowa managed to rebound with two wins afterwards. The Northwestern loss effectively killed any hope of a Big Ten championship, killed whatever momentum had been regained after the Wisconsin loss, and seemed to put Iowa in a funk for much of its next two games. And it only happened because of a pair of 80+ yard drives in the fourth quarter -- just brutal.
Who were the most surprising players for Iowa this year?
The most surprising player in a good way was probably freshman middle linebacker James Morris who was pressed into service by multiple injuries to the LB corps and wound up developing into a solid option as the season progressed. He struggled in pass coverage, but he displayed great instincts and athleticism and it should be a lot of fun to watch him develop for the next few years. The most surprising player in a bad way was probably senior defensive end Adrian Clayborn. He didn't have a bad year and he did have to deal with multiple double-teams and offenses scheming against him, but he failed to live up to the considerable hype -- or the production he displayed a year ago. He had a fine career at Iowa, but his final season was one to forget, unfortunately.
Who are you most looking forward to watching next year?
This one is easy. After the breakout performance he had in the Insight Bowl, I can't wait to watch more of Marcus Coker next year. Iowa had used a patchwork rotation of running backs for the past two years to get passable production out of the position, but they haven't had a stud running back since Shonn Greene took his talents to the NFL two years ago. Coker looks like he has the ability to be that stud running back. He has things to work on (lowering his pad level, for one), but he already displays immense power (including a wicked stiff-arm) and impressive speed for a back his size. With a full off-season of practice and conditioning, plus an offensive line that returns 3-4 starters, he could have a huge season next year. But no matter what it will be fun to watch him run over (or past, if possible) opposing defenders.
Iowa got placed in the Big Ten division with Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern. How do you like your chances in that division and what does Iowa need to do this off-season to put itself in position to win a Big Ten Championship?
In 2011, Iowa will have to deal with some significant rebuilding (there are key losses at QB, WR, RB, TE, DE, DT, LB, and S), but the thing that gives me hope that Iowa might be able to make some noise in their new division is threefold. One, they return a ton of experience along the offensive line and strong offensive line play has been at the key to all of Iowa's good seasons over the last decade. Two, they'll have a lot of new faces -- but many of those new faces have seen some time over the past few years and there's definitely some talent among the new faces... it's just not experienced yet. Three, the division itself looks to be in quite a bit of turmoil. Michigan and Minnesota could be deep in their own rebuilding efforts. Michigan State loses key players at WR and LB -- and benefited from a very fortuitous schedule this year. Nebraska will be good, but they lose key players in the secondary, have an inconsistent offense, and have to navigate a brutal schedule. Northwestern will be dangerous so long as QB Dan Persa returns to 100% health, but it's difficult to take them seriously as a legit contender until they display a more consistent running game and defense. So the division looks wide open, which could be to Iowa's benefit. The two most important things Iowa needs to do are identify and develop new starters at QB and along the defensive line. Iowa lives and dies by its line play and while the offensive line should be fine, the defensive line will be breaking in 2-3 new starters. James Vandenberg is the likely starter at QB and he's looked promising in bursts, but replacing Stanzi's leadership will still be difficult. The sooner Iowa can get those positions sorted out, the better their odds of being a surprise contender in 2011 will be.
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 4th Place in Big Ten (8-5, 4-4)
2010 was a year of high expectations for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Coming off an 11-2 record we had then ranked #7 in our Pre-Season poll. Sports Illustrated pegged then as #6 in their College Football Preview. Iowa started off 7-2 losing by 7 at Arizona and by 1 to Wisconsin. But then the season took a turn for the worse and Iowa finished the regular season by dropping 3 consecutive games (at Northwestern, vs Ohio State and the killer at Minnesota) to finish 7-5. Iowa got a little bit of redemption by beating a ranked Missouri team in the Insight Bowl to finish off the year at 8-5. We reached out to our friend Ross from Black Heart Gold Pants to get his take on the 2010 and get a quick look into 2011.
In our Pre-Season Preview you picked Iowa to go 10-2. They looked well on their way to that until the Northwestern game. What went wrong on the way to 8-5?
Injuries took their toll on defense (especially at linebacker, where Iowa was down to a pair of freshmen for much of the last month of the season), but the biggest problem was an inability to make enough plays on offense and defense. The defense typically played well for roughly 56 minutes in the losses, but gave up back-breaking drives late in the fourth quarter in all five of the losses. That was hard to watch. Still, in many cases the defense was put in those bad late-game spots by an ineffective offense; against three of the worst defenses in the Big Ten (Indiana, Northwestern, Minnesota) the Iowa offense could muster only 18 points, 17 points, and 17 points (the 24 they scored against Minnesota was aided by a kick return TD). That's just pathetic production out of an offense that was loaded with experience and talent.
If you could have a "re-do" for any game which game would it be?
With five losses it's so hard to pick just one... but it has to be either the Wisconsin or Northwestern losses and if you put a gun to my head, I'd probably go with the Northwestern game. The Wisconsin loss was painful and eminently winnable, but it did come against a team that wound up being very good and Iowa managed to rebound with two wins afterwards. The Northwestern loss effectively killed any hope of a Big Ten championship, killed whatever momentum had been regained after the Wisconsin loss, and seemed to put Iowa in a funk for much of its next two games. And it only happened because of a pair of 80+ yard drives in the fourth quarter -- just brutal.
Who were the most surprising players for Iowa this year?
The most surprising player in a good way was probably freshman middle linebacker James Morris who was pressed into service by multiple injuries to the LB corps and wound up developing into a solid option as the season progressed. He struggled in pass coverage, but he displayed great instincts and athleticism and it should be a lot of fun to watch him develop for the next few years. The most surprising player in a bad way was probably senior defensive end Adrian Clayborn. He didn't have a bad year and he did have to deal with multiple double-teams and offenses scheming against him, but he failed to live up to the considerable hype -- or the production he displayed a year ago. He had a fine career at Iowa, but his final season was one to forget, unfortunately.
Who are you most looking forward to watching next year?
This one is easy. After the breakout performance he had in the Insight Bowl, I can't wait to watch more of Marcus Coker next year. Iowa had used a patchwork rotation of running backs for the past two years to get passable production out of the position, but they haven't had a stud running back since Shonn Greene took his talents to the NFL two years ago. Coker looks like he has the ability to be that stud running back. He has things to work on (lowering his pad level, for one), but he already displays immense power (including a wicked stiff-arm) and impressive speed for a back his size. With a full off-season of practice and conditioning, plus an offensive line that returns 3-4 starters, he could have a huge season next year. But no matter what it will be fun to watch him run over (or past, if possible) opposing defenders.
Iowa got placed in the Big Ten division with Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern. How do you like your chances in that division and what does Iowa need to do this off-season to put itself in position to win a Big Ten Championship?
In 2011, Iowa will have to deal with some significant rebuilding (there are key losses at QB, WR, RB, TE, DE, DT, LB, and S), but the thing that gives me hope that Iowa might be able to make some noise in their new division is threefold. One, they return a ton of experience along the offensive line and strong offensive line play has been at the key to all of Iowa's good seasons over the last decade. Two, they'll have a lot of new faces -- but many of those new faces have seen some time over the past few years and there's definitely some talent among the new faces... it's just not experienced yet. Three, the division itself looks to be in quite a bit of turmoil. Michigan and Minnesota could be deep in their own rebuilding efforts. Michigan State loses key players at WR and LB -- and benefited from a very fortuitous schedule this year. Nebraska will be good, but they lose key players in the secondary, have an inconsistent offense, and have to navigate a brutal schedule. Northwestern will be dangerous so long as QB Dan Persa returns to 100% health, but it's difficult to take them seriously as a legit contender until they display a more consistent running game and defense. So the division looks wide open, which could be to Iowa's benefit. The two most important things Iowa needs to do are identify and develop new starters at QB and along the defensive line. Iowa lives and dies by its line play and while the offensive line should be fine, the defensive line will be breaking in 2-3 new starters. James Vandenberg is the likely starter at QB and he's looked promising in bursts, but replacing Stanzi's leadership will still be difficult. The sooner Iowa can get those positions sorted out, the better their odds of being a surprise contender in 2011 will be.
FIU Golden Panthers: 2010 Exit Survey
FIU made the move to "big boy" football, Division 1-A, in 2005. FIU started off 5-6 in their first year but from 2006 to 2007 they endured a losing streak that stretched for 23 painful games. In 2010 they posted their first winning record in Division 1-A, aka FBS, by beating Toledo 34-32 in the Little Casears Bowl and securing a 7-6 season. Andres of FIUGoldenPanthers.com helped us out with our Pre-Season Preview on FIU and he once again stepped up to the plate to answer some questions about the Golden Panthers 2010 Season.
1. FIU went from a team with a 23 game losing streak to winning their first bowl game. What did this season and the bowl win mean for the team/university?
This season meant a great deal in helping the future development of the football program and justifying the investment that the University has made in this young football program. Prior to this, FIU was known as the other team in the brawl with the University of Miami and, as you mentioned, the team with the 23 game losing streak. Going into its 10th year playing football, the FIU program can build on some concrete on the field success with its first winning season in history, its first conference championship, its first Bowl appearance and its first win in a Bowl game. The stage is set for this improvement as FIU is expected to return 15 starters from this year’s team. In addition FIU’s schedule for the upcoming 4 seasons features at least 6 home games, including home and home with Texas A&M, Louisville, Duke, UCF and Akron, along with our usual Sun Belt Conference matchups. Lastly, Coach Cristobal has always been known as an excellent recruiter (by SBC standards) and this is just another weapon to have in his arsenal as he recruits against the big boys. Coach Cristobal has already stated that the Bowl game has had a very positive effect on the quality of athletes interested in joining the FIU football program.
2. Which players were the biggest surprise of the season?
By far, the biggest surprise of the season was the marked improvement of the offensive line. In 2009, this team was ranked 100 in total offense and 107 in rushing offense. Contrast that with 2010 when the team was 46 in total offense and 27 in rushing offense. The improvement in the rushing attack helped take some of the pressure off from Junior QB Wesley Carroll who cut down on mistakes in the 2nd half of the season, in addition, it helped keep the defense fresh throughout 4 quarters.
3. What game was the turning point of the season?
FIU’s 42-35 double overtime victory over ULM was the turning point in the season. FIU had just come off a devastating loss to FAU dropping its record to 2 – 5 and in danger of falling out of the SBC championship race. The Golden Panthers led most of the game but allowed ULM to tie the game in the fourth quarter and the FIU defense was forced to create a turnover in field goal range at the end of the game to send it to overtime. Led by TY Hilton’s 25 yard TD run, FIU was able to stop ULM in the 2nd OT and pick up the 42-35 win. FIU went on to win its next 3 games, including a 52-35 victory over defending SBC champions, Troy.
Which players are you most excited about for next season?
TY Hilton is still exploring his draft possibilities, but if he returns, he will once again be the most exciting and explosive part of the FIU football team. TY was back to form in 2010 after an injury plagued 2009. TY was named the 2010 SBC Player of the Year and would be a leading candidate to repeat as such if he were to return. Most of the country might have gotten to see TY for the first time after his miraculous hook and ladder, but FIU fans have known for 3 years what a great player TY is.
5. In what areas does the team need to improve the most this off-season to keep it's momentum moving forward?
The Panthers defense, while significantly improved from 2009 when it was ranked #119 in total defense (60th in 2010), will have to deal with the loss of 2 of its leaders in Seniors Anthony Gaitor (CB) and Toronto Smith (LB). In order to maintain the momentum, the defense needs to replace those two key cogs. However, the parts might be there already with safety Jonathan Cyprien and a slew of talented linebackers waiting in the wings. If the FIU defense can become a top 40 unit and if Wesley Carroll continues to take care of the ball as he did in the last few games of the season (and TY Hilton stays), then I believe that the Golden Panthers can build on this season’s success and become a perennial SBC title contender.
1. FIU went from a team with a 23 game losing streak to winning their first bowl game. What did this season and the bowl win mean for the team/university?
This season meant a great deal in helping the future development of the football program and justifying the investment that the University has made in this young football program. Prior to this, FIU was known as the other team in the brawl with the University of Miami and, as you mentioned, the team with the 23 game losing streak. Going into its 10th year playing football, the FIU program can build on some concrete on the field success with its first winning season in history, its first conference championship, its first Bowl appearance and its first win in a Bowl game. The stage is set for this improvement as FIU is expected to return 15 starters from this year’s team. In addition FIU’s schedule for the upcoming 4 seasons features at least 6 home games, including home and home with Texas A&M, Louisville, Duke, UCF and Akron, along with our usual Sun Belt Conference matchups. Lastly, Coach Cristobal has always been known as an excellent recruiter (by SBC standards) and this is just another weapon to have in his arsenal as he recruits against the big boys. Coach Cristobal has already stated that the Bowl game has had a very positive effect on the quality of athletes interested in joining the FIU football program.
2. Which players were the biggest surprise of the season?
By far, the biggest surprise of the season was the marked improvement of the offensive line. In 2009, this team was ranked 100 in total offense and 107 in rushing offense. Contrast that with 2010 when the team was 46 in total offense and 27 in rushing offense. The improvement in the rushing attack helped take some of the pressure off from Junior QB Wesley Carroll who cut down on mistakes in the 2nd half of the season, in addition, it helped keep the defense fresh throughout 4 quarters.
3. What game was the turning point of the season?
FIU’s 42-35 double overtime victory over ULM was the turning point in the season. FIU had just come off a devastating loss to FAU dropping its record to 2 – 5 and in danger of falling out of the SBC championship race. The Golden Panthers led most of the game but allowed ULM to tie the game in the fourth quarter and the FIU defense was forced to create a turnover in field goal range at the end of the game to send it to overtime. Led by TY Hilton’s 25 yard TD run, FIU was able to stop ULM in the 2nd OT and pick up the 42-35 win. FIU went on to win its next 3 games, including a 52-35 victory over defending SBC champions, Troy.
Which players are you most excited about for next season?
TY Hilton is still exploring his draft possibilities, but if he returns, he will once again be the most exciting and explosive part of the FIU football team. TY was back to form in 2010 after an injury plagued 2009. TY was named the 2010 SBC Player of the Year and would be a leading candidate to repeat as such if he were to return. Most of the country might have gotten to see TY for the first time after his miraculous hook and ladder, but FIU fans have known for 3 years what a great player TY is.
5. In what areas does the team need to improve the most this off-season to keep it's momentum moving forward?
The Panthers defense, while significantly improved from 2009 when it was ranked #119 in total defense (60th in 2010), will have to deal with the loss of 2 of its leaders in Seniors Anthony Gaitor (CB) and Toronto Smith (LB). In order to maintain the momentum, the defense needs to replace those two key cogs. However, the parts might be there already with safety Jonathan Cyprien and a slew of talented linebackers waiting in the wings. If the FIU defense can become a top 40 unit and if Wesley Carroll continues to take care of the ball as he did in the last few games of the season (and TY Hilton stays), then I believe that the Golden Panthers can build on this season’s success and become a perennial SBC title contender.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Penn State Nittany Lions: 2010 Exit Survey
2010 CFBZ Prediction: 4th Place in Big Ten
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 4th Place in Big Ten (7-6, 4-4)
2008 and 2009 saw Penn State post back-to-back 11-2 seasons. Many thought Penn State was back but after posting a 7-6 record this year many of those same people are wondering how long Joe Paterno will stick around. Starting a freshman at QB, Rob Bolden, the Nittany Lions managed only 3 points in each of their first two major tests against Alabama and Iowa. Bolden went down with an injury and former walk-on Matthew McGloin took over at the end of the Minnesota game and Penn State the regular season winning 4 of their final 6 (losing to the only two ranked teams they played during that stretch). To get a closer look inside Penn State we talked to Devon Edwards of the Nittany White Out to find out his thoughts for the 2010 season and the future of the program.
1. In our Pre-Season Preview you said you thought the team would finish 10-2 or 9-3. Unfortunately, 7-6 was Penn State's final record. Do you see this season as a success, a failure or something in the middle?
In the preseason, I overestimated Penn State's ability to reload along the offensive line, and underestimated the depth of the Big Ten. Throwing out the bowl game, because I didn't include that in my prediction, Penn State lost two games that I didn't see coming--to Illinois and Michigan State. Obviously, the Spartans were one of the biggest surprises if not in the country than certainly in the Big Ten, and if I thought they were going to be a top 10 team, I'd have predicted a loss to them, too. The one real turd in the punch bowl was the Illinois game, and it was one of the weaker performances of the last five years at Penn State. All considered, 2010 obviously wasn't a successful year, but neither was it an unmitigated failure.
2. What are your feelings on Joe Paterno remaining the coach of Penn State and when do you think he should finally give it up?
I don't think Joe Paterno is really holding this program back, though bringing in a big name coach after he finally does hang 'em up could provide a shot in the arm for a school that really has the capacity to be more than a distant second to Ohio State in the Big Ten. That said, he's earned the right to coach at least one more year, until his contract runs up following the 2011 season. But after next season, if Joe won't graciously step aside, we'll have a problem.
3. What were your favorite moments of the season?
There was a great two-and-a-half game stretch right in the middle of the season--starting with a primetime win over Michigan, and culminating in the first half against Ohio State, with the Lions taking a 14-10 lead into the break. Sandwiched between those two games was the high point of the year, a stirring comeback from a 21-0 deficit to beat the Wildcats of Northwestern en route to a 35-21 win that not just injected some sanity back into the program, but was Joe Paterno's 400th career win, all at Penn State.
4. Which players surprised you the most with their performance in 2010?
Matt McGloin is the obvious answer--the former walk-on QB led Penn State to some of its biggest wins on the season--but I'm really not a fan. In fact, his emergence has led, directly, to the possible transfer of Rob Bolden, a true freshman who was Penn State's starting quarterback before suffering a concussion. I was, however, incredibly impressed by the continued development of Derek Moye, who progressed, over the course of the season, into an absolute stud at wide receiver, and by the emergence of true freshman running back Silas Redd, who looks like a star in the making.
5. Who are you most looking forward to watching in 2011?
With Bolden's possible transfer, this might be Paul Jones' chance to get the nod at quarterback. Jones took a redshirt year, rather than play as a true freshman, but drew rave reviews in the recruiting game and looked the part in Penn State's spring game. Joe Paterno even spoke highly of Jones, and if there's a legitimate competition between him and McGloin, I firmly expect PJ to win it.
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 4th Place in Big Ten (7-6, 4-4)
2008 and 2009 saw Penn State post back-to-back 11-2 seasons. Many thought Penn State was back but after posting a 7-6 record this year many of those same people are wondering how long Joe Paterno will stick around. Starting a freshman at QB, Rob Bolden, the Nittany Lions managed only 3 points in each of their first two major tests against Alabama and Iowa. Bolden went down with an injury and former walk-on Matthew McGloin took over at the end of the Minnesota game and Penn State the regular season winning 4 of their final 6 (losing to the only two ranked teams they played during that stretch). To get a closer look inside Penn State we talked to Devon Edwards of the Nittany White Out to find out his thoughts for the 2010 season and the future of the program.
1. In our Pre-Season Preview you said you thought the team would finish 10-2 or 9-3. Unfortunately, 7-6 was Penn State's final record. Do you see this season as a success, a failure or something in the middle?
In the preseason, I overestimated Penn State's ability to reload along the offensive line, and underestimated the depth of the Big Ten. Throwing out the bowl game, because I didn't include that in my prediction, Penn State lost two games that I didn't see coming--to Illinois and Michigan State. Obviously, the Spartans were one of the biggest surprises if not in the country than certainly in the Big Ten, and if I thought they were going to be a top 10 team, I'd have predicted a loss to them, too. The one real turd in the punch bowl was the Illinois game, and it was one of the weaker performances of the last five years at Penn State. All considered, 2010 obviously wasn't a successful year, but neither was it an unmitigated failure.
2. What are your feelings on Joe Paterno remaining the coach of Penn State and when do you think he should finally give it up?
I don't think Joe Paterno is really holding this program back, though bringing in a big name coach after he finally does hang 'em up could provide a shot in the arm for a school that really has the capacity to be more than a distant second to Ohio State in the Big Ten. That said, he's earned the right to coach at least one more year, until his contract runs up following the 2011 season. But after next season, if Joe won't graciously step aside, we'll have a problem.
3. What were your favorite moments of the season?
There was a great two-and-a-half game stretch right in the middle of the season--starting with a primetime win over Michigan, and culminating in the first half against Ohio State, with the Lions taking a 14-10 lead into the break. Sandwiched between those two games was the high point of the year, a stirring comeback from a 21-0 deficit to beat the Wildcats of Northwestern en route to a 35-21 win that not just injected some sanity back into the program, but was Joe Paterno's 400th career win, all at Penn State.
4. Which players surprised you the most with their performance in 2010?
Matt McGloin is the obvious answer--the former walk-on QB led Penn State to some of its biggest wins on the season--but I'm really not a fan. In fact, his emergence has led, directly, to the possible transfer of Rob Bolden, a true freshman who was Penn State's starting quarterback before suffering a concussion. I was, however, incredibly impressed by the continued development of Derek Moye, who progressed, over the course of the season, into an absolute stud at wide receiver, and by the emergence of true freshman running back Silas Redd, who looks like a star in the making.
5. Who are you most looking forward to watching in 2011?
With Bolden's possible transfer, this might be Paul Jones' chance to get the nod at quarterback. Jones took a redshirt year, rather than play as a true freshman, but drew rave reviews in the recruiting game and looked the part in Penn State's spring game. Joe Paterno even spoke highly of Jones, and if there's a legitimate competition between him and McGloin, I firmly expect PJ to win it.
Georgia Bulldogs: 2010 Exit Survey
2010 CFBZ Prediction: 2nd Place in SEC East
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 3rd Place in SEC East (6-7, 3-5)
The 2010 season is one that everybody affiliated with the University of Georgia wants to forget. Everything that could go wrong, just about did go wrong. There were a myriad of off the field issues before the season started (which included one of the candidates to be their starting QB getting booted off the team). The star receiver (A.J. Green) was suspended for the first 4 games of the season for violating NCAA rules. The running backs couldn't stay out of trouble, couldn't stay healthy and couldn't hold onto the football. The highly touted Offensive Line was an epic failure. Even the new mascot, UGA VIII, who just debuted this year was diagnosed with cancer. Some thought Georgia had a chance to win the SEC East this year because Florida was thought to be preparing for a down year. But after starting 1-4 all Georgia could think about was winning one game, much less a conference title. One writer in Alabama has had Mark Richt on the hot seat for the past 2 or 3 years, well that time has come as his first losing season in Athens has just finished up. I am a graduate of the University of Georgia and I blog about Georgia for this very site so sometimes I'm not always unbiased. Because of that I went outside to get another opinion on the state of football in Athens. Once again we are joined by our friends at the Leather Helmet Blog as they give us their opinions about the 2010 season and take a quick peak at 2011.
Who were the most surprising players this past season?
Without a doubt the most surprising player for the Dawgs this year was Aaron Murray:
That stat-line says it all. When you consider he played the first 4 games without A.J. Green, Murray's performance is even more impressive. The off-season was spent planning ways to get the ball to Green. Green removed himself and Murray still produced a better passer rating than Stafford - not bad.
Alec Ogletree, a true freshman DB, became a starter after mid-season and will be a player to watch next year. There were others who were positive surprises but this was not a season that will be remembered for superlatives at UGA.
The biggest surprise for Georgia fans this year was the abject failure of the offensive line (making Murray's performance even more impressive). The Dawgs began the year with an experienced unit that had come on toward the end of 2009 and was expected to be a strength in 2010. If Georgia can not run the ball consistently there is little chance that the passing game will be effective. Richt's passing game relies on play action and play action does not work without a running game.
Many observers feel the offensive line problems (and D-line to some extent) are a result of a strength and conditioning program. S&C was allowed to become less effective over the past 4 years. Richt fired his S&C coordinator (and close friend) who came from FSU with him. We will see in the opener against Boise State if the problem was conditioning.
If you could have a "re-do" from any game this year which would it be and why?
Georgia lost seven games. There is no one game that, if magically changed to a win, would have turned the season around. However, I would have to pick the most embarrassing loss - Colorado. At least UCF was a conference champion and won 10 games. Both games were appalling failures.
Who are you looking most forward to watching in 2011?
Murray would have to be my first choice. He will build on the spectacular numbers he put up this year and that will be fun to watch. The most interesting group to watch will be the defense in 2011. There was definite improvement by Todd Grantham's defense in 2010. The second year will produce even more improvement, especially if he can land the type of body he needs for the nose position. S&C changes will bring defensive aggressiveness back to levels that Georgia fans demand. Combine better conditioning, more aggression and better familiarity with Grantham's 3-4 and there should be much better production from the defense.
Which players need to elevate their game the most in 2011?
Georgia is not in position to think that if this player or that player has improved stats in 2011 there will be dramatic improvement in the record. In the SEC games that UGA lost they were beaten across the line of scrimmage and that is where players must elevate their games. There is a contingent of Dawg fans who believe UGA is operating with a talent deficit to the elite of the SEC. Their contention is that recruiting has suffered over the past few years and poor talent evaluation is responsible for the Dawgs' problems. I do not believe that to be accurate. There are talent differences in UGA, Florida, Alabama and LSU but differences are minor and vary from year to year. Georgia has adequate talent in place or arriving in 2011. It is the coaching staff (including S&C) that will determine Georgia's fate. Coach Richt said in his end of the year presser that his team "was close." He's right but he and his staff have got to get the team in championship condition then instill the attitude of junkyard dawgs and sic 'em on Boise in September. Another year like 2010 will send Richt to ESPN.
2010 was a huge disappointment to every Dawg fan. In your eyes what are the biggest changes that need to be made in 2011?
Coach Richt has two problems to solve - offensive and defensive line play. He has to correct problems on both lines of scrimmage. With the exception of the nose position talent is in place. Both lines have to undergo a transformation in conditioning. That conditioning regime will go a long way toward putting fire back into line play at Georgia. But to get his team to ready compete for the SEC East title, Mark Richt is going to have to change. He will have to move out of his comfort zone. The competitive fire that he says is burning inside him needs to flash-over and scorch his team. His offensive linemen have to know that if it's 4th and 1 on the 2 - he is going to go for it and they had better not let anyone touch the ball-carrier before that yard is gained. Failure can not be an acceptable outcome.
I hope he is successful. I'm not betting the rent.
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 3rd Place in SEC East (6-7, 3-5)
The 2010 season is one that everybody affiliated with the University of Georgia wants to forget. Everything that could go wrong, just about did go wrong. There were a myriad of off the field issues before the season started (which included one of the candidates to be their starting QB getting booted off the team). The star receiver (A.J. Green) was suspended for the first 4 games of the season for violating NCAA rules. The running backs couldn't stay out of trouble, couldn't stay healthy and couldn't hold onto the football. The highly touted Offensive Line was an epic failure. Even the new mascot, UGA VIII, who just debuted this year was diagnosed with cancer. Some thought Georgia had a chance to win the SEC East this year because Florida was thought to be preparing for a down year. But after starting 1-4 all Georgia could think about was winning one game, much less a conference title. One writer in Alabama has had Mark Richt on the hot seat for the past 2 or 3 years, well that time has come as his first losing season in Athens has just finished up. I am a graduate of the University of Georgia and I blog about Georgia for this very site so sometimes I'm not always unbiased. Because of that I went outside to get another opinion on the state of football in Athens. Once again we are joined by our friends at the Leather Helmet Blog as they give us their opinions about the 2010 season and take a quick peak at 2011.
Who were the most surprising players this past season?
Without a doubt the most surprising player for the Dawgs this year was Aaron Murray:
| ||||||||||||||||||
Alec Ogletree, a true freshman DB, became a starter after mid-season and will be a player to watch next year. There were others who were positive surprises but this was not a season that will be remembered for superlatives at UGA.
The biggest surprise for Georgia fans this year was the abject failure of the offensive line (making Murray's performance even more impressive). The Dawgs began the year with an experienced unit that had come on toward the end of 2009 and was expected to be a strength in 2010. If Georgia can not run the ball consistently there is little chance that the passing game will be effective. Richt's passing game relies on play action and play action does not work without a running game.
Many observers feel the offensive line problems (and D-line to some extent) are a result of a strength and conditioning program. S&C was allowed to become less effective over the past 4 years. Richt fired his S&C coordinator (and close friend) who came from FSU with him. We will see in the opener against Boise State if the problem was conditioning.
If you could have a "re-do" from any game this year which would it be and why?
Georgia lost seven games. There is no one game that, if magically changed to a win, would have turned the season around. However, I would have to pick the most embarrassing loss - Colorado. At least UCF was a conference champion and won 10 games. Both games were appalling failures.
Who are you looking most forward to watching in 2011?
Murray would have to be my first choice. He will build on the spectacular numbers he put up this year and that will be fun to watch. The most interesting group to watch will be the defense in 2011. There was definite improvement by Todd Grantham's defense in 2010. The second year will produce even more improvement, especially if he can land the type of body he needs for the nose position. S&C changes will bring defensive aggressiveness back to levels that Georgia fans demand. Combine better conditioning, more aggression and better familiarity with Grantham's 3-4 and there should be much better production from the defense.
Which players need to elevate their game the most in 2011?
Georgia is not in position to think that if this player or that player has improved stats in 2011 there will be dramatic improvement in the record. In the SEC games that UGA lost they were beaten across the line of scrimmage and that is where players must elevate their games. There is a contingent of Dawg fans who believe UGA is operating with a talent deficit to the elite of the SEC. Their contention is that recruiting has suffered over the past few years and poor talent evaluation is responsible for the Dawgs' problems. I do not believe that to be accurate. There are talent differences in UGA, Florida, Alabama and LSU but differences are minor and vary from year to year. Georgia has adequate talent in place or arriving in 2011. It is the coaching staff (including S&C) that will determine Georgia's fate. Coach Richt said in his end of the year presser that his team "was close." He's right but he and his staff have got to get the team in championship condition then instill the attitude of junkyard dawgs and sic 'em on Boise in September. Another year like 2010 will send Richt to ESPN.
2010 was a huge disappointment to every Dawg fan. In your eyes what are the biggest changes that need to be made in 2011?
Coach Richt has two problems to solve - offensive and defensive line play. He has to correct problems on both lines of scrimmage. With the exception of the nose position talent is in place. Both lines have to undergo a transformation in conditioning. That conditioning regime will go a long way toward putting fire back into line play at Georgia. But to get his team to ready compete for the SEC East title, Mark Richt is going to have to change. He will have to move out of his comfort zone. The competitive fire that he says is burning inside him needs to flash-over and scorch his team. His offensive linemen have to know that if it's 4th and 1 on the 2 - he is going to go for it and they had better not let anyone touch the ball-carrier before that yard is gained. Failure can not be an acceptable outcome.
I hope he is successful. I'm not betting the rent.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Clemson Tigers: 2010 Exit Survey
2010 CFBZ Prediction: 3rd Place in ACC Atlantic
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 4th Place in ACC Atlantic (6-7, 4-4)
When Dabo Swinney replaced Tommy Bowden during the 2008 season I'm sure that 6-7 isn't what the administration was hoping for. Especially in a year that was considered a down year for the ACC. Ultimately trying to replace C.J. Spiller, Jacoby Ford and Michael Palmer all in one year was just too much for the offense to handle. Clemson came ultra close to picking off Auburn early in the season (losing in OT) but then dropped the next two games to Miami (Fl) and UNC to put them in a 2-3 hole. Clemson rebounded with good wins over bowl-bound Maryland and Georgia Tech and looked like it had righted the ship and was headed to a turnaround. Unfortunately, Clemson lost 3 of their next 5 and took a 6-6 record into their bowl loss against South Florida. We caught up with Dr B of SB Nation's Clemson Blog Shakin The Southland exactly what they thought of Clemson's performance in 2010 and how they feel going into 2011.
In our Pre-Season Preview you said that Clemson needed to finish 9-3 for it to be a successful season in your eyes. The season is over and the Tigers finished 6-7. What went wrong?
Everything.
Coming into this year we felt that if Clemson played to its strengths, they would end up in the 9-10 win range, particularly with what was coming back for us. Our coaching staff never played to these strengths, and we paid for it.
Lets say your team brought back 4 starters off a fair O-line, and two backs who both averaged over 5 ypc and each had over 400 yards the year before. You have no proven WRs, 1 very talented TE, and a RS Soph at QB. What would you do with that? You'd run the ball quite a bit right? Wrong, not Clemson. We threw the ball over 30 times in each loss, some over 40.
Clemson had a sensible gameplan for Auburn and we took it to them up front. Parker took a nasty late hit to the ribs and it dazed him, and while our staff said it had no effect for Miami the next week, it was quite apparent that it did. Knowing that your QB is hurting, wouldn't you gameplan to play to your strength and run a lot more? No, not Clemson. DeAndre McDaniel got his teeth knocked out on the first Miami TD and they left him in the game, and he made coverage bust after coverage bust and Miami went up big, and we abandoned the run altogether early. Despite Harris' best efforts we could not win it.
The next week they wouldn't attack a depleted UNC defense and lost. They decided to not give the football to our best back and instead throw the ball around. Same thing continued to happen over and over throughout the season, and even when we won it looked horrible. Once we lost our best back at Boston College, it was over.
Last year we were an I-formation and zone running pro-style play-action team. Hand it off to Spiller 19 times a game and then use some PA passes and we could win. This year, they ditched all that, and we hardly saw the I-formation after the first few games. When you see Clemson line up in the shotgun, we pass. When we're one-back under center, we run. Most of the time they went to the Gun, even when both backs were healthy. They claim to self-scout, but never recognized this on film, and we kept up with it all year on the site in the game reviews.
I just don't think our staff is intelligent. I know Dabo is the one that decided to scrap the power run game that became our identity last year to get the ball into his WRs hands, just because he believes it will work. Now that he finished 6-7 and everyone raised hell, he knows he has to fire people to keep his own job.
What game was the turning point of the season?
You know, this happens to us quite a bit. One game really flips the season around, and you look back and wonder "what if we won it?"
We took Auburn to the wire, and if we had snapped the ball correctly in OT on the FG attempt to tie it, and later won, who knows how our season would've gone. Who knows how Auburn would've turned out had they lost there? I tend to think momentum like that is a freaky thing with a team. If you get on a roll, sometimes you continue to play above your level and winning breeds winning. Sometimes when you prepare for a team all offseason, which we did, a loss crushes you and you don't recover.
The gameplan we had there was the one that worked last year for us. After we lost, Swinney decided to take power-running personnel and run a spread system. I think he made an impulsive decision to abandon what works just because it didn't win at Auburn.
Which player(s) was the biggest surprise of the season and on the flip-side who was the biggest disappointment?
Probably Hopkins, I rarely expect a true FR to come in and basically take the job at Flanker away from a senior, but that is what happened. He needs to add some weight but he's a tough football player.
Jamie Harper averaged over 5 ypc last year and barely cracked 4 ypc this year. He cracked 100 yards against North Texas in the first game, and then tanked. He tiptoes into holes and refuses to lower his shoulder on defenders. Now the dummy declares for the NFL? I just laugh at that.
Which player are you most excited about for next season?
Who knows with Dabo calling the shots. I think if Andre Ellington stays healthy, he gets over 1000 yards. I think if we insist on passing heavily that DeAndre Hopkins will crack 70 receptions and 1000 yards. Both of them are outstanding football players.
In what areas does Clemson need to improve the most to get back into contention for the ACC Championship?
Next year the chief concern is former 5-star QB Tajh Boyd. He showed us this year that he was not ready to play, and next year he has to be. If he gets the new offense down pat, we might be ok.
The second is the WRs. Someone besides Hopkins must show ball skills.
3rd, the defense. We lose most of it. Up front we are depleted with two starters leaving, one rumored to go, and a chief backup leaving. We lose SS Deandre McDaniel, CB Byron Maxwell and CB Marcus Gilchrist, who is also our KR/PR. Linebacker is the only spot we don't lose anyone.
And finally coaching. The defensive staff earned their paycheck. When an opponent does something, I can see the adjustments they make and they work. The offensive staff makes no adjustments and showed me they should be fired. Some of them already have been but I think Swinney is the real problem there: he fancies himself an offensive visionary, having never been an OC in his life.
So who knows...I won't make a prediction on next year. We could go 3-9 or 8-4.
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 4th Place in ACC Atlantic (6-7, 4-4)
When Dabo Swinney replaced Tommy Bowden during the 2008 season I'm sure that 6-7 isn't what the administration was hoping for. Especially in a year that was considered a down year for the ACC. Ultimately trying to replace C.J. Spiller, Jacoby Ford and Michael Palmer all in one year was just too much for the offense to handle. Clemson came ultra close to picking off Auburn early in the season (losing in OT) but then dropped the next two games to Miami (Fl) and UNC to put them in a 2-3 hole. Clemson rebounded with good wins over bowl-bound Maryland and Georgia Tech and looked like it had righted the ship and was headed to a turnaround. Unfortunately, Clemson lost 3 of their next 5 and took a 6-6 record into their bowl loss against South Florida. We caught up with Dr B of SB Nation's Clemson Blog Shakin The Southland exactly what they thought of Clemson's performance in 2010 and how they feel going into 2011.
In our Pre-Season Preview you said that Clemson needed to finish 9-3 for it to be a successful season in your eyes. The season is over and the Tigers finished 6-7. What went wrong?
Everything.
Coming into this year we felt that if Clemson played to its strengths, they would end up in the 9-10 win range, particularly with what was coming back for us. Our coaching staff never played to these strengths, and we paid for it.
Lets say your team brought back 4 starters off a fair O-line, and two backs who both averaged over 5 ypc and each had over 400 yards the year before. You have no proven WRs, 1 very talented TE, and a RS Soph at QB. What would you do with that? You'd run the ball quite a bit right? Wrong, not Clemson. We threw the ball over 30 times in each loss, some over 40.
Clemson had a sensible gameplan for Auburn and we took it to them up front. Parker took a nasty late hit to the ribs and it dazed him, and while our staff said it had no effect for Miami the next week, it was quite apparent that it did. Knowing that your QB is hurting, wouldn't you gameplan to play to your strength and run a lot more? No, not Clemson. DeAndre McDaniel got his teeth knocked out on the first Miami TD and they left him in the game, and he made coverage bust after coverage bust and Miami went up big, and we abandoned the run altogether early. Despite Harris' best efforts we could not win it.
The next week they wouldn't attack a depleted UNC defense and lost. They decided to not give the football to our best back and instead throw the ball around. Same thing continued to happen over and over throughout the season, and even when we won it looked horrible. Once we lost our best back at Boston College, it was over.
Last year we were an I-formation and zone running pro-style play-action team. Hand it off to Spiller 19 times a game and then use some PA passes and we could win. This year, they ditched all that, and we hardly saw the I-formation after the first few games. When you see Clemson line up in the shotgun, we pass. When we're one-back under center, we run. Most of the time they went to the Gun, even when both backs were healthy. They claim to self-scout, but never recognized this on film, and we kept up with it all year on the site in the game reviews.
I just don't think our staff is intelligent. I know Dabo is the one that decided to scrap the power run game that became our identity last year to get the ball into his WRs hands, just because he believes it will work. Now that he finished 6-7 and everyone raised hell, he knows he has to fire people to keep his own job.
What game was the turning point of the season?
You know, this happens to us quite a bit. One game really flips the season around, and you look back and wonder "what if we won it?"
We took Auburn to the wire, and if we had snapped the ball correctly in OT on the FG attempt to tie it, and later won, who knows how our season would've gone. Who knows how Auburn would've turned out had they lost there? I tend to think momentum like that is a freaky thing with a team. If you get on a roll, sometimes you continue to play above your level and winning breeds winning. Sometimes when you prepare for a team all offseason, which we did, a loss crushes you and you don't recover.
The gameplan we had there was the one that worked last year for us. After we lost, Swinney decided to take power-running personnel and run a spread system. I think he made an impulsive decision to abandon what works just because it didn't win at Auburn.
Which player(s) was the biggest surprise of the season and on the flip-side who was the biggest disappointment?
Probably Hopkins, I rarely expect a true FR to come in and basically take the job at Flanker away from a senior, but that is what happened. He needs to add some weight but he's a tough football player.
Jamie Harper averaged over 5 ypc last year and barely cracked 4 ypc this year. He cracked 100 yards against North Texas in the first game, and then tanked. He tiptoes into holes and refuses to lower his shoulder on defenders. Now the dummy declares for the NFL? I just laugh at that.
Which player are you most excited about for next season?
Who knows with Dabo calling the shots. I think if Andre Ellington stays healthy, he gets over 1000 yards. I think if we insist on passing heavily that DeAndre Hopkins will crack 70 receptions and 1000 yards. Both of them are outstanding football players.
In what areas does Clemson need to improve the most to get back into contention for the ACC Championship?
Next year the chief concern is former 5-star QB Tajh Boyd. He showed us this year that he was not ready to play, and next year he has to be. If he gets the new offense down pat, we might be ok.
The second is the WRs. Someone besides Hopkins must show ball skills.
3rd, the defense. We lose most of it. Up front we are depleted with two starters leaving, one rumored to go, and a chief backup leaving. We lose SS Deandre McDaniel, CB Byron Maxwell and CB Marcus Gilchrist, who is also our KR/PR. Linebacker is the only spot we don't lose anyone.
And finally coaching. The defensive staff earned their paycheck. When an opponent does something, I can see the adjustments they make and they work. The offensive staff makes no adjustments and showed me they should be fired. Some of them already have been but I think Swinney is the real problem there: he fancies himself an offensive visionary, having never been an OC in his life.
So who knows...I won't make a prediction on next year. We could go 3-9 or 8-4.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: 2010 Exit Survey
2010 CFBZ Prediction: 4th Place in ACC Coastal
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 3rd Place in ACC Coastal (6-7, 4-4)
In only Paul Johnson's second year at Georgia Tech he took them to an 11-3 record and a birth in a BCS game. Expectations flew high for the Yellow Jackets but they lost their star RB and lost their best defensive players to the NFL. This resulted in Tech falling to 6-7 and 4-4 in the ACC. There is no question that Paul Johnson is a skilled and feared offensive coach. The question mark remains if he can get recruits to play his style of football and if he can build a quality defense. Not counting South Carolina State, the only team that Tech beat with a winning record this year was North Carolina and we all know the issues they dealt with at the beginning of the season when the loss occurred. Tech has a lot of question marks going into the 2011 season including losing their leading rusher and their quarterback. We caught up with SB Nation blog From The Rumble Seat and John Bird talked to us about his thoughts on 2010 and what he wants to see in 2011.
Obviously it was a down year for Tech to finish 6-7 after winning the ACC last year. What were the primary reasons/issues that the team had a downswing this year?
Turnovers, lack of talent, lack of execution, injuries. The list goes on and on. We were just not very good. We lost the UGA game on a missed PAT. We lost the VT game because Josh Nesbitt broke his arm trying to tackle a guy. We lost the Air Force game because of muffed punts. It was a season that will be hard to forget in the worst kind of way.
Which player(s) was the biggest surprise of the season?
Orwin Smith at A-Back (slotback) was a big time play maker for the Jackets. He stepped up and really made some clutch plays throughout the season. He was easily the most consistent receiver on the field and made several big runs throughout 2010. Tech fans are really looking forward to Orwin's 2011 season.
What game was the turning point of the season?
Losing to Kansas really shot the season in the foot. No matter what we did from then on out would really redeem that opening loss. The entire game was merely an indicator of how bad a season Tech would have. We failed to push a small, bad defensive line off the ball on run plays and our offense executed about as poorly as possible. Defensively, we allowed a team that had little to no offensive identity execute consistently. It was the point at which Tech fans realized 2010 was truly a rebuilding year.
After one year what are your thoughts on the 3-4 defense under Al Groh and what does Tech need to do to improve on that side of the football?
I think we still need time to evaluate Al Groh. I already know he's a better defensive coordinator than Dave Wommack based on several ingame adjustments he made throughout the course of the season and the execution of gameplans against several key opponents. However, Groh needs time to recruit his players and we'll give him time. Hopefully, Groh won't leave for a HC position in the next couple years and will really develop a solid D unit.
Georgia Tech under Paul Johnson is known for running the football. Tech is losing both their leading rushers (Joshua Nesbitt and Anthony Allen), who do you want to see get the main opportunities at QB and RB next year?
Well, this is a huge question mark for Georgia Tech. Tevin Washington is the heir apparent at QB but there will be a lot of competition from true freshman Vad Lee and redshirt freshman Synjyn Days.
At B-Back or fullback, Tech has one veteran and a slew of inexperience. It will most likely be a mixture of Preston Lyons, Daniel Drummond, Richard Watson, Daniel Connors, and some true freshmen. They are all bigger, power backs so the look and feel of Tech's offense could change dramatically in 2011.
2010 Actual Finish: Tied for 3rd Place in ACC Coastal (6-7, 4-4)
In only Paul Johnson's second year at Georgia Tech he took them to an 11-3 record and a birth in a BCS game. Expectations flew high for the Yellow Jackets but they lost their star RB and lost their best defensive players to the NFL. This resulted in Tech falling to 6-7 and 4-4 in the ACC. There is no question that Paul Johnson is a skilled and feared offensive coach. The question mark remains if he can get recruits to play his style of football and if he can build a quality defense. Not counting South Carolina State, the only team that Tech beat with a winning record this year was North Carolina and we all know the issues they dealt with at the beginning of the season when the loss occurred. Tech has a lot of question marks going into the 2011 season including losing their leading rusher and their quarterback. We caught up with SB Nation blog From The Rumble Seat and John Bird talked to us about his thoughts on 2010 and what he wants to see in 2011.
Obviously it was a down year for Tech to finish 6-7 after winning the ACC last year. What were the primary reasons/issues that the team had a downswing this year?
Turnovers, lack of talent, lack of execution, injuries. The list goes on and on. We were just not very good. We lost the UGA game on a missed PAT. We lost the VT game because Josh Nesbitt broke his arm trying to tackle a guy. We lost the Air Force game because of muffed punts. It was a season that will be hard to forget in the worst kind of way.
Which player(s) was the biggest surprise of the season?
Orwin Smith at A-Back (slotback) was a big time play maker for the Jackets. He stepped up and really made some clutch plays throughout the season. He was easily the most consistent receiver on the field and made several big runs throughout 2010. Tech fans are really looking forward to Orwin's 2011 season.
What game was the turning point of the season?
Losing to Kansas really shot the season in the foot. No matter what we did from then on out would really redeem that opening loss. The entire game was merely an indicator of how bad a season Tech would have. We failed to push a small, bad defensive line off the ball on run plays and our offense executed about as poorly as possible. Defensively, we allowed a team that had little to no offensive identity execute consistently. It was the point at which Tech fans realized 2010 was truly a rebuilding year.
After one year what are your thoughts on the 3-4 defense under Al Groh and what does Tech need to do to improve on that side of the football?
I think we still need time to evaluate Al Groh. I already know he's a better defensive coordinator than Dave Wommack based on several ingame adjustments he made throughout the course of the season and the execution of gameplans against several key opponents. However, Groh needs time to recruit his players and we'll give him time. Hopefully, Groh won't leave for a HC position in the next couple years and will really develop a solid D unit.
Georgia Tech under Paul Johnson is known for running the football. Tech is losing both their leading rushers (Joshua Nesbitt and Anthony Allen), who do you want to see get the main opportunities at QB and RB next year?
Well, this is a huge question mark for Georgia Tech. Tevin Washington is the heir apparent at QB but there will be a lot of competition from true freshman Vad Lee and redshirt freshman Synjyn Days.
At B-Back or fullback, Tech has one veteran and a slew of inexperience. It will most likely be a mixture of Preston Lyons, Daniel Drummond, Richard Watson, Daniel Connors, and some true freshmen. They are all bigger, power backs so the look and feel of Tech's offense could change dramatically in 2011.
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