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junker-town · 5 years ago

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Meet the quarterbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft

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Joe Burrow is the headliner this year, but there are a lot of names to know.

The 2020 NFL Draft is fast approaching, and the next class of quarterbacks is looking to make its mark in the NFL. A lot of these prospects have some interesting backstories that will be highlighted throughout the NFL scouting process. This year’s group features the likes of a Heisman winner, a Senior Bowl MVP, a quarterback who won big at two different Power 5 programs, and players who tried renewing their careers at different schools.

Let’s get to know each quarterback that who was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine as they begin to take the next step in their football careers. We broke them up into three sections, with the prospects listed in alphabetical order.

The quarterbacks who will most likely be off the board first

Last year there were three QBs taken in the first round, and there were five in 2018. We’ll likely come somewhere within that range in 2020.

Joe Burrow, LSU

I don’t think you need an introduction for this guy, right? After winning the Heisman and national championship for the Tigers, Burrow has a case to be called the best college QB ever. He’s almost certainly headed to the Bengals with the No. 1 overall pick.

Fun fact: Burrow is from Ohio and hates Skyline Chili, which was invented in the city he’s probably going to be drafted to:

I knew I wasn’t trippin lol pic.twitter.com/XhaOdDzSHN

— George Iloka (@George_iloka) January 14, 2020

Justin Herbert, Oregon

Herbert could have been a first-round pick after his 2018 season with the Ducks. He threw for 3,151 yards and 29 touchdowns with eight interceptions that season. He came back instead, and Herbert threw for 320 more yards and three more touchdowns than he did the season before.

Herbert’s headed into the draft with a lot of momentum. He won the Senior Bowl Practice Player of the Week and MVP awards.

Fun fact: He’s super smart!

#Oregon QB Justin Herbert (30:00) did not deny he’s a bit of a nerd. The 4.01 GPA speaks to that. But will he miss school? “As long as I’m playing football, no,” he said on RapSheet + Friends. A look at the person teams would be drafting: https://t.co/yGplUseycG

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 14, 2020

Jordan Love, Utah State

Love made a name for himself during his breakout season in 2018, finishing in the top 10 in the nation in passing efficiency, passing touchdowns, and points responsible for. Although his 2019 numbers weren’t as good as the season prior — losing his offensive coordinator didn’t help — Love ended his Aggie career with a school-record 9,003 yards of total offense.

His combination of a deep-throw ability paired with the athleticism is enough for him to earn first-round buzz. LSU head coach Ed Orgeron said Love was “definitely a first-round pick” when discussing his skill set ahead of the Tigers’ game against Utah State last season.

Fun fact: Love plays a lot of Madden in his free time, and he thinks he can beat anyone he plays against in it.

Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

Tagovailoa finished his career as Alabama’s career passing touchdown leader with 87, and he holds the school record for touchdowns responsible for with 96. He did that even though he played just one full season as the starter, in 2018.

Tagovailoa suffered a hip injury near the end of Alabama’s 2019 season, but he should be ready to go by the time NFL training camp rolls around. He is also a left-handed quarterback, which the NFL hasn’t had as a regular starter since Michael Vick.

Fun fact: He can sing!

You guys asked for more here is part 2 of the @Tuaamann_ Concert Series pic.twitter.com/9F6D8BHmhc

— Michael Locksley (@CoachLocks) December 22, 2017

The next tier of passers you may have heard of

This group includes some familiar names. A couple of them have a chance to sneak into first or second round, or they could all be mid-rounders.

Jacob Eason, Washington

The former five-star recruit started as a true freshman for Georgia in 2016, but he was benched for Jake Fromm in 2017. Eason sat out a year and played his 2019 season at Washington, throwing for 3,132 yards and 23 touchdowns during the Huskies’ 8-5 season.

Fun fact: Eason’s nickname is “Skinny QB” that he coined after his dad gave him a short haircut.

Jake Fromm, Georgia

Fromm declaring for the draft was a bit of a surprise, given that his play wasn’t very consistent in 2019. Still, he finished his Georgia career fourth in school history with 8,224 career passing yards, and was 35-7 as a starter over three seasons. He led the Dawgs to a national championship berth in 2017 after defeating Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners in the Rose Bowl CFP semifinal.

Fun fact: In the summer of 2018, Fromm once suffered two accidents at a lake. The first one was a broken hand, the second when he got a fishing lure stuck in his damn leg!

Perhaps Fromm should stay away from lakes while he prepared for the draft, just sayin.

Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma

Hurts’ story is one of the most unique in college football. He was the starter at Alabama, during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. But in the second half of the 2017 CFP National Championship win against Georgia, he was benched for Tagovailoa and then was a backup in 2018. He did come in for an injured Tagovailoa in the SEC Championship Game to lead the Tide to a 35-28 comeback win, again over Georgia.

In 2019, he transferred to Oklahoma, where he had the best statistical year of his college career with 3,851 yards and 32 touchdowns through the air and 1,298 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground. He was the Heisman runner-up behind Burrow.

Fun Fact: Hurts took two teams to the College Football Playoff as a starter, with Alabama in 2017 and Oklahoma in 2019, and played in the Playoff all four years.

Last but not least, the possible sleepers

Most of these guys probably won’t be picked until Day 3, if they’re selected at all. They still could find their way on an NFL roster.

Kelly Bryant, Missouri

Bryant started his college career at Clemson, where he had to replace Deshaun Watson in 2017. He led the Tigers to the College Football Playoff that season but transferred in the middle of 2018 after then-true freshman QB Trevor Lawrence got the starting job. Bryant’s exit had a tinge of bad blood to it. He told reporters after announcing he was transferring that it “felt like a slap in the face” when he was benched for Lawrence.

Bryant spent 2019 at Missouri, where he threw for 15 touchdowns and six interceptions in an injury-plagued season.

Kevin Davidson, Princeton

Davidson started just one season for the Tigers in 2019, but he set a couple records. He became the first Princeton player with at least two games of five or more TD passes, and he’s first all-time in lowest interception percentage (6 in 374 passes). Davidson hangs out with Marshawn Lynch from time to time, whom he met when he was in high school.

Anthony Gordon, Washington State

Gordon started his college career at JUCO City College of San Francisco before redshirting at Washington State in 2016. SB Nation’s Dan Kadar called Gordon one of the Senior Bowl’s most interesting players:

Gordon started only a season for the Cougars while sitting behind walking meme Gardner Minshew. Gordon’s 2019 stats are eye-popping. He put up 5,579 yards and 48 touchdowns, with 570 yards and nine touchdowns alone coming against UCLA.

Brian Lewerke, Michigan State

In his three years as the Spartans’ starting QB, he finished with 9,548 yards of total offense, which ranks first in school history. A shoulder injury limited him in 2018, but he came back to throw a career-high 3,079 yards in 2019. He has a pretty impressive 40-yard dash time, too:

I’ve been working with some Quarterbacks the last few days as they prepare for their all-star games and the combine. Brian Lewerke is a promising prospect. Great athlete (4.61 40) who has a big arm. We’ve made some small changes to his motion and drop.@QB_Collective @WillHewlett pic.twitter.com/aQxMc9hyJh

— Sage Rosenfels (@SageRosenfels18) January 7, 2020

Jake Luton, Oregon State

Luton started his career at Idaho, where played in eight games as a redshirt freshman in 2015. He then transferred to Ventura CC before landing at Oregon State. Over three seasons, he played in just 23 games for the Beavers. The NCAA granted Luton a sixth year of eligibility for 2019, when he had career-best numbers, including 28 touchdowns to just three interceptions in 11 games.

Cole McDonald, Hawaii

McDonald started his last two seasons at Hawaii, leading the Rainbow Warriors to a 10-5 mark last season as a junior. He threw for 4,135 yards and had a 147.6 passer rating. But hands down the most important aspect of McDonald’s Hawaii career is how gloriously his hair progressed:

https://t.co/ozqZNmNiSu

— °°° K . C °°° (@ColeHunter520) September 29, 2019

Tragically, McDonald has since cut off his blond dreads. RIP.

Steven Montez, Colorado

Montez set 43 school records in his four-year career, and finished as Colorado’s all-time leader in total yards (10,609) and passing yards (9,467). Montez’s father, Alfred, spent one season in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders in 1996.

James Morgan, FIU

Morgan finished his Panther career breaking seven school records, including most passing touchdowns in a season (26) and the highest pass efficiency in a season (157.6).

He played at Bowling Green before transferring to FIU in 2018:

FIU QB James Morgan caught my eye at the Shrine this year — and he's got some really impressive throws on tape from his days at Bowling Green, too! pic.twitter.com/FAFgYSGRrp

— Kyle Crabbs (@GrindingTheTape) February 13, 2020

Shea Patterson, Michigan

Patterson was the No. 1 overall pro-style prospect from the class of 2016, and he began his career at Ole Miss. In 2017, he threw for 2,259 yards and 17 touchdowns, then transferred without penalty to Michigan after head coach Hugh Freeze was ousted in the summer of 2018. Over two seasons in Ann Arbor, Patterson passed for 5,661 and 45 touchdowns.

Nate Stanley, Iowa

Stanley started three seasons for Iowa and threw for 8,302 yards and 68 touchdowns throughout his career. He is one of two Hawkeye quarterbacks to have a 3-0 record in bowl games. Stanley mastered the QB sneak in college, averaging 3.6 yards per sneak at Iowa.

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mitchbeck · 6 years ago

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CANTLON'S CORNER: OFF-SEASON NEWS AND NOTES - VOLUME II

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - Much has gone on in the hockey world. In the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs, the best-of-five first-round series have mostly ended and there are a few surprises. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers won Game 4 in overtime 3-2 in Hershey to extend the series to a deciding Game 5 on Saturday night at the Webster Bank Arena. That game went to the Bears who advanced to the second round with a 3-2 OT win on a Brian Pinho goal. In game four, Oliver Wahlstrom scored his first pro goal at 1:13 of the third period to tie the game at two and Matt Lorito scored at 1:13 of overtime to claim the win offsetting ex-Pack Jayson Megna’s second period unassisted shorthanded goal and the first Hershey goal was scored by ex-pack Ryan Sproul. Kyle Burroughs paced the offense with two assists. Hershey will take on the Charlotte Checkers in a best of seven series starting Friday night. One series that didn’t last long, was the only sweep of the first-round as the Toronto Marlies continued its strong second half by eliminating the Rochester Americans. Ex-Pack, Chris Mueller led the way with five points. The Marlies will play the Cleveland Monsters who knocked off the Syracuse Crunch in four games with a 3-0 shutout on Thursday. The Monsters feature Simsbury native and Westminster Prep grad, Tommy Cross, and ex-Pack, Dan DeSalvo. San Diego eliminated the San Jose Barracuda in four games. The first game of the series that kicked off the Calder Cup playoffs was a wild 6-5 OT win for the Gulls in one of the craziest first periods you’ll ever see with six goals scored in 10 minutes and both starting goalies were pulled. Ex-Pack TJ Hensick scored the first goal of the AHL postseason and added an assist on the third goal as the Barracuda had a 3-0 lead after just 6:15 of play. The Gulls starter Kevin Boyle was pulled after just six shots on goal. The Gulls roared back to tie the game at three in a span of 3:08 forcing San Jose’s Antoine Bibeau to an early shower after just eight shots on goal. Former Beast of New Haven, Dallas Eakins, is the head coach with a pair of ex-Pack players from different era’s, David Urquhart and Sylvain Lefebvre are the assistant coaches and a third ex-Pack, J.F. Labbe is the Gulls goalie coach. Ironically, Bibeau was recalled the next day by the parent San Jose Sharks. The Gulls will play the Bakersfield Condors, winners over the Colorado Eagles in four games. The Iowa Wild defeated the Milwaukee Admirals in Five games defeating ex-Pack captain, Cole Schneider, and another ex-Pack, Vince Pedrie, also on the Milwaukee roster. The last game of the opening round was played Sunday between the Chicago Wolves and the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Red Wings top farm team features ex-Pack’s Dylan McIlrath, Matt Puempel, Matt Ford, Wade Megan (Salisbury Prep) and Dominic Turgeon, the nephew of former Whaler Sylvain Turgeon. PLAYER MOVES Ex-Pack Desmond Bergin signs with his fourth AHL team this year with the Cleveland Monsters. He spent most of the year with Adirondack (ECHL). His other AHL stops were; Providence, Milwaukee, Binghamton. The last player to wear a New Haven pro hockey jersey playing in an active top level league has retired. Ex-New Haven Knights (UHL) Hungarian forward, Arpad Mihaly, announced his retirement after playing for ASC Corona Brasov (Romania-MOL) after five years with the team. Nathan Lutz, a defenseman who played two playoff games for the Knights and who skated in the Canadian senior hockey league this year with the Porcupine Plains Blues (Saskatchewan) of the Wheatland Senior Hockey League (WSHL) (names not made up) is the last one who remains playing. It will be unknown until November when Canadian senior hockey regular season play commences, if Lutz, 41, will share the honor with Mihaly or become the last one. The last Nighthawk to play was Steve Moria at 50 in England and the last Beast of New Haven players to skate were Bryon Ritchie in Sweden and Herbert Vasiljves in Germany. Ex-Pack Chad Nehring leaves Fischtown (Germany-DEL) to Dusseldorfer EG (Germany-DEL) next season. Ex-Pack Tomas Zaborsky leaves Tappara (Finland-FEL) for SaiPa (Finland-FEL) next season. Travis Turnbull, the cousin of former Nighthawk, Randy Turnbull, goes from Iserlohn (Germany-DEL) to EHC Straubing (Germany-DEL). Ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger and New York Ranger, David Desharnais, goes from Avangard Omsk (Russia-KHL) to HC Fribourg-Gotteron (Switzerland-LNA). Two former Sound Tigers have hung up the skates, Peter MacArthur Adirondack (ECHL) and Tyler Barnes Worcester (ECHL). Francis Drolet (Salisbury Prep) played with HC Briancon (France Division-1) signs for summer hockey with Newcastle (Australia-AIHL) whose regular season begins next weekend. Cheshire’s Rob Malloy, the team captain, of Newcastle returns for his seventh AIHL campaign. Ex-CT Whale, Andreas Thuresson, signs with ERC Schwenniger (Germany-DEL) joining ex-Pack, Matt Carey, as an offseason signing for the 2019-20 season. IIHF World U-18 tournament is underway in Sweden as the US romped over Latvia 7-1 and in the quarterfinals shutout Finland 6-0 on Thursday. The US lost to the Russians on Saturday in one semifinal and in the other semi, Canada lost to Sweden. The United States won the Bronze medal after defeating Canada 5-2. The US team features goalie Spencer Knight (Darien), who picked up 21 saves in his first shutout. A former Avon Old Farms player committed to play at Boston College (HE) in the fall and will likely be selected in the first three rounds of the NHL Draft in Vancouver in June. His fellow Winged Beaver teammate, Trevor Zegras, BU bound in the fall helped set up a hat trick for the likely number one overall pick by New Jersey in Vancouver Jack Hughes in the win. Latvia’s assistant coach is the aforementioned former Beast of New Haven forward, Herbert Vasiljves. Latvia features Raimonds Vitolins, the youngest son of former New Haven Senator, Harijs Vitolins. Canada has Samuel Poulin, the son of former Hartford Whaler, Patrick Poulin, who skates for Val D’Or (QMJHL). In men’s action, the IIHF Division II Group B World Championship playing in Mexico City, Mexico one of the six teams, is Israel. Their head coach is former Whaler and Ranger, Robert (Bobby) Holik. Holik also coached their Division 2 Group B World Junior and the U-18 team this season as well. The countries in their pool were Iceland, the nation of Georgia (great logo), New Zealand and North Korea. The IIHF Division III tournament is in Sofia, Bulgaria has Turkmenistan, Luxembourg, Turkey, host Bulgaria, Taiwan (Chinese Tapei), and South Africa who features Charl Pretorius who was the first South African to play in the US minor leagues with Elmira (FHL) after finishing collegiate hockey at Division III Nazareth College (UCHC). The IIHF Division III Qualifying tourney was held in Dubai and host UAE (United Arab Emirates) was the winner beating out teams from Hong Kong, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Kuwait, Thailand, and Kyrgyzstan. The US has named some of the first players for the red, white and blue squad that will play in Kosice, Slovakia at the World Championships in two weeks. The group included current Ranger, ex-CT Whale, Chris Kreider, and current Ranger and ex-Pack, Brady Skjei. Current Hartford GM and Rangers Assistant GM and Trumbull native, Chris Drury was named GM for the team. The US Advisory committee features current Rangers GM, Jeff Gorton, former Nighthawk, Don Waddell (Carolina), Paul Fenton (Minnesota) and former Ranger goalie great, John Vanbiesbrouck (US National program). Hockey titles in Austria in the EBEL elite league was decided as KAC Klagenfurt knocked off the Vienna Capitals in six games winning the title-clinching game 3-2 in OT. Vienna featured former CT Whale Kelsey Tessier. The VHL (Vyasa Hockey League) the AHL to Russia’s KHL league saw Sary Arka Karaganda (Kazakhstan) knocked off Rubin Tyumen in a four-game sweep. NCAA RECRUITING CHANGE A long overdue change in the NCAA recruiting process for hockey was finally passed and becomes effective May 1st. The recruiting period for high school sophomores is limited until after January 1st allowing for phone calls, e-mails, texts, unofficial school visits, and camp and clinic conversations only. Then a window starting August 1st of their junior year when a scholarship offers can be made verbally by the school, official visits can be made and off-campus visits can be done. Not perfect, but a start to the present system that is wide open, with no structures and kids as young as 14-years-old were making oral commitments to schools. Conferring adulthood, so early has been the sin of the college recruiting process in part to counteract the Canadian major junior leagues ability to offer more inducements to young hockey players to go that route. Presently, a hockey player can play Canadian Junior A hockey which is a step below major junior in leagues like the BCHL or AJHL and still retain their NCAA eligibility, but if they play a minute of hockey with a major junior team, pre-season or regular season, they are ineligible to play collegiate hockey. This is the first step to curb the insanity and bring some normalcy to the process and a perfect example of this is 15-year-old Max Namestnikov, the son of former Wolf Pack Evgeni "John" Namestnikov, and the brother of current Ranger, Vladislav Namestnikov, just made an oral commit to Michigan State (Big 10) for 2023-24 ! The pyramid for a young US born hockey player who wants to gain a scholarship is first public school, then prep school, then the US junior or Canadian junior A and then college. Read more HERE. Read the full article

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vitaevictoria · 6 years ago

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Every Book I Read in 2018: Part 2 http://bit.ly/2Fr2swN

Let's finish this list! It's already 2019, baby! Here are the rest of the books I read in 2018. I read SEVENTY (70!) in total, which is the most I've ever read in a year. Make sure you follow me on Goodreads to see what I read this year! 36. The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth Read in Sarande, Albania. Had this on my Kindle for years but was saving it for when I ran out of physical books to read which was easy to do since ALL of the books on hostel shelves were in German. The writing is nothing to write home about (lol) and it could've easily been shorter. I'm sure the movie is better. 37. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood Read in Greece. This is the third Atwood book I've tried to read but the only one I've actually succeeded in reading. It was alright. 38. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The only book in English at the last hostel on my last stop in Greece. Finished on the plane going home. Read it once in high school but also enjoyed it this time! 39. Upstream by Mary Oliver Read in my bedroom. My first book back on American soil! It's been on my to-read list for a while so I was excited to read it. There are some really good passages but Oliver might be too smart for me. 40. The Witch Elm by Tana French I gasped when I saw this on the shelf at the library. French is one of my favorite authors and this is her first standalone book. Compared to her other books it wasn't her best, but not-her-best is still better than most people's greatest. 41. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan Read at my aunt's beach house. Read for bookclub. I probably wouldn't have finished this book if it wasn't a bookclub pick. It just...wasn't good. Would be more bearable as an audiobook. 42. Buffering by Hannah Hart Also read at my aunt's beach house (I had nothing to do there but read). I'm not big into YouTube but I enjoy memoirs and this one blew my socks off. Hannah has been through A LOT and discusses the complexity of love and family. 43. Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown [AUDIOBOOK] Listened to in my car. Not good. Hard pass. 44. The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz Read on my couch. I loved Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe but this was a big disappointment compared to that one. 45. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh Read on my couch. Definitely wasn't what I thought it would be but I still loved it. I LOVE self-absorbed, unreliable female narrators. 46. Lethal White by J. K. Rowling Read at my grandma's house. This is the fourth book in her Cormoran Strike series and wasn't the best. I'm looking forward to the next one since I have a feeling it will be better. 47. The Power by Naomi Alderman Read half on my friend's couch in the Scottish highlands, finished it at home. Loved this book and would be a great one for kids to read in high school. 48. Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham [AUDIOBOOK] Listened to in my car. Covers a bit of Gilmore Girls and a bit of the rest of her life. Listening to this feels like a big sister giving life advice. Some bits could've been cut out but I mostly enjoyed it. 49. Paper Girls vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan Read at my aunt's. I've never read a comic before and I think I need to read a few before my brain gets adjusted to the rhythm of them, but this was good! 50. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera Read on my aunt's front porch. Very disappointing. I really wanted to like it but the writing has no pizzazz. 51. Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Read in my room. It was alright! Not as good as Divergent but one of the better YA books I've read. I've heard the sequel is better so I'll read that. 52. Heartburn by Nora Ephron Read in my childhood bedroom. I read this in one day, it's that good (and that short). No one can write like Ephron. She is so smart and so funny and I'm so sad she's gone. 53. Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown This is about a lesbian pastor daughter's in Georgia and I was so excited to read it and yet I was so disappointed! The writing was bland and it just felt like a lot of wish-fulfillment and didn't really reflect evangelical Christian culture at all. 54. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney A breath of fresh air after a lackluster book. There are no quotation marks which annoys me when Cormac McCarthy does it but is smart when done by Rooney. This book is weird and a little fucked up and none of the characters are perfect and I LOVED it. Can't wait to read more by Rooney. 55. The Diviners by Libba Bray [AUDIOBOOK] My first loan using the Libby app, which I highly recommend! Your library probably has it, or something similar! The narrator, January LaVoy, is very talented and can do lots of different voices. Can't wait to listen to the other books in this series. 56. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue Mackenzi Lee Gay and fun and cute! Definitely want to read the sequel in 2019. 57. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones I wish I loved this as much as everyone else does. 58. I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara [AUDIOBOOK] Brilliant and chilling to listen to. Usually, I would never want to re-listen to an audiobook but this one was so good. 59. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour Probably would've like this more if I read it in high school. Decent and quick. 60. Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett [AUDIOBOOK] I loved Commonwealth by Patchett and she narrates this one. It was alright! And probably very therapeutic for her to write. 61. Just Kids by Patti Smith I love this and her! M Train is next on my list. She sings a song called "Because the Night" written by Bruce Springsteen and it's an honest to goodness bop. 62. By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham [AUDIOBOOK] Read by Hugh Dancy who does a HORRIBLE Virginian accent but I loved every second of this book. Over the top introspective which is right up my alley. 63. How to Be a Person in the World by Heather Havrilesky Alright! Better to read slowly over time. Or just read Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed. 64. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman During all the hype of this book and no ONE EVER BOTHERED TO MENTION THAT IT'S SET IN GLASGOW!!! Loved this book so much and will definitely read again in the future. It's just so soft and kind and honestly a great guide on how to be an adult??? 65. The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani Beautiful and creepy and artsy and probably even better in the original French! Must learn French! 66. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie [AUDIOBOOK] Always been meaning to read this. A great starter to feminism and something that every gender should read (would be a great high school or middle school read). 67. Women & Money by Suze Orman [AUDIOBOOK] Trying to up my financial literacy. This book was alright. It's definitely aimed at a middle-aged woman freshly out of a divorce who doesn't even know the passwords to her bank accounts. Suze is brutally honest and I respect her for that. 68. Gmorning, Gnight! by Lin-Manuel Miranda Cute and quick and definitely want to buy for my nightstand so I can annotate it/read it whenever I need a pick me up. 69. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder [AUDIOBOOK] Not as much fearmongering as I thought there would be. This reads like a to-do list to be a good citizen. Take this book with a grain of salt and a pinch of optimism. 70. Talking to Women by Nell Dunn Started reading in Sweden when I borrowed Poppy's copy and was able to buy my own when I was unexpectedly stranded in London for a few days, so yay, silver lining! It's a transcript of Dunn's conversations with her friends in 60's London and it's mindboggling how so much and so little has changed about women's lives since. My goal for 2019 is to read at least 50 books! Let's do this!

#Travel #solo travel #solo female travel #backpacking #travel blogger #budget travel

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flauntpage · 7 years ago

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Rolled Tide, Chip Ahoy!, and the Miserable Vols: The Week in College Football

Welcome back to The Weekend in College Football, VICE Sports' new column. Each week, we'll take you through everything you missed on Saturday (or, God forbid, Friday night), the things worth learning, and look ahead to what happens next. Enjoy.

1st and 10

Auburn hadn’t won an Iron Bowl by 12 or more points since 1969. Alabama hadn’t lost a game by double digits since the end of the 2013 season. These are streaks too improbable to go on forever and, on Saturday afternoon, both got snapped in the same game.

The main storyline here is the glimmer of possibility that, finally, Alabama might be left out of the College Football Playoff. The very idea of it is borderline unthinkable, because Nick Saban has made his bones off unrelenting consistency. And yet, against their arch-rival in the biggest game of the season, the Tide were scattershot. That was especially true on offense, where the running backs took too few touches, the passing game was halting, and the center somehow botched back-to-back snaps in a crucial fourth-quarter possession.

None of those things, on their own, lost Alabama the football game. In fact, they were concomitant to Auburn controlling the ball for more than 36 minutes of gameplay. Alabama’s offense had neither the time nor the opportunity to ease into a genuine rhythm.

The Tigers weren’t the first team to conjure up such a strategy; Texas A&M and Mississippi State, heretofore the teams that came closest to defeating the Tide, also beat Alabama in time of possession. But neither of those schools boasted a running back as dynamic as Kerryon Johnson, nor a quarterback who completed 75 percent of his passes the way Jarrett Stidham did on Saturday. Nor, for that matter, did they force Alabama into depending so heavily on Jalen Hurts to deliver a win, the sort of mandate that none of Saban’s best teams ever placed on the quarterback.

Auburn did more than just defeat Alabama on Saturday afternoon. They revealed a blueprint for how everyone else plausibly could, too. And if Wisconsin and Oklahoma win their respective conference title games this weekend, Alabama will effectively be ruled out of playoff contention, giving Saban a longer off-season than anyone imagined to figure out a way to thwart the one game plan that has his number.

2nd and 8

At least the Tide got beat by a great team. Second-ranked Miami, meanwhile, didn’t even lose to a good one.

This was pretty straightforward. The Hurricanes’ best performances this season usually coincided with a strong game by its lead running back, be it Mark Walton before his season-ending injury or his understudy, Travis Homer. The Panthers took that away entirely, holding Homer and third-stringer DeeJay Dallas to 16 yards on ten combined carries.

That made it incumbent on Malik Rosier to win the game with his arm, which is about the last place Miami wants to be. Rosier is college football’s J.R. Smith, blessed with everything necessary to produce the spectacular but not the capacity to reliably call upon it. When he’s on, Rosier fires footballs through pinholes and outruns defenders. This is the Rosier who incinerated Syracuse and gamely helped the Hurricanes weather a late-game storm—weather puns!—against Georgia Tech and stole a victory over Florida State.

But Rosier is also a first-year starter who is only completing 55 percent of his passes on the year and who hasn’t eclipsed 210 yards passing in a game since October. That is the Rosier who showed up in Pittsburgh on Friday.

The junior looked so rudderless that Mark Richt even briefly benched him in favor of backup Evan Shirreffs, only to soon return Rosier to the field after Shirreffs was even more helpless. Rosier’s final line—15 of 34 for 187 yards and a 29.7 QBR—was well short of what Miami needed to keep this game respectable. It could also be a dangerous harbinger for next week’s ACC title game against Clemson, which features arguably the most disruptive defensive line in the country.

Clip of the Week

Bronze: Behold, a very fast white boy. This is SMU wide receiver Trey Quinn, who since transferring from LSU has become the most prolific receiver in the country’s seventh-ranked offense. Plays like this are why: one juke, one cut, and 77 yards down the sideline in the Mustangs’ win over Tulane.

Silver: Game-winning kick return? Game-winning kick return. USF’s Quinton Flowers (more on him later) was indisputably the star of Friday’s barn-burning USF-UCF game, but the best play belongs to UCF’s Mike Hughes. With 1:29 remaining in the game, the junior defensive back weaved throughout the middle of the field and ran 95 yards to give the Knights a thrilling victory in the war for I-4.

Gold: In most years, a Florida-Florida State matchup would safely reign as the game of the week in the Sunshine State. In 2017, it was the underwhelming encore to UCF-USF.

But credit Florida cornerback Duke Dawson for a truly sublime bit of entertainment. It began innocently enough, with Florida State quarterback James Blackmon’s pass slipping out of receiver Auden Tate’s hands. Tate is pulled to the ground by Florida cornerback Marco Wilson, and that’s when this gets weird. First, the ball bounces off Wilson’s back. Then, it ricochets off Tate’s leg. Dawson is the beneficiary, as the ball pops right into his waiting arms to complete one of the weirdest interceptions of the season.

3rd and 1

Welcome back, Chip Kelly, who became the latest and by far the most high-profile coach to attempt to resuscitate UCLA football.

This is an undeniable coup for the Bruins, who abruptly fired Jim Mora Jr. and enlisted the aid of mega-booster Casey Wasserman to recruit the hottest and most proven name on the market. And, for the first time in a very long time, crosstown rival USC has reason to be wary.

Make no mistake, the Trojans have a significant head start on talent and nothing short of a monumental collapse will change that. USC is simply too entrenched historically and, with a Pac-12 title in sight, once again too successful for anyone to consistently beat them head-to-head for key recruits in Southern California. But there’s also plenty of other talent to go around and Kelly proved at Oregon that he doesn’t need the absolute best players to succeed. He’ll get his difference-makers, and if Kelly is the same coach he was five years ago, he’ll enjoy a massive schematic advantage over Clay Helton.

If he’s not, and the rest of the game has caught up to the schemes he made famous? Then it’s more of the same, which only reaffirms that UCLA made the right choice to shoot for the moon and hire him. For the first time since at least the 1990s, UCLA employs a more highly-regarded football coach than USC. There’s only upside in whatever comes next.

Punt

On the Tennessee job. No matter the merits of Tennessee deciding to abandon its courtship of Greg Schiano to fill their vacant head coaching position, both the way it was handled and the plethora of other vacancies should make every buzzworthy candidate cast a wary eye at taking the job in Knoxville.

The program has a losing record over the past decade. The new athletic director’s job may already be at risk. The fanbase is at a collective breaking point, and the University fears it enough to capitulate after only a few hours of very loud tweets and phone calls. (And, no, I’m not gullible enough to believe that Schiano’s possible involvement in the Jerry Sandusky scandal would matter one bit to the good people of Knoxville if he were a more accomplished head coach.)

The upside just isn’t there, not with the looming possibility of Florida State opening up should Jimbo Fisher inherit the Texas A&M post from Kevin Sumlin. Tennessee has the tradition, talent base, and resources to be a very good job—in a vacuum. In reality, the environment is too toxic for a strong candidate to risk his career on fumigating.

Player Who Deserves to Be Paid This Week

Here’s where we talk about Flowers, the USF quarterback who delivered what might be the best quarterbacked game of the season. The senior from Miami threw for a school-record 503 yards as part of a school-record 605 total yards, and accounted for five total touchdowns. No matter the eventual outcome, that ought to merit a fat check in his bank account.

Coach Who Does Not

In a weekend rife with coaching turnover, let’s give what might be a final farewell for Mike Riley, whose employment status now matches this dubious award. Nebraska mercifully ended Riley’s three-year tenure as head coach one day after Iowa napalmed the once-vaunted Blackshirts defense in a 56-14 blowout. The loss dropped the Cornhuskers to 4-8, which represents the program’s worst season since 1961. Riley finishes his tenure with a 19-19 record, which is about right for a man whose primary selling point was being a standup guy. Riley told the media that while he’s open to further coaching opportunities, he’s “looking forward to being a granddaddy” after decades in the game. If this is the end, here’s to a well-earned retirement.

Obscure College Football Team Of Note

For nine gruesome weeks, the Georgia Southern Eagles could not win a game. They lost blowouts (52-17 to Indiana) and squeakers (21-17 to Georgia State) alike. New Hampshire shut them out in the first half of Week 2 (Final score: 22-12, Wildcats). UMass poured on 48 points in the first half of Week 7 (Final score: 55-20, Minutemen). They scored three measly points in the final three quarters of their Week 9 loss to Appalachian State (Final score: 27-6, Mountaineers), at which point anyone left on the bandwagon would have been well within their rights to hop all the way off. Things were bleak.

And then, with no warning whatsoever, the Eagles struck back. In Week 10, they annihilated South Alabama 52-0, in which they scored more points than their previous three games combined. This past weekend, they edged Louisiana-Lafayette 34-24 to put them on a two-game winning streak. If they defeat Coastal Carolina in this weekend’s season finale, then the entire season will be comprised of two streaks. It won’t be the best season, it will be remarkable nevertheless.

Something to Look Forward To

Conference title games! You’ll be hard-pressed to find a bad matchup among the Power Five conferences, each of which offer compelling plotlines.

Can Auburn knock down Georgia again, or will the Bulldogs avenge their only loss of the season? Which ACC power, defending national champion Clemson or resurgent Miami, will eliminate the other from playoff contention? Will Wisconsin defeat Ohio State to complete a perfect regular season? Does USC play to its potential and win the Pac-12 for the first time since 2008, or will its luck run out after too many close calls this season? How much, if any, defense will be played between Oklahoma and TCU?

That’s without getting the best of the rest, which includes an intriguing Conference USA title game between the exciting North Texas Mean Green and Lane Kiffin’s Florida Atlantic Owls, who are undefeated in conference play.

Top to bottom, it’s the deepest week of the season, so get ready for a worthy finale to the regular season.

Rolled Tide, Chip Ahoy!, and the Miserable Vols: The Week in College Football published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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amtushinfosolutionspage · 7 years ago

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Rolled Tide, Chip Ahoy!, and the Miserable Vols: The Week in College Football

Welcome back to The Weekend in College Football, VICE Sports’ new column. Each week, we’ll take you through everything you missed on Saturday (or, God forbid, Friday night), the things worth learning, and look ahead to what happens next. Enjoy.

1st and 10

2nd and 8

At least the Tide got beat by a great team. Second-ranked Miami, meanwhile, didn’t even lose to a good one.

Clip of the Week

Gold: In most years, a Florida-Florida State matchup would safely reign as the game of the week in the Sunshine State. In 2017, it was the underwhelming encore to UCF-USF.

3rd and 1

Welcome back, Chip Kelly, who became the latest and by far the most high-profile coach to attempt to resuscitate UCLA football.

Punt

Player Who Deserves to Be Paid This Week

Coach Who Does Not

Obscure College Football Team Of Note

Something to Look Forward To

Conference title games! You’ll be hard-pressed to find a bad matchup among the Power Five conferences, each of which offer compelling plotlines.

Top to bottom, it’s the deepest week of the season, so get ready for a worthy finale to the regular season.

Rolled Tide, Chip Ahoy!, and the Miserable Vols: The Week in College Football syndicated from http://ift.tt/2ug2Ns6

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hottytoddynews · 8 years ago

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Today’s sports roundup also features Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Suffers First Home Setback of Season, Transfers Mary Kate Smith, Julia Phillips Sign with Rebel Soccer

HottyToddy.com provides readers a roundup of the commentary and information about the Ole Miss Rebels from various publications around the Web.

Readers can check out the latest information in a single post each day throughout the year. Here at HottyToddy.com, we are doing all the leg work to find the information that people want about Ole Miss sports.

Ole Miss Football Welcomes Early Enrollees

Ole Miss Football Coach Hugh Freeze address the media . HottyToddy.com photo

Ole Miss Football took a big step in bolstering its defense with the addition of high school early enrollees Ryder Anderson and Breon Dixon on Monday, the first day of spring semester classes.

Anderson, a defensive end from Katy, Texas, and Dixon, a linebacker from Loganville, Georgia, join a 2017 class that already includes three junior college defensive standouts – Jones County JC defensive back Javien Hamilton, Northeast Mississippi CC linebacker Brenden Williams and Jones County JC defensive end Markel Winters – and New Mexico Military quarterback Jordan Ta’amu. These six will go through spring drills with the team in preparation for the 2017 season.

“Ryder and Breon are extremely talented young men, and we are excited to have them on campus for the spring,” head coach Hugh Freeze said. “Ryder is a winner and a gifted pass rusher that brings great length on the edge. Our staff made a strong connection with Breon during the recruiting process, and we hope he can help us address a need area right away. We appreciate both student-athletes and their families for their commitment to our program.”

The rest of the 2017 Ole Miss class can begin to submit national letters of intent on National Signing Day, which is Wednesday, Feb. 1.

Below are complete bios on the Rebels’ high school early enrollees.

Ryder Anderson | DE | 6-6 | 231 | Katy, Texas | Katy

HIGH SCHOOL: A consensus 3-star prospect according to the major recruiting sites … Ranked the No. 85 defensive end in the country by ESPN and the state of Texas’ No. 10 DE by Scout … Helped Katy to a 10-3 record as a senior after a perfect 16-0 season and state championship his junior year … The Tigers’ allowed just 62 points his entire junior year, pitching shutouts in 10 games … Compiled a high school career record of 55-6 … Played defensive end, outside linebacker and tight end … Younger brother of Oklahoma running back Rodney Anderson and nephew of former Alabama and NFL defensive end Mark Anderson.

Breon Dixon | LB | 5-11 | 218 | Loganville, Ga. | Grayson

HIGH SCHOOL: Under Armour All-American … Rated a 4-star prospect by ESPN, Rivals and Scout … Listed as the nation’s No. 144 overall recruit and No. 8 outside linebacker by ESPN … Listed as the No. 18 OLB by Rivals and No. 24 OLB by Scout … Rated the No. 19 prospect in Georgia by ESPN, No. 24 by Rivals and No. 32 by Scout … Led Team Highlight with three tackles for loss in the Under Armour All-America game … Helped Grayson to a 14-1 record and the 2016 7A state championship with a 23-20 overtime win over Roswell … Posted 64 tackles, two interceptions, 12 sacks and more than 20 tackles for loss as a senior … As a junior at Peachtree Ridge, had 12 sacks and four interceptions … Transferred to Grayson after his junior year, the same high school as former Ole Miss defensive standouts Denzel Nkemdiche and Robert Nkemdiche.

Follow Ole Miss Football on Twitter (@OleMissFB), Facebook and Instagram. For more information, visit http://ift.tt/16ouVLF.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Suffers First Home Setback of Season

The Ole Miss women’s basketball team (13-7, 2-5 SEC) got as close as one possession in the final two minutes but couldn’t complete the comeback dropping a 65-57 contest to Alabama on Sunday afternoon at The Pavilion at Ole Miss. The loss snapped a 12-game home win streak for the Rebels.

Madinah Muhammad (Chicago, Ill.) led the offense with 18 points while Taylor Manuel (St. Louis, Mo.) tallied her second consecutive game in double figures with 13 points. Shandricka Sessom (Byhalia, Miss.) added 11 points and a team-best six rebounds.

Ole Miss used a 5-0 run to open the fourth quarter sparked by a putback from Manuel and a triple from Muhammad to take a 48-44 lead and forced the visitors to take a timeout less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Alabama (15-5-3-4 SEC) fought back though and held a 57-55 lead with 2:19 remaining before going on an 8-2 run over the final minutes to earn the win. The Rebels struggled from the floor for the second consecutive game, shooting just 35.6 percent (21-of-59).

Out halftime, Ole Miss started with the ball and Muhammad promptly nailed a jumper to spark a 6-0 spurt, which tied the game at 25-25 forcing the Crimson Tide to call a timeout at the 7:42 mark. From that point the teams traded buckets, but Alabama was able to keep the lead until the 2:54 mark when Manuel converted an old fashioned three-point play to give Ole Miss a 41-39 lead at the 2:46 mark – the first lead for Ole Miss since the 7:09 mark of the first quarter.

The third quarter was close throughout with neither team taking more than a four-point lead throughout, but it was the visitors with a 44-43 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Alabama jumped out to a 8-4 lead behind two big threes from Hannah Cook forcing Insell to call a timeout to help the Rebels regroup and the home team was able to get a little momentum from Muhammad who hit a triple, but Ole Miss trailed 17-9 a the end of the first quarter.

Alabama extend its lead to 10 points, 21-11 at the 7:59 mark, but Ole Miss used some defense and a bucket from Cecilia Muhate (Madrid, Spain) to get the lead back to single digits midway through the quarter. Ole Miss’ renewed energy on the defensive end forced the visitors into nine turnovers in the second quarter as Ole Miss was able to cut the Alabama lead to two possessions, 25-19, at halftime.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

Transfers Mary Kate Smith, Julia Phillips Sign with Rebel Soccer

Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Communications

Ole Miss soccer landed two key transfers in Mary Kate Smith and Julia Phillips, head coach Matthew Mott announced Monday.

Phillips joins the Rebels after a year with Florida State, where she helped lead the squad to a 14-4-4 record. In her time in Tallahassee, the Seminoles fell no lower than No. 13 in the top-25 poll, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Championship.

Smith starts her final two years at Ole Miss after previous stops at Southern Miss, and most recently Jones County Junior College. The Ellisville, Mississippi native was named a NJCAA Division I Honorable Mention All-American and All-Region 23 performer after scoring 21 goals and 18 assists in 2016.

See below for a full bio and quotes on Smith and Phillips.

2016 (Freshman – Florida State): Transfer from Florida State … Saw minutes in wins at Middle Tennessee and at home against Mercer … Helped FSU to the second round of the 2016 NCAA Championship … Seminoles were ranked in top-10 of poll all of regular season.

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Bishop O’Connell and Stone Bridge High School … Varsity starter during freshman and sophomore seasons … Named second team all-conference as a freshman … Earned all-metro honorable mention and first team all-conference honors as a sophomore, as well as being named a finalist for Virginia Player of the Year … Also played basketball.

CLUB/ODP: Competed for FC Virginia ECNL and was ranked in the top ten for final three seasons … Invited to the Atlantic ECNL PDP team in 2013, 2014 and 2015 … Played in a friendly match against the U-17 Italian National Team at Centro Technico Coverciano … Traveled to Germany with the Virginia State ODP team in 2011 and was a team captain … Competed with the Washington Spirit Reserves in the WPSL during the summer of 2016.

PERSONAL: Full name is Julia Paige Phillips … Born October 15, 1997 … Daughter of Brad and Tina Phillips … Has one brother, Tyler.

COACH MOTT QUOTE ON PHILLIPS: “Julia is a very good midfielder who can score with either foot. She’s very good in the air and very good in possession. We’re excited to bring her in so she can help strengthen our midfield. Getting her here this semester will certainly help her to play in the SEC.”

2016 (Sophomore – Jones County JC): NJCAA Division I Honorable Mention All-American and All-Region 23 performer … Scored 21 goals and recorded 18 assists totaling 60 points, second-most in the MACJC and Region 23, and 15th nationally … Helped the No. 11 Lady Bobcats to a 15-2 record, the MACJC/Region 23 Tournament Championship, and an appearance in the NJCAA District H playoffs … Scored two goals and was named the South team’s MVP in the MACJC All-Star Game in November.

2015 (Freshman – Southern Miss): Played in all 19 contests for the Golden Eagles … Second on the team in points (8) after scoring two goals and leading the team in assists (4) … Scored in games at Nicholls (Aug. 28) and vs. UTEP (Oct. 18).

HIGH SCHOOL: Lettered at South Jones High School in Ellisville, Mississippi … Helped Braves to the playoffs each season … Named first team all-district as a freshman, sophomore and junior … Selected to the 2015 South All-Star team … Also played football, earning second team all-region 3-5A honors … Honor student and member of the Beta Club, Student Council and S.M.A.R.T. Club, while serving as class president.

CLUB/ODP: Played club with Gulf Coast United.

PERSONAL: Full name is Mary Kate Smith … Born June 15, 1997 … Daughter of Jesse and Jennifer Smith … Has one brother, Conner.

COACH MOTT QUOTE ON SMITH: “Mary Kate comes highly recommended from a number of coaches I respect. She’s a hard-working, fast forward that can play also in midfield. Watching video on her, I think she’s someone that could come in and help us right away. She comes to us from the same area as Sara Coleman, and there have been a lot of comparisons between the two. We look for her to be a very good player for us.”

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Soccer on Twitter at @OleMissSoccer, on Facebook at http://ift.tt/2cqzopV, and on Instagram at http://ift.tt/2cRokAf. Also follow head coach Matt Mott on Twitter at @CoachMattMott. Additionally fans can get a behind the scenes look at Ole Miss Athletics on Snapchat under the handle, @WeAreOleMiss.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

The post Ole Miss Football Welcomes Early Enrollees appeared first on HottyToddy.com.

#hottytoddy #olemiss #oxfordms #oxford ms #mississippi #university of mississippi #the grove

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razedhell · 10 months ago

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empathichearts · 2 years ago

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auburnfamilynews · 8 years ago

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The Tigers must replace coordinator Rhett Lashlee. (Photo by Acid Reign.)

War Eagle, everybody! The talk around the Auburn football complex this week has focused upon the departure of offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. Speculation runs rampant on whether Lashlee was forced out, or left to get out from under the shadow of head coach Gus Malzahn. I’ll leave that speculation for others, as there’s no real way to know unless one is inside the football program, and odds are that neither coach will discuss what went on behind closed doors.

What I can do is look at what was said publicly during the past season. After a dismal offensive start to the season, head coach Gus Malzahn announced that he was turning play-calling duties over to offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. What ensued on the field was a spike in points produced. Suddenly, Auburn was far less predictable, and a sophisticated short to medium range passing attack was unveiled.

No one was terribly surprised when Auburn put 58 points on a poor Louisiana Monroe team, but a 35-0 halftime lead at Mississippi State was a bit of a shock. After a bye week, the Auburn offense revealed more subtle variations, and curb-stomped the Arkansas Razorbacks, 56-3. A slow start followed the next week at Ole Miss, but the offense adapted, and rolled over the Rebels, 40-29. Auburn was crushing defenses, and playoff talk was the order of the day.

Unbeknownst to us at the time, quarterback Sean White had been injured against the Rebels, and John Franklin III was named as a surprise starter the morning of the Vanderbilt game. A painfully conservative offensive game was called, and Auburn trailed Vandy at the half. A wobbly White was inserted back into the game in the second half, and Auburn did just enough to escape, 23-16 over the Commodores.

At Georgia, Auburn stuck with the obviously wounded Sean White at quarterback, and the poor play-calling continued. The Tigers lost to Georgia 13-7, despite holding the Georgia offense to just a pair of field goals. In Auburn’s final 3 FBS games against Georgia, Alabama, and Oklahoma, the Auburn offense managed just 2 offensive touchdowns until the garbage minutes of the Sugar Bowl against Oklahoma’s reserves.

I can’t say for certain what happened, but it sure looked like a back and forth control issue on the field. The only thing that is certain is that it looks like the innovative play calling is now headed up to Connecticut to work for Randy Edsall. Who will replace Lashlee? I would not be surprised to see Herb Hand named offensive coordinator, and for coach Malzahn to hire a new coach just to tend to quarterbacks.

In the meantime, I’ll try to entertain everyone with a little statistical game. What I am going to do is compile some simple numbers from each Auburn offensive coordinator since Shug Jordan retired. What I am going to look at is points scored against SEC opponents. Yes, I know that this will include some defensive and special teams scores, but I think that those even out over time. Those are usually so infrequent that the data won’t be skewed, too much.

One other complication is that there have been a couple of periods during that time where Auburn has not had a named offensive coordinator. During the Barfield administration, there was none. Some mention Gene Lorendo as an offensive coach, but I think Barfield had his hands in the offense, and more or less remained the coordinator. Likewise, from 1986-1990, the Auburn offense was led by a triumvirate of head coach Pat Dye, quarterbacks coach Pat Sullivan, and receivers coach Larry Blakeney.

Coordinator

Wins-Losses-Ties

Points per game scored

Doug Barfield (1976-80)

13 – 16 – 1 *

19.77

Frank Orgel (1981-85)

19 – 11

21.47

Dye/Sullivan/Blakeney (1986-90)

25 – 6 – 2

23.21

Tommy Bowden (1991-1996)**

27 – 18 – 2

26.6

Rodney Allison (1997-1998)***

7 – 7 – 0

19.29

Jimbo Fisher (1998)***

0 – 3 – 0

18.33

Noel Mazzone (1999-2001)

13 – 12 – 0

19.56

Bobby Petrino (2002)

5 – 3 – 0

26.63

Hugh Nall (2003)

5 – 3 – 0

23.75

Al Borges (2004-2007)

27 – 6 – 0

26.21

Tony Franklin (2008)****

2 – 2 – 0

12.75

Steven Ensminger (2008)****

0 – 4 – 0

Gus Malzahn (2009-2011)

16 – 9 – 0

28.92

Scot Loeffler (2012)

0 – 8 – 0

10.13

Rhett Lashlee (2013-2016)

19 – 14 – 0

30.55

* Mississippi State was later forced to forfeit 2 wins against Auburn.

** Tommy Bowden survived a head-coaching change, from Pat Dye to Terry Bowden.

*** Allison left a week after Bowden resigned, and play-calling duties went to Fisher.

**** Franklin was fired at midseason, and play-calling duties went to Ensminger.

Obviously, this table spans a number of eras of offensive innovation and rule changes. Still, it is striking that Lashlee leaves with the highest scoring average. Easily the worst regime was under Chizik and Loeffler, again another way to describe how futile that year was, on offense. Will Auburn’s next coodinator maintain the high level of scoring Auburn fans are used to seeing? I believe the talent is on hand to do just that!

The post Whose Offenses Scored the Most? appeared first on Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog.

from Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog http://bit.ly/2ioXu6Z via IFTTT

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empathichearts · 3 years ago

Photo

911

911 lone star

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grey’s anatomy

jackson avery andrew deluca lexie grey shreya kumari - oc; peds - smol bio atticus lincoln george o’malley zander perez amelia shepherd callie torres jo wilson

station 19

maya bishop victoria hughes diane lewis dean miller theo ruiz ben warren

private practice

chicago fire

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junker-town · 6 years ago

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What became of every No. 1 QB in the rankings era

Some are bad. Some get hurt. Some got into NCAA trouble. Some got into real trouble. Some become legends.

There’s no more prized college football recruit than the No. 1 QB. When recruiting rankings started to develop around 2000, they frequently pegged mediocre college and pro players (with one big exception) as the best QBs in their classes.

In recent years, the rankings seem like they’ve done a better job at the top of QB classes. Here’s the football (and sometimes post-football) fate of every player to be rated as the No. 1 QB on the 247Sports Composite, which gathers industry prospect ratings.

2000: Brock Berlin, Florida

For two years, he sat in Gainesville behind Rex Grossman. He transferred to rival Miami and eventually led a comeback victory over his former Florida teammates. He appeared in one game apiece for the Rams in 2007 and 2008.

Now, Berlin lives back in his hometown of Shreveport and works, according to LinkedIn, as a medical salesman.

2001: Brodie Croyle, Alabama

Croyle was the first player to commit to Bama under Dennis Franchione, the Montgomery Advertiser wrote. His three years as a starter all came under Mike Shula.

He started in 2003 and struggled, then tore his ACL in his third game in 2004, after a hot start. He returned to throw for 2,499 yards and 14 touchdowns during Bama’s later-vacated 10-2 season in ‘05.

Photo by G. N. Lowrance/Getty Images

The Chiefs drafted him in 2006, and he spent some time with the Cardinals. Croyle is now a director of Big Oak Ranch, a Christian organization his father founded to help children in need of homes.

2002: Vince Young, Texas

Young’s one of five players, and the only QB, to have a perfect score on the 247Sports Composite. He lived up to the billing at Texas.

A first-round pick by the Titans in 2006, Young lasted six years in the NFL. He does a lot of promotional work today and is still a presence around Austin and on TV.

2003: Kyle Wright, Miami

The Californian’s best season at Miami came in 2005, when he threw for 2,403 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Wright spent some time with the Vikings and 49ers.

In 2013, Wright told the NCAA he received benefits from Nevin Shapiro, contributing to the NCAA sanctioning Canes. Wright now works in sales in San Francisco.

2004: Rhett Bomar, Oklahoma

Bomar’s class included Adrian Peterson, the best No. 1 overall recruit ever. Bomar redshirted in 2004 and was the starter by Week 2 of 2005. He threw for 2,018 yards and touchdowns that year.

Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images

OU dismissed Bomar in 2006, saying he’d gotten paid for work he didn’t do at a car dealership with close ties to the school:

The school said in a statement that the players violated NCAA rules by working at a private business and taking “payment over an extended period of time in excess of time actually worked.”

Bomar apparently filed for 40-hour work weeks at a Norman, Okla., auto dealership, making up to $18,000, when he only worked 5 hours a week, Schad reported.

He transferred to Sam Houston State, where he was a a two-time All-Southland Conference pick. The Giants made him a fifth-round pick, and he hung around the league for a few years. Now he’s a head high school football coach in Texas.

2005: Mark Sanchez, USC

Sanchez was only USC’s starter for one year, replacing John David Booty in 2008. He won the Rose Bowl, then left to be a top-five pick by the Jets in 2009. He won some playoff games in New York and also fumbled for a defensive TD when he ran into a teammate’s butt.

He now makes cute videos, probably among other things:

Congratulations to Tom Brady on tying @Mark_Sanchez’s record for road playoff victories! #USCtotheNFL pic.twitter.com/Wt2aTCSgWj

— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) January 29, 2019

2006 Matthew Stafford, Georgia

The first true freshman QB to start at Georgia since Quincy Carter in 1998, Stafford went 27-7 in that role and got near the top of some of UGA’s QB records lists.

Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images

He went No. 1 overall to the Lions in 2009, and he immediately became the starter. Now he makes a ton of money, but the Lions usually lose.

2007: Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame

Clausen was a big deal. He committed to Notre Dame after pulling up to the College Football Hall of Fame in a limo, and one of his coaches called him “the LeBron James of high school football,” adding he had the skills of Dan Marino. He went 16-18 as a starter.

The Panthers drafted him in the second round in 2010. He got benched later for a guy named Cam Newton. He hasn’t been on a roster since 2015.

2008: Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State

Pryor was arguably the most hyped QB ever from a Western Pennsylvania region that also produced Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, Dan Marino, and Jim Kelly.

At OSU, he finished 31-4 as the starter, with Rose and Sugar Bowl wins in 2009 and ‘10. He left after the program’s tattoo/memorabilia scandal spilled into public view. Pryor had made between $20,000 and $40,000 selling autographed memorabilia, a friend told ESPN.

The Raiders took him in 2011 (as the lone pick in the supplemental draft) and used him sparingly. He’s moved around the league as a receiver since 2015.

2009: Matt Barkley, USC

One of the highest-rated of these No. 1 QB recruits, Barkley followed Sanchez, who followed Booty, who followed Matt Leinart.

He went 34-17 at USC, playing mostly under Lane Kiffin after Pete Carroll left for the NFL. Barkley left as the Pac-12’s all-time leading passer and the only player to throw for over 100 TDs. (Three QBs have since passed him in TDs, and two have in yardage.)

The Eagles took him in 2013’s fifth round. He’s started seven NFL games.

2010: Phillip Sims, Alabama

ESPN (and many evaluators) saw Sims as a classic, big QB with athleticism and good technique. But after redshirting, he couldn’t beat out AJ McCarron in 2011.

He transferred to Virginia then to DII Winston-Salem. As a pro, he spent time with the Cardinals, Seahawks and CFL. He’s now a high school head coach in Virginia.

2011: Jeff Driskel, Florida

Driskel’s dual-threat ability earned him serious comparisons to Tim Tebow.

“It’s nice to be compared, but I wouldn’t go that far and say I try to be like him or watch his film and try to be like him,” Driskel said, “but I guess we do play similar styles.”

He had an OK 2012, suffered an injury in 2013, and was benched in 2014. He transferred to Louisiana Tech for 2015.

The 49ers drafted him in 2016. He later moved to the Bengals, and he started five games in 2018, throwing for 1,003 yards and five touchdowns.

2012: Jameis Winston, Florida State

Winston went undefeated and won both the Heisman and national championship in 2013. He was the first pick in 2015, but he’s gone 21-35 as an NFL starter, and he struggled to permanently beat out Ryan Fitzpatrick in Tampa.

At Florida State, a student accused him of rape, later leading to an out-of-court settlement after Winston and the woman sued each other. He served an NFL suspension at the start of 2018 for allegedly groping an Uber driver.

2013: Max Browne, USC

In 2016, he was the Trojans’ starter for the first three games, before Sam Darnold replaced him and won the Rose Bowl. Browne transferred to Pitt and got injured in 2017. He now lives in Pittsburgh and is building a presence as a YouTube football analyst.

Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

2014: Kyle Allen, Texas A&M

His freshman season, Allen eventually replaced Kenny Hill — who’d earned cult-hero status with an amazing Week 1 — as the starter. Allen threw for 1,322 yards and 16 touchdowns, and he stuck as the starter in 2015. In 2016, around the time A&M added Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight and Kyler Murray transferred to OU, Allen transferred to Houston. He appeared in four games at UH in 2007. The Panthers picked him up in 2018, and he started in a meaningless (standings-wise) game in Week 17 against the Saints.

2015: Josh Rosen, UCLA

Rosen set UCLA records despite going 17-20 under Jim Mora. A mixture of bad running games, bad protection, bad defenses, and injuries limited him.

The Cardinals drafted him 10th overall in 2018, and he struggled as a rookie, along with the rest of his teammates. Unless the Cardinals take a QB first overall in 2019, he’ll get to move forward with the college-minded Kliff Kingsbury helping him.

2016: Shea Patterson, Ole Miss

At the time, Patterson was the highest-rated QB recruit since Barkley in 2009. When Chad Kelly got hurt late in 2016, Hugh Freeze burned Patterson’s redshirt despite the Rebels being bowl-banned, and he threw for six TDs and 880 yards in three games. In 2017, he threw for 17 TDs and 2,259 yards before tearing his right PCL in October.

After the NCAA sanctioned Ole Miss, he transferred to Michigan and won an appeal for immediate eligibility. He had a strong 2018 and will try to get Michigan over its Ohio State hump in 2019.

2017: Davis Mills, Stanford

Mills took a redshirt in 2017 and sat behind K.J. Costello in 2018. He might still be great.

2018: Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

He became the second true freshman to quarterback his team to a national title, joining Oklahoma’s Jamelle Holieway in 1985. The sky’s the limit, pretty much.

Being the top QB recruit is no guarantee of success, but the rankings do seem to be getting more of them right these days.

There is a certain minimum baseline level of physical talent needed to be ranked as the top QB in the nation. History shows that if a prospect of this caliber stays out of trouble (either NCAA or otherwise), you’ll probably at least see him around the NFL for a few years.

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junker-town · 7 years ago

Text

What will UCF do for an encore?

Josh Heupel takes over for Scott Frost and will attempt to make the Knights even faster and more dangerous.

Bill C’s annual preview series of every FBS team in college football continues. Catch up here!

In the end, I was okay with UCF not getting a Playoff semifinal bid in 2017. The Knights were, on paper, a top-10 team and spent most of the first half of the season playing at a top-five level. But only four teams make the CFP, and Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Clemson were all awesome — three of the four finished ahead of UCF in the year-end S&P+ rankings, and the one that didn’t (Clemson) was the CFP’s top seed.

I wouldn’t have complained had they gotten a bid, mind you. It would have set an aggressive precedent for mid-majors that college football should be willing to consider. Plus, a fourth-seeded UCF team could very well have beaten top-seeded Clemson. The Knights finished ahead of them in S&P+, after all.

Winning that game would have struck a symbolic blow even stronger than UCF’s eventual Sugar Bowl win over Auburn, a team that had defeated both national title game participants (Bama and UGA).

The fact that UCF was denied a spot in the top four was an after-the-fact grievance. My in-the-moment grievance came from an unlikely source: Mississippi State.

Three weeks after the initial CFP rankings came out, UCF stood at only 15th in the rankings, behind eight two-loss power-conference teams. On November 18, the Knights beat Temple (final S&P+ rank: 78th) by 26 points on the road, while Mississippi State beat Arkansas (final S&P+ rank: 91st) by seven on the road. The next week, MSU hopped UCF in the CFP rankings.

That was the moment the CFP committee gave the game away.

Even if you nail all five steps of the nearly impossible How To Make The CFP As A G5 Team checklist* that only might get you into the conversation.

Even if Houston had gone unbeaten in 2016, with wins over excellent Oklahoma and Louisville teams, it’s conceivable that, through the simple act of playing a Navy or Memphis while other CFP competitors played an Arkansas or Miami, they would have fallen out of the top four.

It’s evident that change in college football — in terms of how teams outside of the sport’s primary power structure are treated — isn’t going to come from being nice.

It’s not going to come from taking advantage of opportunities or winning big games because, well, that’s been happening for a while now. Teams from Group of 5 conferences are 3-1 in their New Year’s 6 bowl opportunities (teams from the AAC: 2-0). In the last 10 years of the BCS’ existence, non-power teams went 5-2 against BCS bowl foes. And that’s despite two of the best mid-major teams of that era (2009 TCU and 2009 Boise State) getting pitted against each other in the Fiesta Bowl. G5 teams have justified the opportunities they’ve been given and have proved worthy of more.

No, change is going to come from being obnoxious, from calling out those higher up on the totem pole. After the Knights beat Auburn, they got obnoxious, claiming a share of the national title and proclaiming themselves as Alabama’s equal at every opportunity. It has clearly gotten under Bama’s skin. Have this cycle play out a few more times (or maybe a few hundred more), and maybe we’ll get somewhere!

The cycle now begins anew. UCF lost head coach Scott Frost to Nebraska and replaced him with a spread-and-tempo kindred spirit, former Mike Leach quarterback and Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Heupel. Frost pulled off one of the most incredible two-year turnarounds you’ll ever see, inheriting a drastically underachieving squad that went 0-12 in George O’Leary’s final season, improving by six wins in year one and another seven in year two. He was the perfect hire, and Heupel has an impossibly high bar to clear.

The Knights lost just enough of last year’s headliners that they probably won’t be able to take advantage of last year’s buzz by going unbeaten again. But the non-conference slate features UNC in Chapel Hill, Pitt at home, and a visit from this year’s notice-serving, glamorous-non-conference-schedule-having mid-major: FAU. Going a loud and obnoxious 13-0 again might be enough to sustain the CFP committee’s attention.

Or at least, that’s what I’m going to tell myself.

* (1) Create a perfect non-conference schedule (featuring at least a couple of excellent P5 teams) a few years ahead of time, (2) have those P5 foes remain awesome between when you schedule the game and when it actually kicks off, (3) peak the year before said perfect schedule so you can create some buzz, (4) have at least a couple of your conference foes peak as well (so you can have a boast a couple more top-25 wins), and (5) get enough breaks to get through this schedule unbeaten.

Offense

You will almost never see an offense improve like UCF’s did. Frost engineered a drastic youth movement in 2016, handing his first offense over to a freshman quarterback (McKenzie Milton), freshman running backs (Jawon Hamilton and Adrian Killins Jr.), and a receiving corps full of sophomores (Tre’Quan Smith, Jordan Akins, Cam Stewart) and a freshman (Dredrick Snelson). Hell, half the starts on the line went to underclassmen.

Predictably, the Knights were inconsistent. They averaged nearly 29 points per game because of tempo and quite a few weak opposing defenses, but they ranked only 117th in Off. S&P+.

In 2017, they ranked second.

Milton became the best G5 quarterback.

With Hamilton injured, Killins averaged 6.4 yards per carry.

Smith, Snelson, Akins, and Stewart combined for 143 catches, 2,578 yards, and 26 touchdowns.

The line produced three all-conference performers, and only one (LT Aaron Evans) was a senior.

Meanwhile, another couple of freshmen — receiver Gabriel Davis (391 receiving yards) and Percy Harvin-style do-it-all guy Otis Anderson (494 rushing yards, 351 receiving yarsd) — made an immediate impact.

Matt Stamey-USA TODAY Sports

Dredrick Snelson (5) and McKenzie Milton (10)

It’s clear that, when UCF athletic director Danny White was searching for a Frost replacement, he wanted to maintain UCF’s high-tempo personality. And almost no one does tempo like Heupel (who will serve as his own coordinator).

The Knights ranked 22nd in Adj. Pace — they averaged 2.3 seconds per play fewer than their run-pass ratio would have suggested — but Mizzou ranked fourth at minus-4.3 seconds. He indeed picked up the pace this spring, and he should have the pieces to generate speedy first downs.

It starts with Milton. The 5’11 gunslinger completed 67 percent of his passes last season while also playing a key role in the run game, averaging about 7.5 non-sack carries per game and averaged 7 yards per carry. He was good against good opponents (his 161.7 passer rating against ranked teams ranked fourth in FBS) and did borderline illegal things against bad opponents; in back-to-back games against Cincinnati and ECU last year, he completed a combined 37 of 46 passes for 698 yards, seven touchdowns, and no picks. Passer rating: 258.1.

His receiving corps has a couple of holes, but lots of candidates. Smith and Akins both went pro, but Snelson (695 receiving yards, 11.2 per target) is back, as are Davis, Anderson, Stewart (who got lost in the shuffle in 2017), another dynamic sophomore (Marlon Williams), and a few players who sat all or most of 2017: sophomore Jaquarius Bargnare (torn ACL), former four-star prospect Tristan Payton (suspended for part of the year), Ole Miss transfer and former four-star Tre Nixon, and Wisconsin tight end transfer Jake Hescock.

Throw in a couple of high-three-star recruits (sophomore Emmanuel Logan-Greene and freshman Ke’Von Ahmad), and you’ve got a receiving corps potentially better than the Missouri corps that generated more than 4,000 passing yards and an SEC-record 44 touchdown passes last year.

Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Adrian Killins Jr.

The backfield is nearly as exciting. Killins is small but sturdy, and Anderson is lightning in open space (another small sophomore, Greg McRae is pretty electric as well), but Hamilton’s return from injury, plus the presence of 210-pound backup Taj McGowan, should give UCF a few size options when necessary.

Plus, the line returns five players with a combined 79 career starts between them (including first-team all-AAC center Jordan Johnson and second-team all-AAC tackle Wyatt Miller) and adds Notre Dame transfer Parker Boudreaux and four-star JUCO transfer Trevor Elbert to the mix.

Goodness, that’s a bounty. You never want to fall into the “They lost an amazing coach, and they’re going to be even better!!” trap — things rarely play out that way — but Heupel and Milton have track records. Even if it’s merely a top-10 offense, this unit will be devastating.

Defense

The defense, however, has some holes to fill. Heupel brought in veteran coordinator Randy Shannon, and while there’s plenty of talent, it’s impossible not to start without talking about who’s gone.

Do-everything linebacker Shaquem Griffin (13.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four passes defensed), one of the most inspirational players in football, is off to join his brother with the Seattle Seahawks.

Corner Mike Hughes committed to UCF right before the season, then defensed 15 passes and pulled off the most important kickoff return in school history in one of the best games of 2017.

youtube

Ends Tony Guerad and Jamiyus Pittman combined for 16.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks. Linebacker Chequan Burkett added another 4.5 and 1.5.

Really, losing only five starters from the defense of your best team ever isn’t that bad, but Griffin and Hughes were massive difference-makers, and that was on a defense that saw its Def. S&P+ rating fall pretty far from the year before.

Still, Shannon’s got some decent tools to work with. Linebackers Pat Jasinski and Titus Davis each took part in at least 20 run stuffs, and in replacing Griffin and Burkett, juniors Nate Evans and Shawn Burgess-Becker (an Alabama transfer) and sophomore Eric Mitchell might be ready for larger roles.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

A.J. Wooten (54) and Pat Jasinski (56)

The linebackers will have a couple of man-mountains eating blockers: 330-pound Trysten Hill and 313-pound Joey Connors combined for 7.5 TFLs and four pass breakups while occupying opposing linemen. The front seven depth chart includes seven redshirt freshmen, but the group does still have known quantities.

When UCF had issues last year, it came with breakdowns in the passing game. UCF ranked 24th in passing success rate but only 122nd in passing IsoPPP, which measures the magnitude of successful plays allowed. In other words, the Knights didn’t give up that many big plays, but the ones they allowed were huge.

Overall, UCF ranked second in the AAC in success rate but only ninth in IsoPPP.

Hughes is the only departure in the backfield; he was a risk-taker who made those risks pay off pretty often. Sophomore corner Brandon Moore was inconsistent but occasionally disruptive (2.5 TFLs, nine passes defensed), but the key might be another sophomore: Alabama transfer Aaron Robinson.

The 6’1, 185-pound Robinson looked the part this spring, and if he is ready for a starting role, then the combination of Robinson, Moore, and junior Nevelle Clarke at corner, combined with senior safeties Tre Neal and Kyle Gibson, could create a unit that is steadier, if slightly less disruptive, than last year’s secondary.

Matt Stamey-USA TODAY Sports

Tre Neal (23)

Special Teams

Hughes was by far the best thing UCF’s special teams unit had going for it, scoring three touchdowns and averaging more than 16 yards per punt return and 31 yards per kick return. UCF still only ranked 52nd in Special Teams S&P+ with him, so losing him will put pressure on not only the new return men, but also punter Mac Loudermilk (54th in punt efficiency) and kicker Matthew Wright (97th in kickoff efficiency) to make up the difference in the field position game. Wright’s a super steady place-kicker, at least.

2018 outlook

2018 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 30-Aug at Connecticut 124 26.1 93% 8-Sep SC State NR 55.8 100% 15-Sep at North Carolina 51 7.6 67% 21-Sep Florida Atlantic 31 7.7 67% 29-Sep Pittsburgh 45 11.7 75% 6-Oct SMU 74 17.3 84% 13-Oct at Memphis 42 6.3 64% 20-Oct at East Carolina 125 26.5 94% 1-Nov Temple 81 18.3 85% 10-Nov Navy 85 19.7 87% 17-Nov Cincinnati 88 20.3 88% 23-Nov at USF 56 8.9 70%

Projected S&P+ Rk 17 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 3 / 75 Projected wins 9.8 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 0.9 (65) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 66 / 67 2017 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* 17 / 8.7 2017 TO Luck/Game +3.2 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 74% (71%, 76%) 2017 Second-order wins (difference) 11.7 (1.3)

Long-term, runs like UCF’s won’t help to get any future G5 teams into the four-team CFP field. But as we anticipate bracket creep to eight teams at some point in the future, these runs are the only things that could help to guarantee G5 teams a seat at that new table. The chest-puffing won’t hurt.

In five years, the AAC has produced only one unbeaten team; this is a tricky minefield, and even last year’s awesome UCF barely survived it, needing late heroics to get by USF and Memphis. So the odds of the Knights pulling it off again with a new head coach and new defensive leaders are small.

They’re going to have a chance, though. S&P+ projects UCF 17th overall and favors them by at least 6.3 points in every game on the schedule. It gives them a 7.2 percent chance of going 12-0 — those are about the best odds any team’s going to have.

Team preview stats

All power conference preview data to date.

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flauntpage · 7 years ago

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Rolled Tide, Chip Ahoy!, and the Miserable Vols: The Week in College Football

1st and 10

2nd and 8

At least the Tide got beat by a great team. Second-ranked Miami, meanwhile, didn’t even lose to a good one.

Clip of the Week

Gold: In most years, a Florida-Florida State matchup would safely reign as the game of the week in the Sunshine State. In 2017, it was the underwhelming encore to UCF-USF.

3rd and 1

Welcome back, Chip Kelly, who became the latest and by far the most high-profile coach to attempt to resuscitate UCLA football.

Punt

Player Who Deserves to Be Paid This Week

Coach Who Does Not

Obscure College Football Team Of Note

Something to Look Forward To

Conference title games! You’ll be hard-pressed to find a bad matchup among the Power Five conferences, each of which offer compelling plotlines.

Top to bottom, it’s the deepest week of the season, so get ready for a worthy finale to the regular season.

Rolled Tide, Chip Ahoy!, and the Miserable Vols: The Week in College Football published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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junker-town · 7 years ago

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THIS WEEK IN SCHADENFREUDE, the Big Ten’s ref conspiracy against 1 of its 2 biggest programs continues

Your weekly tour of the most infuriated in college football internet.

Michigan gave up a 42 spot and got clobbered at Penn State on Saturday. The Wolverines fell into a tie with Rutgers for fourth place in the Big Ten East as we near the end of October. But it’s fine, because UM can claim undisputed possession of fourth place if it manages to beat the Scarlet Knights next week.

Jim Harbaugh will run his streak of not winning the East to three years out of three since arriving in Ann Arbor. Let’s check in with some Michigan fans.

The forums at mgoblog are on fire.

Someone takes the time to track how frequently message board posters type curse words. The data is fascinating. Excerpts:

The State Of Our Open Threads: After Penn State

First and foremost, the most surprising thing about last night's data - we didn't break any season highs. The 560 fucks we gave does not top the MSU game's 621, but it is good enough for 2nd highest this year. The shits we gave experienced their third second straight week of decline from a high of 233 in the MSU gam to onlt 138 shits in this game.

Not too many fucks or shits. So everyone was cool, right? Wrong. It’s firing season.

The only thing that really took a jump in the upward direction was the talk of firing people, most notably Pep Hamilton, Tim Drevno, the younger Harbaugh and yes, there were a few truly inane people that questioned whether or not Jim himself should have the job. Of course, as there is no plan B and the univesity has made it clear that this talk is a non-starter, we can discount those particular thoughts, we can't discount their disappointment. We were all definitely disappointed - to the tune of "fire" being 1.61 standard deviations above the season average.

And in general, word-tracking indicates people were furious.

R-squared for "fuck" with respect to all tracked language was 0.93, which is typical of past seasons and shows the slow realignment of our feelings about the season with "fuck". Interestingly, overall swearing efficiency was only up slight from the Indiana game at 2.07, representing 1,262 tracked instances over 2,613 total posts.

After seven games, the largest portion of our frustration is summarized in these:

"fuck" - 34.78% of all tracked words

"shit - 12.52% of all tracked words

"offense" - 15.87% of all tracked words

"Harbaugh" - 9.94% of all tracked words

"damn" - 6.14% of all tracked words

That's nearly 80% of all tracked words right there, which amounts to something like "fuck shit offense damn Harbaugh" or something. I am pretty sure someone somewhere said that last night. Pretty sure.

One thread was devoted to being a “repository for your thoughts and hot takes on the offensive performance in our game versus Penn State.” It’s an ever-flowing open wound of misery directed at Harbaugh and coordinators Drevno and Hamilton:

Burn it to the ground in the off-season. 4th and 11 play action says it all.

That really did happen. Here’s how it went:

I'm glad I wasn't the only one ready to fling something on that play call. Who the fuck do you think you're fooling??

Yeah I commented the same in the game thread. What. The. Shit.

That was an lol moment for sure. What a fucking joke.

Fuck everyone. That is all

Worst offensive staff ever.

That’s a play call you might make by accidentally hitting the wrong button in Madden, but not one you’d expect to be made in an actual football game at this level.

Another thread wonders whether Harbaugh’s powers simply don’t work at night:

Night Game W/L

L Utah 17-24

W Minnesota 29-26

W Rutgers 78-0

L Iowa 13-14

L FSU 32-33

L MSU 10-14

L PSU 13-42

Overall record: 2-5

Most of those games were away from Ann Arbor, most of those losses were by single scores, and most of those games were against teams that would finish ranked.

There’s an excellent chance that Penn State or Ohio State will make the Playoff while the Wolverines play in the Outback Bowl, or some such.

A key element of a post-big loss response cycle: the unearthing of a ref conspiracy.

Michigan is consistently getting more penalties than their opponents

[a bunch of penalty totals listed here]

I don't even remember the last time Michigan's DL drew a holding penalty. Obviously UM needs to play with more discipline, but there is a fairly consistent pattern emerging. Very hard for me not to believe there isn't a bias against Harbaugh and Michigan.

The last time Michigan’s defensive line drew a holding penalty was two weeks ago against Michigan State. But I want to encourage this kind of thinking, so I’ll note Brady Hoke’s Michigan teams all finished in the Big Ten’s top three at avoiding penalties, while 2017’s is second-worst.

A similar thought at Michigan’s Scout board: Did the ref conspiracy come down from Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany himself, in a bid to infuriate one of the largest fanbases in the country and one of the two most important schools in his league?

Refs Discriminate Against Harbaugh

Penn st had one penalty tonight. Herbie called out the refs on the obvious intentional grounding. Rashan Gary was tackled from behind multiple times. Almost no holding penalties have been called against opposing o-lines the last couple of years when Michigan has many big time NFL d-lineman. The MSU game and OSU last year were very biased against Michigan.

The best refs we've had this year were in the Florida game - non conference. Why is Michigan getting the short end of the stick? Are refs out to show up Harbaugh? Did Delaney give a directive? What are your thoughts?

There are a lot more threads about unfair officiating. Michigan fans alleging a ref conspiracy: not a new thing.

In general, though, there is only sadness.

Since 2004

Since our last Big Ten Title in 2004 ( yes thats right, 13 years ago) Michigan has 62 losses, an average of 4.77 per season.

The first reply:

Omg you're so insightful.

Fuck off

Another team that lost this week: Arkansas.

The Hogs are 2-5 after losing 52-20 at home to Auburn.

This was how Bret Bielema dressed:

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

ENHANCE.

At Hogville.com, someone posits the question: “What kind of tool bag Coach wears a windbreaker with his initials on it?”

(Bill Belichick has done this, too, but he’s not 2-5 at Arkansas.)

Arkansas was later roasted (fairly) by the head coach of Arkansas State, which is better this year than Arkansas.

Blake Anderson got jokes http://pic.twitter.com/Bzz405qE3I

— Jay Bir (@TheJayBir) October 23, 2017

Tennessee got shellacked by Alabama, and fans have some typically reasonable head coach suggestions.

I’m not even talking about Jon Gruden, in this case.

Let’s throw it to VolNation.com. Here is a thread that purports to be about realistic coach candidates to replace Butch Jones, who is nominally not fired yet but will probably soon be fired. Yes, it includes Mike Gundy, who turned down the job in 2013.

Realistic -potential new head coaches

Sean Payton

Assuming that New Orleans misses the playoffs again this year, he could be available.

These poor people.

Georgia Southern fell to 0-6 by losing to previously winless UMass.

We’ll divide this visit to GSUFans.com into two parts: one before the Eagles fired head coach Tyson Summers on Sunday, and one after.

Before the firing:

Some fans were trying to numb the pain:

Drinking Game.....

Well...

Now that our team has been completely destroyed, let’s have some laughs and turn this into a drinking game....

I’m thinking a drink each time TS plays with his headset volume would be a good start...

(may as well carry through to rules regarding the post game interviews and whatever else our special, special HC does.)

Hell, Maybe we really could get ripped and make a rule for double drinks per targeting call.

Other ideas?

After the firing:

Joy joy hallelujah. Let's pretend the last yr and a half was a mass hallucination!!!

And this food for thought:

I want Hugh Freeze.

Texas lost to Oklahoma State on a dying duck of an overtime interception.

And this was the in-the-moment response in the comments section of the GameThread at SB Nation’s Barking Carnival:

USC lost a blowout at Notre Dame, thus ending the roughly yearlong perception that USC is good.

The Trojans will check this box for us this week:

Dear any major Boosters

Chip Kelly is available. Now is your window to make this happen. Don't let utla make the better move.

Good idea! But there is one hitch.

You actually trust USC boosters? They would try to hire Jeff Fisher

The most devastating thing about that is that it’s true.

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