In a game dominated by Rutgers tailback Ray Rice, the Scarlet Knights relied on a trick play to edge second-ranked South Florida, 30-27. I picked South Florida to win the game, but I'm not shocked by the upset — Rutgers upset a No. 3 ranked Louisville team last year, also on a Thursday.
However, I am surprised by the trick plays executed by Rutgers. In the third quarter, third-string quarterback Andrew DePaola acted as holder on an apparent field goal attempt, but rolled to his right and completed a 15-yard touchdown pass instead. Rutgers kicker Jeremy Ito also delivered a 36-yard pass on a fake punt in Rutgers' first possession, which ended in a field goal.
This game was almost as wacky as last Thursday's featured game, Florida State vs. Wake Forest. I'm left wondering — could Rutgers have beaten South Florida without the two unorthodox plays?
Friday, October 19, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Big East Showdown- Sort Of
Four years ago, three Big East football teams agreed to abandon the league to join the Atlantic Coast Conference, which at the time was considered a growing football power. Miami and Virginia Tech received invitations to the ACC in June 2003, while Boston College got its invitation four months later. The three teams began ACC play in 2005.
Fast forward to 2007, and the traditional ACC powers have fallen, while its two best teams face off one week from now, Oct. 25. Those two teams are No. 3 Boston College and No. 11 Virginia Tech, and I find it ironic that BC is dominating in only its second season of ACC play.
Boston College, Syracuse, and Miami were all included in the ACC's initial expansion plan before the conference voted down BC and Syracuse in favor of Virginia Tech. The Eagles eventually received an invitation, and they have made the most of it.
Fast forward to 2007, and the traditional ACC powers have fallen, while its two best teams face off one week from now, Oct. 25. Those two teams are No. 3 Boston College and No. 11 Virginia Tech, and I find it ironic that BC is dominating in only its second season of ACC play.
Boston College, Syracuse, and Miami were all included in the ACC's initial expansion plan before the conference voted down BC and Syracuse in favor of Virginia Tech. The Eagles eventually received an invitation, and they have made the most of it.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
UVA Hands Connecticut First Loss
Talk to coaches about the main difference between the Football Championship Subdivision and the Football Bowl Subdivision, and they will tell you that size is the principal distinction. Athleticism is prevalent in both, but FCS players are generally smaller.
The same could be said about stadiums. I drove to Charlottesville on Saturday for the Virginia football game against Connecticut, where attendance at Scott Stadium was just above 60,000. James Madison usually surpasses Bridgeforth Stadium's official capacity of 14,513, but only by a few hundred.
Bridgeforth Stadium is considered one of the toughest places to play in the Colonial Athletic Association, but it doesn't come close to the atmosphere at Scott Stadium. Walking into the facility, the sea of orange impresses me every time.
UVA relied on its defense to win Saturday, when it recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter that led to the go-ahead field goal. The Cavaliers D is led by senior defensive end Chris Long, who is number four on Mel Kiper's Big Board, which ranks the top 25 college seniors.
Virginia Tech plays against Boston College at home Thursday, October 25, and I've got tickets. Should I expect Lane Stadium to live up to its hype?
The same could be said about stadiums. I drove to Charlottesville on Saturday for the Virginia football game against Connecticut, where attendance at Scott Stadium was just above 60,000. James Madison usually surpasses Bridgeforth Stadium's official capacity of 14,513, but only by a few hundred.
Bridgeforth Stadium is considered one of the toughest places to play in the Colonial Athletic Association, but it doesn't come close to the atmosphere at Scott Stadium. Walking into the facility, the sea of orange impresses me every time.
UVA relied on its defense to win Saturday, when it recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter that led to the go-ahead field goal. The Cavaliers D is led by senior defensive end Chris Long, who is number four on Mel Kiper's Big Board, which ranks the top 25 college seniors.
Virginia Tech plays against Boston College at home Thursday, October 25, and I've got tickets. Should I expect Lane Stadium to live up to its hype?
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Shoddy Officiating
The McSports Report is going to do something new tonight and examine Football Bowl Subdivision play.
In the Thursday night game on ESPN, Florida State and Wake Forest got off to a slow start following the Seminoles' first three plays and subsequent punt. It took 10-15 minutes for the referees to determine that an illegal block in the back by Wake Forest gave FSU the first down their offensive team couldn't produce.
The 'Noles were called for illegal procedure on their first punt and had to assess a five-yard penalty and repeat the fourth down. They punted a second time, and Wake Forest was called for an illegal block in the back, a 10-yard penalty. Initially, the referees announced that the penalty would be assessed 10 yards from where the block occurred and Wake Forest would get possession.
However, events that happened shortly after the illegal block complicated the situation. The punt landed, bounced off the helmet of a Demon Deacon special teams player and was recovered by an FSU player. The referees made three conflicting announcements before they declared an official review of the play.
The referees came to the conclusion that even before the ball bounced off the helment of a Wake Forest player, it had grazed an FSU player, effectively making the ball dead at the point he touched the ball. Subsequently, Florida State was given the option to accept the 10-yard penalty. They did accept, and it gave them a first down — the 'Noles went back to work on offense after all that. Fittingly, Florida State went three-and-out and punted the ball to about the same spot their original punt had landed.
Tell me if you've seen anything more ridiculous — the officials should have gone to instant replay right from the start.
In the Thursday night game on ESPN, Florida State and Wake Forest got off to a slow start following the Seminoles' first three plays and subsequent punt. It took 10-15 minutes for the referees to determine that an illegal block in the back by Wake Forest gave FSU the first down their offensive team couldn't produce.
The 'Noles were called for illegal procedure on their first punt and had to assess a five-yard penalty and repeat the fourth down. They punted a second time, and Wake Forest was called for an illegal block in the back, a 10-yard penalty. Initially, the referees announced that the penalty would be assessed 10 yards from where the block occurred and Wake Forest would get possession.
However, events that happened shortly after the illegal block complicated the situation. The punt landed, bounced off the helmet of a Demon Deacon special teams player and was recovered by an FSU player. The referees made three conflicting announcements before they declared an official review of the play.
The referees came to the conclusion that even before the ball bounced off the helment of a Wake Forest player, it had grazed an FSU player, effectively making the ball dead at the point he touched the ball. Subsequently, Florida State was given the option to accept the 10-yard penalty. They did accept, and it gave them a first down — the 'Noles went back to work on offense after all that. Fittingly, Florida State went three-and-out and punted the ball to about the same spot their original punt had landed.
Tell me if you've seen anything more ridiculous — the officials should have gone to instant replay right from the start.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Rhode Island Preview
Football practice was very animated today, as JMU offensive coordinator Jeff Durden was cheering for the defensive unit during drills. It seems unusual to me that an offensive coach would cheer for the defense.
James Madison relied on its defense to clinch a victory last week at Northeastern, when senior strong safety Nick Adams caught his second interception of the season with 36 seconds left in the game to halt a Northeastern drive into Madison territory. However, the Dukes were disappointed with their performance. Northeastern accumulated 207 rushing yards in the game, the highest total allowed by Madison's defense all season. The previous high was against VMI on Sept. 15, when JMU allowed 151 yards rushing.
Madison's defensive unit must step up Saturday against the wishbone attack that the University of Rhode Island employs. URI's wishbone is well suited for quarterback option plays and resembles the offensive scheme VMI runs.
“The fact that we have some practice time against it I think helps,” JMU coach Mickey Matthews said. “But it’s a double-edged sword, because [Rhode Island] has seen how we line up against it."
Expect Rhode Island to be more effective than the Keydets were with their rushing attack. In URI's last game on Sept. 29, junior quarterback Derek Cassidy led the team with 22 rushes for 119 yards, and the Rams also had two running backs with over 100 yards rushing. JMU has the fourth-ranked rushing defense in the Colonial Athletic Association through six games — we'll see where they stand after Saturday.
JMU senior defensive tackle John Baranowsky assessed last week's performance and said, "We just didn't fly to the ball as much — people were doing their jobs, it's just you need all 11 guys running. There was a little bit of lackluster effort there, and that's gonna get cleared up real fast."
If Madison can contain Rhode Island's multi-faceted rushing attack, the Dukes will certainly put themselves in a position to win. URI has the 11th-ranked pass offense in the CAA, and without a successful running game the Rams should struggle to put up points.
James Madison relied on its defense to clinch a victory last week at Northeastern, when senior strong safety Nick Adams caught his second interception of the season with 36 seconds left in the game to halt a Northeastern drive into Madison territory. However, the Dukes were disappointed with their performance. Northeastern accumulated 207 rushing yards in the game, the highest total allowed by Madison's defense all season. The previous high was against VMI on Sept. 15, when JMU allowed 151 yards rushing.
Madison's defensive unit must step up Saturday against the wishbone attack that the University of Rhode Island employs. URI's wishbone is well suited for quarterback option plays and resembles the offensive scheme VMI runs.
“The fact that we have some practice time against it I think helps,” JMU coach Mickey Matthews said. “But it’s a double-edged sword, because [Rhode Island] has seen how we line up against it."
Expect Rhode Island to be more effective than the Keydets were with their rushing attack. In URI's last game on Sept. 29, junior quarterback Derek Cassidy led the team with 22 rushes for 119 yards, and the Rams also had two running backs with over 100 yards rushing. JMU has the fourth-ranked rushing defense in the Colonial Athletic Association through six games — we'll see where they stand after Saturday.
JMU senior defensive tackle John Baranowsky assessed last week's performance and said, "We just didn't fly to the ball as much — people were doing their jobs, it's just you need all 11 guys running. There was a little bit of lackluster effort there, and that's gonna get cleared up real fast."
If Madison can contain Rhode Island's multi-faceted rushing attack, the Dukes will certainly put themselves in a position to win. URI has the 11th-ranked pass offense in the CAA, and without a successful running game the Rams should struggle to put up points.
Monday, October 8, 2007
South Division Leaders
JMU won 21-14 over Northeastern on Saturday in the lowest scoring Colonial Athletic Association football game of week six. With the win, the Dukes (5-1 overall, 3-0 in the conference) ascend to first place in the CAA South Division, while Delaware fell to second place with a 35-30 loss at New Hampshire.
Northeastern ran 83 plays to Madison's 52, a week after Villanova only had 48 plays to JMU's 82. The most plays Madison had allowed until Saturday's game was against New Hampshire on Sept. 8, when the Wilcats ran 72 plays to Madison's 75.
JMU coach Mickey Matthews explained the discrepancy and said, "[Northeastern's] best defense was their offense. They just kept the ball away from us — we had three possessions in the first half, and we scored two of 'em. We take the second half kickoff, go down and score to get the lead, and then from that period on offensively we didn't play very well."
Madison's defense struggled to contain Northeastern running back Maurice Murray, who rushed 32 times for 184 yards, an average of 5.7 yards per carry. The 230-pound senior was unlike any running back the Dukes practice against.
"We don't really have any big backs; the biggest back we have is Rodney [Landers], and he weighs 220 pounds," Matthews said. "In our scrimmages, we never tackle a big back, so I thought that really surprised us."
It's just a little bit ironic that Matthews considers his quarterback to be Madison's biggest running back. However, it's true — none of Madison's running backs are listed at more than 205 pounds. And after all, Landers does lead JMU with 90 rushing attempts for 512 yards. That ties him with University of Rhode Island running back Joe Casey for sixth place in the conference. More on that later.
Northeastern ran 83 plays to Madison's 52, a week after Villanova only had 48 plays to JMU's 82. The most plays Madison had allowed until Saturday's game was against New Hampshire on Sept. 8, when the Wilcats ran 72 plays to Madison's 75.
JMU coach Mickey Matthews explained the discrepancy and said, "[Northeastern's] best defense was their offense. They just kept the ball away from us — we had three possessions in the first half, and we scored two of 'em. We take the second half kickoff, go down and score to get the lead, and then from that period on offensively we didn't play very well."
Madison's defense struggled to contain Northeastern running back Maurice Murray, who rushed 32 times for 184 yards, an average of 5.7 yards per carry. The 230-pound senior was unlike any running back the Dukes practice against.
"We don't really have any big backs; the biggest back we have is Rodney [Landers], and he weighs 220 pounds," Matthews said. "In our scrimmages, we never tackle a big back, so I thought that really surprised us."
It's just a little bit ironic that Matthews considers his quarterback to be Madison's biggest running back. However, it's true — none of Madison's running backs are listed at more than 205 pounds. And after all, Landers does lead JMU with 90 rushing attempts for 512 yards. That ties him with University of Rhode Island running back Joe Casey for sixth place in the conference. More on that later.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Northeastern Preview
Just talked with Rocky Hager, head coach of the Northeastern football team. Entering Saturday's game, the Huskies are 1-3 overall, 0-1 in the CAA. Northeastern had a bye and didn't play Saturday — that might help them with some injuries.
Coach Hager offered his perspective and said, "With the Football Championship Subdivision, there are some inherent challenges that we all face because of limitations in scholarships. When you get a period of time with which you can give certain folks an opportunity to rest and recuperate, thats a bonus."
Scholarships aren't the only resource FCS schools have less of than their Football Bowl Subdivision counterparts. Low attendance and modest stadiums are an issue as well, and Northeastern's Parsons Field highlights this topic of debate. Average home attendance for the Huskies this season is 2,689 in two games at Brookline, Mass.
The quality of their facilities reflects their attendance, which is the lowest in the CAA. However, JMU coach Mickey Matthews emphasized the importance of not underestimating a team because of their facilities.
"Anytime you visit with any of the coaches in the CAA, they always talk about [how] Northeastern has the biggest home field advantage in the league." Matthews said. "It's such a shock when kids go in there ... you have such a letdown, and you really have to guard against that."
JMU stands second in the CAA South Division (4-1 overall, 2-0 CAA), and travels over 550 miles to Northeastern Saturday. The Huskies will try to contain the ever-improving JMU quarterback Rodney Landers, who was named CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week for producing 370 yards of total offense against Villanova. He has passed for more than 240 yards in both of his first two CAA games, and hasn't passed for more than 163 yards against either of Madison's three other opponents.
Senior tailback Eugene Holloman is expected to sit out the remainder of the season after his arthroscopic knee surgery, and his absence has translated to less big play potential for JMU. Senior tailback Antoinne Bolton provides leadership for the Dukes, and the next three running backs on the depth chart are redshirt freshmen Jamal Sullivan and Griff Yancey, and sophomore Reggie Hicks.
"I was surprised when I saw the yards after the game, because other than the reverse we didn't really have a big play," Matthews said. "When your home run threat's over there on crutches, that's not gonna go away all year."
Madison produced 507 yards of total offense against Villanova, and had more receiving yards than rushing yards for the first time this season. With 300 passing yards and 207 rushing yards, the Dukes utilized short screen passes to exploit the bunched-in Villanova defensive front. At this point, opposing teams must pick their poison: focus on Rodney Landers the rushing threat, or focus on his accuracy through the air.
Coach Hager offered his perspective and said, "With the Football Championship Subdivision, there are some inherent challenges that we all face because of limitations in scholarships. When you get a period of time with which you can give certain folks an opportunity to rest and recuperate, thats a bonus."
Scholarships aren't the only resource FCS schools have less of than their Football Bowl Subdivision counterparts. Low attendance and modest stadiums are an issue as well, and Northeastern's Parsons Field highlights this topic of debate. Average home attendance for the Huskies this season is 2,689 in two games at Brookline, Mass.
The quality of their facilities reflects their attendance, which is the lowest in the CAA. However, JMU coach Mickey Matthews emphasized the importance of not underestimating a team because of their facilities.
"Anytime you visit with any of the coaches in the CAA, they always talk about [how] Northeastern has the biggest home field advantage in the league." Matthews said. "It's such a shock when kids go in there ... you have such a letdown, and you really have to guard against that."
JMU stands second in the CAA South Division (4-1 overall, 2-0 CAA), and travels over 550 miles to Northeastern Saturday. The Huskies will try to contain the ever-improving JMU quarterback Rodney Landers, who was named CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week for producing 370 yards of total offense against Villanova. He has passed for more than 240 yards in both of his first two CAA games, and hasn't passed for more than 163 yards against either of Madison's three other opponents.
Senior tailback Eugene Holloman is expected to sit out the remainder of the season after his arthroscopic knee surgery, and his absence has translated to less big play potential for JMU. Senior tailback Antoinne Bolton provides leadership for the Dukes, and the next three running backs on the depth chart are redshirt freshmen Jamal Sullivan and Griff Yancey, and sophomore Reggie Hicks.
"I was surprised when I saw the yards after the game, because other than the reverse we didn't really have a big play," Matthews said. "When your home run threat's over there on crutches, that's not gonna go away all year."
Madison produced 507 yards of total offense against Villanova, and had more receiving yards than rushing yards for the first time this season. With 300 passing yards and 207 rushing yards, the Dukes utilized short screen passes to exploit the bunched-in Villanova defensive front. At this point, opposing teams must pick their poison: focus on Rodney Landers the rushing threat, or focus on his accuracy through the air.
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