Oklahoma is headed to 2008 Big 12 title game instead of Texas.
November 30, 2008
A week before the final standings are released and the Bowl Championship Series is already ticking people off.
Oklahoma — not Texas — is headed to the Big 12 Championship Game with an inside track to the national title game by finishing ahead of the Longhorns in the BCS standings.
Texas’ victory against the Sooners in October wasn’t enough to give the Longhorns the advantage in a three-way tie between Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech atop the Big 12 South. And that’s sure to leave many in Austin feeling slighted.
The Big 12 had to use its fifth tiebreaker, best BCS rating, to determine which team will play North winner Missouri on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.
The Sooners (11-1), who lost to Texas 45-35 in October, barely edged the Longhorns. Oklahoma has a .9351 BCS average. Texas’ BCS average is .9223.
Oklahoma was a point ahead of Texas in the coaches poll and six points behind the Longhorns in the Harris Interactive. The computer ratings preferred the Sooners and that made the difference.
So the Longhorns will be watching two teams they beat play for the conference title, rooting for Missouri.
Oklahoma is second in the BCS standings behind unbeaten Alabama. Texas is third and Florida is fourth.
The winner of the Southeastern Conference Championship Game between the Crimson Tide and Gators is virtually guaranteed a spot in the BCS national title game on Jan. 8 in Miami.
Oklahoma would earn the other spot by beating Missouri. If the Sooners lose, it could open the door for Texas to go to the national title game, despite not playing for its conference championship.
If voters are squeamish about letting a team that didn’t win its conference play for a national championship, maybe Southern California could get a shot at the SEC champ in South Florida.
The Trojans are fifth in the BCS standings with a game to go at rival UCLA.
The Sooners were behind Texas last week in the BCS standings, but just barely. The Sooners actually led the Longhorns in the polls, but a week ago the computers had Texas ahead of Oklahoma.
After the Sooners’ 61-41 victory Saturday night against Oklahoma State — 14th in the latest standings — and the Longhorns’ 49-9 win over lowly Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night, the polls tightened but the computers flipped.
The strength of the Big 12 South led to this new BCS controversy, with the top three teams in the conference each finishing 11-1.
After beating Oklahoma and jumping to No. 1 in the polls, Texas (11-1) lost at Texas Tech 39-33 on Nov. 1. The Red Raiders (11-1), No. 2 at the time, then lost at Oklahoma 65-21 on Nov. 22.
The lopsided loss dropped Texas Tech to seventh in Sunday’s standings.
After beating Texas Tech, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops touted his team publicly. But later in the week, Stoops passed on a chance to make another pitch to poll voters and said the politicking that’s become a part of the BCS was making more coaches favor a playoff system in major college football.
Brown, maybe sensing that his team was in danger of losing its spot despite the head-to-head advantage, did his best to campaign for his team without slighting the Sooners in several national television and radio interviews last week. Brown was even part of the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State broadcast, doing a telephone interview with ABC’s announcers during the game.
Brown has stopped short of supporting a playoff, saying only that the BCS is flawed.
Brown also lamented the Big 12’s tiebreaker system, which removed the head-to-head element. In the SEC, a similar three-way division tie would be settled by eliminating the lowest rated team in the BCS standings, then reverting back to head-to-head results between the remaining teams.
But ultimately, the Longhorns victory against Oklahoma couldn’t trump the Sooners’ surge over the last two months.
Oklahoma has scored at least 60 points in its last four games, and has won its last five games by at least 20 points each.
Though it’s not as if Texas has been struggling down the stretch. The Longhorns only loss came on a Graham Harrell-to-Michael Crabtree touchdown pass with one second left in the game. That was also the fourth of four consecutive games for the Longhorns against teams ranked in the top 11 of the AP poll.
Since losing to the Red Raiders, Texas has won three games by a combined score of 129-37.
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Alabama and Florida hold top two spots in AP poll heading into 2008 SEC title game.
November 30, 2008
To earn a national championship, Alabama or Florida will have to win two games matching No. 1 vs. No. 2.
The top-ranked Crimson Tide and second-ranked Gators held their spots in the Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday, setting up the 41st game matching the highest ranked teams in the AP Top 25.
Alabama (12-0) and Florida (11-1) will play Saturday at the Georgia Dome in the Southeastern Conference title game. The winner is virtually guaranteed a spot in the BCS championship game in Miami on Jan. 8.
No. 3 Texas slipped past No. 4 Oklahoma in the latest rankings, a week after the Sooners had jumped over the Longhorns.
The Crimson Tide received 62 first-place votes and 1,620 points from the media panel. The Gators received three first-place votes, up one from last week, and 1,516 points.
Texas had 1,488 points, eight more than Oklahoma.
There was little movement throughout the poll after a weekend when most ranked teams either won or were off.
No. 5 Southern California and No. 6 Penn State held their spots. No. 7 Utah jumped a spot ahead of No. 8 Texas Tech, after the Red Raiders had to rally to beat Baylor 35-28 at home.
No. 9 and unbeaten Boise State and Ohio State round out the top 10.
The 1 vs. 2 matchup in Atlanta will be the fourth in which Alabama has been involved, but the first not played in a bowl game and the first in which the Tide will be No. 1. The Tide are 2-1 in games matching the top two teams in the AP poll.
Florida has also appeared three times in a 1 vs. 2 matchup, going 2-1.
In 1 vs. 2 games, the top-ranked team is 23-15-2.
No. 11 is TCU in the poll, followed by unbeaten Ball State, Big East champion Cincinnati, and Oklahoma State, which slipped three spots after losing 61-41 at home to Oklahoma.
No. 15 is Georgia Tech and No. 16 is Oregon. Both the Yellow Jackets and Ducks had big wins against their in-state rivals on Saturday.
No. 17 Georgia lost to Georgia Tech 45-42.
No. 18 Boston College will play unranked Virginia Tech for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday.
No. 19 Missouri dropped seven spots after losing 40-37 to Kansas and will have to wait for the BCS standings to come out later Sunday to find out what team it will play for the Big 12 title in Kansas City, Mo.
Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech finished tied atop the Big 12 South standings and the spot in the conference championship game will go to the highest-rated team in the BCS standings. The BCS uses the coaches and Harris polls, along with computer ratings, to rank teams.
No. 20 BYU is followed by Michigan State, Mississippi, Pittsburgh, Northwestern and Oregon State, which dropped eight spots after losing 65-38 to Oregon.
Florida State was the only team to drop out of the rankings.
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Florida pounds Florida State again, 45-15, in Tallahassee.
November 30, 2008
Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews walked into the interview room, said he was embarrassed and then left without taking questions.
Coach, you’re not alone. Tim Tebow and No. 2 Florida have left many others feeling the same way the past two months.
Tebow threw three touchdown passes, ran for 80 yards and another score, and the Gators thumped No. 23 Florida State 45-15 in sloppy conditions Saturday. It was the most points Florida has ever scored at Doak Campbell Stadium.
“It was a good tail-whipping,” FSU coach Bobby Bowden said. “I didn’t think they would beat us like that here. The last time we had a beating like that was last year against them.”
Florida (11-1) extended its winning streak to eight games, continued its dominance in the intrastate rivalry and set up a 1-2 showdown with Alabama in next week’s Southeastern Conference title game.
The Gators have won five in a row against Bowden’s team, and this one was nearly as big a laugher as last season’s 45-12 victory in Gainesville.
Florida scored on five of its first seven possessions, held the Seminoles (8-4) without a touchdown for the first 2½ quarters and again proved that the gap between the two programs is as wide as ever.
“They score so many points so fast that everybody gets out of their game plan,” said Bowden, whose team allowed 28 first-half points for the first time since 1989. “You’re trying to catch up and you start doing things you shouldn’t be doing.”
Tebow and Co. pretty much ruined Florida State’s day. Boston College piled on, beating Maryland and knocking the Seminoles out of the hunt for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game.
FSU likely will have to settle for a spot in the Gator Bowl against Nebraska. Florida’s postseason outlook is much brighter. If the Gators can beat Alabama next Saturday in Atlanta, they would lock up a spot in the Bowl Championship Series national title game in Miami.
The Gators looked capable of winning it all, too.
They ran for 317 yards — the most against the Seminoles since Clemson had 321 on the ground in 1985 — and dominated just about every aspect of the game.
Florida State’s lone bright spot was Michael Ray Garvin’s 172 yards on five kickoff returns. The Seminoles were outgained 502-242, had three turnovers and finished 3-of-14 on third-down conversions.
Florida State’s Christian Ponder was picked off twice, including on the first play of the second half, and eventually benched. Brandon Spikes returned the interception to the FSU 20, and Tebow took over from there.
He rolled right on third down and threw a strike across his body to Louis Murphy to make it 35-9. Tebow finished 12-of-21 passing for 185 yards and burned the Seminoles with scrambles and quarterback draws.
Late in the first, he started right, cut up field and capped a 24-yard run by bowling over safety Jamie Robinson — an early sign of how things would unfold on a rain-soaked field.
“If it was up to me, I probably would have run him 50 times,” said coach Urban Meyer, who improved to 12-1 in games against Florida’s biggest rivals Tennessee, Georgia, FSU and Miami.
Tebow, who strengthened his case for becoming the second to win consecutive Heisman Trophies, also made a key block on Percy Harvin’s TD run, recovered a fumble and made a touchdown-saving tackle following an early fumble by John Demps.
Tebow’s only miscue came when he got stuffed on a fourth-and-1 run near the goal line.
“He played very well,” FSU safety Myron Rolle said. “There was really no way to stop them.”
Bowden was even more complimentary.
“He deserves to be mentioned again for the Heisman,” said Bowden, who compared Tebow to legendary fullback Bronco Nagurski. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a better leader. … He directed everything out there. He’s a tremendous player and a tremendous leader.”
The Seminoles fired up Tebow before last year’s game when linebacker Geno Hayes vowed to “take him down.” This time, the FSU fans offered Tebow a little extra motivation.
They cheered wildly when Harvin, the team’s leading receiver, left the game in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle. He limped off the field with the help of trainers and didn’t return.
Tebow was incensed by the reaction.
“That kind of irritated me,” Tebow said. “I told the coach to give me the ball because I really wanted to hit somebody.”
Meyer obliged, and Tebow carried several defenders into the end zone from 4 yards out two plays after Harvin’s injury.
When it was over, Tebow’s white uniform was stained with grass, mud and some garnet-colored paint. Maybe he should have rubbed a little of that FSU gold on there for good measure. After all, that would have been a better indication of how he played against the Seminoles.
“That’s a really good football team in that locker room,” Meyer said. “I’ve done this for quite a while, and that’s as proud as I’ve ever been.”
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Alabama ends six-game losing streak in Iron Bowl with 36-0 win over Auburn.
November 30, 2008
Nick Saban has Alabama on top again.
The national rankings and SEC West? That’s old news.
Already No. 1 in the nation, Alabama emphatically reclaimed the premier spot in the state by overwhelming bitter rival Auburn 36-0 on Saturday to end a six-year Iron Bowl losing streak and fashion the biggest margin in the series in 46 years.
This is what it feels like to beat the Tigers, ‘Bama. Even the normally stoic Saban promised he was celebrating inside — and in the privacy of the locker room with players and wife Terry.
“I’m happy, I really am happy,” said Saban, smiling to prove it. “I was happy and dancing in the locker room. Miss Terry gave me a big kiss coming up here. I was real happy about that.”
The dominant win set the stage for Alabama (12-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) to face No. 2 Florida in the league championship game with a berth in the BCS national title game on the line.
Of more immediate concern for Tide fans, the state belongs to them again. And there was little question of that by the middle of the third quarter when a 10-0 game turned ugly — or beautiful, depending on the perspective.
“Our seniors didn’t want to leave without beating Auburn,” quarterback John Parker Wilson said. “We don’t have to hear about it anymore. We beat them good. We left no doubt. It’s a good way to finish them off.”
The loss left Auburn (5-7, 2-6) shut out of a bowl game for the first time in nine years and cast another shadow on the decade-long tenure of coach Tommy Tuberville. Auburn, which had been 7-2 under Tuberville in the rivalry, has lost six of its last seven games after starting the season ranked in the top 10.
“Well, all good streaks come to an end, and it came to a screeching halt,” said Tuberville, who is expected to meet with university president Jay Gouge early next week. “It was a tough night for us.”
Tuberville expressed confidence he could get the program back on track while accepting the blame for an aborted attempt to switch to a spread offense.
“I’m committed to getting this thing turned around,” he said. “I have total confidence we can get this thing turned around.”
Saban’s already managed that feat for ‘Bama, which will play for the SEC championship for the first time since 1999.
The Tide scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to let the fans start the celebration early and complete its first perfect regular season since 1994.
Auburn had been 6-0 in Tuscaloosa and allowed only 35 points in those games. Yet another streak crushed into oblivion with the one-sided performance. It was the most lopsided Iron bowl since Bear Bryant’s 1962 group won 38-0.
The game was also ‘Bama’s first Iron Bowl shutout since a 17-0 win during the 1992 national championship season. None of the Tigers’ six straight wins had been decided by more than 10 points and the collective margin was 47 points.
It was the kind of result the Tide was looking for upon hiring Saban two years ago: Somebody to wrest control of the state from Auburn and put the Tide back in the national title hunt. The coach ran around most of the stadium waving his hand.
“I was thanking our fans,” Saban said.
Glen Coffee ran for 144 yards and a touchdown, and Mark Ingram had 64 yards rushing and two touchdowns for the Tide. Wilson was 8-of-16 for 134 yards and a touchdown in his final home game. He drew a standing ovation when trotting off the field midway through the fourth quarter for backup Greg McElroy.
The stands at Bryant-Denny Stadium remained mostly full for a while after the game, with fans finally able to savor a state title again. A number of players came back to celebrate with them, heading across the field to the student section.
For Auburn, it was a dreary end to a dreary season. Asked if he had ever had a tougher loss, Tigers defensive end Antonio Coleman said: “I can’t imagine it. Probably a death in the family would be the closest thing to that.”
Kodi Burns faced frequent pressure and completed just 9 of 23 passes for 113 yards in his first Alabama game.
The Tigers were outgained 412-170 in total yards and lost three fumbles as their offensive struggles continued and even the normally tough defense was pushed around.
They had allowed just four rushing touchdowns in their first 11 games, but were manhandled for 234 yards and three scores on the ground this time.
“We just pounded them up front, just changing the way they thought,” Wilson said. “They just caved in.”
The Tide turned a 10-point game into a blowout with a series of big plays and Auburn gaffes in the third quarter.
Rolando McClain recovered Brad Lester’s fumble, then Wilson rolled right and hit Nikita Stover for a 39-yard touchdown on the next play two minutes into the second half.
Burns then fumbled a snap and Terrence Cody fell on it to set up another score. Wilson converted third-down plays with passes of 27 and 15 yards.
Then, Cody, Alabama’s 365-pound nose guard, came in and helped pave the way for Ingram’s 1-yard touchdown plunge to make it 22-0 midway through the third quarter.
Ingram scored on a 14-yarder late in the quarter.
Alabama failed to score a touchdown in the opening quarter for the 12th consecutive Iron Bowl, but it hardly mattered this time.
Coffee made a nice cut at the line, then raced 41 yards untouched down the right sideline for a touchdown five minutes into the second quarter to give Alabama 10-0 lead.
The Tide’s Bobby Greenwood then blocked Morgan Hull’s 40-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the half, and Auburn wouldn’t mount much of a threat after that.
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Oklahoma pounds Oklahoma State, 61-41, await BCS verdict for Big 12 title game.
November 30, 2008
Oklahoma got all the bounces it needed to get past Oklahoma State in the highest-scoring Bedlam rivalry game ever. But did the Sooners do enough to bounce over Texas and into the Big 12 Championship Game?
That’s for the voters and computers to decide. The third-ranked Sooners took care of their business on the field.
Sam Bradford threw for 370 yards and four touchdowns, cashed in on a 1-yard touchdown plunge after setting it up with an end-over-end flip, and Oklahoma made a case for a BCS bump with a 61-41 win Saturday night against No. 11 Oklahoma State.
On the line was a shot at the Big 12 title next Saturday against Missouri, and also the edge in the national championship race. The Big 12 South will now be decided among Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech in a three-way tie broken by the BCS standings to be released Sunday.
The team that comes out on top will likely be a victory away from going to the BCS Championship Game in Miami in January.
“I think we have a really good chance,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. “You look at what we’ve done the last two weeks. We’ve played the No. 2 team in the country and won by 44. We just played the (No. 11) team in the country in their own place, where no one else has beat them, and won by 20.
“Usually it’s what you’re doing at the end of the year, and we have finished the year really pretty strong.”
Texas hopes the pollsters have a longer memory than that, specifically going back to the Longhorns’ 45-35 win against Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl in October.
A group of Texas fans pulled out all the stops to try to keep the Longhorns in the coveted No. 2 spot in the BCS standings, handing out thousands of signs printed with that score for their game Thursday against Texas A&M.
Longhorns coach Mack Brown was even pleading his case in a telephone interview with television announcers while Oklahoma was making its case on the field.
Brown suggested that the Southeastern Conference’s tiebreaker was better than the Big 12’s because it eliminates the lowest rated team in a three-team deadlock and lets head-to-head decide the winner between the top two.
Of course, that would benefit Texas. But that’s not the way his conference breaks its ties.
The Sooners (11-1, 7-1 Big 12) did the best they could to make up a minuscule eight-thousandths of a point in the BCS standings by putting up as many as they could on the scoreboard.
The problem was Oklahoma State (9-3, 5-3) was able to match them strike-for-strike as both teams scored on six straight possessions beginning at the start of the second quarter. Eventually the nation’s highest-scoring offense was just too much.
And the biggest of the bounces went the Sooners’ way, too. Tight end Jermaine Gresham scored a 73-yard touchdown on a third-down pass that was intended for Manuel Johnson and deflected into the air over three Cowboys defenders and into his arms 10 yards downfield. He was able to outrun the rest of the defenders the final 50 yards to put Oklahoma up 30-19.
Oklahoma’s next touchdown came when Stoops decided to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1, after Bradford somersaulted on his dive for the pylon and came up a yard short. Bradford fumbled the snap on fourth down but was able to pick it up and plunge in for the score.
And the reason the Sooners were able to stay ahead in the first place was a rare defensive 2-point conversion, scored when Oklahoma State went for 2 to try and tie it at 21 and instead fell behind by four on Frank Alexander’s return of Robinson’s fumble.
“Sometimes you do need to have a little luck to win, and I felt like there were a couple plays that luck was on our side,” Bradford said. “But I still think that we played very well tonight overall.”
Bradford completed 30 of 44 passes, leading Oklahoma to its fourth straight 60-point game. The Sooners played out of the shotgun much of the game after Bradford injured his left thumb, which led to a few fumbled snaps.
Gresham ended up with nine catches for 158 yards, both career highs, and two touchdowns. Chris Brown had 98 yards on 19 carries and two scores, including one on the first play after a two-section wide swath of Oklahoma fans started chanting “B-C-S” with 32 seconds left.
“Hopefully we’ll be the No. 2 team when it’s all said and done, and we’ll go play in the championship,” Gresham said. “If not, we’ve just got to go with what we’ve got.”
The Sooners’ defense, which had been improving and made a statement in last week’s 65-21 rout of then-No. 2 Texas Tech had few answers for quarterback Zac Robinson and the Cowboys.
Robinson threw for 254 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score, but never could guide Cowboys (9-3, 5-3) into the lead after halftime.
Dez Bryant caught two touchdown passes to give him 18 for his career, enough to break Oklahoma State’s school record set by Rashaun Woods. Perrish Cox had his fourth career kickoff return touchdown, the most among active players in the country, with a 90-yard dash in the fourth quarter to make it 44-41. But Oklahoma State couldn’t keep it up any longer and the Sooners pulled away.
“We had our chances and just didn’t get it done,” Robinson said.
Robinson refused to get in on the campaigning for any of the three teams in the Big 12 South race, and Bradford said his opinion was “obvious” because he was biased.
“Everything we did tonight kind of says why we should be there,” Bradford said. “It’s out of our hands now.”
Hookscenter.com wire report.
#16 Cincinnati routs Syracuse, 30-10, to win Big East football title.
November 29, 2008
Defensive end Connor Barwin raised the gold-topped trophy above his head, then walked through hundreds of Cincinnati fans who got on their tiptoes and reached as high as they could, hoping to touch the keepsake with their fingertips.
There’s never been a day quite like this in Cincinnati.
The 16th-ranked Bearcats beat Syracuse 30-10 Saturday, then gathered in the end zone amid tightly packed fans to hoist the trophy that represents their first Big East title during their fourth season in the league.
“We got smacked around our first year in the Big East,” said receiver Mardy Gilyard, munching on an orange he plucked from the artificial turf. “I’m at a loss for words. It’s just utter bliss.”
The Bearcats (10-2, 6-1) are headed to a BCS bowl — likely the Orange or Sugar — for the first time in their history. They clinched the spot when West Virginia lost at Pitt on Friday, taking most of the drama out of the last home game.
Still, they made a little history. The Bearcats tied the school record with their 10th win, the second straight season they’ve reached the mark. Cincinnati has a game left in Hawaii before heading to its bowl.
The Orange (3-9, 1-6) are headed for an offseason of change, starting at the top.
Syracuse went 10-47 in coach Greg Robinson’s four seasons, including 3-25 in the Big East. He was fired on Nov. 16, effective the end of the season, and the Orange responded by rallying in the fourth quarter to beat Notre Dame 24-23 in South Bend last week.
The Orange wanted to give Robinson a noteworthy send-off in Cincinnati, trying to end a season with back-to-back wins for the first time in six years. Instead, the send-off was as grim as the season.
“It’s not good,” Robinson said. “It’s not good at all. I wished we had played better. Whatever. It is what it is. I’m starting to feel the emotions now. I’m trying to block it out. We have a team meeting tomorrow. I don’t want to say a lot of stuff I haven’t thought about.”
Cam Dantley, who led two late touchdown drives in South Bend, was back to his pre-Irish form. Early in the fourth quarter, the senior quarterback was 1-for-15 for 5 yards with an interception that set up one of Cincinnati’s touchdowns.
It wasn’t all the quarterback’s fault. Several times, wide-open receivers dropped well-thrown passes. Dantley finished 6-of-23 for 59 yards with an interception and three sacks.
“I’m trying to brush it off as much as I can,” Dantley said. “We have to let it go. We just didn’t get it going. When you have one completion for three quarters, you’re not going to get it done.”
Tony Pike took advantage of a defense that gave a lot of cushion, conceding the short pass. Pike, playing with a plate and six screws in his broken left (non-passing) forearm, finished 28-of-44 for 272 yards. Penalties held the Bearcats back — 10 in all, for 107 yards.
The penalties forced Cincinnati to settle for three field goals by Jake Rogers, who had missed five in a row coming into the game. He connected from 45, 38 and 45 yards.
Fans hurled oranges onto the field after every score, despite warnings over the public address system. Another barrage of citrus hit the field as the clock ran out. Then, everyone gathered in the end zone for a trophy presentation that completed an amazing season.
Senior quarterback Dustin Grutza broke his lower right leg in the second game, and Pike broke his arm in the fourth. A redshirt freshman got them through the next two games. With his forearm wrapped in a protective cast, Pike has started the past six games, getting better as he went along.
With the game in hand, Grutza came in for Cincinnati’s final drive and handed off on every play.
“It was a little surprising, just the way things unfolded this year,” said Pike, eating a slice of Gilyard’s orange. “It’s been a total team effort.”
When the Big East accepted the Bearcats in November 2002, league officials raved about Bob Huggins’ basketball program but didn’t even mention the football team. Huggins’ team seemed to have a much better chance of contending for a title when Cincinnati entered the league in 2005.
Instead, Huggins was ousted, the basketball program has struggled, and the football team has won a title in coach Brian Kelly’s second season.
Asked if he’s done all he can at Cincinnati, Kelly said, “There’s so much more to accomplish. We averaged around 31,000 fans; we need to see 35,000. We can show that not only do we play for Big East championships, we now want to get into the conversation for the national championship.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done here.”
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Sylvester Croom resigns as head coach of Mississippi State football.
November 29, 2008
Sylvester Croom came to Mississippi State with much fanfare, deemed by many a pioneer, the first black man hired to be head coach of an Southeastern Conference football team.
After five seasons he’s out, gone for the most basic reason: His team didn’t win enough.
Croom resigned Saturday, less than 24 hours after an embarrassing 45-0 loss to No. 25 Mississippi in the most lopsided Egg Bowl in 37 years. He announced the decision in a statement released by the school after meeting with athletic director Greg Byrne.
Croom was 21-38 at Mississippi State with one winning season.
Byrne said it was Croom’s decision to resign.
“We talked about a lot of different ideas and coach Croom was open to a lot of different ideas,” Byrne said at a news conference. “The final idea was where we landed.”
Croom, who took over the team while it was under NCAA sanctions, won 2007 SEC Coach of the Year honors after leading the Bulldogs to an 8-5 finish and the Liberty Bowl. He signed a contract extension in the offseason that paid him $1.7 million this year.
But he came under immediate pressure from fans after a season-opening loss to Louisiana Tech of the Western Athletic Conference, and the heat only intensified as the offensively inept Bulldogs stumbled to a 4-8 finish.
Croom did not immediately return a phone message left by the Associated Press.
“Five years ago, Mississippi State gave me the unprecedented opportunity to be a head football coach in the Southeastern Conference and to build a program based upon a strong foundation,” Croom said in a statement.
“We have tried to build a program the right way that can compete for conference championships. I believe the foundation has been set for those goals to be reached under the leadership of someone else, and it was my decision to resign.”
Byrne was scheduled to meet with reporters later Saturday afternoon.
Running backs coach Rockey Felker, who was once head coach at Mississippi State, will run the team while the Bulldogs search for Croom’s replacement.
Calls for Croom to make changes to his coaching staff and run-first offensive philosophy dogged the Bulldogs. The team continued to have trouble at quarterback and Croom switched starters midway through the season.
The Bulldogs were 11th in the SEC in scoring offense (16.6 points per game) and 10th in total offense (297.7 yards per game) through 11 games and lost badly at Georgia Tech (38-7) and Tennessee (34-3). Yet some optimism remained that Mississippi State could salvage a bit of pride and its promising recruiting class after a 31-28 win over Arkansas last week and with a good game against the revitalized Rebels.
Croom even got a vote of confidence from incoming Mississippi State president Mark Keenum.
But Mississippi State was outmatched from the start and looked poorly prepared against Ole Miss. The quarterbacks were hit hard on nine of their first 10 pass attempts as the Rebels put together a school-record 11 sacks and set another mark by holding the Bulldogs to minus-51 yards rushing.
Croom seemed stunned after the game.
“They came in here with the idea they were going to beat us bad, and they did from start to finish,” Croom said. “I don’t know why what happened today occurred. I’m sorry to say that it’s an absolute mystery to me.”
Byrne, a new hire who has been on the job less than a year, wouldn’t comment on the speculation surrounding the football team during the season but said Saturday that a possible resignation was discussed in the morning meeting.
“We discussed the football program and many topics were addressed, including resignation,” Byrne said in a statement. “I want to thank Coach Croom for the leadership he has provided our football program over the last five years.”
While Croom wasn’t able to squeeze many wins out of his tenure, there’s little question he improved a Mississippi State program that was at its lowest ebb. The Bulldogs were hit with major sanctions following rules violations under previous coach Jackie Sherrill and had won just three games a season between 2001-03.
Hired Dec. 1, 2003, the Bear Bryant disciple who had been an all-American center at Alabama and an NFL assistant for 17 seasons inherited a team low on talent. Heavy sanctions and the SEC’s lowest budget made the challenge even steeper.
“We couldn’t even get recruits to visit campus,” Croom said this week while talking about his early recruiting efforts.
But Croom upgraded the talent enough that the Bulldogs were competitive in the nation’s toughest conference and they earned their first winning season since 2000 last year, capping it with a 10-3 win over Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl.
He also was having success off the field, drawing commitments from several top recruits, including a quarterback.
A spokesman said players would not be available Saturday, but some defended Croom following Friday’s loss.
“I think it is unfair,” wide receiver Delmon Robinson said of the criticism. “When it’s man-to-man coverage, it’s the receiver against the (defensive back). If the receiver doesn’t win, it’s not the coach’s fault that he didn’t win. It’s all about the players. We’ve got to win and we’ve got to go out there and execute coach’s plays.”
It was the second straight season an embarrassing loss in the Egg Bowl led to a coaching change. Coach Ed Orgeron was fired a day after the Rebels collapsed in a 17-14 loss. Ole Miss led 14-0 going into the fourth quarter, but Orgeron went for it on fourth down at midfield. The Bulldogs stopped the play, went on to score and finished with 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
Byrne said Croom’s assistants remain under contract and will work until a new coach is hired. A search will begin immediately.
“Looking forward I plan to work closely with athletic director Greg Byrne to move quickly, but with due deliberation, to find a new head football coach with high energy and a commitment to compete for championships and bowl opportunities in the best conference in America,” Keenum said.
There likely will be several candidates for a coveted SEC job, but Mississippi State’s new coach shouldn’t get comfortable. There have been coaching changes at five of six SEC West schools in the past five years, with only Tommy Tuberville at Auburn lasting through that time. And even he’s facing criticism in a losing season.
The Rebels’ new coach, Houston Nutt, had been at Arkansas for 10 years before resigning after last season and moving to Ole Miss. But he believes tenures like that could be a thing of the past because fans and boosters have little patience for losing.
“It’s sad, but it doesn’t surprise me,” Nutt said. “It’s the way of the world in college football right now.”
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Boise State finishes 2008 regular season at 12-0, hoping for BCS bid.
November 29, 2008
Undefeated Boise State has a message for the BCS: Compute this.
The No. 9 Broncos put together a dazzling audition for college football’s big-money bowls in a 61-10 blowout of Fresno State on Friday night.
Kyle Wilson returned a punt 90 yards, wide receiver Tanyon Bissell threw for another touchdown on a smooth reverse pass, and now all the Broncos can do is hope it’s enough to impress the computers and pollsters who produce the Bowl Championship Series pairings.
“I think it’s an obvious statement what we’d like to do,” normally evasive coach Chris Petersen said with a wry smile after accepting the trophy for Boise State’s sixth WAC championship that the Broncos (12-0) had clinched a week earlier.
Petersen knows the odds of his team becoming a second undefeated champion of a non-BCS conference to make the BCS is remote. Utah (12-0) is ranked three spots higher than the Broncos in the BCS. The series is required to only select one non-BCS team ranked in its top 12 — the higher-rated one.
“I’d probably say our record speaks for itself,” Petersen said. “And people have to make a decision.”
Most of the orange sea that was a thrilled, chilled record crowd spilled onto the funky blue home turf to celebrate a third undefeated regular season since 2004. The fans stayed on the field for almost an hour, beneath signs of “Obama: Bring Change Soon” and “Boycott the BCS” at the bottom of the second deck.
Ian Johnson ran for 128 yards and scored two touchdowns as scouts from three BCS bowls watched. The senior tied the WAC record of 57 rushing touchdowns set by Marshall Faulk at San Diego State from 1991-93.
The Broncos trailed for only the third time all season early and were up just 13-10 after halftime before Jeremy Avery ran for a 43-yard touchdown three minutes into the third quarter. Then came a stampede: three more touchdowns in a 3½-minute span.
“Just goes to show you how stacked this team is,” Johnson said, peering from beneath his new white “WAC Champions” cap.
The deluge left Fresno State coach Pat Hill grumpy, but awed.
“I’ve never been in a game where it got that out of control,” said Hill, who has been coaching in college and the pros since 1977.
“I think they should (be in a BCS bowl). I think they are a heck of a football team. They are definitely deserving of a bid.”
Representatives of the Rose, Orange and Fiesta Bowls perhaps were pondering whether to choose Boise State, ranked ninth in the BCS standings, over one-loss Southern California or two-loss Ohio State for a final at-large spot to be announced Dec. 7.
The bowl scouts were greeted by chants of “BCS” from Broncos fans two years removed from their team’s fairy-tale upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl at the end of the 2006 season.
“The system is what the system is. It’s taken care of us before,” Johnson said. “We have no complaints about it.
“We just want to play in a game we deserve.”
Tom Brandstater was 23-for-36 with 212 yards passing before re-injuring his left ankle late for Fresno State (7-5), which was outscored 61-3 after taking the lead on Damion Owens’ 68-yard interception return. The Bulldogs cemented their ninth bowl berth in 10 years last week by beating San Jose State.
Good thing, because the Broncos trampled them.
After Avery’s sprint up the middle put Boise State back comfortably ahead at 20-10 three minutes into the third quarter, Wilson took a long punt at his own 10, immediately sidestepped Fresno State’s Desia Dunn and took off untouched.
It was Wilson’s third punt return for a score this month, and the fourth-longest in Boise State history.
“I feel like I can take a bunch of them back,” he said. “I feel like I ran out of my sleep last night.”
Then Bissell took a handoff on a reverse out of the shotgun and threw on the run to Julian Hawkins, who was alone at the 10 and cruised in to make it 34-10.
After Ellis Powers intercepted a tipped pass from Brandstater deep in Bulldogs territory, freshman Kellen Moore threw for another touchdown. His 16-yard pass to Tommy Gallarda made it 41-10.
Johnson ended the third quarter by running 69 yards — pulling Owens the final 18 yards — to the 4. He scored on a 4-yard touchdown run on the first play of the final quarter and then on a 1-yard run.
Bush Hamden started at quarterback instead of Moore, who entered 13th in the nation in passing, because Petersen wanted to give the senior the start. Hamden’s first pass was thrown way behind Jeremy Childs. Owens intercepted it and easily ran the other way for a touchdown 3½ 1/2 minutes into the game.
The crowd of 32,412 sat stunned as the jubilant Bulldogs defense formed a dog pile in the end zone.
But then Moore entered. And normalcy eventually returned. He was 17 of 23 for 213 yards and two touchdowns.
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Lane Kiffin reaches tentative agreement to become head coach of Volunteers.
November 28, 2008
Tennessee and Lane Kiffin have reached a tentative agreement for the former Oakland Raiders coach to lead the Volunteers, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press on Friday.
A formal announcement was expected early next week, said the person, who requested anonymity because the deal had not been finalized.
Kiffin, 33, replaces Phillip Fulmer, who was forced out after 17 seasons as Vols coach. Fulmer won a national championship in 1998 but had two losing seasons in the last five years, including a 4-7 mark this year.
Tennessee athletic department spokeswoman Tiffany Carpenter declined to comment on Kiffin because Fulmer had not finished his season. Athletic director Mike Hamilton did not return a phone message seeking comment.
The Knoxville News Sentinel first reported the deal.
The Vols (4-7, 2-5 Southeastern Conference) host Kentucky (6-5, 2-5) on Saturday night in what has been dubbed “Phillip Fulmer appreciation day.”
Kiffin was the youngest coach in the NFL’s modern history when hired to lead the Raiders in January 2007 at age 31. The son of longtime NFL defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin had a rocky relationship with Oakland owner Al Davis, who fired him Sept. 30 for what he said was insubordination. Kiffin had a 5-15 record with the Raiders.
He has since filed a grievance with the NFL to claim salary he maintains he’s owed by the team.
Kiffin spent seven seasons as an assistant at Southern California under coach Pete Carroll, including two as recruiting and offensive coordinator.
He was a backup quarterback at Fresno State, where he began his coaching career as a quarterbacks coach. He also spent two seasons as offensive line coach at Colorado State.
Tennessee announced on Nov. 3 that Fulmer would not be back next season. He has a 151-52 record as coach.
Fulmer, 58, signed a new seven-year contract in the summer which was worth $2.4 million this season. He will receive $6 million as a buyout of the contract, payable over a 48-month period.
Terms of Kiffin’s deal were not available.
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Colt McCoy leads Texas past Texas A&M, 49-9, to clinch share of Big 12 South.
November 28, 2008
Colt McCoy finally notched a win over Texas A&M, and No. 4 Texas put a historic whipping on a bitter rival.
The question now is, was it enough?
Was a 49-9 victory impressive enough to give McCoy a fighting chance for the Heisman Trophy and keep his team in the hunt for the Bowl Championship Series championship game?
Longhorns coach Mack Brown thought so.
“I felt they made the statement they needed to make,” Brown said. “Starting with Colt.”
McCoy passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more as the Longhorns (11-1, 7-1 Big 12) posted the largest margin of victory in the rivalry since a 48-0 Texas victory way back in 1898.
McCoy finished with 311 yards on 23-of-28 passing and ran for 49 more to earn his first win over the Aggies in three tries. He also recorded career victory No. 31, passing Vince Young to set a Texas record for starting quarterbacks, and set a Longhorns season record with 3,594 yards passing.
Defensively, Texas held the Aggies (4-8, 2-6) to 245 total yards and minus-24 yards rushing. The Longhorns sacked quarterbacks Jerrod Johnson and Stephen McGee six times
Texas, currently No. 2 in the BCS standings, now must wait until this weekend to see if its national title dreams are intact. The Longhorns are in prime position for at least a berth in a BCS bowl, but need some help if the team that spent a month at No. 1 will be able to play for the Big 12 title and BCS national championship.
A potential three-way tie for the Big 12 South Division could swing to No. 3 Oklahoma if the Sooners beat No. 11 Oklahoma State on Saturday and leap Texas in the BCS rankings. Even if the Sooners lose, No. 7 Texas Tech still holds a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Longhorns going into the Red Raiders’ game against Baylor.
That’s why Texas needed a big win over a big rival in front of a national television audience. Style matters at this point in the season and the question now is whether Texas’ victory impressed BCS voters. The Associated Press rankings are not part of the BCS.
“The voters have a real tough decision,” Brown said. “Oklahoma is a great team. Texas Tech is a great team. I do not want to sit here and take anything away from them. This league is better than it’s ever been.”
McCoy deflected questions about what should happen to his Longhorns at this point.
“We can’t control all that. We wanted to leave it all out on the field and we did that,” he said. “It’s been a great season.”
While the final score was lopsided, the Longhorns quickly found themselves in a physical battle.
The game got chippy even before the start. Shortly before kickoff, dozens of Longhorns and Aggies players were exchanging words in the end zone before coaches and game officials broke it up. After McCoy capped an 80-yard opening drive with a 14-yard TD run, he was sacked three times in the first half and knocked down on several other occasions.
The Texas defense, however, held the Aggies to minus-1 yard on their first three possessions. Texas A&M tried to find a spark in the second quarter with McGee, who beat Texas the last two years but has been relegated to backup duty most of this season.
McGee passed for 207 yards but could only lead A&M to a first-half field goal. Johnson returned in the fourth.
“I just wanted to get out there and play, just get out there with the guys and play the game I love so much,” McGee said. “I’m just thankful for one final opportunity to put on the maroon and white and suit up and go get in there and compete.”
McCoy’s TD passes of 20 yards to Brandon Collins and Quan Cosby made it 21-3 at halftime. The strike to Cosby came three plays after McCoy had been staggered with a hard hit to the chest. McCoy dodged a pass rusher, ran to his right and fired back across the field to Cosby in the end zone.
“Colt started making plays to turn that thing around,” Brown said. “He made a huge statement tonight. I do think he’s the best player, he’s the most valuable player, on one of the best teams in the country.”
In the third, Texas marched 80 yards on five plays and McCoy scored his second rushing TD, this one covering 16 yards. McCoy split two defenders and got spun high in the air when he leaped between them at the goal line.
The Aggies have struggled mightily under first-year coach Mike Sherman in a season that began with a loss at home to Arkansas State and never got any better. The Aggies went winless in the Big 12 South for the first time.
“I think this program, this team, this family, this organization is headed in the right direction,” Aggies defensive lineman Alton Dixon said. “It’s basically coming down to just winning the game.”
Hookscenter.com wire report.