College Football Preview

25/01/08

Martz gives pro prospects a sneak peek

By Matthew Barrows - mbarrows@sacbee.com

Last Updated 5:58 am PST Friday, January 25, 2008

Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1

MOBILE, Ala. - If Alex Smith and Shaun Hill want a preview of their coming months, Erik Ainge, Colt Brennan and Andre Woodson would be happy to fill them in.

All this week, the three South squad quarterbacks for the Senior Bowl have gotten a crash course on what it's like to be one of Mike Martz's pupils.

What does that entail? Basically a semester's worth of studying and not much sleep.

"He's got us up at 7:15 every morning. The North ain't doing that," said Brennan, the Hawaii quarterback, with a smile. "But like I said, this is a job interview. And I came here to try to get a job. And I'm all for it.

"He keeps saying, 'I'm going to push you guys harder to make you that much more prepared.' And I appreciate that."

Said Tennessee's Ainge: "He's very demanding. He doesn't take a play off. If you watch him, every time we throw a ball - whether he's praising us or cussing us - he's coaching somehow on every single play."

Martz has had plenty to holler about.

Brennan and Kentucky's Woodson operated primarily out of the shotgun in college, and Ainge and the Volunteers also played quite a bit of spread offense. That means none of the quarterbacks has extensive practice with something as simple as taking a snap and dropping back to pass.

Martz has said he intends to break down and rebuild everything Smith, a three-year veteran, and Hill, a six-year veteran, have learned. That's precisely what he has done this week with his college students.

Brennan admitted that the first two days of practice were rough and that Martz rarely was satisfied. By Wednesday and Thursday, the 49ers' new offensive coordinator had mellowed a bit but still was poring over every detail of his quarterbacks' delivery.

While the rest of the South squad was in one end zone for special-teams practice, Martz brought the three quarterbacks to the opposite end zone to work on a simple five-yard dump pass. Over and over, the quarterbacks dropped back three steps, faked a handoff, dropped back two steps more and fired off a quick pass.

Martz adjusted everything, from the depth of Brennan's steps to how swiftly Ainge swung his hips.

Afterward, Ainge said sloppy dropbacks were No. 1 on Martz's list of pet peeves.

"He wants everything to look the same," he said. "He has his way. And he obviously has a great track record. We're going to listen to what he tells us to do. It's not what we might have done in college, but we're not playing college football anymore."

That's precisely why coach Mike Nolan and the 49ers tapped Martz to resurrect the league's worst offense.

Under Jim Hostler's direction last year, the offense always seemed hesitant. The players never openly questioned Hostler's play calling, but there was a sense the first-time coordinator didn't inspire the necessary confidence in his young players.

Martz is the opposite.

"I needed someone who commands the room, who inspires people to play," Nolan said. "Mike's been successful as an offensive coordinator and a head coach. That should inspire anyone."

And if that includes some yelling every now and then - well, Martz's pupils are willing to put up with it.

"He's been hard on us the last two days," Brennan said after Wednesday's practice. "But today he came out and smiled a little bit more, had some fun with us."

31/12/07

Preview: College Football Bowl Guide

By ROGER LEISTER

TV GUIDE

Six bowls down, 26 to go, beginning with Central Michigan against Purdue in a Boxing Day tradition: the Motor City Bowl (ESPN, 7:30 pm/ET). Prolific passers Dan LeFevour and Curtis Painter go to work at Ford Field, where CMU won the last two MAC title games along with this bowl last year. While this is a rare same-season rematch (Purdue romped 45-22 on Sept. 15), the rest of the week offers eight fresh contests.

Holiday Bowl: (Thursday, Dec. 27, ESPN, 8 pm/ET)
Arizona State is the ninth stop for nomadic coach Dennis Erickson, whose Sun Devils face Texas.

Champs Sports Bowl: (Friday, December 28, ESPN, 5 pm/ET)
In a rivalry hotter on ice than on the gridiron, senior QB Matt Ryan and Boston College look to get even with Michigan State, a 3-1 winner in the 2007 NCAA hockey final.

Texas Bowl: (Friday, Dec. 28, NFLNET, 8 pm/ET)
Anyone who picked up NFL Network for Saturday's big Patriots-Giants game gets this TCU-Houston tussle as practice for finding the channel.

Emerald Bowl: (Friday, Dec. 28, ESPN, 8:30 pm/ET)
Hard to say which will be more entertaining: the Maryland-Oregon State matchup or the always-quirky commercials for Emerald nuts.

Meineke Car Care Bowl: (Saturday, Dec. 29, ESPN, 1 pm/ET)
Connecticut and Wake Forest pull into Charlotte with sputtering offenses, which could lead to a big role for the best name in the college game, Wake kicker Sam Swank.

Liberty Bowl: (Saturday, Dec. 29, ESPN, 4:30 pm/ET)
NCAA rushing leader Kevin Smith powers Central Florida against Mississippi State.

Alamo Bowl: (Saturday, Dec. 29, ESPN, 8 pm/ET)
Joe Paterno's 500th game as Penn State head coach will be the first - and only - game in which interim coach Gary Darnell leads Texas A&M.

Independence Bowl: (Sunday, Dec. 30, ESPN, 8 pm/ET)
Nick Saban's first year at Alabama ends with the team's second-straight disappointing trip to Shreveport, Louisiana. Still beats coaching the Dolphins. He'll face Colorado coach Dan Hawkins, whose son Cody is the QB.

18/12/07

Division III football title preview

Published: 12/14/2007 7:46 PM

RICHMOND, Va. -- The last two seasons for Wisconsin-Whitewater have ended with the Warhawks unable to interrupt Mount Union's unprecedented dominance of Division III football.

They will try again Saturday, again having earned a spot in the NCAA championship game against the powerful Purple Raiders.

"The first time was big, big awe for us," Whitewater senior tailback Justin Beaver, the Gagliardi Trophy winner as the top player in Division III, said this week. "Second time we thought we were over it and still made a lot of little mistakes in the game.

"Hopefully, the third time's a charm for us."

The Warhawks (13-1) lost 35-28 in the 2005 Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl and 35-16 last year, when Mount Union (14-0) claimed its ninth national title in 14 years.

This time, the underdogs feel like they're playing not only for themselves, but for people such as beloved former coach Bob Berezowitz, who retired after last season.

"That's kind of been our motto all year is 'finish,'ÃƒÂ¦" quarterback Danny Jones, who joined the Warhawks this year, said. "We're at the point where we need to finish. I think it would be sweet for them, too, to get a little piece of that if we win."

Of course, that's the hardest part, especially against possibly the greatest little dynasty in college football history.

"There is certainly a lot of pressure," Mount Union quarterback Greg Miceli said. "Not just the pressure we put on ourselves to get back here and the expectations of what we think we can achieve, but also the pressure that other people kind of place on us."

Simply getting to Salem, Va., the site of the title game, provides a measure of relief for the Purple Raiders, "but then you do have to win the championship, because it's a bad season if we don't win," senior wide receiver Pierre Garcon said.

In Larry Kehres' 22 seasons as coach at the school of 2,300 students in Alliance, Ohio, there have been few bad weeks.

Mount Union has a 260-20-3 record with Kehres as coach.

"Every year we start out in August trying to get back here," guard Derek Blanchard, a regional finalist for the Gagliardi, said. "Winning a national championship is our ultimate team goal, so it's not so much pressure as it is a team goal for us."

A year ago, Kehres said of all the games he'd ever coached, if he had to lose one, he wouldn't have minded seeing Berezowitz head into retirement a national champ.

The Warhawks hope give their old coach a late retirement gift.

"They've all built a great foundation for us and it's their dream for us to win a national championship," Whitewater defensive back Matt Blaziewske said former Warhawks, "and here we are for the third year in a row. We'll see what we can do."

09/12/07

ScoutSouth.com:

By Cary L. Clark
ScoutSouth.com
Posted Dec 7, 2007

Friday night at 7 p.m., the Iron Bowl returns to Legion Field for the first time since 1998. Well, not really, but the Class 5A state championship game pitting two teams with one loss between them will seem like a preview of future Alabama-Auburn match-ups.

The St. Paul's vs Briarwood game, which does indeed feature a likely pair of future Iron Bowl QBs., in Briarwood senior Barrett Trotter and junior AJ McCarron of St. Paul's.

That's not to mention two of the nicest, classiest, and yet winningest coaches in the state, Mike Bates of St. Paul's and Briarwood's Fred Yancey. Coach Bates' neckties themselves are worth the price of admission, and his team is must-see TV (and web).

The Saints feature three Alabama commitments, safety Mark Barron, wide receiver Destin Hood, and running back Ivan Matchett. Then, the Saints throw at you an unsung pair of juniors in defensive end Mike Thomas and safety Andrew Miller.

Many wonder if Hood will forego college football for pro baseball, and a few others wonder if Miller may end up the college diamond rather than the gridiron.

And then, there's the 6-foot-4 McCarrron, who a few have compared to Eli Manning. That’s very strong company. Track star Louis Watson, an ace defender in the St. Paul's secondary, could also play football at the next level. This team is loaded, with a capital "L."

Briarwood Christian has the afore-mentioned 6-foot-1 Trotter behind center, and he is pledged to play his college ball on the Plains. Think a slightly more mobile Brandon Cox, here, though Trotter is a righty with an improved fastball.

"I'm really just excited about the opportunity to play in a state championship game," Trotter told Scout.com. "Hopefully, we'll get another ring. It should be a lot of fun. We're going to be well-prepared and ready to play, for sure."

Trotter has thrown for over 1,000 yards, just since the playoffs began four weeks ago.

Up-and-coming speedy sophomore Caleb Castille is a thin 5-10, 150, but he has become a threat at receiver and on kick returns for Yancey's Lions, just when you thought 'ole Fred was about out of Castille sons.

Senior Matthew Gordon is Trotter's favorite target, and with good reason. Gordon's got a nice combo of football speed, height, hands, and route-running skills. Jonathan Sillers leads the Lions' ground game.

Yancey says his team may be unbeaten at 14-0, but he'd like to see better tackling by the defense. On offense, he's happy with the "big uglies" up front.

"The offensive line came into the season totally unproven, and the guys have risen to the occasion," Yancey told the Birmingham News. "They have fought extremely hard. They have given us a chance to be a better team because of their desire to improve."

Speaking of famous sons, the sophomore son of ex-Bama and NFL player Sam Shade starts at linebacker for the Lions, and Justin Shade (5-9, 200) really knows how to bring the lumber. When he hits you, you don't get up fast.

I normally don't look forward to trips to Legion Field at night, in all honesty, but I'm fired up to cover this game.

Will the Saints be delivered from the Lion's den to go marching home to Mobile? Or will Yancey and Co. claim their first state title since Simeon Castille's senior year of 2003, and fourth overall? Or will the Saints reel in their first big trophy

Copyright (c) 2007 BamaMag.com and Scout.com. All rights reserved.

04/11/07

Weekend Black College Football Preview

WSSU Facing Tough Task At Home Against No. 1 Delaware State

by L.A. Batchelor, labatchelor@blackathlete.com

POSTED: Nov 3, 2007

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Rams of Winston Salem State University are flying high after a last minute win over perennial powerhouse Hampton last weekend and look to continue there winning ways against arguably the best team in HBCU football.

WSSU (5-3) will need to have balanced on offense and be aggressive on defensive in order to win against the Delaware State Hornets (7-1, 6-0 MEAC), the No. 1 team in the latest BoxToRow.com/BASN HBCU Top 10 Football Poll.

The Rams will need another stellar performance from running back Jed Bines like last week when he rushed for 146 yards in beating the three-time MEAC champion Pirates. On the season, The Rams average nearly 200 yards rushing per game including 4 yards per rush per game.

Although Monte Purvis and the passing game has made some strides including less turnovers this season, but the offensive balance The Rams need is still not there. The Rams' average only 93 yards passing per game including only six yards per pass. Purvis has to be poised, make smart decisions and must protect the ball.

The running game must be as dominant as it has been all season in order to keep DSU's potent offense off the field. They must also improve on there third down conversions to keep drives alive. WSSU has only converted 34 percent on third downs.

Defensively, the Rams have to be consistent in stopping the run and stopping the Hornets on third down. The Rams defense has done pretty well on third downs only allowing 42 percent on the season. Although they allow 70 percent scoring inside the red zone, the percentage drops to 43 percent in allowing only touchdowns in the red zone.

WSSU also must not allow the Hornets to get off to a quick start offensively because that could take away some of there aggressiveness. Players like Nathaniel Biggs, Thadeus Griffin, Michael Moore and Deron Middleton must step up and play big and make big plays to help the team get a victory.

For DSU, the formula for a win is simple. They must sustained an opening or early drive to take what will be a wild and loud home coming crowd cheering for The Rams. An early score could take the crowd out of the game and put The Rams in an early hole. They have to do a better job on third down and scoring in the red zone.

The Hornets have converted only 26 percent on third down and only 39 percent in scoring touchdowns inside the red zone. DSU doesn't have many standouts on offense so a balanced effort is crucial for the offense. Kareem Jones leads the team in rushing in over 530 yards and will need to be productive along with the other running backs in order to be successful.

Quarterback Vashon Winton has been average at best and will need to be consistent and like Monte Purvis, must not turn the ball over in order to give The Hornets a chance to win.

The Hornets success has been primarily on the defensive side of the ball. Players like Akeem Green (three interceptions, one fumble recovery for a touchdown), Russell Reeves and Josh Pope have to continue to be aggressive on defense, force turnovers and put the offense in good scoring position.

They must continue to play solid in the red zone and on third down. The Hornets hold their opponents to only 29 percent on third down and have only allowed 35 percent of their opponents to score inside the red zone.

Outlook: The Rams are riding high coming off the win against Hampton and essentially have been riding high all season. Take away a few late game blunders and miscues, The Rams could have been coming into this game with an identical record The Hornets.

The Hornets in the meantime got a hard fought victory against South Carolina State winning by only one point but nevertheless, they are confident, talented and have answered the bell in every game but the game against Kent State.

The Hornets will look to come in and take the action to The Rams, get ahead early and let their defense lead them to their 8th victory but the Rams are at home in front of there crowd and Bowman Gray Stadium will be rockin

I think the excitement and enthusiasm of this 5-3 team will propel them to an upset victory over Delaware State adding to a great year for coach Blount and his fired up Rams. Don’t be surprised if The Rams pull another late rally to win the game against The Hornets.

Final score: WSSU 28, Delaware State 27

OTHER KEY GAMES SATURDAY

(Rankings are from latest BoxToRow.com/BASN Poll)

No. 9 Jackson State at No. 2 Alabama A&M, 1:30 pm

No. 3 Grambling State at Alabama State, 1 pm

Clark Atlanta at No. 4 Tuskegee, 1 pm

No. 5 Southern vs. Texas Southern (at Houston), Noon

No. 6 Norfolk State at Morgan State, 4 pm

No. 10 Fort Valley State vs. No. 7 Albany State (at Columbus), 2 pm

No. 8 Virginia Union at Fayetteville State, 1:30 pm

29/10/07

College FB Preview: You Can't Script October

October 25, 2007

by Ron Johnson

With the final leg of the regular season on the horizon, several college teams still remain in the hunt for the spot in the BCS.

But as it has been proven time and time again, you can't script October-just ask Florida and LSU.

Here's a look at a few of this weekend's key matchups...

#2 Boston College vs. #8 Virginia Tech

This is a showdown between two teams who will likely play for the ACC Championship.

A win for BC definitely improves their chances of being the first ACC team to play for the BCS title.

For Virginia Tech, a win puts them in the same running for the same two titles.

This will be a slugfest mainly because of what's at stake-a trip to Miami and a ticket to the BCS. This will determine if Boston College is really legit or just wasting our time.

Final Score: Hokies 27, Eagles 17.

#1 Ohio State vs. #24 Penn State

Another game that looks good on paper is this Big Ten showdown in 'Da Valley.

The Buckeyes have had a relatively easy schedule up to this point. That will stop this weekend.

Up to this point, Penn State has looked more determined than the Buckeyes. After some heartbreaking losses earlier in the season, the Lions have bounced back into contention.

With only a few games left on the schedule, every game matters for undefeated Ohio State. The Buckeyes have added pressure to win due to the fact that LSU has the weekend off, and a loss by Ohio State will most likely propel the Tigers back to the top spot.

After Rutgers beat South Florida last week, anything's possible. Rest assured that every team that isn't playing at this moment will be watching this game.

Final Score: Buckeyes 20, Nittany Lions 17.

#9 USC vs. #5 Oregon

A few weeks ago, this would have been a great battle of the undefeateds.

Unfortunately, that won't be the case this weekend, but these two titans will face each other nevertheless.

Since the Pac-10 doesn't have the guts to have a conference championship, this is as close as we will get to playoff-level football on the West Coast.

In any event, Dennis Dixon has been phenomenal in leading the Ducks to this point.

Southern Cal could possibly suffer their second loss in this game. The Trojans have so many problems internally that it wouldn't be surprising to see USC fall before their showdowns with Cal and UCLA.

This game may determine who will take the Pac-10 crown. And since I'm not a betting man, but an upset-minded man, I'm taking the team that no one sees coming.

Final Score: Ducks 34, Trojans 21.

#9 Florida vs. #20 Georgia

The Gators may be out of the national championship race, but they are not eliminated from the SEC Championship.

A win over Georgia would certainly work in Florida's favor. Let's not forget that the Gators have yet to lose to a rival in the Urban Meyer era, and that includes Georgia.

The Bulldogs have been one of those under-the-radar teams, and it's worked to their advantage. Now the 'Dogs find themselves in the thick of the conference race.

The winner of this game will most likely put pressure not only on the division leaders, but also on "top dog" LSU. Expect Tim Tebow's shoulder to be ready by game time, and expect the Gators to finish the job.

Final Score: Gators 37, Bulldogs 28.

#11 South Florida vs. UConn

South Florida suffers their first loss to a dangerous Rutgers team, and gets knocked out of the Top 10? That's just plain dumb.

LSU lost to Kentucky and still held a Top 10 spot. The BCS' plan to have the Pac-10 and Big Ten collide for the BCS Championship failed, and it kills them.

Back in reality, this game is shockingly a possible Big East Championship showdown. While South Florida was riding their Cinderella wave, UConn was winning ball games and keeping pace with the rest of the conference.

The loser of this game is most likely out of the hunt, but the winner is set to battle for a conference championship.

Final Score: Bulls 20, Huskies 17.

#18 Cal vs. #7 Arizona State

Two weeks ago, Cal had high hopes of playing for the national championship. They were undefeated, ranked second in the country, and looked unstoppable.

What a difference 14 days makes.

Two straight losses later, Cal is hoping that both Oregon and USC will lose again before all is said and done. But Cal can't be happy about this matchup with undefeated Arizona State.

The last time the Sun Devils were this good, Jake Plummer was their quarterback, and Florida was beating up on Florida State for their first national championship.

ASU will win this one, and most likely lay claim to the Pac-10 Championship. That is, if they can keep momentum on their side.

Final Score: Sun Devils 27, Bears 10.

#6 West Virginia vs. #25 Rutgers

At the beginning of the season, this was supposed to be a preview of the Big East Championship.

Now it's just a chance for one team to start campaigning, and another to try to salvage something positive from the season.

The Mountaineers and Scarlet Knights will be playing for more than pride. They are out to prove that there are BCS contenders in the Big East Conference. What a perfect game to showcase that theory.

In all honesty, with the way that West Virginia, Rutgers, UConn, and South Florida have been playing this season, it's no longer a theory. This should be a good one.

Final Score: Mountaineers 30, Scarlet Knights 20.

That's all for now. See ya Thursday.

15/10/07

No. 11 Tigers without Temple as Oklahoma awaits

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- As the victories mount, the stakes have been raised for No. 11 Missouri.

The Tigers, off to their second straight 5-0 start and with their highest ranking since 1981, face No. 6 Oklahoma on Saturday with more on the line than perhaps any other game in coach Gary Pinkel's seven seasons at Mizzou.

Missouri's will face the Sooners without their leading rusher Tony Temple, who is out with a sprained ankle.

Temple was injured in the second quarter of the 11th-ranked Tigers' 41-6 victory over Nebraska last week, totaling three carries for minus-2 yards in the game. On Monday, coach Gary Pinkel said he was day to day.

Temple has 351 yards rushing with a 4.9-yard average and three touchdowns. Jimmy Jackson would likely start in his place.

Temple injured his left shoulder last year against Oklahoma, a 26-10 loss at home that knocked Missouri out of the Top 25.

After the Nebraska win in their Big 12 opener last week, the Tigers can establish themselves as a legitimate national title contender by defeating Oklahoma (5-1, 1-1 Big 12).

History is not on their side.

Missouri has lost 16 straight games in Norman dating back to 1966 and has lost 13 straight road games against ranked opponents, with the last win coming in 1997 at Oklahoma State. The last six of those losses came under Pinkel.

"It's the biggest game we've had here," said Mizzou quarterback Chase Daniel, who is third in the nation in total offense at 380 yards per game.

"It's a big game because it's the next game. As I said last week, we're not approaching it like a do-or-die, it's your life, you better win, if you don't win, you're going to be fired. It's a football game, just go out there, have fun, play hard, do what you can and move the football."

In a change from the past seasons, the Tigers present the highest-ranked opponent the Sooners will likely face during the regular season. After losing to Colorado to start Big 12 play, Oklahoma bounced back last week with a 28-21 win against then-No. 19 Texas to set up one of only two showdowns between ranked foes this weekend -- the other is top-ranked LSU against No. 17 Kentucky.

"After I saw them beat Nebraska, I said, `Man, this is really going to be a big game.' They're coming in undefeated, they're ranked 11th and it's just going to be a big game," Sooners guard Brian Simmons said. "But like I tell everyone, every game's a big game for us. We're trying to get to the conference title, so it's always a big game."

Little has slowed Daniel and the Tigers' offense so far. Missouri ranks fifth in the nation with 556.6 yards per game and 11th in scoring at 41.8 points.

But when these former Big Eight rivals met last year in Columbia, the Sooners found a formula that worked. Daniel ran for 75 yards, while the rest of his teammates totaled only 1 yard on the ground in a 26-10 loss.

Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables promised the Sooners "won't be able to stop the pass" if Missouri's running game has success.

The Sooners also got Daniel to throw three interceptions last year and squelched the possibility of a Mizzou rally by sending the Tigers away with nothing after a first-and-goal from the 2 in the third quarter. Missouri's next three possessions ended in a three-and-out and back-to-back picks by Daniel.

"You've got to mix it up. That's the biggest thing," Venables said. "Any of those teams with a quarterback of his caliber that sees the field and understands defense -- and what they do with the no-huddle concept, so they check with the sideline -- you give them a steady dose of one thing and it's difficult to have success on defense that way. You make it awfully easy on the opponent."

Daniel, who has thrown for at least 294 yards in each of his last eight games, said the main challenges the Sooners present are speed and variety on defense.

"They want to disguise a lot. They're not really, really great at one thing, they're really, really great at a whole bunch of things," Daniel said. "That's what they do, they run a whole bunch of defenses and we have our hands full this week."

Oklahoma has won nine of the 11 games in the series when both teams were in the Top 25, including the last seven. The Sooners held the higher ranking in eight of those 11 games.

"All those rankings and things don't mean anything, they're just numbers until the end of the season," said Missouri senior Martin Rucker, the top receiving tight end in the nation.

"You appreciate that people give you recognition like that, but when you cross the line and strap it up, it doesn't matter who's ranked what."