Thursday, November 13, 2014
Kessler's 4 scores help USC hold off Cal rally
Kessler, Agholor light it up
Gantz FG lifts Cincinnati over East Carolina 54-46
Cincinnati beats East Carolina in spite of poor play calling late
Cincinnati defeated East Carolina 54-46 on Friday night to claim a share of first place in the AAC, but it was in spite of some poor play and curious play calling in the final 3 minutes of the game that could have been the Bearcats undoing.
While up 45-40 with a little more than 2 minutes remaining, Cincinnati decided to go for it on fourth down from its own 33. It’s play of choice? An option pitch that was ultimately fumbled and recovered by East Carolina on the Cincinnati 27-yard line with 2:03 remaining.
Eight plays, and a couple Cincinnati penalties later, and ECU had taken a one-point lead with about a minute to go. The Pirates tried and failed a two-point conversion.
When all seemed lost for the Bearcats, quarterback Gunner Kiel led his team 35 yards and kicker Andrew Gantz made a career-long 47-yard field goal that proved to be the winning points.
Cincinnati scored a garbage touchdown as time expired after East Carolina basically gave up on a series of laterals and left a fumbled ball on the turf. The ball was recovered and run 20 yards into the end zone by Terrell Hartsfield.
East Carolina, which started hot and was (to-date) the only non-Power Five conference team to be ranked in the College Football Playoff rankings, is likely out of the race for the AAC title with two conference losses.
Cincinnati is now tied with Memphis for the conference lead with three games remaining. Memphis’ final three games, however, are against three of the worst teams in the conference. The Tigers also hold the tiebreaker against the Bearcats courtesy of a 41-14 win on Oct. 4.
For more Cincinnati news, visit BearcatReport.com.
For more East Carolina news, visit PirateIllustrated.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
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Report: Ole Miss and Florida State to meet in 2016 opener
A weekend full of high-profile matchups just added another.
According to ESPN’s Brett McMurphy, Florida State and Ole Miss will open their 2016 season facing off in a neutral site game at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. The Citrus Bowl is set to reopen later this month after undergoing a “$207 million reconstruction.”
The game, reportedly scheduled for Sept. 5, 2016, would cap off an opening weekend of games that also includes showdowns between Alabama and USC, LSU and Wisconsin, UCLA and Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Texas, and Clemson and Auburn.
The game will be just the second-ever meeting between the Rebels and Seminoles. The only meeting took place in 1961, a 33-0 Ole Miss win.
Both programs are familiar with neutral site games to open a season. Florida State knocked off Oklahoma State in Arlington, Texas, while Ole Miss beat Boise State in Atlanta to open up this season.
For more Florida State news, visit Warchant.com. For more Ole Miss news, visit RebelGrove.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Report: Ole Miss and Florida State to meet in 2016 opener
Report: FSU-Ole Miss to open 2016 in Orlando
Former Miss. St. standout Fletcher Cox trolls Eagles teammates before Alabama game (Photo)
Top-ranked Mississippi State’s trip to fifth-ranked Alabama on Saturday is the most-anticipated matchup of the weekend. Just ask Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Fletcher Cox.
Cox, a standout for the Bulldogs from 2009-2011, decided to troll two of his Eagles teammates who suited up for the Crimson Tide, guard Evan Mathis and linebacker DeMeco Ryans, to show his confidence in his alma mater. Cox did so by hanging up some MSU gear in their lockers and posting the photo on Twitter.
Painting @DRyans59 and @EvanMathis69 locker maroon and white #HA1LSTATE @HailState http://ift.tt/1GTeNls
— fletcher cox (@fcoxx_91) November 13, 2014
A berth in the College Football Playoff is likely on the line, so this is the biggest game in the SEC so far this season. Cox’s MSU teams never beat Alabama during his playing days, so a win Saturday would likely give Cox a nice boost heading into the Eagles’ Sunday road game at Green Bay.
For more Mississippi State news, visit BulldogBlitz.com.
For more Alabama news, visit TideSports.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Former Miss. St. standout Fletcher Cox trolls Eagles teammates before Alabama game (Photo)
Tennessee OL Jacob Gilliam continues to play with torn ACL
It took four seasons, but fifth-year senior Jacob Gilliam finally earned a starting spot on Tennessee’s offensive line in 2014. That changed quickly when, in the season-opener against Utah State, Gilliam suffered a torn ACL. It was thought to be a season-ending injury, but Gilliam, a life-long Vols fan and Knoxville native who attended his first Tennessee game at age 6, vowed to play again this season.
Improbably, just 73 days after the season-opener, the former walk-on returned to the field for the Vols and has started their last two games at tackle.
“As soon as we figured out that he was hurt, he said, ‘Hey, I’m coming back,” said teammate Kyler Kerbyson, per the Times Free Press. “I looked at him confused and said, ‘Really, are you?’ I didn’t really believe him and walked away like, ‘Man, that guy’s crazy.’ He came back and he’s doing his thing; he’s doing real well out there.”
Gilliam returned to practice for a few weeks before returning to game action in the first half of the Vols’ loss at Ole Miss on Oct. 18. He said his first few snaps were a little shaky, but after that he’s been playing at a high level.
"I was thrown in there and had to get a feel for it again," Gilliam said. "It was, what, five or six weeks since I last played. It was just that break-in period that anybody has. For me, it was like starting all over again, because my first game I only got three quarters of it. I feel really good. I feel confident. I feel like my ability's back."
His teammates certainly appreciate his effort.
“That shows how much heart that kid has,” defensive lineman Danny O’Brien said. “I've got nothing but respect for that kid. Playing through a torn ACL, I know it's got to be killing him out there, but it's his senior year and he's from this city and from this state. He wants to give his all for Tennessee, and if anybody's done that on this team, I think it's him."
As long as his knee holds up, Gilliam will continue to play for the 4-5 Vols in their final three games. Gilliam’s goal is to get back to a bowl game, something the program has not accomplished since his first year in 2010.
"I've only got three games left here," Gilliam said. "I'm trying to fight for that fourth. I feel like all the other seniors feel the same way, and I know my all my young guys back there want to see us get to that fourth game, because they want to start something new here."
The next step toward the six-win plateau and bowl eligibility comes Saturday at home against 5-5 Kentucky. After Kentucky, the Vols host Missouri before ending the season on the road at Vanderbilt.
For more Tennessee news, visit VolQuest.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Tennessee OL Jacob Gilliam continues to play with torn ACL
Dabo Swinney says prepping for GT offense can be 'a season of its own'
Clemson's defense has received a lot of attention for its strong play this season – performance that has helped the Tigers weather the loss of freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson for the past three games. But against Georgia Tech on Saturday, it's a much different test than it has been previously for the Tigers.
Georgia Tech's triple option attack means dedicated preparation time.
“It is tough because you just don’t see their offense much," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "It is kind of a season of its own from a defensive standpoint. We work on it all year. It is something that we do in the spring, at fall camps and in the open dates. We try to keep it out there in front of our guys because there is just not really any carryover."
“Offensively, pretty much every week there is always some kind of carryover. Very rarely do you say nothing that we have done applies. There is always some time of play like it. Rarely is there something that we have just not seen."
The Yellow Jackets are third in the country in rushing yards per game. Clemson's defense is fourth in yards per carry. What will give?
"The key against them is to try and stay out of third-and-long," Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said. "The key against anybody, really. They've got some great pass rushers, [Vic Beasley's] certainly one of them. They've got probably six or seven guys up there that are really talented players on the defensive front. It's a veteran team. I think I counted on their two-deep that they had eight of eleven that are either seniors or grad students. You couple that with being pretty good players, that's a pretty good recipe to be pretty good. And they are. They've played really good. I mean if you take away the first game, the second half, well really just the fourth quarter where they gave up a couple of really big runs against Georgia. Other than that they've played really stout all year against everybody."
Watson will start on Saturday for the first time since he broke a bone in his hand against Louisville. Without him at quarterback, Clemson's offense has been average.
"I hope he picks up better than where he left off," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said about Watson, who struggled in the Louisville game. "He thought we had a touchdown call and he ended up throwing it to the back because he could not feel his hand so he threw the ball to get rid of it and came out."
"This is not his first time to play. He has played. There is not near as many unknowns with him for us as there was at the start of the season when he had not played a game. He has played on the road in front of a hostile crowd. He has been in difficult situations. The biggest thing with Deshaun is he has done a great job as far as totally staying engaged in the game-planning process, what is happening and practice and being very dialed in and focused mentally at games."
For more Clemson news, visit TigerIllustrated.com
For more Georgia Tech news, visit JacketsOnline.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 - Dabo Swinney says prepping for GT offense can be 'a season of its own'
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The Dr. Saturday Podcast: The Big 12 dilemma
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 from cold, cold Denver and Nick Bromberg from warm and beautiful Miami as we break down the movement in the Power Rankings. It continues to be a pointless exercise, but someone has to do it. We'll also discuss:
• Mississippi State and Alabama's big game this weekend
• Auburn and Georgia. Will we see another Hail Mary?
• What non-Power 5 team will make a New Year's Bowl?
• Our big predictons for the weekend. In Nick's case, there's like four.
We're on iTunes. Check us out here and subscribe or simply listen in the player below or click here.
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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!
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Utah travels to Stanford to try to stop 2-game losing skid
Utah's hopes of winning the Pac-12 South have all but disappeared over the last two weeks thanks to losses to Arizona State and Oregon. But the Utes go to Stanford for the first time since 1996 knowing that snapping the two-game losing streak would keep the chances of finishing second in the south intact.
Against Oregon on Saturday night, Utah was in a position to take a potential 14-0 lead when Kaelin Clay crossed the goal-line. But as you all know by now, he broke the plane without the ball in his hand. Oregon picked up the ball and eventually returned it for a touchdown, tying the game at 7-7 en route to a 51-27 win.
"He made a mistake," Utah coach Kyle Wittingham said. "Like I said Saturday night, that's a coaching error. We have to do a better job of instilling that in our players, and like I said Saturday night, you haven't coached until they've learned. If he hadn't learned yet, then that's our fault as coaches to have not coached him up or imparted the knowledge the right way to him. He's a playmaker for us, he did a lot of good things on Saturday night, he's done a lot of great things all season long. Made a mistake, we move on, and hopefully it never shows up again, and we as coaches need to make sure of that."
While Travis Wilson has received the majority of snaps at quarterback for Utah this season, Kendal Thompson is the Utes' second-leading rusher. However, he's out for the season because of a knee injury suffered against Oregon. Whittingham said Wednesday that Conner Manning is now the No. 2 quarterback.
The matchup with Stanford will be Utah's strength vs. the Cardinal defense's strength. Stanford is allowing just over 3 yards per carry while Utah running back Devontae Booker just went over the 1,000-yard mark against Oregon.
Meanwhile, Stanford, at 5-4, hasn't run the ball as well as it has been able to in previous years. To help boost the offense, the Cardinal have introduced some no-huddle into the attack. While Utah needs to win to avoid a three-game slide, Stanford needs to win for any hope of an eight-win season. A loss puts the Cardinal in danger of finishing the year 6-6.
"I think the biggest realization midseason for us was we honestly probably glossed over too much having four new starters on the offensive line and all new running backs and all new tight ends," Stanford coach David Shaw said via Cardinal Sports Report. "That's a lot. That's the running game. Four news starters on the offensive line, all new running backs and all new tight ends, Especially for a team that has been a strong side running team. We've gone through what Austin Hooper does well, what Eric Cotton does well, what our center does well and what he doesn't do well, what our left guard does well and what our right guard does well and what they don't do well. It's been finding out more about our guys than we thought we needed to during the course of the year."
"I do think our offensive production in the last (few) games has been better because I think we know our guys better. We've been able to not stop the mistakes but limit the mistakes."
For more Stanford news, visit CardinalSportsReport.com
For more Utah news, visit UteZone.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!
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Texas DC Vance Bedford says leaving OSU was best thing for career
Texas defensive coordinator Vance Bedford used to hold the same position at Oklahoma State, though as the Longhorns play in Stillwater on Saturday night, Bedford may not get a warm reception.
Bedford was fired by Oklahoma State following the 2006 season. After a loss to Houston that year, the quotable coach made comments about bandwagoning Oklahoma State fans, using the terms "roaches" and "fence-straddlers."
Yes, seven years is a long time, but college football fans have long memories. After leaving OSU, Bedford went to Michigan, Florida and Louisville before coming to Texas with Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong. Bedford said Wednesday that his departure from OSU was the best thing that could have happened to him.
"So what happens is anytime you have some adversity in your life, it teaches you to grow, to change, and to adjust," Bedford said. "That was something that for me personally probably was a good thing to happen to me. It gave me the opportunity to go back to the University of Michigan I was Lloyd Carr's first hire when he got the job in 1995. Believe it or not, I was his last hire in 2007. It was a great opportunity for me to see him go out a winner as a head football coach. I have a lot of love and respect for Lloyd Carr. I worked with Urban Meyer when he was at Colorado State and it gave me the chance to go there. Coach Strong and I have known each other for a while through recruiting and when he got the job at Louisville, it was a no brainer."
"A lot of good things have happened and the best thing that probably happened, was for Gundy to let me go. It put me in a situation to develop more as a man, to make me a better person, to make me a better coach. So what happened was it put me in a position to be where I am today."
In case you were wondering, no, this game hasn't been scheduled on Bedford's calendar since he arrived at Texas. Or if it has, he's not saying it is.
"Whoever is the next week that game is circled for me," Bedford said. "To me, every game is that important. I have friends back in Stillwater and it's going to be a lot of fun going back to see them and having a chance to play against Oklahoma State. But going against Baylor I had that same feeling, going against Oklahoma I had that same feeling. I don't put any special emphasis on any particular game. They all are special to me. Every game is a championship game no matter if we are 5-0 or 0-5."
The Longhorns' trip to OSU is the marquee game of a three-matchup Big 12 weekend. While the winner of the game won't vault up the standings, the loser is staring at a seventh place finish in the conference. Especially Oklahoma State. The 5-4 Cowboys probably need the win against Texas to be bowl eligible; OSU ends the season with trips to Baylor and Oklahoma.
“We go into every game knowing that it's important," OSU LB Seth Jacobs said when asked about bowl eligibility. "These last couple of games, we haven’t been as successful and executed as well as we wanted to. Each game is very important, and that’s been stressed throughout the year.”
For more Oklahoma State news, visit O-StateIllustrated.com
For more Texas news, visit Orangebloods.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 - Texas DC Vance Bedford says leaving OSU was best thing for career