Category: College Football (Page 119 of 296)

      Cal’s Jahvid Best declares for NFL draft

      January 3, 2010 /

      The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that California running back Jahvid Best has declared that he will forgo his senior season and enter the 2010 NFL Draft.

      “I feel like I’m ready to play in the NFL, and I feel like I can be successful,” Best said on a conference call. “This is an opportunity I can’t pass up.”

      Best acknowledged he’s not yet 100 percent as he continues to recover from a severe concussion and back injury sustained Nov. 7. He expressed “no doubt” he will be ready to perform for scouts on Pro Day in Berkeley and at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, starting Feb. 24.

      If Best lights up the stopwatch in the 40-yard dash – a likely scenario, given his electrifying speed – he will vault higher in the draft. Best has never run a formal, timed 40-yard dash, but he was the state 100-meter champion during his senior year at Salesian High in Richmond (in 10.31 seconds).

      His speed on the football field has drawn comparisons to Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson and former Cal wide receiver DeSean Jackson, now with the Philadelphia Eagles.

      I would have loved to see Best come back for his senior year and challenge for the Heisman next season, but I can’t wait to see how he does in the draft. I’m not ready to pronounce him the next Chris Johnson, but I think he does have a similar skill set.

      It’ll be interesting to see how he does at the combine and where he eventually winds up in the NFL.


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      College Football

      The bowl season has not been kind to the MAC

      January 2, 2010 /

      Outside of Arizona, no team has given a worse effort in a bowl game this season than Northern Illinois, which lost 27-3 to South Florida in the International Bowl on Saturday. And at least the Wildcats had an excuse for being so inept: They were playing Nebraska and the Cornhuskers’ outstanding defense.

      The Huskies racked up just 130 total yards, went 3-for-13 on third downs and turned the ball over twice. They had one decent drive the entire game on offense, which netted a 21-yard field goal.

      With NIU’s loss, the Mid-American Conference is now 0-4 in the International Bowl, which is the only bowl game played outside of the United States. Cincinnati beat Western Michigan in the first International Bowl in 2007, then Rutgers defeated Ball State in 2008 and Connecticut topped Buffalo in 2009.

      The MAC must feel cursed in bowl games. The conference is now 0-4 in bowl games this season, which includes Bowling Green’s heartbreaking loss to Idaho on Wednesday and Temple’s near win over UCLA on Tuesday.

      The MAC’s lone hope for a win this year will come down to next Wednesday when Central Michigan takes on Troy in the GMAC Bowl. Thankfully, the Chippewas are the class of the conference and aren’t likely to turn in the horrendous effort the Huskies did today.

      College Football

      Brian Kelly should be ashamed of himself after Florida’s rout of Cincinnati in Sugar Bowl

      January 2, 2010 /

      Watching Cincinnati play Florida last night was like watching 5-year olds take on the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. It was apparent from the start that the game was more of a get-together for the Gators and less of a BCS bowl.

      Tim Tebow completed 31-of-35 passes for 482 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 51 yards and a TD. Florida’s defense also held Cincinnati’s “high-powered” offense to just 170 passing yards and 76 rushing.

      After watching that game, I’d be shocked if Brian Kelly woke up this morning and could look at himself in the mirror. He was the commander and chief of a team that he allowed to walk into an ambush by themselves with little to no direction. It wouldn’t have mattered if Kelly was on the sidelines because Florida was bigger, faster, stronger and just flat out better, but he should have been there regardless.

      The guy I felt most sorry for was quarterback Tony Pike. He didn’t have a chance to succeed because the overmatched, unprepared coaching staff that Kelly left Cincinnati with didn’t put him in a position to win. They kept calling bootlegs and rollouts to the short side of the field, which clearly played into Florida’s hands. He also didn’t have any clue what to do when the Gators blitzed because every time he got the ball to his hot receiver a Florida defender was there to take the wideout’s life. I could smell the crap in Pike’s draws from my couch but I don’t blame him: I blame the coaching staff for not getting him prepared for what he was going to face.

      Again, had Kelly been there, it’s not likely that much would have changed. Florida was the vastly superior team in every phase of the game and it showed. But Kelly would have gained some respect had he been there to fall with the rest of his team. I realize that he has the right to a promotion and move up the coaching ladder, but it disgusts me that he benefits from all of this, while his former players suffer (especially the seniors, who were routed on national television in their final game).

      Cincinnati’s effort last night was putrid, but how could you blame them? They were down a head coach and an offensive playcaller from the start and Florida took advantage by breaking their neck and stomping on their spines just for good measure. Hopefully Kelly watched last night and couldn’t keep his food down thinking about the 80-plus kids he screwed. That game was an embarrassment to college football and so are coaches like Kelly.


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      Barstool Debates, College Football

      Pryor quiets critics by leading Ohio State over Oregon in Rose Bowl

      January 1, 2010 /

      Terrelle Pryor has taken his fair share of beatings this season from fans and critics alike – and for good reason.

      Entering his second season, this was supposed to be the year in which Pryor took the next step as a passer. But instead, he regressed. He showed the inability to lead the offense, struggled with his accuracy and with turnovers, and displayed little to no potential.

      But to his credit, Pryor saved his best performance of the year for his last. He gave an incredible effort in Ohio State’s 26-17 win over Oregon in the Rose Bowl and led the Buckeyes with not only his feet, but with his arm as well. He finished 23-of-37 for 266 yards and two touchdowns, while also leading the Buckeyes with 72 rushing yards on 20 carries.

      Pryor kept drives alive with his feet, limited mistakes and kept his team in the game from start to finish. He wasn’t quite Vince Young against USC in the national championship, but he was damn near Vince Young against Michigan in the 2005 Rose Bowl. If Pryor’s junior year resembles that of Young’s third season, then Ohio State has plenty to look forward to next year.

      If you were surprised that the mighty Oregon offense only scored 17 points, don’t be. They took a back seat to Florida and Alabama this season, but Ohio State’s defense was just as good as the Gators and Crimson Tide’s defensive units this year. The Buckeyes’ front four created problems for the Ducks’ high-powered rushing attack by shooting the gaps and using its speed to get into Oregon’s backfield quickly to disrupt plays. The Ducks still rushed for 179 yards, but they certainly weren’t as explosive as they had been in the regular season.

      Another key to the Buckeyes’ win was the play of their secondary. Oregon is a run-first team, but they had a lot of success mixing the pass in with the run to keep defenses off balance this season. But today, Jeremiah Masoli completed just 9-of-20 passes for 81 yards and one interception. OSU’s secondary completely shut down Oregon’s passing game and made them one-dimensional, which was key late in the game.

      This was a nice win for the Big Ten, which improved to 3-2 on the bowl season this year. Had Northwestern cashed in on all of their opportunities today against Auburn, the Big Ten would be rolling right now in bowls.

      College Football

      Clark leads PSU over LSU in Capital One Bowl

      January 1, 2010 /

      Senior quarterback Daryll Clark finally has a signature win on his collegiate resume.

      Clark completed 18-of-35 pass attempts for 216 yards and a touchdown in Penn State’s 19-17 victory over LSU in the Capital One Bowl on Friday. Clark led the Nittany Lions on a 12-play, 65-yard drive that eclipsed 5:57 off the clock and ended with a 21-yard field goal by Collin Wagner to give PSU the lead with just under a minute left to play.

      Wagner deserves a ton of credit for converting all four of his field goal attempts on a horrible playing surface. Both he, Clark and linebacker Sean Lee stepped up big-time when Penn State needed it most.

      LSU mismanaged the clock in the final minute of the game, which cost them an opportunity to kick a game-winning field goal attempt. The situation was similar to the one in which they mismanaged the clock in a loss to Ole’ Miss earlier in the year, so Les Miles has some work to do with his team in that area heading into next season.


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      College Football

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