Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 720 of 1503)

      Welcome to college football, Tate Forcier

      September 12, 2009 /

      Those that had followed Rich Rodriguez’s coaching career knew that his success at Michigan would be ultimately tied into whether or not he could find a quarterback. He didn’t have one last year and the Wolverines were an embarrassment week in and week out.

      But this year, Rodriguez has found his signal caller of the present and the future in the impressive Tate Forcier.

      The freshman signal caller was dazzling on Saturday, completing 23 of 33 pass attempts and racking up 310 total yards of offense as Michigan knocked off No. 18 Notre Dame 38-34 at the Big House. Forcier also threw two touchdown passes (including the game winner to Greg Mathews with under 15 seconds left to play) and ran for a score.

      Forcier reminds me of a better, stronger-armed version of Jeff Garcia. Both do a great job of gliding around the pocket in order to buy more time to pass and both can throw while on the run. They’re always extremely aware of their surroundings and can also make plays with their legs. (Forcier’s juke of a ND defender on his 31-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter was freaking sweet.)

      Perhaps the most impressive thing about Forcier up to this point (he had a nice game against Western Michigan in the opener, too) is that he doesn’t have a great offensive line in protecting him. He hasn’t been able to take three or five step drops (not that that’s a big part of Rodriguez’s offense anyway) and fire the ball into open receivers. He’s largely had to make plays on his own and he’s been creative while getting the ball into his wideouts’ hands.

      Forcier has made Michigan relevant again and at least for now, Rich Rod can take a deep breath because he’s found his quarterback.

      As for Notre Dame, they shot themselves in the foot repeatedly with stupid penalties. They had nine infractions for 75 yards, most of which wiped out offensive gains that could have kept drives moving. Their offense could have racked up nearly 550-plus yards today, but Charlie Weis’s team severely lacked fundamentals and it cost them big.

      College Football

      Houston stuns No. 5 Oklahoma State 45-35

      September 12, 2009 /

      There’s always an interesting dynamic that happens in sports when a team has high expectations entering a season after overachieving the year before.

      Oklahoma State surprised a lot of people last year on its way to compiling a 9-3 record and making a trip to the Holiday Bowl (a 42-31 loss to Oregon). Entering this season, many pundits thought the Cowboys would contend in the Big 12 and those thoughts were confirmed after they waxed Georgia 24-10 last week.

      But the Cowboys learned a huge lesson today: They’re not going to sneak up on opponents like they did last year.

      Led by incredible junior quarterback Case Keenum, unranked Houston went into Stillwater on Saturday and knocked off No. 5 Oklahoma State 45-35. Keenum was 32 of 47 passing for 367 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed five times for 16 yards and a score.

      While they still racked up 35 points and 436 total yards, Oklahoma State’s offense struggled at times today and couldn’t overcome costly penalties and four turnovers. Signal caller Zac Robinson was 18 of 31 for 240 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted by Jamal Robinson, who took the gift 26 yards for a score with only 3:14 remaining in the game.

      OK State obviously still has a chance to win the Big 12 considering neither Georgia nor Houston were conference opponents. (Sam Bradford’s injury makes things a little more interesting in the conference as well.) But the Cowboys have issues on both sides of the ball, including being able to generate a consistent pass rush on defense and converting in the red zone offensively. OK State also lacked overall fundamentals today, which is why the Cowboys had so many dumb penalties and turned the ball over four times.

      The Cowboys certainly aren’t as bad as they played today against Houston. But considering the Cougars flat out took it to them, maybe Oklahoma State isn’t as good as everyone thought either.

      College Football

      LeFevour sets MAC record as Central Michigan shocks Michigan State

      September 12, 2009 /

      What’s a Saturday in college football without a great upset?

      Central Michigan, a 14.5-point underdog entering the game, went into East Lansing on Saturday and shocked Michigan State 29-27 in the final minute of the fourth quarter.

      After quarterback Dan LeFevour (who passed Byron Leftwich for the most yards of total offense in MAC history during the game) found teammate Paris Cotton on an 11-yard touchdown pass (in which Cotton made a great catch while keeping one foot in bounds along one of the sides of the end zone) to cut MSU’s lead to 27-26 with under a minute left to play, CMU head coach Butch Davis decided to go for the lead instead of kicking the extra point to attempt to push the game into overtime.

      If you’re a football fan, it’s hard not to love Davis’ decision. His MAC team was playing a Big Ten opponent in a tough environment and they had just seized all the momentum after the touchdown. Why not try to steal a victory on the road?

      But LeFevour’s two-point pass attempt failed as Antonio Brown caught the ball out of bounds and it appeared that Davis’ decision to go for two would cost the Chips an attempt at the win.

      But on the ensuing kickoff, CMU’s Andrew Aguila bounced a perfect onsides kick attempt over a Spartan player and Chippewa receiver Bryan Anderson recovered the ball. After LeFevour led CMU into field goal range, Aguila missed a 47-yarder but one of the MSU defenders had jumped offsides. Agulia didn’t miss his next attempt as he booted a 42-yarder to give the Chippewas a win.

      For a CMU team trying to prove that they belong in the top 25, this was a huge win. Granted, they lost last week 19-6 on the road at Arizona, but beating Michigan State in East Lansing will definitely turn some heads. It’ll be interesting to see if the Chippewas can break into the rankings at some point this season.

      LeFevour, who is incredibly fun to watch, and the Chippewas could wind up being a nice story by the end of the year.

      College Football

      Five Things to Watch: USC at Ohio State

      September 11, 2009 /

      One of the most anticipated matchups of the 2009 college football season takes place Saturday night in Columbus as the Ohio State Buckeyes host the USC Trojans one year after Pete Carroll’s team waxed Jim Tressel’s bunch at the Coliseum. Here are five things to keep an eye on as we get closer to kickoff.

      1. Which running game will take over?
      This game is going to be won or lost in the trenches. Whichever team can establish its running game and wear down their opponent’s defensive line will emerge unscathed. Carroll is starting a freshman quarterback (Matt Barkley) on the road and he’s not going to want to put the game on his young signal caller’s shoulders. Instead, he’ll trust that his running game (which chewed up San Jose State for 342 yards last week), led by junior Joe McKnight (14 carries, 145 yards, 2 TDs) and one of the most experienced offensive lines in the country will open things up for Barkley in the passing game. But McKnight (who fumbled twice last week) must protect the ball, because the Trojans won’t survive if they turn the ball over on the road. Defensively for the Trojans, they can expect to see a steady diet of “Boom” Herron and Brandon Saine after the duo combined to rush for 125 yards on 26 carries last week against Navy. Tressel will also get quarterback Terrelle Pryor on the move early and often in order to keep USC back on their heels.

      2. The X factor for Ohio State.
      Speaking of Pryor, this is a game that could help put him on the map as a passer. If the Buckeyes’ running game can get into a grove and open things up for the passing game, Pryor needs to capitalize on all the hard work he put in this summer and prove that he can beat opponents with his arm. Tressel has marveled at how far his sophomore quarterback has come as a passer since his first year and now it’s time for Pryor produce against a secondary that’s going to challenge his resolve. Taylor Mays is one of the best safeties in the nation, so it would be wise if Pryor stayed away from the senior’s side of the field. One thing Pryor shouldn’t be shy about doing, however, is moving around the pocket and making things happen with his legs. If passing lanes don’t start to open for him early on, moving around and creating his own lanes could be beneficial and keep the ball moving for OSU.

      3. Barkley gets a taste of the big stage.
      The fans at the “Horse Shoe” are going to make things a living hell for Barkley, so it’ll be interesting to see how the frosh quarterback does in his first real test of his collegiate career. Barkley has a strong arm and is a gunslinger through and through, but he falls victim to believing he can complete any pass in any coverage and he’s susceptible to throwing a high number of interceptions. Things can go south real quick for a young quarterback if he starts turning the ball over on the road, so Barkley needs to trust that his running game will open things up for him and he can take calculated risks only when they present themselves.

      Continue reading »

      College Football

      Vikings to have Williams Wall for entire season

      September 11, 2009 /

      The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the case of Vikings’ defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams will stay in Minnesota state court and thus, the two players will be allowed to play the entire season.

      From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

      Judge Bobby Shepherd wrote the highly detailed 34-page decision for the panel that also included Judges Duane Benton and Diana Murphy. The decision essentially allows the Williams to play while keeping the remains of the case in Hennepin County District Court where Judge Gary Larson already has said he likely wouldn’t force the Vikings defensive tackles into a civil trial during the coming season. He stayed action in his courtroom until the federal court determined whether it has jurisdiction over some of the claims.

      While the parties could ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case, the court does not have to hear it. The Williamses were suspended for taking the banned substance bumetanide. They filed a lawsuit in state court contending that the NFL’s drug-testing procedures violate Minnesota workplace laws, and they asked that a judge void their suspensions. Then the NFL Players Association sued in U.S. District Court on their behalf.

      This news is obviously huge for the Vikings, who are a completely different team when they don’t have their two run-stuffers in the middle of their defensive line. Minnesota can expect opponents trying to beat them through the air again this year.

      NFL

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