Author: Paul Costanzo (Page 19 of 21)

      It wouldn’t be Notre Dame/Michigan State game day without the Valenti rant

      September 18, 2010 /

      Those of you who aren’t from Michigan might not be familiar with Mike Valenti, the, um, energetic co-host of an afternoon sports talk radio show in Detroit.

      Valenti is a Michigan State graduate, and after the Spartans blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter against Notre Dame in 2006, he went off. A handful of national blogs picked the rant up and posted it. He became semi-famous for it, and it’s still one of the first things people in Michigan think of when they hear Valenti’s name.

      He’s actually very good at what he does, and has a ton of knowledge when it comes to college sports and the NBA. But with the Irish and Spartans meeting at night for the first time since the Spartan collapse/Valenti meltdown, I felt it was high time to bring this back. If you haven’t heard it, it’s a masterpiece. If you have, take about 15 minutes and enjoy it all over again.

      Part two of the rant is below.

      College Football, External Sports

      Stoops, Arizona look for big-time program win

      September 18, 2010 /

      Under the direction of Mike Stoops, Arizona has won some very big games. The Wildcats knocked off a top 10 team three years in a row from 2005-07, with UCLA, California and Oregon all being their victims. This past year, Arizona even knocked off the Pac 10’s Goliath in USC.

      But those wins all came late in the season, when Arizona had already piled up a handful of losses. One thing the Wildcats — who seem to perennially be thought of as a sleeper team — have not done, is capitalize on any preseason hype with a big-time early-season win.

      They have the chance to do that tonight, though, when they play host to No. 9 Iowa. A win moves the Wildcats to 3-0 and gives them some serious national respect. It would also be a huge victory for the Pac 10, which is trying to assert itself as a top conference, even with a lethargic, and penalized, USC.

      Can Stoops and Arizona pull it off? Click through for that prediction, and more from today’s games. Continue reading »

      College Football, External Sports

      Dayne Crist injured, Irish in serious trouble

      September 11, 2010 /

      Notre Dame’s season hinged on a few things, but by far the most important thing was the health of starting quarterback Dayne Crist.

      Behind the third-year quarterback on the depth chart was a walk-on with a famous name, and a bunch of a freshmen. Well, now the Fighting Irish are finding out just how good those guys behind Crist are. Or bad.

      Crist drove Notre Dame 72 yards for a touchdown on its opening drive against Michigan, but his quarterback sneak for a score was his last play. True freshman Tommy Rees entered the game and threw an interception on his first attempt. Michigan scored one play later. After another three and out, Rees was lifted for Nate Montana, who hasn’t had much better luck.

      The only hope for the Irish in this game was to outscore Michigan. And now that the defense is not only going to have to stop Denard Robinson, but is going to have to spend most of the day trying to do it, it would be a miracle if they pulled this one off.

      In other news, Virginia Tech goes down to James Madison. Sorry, Boise.

      College Football, External Sports

      Apparently Turner Gill spent two weeks preparing for Georgia Tech

      September 11, 2010 /
      DETROIT - DECEMBER 5: Head Coach Turner Gill of the Buffalo Bulls looks on against the Ball State Cardinals during the MAC Championship game on December 5, 2008 at Ford Field in Detroit Michigan. (Photo by: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

      Lost among the major Week 1 storylines in college football was Kansas’ loss to FCS (I-AA) opponent North Dakota State in coach Turner Gill’s debut.

      The Jayhawks not only lost to NDSU, but looked absolutely awful doing it, scoring just three points and getting held below 100 yards rushing. But today, Gill went a long way toward erasing a lot of the early doubt Kansas fans might have had after that loss, as the Jayhawks knocked off No. 15 Georgia Tech, 28-25.

      It’s another reminder that we shouldn’t pay too much attention to what we see in Week 1, or at least not do too much prognosticating based off of it. Many teams hold a lot back when playing lesser opponents, as basic plays, along with a higher talent level is usually enough. That obviously didn’t work for Kansas a week ago, and Gill deserves a lot of the blame for not having his team ready for its opener. But it looks like the Jayhawks aren’t going to be the pushover Week 1 seemed to have shown us.

      In other early-game news, Marcus Lattimore is the kind of running back that can make even Steve Spurrier a run-first kind of coach. The South Carolina true freshman carried the ball nearly 40 times today against Georgia, and each one was more punishing for the Bulldog defenders. If Stephen Garcia can get things figured out, South Carolina could contend in the SEC this season.

      – Virginia Tech clearly has a little bit of a Boise State hangover, as it struggled with James Madison through the first half, leading 13-7 (that’s since gone to 16-7). The Hokies run game, which was supposed to be its strong point, is struggling again, as super sophomore Ryan Williams is being held under four yards a carry. This, of course, is bad news for Boise State, as some will use any poor outing by the Hokies as a reason to punish the Broncos.

      College Football, External Sports

      Harris vs. Pryor, Saban vs. Paterno, Kelly vs. RichRod; it’s going to be a good day

      September 11, 2010 /

      There’s a reason that ESPN is calling today “Monster Saturday”: It has completely run out of creative ideas. It’s a huge freaking day for college football.

      If you’re a college football fan, today is one of those days where you put off all household chores, and curse your friends for even thinking of having a significant event. Or, if you’re a sports writer/part-time blogger, you curse the people who decided to hold your 10-year high school reunion during the Alabama/Penn State game. I mean, c’mon.

      Miami is at Ohio State, Penn State is at Alabama, Florida State is at Oklahoma, and Michigan and Notre Dame might actually mean something. That’s a lot of tradition and meaning all packed into one day.

      So how’s it all going to go?

      Continue reading »

      College Football, External Sports

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