Primetime College Football: Chick-fil-A Bowl
TALENT
The 42nd Chick-fil-A Bowl will see Virginia Tech Hokies from the ACC take on the Tennessee Volunteers from the SEC at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Virginia Tech is hoping to clinch a 10-win season for the sixth consecutive year, and that would be a tremendous accomplishment to say the least. The team is 9-3 overall this season, including a 5-2 mark against ACC competition. The Hokies are just 8-14 all-time in bowl games, and head coach Frank Beamer is 7-9 in bowl games after winning last years Orange Bowl.
Virginia Tech is led by standout freshman tailback Ryan Williams, who has run for a school and ACC freshman record 1,538 yards this season. He needs 110 yards against Tennessee to break the school’s single-season rushing record set by Kevin Jones in 2003. Williams has 20 total touchdowns, including 19 rushing scores. The Hokies are generating 31 ppg on the strength of 388.3 total ypg. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor has connected on 55.8 percent of his throws for 2,102 yards and 13 touchdowns against 4 interceptions and rushed for 344 yards and 4 scores. Jarrett Boykin paces the club with 36 catches for 715 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Virginia Tech’s defense is limiting opponents to 15 ppg and 300.1 total ypg. Opposing quarterbacks have completed fewer than 50 percent of their passes against Tech, which has permitted a mere 8 touchdowns through the air and 9 rushing scores have been allowed. Cody Grimm has recorded 99 total tackles and forced 7 fumbles.
Tennessee owns a 25-22 all-time record in bowl games and is playing in the Chick-fil-A Bowl for the fifth time in school history and first since back-to-back appearances following the 2002 and 2003 seasons. The Vols are 1-3 in the Atlanta-based bowl, and they enter this game with a 7-5 overall record and 4-4 in the SEC.
Lane Kiffin’s Volunteers are scoring 30 ppg this season while generating 395.4 total ypg. Jonathan Crompton passed for 2,565 yards and 26 touchdowns while Gerald Jones caught 41 passes for 610 yards. Denarius Moore has 6 receiving touchdowns. Tennessee has a true workhorse back in Montario Hardesty, who has rushed for 1,306 yards and 12 touchdowns, carrying the ball 264 times.
On the defensive side of the ball, Tennessee is holding opponents to 21.0 ppg and 308.8 total ypg. The Vols have been outstanding against the pass, yielding a mere 9.5 yards per completion and just 5 touchdowns have been registered by opposing quarterbacks. Rico McCoy is a hard-hitting linebacker for the Vols, and he has made a team- high 112 tackles this season to go along with 5 forced fumbles. ALL-SGE-NCAA Football Team member Eric Berry is an outstanding safety that is the active NCAA leader and stands second in NCAA history with 494 interception return yards.
Tennessee owns a 5-2 lead over Virginia Tech in a series that dates back to 1896. The most recent meeting took place in 1994, a 45-23 triumph by the Vols.
PICK: University of Tennessee Volunteers
Primetime College Football: Insight Bowl
TALENT
The 21st annual Insight Bowl will see for the third time in four seasons the Minnesota Golden Gophers as they take on the Iowa State Cyclones in Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium.
The Gophers fell to Kansas last season, 42-21 in this bowl, and were also defeated by Texas Tech 44-41 in overtime back in 2006. Overall Minnesota is just 5-8 in bowl games and has dropped its last three postseason contests. The last time Minnesota captured a victory in a bowl game was in 2004 when the Gophers slipped past Alabama, 20-16, in the Music City Bowl. 2009 was an inconsistent season for Minnesota, which finished with a mere 6-6 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten.
The Golden Gophers did very little offensively all season long and tallied just 295.8 total ypg on the season, and that lead to a mediocre 21 ppg. The ground game struggled and the team averaged a meager 97.6 ypg on 2.9 yards per carry, ranking 112th in the country. Daune Bennett scored 6 rushing touchdowns on the season, but the tailback rushed for just 376 yards, while Kevin Whaley added 325 yards and 2 scores on 4.2 yards per attempt. The passing attack was not much better for the Gophers, as the team threw for just 198.2 ypg during the regular season. Adam Weber was inconsistent completing just 51.6 percent of his throws. Weber totaled just 2,321 yards in the air and tossed just 12 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. The only reliable target for Weber has been Eric Decker, who led the team with 50 receptions, 758 yards and 5 touchdowns but he is listed as questionable due to a sprain foot.
Tim Brewster’s Gophers come into this matchup allowing 24 ppg, but struggles against the pass and the run. Opponents have thrown for 217.4 ypg against the Gophers, and stopping the run has been an even bigger problem for Minnesota, as the team is being gashed for 146.7 ypg on the ground and has also allowed 18 rushing touchdowns. Lee Campbell has racked up 112 tackles and 9.5 for a loss. Nate Triplett has 96 tackles.
The Cyclones also finished with a mere 6-6 overall record and 3-5 in the Big 12. This is the 10th bowl appearance for Iowa State, and the first for the team since 2005. The Cyclones have dropped seven of their nine bowl matchups, but one of their two victories came in the 2000 Insight Bowl, as Iowa State defeated Pittsburgh, 37-29.
Paul Rhoads Cyclones have been mediocre at best offensively, finishing the regular season averaging a mere 21 ppg. The rushing attack has been successful turning out 177.3 ypg. Alexander Robinson has rumbled for 1,058 yards and 6 touchdowns on the season, while quarterback Austen Arnaud has contributed with 485 yards and 7 rushing scores on the ground but only throwing for 1,799 yards, tossing 13 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. The Cyclones at times use San Antonio’s Robert E. Lee High Schools Jerome Tiller to pass the ball. Marquis Hamilton has been the most reliable wideout hauling in 46 receptions for 574 yards and 4 touchdowns while Jake Williams has scored 4 times on 320 yards.
Iowa State has held the opposition to just 22 ppg on the season while surrendering a whopping 414.3 total ypg. Iowa State was gashed for 169.3 ypg on the ground, and against the pass the team was even worse, allowing 245.0 ypg through the air including 22 touchdowns. On the season the Cyclones have collected 14 interceptions and have also recovered 16 fumbles. Jesse Smith has racked up a team-high 128 tackles and Christopher Lyle has 11 tackles for loss and 4 sacks.
The Golden Gophers hold a commanding 22-2-1 edge over Iowa State in the all- time series, but over the past 85 years these two schools have only collided three times. All three matchups went in favor of Minnesota, including the last meeting in 1997 when the Golden Gophers pounded Iowa State, 53-29.
PICK: Iowa State University Cyclones
Primetime College Football: Texas Bowl
TALENT
The 4th annual Texas Bowl will see the Navy Midshipmen and Missouri Tigers meet up for the first time in 49 years in Houston at Reliant Stadium. The two teams are meeting for the third time and the first since the Tigers notched a 21-14 victory in the 1961 Orange Bowl. The only other encounter took place in 1948 and Missouri won that clash as well by a 35-14 score in Annapolis.
Gary Pinkel’s Tigers finished strong en route to an 8-4 overall record and 4-4 the Big 12. This is the program’s fifth consecutive bowl game and 27th all-time. The Tigers are 12-14 all-time in bowl games.
Missouri prefers to air the ball out, averaging 285.0 passing ypg with quarterback Blaine Gabbert flourishing in his first season as the starter throwing for 3,302 yards, with 23 scores against only 7 picks while rushing for 228 yards and 3 more touchdowns. ALL-SGE-NCAA Football Team member Danario Alexander has emerged as Gabbert\’s main option and one of the best in the nation. After making just 78 catches over his first three seasons, Alexander hauled in 107 catches for a nation-high 1,644 yards and 13 touchdowns this year. Alexander saved his best for late in the season as well, notching 49 receptions for 802 yards and six scores over his last four games. In the backfield, Derrick Washington has made the most of his chances this season and he leads the Tigers with 803 yards and 10 scores on the ground.
The Tigers have struggled versus the pass this season, allowing 261.6 ypg, but against the run, Missouri has been one of the best teams in the nation, holding opponents to just 96.4 ypg and only 2.9 yards per carry. The Tigers have come up with 30 sacks and that has led to 237 yards lost. Aldon Smith is the team’s top pass rushing threat, racking up 11 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss. Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon is another big part of this defense and he has made a team-high 104 tackles and 14 for a loss to go along with 4.5 sacks.
For the Midshipmen, they are looking for their first 10-win season since 2004 following a 9-4 showing during the regular season. Navy is making an academy- record seventh consecutive bowl appearance and the team is seeking its first postseason win since defeating Colorado State in the 2005 Poinsettia Bowl.
Behind their option attack, Navy once again ranks among the top rushing teams in the nation, gaining 272.5 ypg and 40 touchdowns on the ground this season. Quarterback Ricky Dobbs makes this ground game go and he has turned in quite a season thus far. The junior gunslinger has gained 1,037 yards on the ground and has already set an NCAA single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 24. Dobbs has thrown for 5 more scores. Vince Murray is another option for the Navy attack who has 925 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Navy’s defense has been rather good this season and the unit even played well down the stretch, holding its last four opponents to 21 points or less. For the season, the Midshipmen are holding foes to 19 ppg and 333.6 total ypg. The unit is giving up 126.5 ypg on the ground and 207.1 ypg through the air and those numbers are pretty respectable. Ken Niumatalolo’s Midshipmen however, have only forced 20 turnovers and recorded just 18 sacks.
Ross Pospisil highlights the defense with 98 stops, including seven for losses. Wyatt Middleton and San Antonio’s Taft Ram Vela are two other players to keep a look out for, as they have combined for 6 of the team’s 11 interceptions.
PICK: Navy Midshipmen
Primetime College Football: Brut Sun Bowl
TALENT
The 75th annual Sun Bowl will see the Oklahoma Sooners take on the Stanford Cardinals which will take place in El Paso, Texas.
Oklahoma is making its 43rd bowl appearance, and the program is 24-17-1 all- time in the postseason. Last season the club lost the BCS National Championship game to Florida, the fifth loss in the last six bowl appearances for the Sooners. This year’s Bob Stoops Sooners enter with a 7-5 overall and 5-3 in the Big 12.
The Sooners are led by Landry Jones and the Sooners are averaging 31 ppg and 419.4 total ypg, while completing 58.0 percent of his passes for 2,780 yards and 23 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. Ryan Broyles leads the Sooners with 76 catches for 964 yards and 12 touchdowns. The ground attack is paced by Chris Brown who has posted 703 yards and 7 scores. DeMarco Murray, who has 678 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Defensively Oklahoma has been tremendous, as opponents are averaging a low 13 ppg and 273.5 total ypg. Teams are only gaining a mere 88.6 rushing ypg at an average of 2.7 yards per carry against the stout defensive front, and the Sooners are surrendering only 9.9 yards per pass completions with 16 interceptions against 11 passing scores allowed.
Stanford is making its 21st bowl appearance and first since 2001. The program is 9-10-1 all-time in the postseason and hasn’t tasted postseason victory since 1996. Coach Jim Harbaugh’s group finished the 2009 regular season with an 8-4 mark and 6-3 in the Pac-10.
Stanford tailback Toby Gerhart was named ALL-SGE-NCAA Football Team member and finished second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. The bruising runner has had an incredible year, leading the nation with 26 rushing scores to set a school and conference single-season record. Gerhart has rushed for 1,736 yards at a clip of 5.6 yards per attempt, and the fact that he carried it 311 times in 12 games speaks to his workhorse status.
The Cardinal are generating 36 ppg and 441.4 total ypg, and while the running game is certainly the team’s strength, freshman quarterback Andrew Luck provided balance connecting 56.2 percent of his passes for 2,575 yards and 13 touchdowns against 4 picks, a finger injury may keep him out and if so they will be forced to go with backup Tavita Pritchard. Ryan Whalen leads the club with 54 catches for 861 yards, while Chris Owusu has scored 5 times on 36 grabs.
Defensively, Stanford is allowing 26 ppg and 396.5 total ypg, permitting 38 touchdowns to opposing offenses and 20 have come through the air while only pulling in 7 interceptions. Thomas Kaiser leads the Cardinal with 14.5 tackles for loss including nine sacks, and Delano Howell is tops with 76 total tackles.
Oklahoma owns a 3-1 series lead over Stanford, and the teams haven’t met in a quarter century.
PICK: University of Oklahoma Sooners
Primetime College Football: Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
TALENT
It’s the 7th annual Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl and it will see for the second year in a row the Houston Cougars take on Air Force Falcons in Fort Worth, Texas. Last year the Cougars secured a 34-28 win against Air Force in this event.
Coach Kevin Sumlin has an offensive juggernaut at Houston scoring no less than 29 points in any one game and averaging 43 ppg to rank second in the nation by mere fractions of a point behind Boise State. Four times the Cougars posted at least 50 points in a game, the high-water mark coming against the Rice Owls on November 28th in a lopsided 73-14 final in the last home game bringing them to 10-3 overall and 6-2 in Conference USA. The Cougars have an 8-10-1 record in the postseason.
The Falcons return to this event for the fourth straight year thanks to a 7-5 overall record and a 5-3 mark in the Mountain West Conference. Coach Troy Calhoun becomes the first coach in school history to take his team to a bowl game in his first three years. However, Air Force has dropped three straight bowls and is now 8-10-1 in such games.
Houston junior Case Keenum was one of the most productive players in all of college football this season and is already the all-time leader in pass completions for the Cougars with 1,052, throwing for at least 300 yards in 25 games. Four times this season alone Keenum threw for at least 500 yards, leading the nation with 5,581 passing yards. First in the nation in total offense with an average of 429.3 ypg, Keenum threw 43 touchdowns and was picked off just 9 times in 659 attempts. Even though this is a pass first offense James Cleveland is the best on the team and one of the best in the nation grabbing 9.2 receptions per game. Five times this season Cleveland had at least 100 yards in a game.
The Cougars were ranked 111th in the nation in run defense with 213.1 ypg allowed. The pass defense permitted another 229.6 ypg, which meant the squad was allowing 442.7 ypg overall, ranking them 108th in the country, surrendering 28 ppg.
Air force uses two signal-callers Tim Jefferson and Connor Dietz but rank last in the Mountain West Conference and 118th in the country with a scant 82.3 ypg in passing. The offense turns to Jared Tew, Asher Clark and Savier Stephens to do the bulk of the work generated by the vaunted triple-option. Tew led the program with 797 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground, while Clark accounted for 736 yards and 5 scores, followed by Stephens and his 417 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The Falcons defense ranks first in the nation in passing yards allowed with a mere 148.7 ypg and is 10th in total defense, permitting just 284.8 ypg. Ben Garland made 44 tackles this season and finished with 10.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. The Falcons rank third in the nation with a plus-1.42 turnovers per outing, mostly because the offense rarely put the ball in the air and defenses had very few opportunities to pick off passes.
This game marks the third-ever meeting between these two programs, all of them coming in the last 16 months. The very first encounter was during the second week of September, 2008 when Air Force slipped by with a 31-28 victory in Dallas when the teams were forced to change the location of the game due to the arrival of Hurricane Ike in the Houston area.
PICK: University of Houston Cougars
WTF: Manny Pacquiao
Tattoo Needles Puncture The Skin Between 50 and 3,000 Times Per Minute
Is Floyd Mayweather onto something? I thought I heard Manny Pacquiao’s camp say he doesn’t like needles. So WTF Manny!
Adam James Trapped In The Closet
Why does Adam go on to speak like the kid from “Sixth Sense”
Sports Grind Entertainment’s Wednesday Dec. 30 Show
Are You?
Out on your grind and happen to miss the show? We understand and we’ve got you covered, just click on the link below to listen to a replay of today’s show.
Primetime College Football: Pacific Life Holiday Bowl
TALENT
In a rematch of the 1998 Holiday Bowl, Arizona Wildcats clash with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 32nd edition of this event at Qualcomm Stadium.
The Wildcats have enjoyed a terrific campaign, although it had the potential to be even better. Arizona showed its resiliency and finished the regular season with two straight wins, including a 21-17 triumph at USC. This is Arizona’s 15th all-time bowl appearance and its second in a row under head coach Mike Stoops. The Wildcats are 6-7-1 all-time in such games following a 31-21 win over BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl last season.
For the Huskers, they were just moments away from shocking the nation and playing in a BCS Bowl. Instead, Nebraska faltered in the final moments and watched Texas boot a 46-yard field goal on the last play of a 13-12 loss in the Big 12 title game. Despite the setback, the Huskers gained a lot of credibility for that effort, if their 9-4 record wasn’t enough already. Nebraska will be making its 46th all-time appearance in a bowl game, owning a 23-22 mark in such bouts. Last season, the Huskers participated in the Gator Bowl and they defeated Clemson, 26-21, in that game.
Nick Foles took over the starting job at quarterback earlier in the season and that move paid immediate dividends for the Wildcats. The sophomore gunslinger played like a veteran and completed 66.0 percent of his pass attempts, with 19 touchdowns against just eight picks. It didn’t hurt that Foles was well protected either, as Arizona gave up just nine sacks. Juron Criner, a 6-4 wideout, uses his size well and was one of Foles’ main targets with 43 receptions, 580 yards and nine touchdowns on the season. Mike Stoops Wildcats are by no means a one-dimensional team, as the ground game is churning out 168.3 ypg behind a 5.0 yard per carry average. Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin have combined for 1,127 yards and nine scores on the ground and they can rip off chunks of yards at time. Grigsby however, is listed as questionable for this game with a shoulder injury.
Arizona’s defense has been good for the most part this season and ranks 21st nationally in yards allowed, surrendering 315.8 ypg. The unit has given up two touchdowns or fewer in four out its last five games and is permitting just 23.2 ppg for the season. The Wildcats have done a better job versus the run (112.1 ypg) than the pass (203.9 ypg), and they have fared well in generating 34 sacks. The unit though, has only forced 19 turnovers, with 12 of them coming on interceptions. Trevin Wade tops the rosters in interceptions with five and he has also made 66 stops. Earl Mitchell and Ricky Elmore are two players to keep an eye out for up front, as they have combined for 17 sacks and 24 tackles for loss.
Offensively, Bo Pelini Cornhuskers have struggled this season, averaging a measly 317.2 total ypg. The team had issues down the stretch as well, as the offense was held below 270 yards in four of the squad’s final five outings. Tailback Roy Helu Jr. is the most important player to the offense. Helu Jr. rushed for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns during the regular season and figures to see a bulk of the work in this game. The ground game has had to be good this season, as quarterback Zac Lee has struggled with consistency. Lee threw for just 13 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, while completing 58.8 percent of his tosses. Niles Paul is the main threat in the passing game and he leads the team with 36 catches and 673 receiving yards.
On the defensive side of the ball is where the Huskers have stood out, ranking second nationally in scoring defense (11.2 ppg) and ninth in total defense (284.5 ypg). Texas had been averaging 451.6 ypg and 43.0 ppg.The Huskers have been dominant against the run, yielding 95.5 ypg, and every bit as good against the pass, surrendering 189.1 ypg. The defense can also make the big play, racking up 19 interceptions to go with a whopping 42 sacks.
Highlighting the defense is Ndamukong Suh, a 6-4 defensive tackle that finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy race and took home several awards. A unanimous First-Team All-American, Suh was a force all season and he led the team with 82 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. He made an even bigger name for himself in the Big 12 title game, when he racked up 12 tackles and 4.5 sacks despite facing double teams all game long.
This is the third time these two schools are meeting on the gridiron and the first since Arizona scored a 23-20 win over Nebraska in the 1998 Holiday Bowl. The teams played to a 14-14 tie in the first meeting, which took place in 1961.
PICK: University of Nebraska Cornhuskers
UPDATE: Where Have You Gone Freddy Adu?
M.I.A. Again
Back on August 25, I wrote a post about where had Freddy Adu gone with a followup a few days later after he was loaned to Belenenses Eagles was completed, today some more sad news has hit the once promising career of Adu. The Portuguese club just cut him and is headed back to Benfica, the club that twice sent him off on loan. The move comes after new Belenenses coach Toni has decided to get rid of Adu and Brazilian Igor.
Adu, for his part, says “dont worry” on his Twitter account.
It’s time to worry as Adu has made three appearances for the last-place team in the 10th-best European domestic league and was then cut as dead weight.
As previously written Adu sure wishes it was 2004 all over again, at that time he was on almost every sports magazine cover, doing television segments, basically introducing himself to the non soccer fan. He became the youngest player ever drafted in the United States at the age of fourteen, when he was selected by D.C. United in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. Adu’s stock was at an all time high, as many pegged him to be the future face of American soccer for many years to come.
Many viewed him as the one with all the tools, technical ability, physical maturity, and instincts. As of yet that hasn’t happened. He’s currently trying to get a loan move, his most recent attempt, a season long loan to Danish club Odense BK fell through over wage demands last week. S.L. Benfica wants his loan destination to pay for his whole wage bill; Odense BK declined.
Adu’s been told by Bob Bradley that he needs to play regularly for a club to get even a sniff at a national team call up. His club isn’t going to play him, and there’s only a week left in the transfer market; with Jozy Altidore, Charlie Davies, and Kenny Cooper all managing to both play and impress abroad. Davies has already scored more goals in his three appearances with Sochaux than Adu’s has ever scored for any of the European clubs he’s played with. Adu is got to find a club willing to take on his wages and play him, or his chances of getting a call up to the World Cup in serious jeopardy.
Just years ago numerous clubs would have jumped at the opportunity but today, that list is extremely short. The salary is the main issue. In many leagues, there’s a minimum salary requirement for non-EU players. Any team wanting to bring Adu in will have to pay him somewhere around $10,000 a week, which is far more than he’s valued at. Adu’s left with few options seeing he can’t get a work permit in England an S.L. Benfica wont ever play him.
BLOCK CITY: Your Victim-Kobe Bryant
Ronny Turiaf, you have been charged with the crime of Representin.
And the verdict is Guilty.
ESPN Hires USC’s Pete Carroll
Jerk Move
ESPN has hired USC head coach Pete Carroll to serve as an analyst for the BCS Championship Game. Carroll will also appear on College Gameday, a few SportsCenters and of course all of ESPN coverage of the Texas-Alabama game at the Rose Bowl.
This is the first season since Carroll intial year with the Trojans he has not coached in a BCS Bowl game and it will allow him to explore such adventures. Carroll and the Trojans are coming off 24-13 victory of Boston College in the Emerald Bowl. He will offer his insight on the pressure of playing in a National Championship Game and at the Rose Bowl, as well as coaching against Texas coach Mack Brown.
Carroll will appear on the ESPN set at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on the evening editions of SportsCenter Wednesday, Jan. 6; a special one-hour College GameDay Thursday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m.; National Championship pre-game and halftime shows on ABC beginning at 8 p.m.; and for ESPN’s SportsCenter post-game coverage following the game.
Mike Leach Fired From Texas Tech University
The Pirate's Ship Has Sunk
According to former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach’s attorney Ted Liggett, he has been fired by the University.
Liggett made the announcement outside a Lubbock courthouse today following his meeting with Judge Bill Sowder and Texas Tech officials in the Sowder’s chambers. Liggett says the letter says Leach is “terminated with cause effective immediately.”
According to the letter, Leach is in violation of Article Four of his contract. That’s the performance clause, which deals with the health and welfare of players.
The firing comes one day before Leach was to receive an $800,000 completion bonus from Texas Tech.
Leach led the Red Raiders to the best season in program history last year, going 11-2, but he and the university were at odds for months over negotiations for a contract extension. In February, Leach and the school agreed to a five-year, $12.7 million deal that would have kept him in Lubbock through 2013.
This announcement comes days before the Red Raiders plays the Michigan State Spartans in San Antonio in the Alamo Bowl. The firing is the second to come in the Big 12 involving coaches and their treatment of players, the first was University of Kansas Jayhawks Mark Mangino who verbally abused some of his former players and now Leach who had an ongoing investigation regarding the treatment of ESPN Craig James son Adam after a concussion.
WTF: Aggie Fan
Setting The People Of Texas Back
Aggie fan you can’t go out in public and you especially cant cross the state line into Louisiana looking like this, I don’t care how cold it was at the Independence Bowl. You are giving the people of Texas a bad name.
Oh and thanks for that beatdown you received by the Georgia Bulldogs that was just a waste of television programming.
A Tour Of Adam Jones Confinement Area
Did you know that his father former SMU great and current ESPN analyst is still scheduled to be an announcer during the Alamo Bowl on January 2?
I think this is in bad taste of ESPN keeping James who is now part of the story on for this game.
Oh and that’s right Pete Christy, you should apologize to Christy Moreland for your appearance!
University Of Alabama Lowers Admissions So Athletes Can Play
Big Al Wants To Win
The Associated Press did a review nearly all of the 120 schools in college football on their admissions data submitted to the NCAA found that blue chip athletes attending some of the countries major schools allowed admission requirement waived or altered so they could play football.
That doesn’t come as a surprise but what is that it’s found in every major conference and the review identified at least 27 schools where athletes were at least 10 times more likely to benefit from special admission programs than students in the general population.
That group includes Alabama where 19 football players got in as part of a special admissions program from 2004 to 2006, the most recent years available in the NCAA report. While
Texas was one of 7 schools that reported no use of special admissions but the Longhorns did acknowledged that athletic recruits overall are less prepared where the average SAT score for a freshman football player from 2003 to 2005 was 945 – or 320 points lower than the typical first-year student’s score on the entrance exam.
In all, 77 of the 92 universities that provided information reported using special admissions waivers to land athletes and other students with particular talents.
Tiger Woods Wonders Why Jordan-Sheen Comericals Still Are Airing
Speak Up Hanes
We all have sat around and fantasied about being Charlie Sheen at times especially after just seeing a Michael Jordan-Sheen Hanes commercial. Who hasn’t had that fantasy about being an alcoholic, multi-marriages to crazy chicks, cocaine over dosing actor that still gets paid like your making 1980 classic’s like “Red Dawn” or “Wall Street” and for fun of it throw in an occasional meeting with Jordan on set or on the golf course. Tell me you haven’t?
In recent weeks we have seen Tiger Woods have his sponsors bail on him or scale back for the time being because of his multi sexual escapades but what is Hanes to do with the Jordan-Sheen commercials now that Sheen has been arrested and accused of wielding a knife on his wife’s throat after she allegedly asked for a divorce in their Denver home? He’s facing charges of second-degree assault and criminal mischief.
Is Hanes going to continue to let Jordan-Sheen commercials air between my college bowl games? Exactly what is Hanes stance on this situation? Its time for the people at Hanes to put down the eggnog and at least address the fact that a spokesman for their product has been arrested for domestic violence.
It seems to me that Jordan might be the root Woods and Sheen’s problems, I kid. No seriously is he? How does one get initiated to Jordan circle? Cause I want in.
WTF: Bill Cosby
Really? Crocs?
I know there is some harsh critics out there about actor/comedian Bill Cosby but he Tony Bruno and John Caney (a personal fav of Temple alumni is Mark Macon) are probably the only recognizable figures out of Temple University. I can think back and remember watching The Cosby Show and seeing Bill wear Temple sweaters but this is just ridiculous. I mean come on, Bills wearing the worst invention in the world Crocs.
BLOCK CITY: Your Victim-Kobe Bryant
Robin Lopez, you have been charged with the crime of Representin.
And the verdict is Guilty.
Tracy McGrady Wants Out Of Houston
What Happened To All The Rings?
Tracy McGrady’s tenure with the Houston Rockets, which began in 2004 with predictions of multiple championships is likely over after six seasons of highlights, more than a 100 games missed, controversies and great but largely unrealized potential.
With McGrady coming off the bench in his return from knee surgery it seems that reduce minutes on his transition back into the lineup has bruised McGrady up a little and his representatives have asked that the Rockets trade the highest paid player in the league. McGrady is in the final year of his contract, earning $23 million salary this season.
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has agreed to try to trade McGrady according to McGrady’s representatives.
McGrady, 30, was granted an indefinite leave of absence while the Rockets seek a trade.
Primetime College Football: Champs Sports Bowl
TALENT
The 20th annual Champs Sports Bowl features the Miami Hurricanes making the short trip to Orlando to take on the Wisconsin Badgers at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium.
Miami’s Randy Shannon was able to lead the Hurricanes to a successful 9-3 showing overall and 5-3 in the ACC. Miami is just a victory shy of notching its first 10-win campaign since 2003. This is the program’s 35 all-time bowl game and the Miami is 19-15 in such contests. The Hurricanes are looking for their first bowl win since 2006 after a one-year absence from bowl play, the Hurricanes lost 24-17 to California in the Emerald Bowl last year.
Miami’s improvement this year is due in large part to the play of quarterback Jacory Harris, who is an emerging star. The sophomore quarterback threw for a healthy 3,164 yards and 23 touchdowns, but threw 17 interceptions. Leonard Hankerson is the team’s leading receiver and Harris favorite target pulling in 44 balls for 773 yards and 6 touchdowns. Miami’s ground attack is versatile and averaging a solid 144.4 ypg on the season. Graig Cooper leads the way with 666 yards, while Damien Berry is has accounted for 8 of the team’s 20 rushing touchdowns.
Defensively, the Hurricanes came on strong down the stretch and held three of their final four opponents to under 20 points. The Hurricanes have been stingy against the run this season, permitting only 118.3 ypg and 8 touchdowns on the ground. The knock on this unit is that the group doesn’t create enough big plays. Miami has forced 18 turnovers and recorded 23 sacks and those numbers are mediocre at best. Darryl Sharpton leads the defense in tackles with 91, while Allen Bailey is the team’s top pass rusher racking up 7 sacks and 11 tackles fo loss.
As for the Badgers, they enter the postseason with an identical 9-3 and 5-3 in the Big Ten record are also in search of their 10-win season since going 12-1 in 2006. In order for coach Bret Bielema’s Badgers to reach that mark, it will have to perform much better than it did in last year’s Champs Sports Bowl, when the team was pounded 42-13 by Florida State, overall this is Wisconsin’s 21st bowl appearance.
The Badgers push their way to 206.7 ypg on the ground. The punishing ground game has helped Wisconsin average 39 ppg over its last five outings and John Clay is the driving force behind this attack. Clay has rushed for 1,396 yards and he is responsible for 16 of the team’s 31 rushing scores. The dominant ground game has helped to take some pressure off quarterback Scott Tolzien who has responded by completing 63.6 percent of his pass attempts. Tolzien has thrown 16 touchdowns against 10 picks. Nick Toon is the top target through the air with 52 catches and 779 yards, and Garrett Graham is on the rise with 45 receptions and 7 touchdowns.
Wisconsin’s defense has been outstanding versus the run and is allowing just 90.5 ypg on the ground. Unfortunately the Badgers have issues though the air where Badgers have allowed 20 touchdowns and 219.9 ypg through the air. Wisconsin have recorded 32 sacks and leading the way is O’Brien Schofield, who has rolled up 10 sacks to go with 22.5 tackles for loss
The Hurricanes and Badgers are meeting for the fourth time on the gridiron, but the first since 1989. Miami owns a 2-1 edge in the series, including a 51-3 win in the last meeting. Wisconsin’s only win in the series came in 1958.
PICK: University of Miami Hurricanes
Eva & Tony Parker Perfom ‘Summer Nights’
Glad to see Tony picked up the phone and gave Ime Udoka a call.
