The Buckeye Losses Stop Here: Five Things Ohio State Must Do To Beat USC

It was a cool, breezy, November night in Columbus, Ohio. Scarlet clad fans stormed the field after watching the top ranked Buckeyes defeat the second ranked Wolverines.

It was 986 days ago, and it was the last time Ohio State won a “big game.”

It was the last time the Buckeye’s weren’t “outclassed” by equal competition.

It was the last time Jim Tressel was called “The best play-caller in College Football.”

After two National Championship defeats and an embarrassing performance against USC last season, Ohio State’s reputation has taken its lumps. And although the Buckeyes played both Penn State and Texas (top five teams) down to the wire, a loss is a loss, which gains no respect.

The next chance Ohio State gets to repair it’s image is September 12, when the USC Trojans visit Columbus for part two of their non-conference series. And regardless of how much I hate this term (because every game is a must win), this game is as close to a must win for Jim Tressel as he’s going to get.

And it’s not just the Buckeyes reputation that’s at stake; the Big Ten conference is at risk as well. The country has grown weary of watching Penn State, Illinois, and Michigan get blown out of the Rose Bowl. The conferences 1-6 bowl record last year didn’t help the way people view the league.

Not to mention how this game will affect recruiting, momentum, and the perception of the Buckeyes remaining opponents.

The Buckeyes can regain some of the trust from college football fans that they’ve not-so-elegantly lost the last three years with a win against USC.

I’ve put together a list of five things Ohio State must do to beat the Trojans come September 12. Let’s get started!

Protect the Quarterback

The glaring difference against Florida and LSU in the National Championship games and against USC last season was the Buckeyes inability to protect the quarterback.

The offensive line must do a better job at staying in front of whatever defensive lineman they are responsible for:

If that means Bryant Browning (last year’s right tackle and this year’s probable right guard) has to do the tire drill until he passes out to improve his lateral movement and foot speed, so be it.

If someone has to frame Offensive-Line Coach Jim Bollman for insurance fraud (or any crime, for that matter) so he can finally be fired, so be it.

If Jim Tressel makes all the offensive lineman eat the nails of an alligator and wash it down with a gallon of dragon tears (or whatever Justin Boren does that makes him so angry all the time) to teach them how to play with an attitude, so be it.

Ohio State must do whatever it takes to keep Terrelle Pryor on his feet. I’m tired of seeing Ohio State’s quarterback looking like he wrestled a bear (and losing) after all their big games.

Protecting the quarterback is imperative. If the Buckeyes can do it, it will allow Pryor to get through his reads and move the offense down the field. If the Buckeyes can’t do it, it could be another long night for Ohio State.

Open up the Playbook and Execute

The look on Jim Tressel’s face in this picture embodies all of the frustration stewing in the hearts of Buckeye fans. You can almost hear the coach’s thoughts:

“Should I put five wide receivers in and let Terrelle Pryor take over the game with his natural ability to run the spread? Or should I send a couple tight ends and a fullback in to run the off-tackle play for Beanie that we just ran nine times in a row?”

A moment’s pause follows as he weighs his options…

“We should just go with the off-tackle play again. I mean, Beanie hasn’t hurt himself in a good three days, and I know that he’s gonna break a big one soon. I just know it.”

All kidding aside, Jim Tressel kept the offensive game-plan simple last year. He created a playbook that would maximize the unique talents that Beanie had and limit any potential mistakes from a freshman quarterback. If I were in his shoes, I would have done the same thing.

Of course, after last year’s OSU-USC game, there were Trojan defenders who said they knew exactly what Ohio State was going to do on offense and that nothing surprised them. I would have an issue with that if it mattered.

You can’t tell me that teams didn’t know what Ohio State was going to do in 2002 when they won the National Championship.

Execution is just as important as, or even more important than, a variety in play-calling.

The Buckeyes will have to mix it up against USC this year. Pete Carroll will be replacing nine starters on his defense. With this being the second week of the season, it would be the perfect time to hit them with some trick plays and a diverse, hurry-up offense. But the priority here is execution. Ohio State must execute whichever offense they choose to run when the Trojans come to town.

Create Pressure up Front

If you look at the defense for the National Championship Buckeyes in 2002, you’ll notice that they consistently created pressure on the opposing teams quarterback.

As previously mentioned, creating that pressure upfront disrupts everything an offense is trying to accomplish. And since that championship team seven years ago, the Buckeyes have been unable to create such havoc (with a slight exception given to the 2003 team).

It seemed as though the blitz packages, the nasty attitude, and the attacking defenses left when Mark Dantonio did in 2003. Jim Heacock took over as the Defensive Coordinator (in ‘05) and implemented his I-don’t-care-if we’re-getting-picked-apart-we’re-still-sticking-with-this-zone…defense.

But half way through the 2008 season, something clicked. Whether it was Nader Abdallah’s out-of-nowhere realization that he was a man child, Thad Gibson’s opportunity to play after Wilson’s leg injury, or Heacock’s sudden willingness to blitz more often, the Buckeyes started creating that pressure.

Ohio State must continue to get after the quarterback. Buckeye fans are holding their breath, crossing their fingers, and sacrificing small animals (chill out PETA, that was a joke) in hopes that Jim Heacock doesn’t give up on that attacking mentality they displayed late last year.

Whether it’s Aaron Corp or Matt Barkley behind center, this will be the first big game either quarterback will have played in. Pressuring him would be a very good thing for the Buckeyes.

Get Mad

A recent article pointed out the difference between Marcus Freeman’s reaction to the Texas loss in the Fiesta Bowl to Terrelle Pryor’s reaction.

Freeman’s reaction was one of…relief. As if he was relieved that his team wasn’t blown out of the water by a good opponent. He was happy with the effort, and came away with the moral victory speech that losing teams often defer to.

Terrelle Pryor was upset. He was already looking ahead to the 2009 football season, saying the Buckeyes were going to put more points on the board. He told the media that there were some “teams we owe some stuff to.” He was angry.

The Buckeyes need to take a nasty attitude into this football game.

They need to be-someone just spit in my mother’s face and I’m mad-angry.

They need to be-Samuel L. Jackson, yelling his lines unnecessarily in every one of his movies-angry.

They need to be-Britney Spears strangling a paparazzi photographer with her man thighs-angry.

The key to playing with an attitude is to keep that anger in check. Tim Tebow plays with an attitude, but he controls it and redirects it toward the field and toward his opponents.

If the Buckeyes want to stop being the end of bad “big-game” jokes, they must get nasty. This is THE Ohio State University, and NO ONE comes into our house and pushes us around!

Wear Red and Be Very, Very, Very Loud

This last one is for the fans.

If you are in possession of a ticket that gives you admittance to this game, you must do two things:

One, you must wear red. The three gentlemen in the middle of this picture are breaking my first rule. This makes me so mad; I could kick a puppy (again PETA… a joke).

There is nothing cooler than seeing the bleachers in Ohio Stadium glowing a florescent red under the lights. If you’re a buckeye fan and didn’t get goose bumps from the birds-eye-view of the Shoe when Ohio State played Penn State this past year, you need to check your pulse.

I’ve sent Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith 318 letters demanding that any Ohio State fan who tries to attend a game wearing anything “not red”, they will be required to wear a scarlet poncho and a matching sombrero. So if you don’t want to look ridiculous for the game…wear red, it’s intimidating and looks cool as heck.

Two, you must be very, very, very loud. “The Shoe” is arguably the loudest stadium in the country, and that is disorienting for the opponent. You already know that Aaron Corp or Matt Barkley will be making their first meaningful start. Your one goal in this game is to make whoever ends up being the starting quarterback to soil themselves.

Scream when they have the ball. Scream when they are in the huddle. Scream when they’re trying to call an audible. Scream during the timeouts. And when your voice is shot, just clap. Give everything you can. Practice screaming with your friends two weeks before September 12 so you will be better at it.

If you have tickets to this game, do not sit on your hands in a white “away” jersey. Wear red and SCREAM!

Jumping Ship: Who’s leaving early for the NFL?

The good folks at ESPN’s data center have the updates on which college football underclassmen are leaving school in search of huge bags of money a career in the NFL. Here’s the updated list, with a few notable talents highlighted.

Asher Allen CB 5-1 198 Georgia
Chris Baker DT 6-2 298 Hampton
Kenny Britt WR 6-4 215 Rutgers
Eben Britton OT 6-5½ 310 Arizona
Donald Brown RB 5-10 210 Connecticut
Everette Brown DE 6-4 252 Florida State
James Casey TE 6-4 245 Rice
Jeremy Childs WR 6-0 196 Boise State
Glen Coffee RB 6-1 198 Alabama
Austin Collie WR 6-2 206 BYU
Emanuel Cook S 5-10 203 South Carolina
Jared Cook TE 6-5 243 South Carolina
Michael Crabtree WR 6-3 214 Texas Tech
Andrew Davie TE 6-5 266 Arkansas
Nate Davis QB 6-1¾ 217 Ball State
Vontae Davis CB 5-11⅞ 203 Illinois
Josh Freeman QB 6-5½ 238 Kansas State
Shonn Green RB 5-10¾ 233 Iowa
Percy Harvin WR 5-10¾ 187 Florida
Darrius Heyward-Bey WR 6-1⅞ 203 Maryland
P.J. Hill RB 5-11 236 Wisconsin
Greg Isdaner OG 6-4 322 West Virginia
Ricky Jean-Francois DL 6-3 289 LSU
Paul Kruger DE 6-5 265 Utah
Jeremy Maclin WR 6-0 198 Missouri
Sen’Derrick Marks DT 6-0⅞ 289 Auburn
Aaron Maybin DE 6-3½ 250 Penn State
LeSean McCoy RB 5-11 205 Pittsburgh
Gerald McRath LB 6-3 220 Southern Miss
D.J. Moore CB 5-10 184 Vanderbilt
Knowshon Moreno RB 5-10¾ 207 Georgia
Captain Munnerlyn CB 5-9 185 South Carolina
Hakeem Nicks WR 6-1 215 North Carolina
Kevin Ogletree WR 6-2 189 Virginia
Jerraud Powers CB 5-9 191 Auburn
Mark Sanchez QB 6-2½ 225 USC
Andre Smith DT 6-4⅞ 341 Alabama
Sean Smith CB 6-2½ 212 Utah
Matthew Stafford QB 6-2½ 235 Georgia
Brandon Williams DE 6-5 246 Texas Tech
Chris “Beanie” Wells RB 6-1 235 Ohio State

Of course, it’s worth mentioning a few standout players who are not going pro this year:

Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma
Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida
C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson
Greg Hardy, DE, Mississippi

Equally notable, FSU S Myron Rolle will leave the Noles, but isn’t going to the NFL… yet. Rolle accepted a Rhodes Scholarship and will study medical anthropology at Oxford. Rolle was expected to be a top 50 or better pick, but will instead look to enter the 2010 NFL draft.

The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 26th and 27th in New York City.

© www.fanblogs.com

Comment on Jumping Ship: Who’s leaving early for the NFL?…

Story By Ohio State Football – Fanblogs.com

Bet your house on Florida, and other things to discuss;

Lots to discuss, wasting no time here…..

Let’s start off with the big event in sports.  Tomorrow night’s BCS National Championship Game, Florida vs. Oklahoma.

There’s only one way to put this.  Bet everything you have on Florida right now.  It’s going to be a massive blowout.  I have about thirty reasons why this will happen, but here’s just the best reasons;

1) The Big 12 has been exposed as EXTREMELY overrated this year

Say what you will about the Big Ten and the ACC and the Big East all sucking, but the Big 12 should be VERY embarrassed with their overexposure and underwhelming bowl performances.

At one point, there were multiple teams from the Big 12 ranked in the Top 10.  It was getting ridiculous, and the AP voters and TV announcers ate it up like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.  “Every week is like a bowl game in the Big 12″ they would say.  Bullshit, I say.  They were all pretty average.  Here’s how their bowl games turned out;

Texas 24, Ohio State 21 – In a game that EVERYBODY said would be a 20-point blowout, it took a miracle drive, bad tackling, and some questionable officiating to put Texas in the end zone to win the game.  Somehow along the way, hitting a Longhorn QB in the shoulder pads became a 15-yard penalty.  In the end, the team that cried their eyes out claiming they were robbed out of the title game proved that they did not deserve any titles at all.  Texas went in thinking they would run up the score and pick up some first-place votes found themselves without a TD (and only 3 total points) for the entire first half.

Overrated?  Texas was ranked #1 in the nation at one point this year, Ohio State was given a 9% chance to win the game.  Yes, Texas was overrated.

Ole Miss 47, Texas Tech 34 – Ole Miss is an average SEC team, always finishing in the middle of the pack.  Texas Tech was another team looking to destroy their bowl opponent, this time to prove that they should have gotten in a BCS game.  Mission failed.  Badly.  After getting off to a fast start, the Red Raiders proved that they deserved absolutely nothing when they allowed Ole Miss to go on a 38-7 run and blow out their Big 12 foe.

Overrated?  Texas Tech was ranked #2 in the nation earlier this year.  Ole Miss lost to Vanderbilt and South Carolina…both at home.  Yes, Tech was overrated.

Missouri 30, Northwestern 23 (OT) – Despite the wishes of the Big 12’s most popular brother-sister team (otherwise known as Chase Daniel’s parents), Missouri looked like crap against the Big Ten’s 8th-best pass defense.  Northwestern should have won this game, but some late miscues handed the game to Mizzou.

Overrated?  Missouri was once ranked #3 in the NCAA.  Northwestern lost a game by 35 points this year.  Yes, Missouri was overrated.

Oregon 42, Oklahoma State 31 - Okie State started off fast, but couldn’t maintain themselves against a rushing attack from the Ducks.  Two Oregon players would break the 100-yard mark on their way to 307 yards team rushing.  Oregon also racked up a total of 565 yards aginst Okie State.

Overrated?  Oklahoma State was once ranked #7 in the nation.  Yes, Okie State was overrated.

Nebraska 26, Clemson 21 – In the Gator Bowl, Nebraska was trying to recapture some of their historic greatness, and their prospects were large, playing against a team that only won 7 games in the pathetic ACC….a team so bad, they fired their coach mid-season.  And they barely escaped with the win, when a Tigers TD was overturned by instant review.

Overrated?  Well, Nebraska was never rated.  But they barely beat a bad, bad team.

Kansas 42, Minnesota 21 – The lone bright spot for the conference so far, Kansas doubled up on Minnesota, who were bowling to the shock of everyone not in a Gopher uniform at the start of the season.  As the season wore on, Minnesota’s weak schedule was exposed by the Big Ten, and the regular season ended mercifully with a 55-0 Minny loss.

Overrated?  Kansas was actually ranked as high as #13 this year.  Minny lost a game 55-0.  Yes, Kansas was overrated.

The point of all this is simple – the Big 12 was NOT the meat-grinder that the media told us it was over and over and over again.  Oklahoma’s not ready for this game.

#2) Florida IS ready for this game

A bad performance by Tim Tebow once this year nearly cost Florida a shot, but they came back in a dominating way.  Since their loss in Week 4, they have been unstoppable.  Take a look at this;

• Week 5 – 31-point win against Arkansas
• Week 6 – 30-point win over then-#4 LSU
• Week 7 – 58-point win over bowl-bound Kentucky
• Week 8 – 39-point win over then-#6 Georgia
• Week 9 – 28-point win over bowl-bound Vanderbilt
• Week 10 – 50-point win over bowl-bound and then-#25 South Carolina
• Week 11 – 51-point win over The Citadel
• Week 12 – 30-point win over bowl-bound Florida State
• Week 13 – 11-point win over then-#1 and BCS-Bowl bound Alabama

Yeah, they’re ready.

3) The Heisman Curse

Sam Bradford won the Heisman this year.  Heisman winners usually suck in bowl games, especially National Championships (we know, we know).  Only twice in the past 30 years has the Heisman winner gone on to win a National Championship.  No, Tebow didn’t win it the year Florida took the title (Troy Smith won it).

4) Oklahoma pretty much sucks at BCS bowl games

For all the whining and crying you hear about Ohio State’s recent bowl losses, you just don’t hear those kind of attacks leveled at the Sooners.  And believe me, they’re much worse.  In their last 4 BCS bowls, they are 0-4 and have been blown out more than once.

• 2008 – Lost to West Virginia 48-28
• 2007 – Lost to Boise State 43-42
• 2005 – Lost to USC 55-19
• 2004 – Lost to LSU 21-14

If they make it 0-5, we’d better NEVER hear about our own shortcomings again.  Especially since they’ll have lost two national championships in that time frame.

Convinced?  Call Vegas ASAP.

——————————–

Last night, the Cavaliers overtook the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference when Boston lost.  The Cavs now have the best record in the NBA.

Tonight, the Cavaliers beat the living daylights out of Charlotte, 111-81.  Boston’s loss last night?  It was to that same Charlotte team.

The Celtics come to The Q Friday night.  It should be insaaaaaane!

——————–

Speaking of the Cavaliers game, there were many highlights to go over.  But the best was watching former Michigan Fab-Fiver Juwan Howard get tossed from the game while sitting on the bench.

By the way, did you know that the Fab Five never won a single title in college?  No national titles, no Big Ten titles, nothing.  Just thought I’d mention that.

———————

In the “what the hell” category, Boobie Gibson also got a technical foul tonight.  For having an untucked shirt.  No, I’m not kidding.

———————-

The Cleveland Browns hired their new coach tonight.  Eric Mangini, former Jets coach, and former ball boy for the Browns, will call the plays next year.

Makes sense to me.  Hell, there were CURRENT ball boys that could have done better with the Browns this season.

———————–

Last week, it was announced that Michigan’s only offensive threat, Sam McGuffie, has left Ann Arbor and will enroll at Rice next year.  McGuffie was rumored to have been struggling with depression and on medication.  Being closer to home will be better for the kid.

Also better for him will be not having to deal with decapitation at the hands of Ohio State special teams players.

——————–

Finally, in the most laughable news you’ll ever hear, Michigan Head Coach Rich Rodriquez recently said he has “always taken the approach that you should look at each job as your last.”

Yeah, he actually said that.  With a straight face, no less.

Story By The Buckeye Battle Cry

Reviewing my preseason Top 25 (things to watch)

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

It’s always fun at this time of year to look back at preseason thoughts and predictions. In August, I outlined 25 items I wanted to see during the Big Ten season. Several of them came true, others didn’t and some materialized in different ways.

Here’s a look back at the list to see what worked out and what didn’t. 

	AP Photo/Carlos Osorio
	Terrelle Pryor earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.

1. Terrelle Pryor lead an offensive drive — He might be a Tim Tebow-like weapon near the goal line, but I’m more interested in how the Ohio State freshman quarterback handles a real offensive series. Pryor’s athleticism is undeniable, but it will be important to monitor his passing accuracy and the way he leads older teammates.

The verdict: We had plenty of opportunities to see Pryor lead drives after he was named Ohio State’s starter in Week 4. Despite a few growing pains, Pryor held his own and displayed remarkable athleticism in winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. He also came up big in the clutch to lead Ohio State’s game-winning touchdown drive Oct. 4 at Wisconsin. 

2. Michigan’s quarterbacks — Rich Rodriguez has ushered in a new era in Ann Arbor and will turn to unproven players like Steven Threet, Nick Sheridan and possibly Justin Feagin to lead his spread offense. There will undoubtedly be growing pains, but if one of those three takes control, the Wolverines will surge.

The verdict: Oh, there were growing pains. Big ones. Threet and Sheridan struggled to fit into Rodriguez’s system, and Michigan finished the season ranked 109th nationally in total offense. Feagin likely will move to slot receiver in 2009, and incoming freshmen Shavodrick Beaver and Tate Forcier will compete for the starting quarterback spot. 

3. Jump Around at night — Camp Randall Stadium is intimidating enough during daylight hours, but the electricity will reach new levels this fall with back-to-back night games against Ohio State and Penn State. The Badgers haven’t lost at home under coach Bret Bielema, and they should have a tremendous home-field edge this fall.

The verdict: It was pretty cool to see Ohio State players jump in lockstep with the Wisconsin students on Oct. 4, but Camp Randall certainly lost its edge this fall. Wisconsin saw its home win streak fade against Ohio State and then suffered its worst home defeat since 1989 the next week against Penn State. Plus, the Badgers band was suspended from performing Oct. 4 after allegations of hazing surfaced. 

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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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Heisman 2008

I have followed the Heisman Trophy presentation since I was old enough to hold a football and have always felt that it was one of the greatest awards ever presented to an athlete other than a Gold Medal in the Olympics.  I like the fact that it is only voted on by past winners and certain media (not so sure about this one since Lee Corso gets a vote) and these are the people that really follow college football and look for more than just stats.  The award has always stood for what is generally considered the best College player and usually ends up being a pretty good person in the process ( minus a couple including OJ).  There have been a few missteps where I thought there was clearly a better choice (ala Keith Byers over Flutie) but you can’t argue too hard against the choice.

 

This year must have been a considerable challenge because I think that there were some very worthy candidates.  Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow, Chase Daniel, Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree and the rest.  It’s getting harder and harder to not choose a QB because they do so much more than they used to.  They run the ball, call plays in the no huddle, throw the ball very efficiently, reduce turnovers and lead their teams to wins.  Running backs and receivers almost have to have a phenomenal season and do more then just run and catch.  Defenders are pretty much out of it just because they can only get so much attention on the national stage and can be eliminated when teams play away from them.

 

I obviously don’t have a vote, but I was pretty high on Colt McCoy.  I felt that he did so much for his team in so many ways that he seemed to be the most valuable to his team that was ranked in the top five all year.  Throwing for over 77% is incredible for as many passes as he threw and limiting his turnovers to fewer than 10 is almost mind boggling.  Then you throw in that he ran for 550+ yards especially in key third down situations, he generated 75%+ of his teams offense.  Tebow was much the same but he also had a serious RB in Percy Harven who took some of the production off his shoulders.  Harrell and Daniel were also deserving and at least should have been invited to the presentation but I guess plane tickets are just too expensive these days.

 

Sam Bradford was a very good choice.  His numbers were staggering even with a solid Oklahoma running game (2 x 1000 yard rushers).  He seems to be well liked by his teammates and even as a sophomore he is consider the leader of the No. 1 team in the country.  Throwing for 48 TDs, rushing for 5, 4464 yards and a 68% completion percentage is a phenomenal year in any ones book.  He is a solid student and seems to be a well rounded young man.  He will be a great addition to the Heisman Club. 

 

So with pretty much all of these guys coming back and probably a few more thrown into the mix, next year’s Heisman Watch will probably start at the Bowl Games and will be just as intense and pressurized as this year’s.

 

Congratulations to Sam Bradford!

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10 Top 10s For College Football: The Week Before the Bowls

Top 10 Teams

1) Utah-Still haven’t lost, does the Tide hand them one?

2) Boise- No BCS but personally I think their opponent, TCU, would beat Ohio State as well.

3) Texas-Third in the BCS, second in the Heisman voting, first in the Fiesta?

4) Oklahoma-Congrats Sam Bradford.

5) Penn State-Getting no respect.

6) USC-Based purely on their loss.

7) Texas Tech-Snubbed in the BCS and the Heisman race, will have something to prove on the second.

Florida-The only one loss team to lose at home.

9) Alabama-It may get ugly against the Utes.

10) Cincinnati-Underrated as they played the bulk of the season with their fourth string QB.

Top 10 Players of 2008

1) Tim Tebow-Got the most first place votes for the Heisman and gets mine as well.

2) Terrance Cody-The difference maker in Tuscaloosa.

3) Colt McCoy-There were times I thought he would never have another incomplete pass.

4) Rey Malalgua-Unbelievable talent.

5) Sam Bradford-The Heisman winner.

6) Janoris Jenkins-If you saw the Gators play this year you heard his name more than Tebow.

7) Shonn Greene- Single handily resurrected a program and saved a coaches job.

Ian Johnson-A lifetime achievement award.

9) Aaron Curry-One of the best in the country.

10) Knowshawn Moreno-Is there anything he doesn’t do well?

Top 10 Big Games of 2008

1) USC 35, Ohio State 3-Most people thought the title game was going to happen in September this year.

2) Alabama 41, Georgia 30-It was over by the end of the first quarter.

3) Texas 45, Oklahoma 35-Not sure what this really meant.

4) Oklahoma State 28, Missouri 23-Missouri was ranked No. 3 at the time.

5) TCU 32, BYU 7- It wasn’t as close as the score.

6) Penn State 13, Ohio State 6-How the Big Ten was won.

7) Texas Tech 39, Texas 33-Also one of the most exciting games of the year.

Oklahoma 65, Texas Tech 21- The style points put the Sooners in the title game.

9) Oregon 65, Oregon State 38-103 points later the Trojans were in the Rose Bowl.

10) Florida 31, Alabama 20-Last but not least.

10 Upsets That Shaped The 2008 Season

1) Alabama 34, Clemson 10-Clemson was a five point favorite, what a joke.

2) Oregon State 27, USC 21-The Trojans were 23 point favorites.

3) Alabama 41, Georgia 30- The Tide were getting seven in this one.

4) Mississippi 31, Florida 30-Ole Miss was 2-4 against teams with a winning record this year, this was one of the two; they were 25 point dogs in The Swamp as well.

5) Texas 45, Oklahoma 35-Sooners were favored by seven.

6) Texas Tech 39, Texas 33-Knocked the Horns from the title game.

7) Iowa 24, Penn State 23-One point separates the Lions from the title game; they were favored by eight.

Georgia Tech 45, Georgia 42-Made even the most die hard SEC fan think twice about the strength of the conference.

9) Buffalo 42, Ball State 21-We didn’t have to worry about Ball State and the BCS as the 15 point favorites went down hard.

10) East Carolina 27, Virginia Tech 22- How soon we forget.

Top 10 Things I Hope We Don’t See In 2009

1) Stoppage after every play-Every fumble, reception, Interception, etc is a tive minute stoppage, and people wonder why the game takes too long?

2) OJ Simpson-This guy’s act is so stale, let’s just leave him in his jail cell for a while.

3) The BCS- Wishful thinking.

4) Brent Musburger-Talk about stale acts.

5) Bad Rule Changes-The clock rules were a joke, see No. 1.

6) 6-6 teams going to bowl games-This is a huge part of the problem and why there is no playoff.

7) 1-AA teams on the schedule-These games shouldn’t count as one of the 12 games; we’re going to see a lot more of these as less teams from major conferences qualify for bowls.

Bad Officiating-Maybe it’s time to hold these guys accountable for changing outcomes through horrible calls.

9) Inconsistency-Watch five games at once, a penalty in one game is a no call in others, especially regarding celebrations and sideline infractions.

10) Media Spin-Take away these guys vote and poll while we’re at it too, they are clueless and obviously only support whomever their employer has an interest in.

Top 10 Things That Defined The 2008 Season

1) The Spread Offense-Will be the answer to a trivia question someday.

2) The Horse Collar- Making it illegal made it a mainstream word.

3) The Big 12- Had the game of the year almost every week.

4) Tim Tebow’s Speech-Was good to his word after the loss to Ole Miss.

5) BCS Controversy-Part of every season it seems.

6) Tommy Bowden-The fraud finally held accountable, no wonder they started winning once he was gone.

7) Weeknight Games-Not just one here and there, multiple games almost every night.

Impact Freshman-They are playing right away everywhere, leaving even faster.

9) Weather Postponed Games-Seems to be happening more and more.

10) ESPN-I don’t watch their pregame or postgame stuff but from what I’ve learned what they say seems to be more important than what happens on the field.

Top 10 Impact Freshmen of 2008

1) Julio Jones-All he was billed to be and then some.

2) Sean Spence-Hits like a Mack Truck.

3) AJ Green-Even made Matt Stafford look good from time to time.

4) Janoris Jenkins-May have been what was missing for the Gators.

5) Robert Griffin-Mr. Excitement.

6) Terrelle Pryor-Will he bring the Buckeyes a title?

7) Jacquizz Rodgers-Would anyone complain if I put him No. 1?

Kellen Moore-Didn’t look like a freshman.

9) DeAndre Brown-If he’s at a bigger school more people know who he is.

10) Marcus Forston-Going to be a force.

Top 10 Ways I Plan On Fighting College Football Withdrawal

1) Working on my book-I don’t think this will make me rich but that isn’t the point of it.

2) Expanding my site into a network of Sports Sites-Exciting stuff already in the works; NFL, MLB, CBB, NBA, NHL, etc., going to have it all.

3) Interviewing Writers-Going to need a lot of fresh content, can’t do it myself.

4) Working with my Tech Guy-I don’t know anything about this stuff but I’ve seen the mock ups for the new sites and get ready for some jaw dropping stuff.

5) Integrating more with my Blogging community-Things have happened so fast I’ve put off a lot of requests.

6) Take a vacation-I’ve been going full speed for months on end.

7) Get back in good shape-I’ve spent a lot of time sitting and eating the past few months, time to work it off.

Learn how to text message-Been on my list for years, not really that interested.

9) Clear off the TIVO-No idea how long that stuff will stay but I haven’t watched most of it.

10) Relax-Something I probably don’t do enough.

10 Things I Learned When I Converted My Newsletter To A Blog

1) Spammers are everywhere-I get a spam comment every six minutes on average; very thankful for spam blocking software.

2) College Football fans are everywhere-I read every email and comment, sometimes over 500 a week; thanks for all of them (at least  most of them).

3) Having a community is a great thing- I enjoy having hundreds of thousands of people to talk college football with.

4) There are some mean people out there-Some ignorant and spineless ones as well.

5) There are websites built on stolen content-And they don’t credit the author or the source either.

6) There are a lot of people who know a lot about college football-Pretty amazing how regional coverage really works.

7) Traffic is the most important thing-You can be a great writer or picker or whatever but if no one reads it what’s the point.

Most people prefer facts and analysis-While my 10 top 10’s is my most popular Bleacher Report series, it is far and away the least popular series as far as traffic at The College Football Place.

9) If you build it and provide quality, they will come-I went from a standing start to over 350,000 monthly visitors in five months, I thank everyone for being part of it all.

10) Short is sweet-I know my videos are too long, at least my paragraphs aren’t what they used to be; the Internet reader is a different breed.

10 Odd Things In College Football

1) Firing Tommy Tubberville-It’s been a week and I still don’t get it.

2) Hiring Gene Chizik-Not sure if he’s Head Coach material, his Iowa State team didn’t look to be going in the right direction.

3) Contract extensions for Head Coaches-It seems these guys get one right before a horrible season.

4) People who pick games without point spreads-There’s a reason there are so many college football games that have double digit point spreads, this isn’t the NFL where anyone can really beat anyone.

5) The vote of confidence-Is it really the kiss of death?

6) What is a reviewable play-The worst calls aren’t reviewable because no one could have dreamed up they would have happened.

7) No Coach accountability for players who get in trouble-Don’t they promise parents to take care of their kids?

A win against a 1-AA team counts as much as beating a ranked team-When did this happen? Teams were always penalized for these games.

9) Some conferences have championships and others don’t-Is this record padding?

10) There is less talk of a playoff than ever-Everyone seems to be afraid of upsetting someone.

Visit Mitch anytime at The College Football Place

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Archie’s Mark Is Safe….At Least For This Year

Oklahoma Red-Shirt Sophomore, QB Sam Bradford, has won the 2008 Heisman Trophy! This means that Tim Tebow was denied becoming the second player ever to win two of College Football’s most prestigious awards, thus keeping Archie Griffin’s phenominal accomplishment safe. Thank You Ohio Native Bob Stoops and Sam Bradford for keeping Archie’s legend alive! Boomer Sooner!

photo courtesy of ESPN

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Tim Tebow: One of a Kind, but What Kind?

Even the most avid Florida Gator hater will agree that Tim Tebow has had an outstanding college football career.  His 55-touchdown campaign in 2007 was historic and the possibility of a national championship in this, his second Heisman-nominated season, will only cement his legacy.

 

Whether that legacy will make the leap to the NFL is still up for debate. 

 

Those who see Tebow as an overrated “system” quarterback and the product of an over-hyped media machine have him penciled in as a guaranteed bust in the pros. 

 

Those who are swimming in the Tebow Kool-Aid see him as the future superstar gunslinger of the NFL.   

 

Moderate wisdom might have him fall somewhere between the two. 

 

The question of Tebow’s perceived potential in the NFL is not just on the minds of college football fans but the Gator quarterback himself. 

 

Tebow told the Orlando Sentinel this week that he plans to petition the NFL draft advisory committee on his projected draft status should he decide to forego his senior season and enter professional football. 

 

Critics of Tebow say he lacks the footwork to excel in the pocket on an NFL field.  His release is too slow and deliberate, and although he’s had some success with the deep ball, he has profited more from his receivers than his own talent.

 

Proponents for Tebow say he has too many intangibles to think he won’t make it in the NFL.  His work ethic, leadership, and personal character can’t be overlooked and his ability to win football games consistently can’t be underestimated. 

 

Tebow’s 21 wins as a starter are on par with Scott Frost, who won 24 games from 1996 to 1997 with the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Like Tebow, Frost was exceptionally accurate with the ball, completing a school-record 155 passes without an interception. 

 

Unlike Frost, however, Tebow threw for 60 touchdowns in that two year span; Frost, just 18. 

 

Like Tebow, Troy Smith has a national championship ring and a Heisman Trophy. While Smith’s passing numbers in his final year with Ohio State are very similar to Tebow’s this past season, Tebow’s rushing stats are nearly double that of Smith. 

 

Tebow is also significantly larger than Smith: three inches in height, and 25 pounds in weight.

 

Comparisons to Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger begin and end with their size.  Roethlisberger and Tebow each weigh roughly 240 pounds, with Tebow giving about two inches of height to Roethlisberger.

 

Roethlisberger’s arm, however, is much stronger than Tebow’s while Tebow has proven to be more successful running the ball than the relatively mobile Roethlisberger. 

 

His ability on both the ground and in the air is reminiscent of Michael Robinson, Penn State’s 2005 quarterback.  Tebow was more efficient than Robinson, however, throwing nearly twice as many touchdowns, half the interceptions, and completing fifteen percent more of his passes. 

 

Robinson was converted into a running back in the NFL, something that has been suggested of Tebow.  NFL Draft pundits Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both have predicted that Tebow might end up a tight end/halfback hi-breed in the NFL. 

 

Following a serious knee injury, Blue Chip quarterback Dan Kendra made the switch to fullback midway through his time at Florida State.  Kendra’s arm, running ability and size (6’2”, 255 pounds) are very similar to Tebow.  Kendra, however, was a second-string fullback at best, and never made it to the NFL.

 

The aforementioned Scott Frost, drafted in the third round by the New York Jets, was converted into a defensive back and had an unimpressive six-year career in the NFL.

 

Previous college quarterbacks to successfully make a position switch in the NFL include Antwaan Randle El, Drew Bennett, Matt Jones, and Brad Smith; none of whom would be confused for Tim Tebow in a police lineup.   

 

Some scouts see Tebow filling a role as a Mike Alstott-type goal line back or a Chris Cooley-type tight end.  Alstott and Cooley, however, played the same positions in the pros as they did in college and never had to endure a switch.  Tebow would need to significantly improve his run blocking abilities if he were to make it at either position.

 

Even Urban Meyer’s previous quarterbacks can’t provide a hint to the future.  Tebow is nothing like Josh Harris, who played under Meyer at Bowling Green, Alex Smith, who excelled under Meyer at Utah, or Chris Leak, who Tebow succeeded at Florida. 

 

Love him or hate him, Tim Tebow has proven he’s one of a kind.  Only time will tell what kind that is.

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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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