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.
The Panthers and Orange detonated those associations as casually as the Aggies did their century-plus association with the Longhorns. Think it doesn’t matter? A poll conducted by KRC Research of Washington in the current Big 12 states concluded 76… Source: Sporting News
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Conference realignment: Smart people making dumb decisions
Filed under Basketball, News by on Sep 20th, 2011. Comment.
The shifting college football landscape has begun to put tradition on the back burner. Nebraska versus Oklahoma? See ya. Texas versus Texas A&M? Up in the air. Pitt versus West Virginia? That is the big question about to confront both schools as the next round of realignment begins. Pitt is moving on to the ACC, meaning the classic rivalry game will now be a nonconference affair. Already, there is fear for what happens to one of the oldest running rivalries in college sports without the same conference to call home. Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson said Sunday he hoped the series would continue, and noted that it existed well before the two were members of the Big East. Indeed, the two rivals began playing in 1895, and the rivalry has turned into one of the most heated in all of college sports. Not just among the fans, but among the players as well. On Monday, coach Pitt coach Todd Graham was asked about the future of the game, and he offered not much in the way of an answer. “I have no idea,” Graham said. “It’s one of the great rivalries in college football. You would hope it would continue. I have no idea what the future holds.” West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said he was just worried about X’s and O’s. Certainly, coaches have football to worry about right now. Scheduling decisions often are made at the administrative level, with some input from coaches. But here is an open plea to all parties to keep this game going — for the rivalry, the fans, the players and college football. That way, there would be some sense of order in the college football world. What is happening with realignment has made plenty of fans uneasy because they see the dollar signs involved and the slow whittling away of the traditional rivalries and passion that has made college football so incredibly powerful. What remains are schools that will be separated by thousands of miles, little in common and no shared dislike for the other. Pitt already has lost one annual rivalry game with Penn State shortly after the Nittany Lions decided to join the Big Ten
Filed under Football by on Sep 19th, 2011. Comment.
Jim Boeheim and Roy Williams squared off in the 2003 national championship game. Now the Hall of Famers will face each other as … conference opponents? Get used to the sound, college basketball fans. As confusing as it might be, there’s a new reality in the sport. Some directly affected are sad about the apparent dismissal of history and the loss of traditional rivals. Some are excited about new opponents and a secure future. But most seem to realize that major change is happening whether they like it or not. “I spent 30 years in the Big East, so this will be hard for me,’’ Syracuse coach Boeheim said on Sunday. “This has been hard for me, but the school has to do what’s best for the school. This is a hard pill for me because this is what I know. Dave Gavitt [the Big East's founder, who died Friday night at 73] made us all. Without him, there would be no Hall of Fame for me, no national championship for Jim Boeheim. There’s a lot of history.’’ Now the ACC will look to capitalize on its new members and dominate Eastern basketball as it once did before the rise of the Big East siphoned off the Northeast Corridor. On Sunday, ESPN.com reported that defending national champ UConn is aggressively pursuing membership in the ACC as the 15th or 16th member. Adding two more schools to get to 16 is exactly what Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told ESPN.com he wants, and UNC coach Williams echoed that sentiment on Sunday. “This is an exciting time, an unbelievably turbulent time, but it’s exciting for us, and the people in the conference office felt Syracuse and Pitt make a great fit,’’ Williams said. “These are two great schools in our league. In basketball — my goodness — we add a great deal.’’ Williams said he liked Krzyzewski’s idea of having two eight-team divisions and an 18-game schedule. That would allow for more regional rivalries. “Sixteen schools seems to be a popular number, and it fits,’’ Williams said. “I would not be against adding two more schools. Think about adding Syracuse and Pitt basketballwise, and what a fantastic 16
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Coaches react to conference shake-up
Filed under Basketball, Football by on Sep 18th, 2011. Comment.
My predictions are on the way in the morning, but until then, here’s when and where you can find each Big 12 game this weekend (all times ET). No Big 12 teams are on the road this week, but the onus is on Baylor for a perfect week across the conference. The Big 12 nearly did it in Week 1 of 2010, until the mighty Bison of North Dakota State knocked off Kansas in the late session of games. Additionally, I’ll be revealing which game I’ll be attending this weekend in the predictions post on Thursday. Any guesses? We’ve previewed each of these games, so click on them to check out our take. Let’s hear your predictions in the comments. FRIDAY No. 14 TCU at Baylor (8 p.m., ESPN): Baylor’s got upset on the brain. TCU’s defensive tent pole, Tank Carder, is back, but Andy Dalton’s arm, which shredded the Bears’ defense in a 45-10 win last season, is in the NFL now. SATURDAY Miami (Ohio) at No. 21 Missouri (noon, Fox Sports Net): The Redhawks are underrated and have a solid new coach in Don Treadwell, but the real show is what the Tigers get out of new quarterback James Franklin . Northern Iowa at Iowa State (7 p.m., Clone Zone): Iowa State returned two interceptions for scores in a 27-0 win over the Panthers last year, and these guys will be a bit easier to slow down than next week’s in-state opponent (Iowa). Fans will get their first look at juco transfer and starting quarterback Steele Jantz in live action, too. McNeese State at Kansas (7 p.m.): Kansas won’t be able to outrun the memories of a season-opening loss to an FCS team last year. But a good step in making people forget? A convincing win against McNeese State. Eastern Kentucky at Kansas State (7 p.m., K-StateHD.tv): Kansas State lines up a Bill Snyder specially baked cupcake in Week 1, but the Brown brothers’ debut will be the main attraction, and quarterback Collin Klein may surpass his total passes thrown last season (18) in his first start. Louisiana-Lafayette at No. 9 Oklahoma State (7 p.m., Fox College Sports): The Cowboys needed a half to wake up against the Ragin’ Cajuns last year, but this is no awkward Friday night game in the Bayou. OSU returns to the comfy confines of Boone Pickens Stadium for this rematch. Texas State at Texas Tech (7 p.m.): Year 2 of the Tuberville era kicks off with a snoozer, but it’s the beginning of a pretty easy early-season schedule that should let the Red Raiders rack up a 4-0 record before hosting Texas A&M. Tulsa at No. 1 Oklahoma (8 p.m., FX): Oklahoma won’t be facing the Golden Hurricane’s top weapon, Damaris Johnson , but the Sooners will be without linebacker Travis Lewis. Landry Jones will be slingin’ it plenty in this one. Rice at Texas (8 p.m., Longhorn Network): Texas opens up its season on its brand-new network with brand-new coaches and a host of brand-new players. Can it return to its old winning ways, though? Garrett Gilbert needs a fast start or he may see his first career benching. SUNDAY SMU at No. 9 Texas A&M (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Net): The Aggies look SEC-bound, but their likely last season in the Big 12 begins with an old foe from the Southwest Conference who wants in the Big 12. Confused yet? A&M’s players say the only three letters on their mind the past few month have been S-M-U. We’ll see if this year gets off to a better start than last year, when the Aggies needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Florida International and remain 3-0 before losing three consecutive games.
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The Big 12 Primer: Week 1
Filed under Football by on Aug 31st, 2011. Comment.
Bond is a 6-7, 220-pound forward from Plymouth-Whitemarsh High in Norristown, Pa. He committed to the Pittsburgh Panthers … Source: Sporting News
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Texas adds forward Jaylen Bond
Filed under Basketball, News by on Aug 3rd, 2011. Comment.
Freshman Nathan Thornhill (2-0) retired all 15 batters he faced, striking out four, to pick up a victory in his first career start. The Texas bullpen kept the Panthers scoreless, allowing just four baserunners in four innings. Andrew McKirahan allowed… Source: Austin American-Statesman
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Four UT pitchers combine to shut out Prairie View 8-0
Filed under News by on May 4th, 2011. Comment.
AUSTIN, Texas – Four pitchers combined to pitch the 11th shutout of the season for the No. 6 Texas Longhorns as they registered an 8-0 win over the Prairie View A&M Panthers on Tuesday evening at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Freshman Nathan Thornhill (2-0) ret Source: ABC-KVUE Austin
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Texas Baseball blanks Prairie View
Filed under Baseball, News by on May 4th, 2011. Comment.
Four Longhorns pitchers combined to hold the Panthers to just three hits, including freshman Nathan Thornhill who started the game with 5.0 perfect innings.
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No. 6 Baseball blanks Prairie View A&M, 8-0
Filed under Basketball by on May 4th, 2011. Comment.
