Penn State must attack vaunted USC defense

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

USC’s staggering defensive statistics have been rehashed throughout the season: 3.4 yards per play, 11 touchdowns in 12 games, 7.75 points per game, 122.8 pass yards per game, 15 fourth-quarter points all season. 

Like it or not, these numbers are going to be thrown in your face from now until the Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi.

It’s up to Penn State to throw them right back at the Trojans.

The Nittany Lions aren’t the type of team to be easily intimidated. They have their own impressive numbers on offense this season: 40.2 points per game, 211.6 rush yards per game, a 93.4 percent conversion rate in the red zone. 

Penn State’s Spread HD offense hasn’t backed down to any defense this fall. The play-calling has been consistently aggressive, atypical of a Joe Paterno-coached team. Aside from a handful of games (Purdue, Ohio State), Penn State attacked opposing defenses and never let up. 

The Nittany Lions must do the same in Pasadena. A passive approach simply won’t cut it against USC. Penn State must target the heart of the USC defense — a back seven that features All-Americans in linebacker Rey Maualuga and safety Taylor Mays — and take its chances from there.

“Against a defense like that, which relies on their speed, relies on running to the ball, you have to attack them,” Penn State center A.Q. Shipley said. “They’re a great defense, they always have three, four five guys on the screen making a tackle. For us to be able to be effective, we can’t sit back and just play for field position. 

“We have to be aggressive and take advantage of what they’re giving us.”

Some would argue aggressive play-calling cost Penn State against Iowa. The Lions came out passing the ball deep in their own end and gave Iowa a short field that it converted into a Shonn Greene touchdown. And it was a deep post pass late in the fourth quarter that Iowa intercepted to set up its game-winning drive. 

But for the most part, aggressive equaled effective for Penn State, which didn’t deviate from its attacking style in the regular-season finale against Michigan State, a game played in less than favorable weather conditions. The Lions had three touchdown passes of 30 yards or longer and racked up 49 points and 557 yards. 

“Words can’t describe how important that game was as far as my motivation and my confidence,” quarterback Daryll Clark said. “That game was great for us.”

Clark hopes to recapture the rhythm right away against USC, which has allowed 71 points in the first half and only 22 after halftime this season. 

“When you come out to a good start, it kind of lingers throughout the remainder of the game,” Clark said. “A good start, very aggressive play and limit turnovers, we should be OK.”

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3-time All-America Laurinaitis heads AP team

NEW YORK (AP) — James Laurinaitis idolized A.J. Hawk, Chris Spielman and the other great linebackers who played for Ohio State before him.

 

Now, in at least one area, he has surpassed them.

 

Laurinaitis became the second college football player to be a three-time AP All-American, joining Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and star receiver Michael Crabtree on the first team released Tuesday.

 

Ohio State has a history of great linebackers from Hawk to Spielman and Tom Cousineau to Randy Gradishar. Hawk and Spielman were both two-time AP All-Americans.

“When people throw my name in that group of players, I just laugh,” Laurinaitis said. “It’s extremely complimentary to be thought of in the same category.”

 

The only other player to make the AP first-team three times was Pittsburgh offensive lineman Bill Fralic (1982-84), according to STATS LLC.

 

Alabama put more players on the 2008 AP first team than any school, about 1,000 pounds of linemen. Offensive tackle Andre Smith, listed at 330 pounds, was a unanimous first-team choice, and was joined by center Antoine Caldwell. Crimson Tide nose guard Terrence Cody, listed at 365 pounds, anchored the top-ranked defense in the Southeastern Conference.

 

Bradford beat out Texas’ Colt McCoy and Florida’s Tim Tebow in All-America voting that broke the same way as the Heisman balloting. McCoy, the Heisman runner-up, was the second-team quarterback. Tebow made the third team, a year after winning the Heisman and being a first-team AP All-American.

 

Laurinaitis and Crabtree, the Texas Tech receiver, were among five players to repeat as first-teamers.

 

Oklahoma guard Duke Robinson, Cincinnati punter Kevin Huber and Missouri receiver/kick returner Jeremy Maclin, who made it as an all-purpose player, were the others.

 

Two Big Ten running backs completed the All-America backfield. Iowa’s Shonn Greene is second in the country in rushing (144 yards per game) and has scored 17 touchdowns. Michigan State’s Javon Ringer is third in rushing (132 ypg) and has scored 21 touchdowns.

 

Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant was the other receiver. A sophomore like Crabtree, Bryant scored 20 touchdowns.

 

Rounding out the offensive line were Mississippi tackle Michael Oher and LSU guard Herman Johnson.

 

Chase Coffman, who led all tight ends with 83 catches, gave Missouri’s high-scoring offense two All-Americans.

 

Utah’s Louie Sakoda was the kicker. He booted 21 field goals in 23 attempts and scored 115 points for the undefeated Utes.

 

The defense featured Laurinaitis’ teammate, cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, and two players from Southern California’s top-ranked unit: linebacker Rey Maualuga and safety Taylor Mays.

 

Florida’s Brandon Spikes was the other linebacker.

 

Up front, Aaron Maybin of Penn State and Brian Orakpo of Texas were the defensive ends, and Cody and Mississippi’s Peria Jerry were the tackles.

 

Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith and Tennessee safety Eric Berry completed the secondary.

 

Laurinaitis was recruited by the Buckeyes out of Minnesota, and came to Columbus with relatively modest goals considering where he ended up.

 

He wanted to make the travel squad as a freshman, start as a sophomore, receive some type of all-Big Ten recognition as a junior and be an All-American and Butkus Award candidate as a senior.

 

By the time his sophomore season was complete, he had accomplished all his goals.

 

Laurinaitis said having Hawk and fellow star linebacker Bobby Carpenter, both seniors when he was a freshman, to learn from had an enormous affect his career.

 

“You learned a lot about work ethic,” Laurinaitis said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “We’d go through a two-day (practice) and I’m looking to go to sleep and those guys were in the weight room working out. If it worked for them, I had to do it.”

 

When Carpenter and Hawk moved on to the NFL, Laurinaitis moved into the starting lineup in 2006. The son of a professional wrestler — Joe Laurinaitis was known as “Animal” from the WWE’s Legion of Doom — James drew plenty of attention for his play and his family ties.

 

He led the Buckeyes with 115 tackles and five interceptions and won the Nagurski Award as national defensive player of the year.

 

In 2007, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Laurinaitis won the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker and this season he capped his stellar three-year run with the Lott Trophy for top defensive player.

 

“I’m not the freak athlete other guys are,” Laurinaitis said, “but I’m the guy coaches can depend on to be accountable and know my assignments.”

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2008 Rose Bowl Preview: Who Has The Edge?

The 2008 Rose Bowl will be the only BCS bowl game to feature two one loss conference champions play head to head besides the National Title Game. So naturally this game will function as a sort of “semifinal” in which the winner can make a case that they deserve to play the winner of the title game for the real title in a plus one format.

But that’s another story for another day…

So Penn State and USC will face off in the 95th Rose Bowl.

Great. Another Big Ten team sent to their execution in sunny Pasadena?

Wrong. Or at least, the facts show otherwise.

Before breaking down this match up, it is essential to analyze the reason for this “Big 10 is going to get blown out” stigma in the Rose Bowl.

The Big 10’s record in this game against a Pac-10 opponent since 2000 is a lowly 1-3.

The lone victory in this decade game came against Stanford.

Wisconsin beat them 17-9 in 2000.

The other three games between the Pac-10 and the Big 10 in this game have been USC vs. Michigan twice, and once Illinois.

The combined scores of those games?

USC-109

UM & Ill.-49

So chalk up this decade to USC in particular when it comes to the traditional Big 10 vs. Pac-10 match up in this game.

While Penn State can not even bring the Big 10’s record to .500 vs. USC in the Rose Bowl this decade with a win on New Year’s Day, they would go a far way towards healing that stigma.

Without further ado, the preview:

Coaching

Penn State

Joe Paterno has two National Titles, five Undefeated Seasons, 383 wins, 23 Bowl Victories, and is the only coach to win all four BCS Bowl Games (Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, Orange).

It is an inspiring resume.

Combine that with Galen Hall, Tom Bradley, and Jay Paterno, and you have one hell of a staff. Penn State’s coaches have been flawless all year, except for a couple of bad calls in the red zone against Iowa.

And even with the blunders, it took a last second field goal to top Penn State by one point.

 

USC

Pete Carroll has two National Titles, an 85.3 percent Winning Percentage, and is 5-2 in bowl games. He’s only been coaching for seven years or so.

And his offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is great as well, but will be leaving to go to Washington next season, which could or might be a distraction.

Nick Holt on D…need I say more or did USC’s D speak for itself?

 

Advantage: Penn State

How can you go against such a consistent staff such as Penn State’s? Especially with Joe Paterno. The legend gets the nod here, but when it comes to the Rose Bowl, Carroll definitely knows a thing or two about how to win one of these for sure.

The thing that hurt USC in my eyes was the whole Sarkisian situation possibly becoming a distraction.

 

Offense

Penn State

Spread HD. Two words that struck some fear into many teams this season.

Daryl Clark passing to a trio of wide receivers in Derrick Williams, Jordan Norwood, and Deon Butler that have combined for 121 catches, 1769 yards, and 15 touchdowns.

If he is not passing, he is handing it off to the 1-2 punch of Evan Royster and Stephfon Green who combined for 280 carries, 1723 yards, and 16 touchdowns. 

Pretty lethal. Not to mention Clark can run.

75 carries for 265 yards and 12 touchdowns.

And that offensive line?

The main reason this offensive unit has been averaging 40 points a game.

 

USC

The Trojans have an amazing offense as usual with Mark Sanchez leading the attack.

They average 37 points per game.

The stable of running backs is effective as ever.

Between C.J. Gable, Joe McKnight, and Stafon Johnson, they have racked up 1892 yards on only 313 carries for an average of 6 yards per carry, and scored 19 touchdowns.

And how could we forget those wide receivers? The trio of Damien Williams, Patrick Turner, and Ronald Johnson have combined for some gaudy stats.

122 catches, 1862 yards, 24 touchdowns.

All behind a great offensive line that keeps Sanchez off the ground.

 

Advantage: TIE

I watched Penn State each and every week rip most teams to shreds with a balanced attack. 

USC’s offense statistically is a bit better.

I have seen both teams struggle to move the ball in a couple of games, but they both have such balanced attacks. Daryl Clark’s dangerous mobility, and the seniority of that PSU offensive line counters the slight statistical advantage that USC’s running backs and receivers have.

Both teams are extremely talented at the skill positions, and they are about dead even in this category.

Defense

Penn State

One of the best units in the country ranked fifth in total defense allowing only 12.4 points per game.

Although dominating in many games, especially the 13-6 victory over No. 10 Ohio State in Columbus, they played a soft non-conference schedule which helped inflate their stats a bit.

Their highest points allowed in a game was 24, and that occurred twice. It is not shabby of course, but represented a more “bend don’t break” mentality than dominating defense.

They have leadership, but it is young. Josh Hull, a walk on as a linebacker at Linebacker U?

He has come into his own, and leads a defense that had many injury issues, including Sean Lee’s which put Hull on the field in the first place.

The strong spot on this defense is the defensive line. Although they do not have much depth, they are definitely strong, with Aaron Maybin, Josh Gaines, Maurice Evans, and Jared Odrick.

 

USC

You thought fifth was a good ranking?

Try first in the country in total defense.

Allowing how many points per game?

*Gulp* 7.8.

Yes folks that is under 10. That is under eight for crying out loud! Even with that admittedly tougher non-conference schedule.

Leadership?

They got it.

Award winning linebacker?

USC has him. His name is Rey Maualuga.

This 6′3″ 250 pound Linebacker has terrorized the Pac-10 (although apparently so do Mountain West Conference teams these days) for much of his career at USC.

This year though, the man has played lights out, leading the Trojans with 66 tackles.  He has a knack for the big plays, and has two interceptions this year. 

Watch for yourself- Ray’s Highlight Reel 

I could say a lot more about USC’s defense. But they are so legendarily good that you have probably heard enough about them already.

 

Advantage: USC

Statistically they are close, both are in the top five.

But unlike in the offensive category where Penn State held an ace in the hole with Daryl Clark, USC has the advantage here in leadership with Ray Maualuga.

But let’s not kid us ourselves.

Penn State’s defense can hang.

USC’s defense can hang anyone.

 

Special Teams

PSU leads in three of the four statistical categories of special teams.

But I don’t look at that.

I look at what I call the scare factor…

If I am punting or kicking off…

Do I really want to let Derrick Williams (two kickoff return touchdowns, three punt return touchdowns) touch the ball?

USC has how many return touchdowns?

One.

If I need a field goal, who would I go to?

David Buehler who is 8 for 12 this season…

or

Kevin Kelly,

A senior.

Penn State’s all time leading scorer.

20-24 on FG attempts.

Kicked the game winning field goal in the 2005 Orange Bowl.

 

Advantage: PSU

Derrick Williams is a game breaker on special teams, and Kelly is a reliable kicker. All extremely important game changing assets.

Home-field Advantage: USC

Come on, they know the Rose Bowl better than UCLA. Penn State will travel well, but do not expect a White Out.

 

Final Prediction:

When the categories are tallied up, the results are:

PSU: 2.5 (Coaching {1}, Offense {.5}, Special Teams {1})

USC: 2.5 (Defense, {1}, Offense {.5}, Home Field {1})

I’m a Penn State fan. You do not want my opinion. I will not give it to you.

You have seen the numbers and explanations.

You decide in the comments.

Give us your score, and why!

And do not forget to tune into the 95th Rose Bowl presented by Citi on ABC on January 1, 2009 at 5:10 EST/ 2:10 PST!

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College Football Awards

Malcolm Jenkins was honored with the Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back) at the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards.

James Laurinaitis was nominated for the Chuck Bednarik Award, but that award was received by rey Maualuga from USC

For all of the award winners and comments from Malcom Jenkins… Click here!

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The Big Ten and the national awards

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

For a league with a sagging national reputation, the Big Ten continued to hold its own in the national awards.

Three Big Ten players took home national honors Thursday night at the Home Depot/ESPNU College Football Awards Show. It wasn’t quite the haul that the Big 12 had (seven awards), but the Big Ten had to be pleased.

Here were the winners:

• Iowa running back Shonn Greene, Doak Walker Award (nation’s top running back)
• Penn State center A.Q. Shipley, Rimington Trophy (nation’s top center)
• Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, Thorpe Award (nation’s top defensive back)

Greene was the clear choice for the Doak Walker, beating out fellow Big Ten player Javon Ringer from Michigan State and Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno. The Iowa junior rushed for a single-season school record 1,729 yards and eclipsed 100 rushing yards in all 12 games.

“I’m not biased, but it’s a no-brainer,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “All you have to do is look at the production game-in and game-out. There are a lot of great backs out there, but if you look at game-to-game and if you look at the bottom line, it’s probably pretty academic. With Shonn, you don’t have to watch film, just look at the numbers. But if you watch film, then it’s a no-brainer.”

Agreed 100 percent.

Shipley also was a likely choice for the Rimington even though Cal center Alex Mack entered the season with more hype. The Penn State senior co-captain was named the Big Ten’s Offensive Lineman of the Year by the league’s coaches. Shipley is the first Penn State player to win the Rimington Trophy.

Jenkins was a bit of a surprise, only because Tennessee safety Eric Berry had received so much hype after a stellar season. But being on a bad team might be taken into account. Having covered the Big Ten closer than most, Jenkins was the best all-around player I saw, so he’s deserving of any honor.

“When they announced the award winner, first I was surprised and then a sigh of relief,” Jenkins said. “It’s really nerve-wracking to sit there through the whole show because our award was one of the last ones announced. And those were not just two fantastic players who were the other finalists, but really nice guys as well.

“It’s just an incredible honor, because of guys like Antoine Winfield who have won this award in the past, and also because of Jim Thorpe, who was one of a kind and a pioneer in history. I work every day to improve as a player and when I came back for my senior season, the chance to be a part of an award like this was one of the dreams I had.”

Jenkins’ teammate James Laurinaitis and Penn State defensive end Aaron Maybin both were up for the Bednarik Award, which went to USC linebacker Rey Maualuga. I thought Maybin had a shot here, but his age (only a sophomore) could have hurt his chances.

The Big Ten also placed six players on the Walter Camp All America team: Greene, Ringer, Shipley, Maybin, Laurinaitis and Jenkins. Only the Big 12 had more All-Americans (8).

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Hey USC, We Are…Penn State, Not "Just Another Big Ten Victim"

This Jan. 1 Penn State (11-1) will be making the trip to The Rose Bowl for just the third time in school history, and for the first time since 1995. Their opponent USC (11-1) on the other hand, will be taking the short trip to Pasadena for the 33rd time in school history, and the fifth time in six years.

Of USC’s previous 32 appearances in “The Granddaddy of Them All,” they’ve won 23 of them. With The Rose Bowl being a traditional Big Ten Champ vs. Pac 10 Champ game, 16 of USC’s 23 wins have come against the Big Ten representative.

In the past three Rose Bowls that USC has played a Big Ten team, USC has won by a combined 109-49. And in the third week of this season, USC and Ohio State squared off in the Coliseum in what was supposed to be a game that decided who’d make the National Championship Game in Miami.

USC continued their trend against the Big Ten as they cruised to a 35-3 win over Ohio State, and instantly became everyone’s favorite to be playing in Miami on Jan. 8.

So why do both teams end up meeting in The Rose Bowl, rather than the National Championship? Both teams were upset in last second fashion to conference rivals. USC lost to Oregon State in Corvallis 27-21, and Penn State lost to Iowa in Iowa City 24-23. National Championship hopes for both teams were ultimately lost due to these losses.

What most people consider one of the better matchups of the bowl games, USC fans, and some of the media don’t agree. Many think that the game will be just another USC drubbing of a Big Ten team, and they deserve the National Championship instead.

Here’s an idea USC, don’t go 11-1 with your only loss to a huge underdog like you have the past three years!

The following FACTS are why this won’t be a blowout.

Joe Paterno has appeared in 34 bowl games, and has a 23-10-1 record in those games. That’s a .697 winning percentage. Pete Carroll has appeared in seven bowl games, and has a 5-2 record. That’s a .714 winning percentage. Both these coaches know how to get their teams ready to play in big games.

Both teams have above-average defenses, Penn State has only allowed 149 points this season and USC has allowed only 93.

Penn State has one of the best front four in the Nation with defensive ends Aaron Maybin and Maurice Evans, and defensive tackle Jared Odrick, between the three of them they have 19.5 sacks, and 32.5 tackles for a loss.

Behind them could be the next great linebacker at “Linebacker U,” Navorro Bowman who has 98 tackles on the year. Penn State also has two good cornerbacks in Lydell Sargeant, and Tony Davis.

Penn State’s safeties are a classic example of bend but don’t break, but they seem to break every once in a while. Anthony Scirrotto showed signs of being a star his sophomore year, but never seemed to progress from there. Mark Rubin is great against the run, but mediocre against the pass, and against USC QB Mark Sanchez, both of them could have a long day.

The media-darling USC defense is obviously the most intimidating defense in the nation. With names like Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, Kaluka Maiava, Clay Matthews, Fili Moala, and Taylor Mays being household names by now, and the fact that they’re all on the same team is very intimidating.

Almost as intimidating as the 5′ 6″ freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers of Oregon State who ran for 186 yards on the mighty USC defense, and lead the Beavers to a victory over the then-No. 1 Trojans.

The same Jacquizz (not that there’s more than one in this world) had a successful game against Penn State as well with 22 rushes for 99 yards. But more impressively Penn State steam rolled Oregon State 45-14.

Yes, the same team that USC lost to. Though conveniently the common opponent brought up is Ohio State, and USCs 35-3 win over them, but Penn State only managed to beat them 13-6.

The Ohio State team USC played didn’t have the Heisman favorite at the time, Chris “Beanie” Wells playing for them, and the game was at the Coliseum. Penn State was able to beat Ohio State at the Horse Shoe, with a healthy Beanie Wells.

Obviously the same argument can be brought up about the USC–Oregon State game. It was away, in a hostile environment, etc. But what really irks me is when the media, or a USC article says how much Oregon State progressed from the Penn State game to the USC game.

Wow! What a difference 19 days makes. If that’s the case, then imagine how much better Ohio State was 42 days after playing USC, when they played Penn State.

Anyways, both teams have potent offenses as well. Penn State scored 482 points this year with one of the most talented offenses in school history lead by QB Daryll Clark.

And USC didn’t seem to miss a beat with the departure of John David Booty, scoring 450 points with 2005’s No. 1 QB recruit Mark Sanchez looking like he had the job since the day he got there.

Sanchez threw for 28 touchdowns, rushed for two more, and was intercepted 10 times. Catching everything was predominantly Damian Williams and Patrick Turner.

Williams has 707 yards receiving, and eight touchdowns with his 48 receptions. Turner has 667 yards receiving, with 10 touchdowns in his 45 receptions.

With fewer receptions but just as impressive stats, Ronald Johnson has 29 receptions for 488 yards, and six touchdowns.

Clark threw for 17 touchdowns, ran for another nine, and was intercepted four times. Clark also has three good receivers in Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood, and Derrick Williams. Butler leads the team in receiving, with 43 receptions for 713 yards, and seven touchdowns.

Norwood has 38 receptions for 605 yards and five touchdowns, while Williams has 40 receptions, 451 yards, and four touchdowns.

But they don’t call Penn State “Linebacker U” for nothing, nor do refer to USC as “Tailback U” for nothing. It’s no secret that USC has a stable of running backs; USC has three running backs that have over 600 yards in Joe McKnight, Stafon Johnson, and CJ Gable.

Between the three of them there’s 19 touchdowns, and just under 1,900 yards. All three running backs possess the skill to be starting stars anywhere, but it’s USC, and they all complement each other perfectly.

Penn State’s not too shabby at the running back position either, largely due to the wonderful job that the offensive line does for the feature back Evan Royster.

Royster a 1,200-yard rusher brings with him to Pasadena 6.5 yards per carry, and 12 touchdowns, and his backup Stephon Green isn’t bad either. Green has 521 yards so far this season, with four touchdowns on top of that, but what Green really possesses is speed.

Greens 4.2-second 40-yard dash provides speed to complement Royster’s patience, and they’ve worked well together all year. Wide receiver Derrick Williams, and QB Daryll Clark are often involved in the running game as well. Williams has rushed for 226 yards, and three touchdowns, and as stated earlier Clark for nine touchdowns and 265 yards.

On Jan. 1, none of these stats will matter. Both teams will be walking onto the field confident. But only one will leave confident, as the other will leave heart broken. A lot will be found out in the 2009 Rose Bowl.

Is the Big Ten as weak as they’re made out to be? Is USC’s defense as great as it’s made out to be? Did USC deserve a shot at the National Championship? Did Penn State? Did Penn State even deserve to play in the Rose Bowl?

These questions can only be answered by the team, and if there’s nothing else for Penn State to play for other than winning “The Granddaddy of Them All,” all they have to do is look to the sideline, and see the real granddaddy of them all, Joe Paterno.

This game will be not be a blowout. It will be a well-played game with some of the greatest coaches ever squaring off against each other. I can see a minor mistake being the turning point of the game in a low scoring affair.

With both coaches known for preparing their teams wonderfully this could be one that goes in the history books.

Penn State is not “just another Big Ten victim” for USC.

WE ARE…

 

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Jenkins wins Thorpe Award

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Ohio State’s Malcolm Jenkins was named college football’s best defensive back Thursday when he won the Jim Thorpe Award.

Jenkins finished ahead of Eric Berry (Tennessee) and Taylor Mays (USC).

 

“This is something I’ve had my eye on for some time,” Jenkins said. “And it’s not just about stats. If it was, I wouldn’t be here. It’s about leadership, and setting an example, too. You can’t imagine what this means to me. I was a semifinalist last year, and I’ve wanted to win it ever since.”

 

In other awards Thursday:

 

• Tim Tebow won the Maxwell Award for the second year, edging Texas’ Colt McCoy and Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell for the honor given to college football’s best all-round player.

 

• Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford beat out Harrell and McCoy for the Davey O’Brien Award, which is given to the top quarterback.

 

• McCoy was the Walter Camp Player of the Year, leading the All-America team.

 

• Michael Crabtree, a Texas Tech sophomore, won his second straight Biletnikoff Award for best wide receiver.

 

• Running back Shonn Greene of Iowa won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back, finishing ahead of Knowshon Moreno of Georgia and Javon Ringer of Michigan State, who will meet in the Capital One Bowl on New Year’s Day in Orlando.

 

• The Outland Trophy (best interior lineman) was won by Andre Smith of Alabama.

 

• Rey Maualuga of USC won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player over James Laurinaitis of Ohio State and Aaron Maybin of Penn State.

 

• Matt Fodge of Oklahoma State won the Ray Guy Award (best punter) and Graham Gano of Florida State the Lou Groza Award (best kicker).

 

• Nick Saban was selected the Coach of the Year after leading Alabama to the SEC championship game and a 12-1 record.

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Support your Buckeyes and Vote!

Please support Malcolm Jenkins in the voting for the Jim Thorpe Award.
Click on link and vote for a great young man and role model.
 

http://sports. espn.go.com/ chat/sportsnatio n/story?id= 3723628

 

Jim Thorpe Award (Defensive Back)

The Thorpe Award has been presented since 1986, based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character.

Recent winners include Antoine Cason of Arizona (2007), Aaron Ross of Texas (2006), Michael Huff of Texas (2005), Carlos Rogers of Auburn (2004), Derrick Strait of Oklahoma (2003), Terence Newman of Kansas State (2002) and Roy Williams of Oklahoma (2001).

Eric Berry, Tennessee, SS: Leads the nation with 7 INT, two returned for TD, 3 sacks.
Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State, CB: 3 INT, 3 forced fumbles and 2 blocked kicks.
Taylor Mays, USC, S: 48 tackles, 7 pass breakups, for USC’s No. 1 ranked defense.

 

http://sports. espn.go.com/ chat/sportsnatio n/story?id= 3723628

 

 

Please support James Laurinitis in the voting for the Bednarik Award.

 

Bednarik Award (Outstanding Defensive Player) James Laurinaitis, Ohio State, LB: 121 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 INT. Rey Maualuga, USC, LB: 68 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2 INT. Aaron Maybin, Penn State, DE: 45 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 12 sacks. Click here to vote for the Bednarik Award!

 

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College Football: Which BCS Bowls Are Compelling?

For the next two weeks, college football fans will be left to their own devices. This is it. It’s over. Oh sure, there’s the NBA, NHL and NFL – keep yourselves busy with those sports while you go nuts – but it’s not college football. Start your official mourning.

Until January 1st, we won’t be blessed with any real outstanding bowls, except for the Poinsettia Bowl (TCU v Boise State), Champs Sports Bowl (Florida State v Wisconsin), Emerald Bowl (Cal v Miami), Holiday Bowl (Oregon v Oklahoma State) and Chick-Fil-A Bowl (LSU v Georgia Tech).

Our reward for watching all of the lesser-compelling bowls? The BCS Bowls. The biggees. The cream of the crop bowls. Or are they?

Here are the BCS Bowls and their cases for why they are compelling, or why they are not. See if you agree with the verdicts.

 

The Allstate Sugar Bowl (Alabama vs. Utah)

Quick, whichever team wins will make a strong case for… what? Think about that for a minute. The Crimson Tide had their hearts broken after losing the SEC Conference Championship Game to the Florida Gators. Still reeling, they now face the Mountain West champs, the Utah Utes.

If Bama wins, everyone will say “Big deal, the Utes didn’t belong here because they don’t play in a BCS conference.” If the Utes win, everyone will say “Told ya, the Tide were overrated to begin with, and this just proves that point.”

This Sugar Bowl may have a winner, but not in the PR dept. It’s anti-climatic, doesn’t prove anything and except for a possible “We belong here” case for the Utes, won’t bolster the Utes’ case for playing in the NC game (after all, they are playing the second place SEC team) and will not have resolved anything. No matter who wins.

Verdict: Not compelling

 

The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Texas vs. Ohio State)

Holy smokes, this bowl is going to need a shrink on hand to tend to all the psyches of these teams’ players. Let’s look at what story lines are involved here.

You’ve got one ticked-off Longhorns team who feels they should have represented the Big 12 South in the Conference Championship and gotten a possible shot at the NC. Instead, they have to watch a team they beat – Oklahoma – get that shot when both the Sooners and the Longhorns have the same amount of losses. Think there’s a bit to prove on the field here?

On the other hand, you have the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are making their yearly saunter into a BCS Bowl with a bit of a chip on their shoulders- they are tired of hearing “over rated”, tired of “0-11″ (even though that record is against the SEC and they are now playing a Big 12 team), and tired of hearing how they haven’t recently deserved to be in BCS Bowls.

The end result? If Texas beats the nuts out of Ohio State and Florida beats the boom out of the Sooners in the NC, we could have another split championship. How many heads will roll if the Buckeyes are in the preseason top ten rankings next year? If Ohio State beats Texas, then the Buckeyes will have restored some dignity, finally shut up the naysayers and proved that Texas got what it deserved.

Verdict: Very compelling

 

The Rose Bowl presented by Citi (USC vs. Penn State)

The last few Rose Bowls have been duds, in part because the Rose Bowl did not get their traditional No. 1 Pac-10 champ vs No. 1 Big Ten champ; Ohio State went to the NC game two years in a row. This year, it’s a bit different. Big Ten Co-champ Penn State has only loss, a hiccup against Iowa, while the Pac-10 champ, USC, also had one hiccup against Oregon State.

Both teams have strong cases for being in the NC but unfortunately, their respective conferences’ strength took a nose dive in the public opinion polls. Here is their chance to prove that their one-loss records are just as worthy as Oklahoma’s and Florida’s. Both teams have very good D- USC is No. 1 and Penn State is No. 5. This game will expose which team truly has the better D, and which team’s statistical rankings in college football are legit and which are a result of playing in a soft conference.

Throw in a possible last game for HC Joe Paterno and definite last game for USC OC Steve Sarkisian, two of the best linebackers in the nation (Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga) playing against Linebacker U, two strong-armed and mobile quarterbacks (Daryll Clark and Mark Sanchez), superb rushing from both teams, and you’ve got a heckuva match-up, probably the second best of the BCS Bowls.

Verdict: Very compelling

 

The FedEx Orange Bowl (Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati)

Yep, count anyone who watches this game as desperate – including myself – for some football. If this bowl isn’t a perfect example as to why auto-berths should be ditched, then nothing is. Sorta like all the freight companies still charging a 15% surcharge when gas in California is now around .80 a gallon. If no one complains about it, and still pays for it, why should they drop the surcharge?

Back to the four-loss Hokies playing the two-loss Bearcats. There are some feel-good stories behind these two teams- the Hokies are still recovering from their campus shootings and a huge loss of talent on their roster, while the Bearcats are enjoying their first ten-win season in decades. Still, you can’t get past the fact that one of these teams shouldn’t be playing in a BCS Bowl, and the other team is playing because, well, someone has to represent the Big East. The Hokies have great D (No. 7), but dreadful O (No. 107), while the Bearcats have very good D (No. 26), and average O (No. 50). The outcome should be obvious- three and outs, lots of punts and a plethora of field goals.

Verdict: Not compelling.

 

The FedEx BCS Championship Game (Oklahoma vs. Florida)

This has to be compelling, doesn’t it? Of course! It’s the National Championship game, the one game where everyone agrees it reflects the two best teams in the country. Yeah, Ok, we’re not sold either. There are nine teams that all have solid arguments for why they should be in this game, but since this is what we have, let’s just say these are the two best. We don’t have a choice, so deal with it

The Gators suffered a hiccup to, as it turns out, a pretty good Ole Miss team, while the Sooners’ hiccup was against a strong Longhorns team. Both have coaches who have won a BCS Championship, so both coaches know the drill.

But there are two lingering questions in the back of everyone’s mind: did Florida deserve to jump up to No. 2 by winning the the SEC- a conference clearly not as strong as everyone thought it would be – and can Bob Stoops actually game-prep his players to show up in a BCS Bowl?

No doubt, if the Sooners fall apart after a game-changing play- which they are infamous for – the second question will be answered. But if that happens, does it necessarily mean the Gators are the best team, or that they played an opponent who tanked another BCS Bowl?

The BCS hopes both teams will play their best, but as the past couple of Championship Games have shown, one team forgets to show up. And let’s not forget the excuses, either. One team will claim the other team had an advantage because they didn’t have to travel far. One team will claim the refs are biased, one team will claim the other team had an easier path, and one team might have to think long and hard about their head coach’s future if they lose.

Finally, the outcome of this game could cause a split championship.

Verdict: Extremely compelling.

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Three Big Ten players named AFCA All-Americans

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

The American Football Coaches Association announced its 2008 All-America team today, and three Big Ten players made the list.

Iowa junior running back Shonn Greene, Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis and Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins all were among the honorees. Laurinaitis was selected for the second consecutive season.

Greene ranked second nationally in rushing average (144.1 yards per game). Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno edged Michigan State’s Javon Ringer for the other spot on the All-America team.

Ohio State has the second most selections (56) to the AFCA All-America team, trailing only Oklahoma, and the Buckeyes have the most repeat winners (13).

Offense

Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	School	Coach	Hometown (High School)
WR	Michael Crabtree*	6-3	208	So.	Texas Tech	Mike Leach	Dallas, Texas (Carter)
WR	Dez Bryant	6-2	215	So.	Oklahoma St.	Mike Gundy	Lufkin, Texas (Lufkin)
TE	Chase Coffman	6-6	255	Sr.	Missouri	Gary Pinkel	Peculiar, Mo. (Raymore-Peculiar)
OL	Andre Smith	6-4	330	Jr.	Alabama	Nick Saban	Birmingham, Ala. (Huffman)
OL	Brandon Carter	6-7	350	Jr.	Texas Tech	Mike Leach	Longview, Texas (Spring Hill)
C	Antoine Caldwell	6-3	305	Sr.	Alabama	Nick Saban	Montgomery, Ala. (Lee)
OL	Michael Oher	6-5	318	Sr.	Mississippi	Houston Nutt	Memphis, Tenn. (Briarcrest Christian)
OL	Andy Levitre	6-3	317	Sr.	Oregon St.	Mike Riley	Ben Lomond, Calif. (San Lorenzo Valley)
QB	Graham Harrell	6-3	205	Sr.	Texas Tech	Mike Leach	Ennis, Texas (Ennis)
RB	Knowshon Moreno	5-11	208	So.	Georgia	Mark Richt	Belford, N.J. (Middletown South)
RB	Shonn Greene	5-11	235	Jr.	Iowa	Kirk Ferentz	Sicklerville, N.J. (Milford Acad. [Conn.])

Defense

Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	School	Coach	Hometown (High School)
DL	Brian Orakpo	6-4	260	Sr.	Texas	Mack Brown	Houston, Texas (Lamar)
DL	Terrence Cody	6-5	365	Jr.	Alabama	Nick Saban	Fort Myers, Fla. (Riverdale)
DL	George Selvie*	6-4	242	Jr.	South Florida	Jim Leavitt	Pensacola, Fla. (Pine Forest)
DL	Michael Johnson	6-7	260	Sr.	Georgia Tech	Paul Johnson	Selma, Ala. (Dallas County)
LB	James Laurinaitis*	6-3	240	Sr.	Ohio St.	Jim Tressel	Hamel, Minn. (Wayzata)
LB	Rey Maualuga	6-2	260	Sr.	USC	Pete Carroll	Eureka, Calif. (Eureka)
LB	Brandon Spikes	6-3	245	Jr.	Florida	Urban Meyer	Shelby, N.C. (Crest)
DB	Eric Berry	5-11	195	So.	Tennessee	Phil Fulmer	Fairburn, Ga. (Creekside)
DB	Rashad Johnson	6-0	186	Sr.	Alabama	Nick Saban	Sulligent, Ala. (Sulligent)
DB	Malcolm Jenkins	6-1	202	Sr.	Ohio St.	Jim Tressel	Piscataway, N.J. (Piscataway)
DB	Alphonso Smith	5-9	190	Sr.	Wake Forest	Jim Grobe	Pahokee, Fla. (Pahokee)

Specialists

Pos.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	School	Coach	Hometown (High School)
P	Kevin Huber	6-1	220	Sr.	Cincinnati	Brian Kelly	Cincinnati, Ohio (McNicholas)
PK	Louie Sakoda	5-9	178	Sr.	Utah	Kyle Whittingham	San Jose, Calif. (Branham)
AP	Percy Harvin	5-11	195	Jr.	Florida	Urban Meyer	Virginia Beach, Va. (Landstown)

*-2007 All-American
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