1. Penn State coach Joe Paterno does not want to address at his weekly Tuesday news conference the scandal that has engulfed his beloved university, not to protect himself, but because it will shift the spotlight even farther away from his overlooked No. 12 Nittany Lions. Roll your eyes until they fall out of your head, but that is how he thinks. Surely he knows that the assembled media will ask him anyway. The guess here is that the adjectives “cantankerous” and “crusty” will apply. 2. Bored with the status quo? Here’s why: the top seven in this week’s BCS standings all started out in the top nine in the AP preseason poll. The only ones to disappear from that first poll are No. 6 Florida State (6-3) and No. 8 Texas A&M (5-4). If you’re looking for the happiest surprises of the season, look to the ACC, where Wake Forest (5-4, 4-2) and Virginia (6-3, 4-2) control whether they will win the Atlantic and Coastal divisions, respectively. 3. When Houston Nutt leapt from Arkansas to Ole Miss four years ago, I thought of a rebound romance. His tenure with the Razorbacks ended in acrimony and Nutt may have been served by sitting out a year to refresh and recharge. When he led the Rebels to consecutive Cotton Bowls in his first two seasons, I put the thought out of my mind. It turns out my first instinct was right. Now Nutt and athletic director Pete Boone, who ran off Nutt’s predecessor, the estimable David Cutcliffe, are both out of a job.
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3-point stance: Surprises in the ACC
Filed under Football, News by on Nov 8th, 2011. Comment. 
Dana O’Neil wrote about the top 25 things she’s looking forward to this season. Now the rest of our experts weigh in with their selections. Stephen Bardo : I’m looking forward to seeing if the trend of mid-major teams advancing deep into the NCAA tournament continues. We’ve seen Butler, VCU, and George Mason crash the Final Four in recent seasons. This season should have more mid-majors capable of surprise runs, including Belmont, Creighton, Drexel, Fairfield, Harvard and Wichita State. Jay Bilas : The Big East tournament in Madison Square Garden. This could be the last season of the Big East as, hands down, the best conference in the country. Before West Virginia, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and perhaps others bolt the league, the last Big East tourney with all of the participants will bring great drama — and some tears. Things change, but I will miss the Big East tournament. Eamonn Brennan : The upheaval in the Big Ten. We know Ohio State is the league’s best team, and you can bank on Jordan Taylor and the ever-steady Wisconsin Badgers pushing the Buckeyes at the top of the conference. But after those two, the league is more unpredictable than any time in recent memory. Will Michigan State bounce back? Will a retooled Illinois team emerge? Can Indiana fight out of the cellar? Will Northwestern finally make the tournament? Where’s Michigan’s ceiling? Can an experienced Nebraska team make an impact? The search for answers to those questions — and many more — begins this week. Fran Fraschilla : Madison Square Garden in March. Sadly, I am looking forward to watching the final Big East tournament as I’ve known it. Regardless of how conference realignment turns out, there will never be another 30-year period in a college basketball conference like we’ve seen in the Big East. UConn’s five-day run through the tournament last March was emblematic of the type of excitement we expected in New York. From Ewing to Mullin to Pearl to Ray Allen to Gerry and Kemba, it’s never going to be the same. John Gasaway : The last (real) Big East tournament. I’m as realistic and progressive as the next guy. I don’t fear change, and there’s no doubt in my mind the ACC will be a much better basketball conference once Syracuse and Pitt join it next season. But for the past couple of decades, the Big East tournament has had something that — to be quite honest — no other major-conference tournament has had. And with the league losing programs like Syracuse and Pitt (and West Virginia to the Big 12), that “something” is about to disappear. But not before we enjoy one last good old-fashioned Big East tournament, March 6-10, at the Garden. It’s as if someone said this will be the last season we play football on Thanksgiving. I’ll see you at the Garden in March. Doug Gottlieb : Legit big men in the college game. Having a wealth of young and experienced big men make the games more balanced and better to watch. Jared Sullinger , Tyler Zeller , Joshua Smith , the Plumlee brothers, Thomas Robinson , Quincy Acy , Harper Kamp , Aziz N’Diaye , Derrick Nix , Alex Oriakhi and Festus Ezeli are just a few names you will hear about this season. With overall point guard play being down — in terms of transcendent lead guards — the focus on size and improving skill will be refreshing. Add to that list, several new talents like Anthony Davis , Cody Zeller and even Andre Drummond , all of whom are very confident and maybe more comfortable on the floor, the intrigue grows. The closer we get to conference play and postseason play, the games generally slow down and become half-court affairs. Expect these big men to become huge storylines this season. Andy Katz : How does North Carolina handle the expectation of being No. 1? Will Kentucky be able to mesh a talented roster yet again with a new point guard? What are the chances Connecticut can repeat behind the newcomer Drummond? Will this finally be the season that Xavier or Gonzaga break through to the Final Four? But more than anything, I’m looking forward to seeing how Creighton, New Mexico, Wichita State, Drexel, Detroit and others develop over the course of the season. We’ve been spoiled with Butler and VCU in March. Can we possibly get another sleeper in 2012? Jason King : Conference races. North Carolina seems like a shoo-in to win the ACC, but the other Big Six leagues are intriguing. Kentucky, Vanderbilt or Florida in the SEC
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What the experts are looking forward to
Filed under Basketball, Football by on Nov 7th, 2011. Comment.
STILLWATER, Okla. — Kansas State escaped a fourth down, extended a drive and took a late fourth-quarter lead, its first since early in the second quarter. All of a sudden, Oklahoma State’s heavy, high-ranking spot in the BCS appeared in jeopardy, taking the Cowboys historic spotless record with it. Everyone in the silent stadium knew it. So did Mike Gundy. He’s not much different than those clad in orange among the record crowd of 59,895 in attendance. “It all goes through my mind, and honestly, I think any coach who says it doesn’t, I think he’s just BSing you,” Gundy said. Maybe it doesn’t for his coordinators, Gundy said, because with all the commotion of calling down to players on the sideline and making adjustments, it gets hectic. But for a man who, during games, mutes his microphone, keeps his mouth shut and lets his coordinators do their jobs, he’s got plenty of time to think. “It goes through my mind.
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Cowboys provide drama, keep dream alive
Filed under Football by on Nov 6th, 2011. Comment.
Braeden Anderson, a top-50 power forward who wasn’t able to attend Kansas as a partial qualifier , will go to Fresno State instead and look to become eligible next season, according to the Lawrence Journal-World . “I did not want to commit to two years at a junior college,” said Anderson, who would have needed a juco degree to qualify for a two-year career at KU. “Fresno is a really good fit for me. I really like the coaches there. I’m a West Coast kid at heart. I have a ton of family in California — a lot of cousins.” Of course, he’s depressed that he’s unable to play at his first choice, KU. “My ultimate goal is the NBA. Before that, my ultimate goal was to make a high-major Div. I school. In my mind, I made it there,” Anderson said of attaining an offer from Kansas. “Kansas is where I wanted to go. I would have picked Kansas over any school in the country. I love all the people there. My heart will always be in Kansas. I’ll always have a really soft spot for Lawrence and the people there.” The addition of Anderson for Fresno State would be a big shot in the arm, as coach Rodney Terry is getting off to a good start with rebuilding the program. The former Texas assistant made his name recruiting out of Canada, and the Alberta native Anderson gives the Bulldogs the 2011 Mr. Canada Basketball award winner. Fresno State will have to raise its talent level, because this is its final season in the WAC before leaving for the Mountain West. Rather than help replace the Morris twins at Kansas, the 6-foot-9 Anderson will now head to a program that could make him the face of a new era.
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Kansas signee commits to Fresno State
Filed under Basketball, News by on Oct 24th, 2011. Comment.
Arkansas’s Tyler Wilson has a theory about what it takes for a quarterback to truly gain his teammates’ respect. Throwing for 510 yards in a game is certainly a start, which Wilson has done this season in setting a school record in the comeback win over Texas A&M. The same goes for managing an offense effectively, moving the ball and scoring points on a consistent basis and being a strong leader at all times. But those quarterbacks who have the courage to stand in the pocket and take a hit and are willing to sacrifice their bodies if it means converting a key third down or getting into the end zone are the ones their teammates play the hardest for. In six games as a starter, Wilson has proven a lot of things. He’s an extremely accurate passer. He doesn’t give up on plays, and he’s well-equipped to run Bobby Petrino’s offense. He’s also one tough customer. “He started that off early in the year on some of the runs he made, some where you’d say, ‘Slide, slide,’ and he’d show his competitive spirit, working to get into the end zone, and he dove into the air one time,” Petrino recounted. “He’s a young man that is very tough and very competitive. That’s what has really shown, just how competitive Tyler is, how much he cares and how much he wants to do everything he can to help us win. It certainly helps us as a team because his teammates watch it, and it lifts their game and lifts their competitive spirit.” That competitive spirit was never more apparent than the Alabama game earlier this season, which was also Arkansas’ only loss. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Wilson took a wicked beating against Alabama’s relentless pass rush, but kept getting back up and competing. Even some of the Alabama defenders marveled afterward at Wilson’s toughness. “Obviously, a win would have validated it a lot more down there,” said Wilson, who leads the SEC with 1,779 passing yards. “But you’ve got to be willing, in my mind, to stand in there and take shots to earn guys’ respect. “As a quarterback, you don’t go out there and practice every day and bang and hit and go through what some of the other positions go through on a daily basis. So in order for us to gain our respect and that toughness value, we’ve got to display it in the game and show courage standing in the pocket and delivering the ball down the field while taking a shot and getting right back up. “That’s the way I’ve always believed it should be.” As the No. 9 Hogs, who were off last week, dive into the second half of their schedule this Saturday at Ole Miss, there’s no question that Wilson’s teammates believe in him. It’s one of the big reasons nobody’s counting Arkansas (5-1, 1-1) out of the Western Division race or a second straight appearance in a BCS bowl. “His confidence is at an all-time high,” said Arkansas senior receiver Jarius Wright , who’s been Wilson’s favorite target this season. Wilson has thrown 12 touchdown passes and only three interceptions. He’s completing 64.9 percent of his passes and was named this week as one of 10 finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. “I think this might be the healthiest we’ve been since we’ve gone at it, which is a great time to be healthy going down the stretch,” Wilson said. A fourth-year junior, Wilson also has a healthy understanding of what Petrino expects out of his quarterbacks — perfection. Wilson jokes that playing quarterback for Petrino isn’t for everyone, but is adamant that it’s made him a better player, a tougher player and a smarter player. “He wants you to be perfect and execute on every single play,” Wilson said. “It’s tough at times, especially as a first-year starter, and you’re not always going to be perfect in the SEC where guys on the other side are getting paid, too, as far as coaching staffs scheming things up. “What it’s done for me is that I’ve learned to be as hard on myself as he’s hard on me. I think back to the Auburn game and we won 38-14, but I didn’t play very well. I’m looking up to coach at the end of the game not feeling very good about my performance. So it’s really rubbing off on me.” And here’s the best news for Hogs fans: Wilson feels like the best is yet to come. “I haven’t played my ‘A’ game yet and have some games down the road to prove otherwise,” Wilson said
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Hogs’ Tyler Wilson is tough enough
Filed under Football, News by on Oct 20th, 2011. Comment.
Collin Klein might be the toughest guy in the Big 12 and he plays quarterback. He leads the league in carries (115) and has Kansas State at 5-0, complete with a muddy, bloody jersey after a hard-fought win at Miami. If any quarterback could take the kind of punishment Klein has endured this year, it’s the 6-foot-5, 226-pound junior. He sat down with ESPN this week, before the Wildcats travel to Lubbock to face Texas Tech. Are you aware that you’re the Big 12’s leader in carries so far this year? (Laughs) No, I wasn’t aware of that until just now. What have your Sunday mornings been like this season? Pretty good. I’ve definitely been sore, but the feeling on the inside has more than compensated. (Laughs) How does this year compare to others you’ve had growing up playing football? Have you dealt with this many touches and this many hits before? You know what, I haven’t actually. Even in high school, I wouldn’t carry it probably more than 10-12 times a game, but it’s definitely different. Even now, I don’t know if I could have scripted it this way, but the bottom line is our defense is playing really well, we’re playing really well as a team, and whatever we need to do to make that continue is what’s important. How many touches were you expecting coming into the season? I think it’s kind of just worked out like this. I don’t think anyone — I don’t think our coaches probably could have known I was going to carry it this much, but like I said, it’s one of those things were we just kind of rolled into it and we’re just going to do whatever it takes to win. I’ve seen all the photos of you bleeding all over your jersey at Miami and all of that. What are teammates telling you about the kind of effort you’ve put in this year? They’re very encouraging. Honestly, they’re the reason why I play, other than just to honor God with the ability he’s given me and secondly to play for my family. And my teammates are part of my family. I think they know that and they support me in that, and obviously, that’s one of the main reasons why I’m doing it and why I want to do it and will continue to do it. How much did you hear about those photos? I heard about it a little bit. I actually haven’t seen too many of them. I’ve been watching too much film. I try not to focus on all the side stuff, but really just all of our wins have been such team wins. Each unit contributed and Miami was no different and again, that was the most important thing. What’s it been like to see this team have the kind of success it’s had so far? It’s one of those deals where we’re still learning. Coach Snyder preached from Day 1, we’ll come out, and especially for me, have a subpar performance in our first game. That’s not erased from my mind. Just the realization that we had a lot of room to grow and we still have a lot of room to grow, and just being part of it with a great group of guys and a great group of coaches is pretty special. But like I said, there’s still a lot more in the tank and a lot more that we need to get corrected that we’re working on. It’s an exciting process.
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Q&A: Kansas State QB Collin Klein
Filed under Football, Photos by on Oct 14th, 2011. Comment.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nick Saban will admittedly tell you that he still doesn’t have a definitive read on what is his fifth Alabama football team. He likes this team’s effort, the way it’s competed and the way it’s played as one. He would still like to see it play smarter and with more precision. Chances are the No. 3-ranked Crimson Tide will have to on Saturday when they dive into SEC play against No. 14-ranked Arkansas. Through three games, Alabama has been tested only once and pulled away from Penn State for a 27-11 victory the second week of the season at Beaver Stadium. The Crimson Tide overwhelmed outmanned foes Kent State and North Texas in their other two contests. Saban, whose Alabama teams have won 22 of their last 23 games at Bryant-Denny Stadium, sat down with ESPN.com earlier this week for a wide-ranging interview: How much do you know about your team at this point? Nick Saban: Not a lot … yet. The only time they’ve really had to play like you want to see them play was up at Penn State, and they competed well. We didn’t always execute. We’ve got a lot of things we can improve on, just paying attention to detail and the execution. But the effort, the toughness, how hard they play, how hard they compete … they’re good about that. But it’s the attention to detail and execution that we have to improve on. When you do the little things right, it usually works pretty well. And when you don’t, it doesn’t work so well, especially on defense. Your defense leads the country in limiting teams to 2.52 yards per play, but the structure of this defense is different than your last couple of defenses, isn’t it? NS: We’re not as good up front. We don’t have the dominant pass-rusher, but we have more play-making kind of guys, guys that can make plays, but not a dominant up-front guy. We’ve tried to use some different guys, mostly in pass-rush situations. Those guys (up front) play the run all right. But in pass-rush situations, we don’t have the guy inside that can make the difference. How has AJ McCarron ’s progression at quarterback gone in your mind? NS: He’s done a lot of good things for us, but he still sometimes plays like a young quarterback. He’ll make a good pass, and you’ll say, ‘Hey, this guy is really good,’ and then all of a sudden, he’ll do something dumb and you’ll say, ‘He’s still a young quarterback.’ Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino is one of the best offensive minds in the game, and his offenses are about as multiple as it gets. How much do you think the Hogs have shown on offense this season? NS: They kind of do what they do. They don’t hold back. I think his theory is more, ‘I’m going to throw all these multiples out there and make you have to prepare for this myriad of things,’ half of which you’re not going to see in the game. But it’s going to keep you from practicing what you are going to see very much, because he has so much stuff. They don’t do it in every game. He picks what he’s going to do against you. Just like last year, we practiced our [butt] off against an empty backfield, and they didn’t go empty against us one time in the game, I don’t think. But up until that time, they’d been empty all over the lot. So, you take all that time we practiced against empty, and we should have been practicing against something else. You’ve said several times that there are no other horizons for you in coaching. Five years in, how content are you here at Alabama? NS: We’re really happy here. You always have tons of challenges. College football has tons of challenges, especially from year to year because of the number of players you lose, guys go out for the draft and you’re not ready to replace them. The fun of it is building and getting to that point that it’s so challenging. But then it gets to be a little bit of a grind when everybody’s expectation is that you’ve got to win every game. It’s like nothing is ever good enough. You just have to keep trying to set the bar a little bit higher and higher, as well as the standard, and it gets to be a little bit of a grind because you feel like expectations will never get met. Alabama is one of those places that as soon as you win a national championship, everybody wants to know when you’re going to win your next one. How do you deal with such dizzying expectations? NS: The way I manage it is that my expectations for what we want to accomplish are higher than anybody else’s.
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Alabama’s Nick Saban unplugged
Filed under Football by on Sep 23rd, 2011. Comment.
FIU coach Mario Cristobal has taken his Panthers to places they have never been: a conference championship, a bowl game, a little bit of national credibility. He began the hard work five years ago, yet the breakthrough season of 2010 was just the first step to what he envisions for his program. Indeed, what happened last season has helped lay the groundwork to start this one: the first 3-0 start in school history; first win over a team from an AQ conference; first time receiving votes in both the AP and coaches’ polls. “We’re at the point now where we feel confident playing,” Cristobal said in a phone interview. “It was a great thing for our football program to be 1-0 for the first time, to carry over the momentum from the bowl game into the first game of the season. This is a game of momentum and confidence, and every single time you have the opportunity to have success early on, it builds that. We still have miles to go, but every little bit helps.” The bowl victory over Toledo a year ago helped springboard FIU into the toughest offseason ever. Players were more motivated than ever to continue the good work of 2010, to get people to see them as a solid program and not just living in the shadow of the University of Miami. Cristobal let it be known time and again that teams win games with the work they put in during the long winter, spring and summer months. His players bought that message. “We worked our you know whats off,” quarterback Wesley Carroll said. “We saw the extra preparation, extra film study. More and more guys were getting in film room, studying opponents and it’s shown up. Talk about one of the hardest working teams in the country, and it’s showing.” FIU easily beat North Texas to start the season, then traveled to play Louisville in Week 2. Some thought this a fashionable upset pick because the Panthers have an experienced group returning and one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country in receiver T.Y. Hilton . Hilton burned Louisville for 201 yards receiving, and the Panthers pulled the upset 24-17. When the final seconds ticked off, Cristobal pumped his fist and jumped around, realizing what his players had accomplished. One season ago, they nearly pulled off upsets over Rutgers and Texas A&M but did not finish in the fourth quarter. This year, they did. “It was a moment we worked toward for a long time,” Cristobal said. “We finally found a way to finish against a BCS team. … In terms of the development of a football program, there are painful and tough steps. You cannot skip those and those [losses] were part of the process for us to learn what it was going to be like in the fourth quarter against a BCS program. That experience proved invaluable. We were able to push ourselves. We responded appropriately and got it done.” FIU followed up the win over Louisville with an impressive 17-10 victory over UCF. The Panthers did it despite losing Hilton in the game to a sore hamstring. Cristobal expects Hilton to be able to play Saturday against Louisiana. The 3-0 start has gotten more people noticing FIU than ever. That has led to chatter about Cristobal being the next up-and-coming coach to get called for a bigger job. Cristobal deflects that question, saying, “The only thing on my mind is taking this program and elevating it as high as it can go. The sky is the limit and there is no limit for this program. … We’re going to build a premier football program and one day become a perennial champion.” It could happen again this season. A glance at the rest of the schedule shows FIU should be favored in all its remaining games. Duke and Akron are the only two remaining nonconference contests on the slate. “It’s on us.
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FIU Panthers off to a fast start
Filed under Football by on Sep 21st, 2011. Comment.
FIU coach Mario Cristobal has taken his Panthers to places they have never been: a conference championship, a bowl game, a little bit of national credibility. He began the hard work five years ago, yet the breakthrough season of 2010 was just the first step to what he envisions for his program. Indeed, what happened last season has helped lay the groundwork to start this one: the first 3-0 start in school history; first win over a team from an AQ conference; first time receiving votes in both the AP and coaches’ polls. “We’re at the point now where we feel confident playing,” Cristobal said in a phone interview. “It was a great thing for our football program to be 1-0 for the first time, to carry over the momentum from the bowl game into the first game of the season. This is a game of momentum and confidence, and every single time you have the opportunity to have success early on, it builds that. We still have miles to go, but every little bit helps.” The bowl victory over Toledo a year ago helped springboard FIU into the toughest offseason ever. Players were more motivated than ever to continue the good work of 2010, to get people to see them as a solid program and not just living in the shadow of the University of Miami. Cristobal let it be known time and again that teams win games with the work they put in during the long winter, spring and summer months. His players bought that message. “We worked our you know whats off,” quarterback Wesley Carroll said. “We saw the extra preparation, extra film study. More and more guys were getting in film room, studying opponents and it’s shown up. Talk about one of the hardest working teams in the country, and it’s showing.” FIU easily beat North Texas to start the season, then traveled to play Louisville in Week 2. Some thought this a fashionable upset pick because the Panthers have an experienced group returning and one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country in receiver T.Y. Hilton . Hilton burned Louisville for 201 yards receiving, and the Panthers pulled the upset 24-17. When the final seconds ticked off, Cristobal pumped his fist and jumped around, realizing what his players had accomplished. One season ago, they nearly pulled off upsets over Rutgers and Texas A&M but did not finish in the fourth quarter. This year, they did
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FIU Panthers off to a fast start
Filed under Football by on Sep 21st, 2011. Comment.
Former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese is one of the nation’s most respected voices on college sports. He’s also extremely sharp and not afraid to speak his mind. Tranghese sounded off Monday with WFAN Radio in New York . He lit into the ACC for poaching the Big East again, and he also ripped college presidents for being greedy and disloyal as realignment fever hits again. The entire interview definitely is worth a listen, but Tranghese had some very interesting thoughts about the Big Ten and its position when the realignment dust settles. I think you’ll like what he says. “You know who’s going to be the winner in all this when it’s all is said and done if you want to talk about conference? Big Ten. The Big Ten is sitting there, they took Nebraska, they’re on the sidelines, they’re watching all this chaos, everybody’s going to be taking people. And you know you could be standing there all alone at the end?
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Tranghese: Big Ten could be big winner
Filed under Football by on Sep 20th, 2011. Comment.
