Category: College Football (Page 232 of 296)

      College Football Recap: NC State upsets No. 15 East Carolina 30-24 in OT

      September 20, 2008 /

      No. 15 East Carolina escaped disaster last week, edging out unranked Tulane 28-24 when QB Patrick Pinkney threw a 24-yard touchdown pass with under two minutes remaining in the game. But the Cinderella Pirates couldn’t pull off a similar feat this week as the NC State Wolfpack stunned ECU 30-24 in overtime on Saturday.

      Dekota MarshallPinkney wasn’t as sharp Saturday as he was in leading the Pirates to a 3-0 record to start the season. He threw for 210 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted once and also fumbled on ECU’s only possession in overtime when Wolfpack defensive end Shea McKeen came from the backside and sacked an unsuspecting Pinkney. The fumble eventually led to Andre Brown’s game-winning 10-yard touchdown.

      It was a gritty win by NC State, who was led by freshman quarterback Russell Wilson, who was 21 of 31 passing for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Wilson’s five-yard touchdown pass to George Bryan with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth forced overtime.

      The Pirates’ dramatic early-season wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia must seem like a decade ago after suffering this loss. ECU’s schedule doesn’t give them a chance for redemption either, so their thin BCS title aspirations are now dashed. Still, the Pirates provided college football fans with plenty of excitement and if he continues to play as well as he has, Pinkney might have a future in the NFL (possibly as a receiver if teams won’t look at him as a quarterback).

      College Football

      The Terrelle Pryor era begins at Ohio State

      September 20, 2008 /

      Terrelle PryorAfter last week’s embarassing loss at USC, Jim Tressel made the correct call and started Terrelle Pryor today against Troy. Pryor played most of the game and turned in an excellent performance with four touchdown passes as Ohio State defeated Troy 28-10. Pryor showed off his athletic ability with some nice runs, but he was even more impressive with his arm.

      Look for Pryor to be the starting QB for the rest of the season and for the rest of his career at Ohio State. Ohio State fans will wonder all year whether the USC game would have been more competitive with Terrelle Pryor playing the whole game. Given the sluggish play of the Buckeyes so far, that’s the last thing Buckeye fans need to think about. Pryor gave them a nice spark, but the rest of the team needs to step it up, particularly the defense. They’ll need to play much better against Penn State and Wisconsin in order to win the Big Ten.

      If Pryor continues to develop and Chris Wells gets healthy, the Buckeyes have an opportunity to salvage their season with a run at the Big Ten title. Who knows – if USC stumbles, we might see a rematch this season in the Rose Bowl. If not, Pryor and Ohio State will get another crack at USC next season in Columbus.

      College Football

      The official LSU-Auburn smack talk thread

      September 20, 2008 /

      The year was 1999 and Auburn had just handed LSU a devastating 41-7 loss in Baton Rouge. To celebrate the victory, as well as head coach Tommy Tuberville’s birthday, Auburn players and coaches smoked cigars on the field at Tiger Stadium. The act didn’t sit well with LSU players or fans, and many consider that as the day the LSU-Auburn rivalry officially began. Auburn has not won in Baton Rouge since.

      The LSU-Auburn rivalry is set to renew again as the two teams meet this Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, where LSU has not won since 1998. The last time LSU did battle in Auburn, JaMarcus Russell and the Tiger offense was held to only a field goal in a 7-3 loss.

      Last year, LSU shocked Auburn in Baton Rouge after LSU head coach Les Miles decided to try to go for a touchdown instead of attempting a 41-yard field goal with time running out in the fourth quarter. Demetrius Byrd made a last-second grab in the end zone to give LSU a thrilling 30-24 victory.

      Last year’s game also stoked the flames of this rivalry after Auburn guard Chaz Ramsey chop blocked at the knees of former LSU DT Glenn Dorsey. The incident is still fresh on the minds of some LSU players, including defensive linemen Ricky-Jean Francois:

      “Is the game really that serious or that important that you’d go out and ruin somebody’s career?” Jean-Francois said. “I wasn’t really worried about it happening again until somebody mentioned it (Tuesday). Now it’s something you have to think about. I hope whatever happens this week, they let a pancake block be the worse thing they do.”

      Ramsey won’t play this Saturday because of a back injury, but LSU doesn’t need what happened last year or the 1999 cigar incident to motivate them. Just seeing the AU on Auburn’s helmets is all the motivation LSU needs to want to stick to one of their most hated rivals.

      Below is a list of LSU and Auburn blogs and information sites to get you primed for the matchup.

      Top LSU Tigers Sites
      TigerBait.com
      TigerDroppings.com
      And The Valley Shook
      Tigers Sports Zone.net

      Top Auburn Tigers Sites
      Auburn Tigers Official Website
      Track Em Tigers.com
      Tigers Corner
      AuburnSports.com

      Eleven of the last 18 meetings between these two teams have been decided by a touchdown or less, with the home team winning the last eight games. With how bad Auburn is currently struggling on offense, LSU shouldn’t have many issues on defense. But they might have problems moving the ball on Auburn’s defense, which is currently one of the best units in the nation.

      Oddsmakers have made LSU a 2.5-point road favorite.

      College Football, General Sports

      Couch Potato Alert: 9/19

      September 19, 2008 /

      37th Ryder Cup
      The three-day match-play competition between the United States and Europe has a way of making the world’s elite golfers wilt under the pressure of trying to capture the Ryder Cup. Over the last 25 years, it has become a hotly contested event, with the U.S. record at four wins, seven losses, and a tie, including three straight match defeats to the Europeans (the Ryder Cup takes place every two years). The competition will begin this morning at 7 AM EST on ESPN from the Valhalla Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky, and continue throughout the weekend on NBC.

      Wake Forest vs. Florida State
      Neither school has distinguished itself as a contender for securing a spot in the ACC championship game. Wake Forest would love to duplicate their last trip to Tallahassee, when they shutout the Seminoles 30-0 two years ago. Florida State has been playing short-handed due to player suspensions and will welcome back star wide receiver Preston Parker to the lineup on Saturday. Coverage begins at 7 PM EST on ESPN2.

      LSU vs. Auburn
      There’s no better way to start off the SEC season than with a LSU-Auburn showdown. The “Tiger Bowl” winner could establish itself as the team to beat in the SEC West, though Alabama might have a say in the matter down the road. LSU and Auburn have split their last four meetings, with each game decided by six or fewer points. Coverage begins at 7:45 PM EST on ESPN. Click here for the official LSU-Auburn smack thread.

      Georgia vs. Arizona State
      The luster has been taken off this game by the Sun Devils’ overtime loss at home to UNLV last week. It’s still a big game, as the Bulldogs are in the national title hunt despite being passed in the polls by USC and Oklahoma. ASU could get back in the BCS bowl picture with an upset in Tempe on Saturday night. Coverage begins at 8 PM EST on ABC.

      Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees
      This Sunday night, the final major league baseball game will be played at historic Yankee Stadium. The House That Ruth Built has been the home office for post-season success come October, as 100 World Series games have been played at the Stadium. This event will be nationally televised on ESPN beginning at 8 PM EST.

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, College Football, Couch Potato Alert, General Sports, Golf, MLB, NFL, Television

      Colorado upsets No. 21 West Virginia in overtime

      September 18, 2008 /

      Cody HawkinsThe West Virginia Mountaineers dropped out of the top 10 two weeks ago when they lost to East Carolina and will no doubt drop out of the top 25 entirely after losing to Colorado 17-14 in overtime Thursday night.

      On WVU’s first and only possession in overtime, senior kicker Pat McAfee missed a chip shot field goal from 23 yards out. The Buffs didn’t waste the opportunity to claim victory, driving the play to the Mountaineers’ 13-yard line in just four plays. On a 3rd and three from the 13, Aric Goodman booted a 25-yard field goal to give CU the victory.

      Pat White (19 carries, 149 yards, 2 TDs) and Noel Devine (26 carries, 133 yards) were excellent, but penalties, the lack of big plays in the passing game and poor clock management at the end of regulation killed the Mountaineers in the end. It also didn’t help that Bradley Starks badly under threw Jock Sanders on a trick play in the fourth quarter. Sanders could have waltzed into the end zone and with the way their defense had been playing in the second half, WVU probably could have walked away with a 21-14 victory.

      It was nevertheless a gritty performance by Colorado and more specially, freshman RB Rodney Stewart, who carried 28 times for 166 yards. He single handedly got the Buffs into field goal range to win the game in overtime. With Stewart and sophomore quarterback Cody Hawkins (179 yards, 2 TDs), Colorado is building a young, productive backfield.

      College Football

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