Category: College Football (Page 164 of 296)

      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.

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      College Football

      Are Notre Dame and Michigan back?

      September 11, 2009 /

      Like every other college football game on this weekend’s schedule, the Notre Dame-Michigan contest will take a back seat to the USC-Ohio State battle on Saturday night. But after convincing wins over Nevada and Western Michigan, respectively, some fans want to know whether or not the Irish and Wolverines are getting back to their winning ways.

      Scout.com’s Richard Cirminiello answers the very question:

      Hey, I was as impressed as anyone with the Wolverines’ opening day performance, but back? Not quite. As long as the two quarterbacks, Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson, are true freshmen, the program is going to be vulnerable to some un-Michigan-like performances, especially when the schedule toughens and the team ventures outside the campus. That said, it’s clear that Rich Rodriguez has his kids in a far better position to compete for a postseason game than he did in his debut season. And that’s still a reason to celebrate around Ann Arbor after last year’s implosion.

      Notre Dame is closer to being back than Michigan, largely because the coaching staff has been in place for longer and the quarterback is on the brink of a Brady Quinn-like ascent. I’m not interested that Jimmy Clausen’s last two monster games were against WAC defenses. The strikes he’s thrown would beat Big Ten defenses as well. Just go back and check the film. He’s always had the talent, but his confidence took a beating in 2007 and 2008. That’s no longer a problem. A third year with Charlie Weis and a dynamite ensemble of receivers could be just what the junior needs to get on the tarmac. Plus, if the effort from the young Irish defense in Saturday’s shutout of Nevada is a harbinger of things to come, the program has the potential to win double-digit games and bowl in January.

      I couldn’t agree more. While it was encouraging that they didn’t allow another MAC opponent to beat them on their home turf last Saturday, Michigan is still going to experience plenty of rocky moments this year. It’s just something a team deals with when its starting two freshmen under center. The Wolverines will be better, but as Cirminiello points out, they’re still going to have their bad moments this season.

      The key for Notre Dame this year is whether or not they can employ a consistent running game. With Clausen and Golden Tate, the passing game is going to be pretty good. But the offensive line has to make room for ND’s backs to have success or else Charlie Weis’ offense is going to be one-dimensional and even though the Irish defense is solid, it can win games on its own.

      College Football

      USC-Ohio State to be decided on the ground?

      September 9, 2009 /

      Dave Curtis of The Sporting News.com thinks so:

      The Trojans rocked overmatched San Jose State for 342 rushing yards, an average of 7.6 yards per carry, and six touchdowns in their 56-3 victory. Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel raved about the USC offensive line, which cleared paths for all those gains.

      …center Kristofer O’Dowd is expected to return from a dislocated kneecap. The move shifts fill-in center Jeff Byers back to guard, and gives USC one of the most talented and most experienced offensive lines in the country.
      The backfield, though lacking Navy’s deception and misdirection, has more speed and strength than the Mids. Joe McKnight, who’s spent most of his Trojan career fighting injuries, emerged as USC’s primary back and racked up 145 yards on 14 carries Saturday afternoon.

      Ohio State, on the flip side, brings a defensive line capable of hanging with the Trojans. Veterans Doug Worthington, Cameron Heyward and Thaddeus Gibson have struggled in big games in the past but possess experience against top Big Ten teams and Texas in the Fiesta Bowl.

      The veteran presence falls off after that.

      Curtis brings up a good point. Everyone is focused on the two quarterbacks (OSU’s Terrelle Pryor and USC frosh starter Matt Barkley) in this huge matchup, but it probably won’t be an aerial show come Saturday night in Columbus. Both teams might try to wear each other down on the ground and then go for big strikes over top in the passing game.

      Pete Carroll has to rely on his running game. He has a freshman under center playing in a hostile environment; he can’t put everything on Barkley to win the game, and I highly doubt he will.

      College Football

      Bradford sprains right shoulder in Oklahoma’s loss to BYU

      September 6, 2009 /

      Oklahoma’s 2009 season got off to a disastrous start on Saturday as the Sooners were defeated 14-13 by BYU and quarterback Sam Bradford had to leave the game early after spraining his throwing shoulder. The defending Heisman winner could miss up to a month with the injury.

      The injury was announced as a sprained AC joint. He was scheduled to undergo an MRI exam on Sunday to determine the severity of the sprain. The junior was in his white football pants and a gray T-shirt as he watched his teammates play the second half.

      Bradford put his left hand on his right shoulder, sending athletic trainers rushing to him. He was first checked on a sideline table, then taken into the locker room. The Sooners kicked a field goal on the next play to take a 10-7 halftime lead.

      One of the concerns for the Sooners entering the season was that they would have to play with four new starters on the offensive line. Granted, injuries happen in football. But it’s interesting that the offensive line was the biggest worry for OU coming into the new season and now Bradford is out for an extended period of time because he was hurt after a blitzer came in almost unblocked.

      This is the worse case scenario for Oklahoma. While the Sooners are still a good team, Bradford is the key to how far they’ll go this season and OU already has one loss. That said, if a team is going to lose a game in college football, it’s better to have it be early in the year. Maybe the Sooners can bounce back, but they need Bradford to come back soon.

      College Football

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