Keys to the Big Games
Week Five, Oct. 1
Florida at Alabama
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By John Harris---college fotball ---

a. Ryans’ Hope – The University of Alabama has been blessed with some of the best linebacker talent college football has ever seen. No matter how far back you go in the history of Alabama football, it’s a pretty safe bet that you’ll find a linebacker worthy of making plays on par with anyone, anywhere. Bama LB DeMeco Ryans is this year’s star linebacker and he’ll play a significant role on Saturday. Florida struggled picking up the different blitz packages that Tennessee threw at them in the first half of that game, and there’s no question that Tide DC Joe Kines will fashion some of his game plan around using Ryans in the same capacity. Ryans was flat out phenomenal against Arkansas, piling up 15 tackles, two for a loss and a sack, and he should have the chance to add to those stats this weekend. In sure passing situations, the key for Florida is how they protect QB Chris Leak, and keep Ryans out of the backfield. If Florida OC Dan Mullen and Urban Meyer wish to use one of their running backs to man up on Ryans, Leak might be on his backside a few too many times. The Tide LB may only blitz if the Florida offensive line slows down DE Wallace Gilberry and the four man rush, which isn’t a 100% guarantee, as it is. But, the speed that Ryans shows off the edge, in combination with Gilberry and company, should create problems for the Florida offense.---college fotball ---

b. TNT – Florida may have the flashier of the two offenses, but the most explosive player on the field will be wearing crimson - #4 Tyrone Prothro. The mighty mite is the one player that Florida may not have an answer for this Saturday. He doesn’t get a ton of publicity, but the teams that have tried to corral Prothro have run into issues. Whether it’s in the passing game, the kicking game or taking shotgun snaps from center, Prothro will make a play that could turn the tide of the game, no pun intended. And, when he makes a play, he can give the entire offense a boost. In the Southern Miss game, down by 11, he made the catch of the millennium, snagging a throw from Brodie Croyle on the back of a Southern Miss DB. After that catch, the Tide offense caught fire, and put up 20 straight points on the board. He puts a charge into the offense every time that he touches the ball, and Florida hasn’t seen a guy this year who can ‘open it up’ in as many different ways as Prothro can. Keep an eye on where Prothro lines up throughout the game, and how many ‘various’ ways Mike Shula can find to get him the ball. He’s a keg of dynamite, waiting to explode, and Saturday will be his show.---college fotball ---

c. Webb of Deceit – With having to live in the shadow of the offense, you’ll have to excuse the Florida defense if they have a life size chip on their shoulder. But, this might be the most talented defense that Florida has had in some time, and they may not have ever had a play making corner like Dee Webb. The former Ed White star will be on the spot much of the day, as he’ll be matched up with Prothro and DJ Hall, a lesser known, but equally talented receiving threat. Webb’s ‘length’ is tough for opposing receivers and also for quarterbacks attempting to throw to his side. Not only does Webb cover like a blanket, he’s got solid ball skills and breaks on the ball as well as anyone in the SEC. Hall and Prothro are completely different receivers, and Webb’s approach to covering them will be a major factor to whether Florida shuts down the Alabama passing game. Webb and Vernell Brown have been strong this year, but this pair of receivers is just as good as what they saw against Tennessee. If Webb is aggressive in coverage early, knocking a ball down or intercepting a pass, Croyle may want to go away from him, limiting his looks to one side of the field. That’s a huge advantage for the Gators to say the least.---college fotball ---
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Conclusion – The Rivalry is back. Back in the early to mid 1990s when the Gators and the Tide battled every year for the SEC championship, now that was fun. And, it’s back. Undefeated Gators. Undefeated Tide. This ought to be to be fun. For all that Alabama has going for it, the success of this game, and this season, rests on the capable shoulders of QB Brodie Croyle. With the loss of Ray McDonald at DE, the Gator pass rush isn’t as dominant as it could be. If the Tide OL can give Croyle the time, he has the receivers that will get open and make plays. At home, the Tide makes the Bear proud. Alabama – 17 vs. Florida – 14---college fotball ---
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Keys to the Big GamesWeek Eight, Oct. 22Tennessee vs. AlabamaBy John Harris
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a. Big on Big – Shouldn’t every football game come down to a battle between the Big Uglies, the men in the trenches? Well, in this game, and in most games in the SEC, it does and the match up of the Alabama offensive line and the Tennessee defensive line could ultimately determine the outcome of this great rivalry game. The Vol defensive line, although thought to be one of the best in the nation, got hit right smack in the face by the Georgia Bulldog offensive line, and that’s the tact that the Tide must take with them as well. Similar to a heavyweight boxer facing old school Mike Tyson, you’ve got to hit first and not back down. Hit the bully in the face as hard as you can and see how they respond. That’s what Georgia did to DT Jesse Mahelona and his mates, and it eventually paid off in a key win. ---college football---
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Alabama doesn’t have the powerful and experienced offensive line that Georgia has, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’ve got two absolutes – protect QB Brodie Croyle and give RB Kenneth Darby a little bit of space to gash the Tennessee defense. The Tide could go to more max protection schemes to ensure that Croyle is standing at game’s end, so they’ll get some help from tight ends and running backs to slow down the Vol pass rush. But, can they get any movement at all up front to allow Darby room to run? That eventually will be the key, as Croyle can use the play action off Darby’s runs to hurt the Vols linebackers. But, if Mahelona and company snuff out the run, then the Tide becomes predictable and one-dimensional. That’s not good at all…obviously.---college football---

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b. The Replacements – The title isn’t meant to say that the Tide receivers are second rate at all, but the question will linger – who’ll take over as the play making threat now that WR Tyrone Prothro is out for the season? For the first time in a long time, the Tide was able to stretch a defense deep down field with Prothro, evident extremely early in the Florida game. Not that his loss would’ve or could’ve come at an advantageous time, but it’s that much worse in facing this Tennessee secondary this week. ---college football---
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With All-SEC CB Jason Allen out of the foreseeable future, the Vol secondary loses one of the best in the conference, and the guy that probably would’ve drawn Prothro. However, neither one is going to see the field on Saturday. So, the pressure falls on Keith Brown, DJ Hall (if available to play) and Matt Caddell to make plays for the Tide offense. All of them have made big plays over the past two years, but each one’s role is that much more important this weekend. Brown led the Tide with 6 grabs for 79 yards against Ole Miss, and showed his wheels against Florida taking a short slant route all the way to the house. He could be the explosive answer to Prothro’s absence, but no matter who steps up to become the ‘star’, this unit will be on the spot throughout this game.---college football---

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c. Reunited – The Tennessee offensive line has had some issues thus far this year, but no unit has more pressure this week to perform well than the quintet that’ll strap it up on Saturday. Two weeks ago against Georgia, the five UT offensive linemen that were projected to start the year took the field together for the first time since the Florida game. Now that they’re back to where they need to be, it’s time for them to get cranked up. The Tennessee running game has met significant resistance this year, and it wasn’t until the end of the LSU game that they really took over in that game. Against an Alabama defense that is ultra-quick and can shut down most anything on the perimeter, the interior line must be able to get some movement in the middle, on isolation or power G runs, to move the chains. Alabama hasn’t really seen a team that can attack them in between the tackles like this Tennessee run offense can. ---college football---
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But, the question becomes whether the Tennessee line can open those holes or if it’ll be Rick Clausen time throughout the game. Even if the Vols focus on establishing Gerald Riggs in the middle, the Vol OL must get up to the second level and get a hat on the Tide linebackers – Demeco Ryans, Freddie Roach and Juwan Simpson. To do so, the guard-center-guard trio of Rob Smith, Richie Gandy and Cody Douglas must control the Tide DT to a point that one of them can move up to the second level. The last thing that the Vols can do is have to block four with five and let those great Tide linebackers run to the ball free and clear throughout the game. Let’s just put this as simply we can – 48 yards on the ground by the Vols won’t get it done.
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Conclusion – After the close call at Ole Miss last week, the Tide returns this week to Tuscaloosa, where they played an almost flawless game against Florida. They’ll need to continue to harness the emotion and passion of the Tide faithful to knock off a desperate Tennessee team. Similar to the way that Michigan fought back against undefeated Penn State, expect Tennessee to take Bama’s best shot and hang around for four quarters. Brodie Croyle will be the difference as he’ll continue to find open receivers and move the ball as they have this season. He’ll need a big play from one of his receivers, and expect him to get one that wins the game for the Tide. Alabama – 21 vs. Tennessee – 20 ---college football---

Instant AnalysisMinnesota 23 ... Michigan 20By Matthew Zemek
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Since 1986, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have figured out every possible way to lose to the Michigan Wolverines, especially in recent seasons. Whether they’ve blown four-possession leads, allowed last-minute scores, or committed any other football sins, the Gophers have always played just well enough to lose in the battle for the Little Brown Jug. On Saturday, the prospect of going to Ann Arbor to play a Wolverine team fresh off its conquest of Sparta—and blessed with a healthy Mike Hart and revitalized Steve Breaston—did not promise a sunny outlook for Glen Mason’s team.How fitting, then, that when the Gophers finally found the Jug-ular against their rivals, time literally did stand still.With less than three minutes remaining in regulation, the scoreboard malfunctioned at Michigan Stadium, forcing the time to be kept on the field.
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Perhaps the sight of triple-zeros at a time when Michigan did not have more points than Minnesota shocked the Wolverines while lifting the Gophers. Maybe the momentum got sucked out of the Big House, as more than 111,000 observers—and a tentative Michigan defense—stood around while the Gophers, without injured quarterback Brian Cupito, managed to march to victory in the game’s final minutes... however many of them existed. But no matter how you slice it, the Gophers found a way to capture the kind of game they rarely win against a team they’ve rarely been able to beat.----collegefootball----
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While minutes and seconds weren’t able to be tracked by the crowd on a spectacular Autumn afternoon in Ann Arbor, the other unmeasurable element of this contest was the Gophers’ resilience. On numerous occasions, Michigan landed punches and presented Minnesota with an opportunity to quit. An early touchdown that put Glen Mason’s crew in a 13-3 Gopher hole? Forget about it—Minnesota answered with a touchdown on its next possession.----collegefootball----
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A Steve Breaston kickoff return for a touchdown to put Michigan ahead 20-13 in the third quarter? No big deal—the Gophers promptly marched right back to tie the game at 20.And when Michigan—in a development eerily reminiscent of last year’s game won by the Wolverines in the final minutes—just kept penetrating Minnesota’s side of the field, the Gophers’ defense stiffened. At their own 20, their own 30, their own 40, it didn’t matter: Minnesota constantly blunted Michigan’s drives by pressuring Chad Henne and containing Mike Hart. Red zone drives produced only field goals.----collegefootball----
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Drives stopped outside the red zone turned into missed field goals for Garrett Rivas and a struggling Michigan kicking game. And the drives the Gophers stopped around their 40 prevented the Wolverines from getting that one extra first down that would have made a field goal a possibility. Time after time, Minnesota’s defense held the fort, keeping the game tied when a punchless offense wasn’t able to generate much of anything. With Cupito down in the final minutes, it didn’t seem as though anything was going to change for the Gophers... especially not the final result.----collegefootball----
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But lo and behold, just when everyone in the Big House was expecting overtime, Gary Russell—holy backup, Batman!—sprinted through a hole near the right-side boundary and broke into the secondary for a huge gain that put the Gophers in field goal range. After two plays that centered the ball, Jason Giannini booted the ball through the uprights with two seconds left to give Glen Mason his first win over Michigan.It hadn’t been done since 1986. It wasn’t accomplished even under the most favorable of conditions. It seemed to be Minnesota’s destiny to continue to lose to Michigan in every conceivable fashion. ----collegefootball----
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But destiny took a sharp left Gary Russell turn on Saturday, straight into the annals of Minnesota football history. While Michigan stands dazed, confused, and endowed with two Big Ten losses—and three overall—just a week into October, the Gophers are still in the Big Ten mix. With a trophy as old as the Little Brown Jug, no Gopher will want to sip directly from its mouth. But they’re already tasting the sweet nectar of triumph in Minneapolis. Regardless of what they do the rest of this season, Glen Mason’s boys can say, right now, that they’ve reversed some big-league curses against Purdue and Michigan.----collegefootball----
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As it was on the field late in regulation, so it also must be in a delirious Minnesota locker room: time is standing still amidst a set of emotions that are impossible to put into words. For Michigan, that emotion is somewhere between shock and anger. For Minnesota, it’s something much sweeter, in contrast to so many losses against the Wolverines over the previous 18 years.----collegefootball----
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Russell earns NSIC honor

Northern State quarterback John Russell is the latest Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Offensive Player of the Week. - College Football -

The 6-4, 220-pound junior from Hayward, Calif., completed 25 of 35 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns in NSU's 29-16 victory at Wayne (Neb.) State Saturday. This is the first time Russell has earned Offensive Player of the Week honors. - College Football -

Russell and the Wolves (4-3, 3-0 NSIC) host defending conference champion Winona State (5-2, 3-0 NSIC) at Swisher Field in Aberdeen Saturday. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. - College Football -

- Sports writer Eric Burgess

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NIACC hopes to continue momentum

By KIRK HARDCASTLE, Of The Globe Gazette

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — NIACC coach Scott Strohmeier sensed a little extra bounce in his players’ steps this week in practice. - College Football -

That’s what a 28-2 homecoming victory over the College of DuPage will do for you after starting the season with two straight losses.

"It was obvious just the excitement and enthusiasm at practice," said Strohmeier, whose team plays at No. 9 Grand Rapids today. "On Wednesday everybody was cold and trying to move around and stay warm. - College Football -

"But I think for the most part it’s kind of related to having some success. They’re working pretty hard."

Even though Strohmeier picked up his first win as a head coach last week, the coach said his team has lots of room for improvement. - College Football -

In last Saturday’s game, which was played with horrible field conditions, NIACC fumbled the ball six times, losing one, and quarterback Ben Alford threw one interception.

"We have to find our niche yet and what we do successfully," Strohmeier said. "Generally you have something that you hang your hat on. - College Football -

"But we still have to find our go-to play that we’re all right with running."

Grand Rapids (4-1 overall, 4-1 in the Midwest Football Conference) stopped North Dakota State College of Science 28-21 in double overtime last week. - College Football -

Grand Rapids also owns victories over Rock Valley (35-17), Harper (28-21) and Iowa Central (36-8). The Raiders dropped a 24-7 decision to Ellsworth in Week 3.

Strohmeier said he and his team are entering today’s game with confidence.

"I feel good going into the football game that we’ll be able to do some things offensively and be able to stop them defensively," Strohmeier said. "Now, it really comes down to the players making the plays, because they are giving us some tendencies." - College Football -

Copyright 2005, Globe Gazette

Katrina scatters South Mississippi high school football stars to the winds
By James Jones

The Sun Herald

Sep. 6 - South Mississippi was supposed to have its most-talented college football recruiting class in about a decade.

Hurricane Katrina has dispersed part of the graduating Class of 2006.

Three of the first seven players on The Sun Herald's Top 30 list of area college prospects have already transferred to other schools within the Southeast region. - College Football -

St. Stanislaus defensive tackle J.C. Brignone, ranked fourth, has enrolled at Parkview (Ga.) High School. SSC will not open until January.

Brignone has Division I scholarship offers from Mississippi State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Rice, and Arkansas State.

"My family always comes first with me," Brignone said. "They put the idea into my head that I should play my senior year in Georgia. My life is focused on football."

The 6-foot-1, 290-pound Brignone will always have fond memories of SSC, which won the Region 8-4A title last year. - College Football -

"If I knew SSC would be in Bay St. Louis tomorrow, I'd stay here," Brignone said. "I hate being the captain of the ship and leaving."

Biloxi running back Damion Fletcher, ranked sixth, transferred to Fort Walton Beach, Fla., over Labor Day weekend.

Fletcher, who has scholarship offers from Southern Miss and Arkansas State, will be staying with some relatives. - College Football -

"Since my home was destroyed, I won't be able to play football on the Coast my senior year," Fletcher said. "I heard Biloxi would be opening up in October, and I want to play right now."

Fletcher, who gained 1,694 yards as a junior last year, admits leaving the Coast was a difficult decision.

"The Coast will always be my home," Fletcher said. "I wanted to play for Biloxi and remain in-state. I'm not excited about leaving the Coast this way." - College Football -

Bay High quarterback Tyler Burks and wide receiver Robert Labat have also joined Fletcher at Fort Walton Beach.

D'Iberville defensive back Wesley Ladner, ranked seventh, has transferred to Acadia High School in Lafayette, La. He has a Division I scholarship offer from Navy.

"It will be hard not playing for D'Iberville," Ladner said. "I have to do what's best for us. Football on the Coast is pretty much gone. There's nothing I can do about it, but leave."

Joining Ladner in Lafayette are two Warrior seniors: running back Austin Holley and fullback/linebacker Jordan Bennett. - College Football -

Ocean Springs tight end Richard Dickson, Pascagoula linebacker Domonic Hopson and Moss Point defensive back C.J. Bailey, all blue-chip prospects, may transfer if the remainder of the season is cancelled.

"The only way I go back to Texas is if we can't play football anymore on the Coast," said Dickson, South Mississippi's top-ranked prospect. "I'm waiting to play football."

Hopson and Bailey, ranked third and fifth, already have back-up plans just in case football doesn't resume next month. - College Football -

Bailey, who has offers from Louisiana-Lafayette and Southern Miss, could transfer to either Mobile-Williamson or Hoover, Ala.

Hopson, who is wanted by Southern Miss, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Rice and Vanderbilt, has looked into playing in Tennessee or Houston. - College Football -

"I'm thinking about leaving because its my best chance to get a scholarship," Hopson said. "This is not what I expected my senior year to be. I will have to make a big decision."

Copyright © 2005, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Mid-sized, but major talent

TOM MULHERN

Ben Roethlisberger didn't have the experience, starting at quarterback for only one year in high school because he was behind the coach's son. - College Football -

Charlie Frye was too small, weighing 175 pounds when he came out of high school.

Byron Leftwich also didn't fit the typical college QB mold, so he managed only a handful of Division I-A offers out of high school. - College Football -

All three followed the same path - from lightly recruited high school player to Mid-American Conference standout to NFL quarterback - that Bowling Green junior Omar Jacobs is now blazing.

At a time when University of Wisconsin football fans wonder why their team has struggled to find and develop a single upper-echelon quarterback, the MAC continues to uncover them on a regular basis. - College Football -

"Probably they're all a little different, how they ended up there," UW coach Barry Alvarez said. "But I'll tell you, (the MAC) probably has had as many high-quality quarterbacks as any league, whether they're late maturers (or) guys that kind of got lost in the shuffle in recruiting and at the end, no one has a scholarship for them."

Jacobs, who faces the Badgers in Saturday's season opener at Camp Randall Stadium, tells a similar tale.

"Short story, (I was) recruited by everybody in the nation, at first," Jacobs, a native of Delray Beach, Fla., said of his recruiting experience. - College Football -

"I don't know what happened. I was going to take two trips to (Kansas State), coaching changes, recruiter left; then I had Buffalo, Bowling Green and (Florida Atlantic).

"I took those three trips in a week. I had the best trip to Bowling Green. My mom liked it. (Former coach) Urban Meyer had just turned the program around. I had the best opportunity, there was a senior here, with the quarterback situation. They play the same type of offense I played back home." - College Football -

The rest is quarterback history, MAC style.

Copyright © 2005 Wisconsin State Journal