01-05-2006, 06:53 AM | #201 |
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Holding on the first play of the game - guess the postseason is just like the regular season.
Run, run, sack, punt from deep in our territory. They start at their 46. PSU goes for it on 4th and 3 at our 47 and Slutzker picks up a first down with a completion to the stud RB. Slutzker is moving the ball effectively through the air. 4-6 for 37 yards. A screen pass to Robertson goes for a TD, from the 3. 7-0, 8:37 left in the quarter. Three and out. And another note - 2 yard passes do not qualify as "nice gains". Punt. The Nittany Lions have to punt it away after only one first down by RB Robertson. We get our initial first down on a screen pass to Brown. But we aren't getting much at all on 1st and 2nd down, setting up tough 3rd down conversions. We punt from our 42 and put Penn State back on the 5. Slutzker hits WR Terrance Rogers for a 34 yard gain as he comes back on a post pattern to help out his QB. Slutzker is now 9-11 for 89 yards. We can't have this if we are going to win this game. Their RB is a given, the QB was not supposed to be. DE Ronald Smith picks up a sack, our 2nd of the day, to set up a 3rd and 24 for PSU. How about a defensive holding penalty? 1st down, Penn State. We force a fumble on a crossing pattern and LB Bryant Bruschi dives on the ball. We take over at our 38. LB Hank Swilling forced the fumble. Back to back completions to Mike Voight move us into Penn State territory. Edwards gives up a sack, forcing 3rd and 15. Then gives up another sack, although pin the 2nd one on the line. Punt. 19 yards of offense in 19 minutes. Not good. Penn State picks up a pair of first downs on the ground, then Slutzker starts working the short passing game again. So far they have completed six passes to HB Robertson. We give up 16 to Robertson on a 3rd and 11 - bad, bad, bad. Slutzker to TE Sanders from 4 yards out, 14-0 with 5:32 left in the half. Brown runs the kickoff out to the 47 yard line. Time to wake up the offense. Another sack of Edwards. Brown runs for 25 on 3rd and 11, bailing out our QBs. Back to back 3 yard losses on the ground set up 3rd and 16, we make 10 of it back on a completion to Brewer. McMullen kicks a 43 yard field goal. 14-3, 1:59 left in the half. And Penn State runs back our kick, 90 yards on the play. 21-3, 1:39 left in the half. OG Luis Jones is injured on a screen pass. A holding penalty moves us back. 3rd and 24, good news is there isn't much time left in the half. 3 yard loss, and punt. This half can't end soon enough. Halftime Notes: Well, our offense has 55 yards and their QB is completing 80% of their passes. Their monster tailback is right on pace to get his 145 yards or whatever he needs to avoid his worst season ever with only 1800 yards on the ground. Good thing our kickoff coverage team is playing well - er, um ... there is nothing that went well in the first 30 minutes. Slutzker moves to 16-20 for 164 yards with a 28 yard gain to start the 2nd half, into Bruin territory. Robertson punches it in from the 4. 27-3 after a missed extra point. 2nd year in a row our seniors have gone out with a wimper. J.R. Jackson returns the kick out to the 47. Edwards picks up a 3rd and 9 with a 12 yard completion to Brewer. Penn State SS Tracy Gordon is really disrupting our running game. We are forced to attempt a 47 yard field goal and it is short. We force a 3 and out, momentarily disrupting the clinic that is the Penn State offense. We run one crazy deep hook pattern for WR Ben Jackson, who holds onto the ball despite being leveled by SS Tracy Gordon. 47 yard gain, down to the 13. Brown gains 5 on 3rd and 4. First and goal. Toomer runs it in, TD. Two point conversion to Brewer, 27-11, 3:08 left in quarter. Another three and out for Penn State, but the punt is a monster and leaves us at our 5. We punt after failing to successfully pitch the ball to our fullback on 3rd and 6. 3 and out, the defense appears to be getting an attitude since the opening drive of the 2nd half. Brown picks up 19 over 2 carries. Edwards completes a pass to Jackson for 12. On 3rd and 10 Brown follows his blockers for 10 on a draw play. But the drive dies at that point, and McMullen is on for a 39 yard field goal. Good, 27-14, 9:23 to play. 3 and out for Penn State - defense is trying to keep this interesting. So is return man Rulon Bowens, who takes the punt 36 yards all the way to the Penn State 19. Edwards just misses a diving Brewer in the end zone. Jackson can't hold onto a pass into heavy coverage. McMullen kicks a 33 yard field goal. 27-17, 6:12 left and we are leaving chances to take field goals. Not enough time left for that, in my opinion. Robertson goes over the 100 yard mark on his 25th carry of the day. But Penn State only picks up one first down before punting. Still, under 4 to play. Bowens fumbles the punt. Game over. They punt again, but clock is down to 2 minutes now. And we are back at the 9. It takes us four plays to get a first down, and half of our remaining time. Four more plays to get another first down. Interception as a receiver falls down, and the clock mercifully runs out. Last edited by hoopsguy : 01-05-2006 at 07:05 AM. |
01-06-2006, 12:40 AM | #202 |
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We only allowed 318 yards to Penn State - that should put us in position to win games, not be getting waxed like we were most of the day.
Burford goes out 10-24 for 82 yards with an INT. We won't miss him very much at all. Hopefully Edwards can work on getting rid of the ball for next season, as well as increasing his ability to make big plays. Brown had 82 yards on 19 carries. Jackson had 98 yards on 7 catches - he has turned into a very good possession receiver. We let their QB have way too much success early, but hard to be overly critical of what we accomplished defensively this year. I believe we will finish #1 in terms of yards allowed. And moving from 5-7 to 8-4 is a nice step to take in Year 2. We are only losing 5 seniors. I'm not sure that any non-seniors besides Brown should be going pro. Brewer is talented, but he hasn't put up great numbers the last two years. I don't think there is anyone on the D. But perhaps I'll be surpised. Onto the other bowl games and playoffs: Arizona 37-34 over Kanasas State - Tonnemaker runs for 125 yards and 2 TDs Washington State 30-27 over Boise State - Williams throws for 3 TDs Playoffs: #9 Oklahoma 36 #1 LSU 35 #2 Pittsburgh 41 #7 Oregon 38 #6 Miami (FL) 51 #4 Texas 16 #5 USC 38 #3 Syracuse 32 So the Trojans are still alive. They had a TE go for 3TDs in the win - Hill, don't recall him at all. Someone please finish them off. Congrats to Oregon on a very strong season. |
01-06-2006, 12:47 AM | #203 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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01-06-2006, 12:49 AM | #204 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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01-06-2006, 12:50 AM | #205 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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01-06-2006, 12:53 AM | #206 |
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Lines:
#9 Oklahoma +1 vs #5 USC #6 Miami (FL) -9 vs #2 Pittsburgh Actual scores: Oklahoma 45 USC 31 Pittsburgh 20 Miami (FL) 17 This is a heartwarming ending to all UCLA fans. The thought of USC winning back to back titles was very, very disturbing. |
01-06-2006, 12:54 AM | #207 |
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Oklahoma was a 12 point favorite in the title game. Pitt played with a significant chip on their shoulder over the lack of respect they received all year.
And it didn't matter at all. 41-16 Sooners. |
01-06-2006, 12:58 AM | #208 |
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Grades were a little better this year:
Team Performance: B Talent: A Recruiting: A Board Expectations: A Prestige: A Overall: A Prestige is at 66, which I believe represents a 2 point jump. The budget numbers look very positive: 2,230,000, representing a jump of 190,000 from last year. We have 44k to spend on recruiting, which seems fair given how few players are scheduled to depart. |
01-06-2006, 01:04 AM | #209 |
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Miami (OH) has a new coach, just two years after posting a terrific regular season.
Purdue, Southern Miss, and SMU would all like to talk about their vacancies. Not yet, we still have much to accomplish out west. Potential Underclassmen: OT Montique Anderson - ORE WR Sean Bishop - ORE (would not miss him) RB Derrick Brown - UCLA (duh) DE Patrick Coffman - ASU (redshirt JR-to-be) RB Dave Darden - WASH (JR) RB Joe Helfman - ORE RB Kimo King - PITT (he should go, very good back who had great year) CB Darren McIntosh - CAL OLB Russ Parker - USC CB Charles Siani - WASH CB Derek Stewart - USC (please leave now) RB Eddie Treu - STAN (another good one) So, looks like Oregon may have some losses. And no one shocking from UCLA, which is nice. |
01-06-2006, 01:09 AM | #210 |
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Staff is all sticking around, which is very good news.
I'll take a minute to praise the defensive coordinator Ben Liddiard. Check out the numbers from the D last year: Yards allowed: #1, 307 per game Rushing D yards: #7, 115.2 per game Passing D yards: #2, 191.8 per game Points: #24, 254 total So we need to cut down on big plays and have the offensive stop putting us in bad position, but our yardage stats were just awesome. To put it in relative terms, we had a #3 defense at USC that gave up about 20 more yards per game. 307 is the lowest of any team that I've coached. |
01-06-2006, 01:24 PM | #211 |
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With transfers upon us, it is time to figure out what we might need:
A quick review of the roster reveals: P, K, QB, maybe RB, OG, maybe DE, DT Not a ton of interest in our program, but there is a kicker from Virginia with Very High interest. Since we have no kickers on our roster, if we can't land this guy I'm not sure if we will ever get a transfer. There is also a promising QB looking to leave Colorado with High interest. Offer extended. Finally, an OG from Penn State with Medium interest. 3rd and final offer for now. I'm not bothering with names because none of these guys ever sign. I'll be excited to be proven wrong. |
01-06-2006, 01:26 PM | #212 |
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We lost OT Anthony Archie, who is going off to play at Miami (OH). I tried to keep all of those guys happy, but this was bound to happen with so many decent players coming in the same year at the same position.
Of course all three of our targets sign elsewhere. |
01-06-2006, 01:31 PM | #213 |
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It also looks like OLB Jarvis White is departing. Which is too bad, because he would certainly have had opportunities as an upperclassman. I wonder if he would have been happier if I had redshirted him? He heads to Mississippi State.
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01-06-2006, 02:52 PM | #214 |
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We will have 9 scholarships available for this class. With that few available we probably can't go "Best Available Athlete" too much.
Position by position, here is how I see the roster: QB: Edwards gets his chance to run the team, no backups to challenge him at all in current talent or potential. Huge need area. HB: Brown is almost a sure thing to leave, in my opinion. But Dawson will do a nice job for us this year. We have some durability worries with Dawson (49) so it would be very good to bring in a quality backup if possible. FB: Only two on roster, one is a senior. Would be happy to add a player here as well, if possible. WR: Six on the roster, five are upperclassmen. But no PT to be had, this will be a need position next season. TE: Three on roster, two with talent. Not at all a need. OT: We have four excellent players, 3 JRs and one redshirt Soph. No OT this year. OG: Two developing talents, but there is playing time to be had as backup. Would definitely like to add one player at this position. C: One good player, adequate backup, and dogshit senior. Would take the right center, if available. DE: Banducci graduates after this year. Smith (JR) and Phil Patten (SO) give us some options at the position. I would be OK with a backup at this position. DT: No depth behind our two sophs. Would like to add at least one guy here. ILB: McCullough, who has been a standout on our defenses, may be the 4th guy at this position as other people have clearly caught up to him (including Ben Arthur!) OLB: Stud position, four very good ones and no seniors. CB: Three good sophs, four adequate backups. Would take a difference maker here if he had good grades - Jackson and McCallister are both pretty close to 2.0. S: 7 on roster and we are graduating three seniors. Think this will be an area to target next season. K: None on roster. Obvious need. P: Senior starter, terrible backup. Need. So, we need: K, OG, QB, DT, HB, P, FB, C, CB, DE That is ten positions for nine scholarships. Lets see how this plays out. |
01-06-2006, 03:34 PM | #215 |
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The recruits look like a thin group for us this year, on relative terms. Only five top 100 players show up, with interest in the 8-10 range. And there isn't a single DT with any interest in us whatsoever on the initial look.
I found the impact CB with good grades that is interested in us - #3 in the nation Lawrence James out of Arizona. Last time we chased a Top 10 player from that state he signed with the state school and blew up big time. I'm hopeful we land this guy. We are also chasing QB Quincy Greisen, a guy I mentioned during the season. Both him and James are Top 10 recruits who visit during the first week. Week 9 signings: OG John Perryman - should be our 3rd guard this upcoming year. #112 in his class, looks like a physically strong kid who excels in pass blocking. DE Mark Dickerson - not a guy you build your class around, but I'm happy to have guys like this in my class. #234 in this years rankings, he wanted to stay home and was excited to sign with us. Big man, 283 pounds now, may get some reps at DT since we are thin there. Week 10: QB Quincy Greisen signs with USC. Terrible, terrible news for us. But they did graduate two seniors so it isn't a surprise that they would be in the running for him. Just gives us another reason to hate them. |
01-06-2006, 03:35 PM | #216 |
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Week 11:
Derrick Brown is going pro. No surprise at all and we wish him the best. One of these times I want to be surprised to have a star play stick around, but it isn't like I'm hurt too badly losing Derrick (I hope). Others going pro: OT Montique Anderson - ORE RB Kimo King - PITT OLB Russ Parker - USC CB Derek Stewart - USC Not many defections - Oregon must be relieved to have kept their guys. |
01-06-2006, 03:51 PM | #217 |
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Week 11 recruits:
We sign our 2nd choice at QB, John Rattay. He was #77 in the country and shows a pretty mature passing game already. Our biggest concern was his grades - he is at 2.0 right now. With Edwards already being touch-and-go academically, I don't really want that to be an issue with the guy we are grooming at the position. We also locked up a pretty solid kicker in Eric Ellis out of Utah. #117 in his class, we think he will have both leg strength and accuracy. Week 12: After the signings from the last couple of weeks we see some changes in interest and remove an offer to another kicker - don't need two of them on my roster at the moment. We add FB Fred VanWagner, who is the #353 senior in the land. We hope he can be a threat in the passing game, something our current fullbacks don't do. We lose out on stud CB Lawrence James to .... FRESNO STATE? Huh? This is not going to be a very good class for us, at least not compared to the last two. |
01-06-2006, 04:20 PM | #218 |
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Week 13:
No one signs with us. We lose out on a couple of punters we were eyeing. Every week is reinforcing that this is not a good year for us on the recruiting trail. Week 14: Two more signings, class is starting to fill out (meh). OG Ron Tillman - this guy was just overjoyed to have an opportunity to play for the Bruins. He jumped at the scholarship as soon as it was offered. #634 in the nation, his grades are in order and he provides depth along the line. Only 258 now, but we think he can put on 25 pounds and hope he is a contributor as an upperclassman. P Al Bingaman - Not our first choice for punter, but is this really a position where you gnash your teeth at getting your 3rd option? #520 in the nation, the guy will do his job for 3-4 years. Week 15: FS Harper Holt comes down to LA. We stopped recruiting positions a couple of weeks ago and just asked guys who had a smattering of talent if they would like a scholarship. That approach worked for Harper, who will have his work cut out finding the field this year. #274 in the nation, noted for his athleticism. Week 16: Another FS comes into the fold. Vaughan Kapp is #379 in the land. We never scouted him so I can't tell you what he does well. Week 17: Two more players leak into the class, not sure I actually had the scholarships to give them. WR Kai Olsen and RB Adrian Sargent. I wouldn't hold my breath looking for either of these guys in the game accounts over the next two seasons. |
01-06-2006, 04:24 PM | #219 |
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Recruiting Summary:
0 5 star recruits (guess we don't need them? Ugh ...) 7 4 star recruits (QB Ratty at #77 was highest) 3 3 star recruits 1 2 star recruit (RB Sargent) Rattay looks like he has some serious potential, but is starting off raw and with a 1.86 GPA. OG Perryman should sleepwalk into the 3rd guard position, which is reassuring. K Ellis isn't bad coming in and has room to get better. |
01-06-2006, 04:52 PM | #220 |
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Our recruiting class comes in at #34 - no complaints with the ranking.
We find ourselves as preseason #13 in the media rankings and #11 according to the coaches. Expectations remain the same - Top 25, beat USC, and bowl game. Should be very doable. We are projected to finish 3rd in conference. USC and Oregon are listed #1 and #2. USC is the preseason #1 and Oregon is listed at #11. Oregon State checks in at #23. Our school fundraising has nudged up into GOOD territory, up from AVERAGE. Talent: 3 blue players - WRs Brewer and Jackson, and well as punter Dayne. 23 green players I've moved to the 20 point system instead of the 5 to keep a common format with other dynasties. With a bigger graduating class, a subpar class this time around, and a bigger budget there is no way I won't spend an extra 35K to go with the top recruiting service. At first glance I'm not that impressed with the offseason improvement by our team. Hopefully this is a result of me looking at the 20 point scale instead of the 5 point scale. Hopefully we see improvement on the field. |
01-06-2006, 04:57 PM | #221 |
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We opt to run the Vertical offense, as it is the recommended choice and the preference of our coordinator. From a personal standpoint, I could have gone a few different ways but was leery of a run-and-gun because of potential for grade issues at the WR spot.
Defensively, we'll run the 4-3. It is the preferred option of our coordinator, but I'm a little reluctant to abandon the 3-4 that was so successful last year. But we'll listen to Liddiard, whose abilities are unquestioned in my eyes. |
01-06-2006, 05:05 PM | #222 |
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We ask for Fresno State at home - they took a prized recruit and I want payback.
I want a game against a Big 10 opponent - how about Indiana on the road? We'll throw in a home-and-home request with Rutgers, as I know there are a few FOFC people who cheer hard for this school. Only Rutgers accepts. Backup plan - TCU at home, Northwestern on the road. Northwestern is game, but TCU declines. Plan C - We ask Wake Forest to visit. And we get them in the opener. |
01-06-2006, 05:20 PM | #223 |
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Redshirts and cuts:
QB - SO scrambler Rattay goes redshirt, we need freshman talent Rattay to see snaps as the backup option for Edwards. HB - FR Sargent has no business holding a scholarship, but neither do some of the other backup options. Sargent dons the redshirt. WR - What I said about Sargent goes double for Kai Olsen. And Olsen isn't a Rhodes Scholar, either. Hit the books, kid. TE - Jason Clanton doesn't have a scholarship. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. OT - Two walkons, one is the worst player I've seen in the game (1/4). Dennis Lee, the pride of Victor Valley, CA, is out. We throw a redshirt at the other walkon, Michael Masters. OG - cuts continue, with a JR redshirt who was just as bad as Lee above. C - we still retain a horrible senior for depth purposes. DE - JR Aaron Sohn doesn't have a scholarship. Which is too bad, as I was hoping to free one up when I cut him. Might have kept him around if his grades weren't crap. DT - bad group behind the soph tandem, and grades are an issue with no one higher than 2.10. So they all stay, with hopes that some of them are eligible. Making me regret agreeing to a 4-3 defense. ILB - Senior Willie Brooks is gone, leaving us with four talent players. OLB - Ben Greisen is a decent walkon (5/8). We'll keep him around to cut another year. CB - No one is horrible here, although SO (RS) Jon Steed isn't going to get much better. Still, he is a math whiz so we keep him around to tutor the other sophomores who actually play. S - No team needs 9 guys at safety. JR Ken Roberg is an easy cut. Bad + dumb is no way to go through life, son. After that, though we have 8 talented players who all more or less have their grades in order. We redshirt the freshmen, Vaughn Knapp and Harper Holt (sounds like a soap opera name). K - no moves to make P - happy to finally be able to cut super-stiff Ollie Smith (2/3). I may just cut the next guy on my team named Ollie on general principles. |
01-06-2006, 05:31 PM | #224 |
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Academics - 13 players on the initial list and only 90 hours to spend for the year.
We try to help out DT Jack Burford, OG James McAddley, and WR Mike Voight. The rest of the guys, including starting OLB Adrian Kyle, are going to have to fend for themselves for now. We are listed as 23 point favorites at home for the Wake Forest game. Time to see if there has been significant improvement from last year. I'm skeptical for now, as I don't think we have enough game-breakers. And I won't really believe that until I see it in Pac 10 play or else with monster non-conference showings. |
01-06-2006, 06:27 PM | #225 |
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97,817 for the home opener. Was hoping we might see a little spike from last year, but apparently not for this game.
The season starts off much like last year - holding penalty on 3rd and long to continue an opponent drive. Their RB goes for 17, putting them right on the edge of field goal range. CB Elijah McCallister leaves the game with a nose injury that looks like it could be serious. DT Jack Farmer brings the pain on 3rd down, sacking the QB for a 9 yard loss and setting up a long field goal attempt. 52 yarder is good, 3-0, 11:15 to play in the quarter. Harold Edwards completes his first attempt for 14 yards to Voight. OT Lonie Smith leaves the game with a shoulder injury. Edwards is sacked on 3rd and 6, knocking us out of field goal range. We punt and leave Wake at the 6 yard line. OLB Adrian Kyle, who is having a good game early, picks off a pass and runs it back to the 15 yard line. An offsides penalty on Wake gives us a first down at the 5 instead of 4th and 1. Edwards completes a TD pass to Voight. 7-3, 5:55 left in the quarter. 3 and out for Wake. Edwards is picked on first down. He isn't impressing against a weak opponent. The defense comes on the field in an angry mood, forcing a 4th and 21. Edwards takes another sack - this guy is really unbelievably bad about that. I'm very worried that our team won't take flight until we stabalize the QB position. We have to punt, but force a fumble on the return. Recovered by UCLA, starting at the 18. We can't pick up a first down, so we have to settle for a 29 yard field goal attempt. First of the career for Ellis - wide right! Wake comes out moving the ball, picking up good first downs on the ground and through the air. RB Jeff Weaver is making us look bad, 7 carries for 52 yards. Into field goal range. 4th and 1 from our 10. They kick a 28 yard field goal, 7-6, 9:58 left in the half. Edwards had to listen to my displeasure on the sidelines during the Wake drive and he is trying to respond. 30 yard grab for Brewer, although I give the credit to the WR for making a great play to haul it in. The backup QB also is sacked. We punt from their 41, and stick them at the 3. Wake is driving on us again. Back to back 20 yard passes, down to our 27. Another defensive holding penalty - Wake inside the 20. 4th and 2 from the 9 - they take the field goal from 27. 9-7, 2:32 left in the half. Brewer makes another play on 3rd down, beating his man and getting extra yards on a 23 yard pass. Drive ends at the UCLA 38. Punt. Weaver has a 24 yard run, out near midfield. Drive ends when they fail a 4th down screen pass with less than 10 seconds remaining in the half. Halftime Notes: Embarrassing. Wake has outgained us by 50 yards and has had the ball for an extra five minutes. We aren't getting a consistent effort in any phase of the game. If it wasn't for turnovers we would be getting dominated. The Demon Deacon kicker pushes the ball out of bounds, we start at the 40. Edwards to Jackson for 16 to start the half. Edwards to Brewer for 25. Edwards finds Voight in the end zone from 3 yards out. Very good drive to open the half, 13-9 after failed 2 point conversion, 13:04 left in quarter. DT Jared Burford picks up a sack on first down. 3 and out for Wake. J.R. Jackson returns the punt for 25 yards, up to the Wake 44. Edwards completes a screen to RB Gannon Dawson for 19 yards, down to the 23. Edwards to Stablein for a 7 yard TD pass. 20-9, 9:06 left in quarter. Edwards is now 16-21 for 179 yards and 3 TDs (1 INT). He wants me to get off his back. Wake picks up 11 on the ground on 3rd and 9 to avoid the 3 and out. They are forced to punt from midfield. Edwards takes another sack. But Dawson makes it up with a 19 yard run. Perhaps he is finally starting to find a groove on the ground - 12 carries for 64 yards. QB John Rattay picks up a 3rd down, finding Voight. Into field goal range. We give Rattay a number of downs in a row at the controls, but that plan doesn't bear fruit when he is picked off inside the 10 yard line. DT Jared Burford collects his 2nd sack of the day on 3rd down to force a punt. The Wake RB Weaver had 85 yards in the first half. He has 4 in the last 17 minutes. Edwards finds Jackson on the sideline for 20 yards. And Rattay finishes the drive with a 9 yard TD pass to Brewer. First TD pass of his career. 27-9, 11:31 left to play. K Ellis puts the kickoff into the stands at about the 10 yard line. Out of bounds. 3 and out for Wake. Their QB completion percentage is under 50%. Rattay is looking pretty good this game. 19 yard pass to Jackson on 3rd and 7, he is 9-12 for 83 yards with the TD and INT. Edwards completes a 16 yard TD pass to Jackson. 34-9, 5:01 left in the game. Jackson now has 9 catches for 115 yards and a TD. Wake has 34 yards in 26 minutes so far in the 2nd half. 3 and out again. We are pounding out clock on the ground. Dawson goes over 100 yards on his 23rd carry. 7 straight runs, and attempted 46 yard field goal. No good. This new kicker sucks so far. Burford gets his 3rd sack on a 4th down desperation play. Very nice 2nd half on both ends of the ball after a hideous first half. |
01-06-2006, 06:33 PM | #226 |
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C Nick Moore was the player of the game with 4 key run blocks and 4 pancackes.
DT Jared Burford had 3 sacks. We only gave up 34 yards in the 2nd half. We held the ball for almost 20 minutes in the 2nd half. We had a 31-14 advantage in 1st downs. The QBs combined to complete over 75% of their passes: 30-39 for 321 yards. We need to cut down on sacks allowed (4) and penalties (7). Not sure that either of those are happening ... WR Voight had 2 TD receptions. QB Harold Edwards was 21-27 for 238 yards with 4 TDs and the 1 interception. OG Luis Jones gave up 3 of the sacks. He is benched if he allows another one next game. K Ellis was brutal with a capital B on his field goal attempts. But we have no options ... |
01-06-2006, 06:49 PM | #227 |
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We are favored by 27 in Evanston. The Wildcats lost 41-25 last week to Arizona; Tonnemaker had 22 rushes for 173 yards and 2 TDs. As a result, the NW offense is #101 in the country.
WR Corey Brady had himself a game against Arizona's secondary. 6 catches, 140 yards, and 2 TDs. We'll see if we can slow him down. No major injuries to report. We are resting a couple of players with minor bumps and bruises. |
01-06-2006, 07:39 PM | #228 |
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Jackson runs the opening kick back to the 44.
Dawson runs for 24 on his first touch, another 8 on the next carry. 4th and goal at the 1, we opt for the 3 points. Ellis gives them to us. 3-0, 10:49 left in the quarter. QB Vinny Rasmussen test the secondary on three straight deep balls. The third one is complete for 17 yards to the TE. He then runs an option which makes us look silly when no one covers the pitch man. 18 yards, almost a TD. The option isn't nearly as effective the 2nd time. Punt. One play drive. Dawson runs for 80 yards, following his blockers and gliding into the end zone. 10-0, 7:28 in the quarter. Dawson has 120 yards on 5 carries. Northwestern returns the kick out to the 41 yard line. WR Brady has his first reception - and first fumble. CB McAllister levels him and the ball is picked up by ILB Scott Wilson. The next drive took two plays. Edwards finds Brewer open downfield and hit him in stride. 47 yard TD pass. 17-0, 4:38 left in the quarter. Early in the game RB Frank Theofiledes is the best weapon for Northwestern. He undressed McCallister with a move in the backfield and gained 19 yards. 6 carries for 54 yards. But they have to punt from our 44. Edwards has all kinds of time and eventually makes the defense pay by finding Ben Jackson downfield for a 48 yard gain. OG Luis Jones, already under fire for his crappy opening game, leaves the field with an upper arm injury. The drive ends, partly due to a sack on Edwards, with a 37 yard field goal for Ellis. 20-0, 12:34 left in the half. A face mask penalty on McCallister gives NW a 1st down. He is a penalty magnet. 20 yard run for Frank T. powered by a big block by the fullback. But OLB Hank Swilling ends the drive with an interception on an ugly, ugly screen pass. Rasmussen is now 5-13 for 32 yards and a pick. A screen to Dawson picks up 20 yards. The Northwestern defense is delivering some big hits, but not getting stops. Dawson runs it in from 3 yards out to finish a 14 play, 85 yard drive. 27-0, 3:40 left in the half. ILB Scott Wilson picks off a pass, UCLA offense starts at the opposing 30. Edwards finishes the drive with a 24 yard TD pass to Stablein after freezing the defense with a play fake. 34-0, 1:44 left in the half. Edwards is now 11-13 for 193 yards and 2 TD passes. TE John Jones hauls in a bomb from Rasmussen, right in front of McCallister. 45 yards on the deep ball. Northwestern attempts to get on the board with a 57 yard field goal, but no chance. Short. Halftime Notes: Offense was lights out and the defense was forcing turnovers. We even had less penalties than our opponent. WR Brady, who torched Arizona, has 4 catches for 8 yards so far. Theofiledes opens up the 2nd half with a 20 yard run. He now has 9 carries for 96 yards. 4th and 1 at the 49 - they punt. We will have to start from our 7. Edwards and Brewer are really dialed in so far this game. 14 on a 3rd and 10. Brewer now has 6 catches for 96 yards. Northwestern is really struggling with penalties. Edwards is sacked inside the red zone, but picks up 14 on 3rd and goal from the 16. Ellis comes on to kick a 20 yard field goal. 37-0, 5:48 left in quarter. Northwestern TE John Jones is looking like an All-American against us. 28 yards on his next reception, he is up to 90 yards on 3 catches. Rasmussen tries to squeeze one in to Jones in the end zone, but CB J.R. Jackson is on it and has himself an interception. 3 and out for our offense. Northwestern strings together a pair of first downs, by Frank T. and Johns. SS Taz Simms has made several tackles this game. Northwestern punts from our 46. Edwards gets 24 yards on a screen pass, most of it picked up after the catch by TE Gene Fortunado. We get a little sloppy with movement on the offensive line on consecutive plays and can't make up the yards. Punt. The option again hurts us, as Theofiledes gains 26 yards. 14 yards to TE Jones - 5 catches for 110 yards now. Sack for DT Jack Farmer on 3rd down, NW must punt. They leave us on our 6 yard line. Rattay avoids the rush and completes a short pass to Ben Jackson, who runs out of a tackle and is off to the races! But a shoe-string tackle brings him down at the 13 after a 64 yard gain. Another 100 yard gain for Ben. Rattay finishes the drive with a 12 yard TD pass to Voight. 44-0, 5:08 left in the game. 21 more yards for Jones. DE Banducci gets his first sack of the year. The Wildcats punt on 4th and 16. Backup HB Dwayne Baker snaps off a 31 yard run. He is up to 71 yards on 9 carries. Dawson is closing in on 200 yards for the day. He finishes with 27 carries for 196 yards and 2 TDs. Ellis kicks a field goal near the end of regulation. 47-0 final. |
01-06-2006, 07:47 PM | #229 |
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So if you thought that Dawson had a good game, check out what Tonnemaker did to Louisville:
26 rushes 295 yards 5 touchdowns Washington State just hammered Wake, 52-10. Oregon State lost 17-12 to Temple, bringing shame upon our conference. Another 30+ first down game for the Bruins. 634 yards of offense - pretty good. C Nick Moore was again a killer, with 4 key run blocks and 2 pancakes. SS Taz Simms had 6 solo tackles and 4 assists. Defense allowed 321 yards while pitching a shutout. Pretty solid. |
01-06-2006, 07:50 PM | #230 |
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Everyone comes back academically eligible! We must be paying off a lot of teachers.
Edwards, McCallister, and ILB Wilson are all in some trouble this time around and we devote a good number of hours to help them get their grades up. Some team reports coming up ... |
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01-06-2006, 08:08 PM | #233 |
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Early polls:
1. USC 2. Oklahoma 3. Texas 4. Auburn 5. Miami (FL) 6. South Bend 7. Georgia 8. Wisconsin 9. LSU 10. Oregon 11. UCLA Other notables: Last years runner-up Pittsburgh is #16 Stanford is #17 Washington State is #19 |
01-06-2006, 08:12 PM | #234 |
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We are 27 point favorites at home for Rutgers. They are 0-2 with the #107 offense in the nation. We are currently at #5/#14 for the offense/defense rankings.
Rutgers really has struggled on offense, gaining only 285.5 yards per game. The matchup to watch is WR Jacoby Walls, who has 7 catches, 94 yards, and 0 TDs in two games. |
01-06-2006, 08:58 PM | #235 |
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98,995 on hand to see the Bruins today.
3 and out. Rutgers fumbled, but kept possession. Punt. QB John Rattay looks like he is a better passer on the run than anyone we have had so far at UCLA. He connects with TE Fortunato for 27 on the first play of our drive. Edwards to Brewer, first for 10, then for 15. Dawson fumbles a screen pass, but we recover. Rattay throws a 6 yard TD pass to Stablein. 7-0, 11:11 left in the quarter. QB Gary Keith finds WR Rodney VanPelt, who stays on his feet after running through a diving defender at his feet. He picks up another 25 after the catch, finishing with 41 on the play. Rutgers is whistled for a crackback block, setting up a 2nd and 21. CB Elijah McCallister makes a shoestring grab of a deflected pass and is off to the races! He is slowed by the beefy forearm of an offensive lineman, but staggers on before being run down after a 46 yard return. Our ball around midfield. Edwards goes down on a sack. 3 and out. Punt. Banducci and fumbles just seem to go together - in a good way, since he is a defensive lineman. He forces one here, and it is recovered by DT Jack Farmer. UCLA ball at their own 44. Edwards throws it outside to Jackson, who sheds a tackle and never looks back. 55 yard TD pass and catch. 14-0, 5:45 left in quarter. Sack for DT Jared Burford. But Rutgers QB Gary Keith gets the yards back with a 19 yard completion to WR Jacoby Walls. Rutgers is gaining yards on the ground, but the passing game is very hot and cold. One example of cold is an interception by SS Noland King on a busted screen play. Three turnovers already for Rutgers. Rutgers is stuffing our running game. Six carries for -1 yards. Punt after 3 plays. Rutgers is forced to start from their 8. Rutgers moves the chains twice, but has to punt from their half of the field. DE Scott Hancock of Rutgers is a big part of our struggles in the running game early. But he is nowhere to be found on a 57 yard TD by Gannon Dawson. 21-0, 10:07 left in the half. The defense gets their 3rd interception of the game on a brutal pass by Keith. None of the turnovers have put us on a real short field, but four turnovers in 20 minutes is pretty hideous for Rutgers. Rattay connects with Voight for 20 yards. Edwards also gets 20 yards on a pass to Voight. This one was from the Rutgers 20. 28-0, 7:44 left in half. 3 and out for Rutgers, but at least no turnovers. Punt. Rutgers is slapped with a roughing the passer penalty. Edwards and Voight connect again, for 34 yards inside the 10. Edwards finishes the drive with an 8 yard TD pass to Jackson. 35-0, 4:05 left in the half. Rutgers RB Jerry Strong has 70 yards on 7 carries after a 17 yard pickup. Punt - nothing after that run. Rutgers has 6 penalties for 65 yards in the 1st half. We have to punt from the Rutgers 42. Rutgers gets a 28 yard run against a nickel package as time is running down in the half. Halftime Notes: Passing game is clicking again - Edwards is among league leaders in passer rating. Jackson has 2 TD receptions today - think he only had two all of last year. We've surrendered 202 yards already, but the turnovers make up for it. When was the last time someone scored on us? Wake, near end of 1st half. So over two games of shutout defense. We commit back-to-back holding calls to start the 2nd half, trying to make up the penalty deficit in a hurry. But a 21 yard gain on a pass to Brewer makes up most of that yardage and we pick up the 1st down. Punt after Edwards misses an easy pass to Jackson on 3rd down. Rutgers will start from their 4. Rutgers picks up one first down, but then has to punt after a pair of Keith incompletions. 3 and out for the offense. Rutgers is once again starting inside their 10 - at the 7 this time. Rutgers is outrushing us, despite being down 35-0. RB Strong is near 100 yards. But they can't sustain drives. Another punt. Dawson clears 100 yards on his 16th carry of the day. Edwards connects with Stablein for 18 after escaping a blitzer on a 3rd and 13. RB Dwayne Baker runs it in from 5 yards out. 42-0, 0:38 left in quarter. Keith and Walls connect on a 26 yard pass. 4th and 1 from our 39 - sack by DE Ronald Smith. Edwards connects with Stablein for a 60 yard TD. 49-0, 12:04 left in the game. DE Smith gets another sack on the next drive. OLB Travis Wilcox leaves the game complaining of pain in his lower back. Punt. Rattay is consistently gaining yards after the catch. 29 on this pass from Rattay. 3rd and 11 - Edwards connects with Jackson for 19. Both Jackson and Voight are over 100 yards now and Stablein has 88 yards receiving. We punt from the Rutgers 40. Rutgers lets it go, it is downed at the 3. 3rd and 1 and Rutgers drops the fumble. Rattay hits Jackson on a deep pass, good for 43 yards. The offense is really rolling up numbers today in the passing game. Ellis finally has a chance to kick a field goal and he is successful from 30 yards out. 52-0, 2:59 to play. DE Phil Patten injures his ankle and leaves with 3 minutes left in the game. Rutgers picks up 21 yards on 4th and 11 to keep their drive going. The backup QB is carving us up late in the game. 34 yard completion from Brock Dunn to Willy Mantini (first catch of the day) down to the 9 with 0:47 to play. 9 yard TD pass - and the scoreless streak is over at 10 quarters. 52-6 (failed 2 point conversion - why?), 0:34 left. |
01-06-2006, 09:11 PM | #236 |
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Only 28 first downs in this game. But 587 yards is very acceptable.
We ended up surrendering 391 yards, about 75 of it on that final drive. Hard to be displeased with a defense that had 10 shutout quarters, but I didn't want to give it away at the end of that game. They did finish outrushing us 149-142. Dawson had 117 yards on 26 carries, but we could stand to tighten up the run defense a little bit. Too many 10-25 yard runs ... Jackson is off to a monster start this year. 8 catches for 157 yards and 2 TDs today. So far he has 21 catches for 394 yards and 3 TDs on the season. Maybe he wants to leave after this year with Brewer and Stablein ... Edwards was 17-26 for 290 yards. 4 TDs, 0 INTs. His passer rating is 199.6. No way that holds up againt good competition, but I'll settle for him being a good QB on the year. C Nick Moore - 2 key run blocks, 2 pancakes. DE Ronald Smith had 4 tackles, 1 assist, 2 sacks and 2 STFs. |
01-06-2006, 09:17 PM | #237 |
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It was Arizona's turn to damage our conference honor, as they lost at home to Illinois. 27-20, despite 117 yards from Tonnemaker.
Arizona State also has a monster at tailback - Bob Lee is a name that will come up again. He has rushed for 195 and 174 games in the first two games of the season. I think he was a transfer. Hope he leaves after the season. USC beat Northwestern 50-17. Frigging Quincy Greisen went 30-38 for 357 yards and 2 TDs. |
01-06-2006, 09:24 PM | #238 |
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We were off in Week 4, so we had the opportunity to watch some Pac 10 action:
Remember last year when I said that USC was lucky they didn't have to face Tonnemaker? He had 24 rushes for 147 yards against them this year as Arizona stunned the Trojans with a 20-16 win. Oregon went on the road against Arizona State and survived 143 yards from Bob Lee to pick up a 38-24 win. The pollsters love what we have done in non-conference play. Here are the newest rankings heading into our Pac 10 opener: 1. Oklahoma 2. Auburn 3. UCLA 4. Oregon 5. Texas 6. Miami (FL) 7. Wisconsin 8. Notre Dame 9. Syracuse 10. LSU - highest ranked one-loss team We get #23 Oregon State next. Last edited by hoopsguy : 01-06-2006 at 09:30 PM. |
01-06-2006, 09:38 PM | #239 |
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We are listed as 10 point home favorites for #23 Oregon State. The Beavers have a record of 3-1, with their one loss coming to Temple in Week 2. They won 31-10 in their conference home opener against Washington.
Their offense has been explosive so far this year (except against Temple), running up 530 yards per game - good for 6th in the nation. Defensively, they have been stingy and are ranked 10th in yards allowed, with just around 300 per game. We, in comparison, are #3/#14. We know the faces on offense. SR QB Lamar Horner is a 3 year starter. He is completing almost 2/3 of his passes this year and has 7 TDs to go with 6 INTs. The WR tandem of Bright and Buttone have been together since I've taken over UCLA. Buttone is a four year starter who is having a monster season. 30 catches for 476 yards and 4 TDs so far. LT Bill Banks already has 12 pancakes. Defensively, they are led by transfer MLB Eric Johnson. He has 32 tackles and 6 stuffs on the year. But across the board this is a prety competent defense. They look like they might be building something good in Corville this year. |
01-06-2006, 10:27 PM | #240 |
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100,089 pack the Rose Bowl for this showdown between ranked teams. It is exciting to see this kind of crowd.
Edwards is sacked on 2nd down, but it is waved off by a defensive holding call. We are really trying to establish Dawson early. The game starts off with 5 carries for him, as well as a pass to him. And the strategy is working, as we are moving down the field. Edwards ends the drive with a 29 yard TD pass to Brewer off a play fake - something that he has done well so far this season. 7-0, 10:33 left in quarter. DT Jared Burford sacks Horner on the 2nd play and the ball is loose. SS Taz Simms scoops it up and runs it in from 15 yards out. 14-0, 9:25 left in quarter. The defense isn't messing around to start this game. ILB Scott Wilson pops the halfback and forces another fumble. CB J.R. Jackson recovers, giving the offense the ball at the OSU 37. Edwards is sacked inside the 20. We can't get those yards back, so Ellis comes in for a 37 yard field goal. Good. 17-0, 5:08 left in quarter. Unreal - Burford forces another fumble on the first play of the next OSU drive. That is 3 fumbles in five plays. J.R. Jackson has his second recovery of the day and he is on the move with this one. 37 yard return, down to the OSU 13. Edwards puts the ball in the back of the end zone for Mike Voight to haul in. 11 yard TD pass. 24-0, 3:18 to go in the quarter. 3 and out for OSU, who has to punt from their 15. Their stud punter helps them out with field position, netting 50 yards on the punt. Sack on Edwards, and we aren't getting those yards back. Punt. Another OSU turnover, as ILB Jerry McCullough comes up with an errant pass. We'll start on the OSU 30. What a disastrous first 15 minutes for the Beavers. We can't finish that drive, as we bog down inside the 20. Ellis nails a 30 yarder. 27-0, 12:24 left in the half. 3 and out for Oregon State. They still don't have a first down. Dawson gets 24 yards on a run. Stablein leaves the game with an undisclosed injury. We are stopped a midfield. Punt. It took 32 minutes, but OSU gets a first down. 15 yard pass to Buttone and they are up near the 50. Horner finds Bright for 7 on a 3rd and 5. But the drive dies on our 41. Punt. Sack by the defense, we are forced to go 3 and out. 4th and 2 at the 48 with under 2 minutes in the half. OSU punts. OSU is sustaining some injuries in the secondary. Rattay connects with Jackson for 35 yards with less than a minute left in the half. Ball at the OSU 24 with 0:37 remaining. Rattay then finds our 5th receiver Dan Brown wide open. Brown walks it in. 24 yard TD pass. 34-0, 0:25 left in the half. Halftime Notes: Game could not be going any better. 3 first downs and 80 yards for an experienced offense. Our offense has been taking what the defense gives them. OSU isn't exactly sparkling on their first drive of the half. They go 3 and out, punting from their 4. Punter Tremayne Frisch pushes us way back. He is headed for another All-Conference team selection, maybe AA if he keeps playing like this. Edwards is sacked again at the OSU 40 on 1st down. Dawson goes over 100 yards on his 20th carry. We punt from their 38. Horner is picked off on the first pass by J.R. Jackson (monster game for him). Offense starts at the OSU 42. The Beavers defense yields nothing. Punt from their 43. DE Ronald Smith just kills Horner, who somehow holds onto the ball. 3 and out. Edwards bides his time before coming back to Brewer on a screen pass. It looks like it is going to be stuffed, but Brewer hits the "B" button on the first defender and then hurdles another man. Look out, he is off to the races! The SS finally hauls him in at the 4 yard line. 45 yard gain. Edwards completes a 4 yard TD pass to Jackson. 41-0, 4:56 left in the quarter. Another 3 and out for Oregon State. Horner is 4-17 for 39 yards and 2 picks. OSU gets their 5th sack of the day on Edwards. Jackson gets freaky on the defense on a deep ball, contoring his body to fall backwards and make a grab while parallel to the ground looking back at the QB. 38 yards on the pass, 100 yards receiving on the day. 4th and 1 at the OSU 35. Rattay is in, completes an 8 yard pass to Voight. We should have punted there - a little classless. The refs agree and slap a 15 yard tripping penalty on us the next down. Ellis hits a 41 yard field goal, 44-0, 14:02 left in the game. Horner get a 17 yard completion to Buttone on 3rd and 14. FS Greg Moore leaves the game with an elbow injury. Don't want that to be a serious one ... Next play, Horner finds Buttone in the end zone. 26 yard TD pass. 44-7, 11:32 left in the game. Defense gets a big stop on 3rd and 1. We punt from the 49. Buttone is getting his numbers late. Another 15 yard reception. Horner is knocked out of the game for a play. His backup comes in and throws one up into traffic. The receiver has his hands on it, but the ball flies into the air and Elijah McAllister ends up with the ball and some running room. About 90 yards of running room. 51-7, 6:09 left in the game. DE Phil Patten get a sack on 1st down. We are whistled for defensive holding on an incomplete pass on 3rd and 23. McCallister. But OSU moves it no further. Punt. 3 and out. Punt. Another OSU punt. Frisch must be weary from all the kicking he has done today. Ellis kicks a 49 yard field goal. 54-7, 0:34 left in the game. Buttone runs the kick back to the 47. 4 and out. All in all, this may be the finest defensive performance I've seen. |
01-06-2006, 11:21 PM | #241 |
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USC is now 2-2 after a 38-37 loss in Pullman to Washington State. 4 TD passes for Williams. I love it. OK, onto the box score from the Oregon State game.
Despite piling on 54 points the offense was not as crisp. We had only 23 first downs and 420 yards. We surrendered five sacks. These are all nits when the game went as well as it did, but there is definitely room for improvement on that side of the ball. The defense forced 6 turnovers and held a good team to 226 yards. Only 53 yards rushing. Two defensive touchdowns. At this point I'm worried they are peaking too soon. Four touchdown passes to four different receivers. Another 100 yard game for Jackson. Another 100 yard rushing game for Dawson. 4 key run blocks for Nick Moore, but he allowed a sack. 2 sacks allowed by freshman OG Perryman. Defensive touchdowns for McCallister and Simms. DT Jared Burford had a nice line: 3 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stuff, 1 hurry, 2 forced fumbles. |
01-06-2006, 11:25 PM | #242 |
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And we seem to have impressed the pollsters with the win:
1. UCLA 2. Oregon - wow, 2 Pac 10 teams atop the polls. 3. Miami (FL) 4. Wisconsin 5. Texas 6. Syracuse 7. LSU - still top-ranked one loss team 8. Clemson 9. Notre Dame 10. Washington State Others: Defending champ Oklahoma fell to #11 after losing 31-34 @ Nebraska. Last years runner-up Pittsburgh is still undefeated and ranked #16. 2-2 Southern Cal is #25 in the nation. We are ranked #1 and USC is hanging on the very edge of the Top 25 as I hit my 2,000th post at FOFC. This makes me happy. Last edited by hoopsguy : 01-06-2006 at 11:28 PM. |
01-06-2006, 11:30 PM | #243 |
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congrats on both hoops- please keep the reading coming, enjoying the ride so far
Last edited by muns : 01-06-2006 at 11:31 PM. |
01-06-2006, 11:34 PM | #244 |
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Things were going way, way too well. Each of the players I sent to study hall came back suspended.
QB Harold Edwards ILB Scott Wilson CB Elijah McAllister So we will have a freshman QB taking the majority of the snaps. Here is the upcoming schedule: @ California @ Washington OPEN #10 Washington State #2 Oregon @ Arizona Hopefully we have Edwards back for the stretch of games after the bye week. |
01-06-2006, 11:35 PM | #245 |
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Thanks, muns. It is awfully fun to record the events when they go as well as the last few games. Glad that you are having fun keeping up with the Bruins.
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01-07-2006, 07:31 AM | #246 |
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Injuries:
WR Bill Stablein has a pretty disgusting toe infection that will leave him sidelined today. OLB Travis Wilcox missed last week with a strained lower back and we'll leave him in street clothes again today. FS Keith Thomas has missed two weeks with a clavicle fracture. He is getting better and I'm going to play him because ... FS Greg Moore has sustained an elbow fracture and probably needs some time to recover. So, combine these with the academic issues and we have definitely taken a hit going into the next game. |
01-07-2006, 07:41 AM | #247 |
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We are 21 point favorites heading to Cal. I haven't recommended taking the points against us yet this year, but with a freshman QB on the road that might be the smart play.
Cal is 2-2 after getting undressed by Oregon last week. The star of the offense is WR Cleo Barlow. This sophomore stud almost hit 1,000 yards last year and is on pace to eclipse that number this year. 28 catches for 355 yards and 3 TDs in 4 games. Defensively, the strength remains the secondary led by SR Jonathan McElroy. He is a four year starter who has defended 15+ passes in each of his first 3 seasons. We have better talent than these guys. It just needs to translate with the juggled depth chart. |
01-07-2006, 08:36 AM | #248 |
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We start on the 44 after Cal picks up a "piling on" penalty on the opening kick.
On 4th and 3 the offense stays on the field. QB John Rattay connects with Gary Brewer for a 13 yard pickup down the middle of the field. Two plays later he finds Ben Jackson open and lays out a very pretty 30 yard TD pass. 7-0, 12:48 left in the quarter. J.R. Jackson picks off the 2nd pass of the day by the Cal QB Pope. We have a nice mix of run and pass on the next drive. Rattay picks up 3rd and 6 with a pass to WR Dan Campbell. A screen pass for a TD is called back on a holding. 4th and goal at the 3 and Ellis comes in to kick a 21 yard field goal. 10-0, 6:14 left in the quarter. Barlow goes up for a high pass, but can't hold onto it after being stuck by a Bruin defender. But Rulon Bowens is able to hold onto the loose ball. Interception. Jessie Pope is now 2-4 with 2 completions to each team. False start and a sack push us back. We make up most of the yards, but still have to punt after 3 plays. Jared Burford leaves the game with a nose injury. That is one position where we have no depth so we hate to see injuries there. Plus he is having a great year so far. Cal is whistled for offensive pass interference on a completion to Barlow. They are forced to punt. QB Derrick Fazande is making the most out of his playing time, completing his first 3 passes. C Nick Moore picks up a holding call. On 3rd and 19 Rattay finds TE T.J. Thomas all alone behind the Cal secondary. 41 yards - touchdown! 17-0 at the end of the first quarter. Ellis is getting touchbacks on a good number of his kickoffs so far this year. Cal has to punt from near midfield. J.R. Jackson gains 31 yards on the return. 3 and out, as Rattay is sacked on 3rd down. Punt. Cal punts on a 4th and 1 from the 50. Gannon Dawson is chugging away, up to 52 yards on 10 carries. We pick up an offensive pass interference call on 1st down. A sack on 2nd down sets up 3rd and 35. No problem, Rattay finds Jackson, who loses his defender with a shuffle step, and runs for 46 before finally being hauled in by the CB from the other side of the field (McElroy). 18 to Brewer on 3rd and 10, nice play both both QB and receiver. Dawson runs it in for a TD from 9 yards out. 14 play, 86 yard drive. 24-0, 2:38 left in the half. Barlow takes the kick back to the 41. 3 and out - only 4 first downs so far this game and less than 100 yards. RB Dawson injured his thumb on a pass route and looks like he will miss the second half of this game. Hope it isn't too serious - we had some durability questions with him going into the year and there is a drop-off in talent at this position. Rattay to Voight for 21 yards; he has 5 receptions already. We attempt a 49 yard field goal with 0:09 on the clock, but Cal blocks it. Halftime Notes: Rattay is 15-20 for 239 yards and 2 TDs. He looks just great. Two injuries in the half that we hope are not serious - Burford and Dawson. The defense is just lights out so far this year. Barlow returns the 2nd half kickoff out to the 43. RB Chad Chatman, who had 8 carries for 14 yards in the first half, dashes for 28 yards on his first carry of the 2nd half. It appears that Cal's coach got them fired up with a rousing halftime speech! They have 3 first downs on this drive setting up a first and goal. Barlow is in the end zone on a 2 yard reception. 24-6 after a failed two point conversion. 11:42 left in the quarter. We punt after 3 plays - the drive was derailed by a holding penalty. Cal is really moving the ball so far in the 2nd half. They already have more yards and first downs in 7 minutes than they did the entire 1st half. This drive dies on the 38 and they have to punt. QB Derrick Fazande throws an interception; he was duped by CB Darren McIntosh. Cal ball at our 14. 3 and out, with DE Ronald Smith and SS Taz Simms making tackles for losses. Cal gets a 32 yard field goal. 24-9, 4:49 left in the quarter. RB Jimmy Bacon gets hammered at the end of a big run and CB McIntosh is there to recover the fumble. Good thing the run was over 30 yards or the Golden Bears would be setting up in our territory once again. A defensive holding penalty against SS Noland King gives Cal a first down in our territory. RB Chatman picks up 19 on the ground on a 3rd and 11. They run it in from 1 yard out. And get a 2 point conversion. 24-17, end of 3. What a miserable 3rd quarter for us. Rattay and Voight connect for 23 on a 3rd and 8. Voight loves to straight-arm CBs. Gain of 20 to Ben Jackson on a great catch on 3rd and 6. We thought we had a big gainer to Brewer, but the refs ruled he was not able to get a foot in bounds. An uncharacteristic drop by Jackson. A facemask penalty on Cal gives us 5 more yards to try a 48 yard field goal. E-squared is wide left on the attempt. 3 and out for Cal, thanks to a 3rd down drop. 3 and out for us, nothing approaching a good play. Another 3 and out for Cal, down around 8 minutes left to play now. CB Darren McIntosh comes up with his 3rd turnover of the game as he intercepts a screen pass. Cal ball at our 34. 4th and 4 for Cal from our 28. They get a 46 yard field goal. 24-20, 5:04 to play. Nice work by the defense to limit the damage. We come out running. Baker and Toomer with back-to-back first down runs. Then Baker finds a lane on a cutback and has a huge gainer before he is tracked down by a defensive lineman who pops the ball loose! TE T.J. Thomas dives on the ball and we have a first down at the Cal 24. 3 more runs and we have to try a field goal. Ellis misses again, this time from 43 yards. Clutch kicking just like his predecessor. Pope completes a pass to WR Dean Vaughn for 28 yards, up to our 41. 1:11 left in the game. And Pope throws a TD pass to his TE from 35 yards out! Cal has come back from 24 points down against the #1 rated defense. The crowd is going absolutely crazy! 27-24 with 0:50 left in the game. Jackson returns the kick to the 30. 0:43 left and all 3 timeouts. Incomplete. Incomplete. Rattay is 3-9 in the 2nd half. Fazande completes a 7 yard pass to Brewer. Timeout. 4th and 3, 0:21 left. Fazande completes a 15 yard pass to Voight. Timeout. 0:12 to play, ball at their 48. Ratty to Voight for 9, timeout. 0:04 on the clock. 57 yard field goal or bomb? 57 yard field goal is short. Ellis is the goat of this game but he has plenty of company. |
01-07-2006, 08:46 AM | #249 |
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USC hammers #9 Notre Dame 38-7.
There were a couple of monster rushing performances by Pac 10 backs. - Eddie Treu had 31 rushes for 239 yards and a pair of TDs as Stanford went to Washington and came home with a 38-25 win. - Lee on ASU had 27 carries for 249 yards and a TD in a 27-26 win at Navy. Time to look at the stats from this gutwrenching loss. The offense just fell apart in the 2nd half. Three turnovers and another fumble that we recovered in only ten minutes of possession. We outgained Cal 535-294 on the day. Two field goals in the 40-49 yard range botched by Ellis that could have given us some kind of cushion. And it turns out we could have used that field goal that was blocked at the end of the first half. The defense gave up a pair of long passes while trying to protect a four point lead late. We couldn't get the ball to Jackson in the 2nd half. Their CB McElroy just dominated the final 30 minutes. Mike Voight had 8 catches for 93 yards. C Nick Moore had 3 key run blocks and 3 pancakes, but allowed a sack and had a holding penalty. OT Yale Givens had 3 pancakes. He is very good pass blocker but struggles in the run game. DE Ronald Smith was very tough on this day. 5 tackles, 2 stuffs, 3 hurries. I thought the Washington State loss sucked last year, but this one is probably worse. |
01-07-2006, 08:52 AM | #250 |
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C Nick Moore has a fractured thumb and will miss this week.
DT Jared Septum needs corrective surgery for his broken nose and will not be suiting up for the next game. FS Greg Moore needs one more week for his fractured elbow. Washington is next. |
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