Texas Tech University has suspended indefinitely Head Football Coach Mike Leach and will miss the Alamo Bowl where the Red Raiders will take on Michigan St.
The suspension comes amidst allegations of mistreatment of Texas Tech player Adam James, the son of former SMU star and current ESPN analyst Craig James. According to the James Family, Adam James was placed in an "electrical closet" for three hours for missing practice due to a concussion sustained during a mid-December practice. Simply put, if any of these allegations are true, then what Leach did was disgusting and he should be immediately fired. As we have heard in the past few months, concussions are no "little oueys".
NCAA div. 1 Football is a tough sport, but the mistreatment and humiliation of players is not only unnecessary but reprehensible. Could it be just sour grapes on the part of Adam James, perhaps wanting to get back at Leach for not getting much playing time? That would be equally disgusting on the young man's part. None of us really know until the facts come out, but Coach Leach has been know to do wacky things, and as the saying goes; "where there is smoke, there's fire". Your comments please.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Kentucky's John Wall Has Propper Motive
Many great college student-athletes, in particular great college basketball players, will come into a program and play for one or two years and then bolt for the NBA without ever planning to return to finish their school work to get their degree. With the money they make playing professional basketball, they don't really have to.
But that is not the case for Kentucky Freshman Guard John Wall. Last Monday on Head Coach John Calipari's call-in show, Calipari made it clear that even though Wall might go pro after this season, he has his priorities in the right place. "John Wall has the highest GPA on our team", Calipari said on his weekly call-in show. "People I like to call "miserables" like to accuse Coach Cal of recruiting players who are only going to stay for one year. You heard me right folks! John Wall has the highest GPA on our team, and he plans to come back and get his degree even if he does go pro after this year", the coach continued.
Perhaps Calipari recruited Wall, he wanted to see if Wall planned on coming back to UK to earn his degree if he were to go pro after one year. Maybe Coach Cal wouldn't have pursued the high school phenom from Raleigh, NC if he thought Wall would not follow through with finishing his education. If this is the case, then it is OK for Calipari to have pursued John Wall because he cared even more for Wall's work in the classroom than on the ball court. I would like to believe that.
The fact that Wall will go pro after this year is more than understandable. Right now, he's arguably the best player in College Basketball, certainly among Freshmen. Should he come out, he stands to make millions of dollars and will certainly be a First Round Draft Pick. If he does go pro, yet follows through on coming back to UK to earn his degree, then the recruiting of John Wall was a good thing even if he only plays in a Wildcat uniform 1 year. John Wall has his priorities in the right place. He'll have the best of both worlds: a stellar career at Kentucky and in the NBA, and a degree that no one can take away from him.
But that is not the case for Kentucky Freshman Guard John Wall. Last Monday on Head Coach John Calipari's call-in show, Calipari made it clear that even though Wall might go pro after this season, he has his priorities in the right place. "John Wall has the highest GPA on our team", Calipari said on his weekly call-in show. "People I like to call "miserables" like to accuse Coach Cal of recruiting players who are only going to stay for one year. You heard me right folks! John Wall has the highest GPA on our team, and he plans to come back and get his degree even if he does go pro after this year", the coach continued.
Perhaps Calipari recruited Wall, he wanted to see if Wall planned on coming back to UK to earn his degree if he were to go pro after one year. Maybe Coach Cal wouldn't have pursued the high school phenom from Raleigh, NC if he thought Wall would not follow through with finishing his education. If this is the case, then it is OK for Calipari to have pursued John Wall because he cared even more for Wall's work in the classroom than on the ball court. I would like to believe that.
The fact that Wall will go pro after this year is more than understandable. Right now, he's arguably the best player in College Basketball, certainly among Freshmen. Should he come out, he stands to make millions of dollars and will certainly be a First Round Draft Pick. If he does go pro, yet follows through on coming back to UK to earn his degree, then the recruiting of John Wall was a good thing even if he only plays in a Wildcat uniform 1 year. John Wall has his priorities in the right place. He'll have the best of both worlds: a stellar career at Kentucky and in the NBA, and a degree that no one can take away from him.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Kentucky Reaches 2,000 Win Mark, Most Ever in College Basketball History
There are many great sports dynasties, such as the New York Yankees and their 24 World Series Championships, most in Major League Baseball history. You have the Boston Celtics and their 17 NBA Titles. Baseball Hall of Fame Shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. and his record breaking 2,137 streak of games played in Major League Baseball, UCLA winning 10 national titles under Coach John Wooden, the Pittsburgh Steelers and their six Super Bowl titles.You could go on and on.
but perhaps the most incredible milestone in all of sports may be Kentucky Men's Basketball reaching the 2,000 win mark. They did it last night in an 88-44 drubbing of Drexel. The Wildcats now have 2,000 wins as a program, the most of any college basketball team in history. There were so many great legendary players: Jack "Goose" Givens, who scored 41 points en route to winning the 1978 National Championship. His teammate, Kyle Macy, who went on to have a stellar career in the NBA. Players like Dan Issel, Kenny "Sky" Walker, Derek Anderson, Jamal Mashburn, and more recently, Rajon Rondo and Jody Meeks. Meeks, of course, broke the all time Kentucky single game scoring record last year by putting up 54 points against Tennessee. All of these players were part of the march to 2,000 wins.
Some of these former players were asked to reflect on what 2,000 wins meant to them personally. Kyle Macy, the point guard on the 1978 national title team, had this to say: "From a player's perspective, I think it gives you some pride in the fact that you know you were a part of that total number of wins", Kacy said. "Obviously, it being your alma mater, you want it to be first in every category. When you can say you have the most wins of any school playing college basketball and the highest winning percentage, those are things to be very proud of."
Kenny "Sky" Walker was an All-American at Kentucky in the early 80s. Here's what he had to say when asked what 2,000 wins meant to him as a former player: "It means a lot because we take a lot of pride in being the best college basketball program. One of the ways that we can really boast that is by having the all-time wins", Walker said. " I think it means a lot to the former players because we all felt like we were a part of something special. For the young guys to carry that into the new millennium makes us all really happy. Two-thousand wins is a lot of wins and that means that you've been good for a long, long time."
With Head Coach John Calipari's track record as an outstanding recruiter and coach, the Wildcats don't really have to worry about any other program, whether it be North Carolina, Duke or Kansas catching them any time soon. They may have not won the most national championships, but they have won the most games of any other college basketball program in the history of the game, and nothing can take that away. For more information on this story, the reader can go to www.ukathletics.com.
but perhaps the most incredible milestone in all of sports may be Kentucky Men's Basketball reaching the 2,000 win mark. They did it last night in an 88-44 drubbing of Drexel. The Wildcats now have 2,000 wins as a program, the most of any college basketball team in history. There were so many great legendary players: Jack "Goose" Givens, who scored 41 points en route to winning the 1978 National Championship. His teammate, Kyle Macy, who went on to have a stellar career in the NBA. Players like Dan Issel, Kenny "Sky" Walker, Derek Anderson, Jamal Mashburn, and more recently, Rajon Rondo and Jody Meeks. Meeks, of course, broke the all time Kentucky single game scoring record last year by putting up 54 points against Tennessee. All of these players were part of the march to 2,000 wins.
Some of these former players were asked to reflect on what 2,000 wins meant to them personally. Kyle Macy, the point guard on the 1978 national title team, had this to say: "From a player's perspective, I think it gives you some pride in the fact that you know you were a part of that total number of wins", Kacy said. "Obviously, it being your alma mater, you want it to be first in every category. When you can say you have the most wins of any school playing college basketball and the highest winning percentage, those are things to be very proud of."
Kenny "Sky" Walker was an All-American at Kentucky in the early 80s. Here's what he had to say when asked what 2,000 wins meant to him as a former player: "It means a lot because we take a lot of pride in being the best college basketball program. One of the ways that we can really boast that is by having the all-time wins", Walker said. " I think it means a lot to the former players because we all felt like we were a part of something special. For the young guys to carry that into the new millennium makes us all really happy. Two-thousand wins is a lot of wins and that means that you've been good for a long, long time."
With Head Coach John Calipari's track record as an outstanding recruiter and coach, the Wildcats don't really have to worry about any other program, whether it be North Carolina, Duke or Kansas catching them any time soon. They may have not won the most national championships, but they have won the most games of any other college basketball program in the history of the game, and nothing can take that away. For more information on this story, the reader can go to www.ukathletics.com.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Kentucky About to Step Into Uncharted Waters
The University of Kentucky started its Men's Basketball program 107 years ago. On Monday, December 21, the Winter Solstice, the Wildcats will have done what no other college program has ever done: win the 2,000th game, which is the most wins of any college basketball program in history. Drexel University will have the unenviable task of going into Rupp Arena to try to delay history in the making.
The Wildcats reached the 1,999 mark when they defeated Austin Peay 90-69 Saturday Night. Kentucky Point Guard sensation John Wall has had a fantastic season so far. He's averaging 18 points per game, 7 assists, and 2.6 steals per game. He reminds many of the great guards of the past who have gone on to have stellar NBA careers. Cat fans, enjoy the "Great Wall of Kentucky" while it is still up. John Wall will most likely opt for the NBA Draft after this season.
Back to the matter at hand, the record setting 2,00th win, which will almost no doubt come on the winter Solstice. Here is what Head Coach John Calipari said about getting 2,000 wins: "First of all, I'm such a small part of the 2,000 wins. But, there is a sense of responsibility when you are in this seat.", Calipari said. "There have not been many in this seat, but the guys that have been (here) know there is a sense of responsibility that you feel to the state, university, former players and coaches. We can act like it wasn't important for us to get to 12 (wins) before North Carolina got to 16 (wins), but believe me, the day after I took the job I started thinking, ‘How are we going to get to 12 before they get to 16?' Now I'm thinking, ‘How can we get to one before they get to seven?' That may not be Monday. It may be Wednesday; it may be next week when we come back. We need to get to one before they get to seven. This program has created a pride in this state, from Eastern, to Western, to Northern, to Southern Kentucky. People have a pride in their Commonwealth's team and it means something to them."
Calipari is not taking Drexel lightly. The Dragons are coaches by Calipari's former assistant at UMASS, James Flint. They come into this game 6-5 overall and 1-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association. "They do a great job and really defend. They are a good defensive team and they do a great job coming off screens", Calipari said. For Kentucky Sr. Guard Mark Krebs, it is an incredibly wonderful feeling to be part of something this special: “It is an unbelievable feeling that you are a part of a program that is so special and has won so many games. To be a part of it is really going to be special," Krebs said. "The first to 2000 wins, that is amazing. It is going to be a great thing. Getting 2000 wins just show how special a place and a program that Kentucky is. It is just special.”
The Cats will begin their quest for college basketball immortality Monday Night, Dec. 21 at 7pm EST. More info on this article can be obtained by going to www.ukathletics.com.
The Wildcats reached the 1,999 mark when they defeated Austin Peay 90-69 Saturday Night. Kentucky Point Guard sensation John Wall has had a fantastic season so far. He's averaging 18 points per game, 7 assists, and 2.6 steals per game. He reminds many of the great guards of the past who have gone on to have stellar NBA careers. Cat fans, enjoy the "Great Wall of Kentucky" while it is still up. John Wall will most likely opt for the NBA Draft after this season.
Back to the matter at hand, the record setting 2,00th win, which will almost no doubt come on the winter Solstice. Here is what Head Coach John Calipari said about getting 2,000 wins: "First of all, I'm such a small part of the 2,000 wins. But, there is a sense of responsibility when you are in this seat.", Calipari said. "There have not been many in this seat, but the guys that have been (here) know there is a sense of responsibility that you feel to the state, university, former players and coaches. We can act like it wasn't important for us to get to 12 (wins) before North Carolina got to 16 (wins), but believe me, the day after I took the job I started thinking, ‘How are we going to get to 12 before they get to 16?' Now I'm thinking, ‘How can we get to one before they get to seven?' That may not be Monday. It may be Wednesday; it may be next week when we come back. We need to get to one before they get to seven. This program has created a pride in this state, from Eastern, to Western, to Northern, to Southern Kentucky. People have a pride in their Commonwealth's team and it means something to them."
Calipari is not taking Drexel lightly. The Dragons are coaches by Calipari's former assistant at UMASS, James Flint. They come into this game 6-5 overall and 1-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association. "They do a great job and really defend. They are a good defensive team and they do a great job coming off screens", Calipari said. For Kentucky Sr. Guard Mark Krebs, it is an incredibly wonderful feeling to be part of something this special: “It is an unbelievable feeling that you are a part of a program that is so special and has won so many games. To be a part of it is really going to be special," Krebs said. "The first to 2000 wins, that is amazing. It is going to be a great thing. Getting 2000 wins just show how special a place and a program that Kentucky is. It is just special.”
The Cats will begin their quest for college basketball immortality Monday Night, Dec. 21 at 7pm EST. More info on this article can be obtained by going to www.ukathletics.com.
Friday, December 18, 2009
College Football Playoff Can Include The Bowls
I have found a way that FBS College Football can have the best of both worlds. You can have a true playoff and incorporate the bowls as well. Here is how it would work.
There are 10 FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) conferences. The top 2 teams from each conference along with two at large teams would go to the 24-team tournament. The non-BCS bowls such as the San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, the Emerald bowl, Eagle Bank Bowl, Music City Bowl, etc, would be first and second round playoff games. The BCS bowls would be the semifinal games and the championship game. Teams that are not included in the playoff would simply play in bowl games not included in the playoff (like the NIT in Basketball) if those teams are bowl eligible. If this system were in use this year, here is what the bracket would be:
First round
INTERNATIONAL BOWL Pitt vs Cent. Michigan
HOUSTON BOWL Texas vs Nevada
GMAC BOWL Troy vs Penn St.
Champs Sports Bowl GA. Tech vs Middle Tennessee
New Mexico Bowl Boise St. vs Ohio
Pappa Johns Bowl Iowa vs E. Carolina
Emerald Bowl Oregon vs BYU
Independence Bowl TCU vs Clemson
Meinecke Car Care Bowl VA. Tech vs Ohio St.
New Orleans Bowl Alabama vs Houston
Music City Bowl Cincinnati vs Nebraska
Liberty Bowl Florida vs Oregon St.
2nd Round
Outback Bowl winner/Internat. VS winner/Pappa Johns
Chick Fillet Bowl winner/GMAC vs winner/Champs Sports
Cotton Bowl winner/Houston vs winner/Independence
Holiday Bowl winner/New Mexico bwl VS winner/Emerald Bowl
Las Vegas Bowl winner/Meinecke Car Care VS winner/Liberty
Alamo Bowl winner/New Orleans VS winner/Music City Bowl
3rd round
Orange Bowl winner/Chick Fillet VS winner/Outback Bowl
Humanitarian Bowl winner/Cotton VS winner/Holiday Bowl
Fiesta Bowl winner/Las Vegas VS winner/Alamo Bowl
Semi-Finals
Rose Bowl Winner/Orange Bowl vs Winner/Fiesta Bowl
BCS National Championship Game (Sugar Bowl)
winner/Rose vs Winner/Humanit.
(if the system was in place this year) First Round Bowls Dec. 12
Second Round Bowls Dec. 19
Third Round Bowls Dec. 26
Semi-finals Jan-1-2
BCS Championship Jan 9
Your thoughts and opinions are welcomed.
There are 10 FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) conferences. The top 2 teams from each conference along with two at large teams would go to the 24-team tournament. The non-BCS bowls such as the San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, the Emerald bowl, Eagle Bank Bowl, Music City Bowl, etc, would be first and second round playoff games. The BCS bowls would be the semifinal games and the championship game. Teams that are not included in the playoff would simply play in bowl games not included in the playoff (like the NIT in Basketball) if those teams are bowl eligible. If this system were in use this year, here is what the bracket would be:
First round
INTERNATIONAL BOWL Pitt vs Cent. Michigan
HOUSTON BOWL Texas vs Nevada
GMAC BOWL Troy vs Penn St.
Champs Sports Bowl GA. Tech vs Middle Tennessee
New Mexico Bowl Boise St. vs Ohio
Pappa Johns Bowl Iowa vs E. Carolina
Emerald Bowl Oregon vs BYU
Independence Bowl TCU vs Clemson
Meinecke Car Care Bowl VA. Tech vs Ohio St.
New Orleans Bowl Alabama vs Houston
Music City Bowl Cincinnati vs Nebraska
Liberty Bowl Florida vs Oregon St.
2nd Round
Outback Bowl winner/Internat. VS winner/Pappa Johns
Chick Fillet Bowl winner/GMAC vs winner/Champs Sports
Cotton Bowl winner/Houston vs winner/Independence
Holiday Bowl winner/New Mexico bwl VS winner/Emerald Bowl
Las Vegas Bowl winner/Meinecke Car Care VS winner/Liberty
Alamo Bowl winner/New Orleans VS winner/Music City Bowl
3rd round
Orange Bowl winner/Chick Fillet VS winner/Outback Bowl
Humanitarian Bowl winner/Cotton VS winner/Holiday Bowl
Fiesta Bowl winner/Las Vegas VS winner/Alamo Bowl
Semi-Finals
Rose Bowl Winner/Orange Bowl vs Winner/Fiesta Bowl
BCS National Championship Game (Sugar Bowl)
winner/Rose vs Winner/Humanit.
(if the system was in place this year) First Round Bowls Dec. 12
Second Round Bowls Dec. 19
Third Round Bowls Dec. 26
Semi-finals Jan-1-2
BCS Championship Jan 9
Your thoughts and opinions are welcomed.
Virginia Wins on PKs, But I've Got a Better Idea
Last Sunday, the University of Virginia Men's Soccer Team defeated Akron 3-2 in penalty kicks to win the program's sixth national championship. It took them 110 minutes to decide the match. Though there is drama in the penalty kick phase, I've got a better idea to decide a winner not just at the College Soccer level, but in all levels of soccer.
If after regulation the score is tied, why not both teams play the first overtime with 10 versus 10. Then, if the score is still tied after the first overtime, then go to 9 versus 9. If one of the teams is a man down because of a red card, then its 9 versus 8. If that OT doesn't decide it, then 8 versus 8 and so on. That way, the game is decided by players making slide tackles, passes, shots on goal, headers. In other words, both teams are still fighting to win instead of rolling the dice with pks. With each team losing a player after an overtime, there are more chances for a "golden goal" to happen while play is going on. You emphasise skill, talent, heart and fitness to win a championship by playing until a deciding goal. It's just a thought. I'd welcome your opinions. Imagine, if you play several overtimes until it's just Keeper vs Keeper. That would be great!
If after regulation the score is tied, why not both teams play the first overtime with 10 versus 10. Then, if the score is still tied after the first overtime, then go to 9 versus 9. If one of the teams is a man down because of a red card, then its 9 versus 8. If that OT doesn't decide it, then 8 versus 8 and so on. That way, the game is decided by players making slide tackles, passes, shots on goal, headers. In other words, both teams are still fighting to win instead of rolling the dice with pks. With each team losing a player after an overtime, there are more chances for a "golden goal" to happen while play is going on. You emphasise skill, talent, heart and fitness to win a championship by playing until a deciding goal. It's just a thought. I'd welcome your opinions. Imagine, if you play several overtimes until it's just Keeper vs Keeper. That would be great!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tennessee Football Getting Attention the Wrong Way
Does Tennessee Head Football Coach Lane Kiffin have to resort to questionable practices to get the attention he wants for the Tennessee program? First it was trash talking to other SEC coaches and recruiting violations, resulting in at least 6 secondary violations of NCAA rules.
Now we have "Hostessgate". A week ago, It was found that Tennessee students (mostly attractive females) were travelling 200 miles to South Carolina and Georgia to watch high school football games involving prospective recruits. These "hostesses" would allegedly hold up signs enticing these recruits to come to UT. One recruit from Byrnes High School in Spartanburg, SC was intrigued when he saw the hostesses. He was quoted as saying: "You don't want to go to college where they're not pretty".
The fact the an 18 year old top flight male athlete would say that is not surprising. That is understandable. But to play on a young man's hormones for the sake of having a winning football program is beyond unethical, it's disgusting. Whether Coach Kiffin was aware that this was going on or not doesn't matter. He is ultimately responsible. The type of recruiting described above is a direct violation of NCAA rules. Tennessee has already committed 6 violations already.
Yes, you can make a valid argument that it has brought attention to the UT Football Program. As far as on the field, the Vols improved tremendously this season going 7-5 and earning a trip to the Chick Fillet Bowl in Atlanta where they will play Virginia Tech. That can be done without any questionable and unethical recruiting. If the NCAA determines that recruiting infractions were committed in this most recent case, they could impose much stiffer penalties against the program, potentially undoing the progress the Vols made on the field in 09.
Word has it that the Vols have the #7 recruiting class in the nation coming in for 2010. Couldn't they have gotten that by doing things the right way, and besides these recruiting rankings are all subjective and do not always produce the results desired. You never really know until they step on the field in the SEC. Georgia's Mark Richt came in as the Dawgs new Head Coach in 2001. He didn't make any waves by making false accusations of other SEC coaches, or commit any recruiting violations. He did things the right way. Two years after his arrival, the Dawgs won their first SEC Title since 1983 and won another one three years later. He did all that the right way, and the UGA Football Program received the attention desired. Here's a word to Coach Lane Kiffin: Do things the right way and you will succeed in the long run. If you sacrifice long-term success on the altar of immediate gratification, you may succeed immediately, but pay a long-term heavy price down the road.
Now we have "Hostessgate". A week ago, It was found that Tennessee students (mostly attractive females) were travelling 200 miles to South Carolina and Georgia to watch high school football games involving prospective recruits. These "hostesses" would allegedly hold up signs enticing these recruits to come to UT. One recruit from Byrnes High School in Spartanburg, SC was intrigued when he saw the hostesses. He was quoted as saying: "You don't want to go to college where they're not pretty".
The fact the an 18 year old top flight male athlete would say that is not surprising. That is understandable. But to play on a young man's hormones for the sake of having a winning football program is beyond unethical, it's disgusting. Whether Coach Kiffin was aware that this was going on or not doesn't matter. He is ultimately responsible. The type of recruiting described above is a direct violation of NCAA rules. Tennessee has already committed 6 violations already.
Yes, you can make a valid argument that it has brought attention to the UT Football Program. As far as on the field, the Vols improved tremendously this season going 7-5 and earning a trip to the Chick Fillet Bowl in Atlanta where they will play Virginia Tech. That can be done without any questionable and unethical recruiting. If the NCAA determines that recruiting infractions were committed in this most recent case, they could impose much stiffer penalties against the program, potentially undoing the progress the Vols made on the field in 09.
Word has it that the Vols have the #7 recruiting class in the nation coming in for 2010. Couldn't they have gotten that by doing things the right way, and besides these recruiting rankings are all subjective and do not always produce the results desired. You never really know until they step on the field in the SEC. Georgia's Mark Richt came in as the Dawgs new Head Coach in 2001. He didn't make any waves by making false accusations of other SEC coaches, or commit any recruiting violations. He did things the right way. Two years after his arrival, the Dawgs won their first SEC Title since 1983 and won another one three years later. He did all that the right way, and the UGA Football Program received the attention desired. Here's a word to Coach Lane Kiffin: Do things the right way and you will succeed in the long run. If you sacrifice long-term success on the altar of immediate gratification, you may succeed immediately, but pay a long-term heavy price down the road.
Monday, December 14, 2009
The Heisman Curse
Before everyone wants to anoint 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram as a great pro before he even plays in an NFL game, think about what has happened to past Heisman Trophy winners.
There have been several winners of the prestigious award that have been busts in the NFL, guys such as Andre Ware, Ty Detmer, Gino Torretta, Desmond Howard and Jason White. Now yes, there have been some more recent Heisman Trophy winners in the past who have had tremendous NFL careers; guys such as Barry Sanders, Eddie George, Reggie Bush and Carson Palmer (the latter two from USC). The jury is still out on Matt Leinart. He will have to wait as long as Kurt Warner is playing well. Tim Tebow might be a productive quarterback in the NFL, or maybe at some other position like Tight End. Fellow Gator and 1996 winner Danny Wuerffel didn't make it in the NFL. RB Ron Dayne of Wisconsin and QB Chris Weinke of Florida St. had average NFL careers at best
Former Florida St. QB Charlie Ward, who won the Heisman in 1993, ended up being productive in the pros, but as a Point Guard for the New York Knicks. Not every Heisman winner is a sinch to make it in the NFL. Vinnie Testaverde, who won the Heisman in 1985 as a quarterback for the Univ. of Miami Hurricanes, struggled for most of his NFL career.
Yes, there also have been those like Roger Staubach, Jim Plunket, Earl Campbell and Tony Dorsett who had stellar NFL careers. Doug Flutie, the Heisman winner in 1984, had an up and down career in the NFL but won a Grey Cup Title with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL.
But in the past 20 years, many of the former Heisman winners such as Wuerffel, didn't last too long in the League. Here's something hopeful for those prospective draft picks who didn't win the big award. Joe Montana, John Elway, Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Dan Marino, Tom Brady and Steve Young never won the Heisman, but all but Peterson and Marino have won at least one Super Bowl, and all of them either have already been or will be enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame.
There have been several winners of the prestigious award that have been busts in the NFL, guys such as Andre Ware, Ty Detmer, Gino Torretta, Desmond Howard and Jason White. Now yes, there have been some more recent Heisman Trophy winners in the past who have had tremendous NFL careers; guys such as Barry Sanders, Eddie George, Reggie Bush and Carson Palmer (the latter two from USC). The jury is still out on Matt Leinart. He will have to wait as long as Kurt Warner is playing well. Tim Tebow might be a productive quarterback in the NFL, or maybe at some other position like Tight End. Fellow Gator and 1996 winner Danny Wuerffel didn't make it in the NFL. RB Ron Dayne of Wisconsin and QB Chris Weinke of Florida St. had average NFL careers at best
Former Florida St. QB Charlie Ward, who won the Heisman in 1993, ended up being productive in the pros, but as a Point Guard for the New York Knicks. Not every Heisman winner is a sinch to make it in the NFL. Vinnie Testaverde, who won the Heisman in 1985 as a quarterback for the Univ. of Miami Hurricanes, struggled for most of his NFL career.
Yes, there also have been those like Roger Staubach, Jim Plunket, Earl Campbell and Tony Dorsett who had stellar NFL careers. Doug Flutie, the Heisman winner in 1984, had an up and down career in the NFL but won a Grey Cup Title with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL.
But in the past 20 years, many of the former Heisman winners such as Wuerffel, didn't last too long in the League. Here's something hopeful for those prospective draft picks who didn't win the big award. Joe Montana, John Elway, Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Dan Marino, Tom Brady and Steve Young never won the Heisman, but all but Peterson and Marino have won at least one Super Bowl, and all of them either have already been or will be enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Bryan College Athletics Enjoy Successful Fall Campaign
In the 79 year history of Bryan College, the school has never enjoyed the success in intercollegiate athletics as it did this past Fall. In both Men's Soccer and Men's Cross Country, Bryan made it to the NAIA National Championships. In Women's Soccer and Women's Volleyball, both squads reached the finals of their respective AAC conference tournaments.
The Bryan Men's Cross Country Team finished the regular season ranked 8th in the nation in the NAIA Top 25, the best ranking ever of ANY Bryan athletic team in the history of the school. They went on to finish 27th out of 53 teams in the NAIA Cross Country National Championships in Vancouver, WA back in November. Several members of the Bryan Women's Cross Country Team also qualified for the NAIA National Championships, including Gwinnett County's own
Ericka Simpson. Two members of the Men's team, Bryson Harper and Daniel Goetz, were selected as NAIA Scholar Athletes.
The Men's Soccer Team had arguably one of the best seasons ever as they finished the season 11-8 and won the AAC Tournament Championship by beating Montreat College 3-2, gaining them a berth in the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in school history. Jr. Defender Daniel O'Kane was named AAC Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference for the second year in a row, and earned NAIA All-America honors. A native of Dunedin, New Zeland, O'Kane helped the Lions reach the AAC Championship game when he scored a golden goal in the conference semis to defeat Union College 1-0.
The Bryan Women's Soccer Team had one of their best seasons ever. A final record of 8-8-2 may not sound impressive, but in the AAC Tournament, the LAdy Lions routed Bluefield College 6-0 and defeated Milligan College in penalty kicks thus placing them in the conference championship where they fell short to Union College 2-1. More importantly, six players were named NAIA Scholar Athletes:
Carrie Cook (Sr.) - Jasper, TX
Kara Nissley (Jr.) - Alexandria, VA
Shelby Robinson (Jr.) - Atlanta, GA
Stephanie Wade (Sr.) - St. Simons Island, GA
Elizabeth Peters (Sr.) - Sherwood, AR
The Bryan Women's Volleyball Team had the best year in school history with a record of 31-17. 31 wins are the most wins of any VB team in Bryan history. The Lady Lions made it all the way to the AAC Tournament Championship match where they fell to Union College 3 games to 1. However, the Lady Lions participated in the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) Mideast Regional Tournament where they defeated Bluefield and Asbury before falling to King College in the Championship match. However, due to their success in the regular season, the Lady Lions got an at large bid to the NCCAA National Tournament, where they won two out three matches in pool play and reached the tournament's Final Four before falling to Campbellsville University. As far as individual honors, Senior Middle Blocker Amber Smith topped her four year brilliant career as a two-sport starter by making AVCA/NCCAA First Team All-Region. Smith was also an NAIA All-American Honorable Mention selection and made NAIA First Team All-Region.
Those of us who went to Bryan back in the 90s remember that there were years where success on the field or court was very hard to come by. In this decade, Bryan athletic teams, in particular the Bryan Women's Basketball Team, have made several appearances in the NAIA National Tournament. In years before this time, it was for Bryan student-athletes and fans just to dream.
It looks as if the Bryan Men's Basketball Program is turning in the same successful direction. They are now 7-3 on the young season, and are ranked 7th in the NCCAA Top 25. The Bryan Lady hoopsters, who have qualified for the NAIA National Tournament 4 out of the last 6 years, are poised for another run to Sioux City, IA as they enjoy an 11-4 overall record and are 2-1 in conference play. It can be said that the first decade of the 21st century is the "Golden Age" of Bryan College athletics. Lets hope that Baseball, along with two new sports, Women's Softball and Golf, will reach the same heights as the Fall and Winter sports.
The Bryan Men's Cross Country Team finished the regular season ranked 8th in the nation in the NAIA Top 25, the best ranking ever of ANY Bryan athletic team in the history of the school. They went on to finish 27th out of 53 teams in the NAIA Cross Country National Championships in Vancouver, WA back in November. Several members of the Bryan Women's Cross Country Team also qualified for the NAIA National Championships, including Gwinnett County's own
Ericka Simpson. Two members of the Men's team, Bryson Harper and Daniel Goetz, were selected as NAIA Scholar Athletes.
The Men's Soccer Team had arguably one of the best seasons ever as they finished the season 11-8 and won the AAC Tournament Championship by beating Montreat College 3-2, gaining them a berth in the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in school history. Jr. Defender Daniel O'Kane was named AAC Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference for the second year in a row, and earned NAIA All-America honors. A native of Dunedin, New Zeland, O'Kane helped the Lions reach the AAC Championship game when he scored a golden goal in the conference semis to defeat Union College 1-0.
The Bryan Women's Soccer Team had one of their best seasons ever. A final record of 8-8-2 may not sound impressive, but in the AAC Tournament, the LAdy Lions routed Bluefield College 6-0 and defeated Milligan College in penalty kicks thus placing them in the conference championship where they fell short to Union College 2-1. More importantly, six players were named NAIA Scholar Athletes:
Carrie Cook (Sr.) - Jasper, TX
Kara Nissley (Jr.) - Alexandria, VA
Shelby Robinson (Jr.) - Atlanta, GA
Stephanie Wade (Sr.) - St. Simons Island, GA
Elizabeth Peters (Sr.) - Sherwood, AR
The Bryan Women's Volleyball Team had the best year in school history with a record of 31-17. 31 wins are the most wins of any VB team in Bryan history. The Lady Lions made it all the way to the AAC Tournament Championship match where they fell to Union College 3 games to 1. However, the Lady Lions participated in the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) Mideast Regional Tournament where they defeated Bluefield and Asbury before falling to King College in the Championship match. However, due to their success in the regular season, the Lady Lions got an at large bid to the NCCAA National Tournament, where they won two out three matches in pool play and reached the tournament's Final Four before falling to Campbellsville University. As far as individual honors, Senior Middle Blocker Amber Smith topped her four year brilliant career as a two-sport starter by making AVCA/NCCAA First Team All-Region. Smith was also an NAIA All-American Honorable Mention selection and made NAIA First Team All-Region.
Those of us who went to Bryan back in the 90s remember that there were years where success on the field or court was very hard to come by. In this decade, Bryan athletic teams, in particular the Bryan Women's Basketball Team, have made several appearances in the NAIA National Tournament. In years before this time, it was for Bryan student-athletes and fans just to dream.
It looks as if the Bryan Men's Basketball Program is turning in the same successful direction. They are now 7-3 on the young season, and are ranked 7th in the NCCAA Top 25. The Bryan Lady hoopsters, who have qualified for the NAIA National Tournament 4 out of the last 6 years, are poised for another run to Sioux City, IA as they enjoy an 11-4 overall record and are 2-1 in conference play. It can be said that the first decade of the 21st century is the "Golden Age" of Bryan College athletics. Lets hope that Baseball, along with two new sports, Women's Softball and Golf, will reach the same heights as the Fall and Winter sports.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Brian Kelly a Good Fit for Notre Dame
Everywhere that Brian Kelly has coached football, he has won. He won an NCAA Div. II National Title at Grand Valley St., he took Central Michigan from total obscurity to winning the MAC Championship, and now he has guided Cincinnati to an undefeated season and into a BCS bowl, the Sugar Bowl, to play the Florida Gators.
The man knows how to coach and how to recruit. He is an offensive innovator. He will go out and get the best talent he can find because he is a great salesman and has a great winning track record. I don't think we will be talking about Brian Kelly losing his job at Notre Dame 5 years from now. The only obstacle he will have to somehow overcome is the high academic standards at Notre Dame. Not all of the players Kelly wants to play for the Irish can qualify academically, and he will have to replace Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate. Again, however, there is no doubt in my mind that he can do that. Lou Holtz did it some 20 years ago. There are great Catholic high schools in America that have student =athletes who can get it done both in the classroom and on the football field. Marist High School in Atlanta is one of them. The school has a great reputation academically and athletically, in particular football.
T sum it up, Brian Kelly will have the Fighting Irish competing for a national title in about two to three years. He just needs to get more talent on the defensive side of the ball.
The man knows how to coach and how to recruit. He is an offensive innovator. He will go out and get the best talent he can find because he is a great salesman and has a great winning track record. I don't think we will be talking about Brian Kelly losing his job at Notre Dame 5 years from now. The only obstacle he will have to somehow overcome is the high academic standards at Notre Dame. Not all of the players Kelly wants to play for the Irish can qualify academically, and he will have to replace Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate. Again, however, there is no doubt in my mind that he can do that. Lou Holtz did it some 20 years ago. There are great Catholic high schools in America that have student =athletes who can get it done both in the classroom and on the football field. Marist High School in Atlanta is one of them. The school has a great reputation academically and athletically, in particular football.
T sum it up, Brian Kelly will have the Fighting Irish competing for a national title in about two to three years. He just needs to get more talent on the defensive side of the ball.
Spikes Gets Off Too Easy
Florida Head Football Coach Urban Meyer cares more about winning than doing the right thing. This belief can be proven by the fact that he gave his star linebacker, Brandon Spikes, a "slap on the wrist" for clawing at the eyes of Georgia Running back Washaun Ealey at the end of a play.Meyer suspended Spikes for the FIRST HALF of next week's game instead of, at least, the whole game.This is despicable! What if Spikes had damaged Ealey's eyes? He could have gone blind. There was no need or excuse for that kind of behavior. Also, if it were a second teamer who did this barbaric act, that second teamer would probably been suspended for not just one, but probably two whole games. We have a situation here where a coach feels he has to have his best linebacker playing in order for Florida to win regardless of what transgression the player has committed. Standards of propper behavior have been lowered in the name of winning. Spikes put his fingers through Ealey's facemask and grabbed at his eyes. Unnecessary and stupid! Spikes should at least be suspended for the entire game, not just the first half.We have lost and are continuing to lose all sense of decency. Yes, football is an emotional game, but there are still things a player cannot do. Clawing at an opponent's eyes is one of those things. Am I the only one that agrees with this? I don't think so. In a yahoo.com poll, an overwhelming 91% of people said that the punishment meted out to Spikes for his actions was not enough. Consider me one of them. You can still win by doing the right thing. You don't need to cause intentional harm to your opponent in order to win. where's the sportsmanship here?Florida Quarterback Tim Tebo told reporters after the game that guys on the other team were probably doing it too. That is a pathetic excuse. Come on, Tim. You're suppose to be above that. To sum it up, Meyer has made a poor decision. Brandon Spikes needs to sit out at least one entire game, not just the first half.
Georgia Can and Must Do Better Against LSU
I went to the Georgia/ASU game last Saturday in the torrential rain. Arizona St. does have a decent team, but once again, the Dogs made it possible for the Sun Devils to have a chance to win at the end. If it hadn't been for A.J. Green's spectacular block of a filed goal with about two minutes left, ASU would have probably done just that.Penalties such as offsides, fumbling the football, interceptions. The Georgia Defense has saved the Dawgs' rear ends so many times. They gotten a bad rap this year for giving up so many points in their first three games, but let's face it. If they didn't perform in the rain Saturday, Arizona St. would be flying back to Tempe having upset a top notch SEC team on their home field. The Dawgs are near the bottom among FBS (Football Bow Subdivision) teams in penalties. There is no way they will survive the likes of LSU, Florida, Auburn or Georgia Tech if they don't clean up the silly penalties and take better care of the football. Richard Samuel and Caleb King must run hard yet hold on to the ball, the line must block better, and Joe Cox, who played great against Arkansas and South Carolina, must make better decisions with the ball. This all sounds like I'm stating the obvious, but it's obvious that we (I'm a Georgia fan) are escaping because of the play of A.J. Green and our defense. Green, by the way, needs to get the ball more. In short, the Dawgs can and must do better against LSU this Saturday and the remaining riggers of the SEC.
Best For Bowdon, Best For FSU That He Should Go
Yesterday, a member of the Board of Trustees at Florida St. said that "enough is enough" referring to his opinion that FSU Head Football Coach Bobby Bowden should step down after this season. Up until now, the university, along with it's Board of Trustees, had been very supportive of Coach Bowden even though the level of success has gone down somewhat.I'm reminded of a verse in the Bible, more particularly in the book of Ecclesiastees, that "to everything there is a season". I may be taking that verse slightly out of context, but it may very well be time for Coach Bowden to step down and allow Head Coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher take over after this season.Ever since the Seminoles lost to Oklahoma in the 2000 National Title Game, the program has been, at best, mediocre. Also, things have happened off the field with a cheating scandal involving several football players as well as athletes from other sports. The fact that 14 of Bowden's wins might be taken from him by the NCAA is a shame. He has won 2 national titles and trails Joe Paterno of Penn St. by three games as the winningest coach in college football. The program, however, is not getting better. It is right now barely above average.Jimbo Fisher deserves the opportunity to be a head coach. Coach Bowden has taken Florida St. as far as he can take it. for the sake of the university, his family and his health, Bobby Bowden should step aside after this season. Your comments please!
Don't Suppress Emotion, But Let Them Celebrate
Georgia did not take care of business last Saturday as they lost to #4 ranked LSU 20-13. They did not make the key tackle to stop LSU's Charles Scott from scoring the Tigers' winning touchdown.However, the celebration penalty handed down by the officials after A.J. Green's sensational touchdown catch to give the Bulldogs a 13-12 lead was atrocious and unfair. It gave the Tigers great field position to push for the eventual go ahead score. On the CBS broadcast, it looked clearly that Green and his Bulldog teammates were celebrating amongst themselves and not taunting any LSU players. Why is it that College Football wants to suppress emotion. It is rarely easy to score a touchdown, and especially in the SEC. Green's TD was a hard-fought touchdown worthy of at least a brief expression of emotion. Football is an emotional game, so why suppress the emotion?Yes, I know that they penalized LSU after their winning touchdown for "too much celebration". However, a correction doesn't always totally erase a wrong. The celebration penalty against the Dogs is a classic example of this truth. This silly celebration rule must be revised and corrected. It should only apply if a player is drawing attention to himself. If he raises his hands in joy after scoring a touchdown, or if he kneels to thank God as many players do, there is nothing wrong with those things. The penalty should only apply when a player slaps his chest multiple times while not celebrating with teammates or if he is taunting a member of the opposing team. In these instances, he is drawing attention to himself and not his teammates who helped make it possible for him to score. That is when the penalty should be enforced.A.J. Green was not drawing attention to himself, but celebrating with teammates. He was not delaying the game. It was a totally bad call and the refs realize that now since they did offer an apology. Unfortunately, it was too little too late. The rule must be clearly defined but at the same time not meant to suppress emotion. Celebrating with your teammates when you make a touchdown or a key sack or blocking a punt: These are not penalties.
Tebo's Quality of Life More Important Then Championship
Florida Quarterback Tim Tebo wants badly to play against LSU and is in Baton Rouge with the team, but has not been cleared to play yet. He really doesn't need to. Backup John Brantley is more than capable of handling Urban Meyer's offense and leading the Gators to a win at Tiger Stadium.This past week, a study came out saying that NFL players who suffered concussions were more likely to suffer Dementia later in life. I think it's pretty simple here. Tim Tebo's quality of life after football (and he will have a life after football) is more important than winning a championship. I agree with those who say that florida could still play for the National Championship even if they lose to LSU but win the rest of their games, including, of course, the SEC Title Game.Tebo should sit the LSU game out. Again, Brantley is capable of leading the Gator offense. Florida also has an excellent running attach with Jeff Demps and Immanuel Moody, so it's more than just the quarterback. Florida has the #1 ranked running attack in the country. Florida's defense will also take care of business, so it is not that crucial for Tebo to play in this game. He's not 100% and his quality of life could be in jeopardy, not to mention his future NFL career, should another concussion take place in Baton Rouge.Bottom line, Tebo should sit out the LSU game. Brantley, Demps and Moody & company can take care of business against the Bayou Bengals.
Bryan College Gets Last Laugh
I was up at Bryan College, my Alma mater located in Dayton, TN, last Wednesday to film the great soccer rivalry between Bryan and Covenant College, a storied rivalry which goes back several decades and a rivalry which may very well have come to an end at about 9:45 pm Wednesday night.Fortunately, the Lions won the match 1-0 on a goal in the second half by Junior Midfielder and Mesquite, Texas native Bennie Bardales. If the rivalry has ended, at least the Lions got the last laugh. When yours truly was a player way back in 1990, the first game I played in was against Covenant at their place high atop Lookout Mountain. We lost 4-0, thus continuing a "clean sheet" the Scotts had on Bryan for about a decade. Bryan went at least 10 years without scoring on Covenant, let alone beating the Scotts, until 1996 when BC Forward Gabe Hammelwright ended the scoreless and winless streak as the Lions toppled the Scotts 1-0.Since then, Bryan has had the upper hand in most of the matches, including an incredible come from behind victory over Covenant in Dayton as the Lions, trailing 2-1 with under 2 minutes remaining, scored two goals to win in spectacular fashion. In 2007 and 08, the Lions won the regular season contests, but lost in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament Semi-Finals to the Scotts two years in a row, the second of the two on Bryan's home pitch.However, we Lions got the last laugh. Covenant has left both the AAC and the NAIA so we won't have to see them in the post season. For many reasons, I wish Covenant wouldn't make the move to NCAA Div. 3 and stay in the AAC so we could have another chance to beat them in the playoffs. But as it is, Bryan won't get that chance. So what though! If Bryan never plays Covenant again, the Lions won the last match and got the last laugh.There are several great college soccer rivalries throughout the United States: Boston College vs Boston University, William &Mary vs Ole Dominion and Maryland vs North Carolina in NCAA Div. 1. In NCAA Div. 3, two Pennsylvania schools, Messiah and Elizabethtown, have an extremely heated rivalry. The Bryan-Covenant rivalry ranks right up there with them in intensity. It's a shame to see it go.
Richt's Feet Not Yet to the Fire, But Warm Sensations Abound
In the aftermath of an embarrassing loss in Knoxville to Tennessee, UGA Athletic Director Daeman Evans has expressed concern over the state of Georgia' Football Program but said he is "confident" that Head Coach Mark Richt can find ways to get the program back to where everyone wants it to be. He may have to do something he doesn't want to do: fire some of his coaches.On his call-in show, Richt was bombarded by questions from callers asking him if he plans to fire some of his coaches like Defensive Coordinator Willie Martinez or Offensive Coordinator Mike Bobo. In his answers, Richt did say that changes to that effect may have to be made eventually. "I think a lot of people expect blood. They want somebody to be let go and fired and all that kind of thing and maybe that's what needs to be done." Richt said to one critical caller. Richt went on to say to the caller, in so many words, that he and the team plan to do the best thing right now, which is preparing for the Vanderbilt game.Some callers, echoing sentiment among many Bulldog fans, asked Coach Richt if and when Freshman quarterbacks Logan Gray, Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger, will get playing time this year. Richt answered by saying that it wasn't out of the realm of possibility, but highly unlikely.It is a shame that a Coach Richt, who since his arrival at Georgia, has given Bulldog fans 2 SEC Championships and 3 BCS Bowl appearances (two of them wins) and several other winning seasons, is now experiencing the first serious trimmers of a vocational earthquake. It is true that Richt's club is near or at the bottom nationally in important statistics such as scoring defense and penalties, even though his recruiting classes are at the top tier nationally the last few years.Play calling has been at times, at best, questionable, and the defense has not played well of late. I don't think Richt needs to can Martinez or Bobo just yet. I do think it might be a good idea to allow Aaron Murray to get a series in one of the upcoming SEC games. He, Gray and maybe even Mettenberger will need experience sooner or later. Actually, from what I'm hearing about Mettenberger, he may be better suited for a place like Georgia St.If Georgia falls to the Commodores this Saturday, changes must be made. The problem is that Kentucky, the Gators, Auburn and Tech await, so what changes do you make. Do you fire Martinez in the middle of the season. Who would coach the Defense? Coach Richt is in a very tough spot.The most disturbing thing for me is the penalties. That doesn't seem to be improving. Richt brought discipline when he came to Georgia 8 years ago. "Finish The Drill" was and still is the motto. There needs to be a "drill" to eliminate or drastically reduce the penalties on offense. Things like jumping off sides, false starts, and especially things like personal fouls cannot be tolerated. If these things improve, that's one step towards the type of successful football Georgia is use to playing, the type of football that wins games and championships. This begins with Richt and his coaches. They must get back to the philosophy they started with back in 2001: discipline, finishing the drill. The players, in particular the Senior leadership, must take it upon themselves to buy back into Richt's standards. Georgia Tech Head Coach Paul Johnsos revival of the Tech program is eerily similar to what Mark Richt did back in 01. In Richt's second year, the Dogs won an SEC Championship, the first since 1983. Georgia Tech, thanks to Johnson's Spread Option Offense, is poised to make a run for the ACC Title this year. To summarise it all, the Dogs need to get back to 2001 basics
Boise St. Does Not Belong in the Top 5
The BCS rankings are all about perception. The "BCS Conferences" are perceived to have the best talented college football teams, and for the most part, they do. However, there are teams from the non-BCS conferences such as the Mountain West, the WAC and Conference USA that have teams who are capable of beating the top flight teams of the BCS.That having been said, Boisie St., as good a football team as they are, is not deserving of a #5 ranking. They are ranked ahead of USC and Ohio St.. Yes, I know that USC lost to Washington and Ohio St. lost to USC, but both of those teams play in much tougher conferences and their out of conference opponents are tougher. Boisie State's only really tough out of conference opponent was Oregon, who they beat 19-8. Their two other out of conference foes were Bowling Green and Miami (OH), not too difficult competition.This is not to say that the Broncos aren't capable of beating USC, LSU, Ohio St. or Oklahoma. I believe they are, and the Broncos should be willing to go to these places and try to beat these teams like they did Oregon last year. Boisie St. is deserving of a top 10 ranking since they are undefeated and have a win against Oregon, a good BCS team, but not a top 5 ranking.
Middlebury Mens College Soccer Gunning For Another NCAA Tournament Berth
One of the most successful intercollegiate athletic programs in the country happens to be at the NCAA Div. 3 level. Middlebury College, located in picturesque Middlebury, VT near the Green Mountains, has won 29 NCAA National Championships. One of those championships is claimed by the Mens Soccer program.The Panthers won the Soccer program's first national title back in 2007 going 18-2-2 on the season. A year ago, Middlebury reached the NCAA Sectional Finals before losing in penalty kicks to Stephens Institute. This year, the Panthers are 5-3-2 with a 1-0 win over Castleton St. 3 days ago.They haven't scored a lot of goals this year, but Jr. Midfielder Carson Cornbrooks from Williston, VT, leads the Panthers in goals with three on the season. Middlebury has played very well defensively, especially the man between the pipes. Soph. Goal Keeper Tim Cahill, a native of Glastonbury, Connecticut, has 34 saves on the season and ranks 6th in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) in goals against with a 0.95 goals against average.The Panthers may struggle this year to win the conference title again. Right now they sit in 7th place in the NESCAC at 1-2-2 with an overall record of 5-3-2. However, most of the roster is made up of upper class men, including 7 seniors, who were on the national championship team two years ago. Head Coach David Saward is in his 25th year at the helm of the Mens Soccer Program and is the winningest coach in the history of Midlebury Mens Soccer with a record of 251-83-36. That would be among the best records of any college soccer coach. The Panthers will try to climb up the conference standings when they host Connecticut CollegeSaturday, Oct. 17 at 11am.
Wahoos Waking Up
If you remember my articles on Virginia Football about a month ago, you'll remember that I didn't hold out much hope for the Wahoos after they dropped their opener against FCS opponent William & Mary. My prediction seemed to be coming to fruition as they lost to TCU an then to Southern Mississippi.However, the Cavaliers have awakened. They beat one of the best teams in the ACC in North Carolina, then Indiana, which is not a surprise. Then yesterday, the Cavs defeated the Maryland Terps. Believe it or not, Virginia is tied for the lead in the ACC Coastal Division. As Georgia Tech Play-By-Play guy Wes Durham said "It's as if Head Coach Al Groh treated the first three games like NFL pre-season games. Will somebody tell Athletic Director Craig Littlepage to tell Coach Groh that those first three games were for real".The Wahoos host Georgia Tech next Saturday. The Jackets haven't won in Charlottesville since 1990, the year Tech Field Goal Kicker Scott Sisson kicked the winning field goal to beat the Cavaliers 41-38. That year, Virginia came into that game ranked #1 in the nation. After that win, Georgia Tech went on to win a split national title with the Colorado Buffaloes. Without giving the exact stats, the offense has stopped turning the ball over. In the first three games, Virginia turned the ball over 5 times, four of them via the interception. They didn't turn the ball over in the last three victories.In their first three losses, the Cavs Defense gave up a combined total of 1,033 yards both through the air and on the ground, an average of 344 yards per game. In their last three wins, they gave up a combined total of 730 yards both air and ground, an average of 243 yards per game. The defense cut their yardage given-up average by almost 100 yards during their last three games, which were victories.As a result, Virginia is a top the ACC Coastal Division followed by Georgia Tech and Miami. About a month ago, this would have been unthinkable. There is still a lot of football to be played. The Cavs host the Jackets next week. Georgia Tech's Spread Option Offense with QB Josh Nesbitt and RB Jonathan Dwyer looks unstoppable as they made mince meat out the Hokies. After that, the Wahoos host Duke, a winnable game. They then must head to South Florida to take on the Canes of Miami, followed by a home game against a Jekyll & Hyde Boston College, a road game at Clemson, and the in-state war with Virginia Tech, which is in Charlottesville.I don't see the Wahoos beating the Yellow Jackets. Tech will finally end the winless streak at Jefferson's place. Duke will be a win, but they will not survive Miami. However, Boston College, Clemson and VPI could all be wins if the Cavs continue to play well on offense as they've played these last three weeks. 7-5 is a possibility, but 6-6 and a trip to a pre-Christmas bowl is more likely.
EMU Soccer Team Making a "Leap" of Progress
The Eastern Mennonite Men's Soccer Team "leaped" into fifth place in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) with a big away Victory over Washington & Lee University on Wed. Oct. 21 thanks to Sophomore Forward Mitchell Leap as he scored to break a 1-1 deadlock to put the Royals up 2-1. Sophomore Midfielder Philip Yoder knocked in an insurance goal off a corner kick late in the first half and the Royals held the W&L Generals at bay in the second half to give EMU the 3-1 win.Eastern Mennonite moves to 6-5-5 overall and 4-2-2 in ODAC play. They trail fourth place Hampden-Sydney by four points and are 2 points a head of Randolph Macon. The Royals actually trailed in the W&L match when Freshman Midfielder Tyler Gilcrest scored at the 31:15 mark in the first half to tie the match. The Royals have a tall order as they take on the ODAC top dog, Roanoke College, on Saturday Oct. 24.Mitchell Leap, a Sophomore from Harrisonburg, VA, leads the Royals in scoring with 9 goals and 3 assists on the season with a total of 21 points. His career high came on August 31 of last year when he scored 2 goals and tallied an assist against La Roche College.Eastern Mennonite University, located in Harissonburg, Virginia, competes at the NCAA Div. lll level and is a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1917, EMU is a Christian Liberal Arts College affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA. The current enrollment at the college is around 1,600
Soothing Medicine For Bowden
Some in the Seminole Nation wanted Head Coach Bobby Bowden to step down. The cries have been as loud as earth quake tremors and getting louder until Wednesday Night, when the Seminoles staged a tremendous come from behind victory over North Carolina in Chapel Hill by the score of 30-27 after trailing at one time 24-3Much thanks should be given to Seminole QB Christian Ponder, who threw for 395 yards, and wide receiver Rod Owens, who caught 9 balls for 199 yards, including a 98 yard touchdown reception from the Seminoles own 2 yard line. This came after an interception thrown by Tar Heels QB T.J. Yates. The pass was intercepted in the end zone. Owens caught the pass from Seminole QB Christian Ponder, broke a tackle, and scampered all the way for the TD making the score 24-20. Up until then, UNC seemed to ahve the game in hand and marching toward a convincing beat down of FSU, which would have raised the Rictor Scale of the cries from Bobby Bowden detractors.The win gives Florida St. its first ACC win of the season. They are now 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the ACC. This was certainly soothing medicine for the embattled Bowden. The Seminole Defense is not your Grandfather's defense from back in the 80s and 90s, when the front four was as dominate as any in the country. The FSU Defense could not contain the running plays of UNC all night. However, that one crucial interception by Yates proved to be heartbreaking for the Tar Heels as it turned the momentum in the game with Owens scoring the 98 yard TD a play later.Coach Bowden can finally breathe a little easier for now. In fact, with this year's topsy turby ACC, the Seminoles are still in contention for the Atlantic Division Title.
At This Moment, Iowa Should Be Ranked A Head Of Cincinati
About a couple of months ago, I wrote an article on this College Sports Blog saying that Iowa had an excellent shot of winning the Big X Title. A few weeks ago, Is aid that Iowa has an excellent chance to play for the National Title if they run the table and go undefeated. They are very close to doing both.I won't speak too soon. there's a lot of football to be played. The Hawkeyes face Michigan St. later today in East Lansing. Two home games against Indiana and Northwestern follow. The Hawkeyes did struggle with Div 1-AA N. Iowa and Sun Belt opponent Arkansas St. However, they beat a solid Penn St. club who is ranked 13th in the AP Poll and 11th in the Coaches Poll. They also beat an improving Michigan team as well as Wisconsin on the road.Cincinati, as good as they are, has not yet beaten a top 25 team. They deserve to be in the top 10. Don't get me wrong. However, Iowa has beaten Penn St. That alone should put the Hawkeyes a head of the Bearcats. The two teams sort of offset each other in defensive rankings. Iowa is #1 in the country in interceptions with 15. Cincinnati is #3 in the country in sacks with 25. Should both teams win out, and both Texas and either Florida or Alabama win out, Cincinnati and Iowa may very well meet in a BCS bowl, but it wouldn't be for the National Title.Back to my point though, at this very moment, the Hawkeyes should be ranked one spot a head of the Bearcats based simply on the fact that Iowa has beaten a top 25 team and Cinci hasn't. A bunch of stuff can change tomorrow and the next few remaining weeks. Iowa is ranked #7 in the AP Poll and Cinci is #5. In the Coaches Poll, Iowa is ranked #8 and Cincinnati #6. In the CBS Sports.Com 120 Poll, the Hawkeyes are ranked a head of the Bearcats at #4 and Cinci #5. I would agree with that poll not because I'm a Hawkeye fan, but because of what I said earlier. The one other poll, the CBSSports.Com Blog Poll, the Hawkeyes are right behind Cincinnati, who is ranked #4. The teams seem pretty even and it would be a very entertaining game. In my opinion, the CBS Sports.Com 120 poll is the only poll that has it right, your opinions please.
College Soccer Player Scores From 95 Yards Out
Perhaps the goal scored from the longest distance ever in the history of the sport, in ANY soccer game at ANY level, was done last night when SMU Freshman Defender Ryan Rosenbaum scored a goal from 95 yards out against #16 Tulsa. Rosenbaum was just trying to clear the ball out as the Mustangs were trying to hold off the onslaught of the Golden Hurricanes, who trailed 2-1 in the 63 minute and were trying to equalize.Video of the goal showed that Rosenbaum simply sent a high clearance ball from just outside SMU's own goal box. The ball sailed high in the air and long and took a high bounce off the pitch just outside Tulsa's goal box fooling the Tulsa Goalkeeper. The ball bounced high over his head as he tried to clear it. He couldn't track back in time to get the ball and it rolled into the net giving the Mustangs a 3-1 lead. They would go on to win their Conference USA match 3-2.Video footage of this incredible goal can be seen at this site: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/post/Video-SMU-freshman-hits-95-yard-soccer-goal?urn=top,197845. This has to be one of the longest, if not the longest distance to score a goal, in the history of the game of soccer. One other footnote: This wasn't just Rosenbaum's first college goal, it was his first ever shot on goal in a college game. He is a defender for the Mustangs, and is not called upon to score goals. That may change now. Also, should the SMU Football Team need a Field Goal Kicker, they don't have to look too far. Information in this article was gathered from Chris Chase, who is a blogger for Yahoo.Com.
West Virginia Fans, players and Coaches Showed Tremendous Class
Obviously, the University of Connecticut has been through a lot this past week with the tragic death of UCONN football player Jasper Howard, who was murdered last Sunday morning outside of the UCONN Student Union. The Huskies wanted desperately to win their game against West Virginia for their slain comrade.The Huskies almost pulled it off, but Mountaineers RB Noel Divine scored the winning touchdown for West Virginia with less than a minute left to defeat the Huskies 28-24. However, to me, the real story was the wonderful compassion and class showed by the West Virginia crowd, as well as their players and coaches. They cheered when the Connecticut team came out with Howard's jersey. WVU Head Coach Bill Stewart and his staff embraced Connecticut Head Coach Randy Etzel. The Mountaineer players lovingly embraced and encouraged their Connecticut opponents. Once the game was on, it was dog eat dog, but the love and respect showed to UCONN was beautiful to see.I know what you are thinking. If UCONN were at Georgia, Iowa, USC or any other program, the fans, players and coaches of that program would have shown the same respect and class. That's probably true. The fact that the WVU family did what they did is commendable and must be recognized. We hear enough stories about players, coaches and even fans coming up short in the area of behavior. The West Virginia University community put football into its proper perspective. The rest of us should do the same.
EMU Mens' Soccer Finishing Strong With Four Straight Wins; Upsets Conference Leader Roanoke
The Eastern Mennonite University Mens' Soccer Team is probably the hottest team in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), having now won four straight matches with a well-earned upset of conference leader Roanoke by a score of 2-1 this past Saturday on the Maroons home field.The Royals were out played in just about every phase of the game except on the scoreboard. The Maroons out shot the Royals 25-7 for the game, including out shooting EMU 14-5 in the second half. The Royals virtually were playing on their heels the whole match. However, thanks to EMU Goalkeeper Dillon Brunk's 13 saves, the Royals were able to hold on to the 2-1 victory and will finish no worse than 5th place in the ODAC standings.The Royals drew first blood when Soph. Forward Muoka Musau served a corner kick into the box where Soph. Midfielder Mitchell Leap headed it into the net to give the Royals the 1-0 advantage at the 15:38 mark in the first half. Roanoke's Michael Stark struck back with the equalizer two minutes later, and the Maroons pressed for the next 10 minutes but could not breech Goalkeeper Dillon Brunk and the Royals Defense. With just over 3 minutes until halftime, the Royals made a "quantum leap" in the form of their leading goal scorer, Mitchell Leap, who scored the second of his two goals at the 41:55 mark, which proved to be the winning goal. Royals Goalkeeper Dillon Brunk, a Sophomore from Dayton, VA, made a crucial save just before halftime.Roanoke pushed and pressed the whole second half and nearly tied the game in the 78th minute, but Brunk came up big again with 2 big saves and two more with just 2 minutes left in the game to help preserve the upset win for the Royals. With 13 saves on the day, and several of them at crucial times in the match, Brunk was easily the "Man of the Match". The defeat for Roanoke was their first conference loss of the season.The win vaults EMU's overall record to 7-5-5 and 5-2-2 in ODAC play. The Royals will wrap up the regular season Tuesday when they take on Randolph College. The ODAC Tournament begins Saturday, Oct. 31.
Bryan's Simpson Named AAC Female Runner of the Week
Several months ago, I wrote about a female Cross Country Runner who hails from Grayson, GA, part of Gwinnett County, on the northeast side of Atlanta. Her name is Erika Simpson and runs Cross Country at Bryan College, a Christian Liberal Arts school located in Dayton, TN near Chattanooga. Simpson had a fine Freshman season, and is continuing her solid performance as a Sophomore.This past week, Simpson was named the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Female Runner of the Week for her efforts in the Southeastern Classic; a meet containing 22 teams. Simpson led the Lady Lions with a time of 20:22 in the 5K race, finishing 37th individually, and netting Bryan an 8th place finish in the 22 team field containing 181 runners.Erika Simpson is one of the hundreds of student-athletes from Gwinnett County, GA who have excelled both athletically and academically at the collegiate level. For more information on Bryan College Athletics, as well as the school itself, you can go to http://www.bryanlions.org/ and http://www.bryan.edu/.
Could Be a Long Day Fpor The Dawgs in Jacksonville
UGA Defensive Coordinator Willie Martinez and his defense have been much maligned all year. Maybe they will have enough motivation and confidence to help Georgia pull off and upset, but that is probably about as likely as the St. John's River drying up.Yes, the Dawgs have had a week off to get healthy while Florida struggled against Mississippi St. The Gators have struggled in the red zone (inside the opponent's 20 yard line). Tim Tebo is 4 out of 16 passing attemps inside the red zone. However, the Georgia offense has been inconsistent. Starting RB Richard Samuels has not proven himself a consistant ground gainer and is a possible candidate to play LB on the other side of the ball. Caleb King has been hampered by injury for much of the season. Freshman WR Tavaris King has also been injured as well.There is also the distraction caused by Lineman Vince Vance as he was flagged for a traffic misdemeanor. One broadcaster on a local sports talk show in Atlanta said that the Dawgs' best chance is for All-SEC Wide Receiver A.J. Green to run slant routs and for QB Joe Cox to throw him the ball every time since Green is capable of going up and grabbing it. That would be an interesting game plan. If it succeeds on the first few plays, the Gators may double team Green, leaving other wide outs like Orson Charles and Aaron White open, that is if they can make the crucial catches. The pass could then open up the run. Usually, it's suppose to be the other way around.I don't have to mention that the Gators have an outstanding defense, one of the best in the country, but I just did. Can the Georgia Offensive Line block like the old Berlin Wall, or Buford Dam. If they can, the Dawgs MAY have a chance. On the other hand , if the line blocks like New Orleans levys, the Gators will have breakfast, lunch, dinner and a midnight snack. Walls, levys, rivers drying up, I didn't think I'd be mentioning these things talking about Georgia/Florida in Jacksonville, but I just did.ies
Bryan's Harper Gains National Recognition
The Cross Country and Track & Field programs at Bryan College were both reinstated a few years ago. Now, they are producing some of the best runners at the small college level. Bryan Sophomore Runner Bryson Harper was named the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Student-Athlete of the week for leading the Lions to a #1 finish at the Southeastern Classic in Louisville, KY a week ago. The meet contained teams from 22 different schools.The Pikeville, TN native ran the 8k race in a time of 25:22, earning his team a first place finish and earning Harper a second place finish out of 216 runners. Bryson Harper is only a Sophomore, but already he has had a brilliant career at Bryan. This past Spring during the Outdoor Track season, Harper was AAC Runner up in the Outdoor 1500 and 800 meter events at the AAC (Appalachian Athletic Conference) Championships.Back on October 4, Harper finished 4th overall in the Music City Carnival 5k with a time of 15:05.98 and finished 5th overall at the Smoky Mountain Twilight Mile with a time of 4:16.73. At the AAC Track & Field Championships last Spring, Harper in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:02.82 and 2nd in the 800 meter event. Before redshirting in 2008, Harper made the AAC Cross Country All-Freshman Team in 07.The accomplishments of Bryson Harper and his teammates have earned Bryan College a #8 ranking in the NAIA Men's Cross Country top 25, possibly the highest ranking ever of any varsity sport in the school's history. Out of a 10-man roster, the Bryan Men's Cross Country Team has 5 upper class men, meaning the other 5, including Harper, are Freshman and Sophomores. This will hopefully ensure continued success in the years to come for the program as their recent success will draw top notch recruits to Bryan. Congratulations to Bryson Harper and the rest of the Bryan College Men's Cross Country Team. More information on this article can be obtained by going to www.bryanlions.com.
USC Trojans Run-A-Duck
Oregon put up 613 yards of offense against Southern Cal's defense enroute to a 47-20 shellacking of #5 ranked USC. The Ducks, led by QB Jeremiah Masoli and RB LeMichael James made it inside the red zone 9 times out of their total of 11 offensive drives. You make it inside the opponent's 20 yard line that many times, you will come away with lots of points. and the Ducks did. This was the Trojans' worst loss in Head Coach Pete Carol's tenure in Los Angeles.The ducks now have the inside track to the PAC-10 Title, but if they can win out, and win convincingly as they did Saturday Night, they just might be playing for much more than the PAC-10 Crown. the last time I saw Oregon play, it was the debacle at Boisie St. ending with Ducks RB LeGarrett Blount's TKO of a Boisie St. player. The Ducks were throttled by the Broncos on the blue turf. They looked like anything but a top 25 team.but give credit to Head Coach Chip Kelly. He suspended Blount for most of the season (Blount may actually be reinstated), which he had to do. However, Ducks quack caller Jeremiah Masoli, RB LeMichael James and the rest of the Ducks picked up the pieces and, unlike Humpty Dumpty, put their season back together again.Since that blue performance on BSU's blue turf, the ducks have beaten California by 39, Washington St. by 46, UCLA by 14, and Saturday defeated the #5 ranked team in the country by 27. Oregon was ranked #10 before the thrashing of USC. They will most certainly will be ranked in the top 5. Oregon is one outstanding football team that no one, up until now, is talking about. One big turning point in this game, in my opinion, was win Kelly wanted his offense to try and score before the third quarter ended. He didn't want to interrupt their rhythm and momentum. It was a smart move because the Ducks scored with just 5 seconds left in the third to make the score 41-20 to start the 4th quarter. Many coaches would have just waited till the start of the next quarter, but Kelly wanted to keep attacking and it was a good thing that the Ducks did.Oregon still has two tough away games against Stanford next week and then Arizona two weeks later. In between those two games, they have the Sun Devils of Arizona St. at home, and of course, the Civil War game with the Beavers in Eugene to close out the season. If theDucks keep playing like they did against USC, they will most certainly assure themselves no less than a trip to the Rose Bowl. Realistically, for the Ducks to play for the National Title, they must win out and hope Texas and Iowa loses. The winner between Florida and Alabama in the SEC Championship Game will play for the National Title, so if the Ducks win out, and the Longhorns and Hawkeyes lose one or two games, they would have a very good shot of playing the Gators or Crimson Tide. However, the prospect of Iowa and Texas losing two games is highly unlikely. Iowa might lose a game, but I doubt Texas loses again until their bowl game, if then.To sum it up, the Ducks will most likely play Iowa in the Rose Bowl. If both Texas and Iowa win out (Texas will probably play Kansas St. or Mizzou in the Big Xll Title Game), the Longhorns will probably get the upper hand because of their more dominating victories than those of the Hawkeyes. Texas would then play either Alabama or Florida in the National Title Game. Nevertheless, what Oregon Head Coach Chip Kelly and his team have done since the debacle in Boisie at the beginning of the year is one of the biggest stories in College Football this year.
I Love The Blue Turf
One of the many great traditions of college football will begin again this Thursday Night as Boisie St. hosts Oregon on the blue turf. The Broncos are an exciting team to watch. They have toppled traditional powers like Oklahoma. Last year, they upset Oregon in Eugene.The best thing about watching Boisie St. Football is that blue artificial turf. It's different, obviously, as all other high school, college and pro teams play on something green. It comes through nicely on my LCD 32 inch TV. I wonder if Tennessee would ever think of going to an orange turf. Boy would that be interesting to see. Boisie St. had the longest home winning streak in the nation until Boston College upset them in the Humanitarian Bowl a couple of years ago. I wonder if the "Smurf Turf" as some call it, distracted the opposing teams and threw their concentration off just a bit. Here's an interesting fact: The NCAA told BSU that they had to get rid of the blue turf and go green. However, the Idaho Legislature past a law that the blue turf has to stay. Sorry NCAA, Lex Rex (Law is king)! To me, Boisie St. is still that Cinderella team that upsets the big boys. That's one reason I like watching them. I want to see them in a BCS bowl again beating the likes of Ohio St. or Florida. When they defeated Oklahoma in that classic 43-42 overtime win in the Tostitoes Fiesta Bowl a couple of years ago, followed by Broncos RB Ian Johnson proposing to his cheerleader fiance on national television, it capped off a perfect 13-0 season. I wanted them to play undefeated Ohio St. for a chance to really win it all, but the good old boys at the BCS and the university presidents wouldn't let it happen. I actually think they would have given the Buckeyes a run for their money. Stay true blue, BSU! I love that blue turf.
Shorter's Tamar Watson a "Waling Miracle"
From time to time on College Sports, we highlight those student-athletes who have overcome all odds to excel at their sport. Perhaps no other student-athlete exemplifies overcoming all odds then Shorter's Tamar Watson. It's a miracle she is even walking, let alone playing soccer for the Lady Hawks.Watson was in her native country of Trinidad during the Christmas break. Watson and her best friend Giselle Salandy were driving on the outskirts of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad's capital city, when they were involved in a horrible automobile accident which killed Salandy and seriously wounded Watson. both femurs in Watson's legs were shattered in the accident, and doctors feared she would never walk normally again."It was the hardest and most difficult days of my life," said Watson. "I was thinking I'd never walk normally again and I'd never play again and knowing that Giselle was not here any more - it was hard." Doctors inserted two steel rods into each of Watson's femurs. They said that in time, her injuries would heal, but that she would never walk normally again.However, through Tamar Watson's faith in God and her own determination, she defied the odds and is looking forward for her final year wearing a Shorter uniform. She also believes that Giselle Salandy would want her to persevere and never give up. "Giselle and I worked hard to get where we were despite the problems we had growing up," Watson said of her best friend Salandy, a world-class boxer. "What keeps me going is that I know she'd tell me to get up, work hard and keep going."Watson was confined to a wheelchair for 5 months, but after that, she had had enough. "I'd get up and take a few steps on my own," Watson said. "I wasn't supposed to and the doctors were upset about it." After weeks of taking those initial steps, Watson took bigger and bigger ones until she was rehabbing twice a day and doing more work on her own. She added the pool, beach and the gym to her rehab. Watson said it was exhausting for her, but it eased the stress as well.As a result of God's healing hand and her hard work in rehab, Watson returned to Shorter for the Fall semester. Lady Hawks Head Coach Josh Severns was amazed at how far she had come. "We had talked about her coming back, finishing at Shorter and being a part of the team," Severns said. "But we had no idea of just how far she has come. I know T's attitude. She is very determined and has a lot of passion about what she does. "I know it was tough on her, but she has focused on getting back on the field."Right now, Watson is on the sidelines cheering her teammates, but she is determined to get back on the field. During the 2008 season, Watson scored 8 goals and had an assist. Shorter Athletic Director Josh Tucker is hopeful that Watson will be able to play before her career at Shorter is over. "Primarily we are working on regaining full range of motion in both of her knees which have stiffened due to the large amount of scarring in the quads from the initial injuries, the surgeries and general inactivity," Tucker said. "At this point maybe, and I'm just guessing, she'll be practicing again with the team around mid-October." Tucker went on to say that regardless of when Watson will be able to play again, it is simply a miracle she is even walking around.Tamar Watson is extremely thankful to God and to her Shorter family. She feels she wants to give back to Shorter for all that they have done for her. "The Lord definitely has a plan for my life," Watson said. "He wants me to do what is right and now I'm starting to find out what it is." During the aftermath of the accident, Coach Severns, her teammates and the Shorter community called her and sent cards and gift baskets. "I know I have to give something back to Shorter because they have been so good to me," Watson said. A Business Administration major at Shorter, the Senior forward knows that God has much more in store for her and she is ready to do his will. "All of this, what I'm doing, is purpose driven. I know that God has a plan for me," Watson said. "There is a greater things for me to do and I want to find out what they are." May of us from day to day may feel sorry for ourselves due to whatever trials we may have to deal with, most of them trivial compared to that of Tamar Watson. Her story is one of the most inspiring examples of faith in God, hard work and perseverance, and love and support from the Shorter community. If and when Watson takes the field again for the Lady Hawks, it will be a great day indeed. The fact that she overcame a terrible car crash which killed her best friend and regained the ability to walk is truly a miracle indeed. More on this story can be found at the Shorter athletic website www.goshorterhawks.cstv.com
Organized Pre-game Handshake Is Not a Good Idea
Just recently, the College Football Coaches Association suggested, not mandated, that teams before a game have an organized handshake. The intention is wonderful, but in practicality, it will not work.In the past, we have seen too many examples of when teams meet up together before the start of the game, a fight breaks out. Someone opens their mouth to trash talk, or some player bumps into a player from the other team either accidentally or on purpose, the fist-a-cuffs begin and all you know what breaks loose. Oklahoma St. Head Football Coach Mike Gundy said yesterday on a radio interview that if something like that happened, he didn't know how it would be broken up.I don't think it's a good idea because emotions are very high and these young men do not yet have the discipline and the maturity to control their mouths and emotions. Before the game, they are getting ready to play ball, not make nice with the other team. Do the handshakes after the game, like they do in the NHL Playoffs. Remember what happened with Notre Dame in the late 80s. They had fights in the tunnel leading out to the field with at least three teams, and the Irish were coached by the tough disciplinarian Lou Holtz. Shake hands after the game, not before.
Lobo Men's Soccer Team Shuts Out Billikens in St. Louis
If there was any doubt that the New Mexico Lobos Men's Soccer team is a top 25 team, they put it to rest last Tuesday night as they began their season by an eye=opening 3-0 win over No. 21 ranked St. Louis University on their home field.Seniors Simon Ejdemyr, Justin Davis and P.J. Wilson scored the three goals for the Lobos. Lobo Goal Keeper Justin Fite didn't have to do too much work, as he tallied four saves on the night. "Saint Louis is a good team, a very tradition-rich team," UNM Head Coach Jeremy Fishbein said. "We're really proud of our boys. Anytime you go up against a Top-25 team, beat them by three goals, and shut them out at their place, it's a pretty great way to start the season."The Lobos came out firing in the first half as they out shot the Billikens 15-9. New Mexico may very well be a national force in Div. l College Soccer. Even though they were pre-season games, the Lobos knocked off No. 16 ranked Tulsa 3-2, an defeated both Oral Roberts and Colorado State-Pueblo by the score of 2-0. They are on a role already, and they've only played 1 game in the regular season. If there aren't any injuries to key people, the Lobos should make it to the NCAA Tournament. They take on San Francisco SaturdaySept. 5 in their home opener. Top 20 powers Indiana and Notre Dame await, along with two other top 25 teams in UC Davis and Cal. The Lobos have already proven they can beat the caliber of a top 25 team. THEY ARE a top 25 team. They should be fun to follow.
Broncos Experience "Blount Force Trauma."
The main story about this particular blog should be that Boisie State Defense turned the Oregon high-powered Duck offense into a lame duck offense. The Ducks couldn't even muster a first down in the entire first half. They only had a total of 14 yards on offense. The BSU offense pretty much had their way with the lame ducks as they went on to a 19-8 victory in their home opener. No. 14 Oregon was the highest ranked team to visit the blue turf.However, the most "exciting" event in the ball game came after the game. Oregon Sr. RB LeGarrette Blount sucker punched a Boisie St. player in the face just below the chin after the player tapped him on the shoulder in a "taunting" way (or so Blount thought). After that, Blount was teased by some BSU fans and he went ballistic, having to be restrained by Oregon coaches as they hauled him off to the locker room.In the last blog, I said that a symbolic handshake before the game is not a good idea since emotions are high and the players, at least some of them, don't have the discipline and maturity to control their mouths and emotions. Both teams did handle the pre-game hand shake well. It's a miracle since Blount said before the game that Oregon owed BSU a "butt woopin" (probably something more unprintable than that). Those comments, of course, are going to be used as locker room fodder by the other team. Their was a butt woopin, only Oregon was the recipient for the second straight year.Jason Smith, the host of ESPN Radio's All Night With Jason Smith, thinks Blount should be suspended for the rest of the season and not just the next game or two. Blount has behaved badly before. He was kicked out of practice on one occasion after unruly behavior. He should certainly be suspended for at least the next two games. The NCAA will probably suspend him for even more games.What is very interesting is the different perspectives of both the Oregon and Boisie State radio networks. Oregon broadcaster Jerry Allen made it sound like the Boisie State players were taunting Blount and Blount "responded". He went on to say that the BSU players were taunting but then cooler heads prevailed and Blount just "didn't like it".On the other hand, the Boisie State broadcasters saw it as yours truly saw it happen on national television. The Boisie State player tapped blount on iether the shoulder or helmet and Blount punched the player just below the chin. People, including broadcasters, will call it the way THEY WANT to see it.Should Blount be suspended for the rest of the season, possibly. He was suspended at one time, but over the Summer, had grown in his maturity according to new Oregon Head Coach Chip Kelly. Kelly spoke too soon. What a way to start the college football season.
Woeful Start for Cavaliers in 09
Will someone please give Virginia Head Coach Al Groh a wet towell to sit on because his back side is on fire after a 26-14 loss to Playoff Subdivision opponent William & Mary to open the 2009 season. Groh is on the hot seat.The Cavaliers committed seven turnovers including an interception by W&R Defensive Back B.W. Webb who ran it back 50 yards for a touchdown with 2:39 left in the game. It was one of 3 interceptions Webb had on the day for the Tribe. Virginia used all three of their QBs to try and muster something with their new spread offense. Unfortunately, the only spreading they were doing was spreading the ball around to the William & Mary Defense, who forced seven turnovers.W&M Redshirt Senior R.J. Archer was the most effective of all QBs on the field. The Charlottesville native was 23 of 45 for 184 yards and one interception. He also rushed for 46 yards on 9 carries. UVA Sr. Quarterback Vic Hall started the game and delivered right away for Virginia. He completed a 3 yard pass on the Cavs first play from scrimmage, and two plays later, Hall ran 34 yards for a touchdown to give Virginia an early 7-0 lead. However, Archer and the Tribe struck right back as he hit Rob Varno for a 5 yard TD pass to tie the game at 7.Cavalier Sr. QB Jameel Sewell drove Virginia for a go ahead touchdown as he completed all 5 of his passes for 45 yards and rushed for 35 yards. However, it was all William & Mary after that as the Tribe Kicker Brian Pate connected on 2 of 5 field goal attempts in the second quarter alone to make the score 14-13 Virginia at the half. However, three Cavs turnovers allowed to connect on a 20 yarder after Vic Hall's muff with 5:35 in the third and a 24 yarder with 3:50 remaining in the game after Jr. QB Marc Verica's fumble. Then their was back breaking interception run back for a touchdown by Webb to seal the deal for the Tribe. This was the first time since 1986 that Virginia has lost to a Playoff Subdivision (formerly Div. l-AA team) team. Ironically, it was the Tribe of William & Mary who defeated the Cavs back in 1986 41-37. It was the Tribe's first win over a Bowl Subdivision team since a 1998 win over Temple.Last Saturday was a bad day for the ACC, especially for Virginia and Duke, who both lost to Playoff Subdivision teams. The Blue Devils were beaten by Subdivision National Champions Richmond. The lower division almost made it three wins as Iowa had to block not one, but two field goals to hold off N. Iowa 17-16. Virginia hosts TCU next week and then travels to Southern Miss before starting ACC play against North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Cavs had better get their offense sorted out quickly, or it will be a very long year if not a winless year. If they cant beat William & Mary, there's no way they can win against the better teams in the ACC or the two solid C-USA opponents in Southern Miss and TCU. I thought at first that the Tribe, along with Big 10 seller dweller Indiana were easy wins for the Cavaliers and that they should upgrade their non-conference schedule. Well, I was very wrong. The quarterback situation is a mess. They need to stick with one guy and go with him. The W&M looked as if Virginia was treating it as a pre-season game. Please! Put a wet towell on Coach Groh's hot seat, two wet towells! the seat is gonna get hotter!
BCS Means "Beauty Contest Schools"
This past Saturday, we saw another example of how the non-BCS schools can go toe to toe with the BCS schools and win. BYU, out of the non-BCS Mountain West Conference, defeated Oklahoma of the BCS Big 12 Conference. It is said that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Those in the BCS view their schools as more beautiful than the schools of the "non-BCS." All BCS means is "Beauty Contest Schools."Many Oklahoma fans and BCS proponents will say BYU capitalized on the injury to 2008 Heisman Trophy Winner Sam Bradford and his subsequent departure from the game as the reason why the Cougars won. Rubbish! Injuries ar apart of football, and BYU came to play and play they did. The Cougars shouldn't be penalized because Bradford was injured and couldn't play most of the game. If BYU runs the table (and it's a shame they have to do that just to get into the BCS), they should play for the National Championship. I don't think they will though, since Utah and a solid Colorado St. team await the Cougars. Maybe I'm wrong, but all of that is beside the point.Conferences like the Big 12, the SEC, the Big 10, and even the Big East have what I call "tradition-laden programs." These schools like Oklahoma, Ohio St., Alabama and USC have rich traditions in college football. All four of the schools just mentioned have won national titles. These conferences have been around for a long, long time. If they have 1 or 2 losses, they are still seen as better than an undefeated BYU or Utah from a relatively new comers in the Mountain West and Western Athletic Conference, in which Boisie St. is a member. Even is a Boisie St., Utah, or BYU beat a BCS team like Oklahoma or USC and go undefeated, a team like Florida who goes 11-1 and wins the SEC with just 1 loss to someone like Ole Miss or Georgia will get the invite to play for the National Championship because they are "Florida". Perception, to the BCS, its member schools and supporters, is reality.It looks as if they only way to solve this problem of special treatment to the big name conferences and schools is for Congress to get involved. That is something that really ought not happen. Congress and the President have more important issues to deal with such as health care and the down economy. But they may be forced to act to insure a more equitable playing field and an end to the spoils system of college football.
Canes / Noles Rivalry Is Back to Greatness
The game between Florida St. and Miami last night was a fantastic game. It was reminiscent of the great games back in the late 80s and early 90s. It went down to the wire like it should, with the Hurricanes defeating the Seminoles 38-34 with an FSU receiver being unable to hold on to what would have been a Christian Ponder winning touchdown pass for the Noles.This game had everything you would expect in an FSU-Miami rivalry: big plays by both the offenses and defenses of both teams. Also, what would a Florida St.-Miami game be without a mistake by an FSU kicker. Noles Freshman Kicker Dustin Hopkins hit a 52 yard field goal near the end of the first half to give the Seminoles a 10-7 lead at halftime. However, he shanked an extra point and almost missed another one. The second one hit the right upright and bounced through, but that first missed PAT came back to haunt the Noles as they had to score a touchdown with 9 seconds left in the game because they were 4 points down, not 3.Both teams have a chance to win the ACC Title. The road will be hard with the likes of Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Clemson and a resurgent North Carolina team. The ACC had a bad weekend with Duke and Virginia losing to Div l-AA opponents Richmond and William & Mary, and NC St. not able to score a touchdown in a loss to South Carolina. Virginia Tech losing in a hard fought game to Alabama is disappointing for the conference, but understandable.Both FSU and Miami have shown the nation that the rivalry is back where it should be: having national championship implications. It should be exciting to see if at the end of the year, one or both of these two in-state rivals is in the running for the ACC Title and more.
Division 1-A and 1-AA Should Reunite
This past Saturday witnessed 2 Div. l-AA (now called Playoff Subdivision) teams upset Bowl Subdivision teams, albeit the two losing teams were ACC bottom feeders Duke and Virginia. They both lost to Richmond and William & Mary respectively. There was very nearly a third upset when Iowa had to block not one but two field goal attempts by N. Iowa, a Playoff Subdivision opponent, to escape with a 17-16 victory.The most famous take down of a Div. 1-A opponent by a l-AA team was Appalachia State's 34-31 upset win over Michigan in the Big House two years ago. What is my point in all of this? My point is that the top Playoff Subdivision teams can not only hang with but beat most Bowl Subdivision teams. Why was there ever a split in Div. 1 Football back in, I believe, 1978? I think both divisions should reunite. There have been more and more examples of Div. 1-AA teams not only holding their own but beating big time schools. I know it doesn't happen most of the time, but it seems more and more frequent of late. Now, if this were to happen, you would have to create more bowl games for bowl eligible schools, and perhaps 1 or 2 more BCS bowls. These former Playoff Subdivision schools would get more money for their programs by playing in bowl games (money is what it's all about, right?).Bottom line, I really don't see the point in having a Playoff Division and a Bowl Division. Just go ahead and reunite into Division 1 Football.
Big Time Praise Comes With Big Time Criticism
Georgia starting QB Joe Cox said he doesn't care what those who never have played a down of football say about him. Really? Perhaps he's not being honest. One thing is for sure. Cox, along with every player who signed out of high school to play for a big time Div. 1 school, did so because they wanted to be in the "Big Time."When things go well, it's great to be in the spotlight. If you're a starting QB at a big time program and you're playing well and your team is winning, you're the hero. It feels great! That's why many of these players come to places like Georgia, Florida St., Alabama and USC. However, when things don't go your way, or you're not playing well and your team is under performing, criticism, a lot of it, comes your way, especially if you are the starting quarterback.At big time programs, big time praise comes with big time criticism. You cant have it both ways. I'm sure Cox, along with every other starting quarterback at major programs, knows this principle. I'm sure that he tried his best at Stillwater last Saturday in the loss to Oklahoma St. One of his receivers dropped an open pass which would have given the Dawgs a first down in OSU territory. That play wasn't his fault. The quarterback, whether this is right or wrong, is given god-like status at these big time schools. To whom much is given (full-ride scholarship, free tuition, fame, girls, etc.), much is expected.I'm not mad at Joe Cox. He was suffering from the flu. Again, he and the Dawgs tried their best. They just didn't make the plays they needed to make. This is his first year as the Georgia starting QB. If criticism really bothers him, he needs to get use to it. At places like Georgia, where the passion is intense, he will get criticism if he performs poorly. The critics have already spoken (I'm not one of them). How he handles criticism will show how good his Senior leadership is. If he's not really bothered by it as he says he isn't, that's great. But if he is, he's got to get over it. It's part of the territory. At big time schools like UGA, big time praise comes with big time criticism.
Billingsley Wins 500th Career Victory
Here at KG's College Athletics, we want to celebrate milestones. Many student-athletes have reached various milestones and so have coaches. Saint Ambrose University Volleyball Coach Bruce Billingsley won his 500th career victory as he guided SAU to a 3 games to 0 shutout over Midland Lutheran at the SAU Early Bird Tournament a couple of weeks ago.The win give Billingsley 303 wins at Saint Ambrose, an NAIA school in Davenport, IA. He began his stint at Saint Ambrose back in 1997. Since then, Billingsley has won 268 matches as the Women's Head Coach as well as 35 wins as Head of the Men's VB program giving him a total of 303 while at SAU. He began hsi college coaching career at Marycrest University, where he won nearly 200 matches while coaching both the Men's and Women's teams.The score of the Midland Lutheran match was 25-18, 25-21, 25-23 giving him the milestone win. The Queen Bees defeated Robert Morris (ILL.) and Trinity Christian (ILL.) before losing their final match against Upper Iowa. The Queen Bees have actually won four out of their last six matches since Billingsley's milestone victory, giving the Saint Ambrose Coach a lifetime total of 504 wins. SAU takes on Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, IA on Tues, Sept. 15. More information can be obtained by going to www.sau.edu.volleyball.
Give The Other Team Credit
I was listening to Chuck Oliver and Matt Chernov on Sports Radio 680 The Fan yesterday and they were talking and taking calls about why the UGA Defense isn't better than it is. Oliver, a former high school football coach, believes that the talent on the Bulldog Squad is there, but the coaching is lacking.Georgia is 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the SEC after their opening season defeat at Oklahoma St. and their win this past Saturday against SEC rival South Carolina. The Georgia Defense played well against the Cowboys even though they gave up 24 points, but not so well in a 41-37 win over the Gamecocks. Georgia fans have been all over the back of UGA Defensive Coordinator Willie Martinez for the Defense sub-par performance a year ago. Not much seems to have changed.Could it be that the other teams offenses have gotten better? they've had all Summer to prepare for Georgia, and they've recruited players with the talent to go toe to toe against teams like Georgia. When our teams to play as well as we would like, even when they win, we tend to blame them for their mistakes instead of giving credit to the opponent.South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia is improving. Lets give credit to the Gamecocks for giving Georgia all they could handle. Some Georgia fans think the talent isn't as good and that Richt isn't recruiting the best players. Others say the talent is there but the coaching isn't as good as it use to be. I say give the opponents credit for finding ways to compete and win. Most of Georgia's opponents, especially SEC opponents, have the same type of talent if not better talent. Let's stop blaming the Georgia players and coaches for their so-called mistakes and give credit to their opponents for playing well and, at times, winning against the Dogs.
Urban Meyer Having Lunch Saturday, Not with Lane Kiffin, on Lane Kiffin
Lane Kiffin is so excited about beating Florida in the Swamp and singing Rocky Top Saturday Night. The only "Rocky" will be a Rocky Mop. Florida will mop up Rocky Bottom and Lane Kiffin and his Orange will head back to Knoxville with Old Smoky's tail between his legs.Jonathan Crompton is not ready for SEC Football, let alone Major Div 1 Football. This will be one of Kiffin's many "growing pains". Tebo and the boys will rout the Vols and will not be hungry afterwards because they will have feasted on the Big Orange. Florida has asked their fans to ware blue at the game. I can see why because they won't need the extra orange. They'll be eating enough of it on the field. Crompton is like former Tennessee and Georgia Tech QB A.J. Suggs: not ready for Major Div. 1 Football. This is not a criticism of Crompton as a person, not at all. He's more suited for football up the road from Knoxville, i.e. Carson-Newman.
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