Category: External Sports (Page 550 of 821)

      Denard Robinson for Heisman!

      September 12, 2010 /
      SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 11: Denard Robinson of the Michigan Wolverines runs against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on September 11, 2010 in South Bend, Indiana. Michigan defeated Notre Dame 28-24. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

      All right, so that’s a little premature. But even the staunchest of Michigan haters have to admit that the sophomore has looked mighty impressive in his first two performances of the year.

      A week after compiling 383 yards of total offense and two touchdowns in a win over Connecticut, Robinson absolutely torched Notre Dame for 502 total yards on Saturday, including 244 passing and 258 rushing. He also scored three touchdowns (1 passing, 2 rushing), one of which came with only 27 seconds remaining to give Michigan a 28-24 victory.

      The criticism Rich Rodriguez has received over the last two years has been well deserved, but it’s fair to note that he hadn’t found a starting quarterback to run his offense. Now that he has one, Wolverine fans are finally seeing positive results. Robinson might not be a traditional passer, but that’s not what Rich Rod’s offense calls for anyway. And it’s hard to find any fault in the way the sophomore signal caller has started the season.

      Granted, he hasn’t faced Ohio State, he hasn’t faced Iowa, Penn State on the road or Wisconsin either. But it’s not like the Irish play with 11 amputees on the defensive side of the ball. And while the outcome of the game may have been different had Dayne Crist been able to play all four quarters, Robinson was still a one-man wrecking crew.

      He’s made Michigan relevant again.

      College Football, External Sports

      Mark Ingram who? Trent Richardson rolls over inexperienced Penn State.

      September 12, 2010 /
      TUSCALOOSA, AL - SEPTEMBER 11: Trent Richardson of the Alabama Crimson Tide rushes against Drew Astorino and Stephon Morris of the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 11, 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      Those who follow the Alabama Crimson Tide knew that Mark Ingram could sit out another week and the team would be just fine with Trent Richardson taking the bulk of the carries – even with No. 18 Penn State coming to town.

      And they were fine – more than fine.

      The nation’s best backup compiled 190 yards of total offense and one touchdown as the Crimson Tide dominated the Nittany Lions 24-3 in Tuscaloosa on Saturday evening. Richardson rushed 22 times for 144 yards (6.5 YPC) and one touchdown, while also catching four passes for 46 yards.

      Just as impressive as Richardson’s performance was the effort by the Tide’s defense. Nick Saban’s D held PSU to only 283 total yards, including 156 through the air. They also forced four turnovers and if it weren’t for a garbage field goal in the fourth quarter, the Tide would have produced their first shutout of 2010.

      Of course, the final result tonight was hardly shocking. The Nittany Lions are an extremely young team and while quarterback Robert Bolden is going to be good someday, he’s only a freshman. He looked poised last week, but obviously there’s a difference between playing Youngstown State at home and Alabama in one of the toughest environments in college football. He was bound to show his inexperience, which he did.

      Getting back to Ingram, he had knee surgery less than two weeks ago and it’s still uncertain whether or not he’ll return next week against Duke. With Richardson lining up in the backfield, it looks like the defending Hesiman winner can take as long as he needs to return to the field of action.

      College Football, External Sports

      Boise State’s national championship cause takes a massive hit

      September 11, 2010 /
      MIAMI - JANUARY 01: Head coach Frank Beamer of the Virginia Tech Hokies looks on against the Cincinnati Bearcats during the FedEx Orange Bowl at Dolphin Stadium on January 1, 2009 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

      When Boise State knocked off Virginia Tech on Monday night, their hope was that the Hokies would go on to run the table so that the victory looked great in the eyes of BCS voters come the end of the year.

      So much for that idea.

      James Madison shocked the college football nation on Saturday by knocking off the Hokies 21-16 in Blacksburg. The Dukes were only able to produce 14 first downs but they forced three turnovers, which included a fumble recovery with 5:21 remaining to seal the game. Quarterback Drew Duzik also ran for two touchdowns as James Madison beat the Hokies for the first time in school history.

      The loss destroys VA Tech’s national title hopes, although they haven’t even begun conference play yet so they still have plenty to push on for this season. The biggest blow will likely be felt by Boise State, as their win on Monday night now holds less water than a colander. Thanks to a soft WAC slate, they don’t have another team on their schedule to help prop them up in the eyes’ of voters.

      While the Broncos did what they had to do in beating Virginia Tech on Monday, unfortunately the Hokies didn’t live up to their end of the bargain. The coaches will have their vote and will never put a Boise team in the title game when their claim to fame was knocking off a team that was beat by James Madison the very next week.

      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

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