Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Georgia St. turns back ACU on late FG
Georgia State gets first FBS win, first win in nearly two years against Abilene Christian
Georgia State is no longer a winless FBS football team.
The Panthers beat Abilene Christian 38-37 Wednesday night in college football's season opener after a 26-yard field goal by Will Lutz with four seconds left.
After starting the program in 2010, Georgia State moved up to FBS, the top class of college football in 2013. As members of the Sun Belt Conference, the team promptly went 0-12 in its first FBS season, losing to Samford, Chattanooga, and Jacksonville State, all FCS schools.
Yeah, Abilene Christian is an FCS school, but we're not gong to nitpick. When you're Georgia State and your last win was on October 13, 2012 when you were a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, against the only team (Rhode Island) that you beat that season, it's a pretty big victory.
Georgia State got the ball back with 2:41 left in the fourth quarter to start its game-winning drive after Abilene Christian elected to punt on a 4th-and-2 at its own 47. (In a game that featured some interesting displays of defense and more than 70 total points to that point, you don't have to do much convincing of yourself to believe that going for it would have been a better option.)
The drive almost fell apart before the Panthers got to midfield, however. Facing a 3rd-and-4 at its own 32, 16-game-winless-streak ineptness struck. A holding penalty meant it was 3rd-and-14. After an incomplete pass, a false start turned a 4th-and-14 into a 4th-and-19.
However, what seemed inevitable wasn't. QB Nick Arbuckle found Lynquez Blair for a 24-yard catch and the drive stayed alive as an Arbuckle scramble and quarterback draw put the Panthers in range for the game-winning field goal.
Is it the dream start to a bowl-appearing season? Not likely. Georgia State is going to be overmatched again in the Sun Belt and may not win another game all year. But Wednesday night the Panthers were college football's pre-show to the main openers on Thursday night. And given that the game featured some fun, some drama and most importantly a win to end a 16-game losing streak, it was a successful act.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Georgia State gets first FBS win, first win in nearly two years against Abilene Christian
The Dr. Saturday Podcast: Week one is upon us
Welcome to the Dr. Saturday Podcast! Throughout the season we'll be talking weekly about whatever is going on in the world of college football. This week, join Graham Watson and Nick Bromberg as we preview the first week of the season. We chat about:
• Josh Shaw's saga at USC. (Episode was taped Wednesday afternoon.)
• Analyze the weekend's biggest games including Texas A&M-South Carolina, Ohio State-Navy and more.
• Pick against the spread in those five games.
• Make bold predictions for the 2014 season that are eerily similar.
We're now on iTunes. Check us out here and subscribe or simply listen in the player below.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - The Dr. Saturday Podcast: Week one is upon us
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USC CB Josh Shaw admits he lied about heroic act, retains a lawyer
Josh Shaw’s heroic story was a lie.
The USC senior cornerback admitted as much Wednesday in a statement released by the university, which also said Shaw had retained a lawyer.
Earlier Wednesday, the LAPD told Rivals.com site TrojansSports.com that Shaw was a subject in an ongoing investigation into a burglary at an apartment complex.
Witnesses described the suspect: "They saw a black male with dreadlocks leave the apartment from the balcony," Preciado said the police report reads.
Preciado said the officers then broke the door open and searched inside, but no one was there. A female resident who lives in the unit surfaced in the hallway shortly thereafter. She identified Josh Shaw as her boyfriend and said he matched the description of the man witnesses said jumped off the balcony. The third story is about 20 feet high from the ground.
"The person that lives in that apartment returned and talked about her roommates and her boyfriend, who she identified as Josh Shaw," Preciado said. "The victim's boyfriend had a similar description to the suspect seen leaving the apartment -- male, black, with dreadlocks. She said, That's my boyfriend."
Shaw suffered two ankle sprains during the incident and was out indefinitely. Coach Steve Sarkisian said Shaw was also suspended indefinitely. Shaw is a team captain.
"We are extremely disappointed in Josh," Sarkisian said in a statement. "He let us all down. As I have said, nothing in his background led us to doubt him when he told us of his injuries, nor did anything after our initial vetting of his story.
"I appreciate that Josh has now admitted that he lied and has apologized. Although this type of behavior is out of character for Josh, it is unacceptable. Honesty and integrity must be at the center of our program. I believe Josh will learn from this. I hope that he will not be defined by this incident, and that the Trojan Family will accept his apology and support him."
Shaw has not spoken to the media or been seen around the football facility since the heroic story surfaced.
USC initially reported the story Monday saying Shaw was at a family function in Palmdale, Calif., when he was standing on a second floor balcony, looked down and saw his 7-year-old nephew struggling in the pool. He jump from the balcony, landed on the concrete, got into the pool, saved the drowning boy and then got himself out of the pool. The story went viral almost immediately and Shaw was hailed as a hero.
However, things started to turn quickly when media started to ask questions about the story and Sarkisian said in his Tuesday press conference that the school had received conflicting reports regarding Shaw’s story. On Wednesday, Sarkisian said the vetting of the story is in the hands of the authorities.
For more USC news, visit TrojanSports.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook
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Hardship waiver for Ty Isaac denied, Michigan appealing the ruling
Michigan wants former five-star recruit RB Ty Isaac to play immediately. However, the NCAA has initially denied the request.
Michigan coach Brady Hoke said Wednesday that Isaac's hardship waiver request was declined by the NCAA. Had Isaac been granted a hardship waiver, he could have been eligible to play immediately.
"[Isaac], the waiver got denied initially, and then we appealed," Hoke said via The Wolverine. "Today is Wednesday. We probably appealed last week, midweek. You don't know how long it will take."
Isaac announced his intention to transfer to Michigan from USC in June. Isaac is from Joliet, Ill., and his mother underwent surgery for hearing loss. She's unable to fly because of the surgery. It's a 30-hour drive from Joliet to Los Angeles.
However, the rules of the hardship waiver for an ill family member, among other specifications, state that the school the player is transferring to must be within a 100-mile radius of the family member. Michigan's campus is not within that radius.
The NCAA could be doing away with an immediate eligibility hardship waiver in the future. When the NCAA voted on rules changes in April, a proposal was made that would grant players who get a hardship waiver an additional year at the end of their careers to make up for sitting out a year rather than granting hardship transfers immediate eligibility. From June 2012 to June 2013, 127 of 236 hardship transfer waivers were approved by the NCAA.
Isaac was the No. 4 running back in the class of 2013 according to Rivals and the No. 27 prospect overall.
For more Michigan news, visit TheWolverine.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Hardship waiver for Ty Isaac denied, Michigan appealing the ruling
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Les Miles calls the SEC communications director 'bae' on the SEC teleconference and probably had no idea what it meant
LSU coach Les Miles was trying to channel his inner Kliff Kingsbury on Wednesday when on the SEC teleconference, Miles referred to SEC communications director Chuck Dunlap as, “bae.”
True story...RT @AschoffESPN: I'm pretty sure Les Miles called @SEC_Chuck "bae" to start his teleconference.
— Chuck Dunlap (@SEC_Chuck) August 27, 2014
For those who need an urban dictionary refresher, the term “bae” is usually a term of endearment and often used to refer to a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Was Miles trying to tell us something about his relationship with Chuck Dunlap? We kid, we kid.
Apparently, this isn’t the first time Miles has used the word and it’s become part of his everyday vernacular.
Everyone's "bae" to him. We get it all the time. RT @AschoffESPN: Les Miles called @SEC_Chuck "bae" to start his teleconference. So hip
— Ross Dellenger (@DellengerAdv) August 27, 2014
A couple weeks ago, Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury referred to Beyonce as his “bae” on a T-shirt before doing the ALS ice-bucket challenge.
At least that made sense. Perhaps someone should fill Miles in on what the word means and then he could say he was joking or being ironic. At least stop him before he says it to a recruit.
For our purposes though, this is just another amazing Les Miles moment.
For more LSU news, visit TigerBait.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Les Miles calls the SEC communications director 'bae' on the SEC teleconference and probably had no idea what it meant
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Purdue students can attend Saturday's game against Western Michigan for free
Any Purdue student can go to Saturday's game for free.
The Boilermakers open up the season at home against Western Michigan and the school announced Wednesday that all students would be able to go to the game for free. Students have the opportunity to get their free tickets online, on campus or at the Purdue ticket office.
The combined record of Purdue and Western Michigan in 2013 was 2-22. You can see how demand for the game may be less than high.
In addition to the free tickets for the Purdue games, students who purchased football tickets can get a free ticket to two other games. To get those tickets, studenst simply have to pick the two games by September 3.
The promotion made us realize that if you're a student at Purdue who didn't purchase season tickets and had nice friends, you could go to all seven of Purdue's home games for free. You would just need three friends to give you both of their free tickets and you'd be all set.
However, you wouldn't be eligible to have your picture on Purdue's helmet against Iowa. As part of its social media day, the Boilermakers are putting the pictures of some students who purchased an all-sport ticket in the "P" logo on the helmet.
For more Purdue news, visit GoldandBlack.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Purdue students can attend Saturday's game against Western Michigan for free
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SMU putting Kevlar lining inside of its helmets
SMU is using Kevlar to try to cut the risk of concussions.
The school announced a partnership with Unequal Technologies on Tuesday that means every Mustang player's helmet will be lined with Kevlar on the inside. Kevlar is a high-strength synthetic fiber that's used to reinforce other products like tires and bulletproof vests.
According to the school, equipment manager Albert Veytia has been experimenting with Kevlar lining underneath parts of other equipment since 2011. Unequal made the Kevlar lining that Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo used in a rib protector after he broke his ribs.
The technology is called the Unequal Gyro, which has Kevlar and Acceleron, technology that the school says predicts a lower risk of concussions.
Unequal is now the Official Protection Partner of @SMU_Football! #unequalprotectssmufootball http://ift.tt/1qvWU4G
— Unequal® (@UnequalTech) August 26, 2014
"There is no question Unequal is the right partner for us. You can't win if your players are in the training room, and as a coach or administrator, you're not doing everything you can to keep your student-athletes healthy unless you're using the most advanced protection available," SMU coach June Jones said in a statement. "Unequal is the best thing that has come along for contact sports. We look forward to not only using Unequal's protective sports gear but to working with the team at Unequal to continue to make their products better and to spread awareness to every college and league across the country."
Riddell introduced the SpeedFlex helmet for spring practice for college football teams. The SpeedFlex helmet was designed to disperse the enrgy from a hit to the head to attempt to minimize the risk of concussions. It also has sensors to help teams see the types of hits players have received.
As we've said before, it's impossible to eliminate concussions from football given the sport's violent nature. However, the more safety options, the better. With all of the advancements in helmet technology, there's bound to be a formula that will significantly increase player safety.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - SMU putting Kevlar lining inside of its helmets
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West Virginia QB says first kiss was with Nick Saban's daughter
West Virginia QB Clint Trickett kissed and told on Tuesday.
The Mountaineers open the season against Alabama on Saturday and Tickett was asked about his familiarity with Alabama coach Nick Saban. It stood to reason that Trickett would have a level of knowledge about Saban because his dad coached with Saban at LSU and his brother was a graduate assistant at Alabama in Saban's first season.
Though Trickett's response was unexpected.
"His daughter was my first kiss, Kristen, back in the day," Trickett said with a laugh. So yeah... I don't know if I should've said that. She's actually engaged now. Coach Nick's one of the greatest there is. My brother worked for him, he was a GA for him when he first got to Alabama. And we've just known him for years, good family friend and just one of the best coaches out there.
Oh, when was this rendezvous? Trickett volunteered that inforrmation before the next question could proceed.
"For clarification, we were like six years old," he said. "Just so everyone knows that."
That detail certainly takes some of the awkwardness out of it, don't you think?
We're sure that Saban isn't exactly fond of Trickett's story becoming public, even if it's ultimately harmless. However, we're going to guess that he's not asked about it after the game on Saturday, unless we have an Ian Johnson-type moment on the field after a West Virginia upset win between Trickett and Kristen Saban. Because of the circumstances there's no chance of that happening.
For more West Virginia news, visit WVSports.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - West Virginia QB says first kiss was with Nick Saban's daughter