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junker-town · 6 years ago

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Washington’s rebuilding, but could run away with the Pac-12 anyway

Chris Petersen’s Huskies are retooling after a remarkable three-year run. There are as many reasons for excitement as fear, however.

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

Imagine going back in time to 2008, running into some Washington fans at the tail end of their 0-12 campaign under Ty Willingham, and telling them that in a decade’s time, their Huskies would be...

winning double-digit games each year,

taking two of three conference titles (don’t tell them it’s the Pac-12, let’s throw just one thing at them at a time),

dominating the Apple Cup (six wins in a row and counting),

improving their recruiting almost every year (from an average ranking of 28.8 nationally from 2014-17, to 16th in back-to-back years in 2018-19),

... and that they’d maybe feeling the slightest bit underwhelmed by it all.

What?

Washington has a strange way of warping expectations, and both of the men hired since Willingham was let go have managed to exceed expectations in a manner that leaves you realizing you could have had more.

First, Steve Sarkisian did it. He came aboard at a time when Washington was at maybe its lowest ever ebb. The Huskies were indeed 0-12 and 114th in S&P+ in 2008 and had won just 12 games in the five years before his arrival. They improved to 67th in his first year, then 60th, 53rd, 49th, and 15th over the next four.

This was a remarkable performance, but for every breakthrough, there was a setback. Beat USC in 2009, then lose by 27 to Oregon State. Beat USC again in 2010, then lose three in a row by a combined 138-30. Beat Stanford in 2012, then lose three in a row by a combined 128-52. On paper, the improvement was linear and steady. On the field, though, they were dramatically inconsistent.

Sark took the USC head job in 2014, opening the door for Washington take another step forward with Boise State’s Chris Petersen.

Petersen began his UW tenure 15-12, but the Huskies surged in his third year. They were 12-2 and third in S&P+ in 2016, winning the Pac-12 and reaching the College Football Playoff, and then settled in at 10th in 2017 and 14th (with another conference title) in 2018.

Undeniable success! And missed opportunities. A baffling 13-7 loss to Arizona State in 2017 cost the Huskies another division title and, in theory, a potential shot at the CFP. Another offensive no-show in 2018, a 12-10 loss to Cal, cost them another potential top-10 finish at the least. Plus, after taking such a leap in 2016 with such a young team, it was easy to assume another top-five run at some point. That was not to be.

Regrets or no, a new era of sorts begins for the Huskies in 2019. A lot of the names we have grown to associate with Washington football — quarterback Jake Browning, running back Myles Gaskin, offensive tackle Kaleb McGary, defensive tackle Greg Gaines, linebackers Ben Burr-Kirven and Tevis Bartlett, DBs Byron Murphy, Taylor Rapp, and JoJo McIntosh — have finally gone, leaving behind a new generation of athletes that were almost certainly better recruits than their predecessor but are also new.

On paper, this seems fine. But it’s going to be different. And different can be scary.

Offense

Browning was the face of this “disappointing” rise for a lot of Husky fans. A four-year starter, he was absolutely brilliant in 2016, throwing for 3,400 yards, 43 touchdowns, and a 167.5 passer rating that was behind only Baker Mayfield’s among power conference QBs. It was easy to envision him continuing to improve and perhaps making a Heisman run at some point.

Instead, he had already maxed himself out. His completion rate continued to rise (67 percent in 2017-18), but he threw more interceptions, too, as opponents better got to know his tendencies and learned how to bait him into mistakes. His passer rating was 147 over his final two seasons — still obviously good but not as good — and he finished his career with an absurd 12,296 passing yards and 94 touchdowns. But it was easy to get the impression that Washington fans were ready for something new.

Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Jacob Eason

Enter Eason. A product of Lake Stevens (Wash.), about a 40-minute drive from the UW campus, Eason was a top-five recruit in the 2018 class and signed with Georgia. He started for the Dawgs in 2016 — a freshman QB for freshman head coach Kirby Smart — and dealt with all the ups and downs you’d expect.

Eason finished 2016 with just a 120.3 passer rating and a 16-to-8 TD-to-INT ratio, got hurt in the first game of 2017, and got Wally Pipp’d by another freshman, Jake Fromm, who led the Dawgs to the national title game. Then he moved back home.

Eason is everything Browning wasn’t: statuesque (6’6, 228), cannon-armed ... and mostly unproven. Assuming he’s undergone the mental development we would expect from both the typical blue-chipper and the typical Petersen quarterback, he could have an enormous season, especially with the receiving corps he’s got at his disposal.

Aaron Fuller has caught 100 passes for 1,349 yards over the last three seasons and thrived after moving into a go-to role as a junior, catching 58 balls and coming up big in two marquee non-conference games (seven catches for 135 yards against Auburn, then seven for 80 in the Rose Bowl against Ohio State).

Fellow senior Andre Baccellia is an ace possession man. He caught 55 balls last year with a team-high (among primary targets) plus-12.8 percent marginal efficiency rating. His usage is an extension of the run game, punishing opponents for having too many defenders in the box, eight yards at a time.

Junior Ty Jones is a big former blue-chipper who looked great early in 2018 (seven catches for 153 yards in the first two games) but caught more than three balls just one more time all year.

Tight ends Cade Otton and Hunter Bryant combined to catch 24 balls for 412 yards and four touchdowns in limited, but explosive, action.

Marquis Spiker, Austin Osborne, and Trey Lowe are all four-star redshirt freshmen. Spiker was a top-60 overall prospect, and incoming freshman Puka Nacua was top-150 as well.

That’s a lot. It’s very easy to assume big things from Eason, but he still has to deliver. He hasn’t yet.

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Aaron Fuller

Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan’s 2018 attack was a little bit on the predictable side, running more than the national average on standard downs and throwing more than the national average on passing downs. If Eason’s ready, those ratios could shift to something more pass-happy, but we can assume that Salvon Ahmed is still going to get a lot of touches.

Another former star recruit, Ahmed was an exciting third-down back in 2018, averaging 5.9 yards per carry over 7.4 carries per game and catching 21 of 22 passes for 170 yards. One assumes that he’ll move into Gaskin’s role and that 5’7 junior Sean McGrew (50 carries for 226 yards, six catches for 110) is custom-made for a third-down type of role. Neither of these players is very big, but Hamdan has Kamari Pleasant (6’0, 215) and redshirt freshman Richard Newton (6’0, 213) if he needs someone to carve out a short-yardage niche.

The line is loaded. McGary was a four-year starter and first-team all-conference tackle, but the return of 6’8 left tackle Trey Adams (first-team all-conference in 2016, 32 career starts) from injury basically gives UW five returning line starters all the same. Center Nick Harris was also all-conference last year, and UW boasts 106 career starts up front.

Defense

Washington had the best non-intrusive defense imaginable in 2018. The Huskies finished fourth in Def. S&P+ — their third straight year in the top 15 — and did so with balance. They were 10th in Rushing S&P+ and 18th in Passing S&P+. They never allowed big plays, and they stiffened well in the red zone, allowing just 3.7 points per scoring opportunity (first downs inside the 40), 12th in FBS.

They did so despite ranking 118th in completion rate allowed, 107th in sack rate, 97th in stuff rate (run stops at or behind the line), and 67th in overall havoc rate. They let you execute your play, tackled you immediately, and then, once you eventually fell behind schedule, let their talented DBs feast.

Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Benning Potoa’e (8)

There’s a strong correlation between disruption and success ... for most teams, at least. But the structure created by coordinator Jimmy Lake and co-coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and managed by QB-on-the-field Ben Burr-Kirven was masterful its containment ability.

From a talent perspective, there’s no reason to think will be anything other than another top-15 unit in 2019. There are veterans at each level, from linemen Levi Onwuzurike and Benning Potoa’e to linebackers Ryan Bowman and Brandon Wellington to cornerback Myles Bryant. And the uptick in recent recruiting shines clearly when you notice that, among freshmen and redshirt freshmen alone, there are six former blue-chippers on the line, three at linebacker, and five in the secondary. If just a few of these players are ready to play a role, this will be Washington’s most athletic defense yet under Petersen.

There has to be at least a little bit of concern, though, about where turnover has come. Burr-Kirven was picked by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft, and safeties Taylor Rapp and JoJo McIntosh are also gone. There’s plenty of experience on the edges — in addition to Bryant, Bowman is sturdy at OLB, and corners Elijah Molden and Keith Taylor could both be ready for breakthroughs — but losing a star ILB and both safeties after dominating with big-play prevention is scary.

Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Myles Bryant

If nothing else, the 2019 schedule will help this defense out. There’s no top-10 matchup vs. a team like Auburn right out of the gates this time. Instead, the first four games are against Eastern Washington (which can at times be problematic, but this should be manageable since Washington State stole EWU quarterback Gage Gubrud), Cal (all defense), Hawaii, and BYU. Those teams should provide a test, but not too much of one.

It helps, too, having an anchor like Onwuzurike, maybe the best tackle in a league that has quite a few strong tackles.

Special Teams

Petersen inherited a strong special teams unit from Sarkisian and has slowly let his grip slip. UW was 26th in Special Teams S&P+ in 2014, 51st in both 2015 and 2016, 105th in 2017, and a ghastly 117th last year.

This unit was a plain old dud in 2018, failing to rank in the top 80 in any single category. Place-kicker Peyton Henry was a freshman and missed field goals in tight losses to both Auburn and Oregon, but at least he was a freshman. The rest of the unit didn’t have that excuse.

Everyone’s back. We’ll see if that’s a good thing.

2019 outlook

2019 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 31-Aug Eastern Washington NR 34.8 98% 7-Sep California 60 16.7 83% 14-Sep Hawaii 94 25.7 93% 21-Sep at BYU 50 9.5 71% 28-Sep USC 29 9.4 71% 5-Oct at Stanford 32 5.1 62% 12-Oct at Arizona 52 9.7 71% 19-Oct Oregon 20 6.3 64% 2-Nov Utah 17 4.8 61% 8-Nov at Oregon State 105 24.6 92% 23-Nov at Colorado 68 13.4 78% 29-Nov Washington State 36 11.3 74%

Projected S&P+ Rk 15 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 25 / 16 Projected wins 9.2 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 17.2 (13) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 18 2018 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* 3 / 7.6 2018 TO Luck/Game -1.7 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 50% (67%, 34%) 2018 Second-order wins (difference) 10.9 (-0.9)

It’s not hard to see why Oregon has been the Pac-12’s preseason darling. The Ducks return QB Justin Herbert, while most of UW’s marquee names are gone.

On paper, though, this is still Washington’s conference. The Huskies are less proven but more athletic, and they’re projected 15th in S&P+, slightly ahead of both Utah and UO. Better yet, the schedule sets up almost perfectly. The non-conference slate is indeed lighter than last year’s, and all three of UW’s projected top-30 opponents (USC, Oregon, Utah) have to visit Seattle. Stanford’s the only road opponent projected better than 50th.

The result: the Huskies are projected favorites in all 12 games and are favored by at least 4.8 points in each.

Granted, they were favored in most of last year’s games, too, and still managed to drop a few that were very much within their grasp. We’ll see if the new blood makes them more or less capable of taking advantage of the opportunity in front of them. Because make no mistake: there’s still plenty of opportunity in front of them.

Team preview stats

All 2019 preview data to date.

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bandidoguapo · 4 years ago

Video

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slicewifi · 6 years ago

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Women in IT Awards USA: Finalists Revealed

Finalist Revealed

The finalists for the US edition of the world’s largest tech diversity event are today revealed. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Gotham Hall, New York, on 22 March ‘As tech companies continue to disrupt industries and business models with new innovation, platforms that ensure the workforces behind this innovation are diverse and innovation are absolutely critical’ The world’s largest tech diversity awards event today reveals the finalists for its inaugural USA program, which will gather top leaders from America’s technology sector to further efforts to tackle the industry’s diversity challenges. The Women in IT Awards is the technology world’s most prominent and influential diversity program. Held for the last four years in London, the most recent event on 31 January 2018 was attended by 1,200 business and tech leaders. On 22 March 2018, the event will come to the US for the first time, taking place in one of the world’s most prominent business cities – New York – at the grand Gotham Hall in Manhattan. The Women in IT Awards USA marks the event’s first expansion out of Europe. With just 25% of computing jobs in the US held by women – and much fewer at senior and executive levels – the event seeks to tackle the industry’s gender imbalance by showcasing the achievements of women in technology, identifying new role models and promoting constructive dialogue around diversity among key industry leaders.

Organised by business-technology magazine and website Information Age, the Women in IT Awards has gathered resounding support from trade associations, politicians and companies of all sizes and sectors since launching in 2015. Through a series of 16 awards, the event acts as a flagship and high-profile platform for the industry’s wide-reaching diversity efforts. The awards, which attracted over 400 nominations, are sponsored by premium partner BMC Software, as well as AT&T, Bluewolf, Equinix, FireEye, Frank Recruitment Group, Neustar, Rolls-Royce and Zayo. “We were blown away with the incredible volume and standard of nominations for an event landing in the US for the first time,” says Ben Rossi, editorial director at Information Age publisher Vitesse Media and founder of the Women in IT Awards. “It’s been a privilege to watch the Women in IT Awards grow over the last four years as people from across the technology world have embraced it as the platform for identifying female role models in the industry and shining a light on their innovation and achievements. “As tech companies continue to disrupt industries and business models with new innovation, platforms like the Women in IT Awards that ensure the workforces behind this innovation are diverse and inclusive are absolutely critical. Congratulations to all of the finalists.” Advocate of the Year Kristy Wallace, Ellevate Network Anita Khandekar, Enova Bianca Jackson, JAX Digital DeLisa Alexander, Red Hat Selina Suarez, Salesforce Hala Hanna, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Marta Zanchi, Stanford University Elizabeth Hunter, T-Mobile Carita Marrow, UNCF Ronni Eloff, Women in Technology International Business Leader of the Year Kate O’Keeffe, Cisco Lisa Stanton, InAuth Brynne Kennedy, MOVE Guides Candice Corby, Cobra Legal Solutions Nancy Harris, Sage Meredith Whalen, IDC Trish Thomas, TEEM Kristel Lataste, Amadeus North America Paula Hunter, NFC Forum Business Role Model of the Year Rebecca Parsons, ThoughtWorks Heather Wilde, WithMe Margaret Dawson, Red Hat Rebecca Wynn, Matrix Medical Network Teena Piccione, Fidelity Investments Donna Wells, Mindflash Technologies Brenda Peick, Thomson Reuters Liz Tinkham, University of Washington Priyanka Vasudevan, Morgan Stanley Nabila Aydin, FDM Group CIO of the Year Marykay Wells, Pearson Kristy Simonette, Camden Property Trust Sherry Aaholm, Cummins Paula Tolliver, Intel Corporation Kimberly Ingram, Lansing Board of Water & Light Nancy D’Amico, LeasePlan Janice Withers, TD Bank Nicole Raimundo, Town of Cary Michaele James, CSAA Insurance Group Sandi Mays, Zayo Group Data Leader of the Year Sangeeta Krishnan, Asembia Olisa Stephensbailey, Booz Allen Hamilton Valerie Logan, Gartner Kjersten Moody, State Farm Jennifer Nelson, Rocket Software Aimee Webster, S&P Global Sara Garrido, Sizmek Jessica Kirkpatrick, Slack Tendü Yoğurtçu, Syncsort Jacquelin Speck, U.S. Navy Digital Leader of the Year Jessica Wong, Amorepacific Aurora Losada, Houston Public Media Kristina Villarini, Lambda Legal Jo Ann Saitta, Omnicom Health Group Monica Caldas, GE Melissa Stevens, Fifth Third Bank Jaime Chambron, NTT Data Services Daryl Drabinsky, Aetna Teesee Murray, Infor Karen O’Brien, Western Union e-Skills Initiative of the Year Tracey Welson-Rossman, Chariot Solutions / TechGirlz Renee La Londe, iTalent Digital Marlin Williams, Sisters Code Olga Mack, ClearSlide Ruthe Farmer, CSforALL.org Judith Spitz, Women in Technology and Entrepreneurship in New York (WiTNY) Viola Maxwell-Thompson, Information Technology Senior Management Forum Women on their Way, NetScout Elizabeth Lindsey, Byte Back Diane Flynn, ReBoot Accel Editor’s Choice Rina Brahmbhatt, Atos Global Consulting Mylea Charvat, Savonix Lauren Cooney, Spark Labs Rita Torkzadeh, The Pew Charitable Trusts Christina Zuniga, InTouch Health Winnie Cheng, Io-Tahoe Jane Harper, Henry Ford Health System Shelley Westman, EY Liz Rowe, State of New Jersey Marlene Williamson, Watermark Entrepreneur of the Year Zhuo Li, AutoX Neha Sampat, Built.io Contentstack Autumn Manning, YouEarnedIt Jennifer Kyriakakis, MATRIXX Software Angela Hood, ThisWay Global Lora Ivanova, myLab Box Srii Srinivasan, Chargeback Gurus Mary Dee, Digital Altitude Meg Columbia, Walsh Wylei Rachel Bogan, Work & Co Future CIO of the Year Julia Lomax, Tengelmann Group Priya Aswani, Microsoft Jamila Parham, City of Chicago Eryka Johnson, ExxonMobil Amber Williamson, Robert Half Technology Anne Mette Hoyer, SAP Andrea Adams, Spanning Cloud Apps Tracy Vo, Bank of the West Leslie Hielema, GuideWell Praniti Lakhwara, Apttus Innovator of the Year Jin Zhang, CA Technologies Angela Nicoara, Intel Corporation Vicki Reyzelman, Akamai Rachelle Oribio, Techstars Jo-Anne Dressendofer, Slice Wireless Solutions Kristin Lovejoy, BluVector Natalie Gil, rational7 Veena Gundavelli, Emagia Corporation Bhavini Soneji, Heal Sophie Vandebroek, IBM Rising Star of the Year Velvet Johnson, Accenture Etosha Ottey, Chicago Black Women In Tech Jamie Migdal, FetchFind Robyn Gray, Otherworld Interactive Jennifer Perusini, Neurovation Labs Yana Zaidiner, Token Payments Margaret Gratian, US Department of Defense Lana Jovanovic, UBM Annie Eaton, Futurus Sarah Mogin, Work & Co Security Champion of the Year Rhonda Shantz, Centrify Christy Wyatt, Dtex Systems Linda Conrad, Exelon Deneen DeFiore, GE Lila Kee, GlobalSign Monica Jain, LogicHub Julie Cullivan, ForeScout Technologies Sydney Klein, Capital One Financial Deb Briggs, NetScout Terri Cetera, Quest Diagnostics Transformation Leader of the Year Alejandra Roslyakova, Amadeus North America Lisa Litherland, CDW Ozlem Coskun, Chubb Insurance Sandy Hogan, HERE Technologies Kelly Switt, Citi Barbara Morgan, FIS Carol Houle, Cognizant Chiara Bersano, LSI Consulting Erica Volini, Deloitte Kerry Small, Vodafone Group Enterprise Woman of the Year Kesha Williams, Chick-fil-A Ishita Majumdar, eBay Li Lo, SPANX Dianne Dain, United Nations Mayumi Hiramatsu, Infor Laila Beane, Intellect SEEC Anita Sands, Symantec Karen MacKay, Rolls-Royce Sheela Ramamurthy, VirtualHealth Jeanette Maister, WCN Young Leader of the Year Hannah Osborne, DXC Technology Miranda LeBlanc, Liberty Mutual Insurance Karen Parisi, Oodi Caitlin Burniske, Premier Logic Jessica Angelotta, Target Data Arlyn Burgess, University of Virginia Ali Greenwood, JLL Camille Stewart, Deloitte Ayesha Liaqat, UW Health Lisa Godwin, The New York Times See Original Post Here: information-age.com/women-awards Read the full article

#eventwifi #itwifi #womenwifi

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junker-town · 7 years ago

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The top 100 games of the 2017-18 college football season

We start off the week with 100-71.

We did it. After 834 regular season games, 40 bowl games, 4,376 Nick Saban scowls, and one hell of a national championship game, the college football season is over. To remember and honor the season that was, I (along with a little help from the rest of the SB Nation college football crew) am going to count down the best 100 games of the season. We’ll unveil 30 games at a time on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, then count down the top 10 on Friday.

100 - 71

70 - 41 (Wed.)

40 - 11 (Thurs.)

10 - 1 (Fri.)

Let’s get to the list:

100. Jan. 1: Notre Dame 21, LSU 17

When a one-handed catch-and-run decides a battle of two famous helmets, it’s on the list.

99. Oct. 7: Southern Miss 31, UTSA 29

UTSA was Conference USA’s best team in September and entered 3-0. Southern Miss was 2-2 and coming off of a disappointing loss to North Texas.

UTSA led, 13-7, at half, but USM opened up the spigot. Keon Howard hit Quez Watkins for a 48-yard score late in the third, then Ito Smith erupted for an 89-yard TD run. The Roadrunners responded with 16 fourth-quarter points. They needed 18. After a touchdown from Dalton Sturm to Marquez McNair with 48 seconds left, Sturm’s two-point attempt failed.

98. Dec. 24: Fresno State 33, Houston 27

Fresno State flipped from 11 losses to 10 wins in Jeff Tedford’s first season, winning the MWC West and coming three points short of the conference title. They capped with a Hawaii Bowl full of twists.

You had Houston blocking a 24-yard field goal and returning it 94 yards, turning a likely 23-13 Fresno lead into a 20-20 tie. With the Bulldogs up 26-20 and under four minutes left, UH was nearing midfield with a chance to lead when Jaron Bryant had a 44-yard pick six for the clincher.

97. Nov. 24: Buffalo 31, Ohio 24

Buffalo broke through in Lance Leipold’s third year. After winning seven games in his first two years, the Bulls went 6-6 and won their final three games to finish bowl eligible (albeit bowl-free).

The last win was the most impressive. Against an eventual nine-win Ohio, the Bulls raced to a 24-7 first-quarter lead thanks to two Tyree Jackson touchdown passes and a Chuck Harris fumble return. The Bobcats came back, but KJ Osborn returned a punt to the Ohio 6-yard line midway through the fourth, and Emmanuel Reed punched the ball in. Ohio drove to the UB 5 with under 90 seconds left, but a Khalil Hodge interception sealed the deal.

96. Sept. 30: Troy 24, LSU 21

Under Neal Brown, Troy had its first 10-win FBS season in 2016, then its first 11-win FBS season in 2017. And the Trojans knocked off the big boys in Baton Rouge.

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95. Sept. 23: Arizona State 37, Oregon 35

ASU was 1-2 and in desperate need of a turnaround. They scored 17 first-quarter points and took a 31-14 lead. But the Ducks went on a 21-3 run midway through the fourth quarter.

No worries! ASU responded with an 11-play, four-minute drive, and a 41-yard Brandon Ruiz field goal. Oregon turned the ball over on downs twice, and the Sun Devils hung on.

94. Nov. 4: Arkansas 39, Coastal Carolina 38

Arkansas fans won’t rank this among their favorite comebacks, but it was fun for a neutral party. CCU took an 11-point lead on Nicholas Clark’s 31-yard fumble return and led by 13 in the fourth quarter.

Arkansas’ T.J. Hammonds ripped off an 88-yard run with 10 minutes left, however, and Cole Kelley capped an 11-play touchdown drive with a one-yard score with 1:55 remaining. This upset bid only lasted 58 minutes, and Bret Bielema got to keep his job for a couple more weeks.

93. Nov. 9: North Carolina 34, Pitt 31 92. Nov. 18: Virginia Tech 20, Pitt 14

Pitt wrecked Miami’s plans for an unbeaten season, and the Panthers used a freshman quarterback to do it. To make matters even more impressive? They did so after gut-wrenching losses.

They came back from down double digits to lead UNC at home in the fourth quarter, only to fall back behind, punt with three minutes left, then fail to make a stop.

Then, they took a fourth-quarter lead at Virginia Tech, only to fall victim to Cam Phillips’ 23-yard TD reception. This time, the offense responded. Jester Weah took a slant 74 yards to the VT 1 with under a minute left ... and VT got three stuffs.

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91. Nov. 25: Ohio State 31, Michigan 20

J.T. Barrett won approximately 11 million games as Ohio State’s quarterback, but we got a glimpse of a post-Barrett future when he left The Game with injury.

Blue-chipper Dwayne Haskins came in for his first meaningful action and went 6-for-7 for 94 yards, adding three carries for 24 yards. His 22-yard run set up the go-ahead, and the Buckeyes scored 17 in his four drives.

Photo by Lon Horwedel/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

90. Dec. 30: Mississippi State 31, Louisville 27

In Lamar Jackson’s final game at Louisville, a younger quarterback — MSU freshman Keytaon Thompson — stole the show.

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89. Nov. 25: Duke 31, Wake Forest 23

It’s hard to lose six straight and still make a bowl, but that’s what Duke did, falling from 4-0 to 4-6 and then rallying. They were 5-6 when they went to Winston-Salem, and they spotted Wake Forest a 17-3 lead.

Rally, they did. Daniel Jones’ one-yard run gave the Blue Devils the lead in the fourth, and Brittain Brown’s four-yard score made it 31-23. Mark Gilbert’s midfield interception sealed a bowl bid, and Duke took advantage with a romp over NIU in the Quick Lane Bowl.

88. Sept. 16: Texas Tech 52, Arizona State 45 87. Oct. 7: Texas 40, Kansas State 34 86. Oct. 21: West Virginia 38, Baylor 36 85. Nov. 4: Kansas State 42, Texas Tech 35 84. Nov. 11: Oklahoma State 49, Iowa State 42

Every year sees a batch of Big 12 shootouts. There are a few further up the list, too.

In Week 3, Tech’s Nic Shimonek threw for 543 yards and six touchdowns, and the Red Raiders needed every bit to survive an ASU comeback. Tech led 35-17 at halftime, but two Manny Wilkins touchdown passes in six minutes tied it before Dylan Cantrell capped a 90-yard drive with the winning score.

In Week 6, Texas beat Kansas State for just the third time in 10 tries. The Longhorns were down by 10, but Joshua Rowland’s late field goal forced overtime, and the UT offense caught fire. Sam Ehlinger hit Jerrod Heard for a 25-yard score in the first OT, then Chris Warren III bulled for the winner.

In Week 8, Baylor nearly pulled of an insane comeback. The then-winless Bears trailed 38-13, but Trestan Ebner scored on a 52-yard catch and a 40-yard run to make it 38-27. It was 38-30 in the closing seconds when Ebner scored on a nine-yard pass from Charlie Brewer. WVU swallowed up the two-point conversion, however.

In Week 10, KSU found overtime redemption, coming back from 35-24 down in the fourth and tying on a Skylar Thompson score and a Dalton Schoen conversion. In OT, Thompson found Pringle for the go-ahead score, and Shimonek’s fourth-and-goal pass fell incomplete. Shimonek threw for 405 in a loss.

In Week 11, ISU nearly pulled a third upset of a top-15 opponent, leading 42-34 with under six minutes left. But Mason Rudolph and Marcell Ateman connected for a 30-yard score, a Justice Hill conversion tied it, and Rudolph found Dillon Stoner for the go-ahead two minutes later. ISU drove to the OSU 4 with 32 seconds left, but A.J. Green picked it off in the end zone.

83. Oct. 21: Oklahoma State 13, Texas 10

For a changeup, one of the best games of the Big 12 season was an anti-shootout. And it ended with one terrible dose of miscommunication.

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82. Oct. 7: Kentucky 40, Missouri 34 81. Nov. 24: Missouri 48, Arkansas 45

Former Big 12 member Missouri did its best to bring the spirit to the SEC, averaging nearly 38 per game and rallying from 1-5 to 7-6. They only played in two particularly close games, but both were shootouts.

In Lexington, the Tigers spotted Kentucky a 13-0 lead before trading a barrage: Drew Lock threw touchdowns of 50, 58, and 75 yards, while UK scored on a 71-yard Benny Snell run and a 64-yard pass to Garrett Johnson. Mizzou was driving with a chance at the lead, but Lock couldn’t find tight end Albert Okwuegbunam on the final play.

Mizzou got its road shootout win a few weeks later. In Bielema’s final game, the Tigers again spotted their hosts a lead (21-7) but took a 31-28 lead at halftime. Lock broke the SEC’s single-season touchdowns record, and with the game tied at 45, Mizzou went on a five-minute drive and sealed with a field goal.

80. Sept. 30: Ohio 58, UMass 50 79. Sept. 16: Toledo 54, Tulsa 51

A week after beating EMU in overtime, Ohio survived a wild shootout. It was 27-27 at halftime, and the Bobcats went on a 21-2 run, but UMass kept coming back, and it wasn’t until Dorian Brown’s 42-yard run with 1:42 left that Ohio escaped.

The most MACtion-worthy game happened two weeks earlier. Eventual conference champ Toledo spotted Tulsa a 28-7 lead. Two long Diontae Thompson touchdowns gave Toledo the lead, but the Golden Hurricane tied it with 2:47 left, until Jameson Vest’s field goal at the buzzer.

78. Oct. 26: NIU 30, EMU 27

The Eagles’ hopes of a second straight bowl were dashed by gut-wrenching losses. After a 2-0 start, they lost to Ohio in OT, at Kentucky by four, at Toledo by five, at Army by one, and to WMU in OT.

In desperate need of a win, they took a 24-10 lead early in the fourth quarter ... and gave up two touchdown drives. A field goal gave the Eagles a lead in OT, but Marcus Jones’ run gave NIU the win. You won’t ever see another six-game losing streak this competitive.

77. Oct. 14: Memphis 30, Navy 27 76. Oct. 19: Memphis 42, Houston 38 75. Oct. 21: USF 34, Tulane 28 74. Nov. 11: Navy 43, SMU 40

Y’all noticed that the AAC was fun as hell again, right? UCF dominated headlines, and the Knights’ final two conference wins are further up the list. But those weren’t the only doozies.

In Week 7, Memphis scored its second win of the year against a ranked team, falling behind 19-17 but finding a 13-0 run. Navy’s Zach Abey cut Memphis’ lead to three with 3:25 left, but Austin Hall picked him off to bag the win.

Five days later in Houston, the Tigers were down 24-7 with 21 minutes left. But Tony Pollard’s 93-yard kickoff return and three Patrick Taylor touchdowns got them within 38-35. And after Memphis stuffed a third-and-1 rush, Riley Ferguson drove the Tigers 80 yards in eight plays, finding Sean Dykes for the win.

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Two days after that, USF took its foot off the gas against a resilient Tulane. The Bulls led 34-7 midway through the third, but Sherman Badie’s 34-yard run cut it to 20, and two Dontrell Hilliard scores cut to six with 2:45 left. But on third-and-3 with the game on the line, USF’s Darius Tice raced 30 yards to end it.

Navy has a comeback-proof offense, but SMU whittled away at a 34-11 halftime lead. Courtland Sutton’s 29-yard touchdown catch with 3:32 left tied the game at 40, but Navy got one last chance, milking every second and riding two big Anthony Gargiulo runs to set up a winning kick by J.R. Osborn.

73. Nov. 4: UCF 31, SMU 24

Of the Knights’ first 10 games, only one was particularly challenging. The big plays started early — SMU’s James Proche scored on an 86-yard catch-and-run six minutes in, and UCF responded with an 80-yard pass 15 minutes later.

Adrian Killins’ 64-yard score gave UCF a 28-17 lead in the third, but SMU cut it to 28-24. The Mustangs worked into Knight territory twice in the fourth but couldn’t break through.

72. Sept. 2: Liberty 48, Baylor 45 71. Sept. 2: Howard 43, UNLV 40

Every season features fun FCS-over-FBS upsets, and we saw a wild duo in Week 1.

Soon-to-be-FBS Liberty ruined Matt Rhule’s Baylor debut by posting 585 yards and going on a 21-7 second-half run to take a 48-38 lead. Baylor made it 48-45, but Brandon Tillmon ended it with a last-second interception.

Later that night, we saw technically the biggest upset of all time. UNLV was somehow a 45-point favorite over Howard — UNLV should not have been a 45-point favorite over anybody — but fell victim to one hell of a debut by Caylin Newton. Cam’s little brother rushed for 190 yards and threw for 140 more. The Bison withstood a 24-0 run and came back from 33-21 down to score 22 of the final 29 points. This was a thriller, even if “biggest upset ever!” might oversell it.

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Caylin Newton (3)

Check back all this week for the rest of the Top 100.

100 - 71

70 - 41 (Wed.)

40 - 11 (Thurs.)

10 - 1 (Fri.)

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junker-town · 7 years ago

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The official 2017 Piesman Trophy watch list: Presenting the country’s most entertaining linemen

The only award that recognizes the versatile value of the men in the trenches.

In 2017, the Piesman Trophy, college football’s only award for linemen who runs with the ball, throws the ball, or catches the ball, returns for its third year. The first award went to defensive lineman Ashton Henderson for his fifty yard scoop and score in 2015. Last year, a trick play got offensive lineman Brian O’Neill a touchdown and the trophy.

We’ve got voters from Sports Illustrated, the Associate Press, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, The Athletic, ESPN, The Ringer, Uproxx Sports, and many other outlets. You’ll have the opportunity to be part of the fan vote as well. That’s basically everything we need to give out the Piesman this year, right?

Wrong! Per college football trophy law, we cannot begin that year without one essential element: a watch list.

We begin with the candidate who proved that there is such a thing as a good campaign ad.

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Brian O’Neill, Pitt

We’ve yet to have a player win the Piesman more than once, but the Heisman’s way older, and they’ve only had it happen once. Are we saying Brian O’Neill has the chance to be a modern-day Archie Griffin?

Yes. Yes, we are.

Here’s the rest of the list, in alphabetical order.

Haston Adams, Mary Hardin-Baylor

McTelvin "Sosa" Agim, Arkansas

So many options from Arkansas, but we opted for Sosa over Frank Ragnow. In high school, the 290-pound Agim took direct snaps at QB and returned kickoffs for TDs. Go watch the tape on YouTube, because it's magical. - Arkansas Fight

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Terry Beckner Jr., Missouri

The former blue-chipper is athletic and finally healthy, and if he picks up the ball after a sack-and-strip, he's taking it to the house. - Rock M Nation

Kyle Bosch, West Virginia

If the @piesmantrophy actually does have a candidate/watch list, they can go ahead and throw it out now. @Kyle_Bosch65 http://pic.twitter.com/ihzJuVZZuG

— Michael Ferns (@MichaelDFerns) July 19, 2017

West Virginia, despite its assault on Big 12 defenses, has struggled in the redzone. Enter Kyle Bosch, an athletic lineman with a beaming personality who could help solve those woes by being the big man no one sees coming this year. - The Smoking Musket

Derrick Brown, Auburn

He's a big ole dude (6'5, 316), and he'll get to pick up the leftovers after Marlon Davidson makes the big play. Count on at least one big rumble from this guy when he comes across a loose ball. - College and Magnolia

Jesse Brubaker, Tulsa

Travis Bruffy, Texas Tech

Bradley Chubb, NC State

Chubb, preseason all-ACC and a potential first-round NFL Draft pick, figures to be making a living in the backfield again. With the talent around him up front, he's going to have lots of opportunities to make some highlight-reel plays - Backing The Pack

Jimmy Converse, McNeese State

Darnell Davis, Rutgers

Nick Dehdashtian, UNLV

Will Dissly, Washington

As a former defensive lineman who made the conversion to TE so that he could "just play football," Dissly is essentially a sixth offensive lineman and a devastating blocker. He caught just four passes all season long, but one was for a 27-yard TD that had his teammates flipping out. - UW Dawg Pound

Carta-Samuels connects with Dissly for a 27-yard TD. The Huskies lead 41-3 with 2:24 left. Watch: @Pac12Network https://t.co/S8gclHA5ze

— UW Football (@UW_Football) September 18, 2016

David Edwards, Wisconsin

A former prep quarterback who played tight end his redshirt season until moving to the offensive line last season, Edwards has the hands and the athletic ability to still make plays in the red zone as an extra tackle in jumbo packages. Though he is projected to start at one of the tackle spots, his versatility could be extremely special. - Bucky’s 5th Quarter

Folorunso "Foley" Fatukasi, UConn

Big, fast, mean, and disruptive, Fatukasi has been described by The UConn Blog dot com as a "destroyer of worlds" and a "grown-ass man" over the years. He was also our nominee for last season, but we have a new, more aggressive defense this year. He will eat. - The UConn Blog

Neville "Big Canada" Gallimore, Oklahoma

A 310-pound defensive tackle who runs a 4.72, is Canadian, and is named Neville. - Crimson and Cream Machine

Michael Gomez, Winona State

Eddquerion Harris, North Alabama

Taylor Hendrickson, Penn

Will Hernandez, UTEP

He showed up to be honored for his AP All-American award in a Pittsburgh Steelers Mexican zarape.

All-American's WILL HERNANDEZ & AARON JONES were recognized at tonight's @UTEP_MBB game. Congratulations! #MinerStrong http://pic.twitter.com/PUF6HIOLgP

— UTEPFootball (@UTEPFB) January 22, 2017

That should win something. - Miner Rush

Michael Jordan, Ohio State

His name is Michael Jordan; all the kid has to do is blow up one defender to instantly become a Twitter meme. He had a crappy true-freshman season as a starter, and has to be chomping at the bit to turn his reputation around. Again, his name is Michael Jordan. - Land-Grant Holy Land

Jonathan Kongbo, Tennessee

Tyler Lancaster, Northwestern

Lanny is the perfect Piesman candidate. He's got the size (6’3, 310), strength (37 bench reps of 225), and the large, goofy appearance that fits the spirit of the award. He's also really good and important for Northwestern, which helps. - Inside NU

Mo Langi, BYU

Taboris Lee, Louisiana-Lafayette

Daylon Mack, A&M

He's big, quick, nasty, and due for a breakout season. Already with a knack for getting to the QB unopposed, he's bound to force a fumble and take it to the house. - Good Bull Hunting

K.J. Malone, LSU

LSU hired former Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who helped Brian O'Neil take home this honor last year with a couple of touchdown-scoring play calls. Malone will be LSU's starting left tackle this season. Plus, think of all the shots of his dad, Karl Malone, after some of those tackle-eligible passes. - And The Valley Shook

Malik McMorris, Cal

Highlights for days. Two sport student-athlete who also throws the discus and the shot put. Once named the Sports Illustrated high school athlete of the month. - California Golden Blogs

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Cody O'Connell, Washington State

At 6’8 and 354 pounds, he’s been nicknamed "The Continent" by Mike Leach. That was before O’Connell was named an All-American after last season, and it was before he added *16 more pounds* prior to spring practices. - CougCenter

Sunny Odogwu, UCLA

At a recent season-ticket holder event, he was curling small children. His Twitter account describes him like this:

You've got to appreciate a guy who puts that on his Twitter account! - Bruins Nation

DeQuinton Osborne, Oklahoma State

Da'Ron Payne, Alabama

The strongest man in college football, Payne has always been around the ball, blowing up interior lines. As he's improved his pass rush and ball skills, he's turned into an every-game Piesman threat. It's only a matter of time until the monstrous nose tackle rumbles in for another score. - Roll ‘Bama Roll

Gelen Robinson, Purdue

The 6'1, 275-pound son of that Glenn Robinson (the No. 1 overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft) is a senior and back for more. Last season he had a 78-yard interception return for a touchdown in the season opener that might have been the highlight of an otherwise dismal Purdue season. He has now shifted inside to defensive tackle, but is still a threat after finishing in the top 10 of the Piesman last season. - Hammer and Rails

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Tyler Robinson, Louisville

Tim Settle, Virginia Tech

He's huge. He has moves like Jagger. He is poised for a breakout season. - Gobbler Country

Kolton Shindelar, Tulsa

Kellen Soulek, SD State

Jerry Tillery, Notre Dame

His alter ego is Terry Jillery, and fans now think he's not a good player because he lost his cool against USC and stepped on a dude. He'll be ND's most experienced and best DL. - One Foot Down

Louis Vecchio, Penn

Kendal Vickers, Tennessee

Vickers is the one constant returning to Tennessee's line. The 6’3, 295-pound tackle led UT’s tackles with 6 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. If there's one big man that's going to get a chance to make a play for Tennessee, Vickers is my best bet. - Rocky Top Talk

Christian Wilkins, Clemson

McKinley Williams, Syracuse

Don't know too many people this size that can do a backhand spring @PoppaBearrr3 http://pic.twitter.com/NDt1dK3lsY

— Dino Babers (@CoachBabersCuse) July 20, 2017

At 6’4 and 292 pounds, the nose tackle can do a back handspring, which is athletic as hell (and could translate to the in-game agility necessary to win the Piesman). - Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician

Jonathan Wilson, Memphis

Daniel Wise, Kansas

Wise will be lining up next to Big 12 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, DE Dorance Armstrong Jr., at Kansas of all places! Keep an eye out for a rumblin', bumblin', stumblin' sack-strip fumble return or two this year, as these two torment offensive lines all season long. - Rock Chalk Talk

Of course, like all watch lists, this is only where we begin. When you see a lineman snagging an interception and bulldozing towards the endzone, or lining up under center before throwing a bomb, or doing anything else amazing and wonderful with the football, let us know by tweeting at the Piesman Trophy or using the #PIESMAN hashtag. Together, we’ll make sure linemen get the love they deserve.

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