“It’s therapy to come out and practice right now and I thought the intensity level was good,” he said. “It was another good day of practice and gets the game plan down.” The last time Christensen was in Texas ‘ Memorial Stadium, it wasn’t too pleasant. … Source: Dallas Morning News
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Wyoming looks for offensive balance against Texas Longhorns
Filed under News by on Sep 9th, 2010. Comment. 
Stanford’s visit to UCLA on Saturday features multiple mysteries and intriguing storylines. Will Bruins quarterback Kevin Prince be healthy? What about the health of Stanford linebacker Shayne Skov, receiver Chris Owusu and running back Jeremy Stewart ? What defense will the Cardinal run? Who will make the first mark in the Pac-10 schedule? Stanford senior center Chase Beeler, however, is focused on something that stands out specifically for him and his fellow hogs that is no mystery because it’s a measured number published for all to see: Last weekend, the Bruins’ rebuilt front seven surrendered 313 yards rushing at Kansas State. “As an offensive linemen, that’s something that excites me,” Beeler said. “If myself or any of the other offensive linemen were operating things, I don’t know if we would ever pass the football. We’d always be running.” While the conventional wisdom is that Stanford’s offense, post-Toby Gerhart, will lean in talented sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck , coach Jim Harbaugh owns Big Ten sensibilities and has worked hard to cultivate an edgy physicality within his team. As in: Yeah, it’s Stanford, one of the nation’s elite universities, but on the football field it plays like bikers whose manhood has been questioned. So count on Stanford challenging the Bruins’ questionable run defense with its post-Gerhart backfield-by-committee, which rushed for 213 yards and scored three TDs in the opener against Sacramento State. “We know we are going to play a team that is going to be running the ball,” UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said. “And we’ve got to find a way to stop that run. If they can run the ball down our throats, as they seemed to attempt in almost every game they play, then it’s going to be a long evening.” Neuheisel likely is just as concerned about his offense as his run defense. For one, Prince, after missing all of fall camp with a back injury, is now nursing a shoulder injury, which has limited him in practice this week. Prince certainly looked rusty while completing just 9 of 26 passes for 120 yards with two interceptions at Kansas State, but he also was victimized by numerous drops. Neuheisel didn’t give Prince a bad grade for the opener, considering the circumstances. “He managed the game really well,” Neuheisel said. “I thought he ran the ball really well. While he was a little rusty with his accuracy, from the decision-making standpoint, I thought he was pretty sharp there. The ball just wasn’t where it needed to be all the time. Truthfully, I had to expect much of that because he missed much of training camp. But there should be a quantum leap from Week 1 to Week 2. If he gets sharp, we are going to be a much better offense.” But not practicing won’t help him get sharp. If Prince can’t go — or can’t go all the way — his backup is Richard Brehaut . Stanford is not without issues. Neither Owusu nor Skov, two of the Cardinal’s stars, played in the opener. Harbaugh’s new policy is to not talk about injuries, so the nature and severity of the injuries are a bit of a mystery, though probably not to UCLA coaches, who have ways of finding such things out. Harbaugh has intimated he thinks both will play. Stewart appeared to hurt his ankle in the opener and should be viewed as decidedly questionable. Another mystery: After adopting a new 3-4 scheme during spring practices with new coordinator Vic Fangio, the Cardinal played a 4-2-5 against Sacramento State. Fangio is a longtime 3-4 guy, and Neuheisel said he expects a 3-4. Harbaugh said his defense ran a 4-2-5 because Sacramento State runs a one-back spread. And that’s mostly what the Bruins’ new “pistol” offense is. So what are the Bruins to do
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Plenty of intrigue for Stanford’s visit to UCLA
Filed under Football by on Sep 9th, 2010. Comment.
Week 2 is almost here! With that, here are 10 storylines to watch among the non-AQ teams: 1. Can Air Force put pressure on BYU’s two quarterbacks ? Part of the reason Riley Nelson and Jake Heaps were so successful last week against Washington was because their offensive line protected them so well, giving up no sacks. Air Force has experience up front, led by defensive end Rick Ricketts. If they can get to the young quarterbacks, the Falcons have a shot of breaking their six-game losing streak to BYU. 2. How does Wyoming handle the tragedy of this week against Texas ? The Cowboys were facing a hard enough game as it was, but now they go into Austin after the tragic death of a teammate. Ruben Narcisse was killed in a car accident and three players were injured. The team has tried to maintain its normal routine, but coach Dave Christensen has no idea what to expect at kickoff. They will wear decals on their helmets with Narcisse’s initials. 3. Does Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn play against UNLV ? Wynn is listed as day to day with a sprained thumb on his throwing hand and could be a game-time decision for the Utes. He got hurt early in the opener last week against Pittsburgh but still threw for 283 yards. Backup Terrance Cain is capable, having started the first eight games of last season. Cain had a good day against UNLV last season, going 17-of-24 for 174 yards with two touchdown passes. 4. Can Tulane pull a Jacksonville State ? Ole Miss is going to go into its game against Tulane looking to make up for an embarrassing home loss to Jacksonville State last week. Tulane was one of the worst teams in Conference USA last season and was not overly impressive in its opener. Southeastern Louisiana had more total yards (266-252) and more first downs (17-15) and Tulane had three turnovers but still won. Chances for an upset are unlikely, but hey, there is always Jacksonville State for inspiration. 5.
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What to Watch among non-AQs: Week 2
Filed under Football by on Sep 9th, 2010. Comment.
Hannah Allison considers herself a sore loser, regardless of the game or the stakes. It could be a board game, or race-walking to class, she said.
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Losing won’t cut it for UT freshman setter Allison
Filed under News by on Sep 9th, 2010. Comment.
He spurned both the Aggies and the Longhorns, of course, and, in turning down Texas A&M, where Gary Kubiak had just launched his coaching career, the teenaged Manning showed he already had the kind of smarts that have made him one of the game’s best ever. Source: San Antonio Express
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Manning downplays his dominance of Texans
Filed under News by on Sep 9th, 2010. Comment.
Davis referred to tailback Cody Johnson’s 18-yard run on Texas ’ second offensive play of the game. He said he was fired up watching right guard Mason Walters pull and “hit a linebacker in the mouth.” “We’d been waiting for that. Y’all had been waiting… Source: Austin American-Statesman
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Coaches to players: Get fired up
Filed under News by on Sep 8th, 2010. Comment.
Rising: Running backs I’d be willing to bet the majority of college football fans across the country couldn’t tell you who led the Big 12 in rushing last season. Maybe it’s because he plays for Kansas State, which won just six games last year. But the better bet is because Daniel Thomas ranked No. 21 nationally with his 1,265 yards. After Week 1, the nation’s top three rushers — Kendall Hunter , Thomas and DeMarco Murray — all hail from the heartland. Falling: Secondaries Oklahoma’s secondary troubles have been the primary focus of critics after Week 1, and Texas coach Mack Brown was also displeased with his defensive backs after the Longhorns’ win against Rice. Texas dropped two sure pick-sixes and gave up a Hail Mary touchdown to the Owls. Rising: Taylor Potts Of all five quarterbacks across the Big 12 who won preseason quarterback battles, Potts was the most impressive, racking up 359 yards and four touchdowns. For a senior who started 10 games a season ago, that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Falling: Kale Pick Pick was the least impressive of the five, and as a result, his job is back up for grabs with redshirt freshman Jordan Webb after Saturday’s 6-3 loss to North Dakota State. Rising: Slot receivers The two receivers with the most receptions in the Big 12 after one week: Texas A&M’s Ryan Swope and Missouri’s T.J. Moe , who both caught 13 passes and topped 100 yards to rank in the top 5 in receiving yardage. Falling: Last-second kicker icings Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads was bailed out early Thursday night when Northern Illinois’ kicker missed a 33-yard kick three times — the first two misses were for naught because Rhoads called a timeout just before the snap. Later that night, his coaching counterpart, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham, was bailed out in overtime after he erased a missed kick with a timeout before the snap and let Pitt send the game into extra periods with a second kick. Here’s hoping coaches ditch the drama-sucking strategy that’s become en vogue.
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Rising and Falling: Week 1
Filed under Football by on Sep 8th, 2010. Comment.
Doug Marrone is a student of Syracuse football history. So he easily reels off the stat that the Orange are 1-11-1 when playing road games on the West Coast or in Texas since 1964. Marrone is also determined to change that. He’s having the team fly out to Seattle this week on Thursday, two days before the game against Washington. He’s also altering the practice schedule to get the players’ body clocks adjusted “It’s like the chaos principle,” he said. “If we do things the same way, how do we expect to have different results?” This Syracuse team does expect different results from its own miserable past. And Week 1 proved it. The Orange beat Akron 29-3 for their first season-opening win since 2003. They were also the only Big East team to register a victory over an FBS team in the first week. Syracuse as the Big East football savior? Now that’s a difference. “I’ve never won an opening game, and it’s something we all really wanted,” senior linebacker Doug Hogue said. “It’s the first one, and it’s kind of a confidence booster for us, especially going into Washington.” The degree of difficulty raises this week, and not just in the time-zone changes. The Huskies lost their opener at BYU 23-17, but many were predicting this would be a breakout year for their program. Any discussion about Washington, of course, must begin with quarterback Jake Locker . The guy most pundits believe will be the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL draft went 20-of-37 for 266 yards and a touchdown against BYU while also running for a score. It will be an interesting matchup between Locker and the Syracuse defense, which is built on speed with players like Hogue, a converted running back. “It’s going to be a good test for us,” Hogue said. “We’re going to do everything in our power to get to him, because that’s how our defense is. We’re an attack defense. We come downhill and run hard.” Despite the easy win in Week 1, Marrone said he saw a lot of areas that needed correcting. That included three turnovers by the offense and some technique errors elsewhere.
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Syracuse seeks breakthrough win
Filed under Football by on Sep 7th, 2010. Comment.
Kendall Hunter doesn’t talk much, but he was talking before Saturday’s game against Washington State. Even if his words were brief and quiet as usual. “I’m ready, I’m ready,” he kept telling his position coach. If only Washington State, warming up across the field at Boone Pickens Stadium, knew just how ready Oklahoma State’s running back really was. Hobbled by an ankle injury in 2009, Hunter missed five games and managed just 382 yards while attempting to play through the injury for most of the season. His first carry went for 17 yards, his day developed into a 257-yard season debut, and now Hunter needs only 126 yards to surpass his output in all of 2009. After one week of football, he’s the nation’s leading rusher. “Above average? Would that work?” said Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, describing Hunter’s day. “He is the fifth-best back in the Big 12 , right? Nah, he’s obviously pretty good. Heck, you know, it’s all about what you do for me lately. I understand how the whole thing works. He was pretty good two years ago, he’s the type of kid who’s not going to sit there and pout and feel sorry for himself. He’s going to be motivated by things some people won’t be motivated by.” Hunter had to sit and watch while his teammate, Keith Toston, took his spot and rushed for 1,200 yards in one of the most anticipated seasons in school history. Hunter got just one carry while Texas beat the Cowboys 41-14 in Stillwater. Hunter might not say last season’s frustrations weighed on him or were on his mind, but he ran like it in his triumphant return to the field for his senior season. “As the game went on, I kept asking him if he was tired and he kept saying, ‘I just want to keep playing,’ said Robert Gillespie, Oklahoma State’s running backs coach. “He wanted to get out there so bad and just have fun. It was taken away from him last year, so this whole offseason he’s been working to get stronger, faster and smarter to become a better player.” Gillespie came to Oklahoma State before 2009, excited to coach an All-American coming off a 1,555-yard season, after three years coaching backs at South Carolina. Gillespie was disappointed Hunter didn’t spend the season as his featured back, but saw the work he put in despite the injury. Saturday night was a long time coming. Gillespie says Holgorsen’s offense, implemented during spring and preseason camp, should fit Hunter perfectly and set him up for success at the next level. Scouts have seen Hunter — a “strange combination of quick, fast and powerful,” Holgorsen says — run around and over defenders. This year, he’ll have more chances to show he won’t allow defenders to return the favor in pass protection. “The film don’t lie, and the tape don’t lie,” Holgorsen said. “Hopefully we can win some games and he gets on TV and everybody can see what the kid’s capable of, because he’s the best one I’ve been around.” Oklahoma State’s new Air Raid offense figured to be pass-happy as the name suggests, with Hunter getting plenty of receptions as the team’s obvious best offensive talent. He carried the ball 21 times against Washington State, amassing an outlandish 12.2 yards per carry, but sat for much of the 65-17 blowout’s second half. The Cowboys threw Hunter’s way about four times, Holgorsen estimated, but failed to establish the screen game or short passing game. Hunter finished with three catches for minus-4 yards. So instead, they took the simpler route to getting their playmaker the ball: handing it to him. “We’re going to face some pretty good teams, I’m not oblivious to that. Some pretty good defenses out there with the likes of Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Nebraska and Texas Tech that are going to have something to say about it. Everybody’s going to try to stop the run,” Holgorsen said. “We’re going to have to be able to execute that stuff to take some pressure off the running game. But that’s why I’m here, that’s why I’ve been hired.” Holgorsen knew the offense wouldn’t be perfect on opening night. Far from it, he expected. He estimates it took two years before he got it to look “decent” at Texas Tech.
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OSU’s Hunter returns with a venegance
Filed under Football by on Sep 7th, 2010. Comment.
Where would be the best parking for the Wyoming game?? I am coming in from San Antonio to watch the game. What would be a good time to get the best parking?? Thanks guys!!! I am excited, this is going to be my second game live so I am looking forward to it. If anyone is going anywhere to eat before the game what are some good places??!! Looking for some good beer!!!!! Hook ‘em!!
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Parking for Wyoming
Filed under Lets Talk Texas by on Sep 6th, 2010. Comment.
