College Sports

If you want a second chance, better be a big time college athlete.

2010-08-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

We all want second chances in life, and everyone should get a second chance. However, at some point, if one does not make the most of that second chance, then that person doesn't deserve a third one because they have not truly learned the lessons of their mistake.

Let's take, for instance, former Oregon Ducks QB Jeremiah Masoli. He is suspended by Oregon Head Coach Chip Kelly for possessing Marijuana and then a few months later, breaks into a fraternity house and steals a laptop. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of Misdemeanor Burglary. What's the difference. He still broke the law a second time and Kelly rightly dismissed him from the team. This was the "Senior Leader" of the Oregon Football team. Masoli's behavior was not the leadership the Ducks needed.

OK, Masoli breaks the law twice. For the rest of us average Joes, there would be no third chance. We'd be in the slammer for a few years or at least we would have killed our chances of ever getting a good job and making a good living. However, for Masoli, since he's a big-time college athlete, he gets a third chance.

Masoli will enroll at Ole Miss and took Head Coach Huston Nutt's offer to come on the team as a Walk On. He has one year of eligibility left and will enroll in OLE Miss Graduate School in their Parks and Recreation Management Program. It's fine that he is continuing his education, but how many more transgressions will it take before someone says "no more." He's extremely lucky and I'm sure he knows it.

However, I question whether or not he has truly learned from his mistakes. A person who has learned the lessons of their errors does not repeat those errors. He is a Walk On, but may have a chance to play and can certainly help the Rebels. I don't think it is sending the right message though. I'm rooting for him. All he needs to do is keep his nose clean. That really isn't that hard to do. One thing is for sure, he needs to thank God every day that God gave him the talent to play major college football and excel at it because he wouldn't be getting this third opportunity otherwise.

Homeschooled Bowler Earns College Scholarship

2010-07-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

He had dreams of playing College Football, but spinal injuries to himself and his brother led 17 year old Harry Haynes of Grayson, GA to pursue another college sport: Bowling.

Haynes has only been doing competitive bowling for two years. His parents, both Gwinnett County school teachers, knew nothing about the sport but would take the Haynes brothers to the bowling alley and watch them "throw the ball". However, Harry's mother read an email about a home school bowling league. The Haynes brothers joined the league, then joined a more competitive league 3 years ago. They, along with two other boys, call their team "Elite Four", and rose to the top of the league beating 15 other teams.

When Harry started bowling competitively two years ago, his average was 130. Now he bowls in the Summer League at the Brunswick Zone bowling alley in Lilburn with an average of 202. Haynes got training from a registered coach and also studied the proper techniques by watching YouTube videos. Both he and his brother, who suffered the same spinal injuries as he did, toppled 120 pairs from all over Georgia to win the Greater Atlanta City Tournament.

Haynes calls his younger brother his best friend. "We feed off each other", the younger Haynes said. "When one of us gets a strike, the other will". With the brotherly duo's success, Harry Haynes decided to look into bowling in college. Sharon Shortell, the Director of the Junior League at the Brunswick Zone, gave Haynes a list of colleges that offer bowling scholarships. Haynes chose Campbellsville University, a small Southern Baptist college in Campbellsville, KY. Haynes amazed the Campbellsville coaching staff with a 198 average at his audition and earned a bowling scholarship. He is planning to study Mass Communications and to turn Pro after graduation. "I enjoy what I do, so I'm glad I got injured in a way", Haynes said. Credit for information in this article is given to the Gwinnett Daily Post. More information can be obtained by going to www.gwinnettdailypost.com.

Former UGA Football Greats Giving Back to Community

2010-07-06T22:14:00.001-07:00

Something very special will be taking place at the University of Georgia the weekend of July 16-17. It's the annual Countdown to Kickoff event benefiting several local charities including children's Health care of Atlanta, Children's Tumor Foundation, Georgia Transplant Foundation and the UGA College of Education's Pediatric Exercise and Motor Development Clinic.

This is a time when the Bulldog Nation can get up and close to their favorite players from both the 1980 National Championship Team as well as those players from more recent years. Players such as former QB David Greene, who led the Bulldogs to an SEC Championship in 2002 and a graduate of South Gwinnett High School. Matt Stinchcomb will also be there. A former All SEC lineman with the Dogs, Stinchcomb played in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders and prepped at Gwinnett County's Parkview High School. "We are all from the state of Georgia and we all had the opportunity to play and attend the University of Georgia and given the experiences we had, you want to find a way to somehow contribute back to not just your school but also your state", Stinchcomb said.

It's a time when parents and their children can take part in actual football drills with the former players and get autographs from them as well. Other former Bulldog players that will be at the event include former Linebacker Rennie Curran, who was drafted this past April by the Tennessee Titans, Buck Belue (1980), Joe Cox, Garrsion Hurst, Kregg Lumpkin, as well as two other members from the 1980 team, Frank Ross and Amp Arnold. "Getting out their and being able to interact with the kids and the families, that is what this is all about", former QB David Greene said.

The Fan Festival on July 17 is open to 1,500 people and tickets are $25 a person or $75 for a family of four. Fans can order tickets by going to www.ugakickoff.com. Information in this article was obtained from the Gwinnett Daily Post newspaper.

Former Buford High Star Getting it Done For Lady Diamond Dogs

2010-05-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

Continuing our theme of covering former Gwinnett County prep student-athletes excelling at the college level, we want to highlight the young career of UGA Sophomore Ashley Razey, the starting catcher on the University of Georgia Lady Dogs Softball Team.

Razey, a former star player at Buford High School, started out her college career at Southern Mississippi, where she appeared in 54 games making 51 starts and batted .301 in 153 at-bats with eight doubles, six home runs and 28 RBI. during her Freshman year. This year, Razey is getting it done on the diamond for the Lady Dogs. She has played in 53 games and started 52 of them. She is batting.293 with 43 hits (10 of them doubles), 12 home runs and 41 RBIs. She has a slugging percentage of .605 and a fielding percentage of .994.

The Lady Dogs are currently 43-11 overall and 18-8 in the SEC, and Razey has definitely been a big part of their success. Before Razey began playing in college, she was a stand out at Buford High School helping the Lady Wolves win the 2007 and 2008 Class AA State Championship. Razey was named Player of the Year by three different newspapers: The Atlanta Journal & Constitution, Gainsville Times and Gwinnett Daily Post for her performance at the plate as she batted .510 with 10 homers and 47 RBIs. Razy also set 9 Buford school records, including batting .510 in 2007, a career slugging percentage of .775 and 16 home runs in her career as a Lady Wolf. Razey is among the explosion of talented female softball players coming out of Gwinnett County high schools.

Thanks to the work of Razey, as well as the other members of the Lady Dogs Softball Team, UGA will be hosting a regional in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The 5'11 Sophomore from Buford will hopefully continue her good work on the diamond and help the Lady Dogs return to the 2010 NCAA College World Series.

Former Collins Hill Stand Out Having All-American Career At Shorter

2010-04-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

In the next few postings, we will focus on former Gwinnett student-athletes who are excelling at the collegiate level. One young lady is enjoying an All-American career at Shorter College, an NAIA school located in Rome, GA.

She is Libby Munson, and she is a starting pitcher on the Shorter Lady Hawks Softball Team. She is an NAIA All-American and has a record of 22-3 on the season for Shorter, who is now 42-12 on the season and ranked #18 in the NAIA top 25. Her most recent success came when she pitched both games against SSAC rival Brenau University and led the Lady Hawks to a sweep of the 2 game series. In game 1, Munson pitched a 1 hitter en route to a 2-0 win striking out 7 and only walking one batter. In fact, her control was so good that 58 of her 87 pitches were strikes and she didn't allow any Golden Tigers past first base.

In game two, Munson continued her good work as she struck out five Golden Tigers and gave up five hits. she helped her team offensively as well, going 2 for 3 with two RBIs in game two. The Lady Hawks are now in second place, just half a game behind Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) leader Auburn-Montgomery. Munson finished the day having pitched 14 scoreless innings and allowing only six hits in the two-game sweep of Brenau. The Lady Hawks will be the No. 2 seed in the upcoming SSAC Tournament.

Munson had a tremendous high school career leading Collins Hill High School to a Georgia State Championship her Junior year and leading the Eagles to a second place finish in State her Senior year. Congratulations to Gwinnett's own Libby Munson for a fantastic collegiate career so far with much more success to come.

Former Berkmar High Standout Contributing For Berry

2010-04-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

From time to time here on College Sports, we want to recognize the accomplishments of student-athletes from the Gwinnett County, Georgia area. This county, located on the northeast side of Atlanta, has produced a plethora of talented of student-athletes who have gone on to excel both in college and in the pros.

One of these fine student-athletes is Cory Pits, a Junior Outfielder on the Berry College Baseball Team. Pitts came to Berry from Berkmar High School in Lilburn, Georgia, located in the southwest part of Gwinnett County. Pitts had an excellent career at Berkmar and took his talents to Rome, Georgia to play for the Vikings. During the 2009 season, Pitts played in 57 games and started 8 of them. He led the team in sacrifice bunts with 29 and ended last year's season with a .306 slugging percentage from 36 at bats. He drove in two runs against Southern Wesleyan back on 4/18/2009.

This year, Pitts is a Red Shirt Junior majoring in Communications and Journalism. He is the son of Travis and Vickie Pitts. he has three brothers, Shane, Julian and Casey, and three sisters, Shaquera, Kenady and Journey. His father Travis played college baseball at Howard University and his Uncle, Nicki Pitts, played football at UGA.

Berry is currently 20-16 over all this year. They still are competing in the Southern States athletic Conference (SSAC) but are not eligible to compete in the post season do to their transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Div. lll. along with Pitts, there other a few other players on the Berry roster from Gwinnett County, and there will be more on them in later postings here on College Sports.

Who Are the Best All-Time Starting 5 in Bryan History

2010-04-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

As an alum of Bryan College, I have always followed their sports teams ever since I came there in 1990 and walked on the Soccer Team. Bryan Athletics wasn't very good back then as far as wins and losses were concerned, but the school had several student-athletes who excelled tremendously both on the field and court as well as in the class room.

I witnessed first hand some of the exploits of the athletes when I was the Public Address Announcer during Bryan Men's Basketball home games from 1992-94. Mark Pack was one of the greatest players wo ever ware a Bryan uniform. He was a two-time NCCAA and NAIA All-American during his three years there on the hill in Dayton, TN. He was a prolific three point shooter. During his last year, he hit 13 in one game. clay Causey was a solid point guard for the Lions as well, along with fellow Louisiana native Jason Martinez.

One of the greatest moments in my sporting life was doing the PA duties for a game in which Bryan trailed Covenant College by 31 points. Led by the scoring of Pack and Martinez, scoring 31 and 32 points respectively, the Lions scored 78 points in the second half and capped off the dramatic come from behind victory with the winning bucket by Jeremy "Jay Train" Sperring. The final was 101-100, and at that time, it was the second greatest come from behind victory in ALL of college basketball including NCAA Div. l. Sperring happened to have gone to grammar School with me from third grade to sixth grade. I actually played against him in high school. Sperring was an NAIA Scholar Athlete and an NAIA Academic All-American.

Other great players come to mind, such as Travis Dotterer, John Spears, Jeff Van Der Mark and Mitchell Byrd. Of course, these were, are and always will be great friends of mine. There were great Bryan players in the 80s, before my time at BC, players such as Dean Ropp, Dave Zuberer, Ron Cox, Rick Torbit and the Landice brothers. The Landice brothers, along with Ropp and Torbit, have been inducted into the Bryan Hall of Fame. Incidentally, Rick Torbit was the creator of the instructioanl video series called "Better Basketball" which has been endorsed by NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry. There have been great players after my time at BC. In the late 90s and the early part of this century, Randy Evans and Jason Beschta come to mind. There are great current players as well such as DeMond Craig and Scott Newton.

My whole reason for mentioning all this is that I want to pick the best all-time starting 5 and best all-time sixth man in Bryan history. Any of you who played at Bryan or went to the school and were privileged to have watched these great players need to post your comments at the "post a comment" section at the end of this article. I would love to hear your feedback.

FDU Wins Womens Bowling Title

2010-04-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

When you think of college sports, bowling might not come to mind. However, Men's' and Women's' Bowling are both sanctioned sports of the NCAA.
Last week, Fairleigh Dickinson University, a school of 6,000 students located in Teaneck, NJ, won a National Championship in Women's' Bowling by defeating Nebraska in a best of seven game series. The match was televised by ESPN. The Knights won the last two games of an extremely tight best of seven match to win their first title since 2006.

In the NCAA Championships, the Baker system was used. It's a system in which a team's five bowlers rotate through frames. The second game was tied until Nebraska left the seventh and eighth frames open. FDU took advantage and rolled two strikes to win that game 209-167. Nebraska won the next two games. Nebraska "rolled" the Knights 221-167 in the first game. That prompted FDU Head Coach Mike LoPresti to instruct his team to use different balls to adapt to the lanes.

The Corn huskers went ton to win the next two games and game 5 by the score of 221-201. FDU won the next game tying the series 3-3. In the deciding game, FDU Sophomore Kristina Mickelson, who entered the match in the second game, rolled two key strikes. Her teammate, Canadian Vickie Calberry, did the same thing. FDU Senior Erica Perez closed out the match and sealed the victory for the Knight s as she knocked down the last three pins, sparking a jubilant celebration last Saturday night for FDU. Perez is a native of Carteret, NJ, about 10 miles from the Brunswick Zone Caroller Lanes where the Championship was being held. The final score in game seven was 208-174 in favor of FDU.

"It was a perfect ending to a dream come true," Perez said. This was only the second time in the tournament's seven year history that the championship match went to seven games. "What a privilege everyone had here tonight," FDU Head Coach Mike LoPresti said. "This was, in my opinion, the best NCAA match ever."

Minor collegiate sports like bowling are hardly noticed by the fans and the media. Yours truly would not have known about it had he not watched some of the replay on ESPN last Sunday, April 11. The student-athletes who participate in these sports deserve to be recognized just as much as those who play the major, high visibility sports. We aim to do that here at kgussports.blogspot.com. For more info on this story, the reader can go to www.ncaachampionships.com.

NCAA Stands For "No Celebrating Athletic Achievement"

2010-04-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the NCAA made it official that they would penalize any player who makes a "taunting" gesture while running to score a touchdown. This can be things like high-stepping into the end zone and other gestures of celebration. Most of you have watched NFL games and seen those celebrations. Those displays of celebration won't be tolerated in NCAA College Football.

I don't have a problem with penalties for "hot doggin it". I don't like it. It's silly. The Miami Hurricane teams of the late 80s and early 90s started all of this in my opinion. However, I do have a problem with taking away the touchdown. The NCAA is saying they will nullify the touchdown if the player, while running to score, does a celebration display before he reaches the end zone. They call it a "Live Ball Penalty".
Come on now! They earned the TD. No one could catch them. Just penalize them on the next kick off like they've already been doing.

The NCAA is also giving the officials the freedom to make a "judgement call", meaning if they feel it warrants a penalty, they can call it. Pointing in the air to thank God for the touchdown, as one player did during last year's Georgia/LSU game, does not in my mind define a celebration display. However, if the official sees it differently, he can rule that it does and take away the rightly earned touchdown. Just penalize on the kick off. Don't become the "No Celebrating Athletic Achievement Association".

Pitcher Throws Perfect Game

2010-04-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

It is an event in Baseball that rarely happens even at the Major League level. But for Senior Trey Krier, a pitcher on the Mount Marty College Baseball Team, the rare event became a reality. Last Saturday, Krier became the 19th pitcher in NAIA history to pitch a perfect game as he led the Lancers to a 5-0 shutout of Briar Cliff College (IA). Mount Mary went on to sweep the two game series as they won game two 15-11.

One amazing thing about the perfect game performance is that Krier drew 10 fly balls on a day when the wind was blowing straight out to Center Field. During game two, 5 home runs were hit and 26 runs were scored between the two teams. Mount Marty catcher Josh Wenande described it this way: "That’s definitely not the way you would draw it up with the wind blowing like it was, but he, with his change up, he was getting a lot of balls,” Wenande said.

Being that it was a DH, both games only went 7 innings. MMC's Josh Damewood led off the top of the second inning with a home run. Krier struck out two of three batters in the bottom frame, and Mount Mary scored two more runs in the third. As the fifth inning rolled around, Krier still had not allowed a hit or walk. The Briar Cliff team sensed they were about to be on the wrong end of history. "The first time I really thought about it was the fifth inning. Briar Cliff was kinda getting wound up about being no-hit,” Mount Mary Catcher Josh Wenande said. “In the sixth, they were really talking.”

When the game reached the bottom 7th , both pitcher and catcher began to realize just what was taking place. “I’ve never really been nervous out there pitching, but I was pretty shaken out there for a little bit,” Krier said. Wenande had caught no hitters before, but the highest level was Pewee League. He wanted to make sure he made the right pitch calls. “I never had any trouble until the last hitter, just with pitch-calling,” Wenande said. "Here is the perfect game, and I want to call an inside fastball, but things are going through my mind. Is (the batter) going to hit it? Is (Krier) going to leave the ball over the middle of the plate and the guy get a base hit or something?”

After the final out, Wenande didn't know how to celebrate. "I’m kinda running out there not really knowing ... Do I jump up and down? Do I scream and yell, knowing with that second game was coming up,” he said. “The coaching staff did a good job of keeping us focused.” Unfortunately for Briar Cliff starter Nathanael Olson, he would get the loss in spite of striking out 10 batters in the game.

As mentioned earlier, Mount Marty went on to win game two of the DH 15-11, thus sweeping the two game series against Briar Cliff. Mount Marty, an NAIA school in Yankton, SD, competes in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). They have an overall record of 20-8 and 7-1 in GPAC play. They travel to Blair, NE Saturday for a DH against GPAC opponent Dana College. For more information on this story, you can go to www.naia.org.

Duke Wins Fourth National Title For Coach K, But Butler Comes Oh So Close

2010-04-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

It will go down as one of the greatest national championship games in the history of College Basketball. You had the classic Hoosiers, David v Goliath, whatever you want to call it match up. Unfortunately for Butler, Reality bit them, but barely.

Gordon Hewyard's half-court heave very nearly banked in at the buzzer, but the blue Devils of Duke survived to win Coach K's fourth national title. Coach K is now tied for second all time in number of national championships won along with Adolph Rupp, who won four with Kentucky. By winning his fourth title, Coach K passes his mentor, Bobby Knight, who won three while at Indiana.

Many people hate Duke and wanted nothing more than for them to fall to reality's version of Hoosiers. But as ESPN's Dick Vitale said, Duke does everything right. They play team basketball. They share the basketball. They play great defense, and the players go to class above all else. "I cant understand why so many people hate Duke except for the fact that when your on top of the mountain, they always want to knock you down", Vitale said. He's right. I also wanted Butler to win. As I mentioned in previous articles, Butler represents the underdogs, the Mom & Pop businesses, the average Joes, which includes 95% of America. But if it cant happen, I would rather have Duke win because they represent what college sports is all about: the athletes are students first. They are truly "Student-Athletes" at Duke.

Butler has shown the nation that you can win with defense. They played great team defense through out the whole tournament including Monday night's national title game. The experts at ESPN: Dick Vitale, Digger Phelps, Hubert Davis and others, thought Butler couldn't hold Duke under 70 points and would have to score more. they did hold the Devils under 70 and they controlled the tempo of the game. they played great defense and they shot 13-18 from the charity stripe. That's 75%, which is what you are suppose to shoot. Butler showed the nation that you don;t have to have McDonalds All-Americans or one and done guys to win.

We know that Duke is the champion, but where does Butler go from here. The Bulldogs' coach, Brad Stephens, said it best: "We were one shot away from winning a national championship. I don't know how much more that furthers the program, but not very much", Stephens said. In other words, you cant get any closer to the top than they did. Coach K said that this game was a "bench mark" game. He said people will get to know Butler not just as a basketball program but as a school. They will know Butler in a way they wouldn't have had the team not made it to the title game. He said that was "scary good".

I mentioned earlier that Butler shot 13-18 from the free throw line. It was a good shooting percentage. But for one player from Snellville, Ga in Gwinnett County, two of those 5 misses must be painful. Senior Avery Jukes, the pride of South Gwinnett High School in Snellville, missed two free throws in the second half which proved to be the difference, although three other free throws were missed. However, it can be argued that Butler wouldn't have had the chance in the end had it not been for the play of Jukes in the first half as he scored 10 crucial points to give his team a chance. We of Gwinnett County, Georgia salute you, Avery Jukes. You've done us proud! Interestingly enough, another former Gwinnett basketball star will be trying to win a national championship Tuesday ngiht as UCONN's Maya Moore, the pride of Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, GA in Gwinnett County, will try to lead the Huskies to another title to go 78-0 in two years.

With the exception of Jukes, Butler returns everybody from this year's squad and will certainly be in the pre-season top 5. Now that they have reached the Finals and come so close to winning it all, quality recruits will take notice. Actually, Butler has been a solid program dating back to 2000. In 2003, they beat Mississippi St. and Louisville to reach the Sweet 16. The Hoosiers comparison might ware off in a few years just as it has at Gonzaga. Higher expectations will be in order, but that is what Butler wants. Go Dawgs!

Former Gwinnett Prep Star Going to the Final Four

2010-03-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

When former South Gwinnett Forward Avery Jukes transferred from Alabama to Butler University back in 2007, he probably never thought he would reach the Final Four. But the Hoosiers miracle happened. The Bulldogs are in the Final Four, which is being held in the University's home town; Indianapolis. Jukes is certainly glad he made the move from Tuscaloosa to Indy.

Jukes was a former high school teammate of Lewis Williams at South Gwinnett. Williams went right into the NBA with the 76ers. He was also a teammate of Mike Mercer, who went to Georgia but transferred to South Florida. While at South Gwinnett, Jukes earned All-State honors as well as being named to the Nike All-American Team his Senior year. He signed with Alabama out of high school but played in only three games his Freshman year. It is most certain that the lack of playing time factored in his decision to transfer to Butler.

Although he doesn't start, Jukes is a key man off the bench and performs his role well. He has played in everyone of the Bulldogs' contests and started 1 game. He averages 2.8 points per game and has 5 steals and 4 blocked shots on the year. Jukes will be part of NCAA Tournament history this year in that for the first time since UCLA in 1972, a school from the city where the Final Four is being held will actually be in the Final Four itself. The semis are in Indy this year and Butler University is located in Indiana's capitol, about 7 miles from the site of the Final Four, Lucas Oil Stadium.

However, Jukes will not be the only Gwinnett player in the classic. Michigan State's Chris Allen, a former star at Meadowcreek High School in Gwinnett County (GA), is making his second straight appearance in the Final Four as a Spartan. In fact, the two will face each other as Michigan St. will take on Butler in front of their home fans. To my knowledge, this may be the first time more than one player from Gwinnett County, Georgia will be participating in the same Final Four.

It's the Most Wonderful time of the Year

2010-03-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

It's finally here again, the NCAA Tournament. to me, this is the most exciting annual sporting event in the country. While realistically about only 8-10 teams have a real shot of winning the national title, the other teams in the tournament provide a plethora of excitement and entertainment.

Since the field was expanded to 64 teams back in 1985, there have been several buzzer beaters, a few low seeds toppling the giants of the game, and great individual performances. This year will be no exception. My favorite part of the tournament is seeing a 13, 14, and sometimes even a 15th seed knock off a 4, 3, or 2 seed in the first round. I route for a lower seeded team to go further, like UT-Chattanooga did back in 1997 when the beat 3 seeded Georgia in the first round and then Illinois in the second round. The Mocs lost to God Shamgod and the Providence Friars in the Sweet 16, but it was still a great run for UTC.

George Mason, an 11 seed, shocked the nation by making it all the way to the Final Four back in 2006. I don't see anyone Mid-Major doing that this year, but I would love for it to happen. I think the Panthers of Northern Iowa can get by UNLV. The have great guard play, a good inside game and they play great defense limiting their opponents to around 60 points a game. San Diego St., an 11 seed, has a good chance to knock off the 6 seeded Vols of Tennessee. They have one of the best scorers and rebounders in the country in Freshman forward Kawhi Leonard. Houston is making its first appearance in the Big Dance since 1992. This is a program that has been irrelevant for the past 25 years. However, back in the early 80s, they were in the Final Four three years in a row and losing in that epic championship game to Jimmy V's NC. St. team on a last second dunk by Lorenzo Charles. Ironically, Houston was known as Phi Slama Jama due to their prowess with the slam dunk. Clyde "The Glide" Drexler, Hakeem "The Dream" Alojouan were the stars. The Cougars play Maryland in the first round. Houston can put up points. They are won of the highest scoring teams in the country. However, they are also one of the worst defensive teams. They may be a tough out for Maryland, but I think the Terps will prevail.

As for my Final Four picks, I have Kansas, Kansas St., Duke and Kentucky. Yes, you heard me right. The Sunflower State rivalry on the biggest stage of the game, the Final Four. The Jayhawks will prevail again though and will move on to the national championship where they will beat Kentucky and cut down the nets Monday Night April 5. I have filled out my bracket. In fact, I have filled out several. The first day of the tournament (not counting the Tuesday play in game), Thursday, is like Christmas Day to me. It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Richmond's Anderson Weaving a Web of Winning Basketball

2010-02-28T16:35:00.000-08:00

This year the Atlantic 10 Conference is slated to have maybe 5 or 6 teams get at large bids into this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, more commonly known as "The Big Dance" or "March Madness". The Spiders of the University of Richmond are one of those teams, and Suwanee, GA native Kevin Anderson is a big reason why.

Anderson is one of many former high school student athletes from Gwinnett County, Georgia, about 25 miles northeast of Atlanta. The Peachtree Ridge High School product is leading the Richmond Spiders in scoring with 17.5 points per game and is an 82% free throw shooter. Earlier today, Anderson scored 17 points in a double overtime loss to Xavier at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, where the Musketeers are 27-1 over the past two seasons. Anderson had 29 points leading the Spiders to a win against Xavier in their first meeting in Richmond. Richmond came into today's game against Xavier ranked #24 in the country having won back to back games against ranked opponents. That is the first time since the 1957-58 season the Spiders have won back to back games against ranked teams. Before today's loss to Xavier, Richmond was in a three way tie for first place in the Atlantic 10 with Xavier and Temple University. It is safe to say that Kevin Anderson is a major reason for Richmond's success.

Anderson, a junior, is already 13th on Richmond's all time scoring list with 1,419 points and 21 points away from 10th all-time. With three or four games possibly in the Atlantic 10 Tournament and possibly the NCAA Tournament, Anderson is bound to surpass that mark. With one more year remaining, Kevin Anderson has a very good chance of becoming Richmond's all-time leading scorer before his career as a Spider is over.. Here is a list of some of Kevin Anderson's accomplishments while at the University of Richmond:

During his Sophomore Year:

Named Second-Team Atlantic 10 All-Conference
Two-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Week
Became the fourth Spider sophomore to reach 800 points and finished the season with 930 points
Finished the season with 598 points, which ranks ninth on the school's single-season list
Anderson is one of two sophomores to make the single-season scoring list, along with all-time leading scorer Johnny Newman
Scored in double-figures in 34 of the 36 games and has scored in double-figures in 45 of his last 47 games going back to his freshman year

This year, his Junior year, Anderson is 5th in the Atlantic 10 in scoring with 17.5 PPG, 6th in Field Goal Percentage (46%), third in free throw percentage at 82%, second in steals with a total of 55 (2.0 per game), and third in the conference in minutes played at 36.7 per game.

Richmond is currently 22-7 overall and 11-3 in A-10 play and sitting in second place. They have wins over SEC opponents Mississippi St. and Florida and a win over Missouri, out of the Big Xll. Kevin Anderson, out of Suwanee, Ga in Gwinnett County and Peachtree Ridge High School, has a lot to do with the Spiders' success. It is amazing to me how Georgia and Georgia Tech missed on this young man, one of many young male and female student-athletes from the athletic-talent rich area of Gwinnett County, Georgia.

Downey Should Be a Candidate for the National Player of the Year

2010-02-18T22:31:00.000-08:00

There are several players in College Basketball who can be considered for National Player of the Year; Damian James of Texas, John Wall and Demarcus Cousins of Kentucky among others. However, there is one who I think deserves this award more than anyone else, South Carolina's Devin Downey.

The Senior PG from Chester, SC is averaging 28.8 points per game and is already one of 11 finalists for the Bob Cousey Award. Downey is also a candidate for the Oscar Robinson Trophy. Downey has played big time in big games. He scored 30 points in the Cocks upset win over #1 ranked Kentucky, and also grabbed 11 rebounds. A couple of nights later, Downey poured in 34 points in a win over Georgia. The Gamecocks have a good shot of making it into the NCAA Tournament if they finish strong during their last few games of the regular season and win a few games in the SEC Tournament. Much of that will depend if Downey can keep up this performance. I cast my vote for National Player of the Year for Devin Downey of South Carolina. That's my opinion, and I welcome yours.

NCAA Cracking Down on Taunting Touchdowns in 2011

2010-02-13T22:20:00.000-08:00

This past week, the NCAA endorsed a proposal by the rules committee on college football that players who taunt players of the opposing team as they are running for a touchdown should be penalized for taunting by nullifying the touchdown. I'm surprised this wasn't already a rule by now being that they are already throwing flags for taunting after things such as a sack, reception or interception.

This may not be popular with most fans, but I agree with the ruling. Student-athletes need to learn respect for their opponents and for the game. People will say that things like trash talking and taunting gives the players a psychological edge over their opponent. They say "If you can back it up, what's wrong with it". If you are breaking away to score an easy touchdown. The fact that you scored the TD is enough of an edge against your opponent anyway. If your team is the more talented and better team, you don't need any more competitive edge than that. Therefore, a psychological edge (taunting, trash talking, etc.) is unnecessary. Besides, remember Leon Lett in the 1993 Super Bowl? If he'd tucked the ball away like he should have, he would have scored, but he had to tease the Bills and Don Bebe made him pay. Yeah, the Cowboys won big, but what if the game had been closer and the play was a deciding factor.

Besides, I'm a purist. I still feel if you don't have respect for your opponent, then you don't have respect for the game itself. The game is bigger than you. It's not about you, it's about your team, the opposing team, and the game of football. I agree with the University of Oregon Athletic Director and former Ducks Football Coach Mike Belloti. this is what he had to say: "Our committee firmly believes in the team concept of college football,” Said Belloti, who chairs the committee. "Taunting and prolonged individual acts have no place in our game, and our officials have generally handled these rules well. This is just another step in maintaining our game’s image and reflecting the ideals of the NCAA overall.”

Before it can be on the books in time for the 2011 season, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel must approve the new rule. I have a pretty good feeling that they will give it the go ahead. If the NCAA approves the rule change, look for it to be inserted into the rule book for High School Football as well. There is probably even more instances of taunting at that level. You can put the blame on the University of Maimi Hurricane teams of the late 80s and early 90s for these new unsportsman like rules, They were the ones who started all of the "celebration demonstrations" and taunting of opposing players and teams. Before the beginning of the 1992 College Football Season, the NCAA produced a video showing examples of taunting and unsportsman like conduct. Just about all of those examples involved Miami players. I like the rule, but I welcome your opinion. Feel free to post your comment. Some information in this post was obtained from the NCAA web site www.ncaa.org.

College Athletics Making an Eternal Difference: The NCCAA

2010-02-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

When most people think of American college athletics, they think of schools like North Carolina, Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Georgia and other big schools who have a history of championship caliber athletics. These schools are members of the National College Athletic Association (NCAA), which was founded back during the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Other smaller colleges became members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), which is about as old as the NCAA. However, another college athletic association is making a lasting difference in the lives of it's student-athletes, coaches and the communities where it's member institutions reside. It is the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA).

According to its mission statement, the NCCAA was incorporated "to provide a Christian-based organization that functions uniquely as a national and international agency for the promotion of outreach and ministry and for the maintenance, enhancement and promotion of intercollegiate athletic competition with a Christian perspective".
It was founded in Canton, Ohio in 1968, and during that year ,launched its first national tournament in men's basketball in Detroit, Michigan. Lee College (now Lee University) won that first NCCAA national tournament.

There are currently 96 member schools in the NCCAA, and most of these institutions also have memberships in the NAIA and NCAA Div. ll and lll. The NCCAA is divided into two divisions: liberal arts colleges, which offer athletic scholarships, and Bible colleges, who like NCAA Div. lll, do not offer athletic scholarships. The Bible colleges have done well against the liberal arts schools, but in 1975, the Bible colleges decided to go along with a plan to place them in the Div. ll level while the liberal arts schools stayed at Div. l. In 1973, the NCCAA decided to add national competitions in sports such as men's soccer, cross country and track & field. Today, the NCCAA holds national competitions in 23 different sports for both men and women. Some former and current member institutions have produced both professional and Olympic athletes.

As exciting as the athletic competition is in the NCCAA, the organization believes that there are more important things than winning a national tournament. The NCCAA exists for outreach and ministry. As part of every NCCAA national tournament, each participating team is required to participate in a Christian Service Project (CSP). These are opportunities in which student-athletes and coaches go out into the community of the city in which the tournament is held and participate in a variety of service projects. CSPs include visiting children's hospitals, serving the Salvation Army, Boy’s and Girl’s Clubs, Habitat for Humanity, doing yard work around the community, writing to soldiers overseas, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, reading to children in public schools, visiting the elderly in nursing homes, and much more. NCCAA student-athletes and coaches have devoted thousands of hours to these projects, thus "being doers of the Word, and not hearers only" (James 1:22).

Many former NCCAA student-athletes and coaches have gone on to more prominant, and even famous roles. Here are a few examples. Dr. Homer Drew was president of the NCCAA from 1985-87 and coached men's basketball at Bethel College in Indiana during that time. Eleven years later, Dr. Drew would go down in NCAA Tournament history as he would lead the Crusaders of Valparaiso University to an improbable upset win over Mississippi on a last second shot by his son, Bryce Drew.
All Christians in America and around the world know of Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA., which was founded by the late Jerry Fallwell in 1971. Nine years later, the men's basketball team of Liberty Baptist College, as it was then known, won its first NCCAA national championship. Though Liberty is now an NCAA Div. l school and no longer a member of the NCCAA, there first and, as far as I know, only national championship came as an NCCAA member. Los Angeles Dodger fans will know the name of Kevin Malone, the club's General Manager. What they don't know is that Malone went to Tennessee Temple University, an NCCAA Div. l school in Chattanooga, TN. The NCCAA's first national tournament in any sport was in 1968 and it was in Men's Basketball. Since then, Tennessee Temple has won 7 NCCAA national titles in Men's Basketball, the most of any member school.
Another former member school, Azuza Pacific University, has produced four Olympic athletes, one former NFL running back and one MLS soccer player. Track and Field star Brian Clay, an APU alum, won a gold medal at both the 2008 and 2004 Summer Olympics. In the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, Clay posted the best score in Olympic history in his event. The other three Olympians from APU were Shot Put and Discus Thrower Vivian Chukwuemeka (06), Cyclist Julie Ertel (99) and Track & Field star Innocent Egbunike (86 & 93). Christian Okoye was a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs back in the late 80s, and former APU Soccer star Steven Lenhart is a member of the Columbus Crew of the MLS.

Another former NCCAA student-athlete will be getting a lot of attention in the next few months as the NFL tries to avoid a possible work stoppage. DeMorris Smith, the head of the NFL's Players Association, is an alum of NCCAA/NAIA member Cedarville University, where he ran Track. Those who know high school sports in the state of Georgia will no the name of Dr. Ralph Swearngin, who is currently the president of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA). From 1987-89, Dr. Swearngin, who was at member school Atlanta Christian College at the time, served as president of the NCCAA. There are many other former NCCAA student-athletes and coaches making a difference for Christ. They are fulfilling the goals of the NCCAA. As it states on the organization's web site, "the NCCAA game plan is to produce true winners: a game plan that will carry an individual through his or her entire life. The game plan is devised to draw out the student-athlete’s greatest potential – body, mind and spirit". For more information on the NCCAA and its member institutions, the reader can go to www.thenccaa.org.

Volleyball Coach Approaching Milestone: Will Reach 800 Career Wins In Fall of 2010

2010-01-31T21:54:00.000-08:00

No matter what sport you are coaching and no matter what level, to reach the milestone of 800 wins is an incredible accomplishment and worthy of mention. That is why this article will be dedicated to the accomplishments of Dr. Vickie Denny, the Head Volleyball Coach at Clearwater Christian College in Clearwater, FL.

This past Fall, the Lady Cougars finished the season with a record of 45-4 en route to an NCCAA Div. ll National Championship for the fourth year in a row. Clearwater Christian competes in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Div. ll level. The Lady Cougars defeated several Junior College teams during the regular season, and they also defeated a few NCAA Div. ll and lll colleges as well. Clearwater marched through the NCCAA Regional and National Tournaments to the National Final, where they defeated Lincon Christian 3 games to 2 (25-12, 25-23, 24-26, 23-25, 17-15) to win the National Title. That last win gave Coach Denny 798 wins in her 27 year coaching career.

Clearwater Christian does not get the publicity that the big schools get, but this team has proven they can compete and beat just about any school in the NCCAA, NAIA, NCAA Div. ll & lll and the NJCAA. It is not far fetched that the Lady Cougars, if given the opportunity, could knock off some NCAA Div. l schools as well. Under Coach Denny's guidance, the Clearwater Christian Womens' Volleyball program has won nine NCCAA Div. ll National Titles and finished National Runner Up twice. Nine National Titles, including four in a row, that is amazing at any level. This most recent national title in 2009 is their 9th in the last 15 years.

The team loses three seniors who have all won three national titles, but 9 underclassmen return in 2010 for what should be another strong team gunning for their 5th national title in a row. Coach Denny will probably reach her milestone of 800 wins early in the 2010 campaign, but more important to her is to see young women grow in their love for the Lord and in their love for the sport of Volleyball. In reflecting on the accomplishments of the 2009 team, Coach Denny gave all thanks and praise to God: "We are very thankful for the successful season that the Lord gave us. With only four players coming back from last year’s championship team, I was amazed at how well our new players came in and contributed immediately", Coach Denny said. "The Lord brought in some great new players to help us keep up our winning tradition. This year was especially rewarding because the team strived to do all things with excellence as unto the Lord and not unto man.”

The success of the Clearwater Christian Womens' Volleyball Program should be right up there with the UCLA Men's Basketball Program's 11 national championships. To win one national title alone is a great accomplishment, but to win 10 over a period of 23 years and 4 in a row is astounding, no matter what the level of play is. Though she doesn't seek it, Clearwater Christian Head Coach Vickie Denny should be considered for induction into the United States Volleyball Hall of Fame. With the 800 win mark approaching, Denny ranks near the top of the list of most wins of all college volleyball coaches. Information in this article was obtained from the CCC web site www.clearwater.edu/athletics.

Former Georgia Quarterback Teaching the Next Generation

2010-01-29T21:07:00.000-08:00

Those of us Georgia fans remember when Quincy Carter, out of SW Dekalb High School, decided to stop playing Minor League Baseball and come play football at UGA, we were all excited. We thought we would win a national title. That didn't exactly happen, but Carter gave us some good years.

He then went on to the Dallas Cowboys where he had a decent run, until problems with drugs basically put him out of the league. However, Carter is making the most of his time away from playing professional football. He is starting a school for high school quarterbacks so they can live the dream he was fortunate to live. He hopes that these young college and pro QB hopefuls don't make the same mistake he did. His school will be located in Gwinnett County, Georgia, on the northeast side of Atlanta. There is a plethora of good high school talent in the county, particularly at quarterback. Carter will be able to impart his wisdom and instruction to these young men so they can go on to become, hopefully, great college and pro quarterbacks, but more importantly, good citizens who will make the right choices and make a positive contribution to society.

As for Quincy Carter himself, he is trying to get back into professional football, particularly in the CFL. The Canadian game is suited for his talents. He certainly could start for a team in the Arena League or the new United Football League (UFL). It is better to get paid playing football than to not. Let's hope that Carter will get a second chance to play the game he loves. He has certainly taken the right step in making a positive difference in the lives of high school quarterbacks by founding his QB school. More information on this article can be found by going to georgiahighschoolsportstalk.blogspot.com.

Catamounts Mounting Serious Run at Big Dance

2010-01-28T10:58:00.000-08:00

Selection Sunday will be here before you know it. Over 300 schools all across America are fighting to see their name up on the board come 6pm March 15. For some, the question is not whether or not their name will be called, but what seed they will be and where they will go. For others, however, the next five weeks will determine if their spot is in the Big Dance or the NIT.

One such team is Western Carolina University out of the Southern conference. They are one of several mid-majors who are, as they say, on the bubble. They have a 50/50 chance of getting in. So far, for the most part, the Catamounts have done all they can do to give themselves at least a faint possibility of an at-large bid. They are currently 16-4 overall and 6-2 in SoCon play, sitting in second place behind College of Charleston.
WCU has already scored a major upset this year, defeating Louisville at Freedom Hall 91-83. There are games against top 25 opponents didn't go so well. They lost to No. 3 Texas 71-44 and to Clemson 79-57. However, they have already beaten College of Charleston, who scored a monumental upset over North Carolina a week ago. That, along with the win over Louisville, should help their RPI. The negative part is that they have some "softies" on their schedule, some non-Div. l schools such as St. Catherine's College and Berea College.

The bracket buster game coming up in February is a crucial game for the Catamounts. They will probably play somebody like St. Mary's or Northern Iowa. Right now, the Panthers of UNI are ranked #14. Should the Catamounts be paired up with UNI and they pull off the upset, that will go a long way towards helping WCU get an at-large bid assuming they take care of business in the rest of their SoCon games and do well in the SoCon Tournament. One big reason for the Catamounts' success is the play of Junior Guard Mike Williams. Williams scored 24 points in the Catamounts upset over Louisville. Another Catamount that has been come through big time is Senior Guard Jake Robinson. The Canton, NC native scored 23 in the Louisville upset, including 3 straight three pointers to spear head a big run in the second half of that game. Robinson came into his Senior season having made 194 career three pointers, ranking him third all time in school history. He has probably by now moved into second place behind the all time leader, Anquell McCollum, a current assistant coach with the Catamounts who finished his career in 1996 with 245 three pointers.

No doubt Western Carolina is a team to keep an eye on should they make the field of 65. They have 11 regular season games to go. Should they go 8-3 during that stretch, including a win in the bracket buster game, that would put them at 24-7 going into the SoCon Tournament. They are an excellent bet to win the tournament, thus giving them an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Should the Catamounts get in, it will be the first time WCU has made the tournament since 1996. That year, they were a 16th seed and nearly upset #1 seeded Purdue, losing by a score of 73-71. Should they get in this year, they will make their first round opponent very nervous.

Two Former Gwinnett County Stars Lead Clearwater Christian to National Title

2010-01-24T21:47:00.000-08:00

I want to take this time to highlight the accomplishments of two former Gwinnett County area high school soccer players who led their team, Clearwater Christian College, to a National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Div. ll National Title last Fall. It was the first national title won by the school's Mens' Soccer program.

They both hale from my alma matre, Killian Hill Christian School.
Matt Tewes is a Sophomore Defender on the CCC squad who earned Second Team All-Region honors his Freshman year in 2008. This past season, Tewes improved on that performance by being named NCCAA First Team All-American. Tewes had 1 goal and 1 assist for a total of 3 points during the 2009 season. That may not sound like a lot, but Tewes is a tenacious defender who anchored the Cougars' defense. His performance during his Freshman year earned the respect of Head Coach
James whitaker, so much so that Whitaker named Tewes a team captain: "Matt will be counted on to lead our team in the back. His speed, toughness, and much improved ball possession will make our defensive unit tough to beat", Coach Whitaker said. "He was a 2nd Team All-Region player last season and will serve as our sophomore captain".

Tewes' high school and college teammate, Sophomore Defender Mac Hilderbrand, finished the 2009 season with 4 goals and 3 assists for a total of 11 points. Both of these players played big roles in the Cougars' run to a record of 15-2-4 and a national championship. Their alma matre, Killian Hill Christian School, doesn't get the recognition the other Gwinnett area schools and their student-athletes get because they don't play those schools and their current competition isn't quite as good, but that does not take away from the accomplishments of Tewes and Hilderbrand or those of their former teammates at KHCS. There have been several former KHCS student-athletes who have earned college athletic scholarships. They have done and are currently doing well at the college level. And of course, they are from the county that produces possibly more college athletes than any other county in the country, Gwinnett County, Georgia.

Oregon Tech Survives Eastern Oregon Comeback

2010-01-22T21:27:00.000-08:00

The Hustiln Owls of Oregon Tech, ranked #3 in the NAIA Div. ll Top 25, jumped out to a 20 point lead and were seemingly cruising to an easy victory over #18 ranked Eastern Oregon University.

However, poor free throw shooting by Oregon Tech in the second half opened the door for EOU to mount a huge comeback, cutting O.I.T's lead to one point with under a minute left. The Hustlin Owls held on to win 72-67, giving Head Coach Danny Miles victory #895 on his storied coaching career. Up until Oregon Tech Senior Guard Justin Parnell sank two critical free throws with under 30 seconds left, plus 2 at the end of the game, the Hustlin Owls were 13-28 from the free throw line. Teams that shoot around 50% from the foul line lose games much more often than they win.

As for Eastern Oregon, they shot brilliantly from the charity stripe. They were 20-24 for 83%. If O.I.T hadn't built up a big lead in the first half, Danny Miles would probably have to have waited to get win #895.
Oregon Tech officially finished 17-32 from the foul line. What helped save Oregon Tech in this game was their being able to force 13 turnovers from the Mountaineers to Oregon Tech's 6. This game is one big example of the importance of foul shooting.EOU's excellent foul shooting gave them a chance while Oregon Tech's poor foul shooting nearly did them in.
One other footnote to this game. Eastern Oregon came into this game with a 30 game losing streak to Oregon Tech at the Hustlin Owls' home court. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, that streak is now at 31, possibility a national record.

If the Hustlin Owls want to win another conference title, let alone another national championship, they must improve their woeful free throw shooting. "We came inot this game shooing 74% on the season. If we had made 7 more foul shots, we would have won this game by 12 against a very good team", O.I.T. Head Coach Danny Miles said.
Shooting as low as 50% from the foul line won't get it done in the rugged Cascade Collegiate Athletic Conference, arguably the toughest conference in the nation at the NAIA Div. ll level.

Derrick Dooley Will Do Well For The Vols

2010-01-18T19:07:00.000-08:00

Both Derrick Dooley and Lane Kiffin are about the same age. They both are sons of football coaches. Dooley's father, Vince Dooley, was a legendary college coach at Georgia. Kiffin's father, Monty Kiffin, was the innovator of the "Tampa Two" defensive scheme and was the Defensive Coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they won the Super Bowl over the Raiders a few years ago.

Also, neither Lane Kiffin or Derrick Dooley had great records as head coaches. When Kiffin was the Head Coach of the Oakland Raiders, he went 5-15. When Dooley was at LA Tech, he went 17-20 in his tenure there. As far as coaching college football goes, Dooley may have more quality experience. He was an assistant coach at LSU under Nick Saban when the Tigers won the National Championship in 2003. Dooley has been around College Football since his first breath. He has seen how his father went about coaching the Georgia Bulldogs. He has the idea of what to do and what not to do. He recently got a ringing endorsement from his former boss, Nick Saban.

In my opinion, one major thing Derrick Dooley has under his belt is that he began his college head coaching career at a program that did not have lofty expectations. Fans and boosters at LA Tech did not expect Dooley to bring home a national championship or a BCS bowl. However, in Knoxville, they are expecting to compete for the SEC Championship year in and year out. It was good for Derrick Dooley that he got experience as a head coach at LA Tech first before he took on a job like that of Tennessee.

The best thing I like about Derrick Dooley is that unlike his predecessor, he has class, just like his father did. He will compete and win at Tennessee without making silly comments about fellow SEC coaches and making unfounded accusations. He, like Vince. will run a clean program. Some may draw a comparison of the hiring of Derrick Dooley to the hiring of Mike Shula at Alabama after Dennis Franchione abruptly left, much like the way Lane Kiffin left Tennessee. Shula had the coaching pedigree, being the son of the winningest coach in the NFL, Don Shula. Alabama was Mike Shula's first college head coaching job, a tough place to cut your teeth at. As we all know, it didn't go so well.

Fortunately for Derrick Dooley, he cut his teeth at a smaller school. This will make the transition to the "big time" more easier. It will be a strange feeling for Dooley when he brings his Tennessee Vols between the hedges next Fall. It was the place his father had so much success. As a Georgia fan, I still don't think much of Tennessee, but I think I can root for them a little more since they have a good man at the helm.

Former Gwinnett Starts Keeping Georgia in the SEC Mix

2010-01-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

Throughout this blog, I have given you stories of how student-athletes from Gwinnett County, Georgia have gone on to have great college and pro careers. there are three members of the Georgia Men's Basketball Team who are playing huge rolls in the Bulldogs' surprising success under first year Head Coach Mark Fox.

Senior Guard Ricky McPhee has gone from being a Georgia walk-on to becoming a vital cog in the success of the Dawgs. He hales from Lilburn, GA in Gwinnett County, and played his high school ball at Parkview High school. He started out at Gardner-Webb University, a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, where he averaged 8.6 PPG and scored at least 20 points on three occasions in the 2006-07 season, including a 22 point performance against Texas Tech.

After that, it was time for a new challenge for McPhee. He transferred to Georgia in 2008 and was a walk-on until earning a scholarship for the 2009-10 campaign. As mentioned above, McPhee has had tremendous success while at UGA. Last year, he played very important roles in the Dawgs' wins over Vanderbilt and Florida. McPhee was 5 for 7 from beyond the arc in their win over Mississippi St. last year. This year, McPhee has continued his good work for Georgia. In a crucial non-conference game against Illinois in December 2009, McPhee went 2-6 from beyond the arc, one of those being the difference in a 70-67 win over their Big 10 opponents. He also 4-7 treys in a big win over GA. Tech.

Trey Tompkins is undoubtedly the "Go t Guy" for the Dawgs. He prepped at the Wesleyan School in Norcross, GA (Gwinnett County) before goign to the famed Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. He also spent part of the 09 Summer playing for the U-19 USA Team in the U-19 world Championships in Aukland, New Zeland, where the U.S Team went undefeated on their way to the championship, and Tompkins was second on the team in scoring with 10.6 points per game. During his Freshman year at Georgia last year, Tompkins was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team, as voted by the league’s 12 coaches. He led Georgia in rebounding with the highest total for a UGA freshman (7.4/game) in 11 years. He was ranked second among Georgia players in scoring at 12.6 points per contest. He also led the Bulldogs in blocked shots with 31.

This year, Tompkins has continued his fine work for the Dawgs. He scored 20 points and went 6-12 from the field in the Dawgs' upset win over arch rival Georgia Tech. He had 21 points against Illinois in the Dawgs' 70-67 win. He also had 6 important defensive rebounds in that game. Only a Sophomore, Tompkins will only improve as he helps to lead Georgia to an NCAA Tournament berth.

Ebuka Anyaorah is s 6'4 R-Freshamn Guard for the Dawgs and comes from N. Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, GA, where he was second in Gwinnett County in scoring (26.3 PPG) behind fellow teammate Trey Tompkins. He sat out last year due to a stress fracture in his right tibia for which he had surgery to repair. This year, he averages about 15 minutes a game and provides depth for the Dawgs at the guard position. He is only a Red Shirt Sophomore and will only continue to improve. These three Gwinnett players, Ricky McPhee, Trey Tompkins and Ebuka Anyaorah, will continue to make more noise in the SEC. They will hopefully lead Georgia to a winning record in the conference and a berth in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. the Dawgs are currently 8-7 over all and 0-2 in conference play, with big wins over Illinois and Georgia Tech. In their two SEC losses to Kentucky and Ole Miss, the Dawgs were in both games and had chances to win. If they can have an above 500 record in the SEC with say, a win over Kentucky and Tennessee, plus a good showing in the SEC tourney, the possibility exists for the Dawgs to be in the "Big Dance" come March.

Eureka Football Players Receive Conference Awards

2010-01-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned many times on this College Sports blog, there are thousands of college student-athletes who excel on and off the field and court, but do not get the recognition because they don't play for "big time" programs.

In this article, I want to recognize some football players from Eureka College, an NCAA Div. lll school located in Eureka, ILL. Ten Eureka players recently received recognition from the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. Headlining the list was Eureka SR QB Nick Lindsey. Lindsey had a tremendous Senior season to finish his four year career with the Red Devils. He led the UMAC with 317.4 yards of total offense per game, and passed for 2,471 yards and 23 touchdowns (second among UMAC quarterbacks). Lindsey also rushed for 703 yards, which was sixth in the UMAC for rushing yards and first among UMAC quarterbacks.

Eureka Sophomore WR Wes Schmidgall led the league with 1,247 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. A transfer from the NAIA's Culver-Stockton College in Missouri, Schmidgall averaged 124.7 receiving yards per game, which was the fifth-highest total in all of Division III. Freshman Kicker Travis Huber made First Team All-UMAC. The Morton, ILL native finished his Freshman year with a perfect 6-for-6 on field goal attempts, and set Eureka's all time record for longest FG made when he converted a 43-yard field goal against Crown College on Nov. 7.

Two Eureka Senior defensive players made First Team All-UMAC. they are Linebacker Matt Knake and Corner Back Cody Troutman. Knake led the league in tackles with 105, including 45 solo tackles. Knake also led the Red Devils with 12 tackles for loss. Troutman finished his four year career in a Red Devils uniform with an outstanding season in 09. The Normal, ILL native finished the season with 77 tackles and led the team with interceptions with four. In fact, Eureka went 3-0 in games in which Troutman made an interception.

Five Eureka players earned Second team UMAC honors. Lineman Todd Stewart helped the Red Devil Offense gain 4,296 yards of total offense in 2009, which was third in the UMAC. Jr. tight End Dillon Reed set new personal records this season with 36 catches for 497 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Rounding out (but certainly not least) the list of Eureka stand outs are Rosney Beverly, DeMarco Neal and Mike Minehan. All three are defensive players and earned Second Team All-UMAC honors.

Overall, the 2009 season for Eureka was a struggle. The Red Devils went 3-6 overall and 2-5 in conference play. However, regardless of the final record, to have 10 players to make All-Conference is truly an accomplishment. To find out more about Eureka College and the Red Devils, you can visit the school's athletic web site at www.eureka.edu/athletics. I have had the pleasure of meeting Eureka's Athletic Director Paul Bryant, who I helped as a Clothing Consultant at my place of work; K&G Men's Fashion Store in Atlanta. If you are a high school student-athlete and are interested in playing sports in college, contact Paul Bryant at pbryant@eureka.edu <pbryant@eureka.edu.

Bowl Season Coming To An End

2010-01-06T22:47:00.000-08:00

There are several people in the sports media who say that all of the "second tier bowls" are meaningless and they don't bother to watch them. I disagree. Let's look at the GMAC Bowl played last night between Central Michigan, out of the Mid America Conference (MAC) and the University of Troy, out of the Sun Belt Conference. the game was an exciting, high-scoring game featuring one of the best quarterbacks in College Football: Central Michigan's Dan LeFevoor.

LeFevoor led his team to another come from behind victory to give CMU a 44-41 overtime win. It is, I believe, the 9th time in his career that he has brought his team back from behind. Many scouts believe he will be a top pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Who can forget the solid win the Iowa Hawkeyes had over Ga. Tech in the FedEx Orange Bowl. Iowa's defense was outstanding, in particular Linebacker Adrian Clayborne, who was named the MVP of the FedEx Orange Bowl. I truly enjoyed seeing Boise St. and TCU battle it out in the Fiesta Bowl. Both teams came in undefeated and ranked among the top 10 in the country. It was the first time two schools from "Non-BCS" conferences were in a BCS bowl game. I would have liked to see them play one of the "big name" schools, but never the less, I thought it was an entertaining game (Boise St. won 17-10).

Other non-BCs bowls that I thought were very compelling include the Capital One Bowl. Northwestern QB Mike Kafka did everything he could to bring back the Wildcats, who were down 21-7 to Auburn, to tie the game at 21 all. The game went into overtime and Auburn won 36-33. If the Northwestern FG Kicker could have made 1 of his 3 missed field goals, the Wildcats would have upset their SEC opponents. It was fun to see Ohio St. finally win a BCS bowl game. They had lost twice in the National Championship Game in years past, both to LSU and Florida, but were able to beat an exciting Oregon team out of the PAC-10. Well, there's one more game left. It's for ALL the marbles: the BCS National Championship Game between #1 Alabama and #2 Texas. I hope it lives up to the hype. I remember a few years ago when USC played Oklahoma for the National Championship in the FedEx Orange Bowl. There was so much hype, but it ended in a blow out with USC winning something like 45-10. The greatest college football game ever played, in my opinion, was Boise St. vs Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl back in 2006. A heavy underdog, Boise St. upset the Sooners 43-42 in OT, and the BSU running back who scored the touchdown proposed to his fiance, a BSU cheerleader, on national television. I think Alabama will win, but I hope the game is close. I'll go ahead and pick a score: 27-20 in favor of the Crimson Tide.

Men's College Basketball Coach With Most Wins....Not Who You Think

2009-12-30T21:19:00.000-08:00

In the long history of US College Basketball, there have been many great coaches: Bobby Knight, Dean Smith, John Wooden, Pat Summit in the Women's game, we could go on and on. However, with the exception of Summit, none of these other coaches have won as many games as Harry Slatham, the Men's Basketball Coach at McKendree University in Lebanon, ILL.

As of Dec. 15, 2009, Slatham has won 1,005 games during his 44-year coaching career at McKendree, an NAIA Div. l school in Lebanon, ILL near St. Louis, MO. That's more than Bobby Knight, Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp and John Wooden. He is the all-time winningest coach in ALL of Men's College Basketball, including NCAA Div. l. He has only Tennessee Women's Coach Pat Summit to beat. It is amazing that Coach Slatham has stayed at one place for 44 years. The only other college coaches I know of who have that long of a tenure are football coaches: Bobby Bowdon and Joe Paterno.

Slatham reached the 1,000 win mark when his Bearcats defeated East-West University 79-48 in the McKendree classic on Nov. 13. His most recent win came on Dec. 15 of this year when the Bearcats defeated Concordia (MO) 84-38. Currently, the Bearcats are 10-5 on the season. During the 2008-09 campaign, Slatham guided the Bearcats to a 14-0 America Midwest Conference record en route to winning the regular season championship and a berth into the NAIA Div. l National Tournament in which McKendree reached the "elite 8" for the third time in school history. That is just one of the many, many accomplishments of Slatham's tenure at McKendree. Slatham has led the Bearcats to post season play in 38 out of his 43 years of coaching at McKendree. The 2009-10 season will mark Slatham's 44th year at the school.

McKendree has qualified for the NAIA National Tournament 13 times in its history, and Slatham has been the coach all 13 of those years. He led the Bearcats to 5 straight NAIA "Big Dance" appearances from 1999-2004. Since he began his tenure at McKendree in 1966, Slatham's teams have averaged 23 wins a season and reached the 20 win mark 31 times.

I wonder how many offers this man has gotten from Mid Major NCAA Div. l programs such as Southern Illinois, Bradley, St. Louis or other schools. McKendree is fortunate to have had Coach Slatham for as long they have. Here are some of the many accomplishments Slatham has achieved while at McKendree:

Selected as the 2001-02 NAIA Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year.
AMC Coach of the Year award eight different times, including each of the last two years.
Six-time recipient of the NAIA District 20 Coach of the Year.
Named the NAIA-Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year 12 times.
Led McKendree to an 83-72 victory over Maryville University, marking his 880th career win, passing legendary University of North Carolina head coach Dean Smith for the all-time wins record among college basketball coaches.
Led McKendree to a 34-4 record and 10-0 record in conference play back in 2002-03.
1998 induction into the NAIA Hall of Fame. He is also a 1987 inductee into the IBCA-NAIA Hall of Fame.
70-48 win in St. Louis against Concordia. That marked career game No. 1,355 on the bench for Statham, allowing him to pass Jim Phelan for the college basketball record for games coached. Back on Nov. 25, 2005, Statham reached the 900-win mark as the Bearcats defeated Freed-Hardeman University, 73-69.
Nov. 15, 2002---Led McKendree to an 88-87 win over Mountain St. University, becoming the NAIA’s all-time leader in career victories with career win No. 817.
Statham has coached 67 different players that have received post-season accolades. Nine of those players have earned NAIA All-America honors.

One amazing thing in spite of all of these accomplishments, Slatham has never won a national championship. Let's hope that before he retires, whenever that may be, he gets to lead the McKendree Bearcats to a national title, capping off a brilliant coaching career spanning almost half a century. Information in this article was obtained from the McKendree University Web Site www.mckendree.edu.

Oregon Tech "Miles Ahead"

2009-12-22T14:10:00.000-08:00

As far as college athletics is concerned in Oregon, Oregon and Oregon St. get the most attention. After all, the Ducks are headed to this year's Rose Bowl, and Oregon Sate's Baseball program has won two national titles in recent years.

But probably the best and most consistent college athletic program in the state of Oregon has to be the Oregon Tech Men's Basketball Program. The Hustlin Owls, as they are known, have won two NAIA Div. ll National Title in 2004 and 2008. A year ago, OIT made it to the NAIA Div. ll National Tournament for the 11th time in school history. They won their first round game against Iowa Wesleyan before losing to Belleview (NE) in the "Sweet 16". OIT finished the year at 29-6.

Head Coach Danny Miles has won 364 games while at OIT, and is ranked sixth in all-purpose wins (NCAA/NAIA) with 876 wins, which ties him with the late Adolph Rupp of Kentucky. Miles will move a head of Rupp with a win over Corban College on Dec. 30.
Miles ranks second in all time wins in the NAIA and is number one in NAIA Div. ll. He trails Harry Slatham of McKendree College (Ill.), who leads all of college basketball (NCAA and NAIA) with most wins at 995.
Back in 1995, when Miles won his 5ooth game, the President of OIT, Lawrence J. Wolf, proclaimed the basketball court had a new name, Danny Miles Court. Another footnote, Oregon Tech has the most NAIA Div. ll National Tournament wins of any school with 26.

Currently, the Hustilin Owls are off to another great start. They are 11-3 and are ranked #5 in the NAIA Div. ll Top 25 and are led by 6'4 Sr. Guard Justin Parnell. Parnell averaged 15.2 points per game, 4.4 RPG and 4.3 APG a year ago, earning him First Team All-Conference honors. He helped lead the Hustlin Owls to the Sweet 16 of the NAIA Div. ll National Tournament in 2009, and was named NAIA Div. ll All-America Honorable Mention. This year4 so far, Parnell is averaging 17.5 PPG, including a season high 32 points in a 97-71 win over Willamette back on 11/27. Parnell is also averaging 4.6 APG. Oregon Tech is primed and ready to once again win the Cascade Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship and take their 12th trip to the NAIA Div. ll "Big Dance". There is no doubt the Oregon Tech Men's Basketball is the most successful college basketball program in the state of Oregon.

NCAA Volleyball Final Four Featuring a Battle of Coaching Legends

2009-12-17T12:08:00.000-08:00

Tonight, the NCAA Div. l Women's Volleyball Final Four will take place at the St. Peterburg Times Forum in St. Petersburg, FL. The semifinalists are Texas, Minnesota, Penn St. and Hawaii.

In this blog, I want to focus on the semifinal match between Penn St. and Hawaii. Penn St. is coming into this match with an undefeated mark of 36-0, while the Lady Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii come in with a 32-2 mark. What is most interesting to me is battle between the coaches. Penn St. Head Coach Russ Rose will earn his 1,000th career victory if the Lady Nittney Lions can win tonight. His counterpart, UH Head Coach
Dave Shoji, already has over 1,000 career wins with a record of 1,016-175 (.852 pct.) record. Rose is currently 999-159 (.863 pct.) in his 31 years at Penn St. Between Rose and Shoji, they have won a combined 7 national championships.

The Lady Nittney Lions have the winningest Senior Class in school history, and maybe in NCAA history. Senior Outside Hitter Megan Hodge is a four time AVCA All-American. Senior Setter Alisha Glass ranks fourth in the NCAA with a 12.02 set assists average. She has an average of 0.89 kills, 466 digs on the season, and an average of 0.85 blocks. Hodge ranks 10th in the nation with an average of 5.23 points, 8th in the country with an average of 4.75 kills, and 8th in the nation with a total of 399 digs. The Nittnery Lions went 38-0 last year on their way to a national title, defeating Stanford in the championship 3 games to 0. If they win tonight and then win the title against either Texas or fellow Big 10 foe Minnesota, they will have gone 76-0 winning two straight national titles without even 1 loss: Absolutely incredible!

Dave Shoji's Lady Rainbow Warriors will try to derail that streak and they will do it with players like Sophomore Outside Hitter Kanani Danielson. Danielson was named First Team All-American this year and was a Third Team All-American selection a year ago as a Freshman. Danielson ranks 29th in the country with a 4.25 kill average. Senior OH Senior Aneli Cubi-Otineru earned Third Team All-America honors this year, having posted an average of 3.88 points, 3.08 kills, .301 aces average (11th in NCAA), and a 2.53 digs average. Senior Middle Hitter Amber Kaufman is ranked 4th in the nation in number of kills (436), an o.38 ace average and an 0.79 block average.

I'm not by any means discounting the successes of Texas and Minnesota, but the coach and player fire power on both of these squads is tremendous. Most likely, the winner of this match will go on to win the 2009 National Title. That's my opinion, and I welcome yours. More info on this article can be obtained at www.ncaachampionships.com.

EMU Basketball Off To Great Start

2009-12-16T21:26:00.000-08:00

The Eastern Mennonite University Men's Basketball Team is off to one of the best starts in school history. The Lions have an overall 8-1 record and are undefeated at 2-0 in the Ole Dominion Athletic Conference.

The early success of the Lions is an entire team effort, but much of the credit can go to Jr. Wingman Todd Phillips. The Waynesboro, VA native is averaging 19 points per game. Already twice this season, Phillips has scored over 25 points. He had 29 against Shenandoah University and pumped in 34 against Virginia Wesleyan, thus breaking his game high record of 20 points against Lynchburg last year. Phillips was named ODAC Player of the Week back in November and was named to the BC/Don Glick Basketball Classic All-Classic Team.

Another player who has been a major factor for the Lions in the 2009/10 campaign is Jr. Wingman D.J. Hinson. The native of Newport News, VA is averaging 13.4 points per game, and poured in a game high of 34 against Wesley earlier this year. The Lions were undefeated at 8-0 until they locked horns with Southern Virginia last Saturday. Up until that game, EMU was averaging 90.6 points per game and Southern Virginia was averaging 82.5 points per game. Southern Virginia prevailed 92-79 largely to shooting 45% from the field for the game including 9-18 from beyond the arc and converting 12 of their final points from the free throw line. Southern VA also out rebounded EMU 42-34.

Despite the loss, Eastern Mennonite should have a good shot at winning the ODAC Title and a trip to the Div. lll NCAA Tournament in March. Of course, they will have to contend with the favorite to win the conference, Randolph Macon, who is also ranked #5 in the nation.

Big Boys Without Big Names

2009-12-09T22:19:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, the participants in the BCS were announced. I was hoping that TCU and Boise St. would each play one of the "Big Name" teams from the BCS conferences. I was disappointed to find out that they would be playing each other. I thought that neither school would get the credibility and respect they so richly deserve. I wanted to see if they could beat an Iowa, GA. Tech or Florida. We will never know.

However, perhaps we are too hung up on the "name". Perhaps the Horn Frogs and Broncos ARE the Big Boys. They are both undefeated and both teams ran through their conference foes like a knife through butter. Also, they both beat quality BCS teams. TCU defeated Clemson, who almost knocked off Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship , and Boise St. beat Oregon, the PAC-10 Champs who will be playing Ohio St. in the Rose Bowl. TCU and Boise St. are Big Boy teams without Big Boy names. I honestly think TCU would give Alabama stiff competition if the two teams were playing for the National Championship. Boise St. would probably beat Iowa and go toe to toe with the likes of Alabama, Florida and Texas.

So when you watch the Fiesta Bowl and you see two non-BCS schools playing against each other, remember that they are big boy teams without big boy names. As one blogger put it, it is the "other national championship game". I will watch it, as I will watch as many of the other bowl games as I can. It should be a great game!

Bowdon And FSU Both Must Move On

2009-12-02T21:07:00.000-08:00

Bobby Bowdon will go down as one of the greatest coaches in all of sports. DAH!, of course you know that. After all that he has done for Florida St., building a football program that didn't have much of a football tradition, winning 2 national championships, putting tons of players into the NFL, and most importantly, impacting the lives of hundreds of young men for eternity, it's unfortunate that he was forced out before he really wanted to go, but that is what happened.

The truth is, both Bowdon and FSU have to move on. The football program has been on a steady decline the past few years. There comes a time when a new and fresh voice must be heard. Coach Bowdon is now 80 years old. He can now spend more time with his family and do things he wanted to do but was unable to because of his duties as the Seminoles' Head Football Coach. He really loved coaching football at FSU. In his press conference announcing his retirement, he said "I will now have to go out and get a job". He didn't see coaching at FSU as a "job". The transition will take some getting use to, but again, for both parties, especially for Coach Bowdon, it is necessary.

The concept of "Coach in Waiting" works only if you are winning. That is the case at Texas, where Defensive Coordinator Will Muschampe is waiting in the wings to take over for Mac Brown when he retires. Who knows when that will be. In the case of FSU, this is a disaster because recruits want to know who is in charge. Is it Bowdon or Jimbo Fisher. There can be only one Commander and Chief. Now that Bowdon is retiring, prospective recruits know who their coach will be. This is a huge reason why it was good for Bowdon to step down. Jimbo Fisher is more than capable of returning Florida St. back to the championship level that Bobby Bowdon once had it at. He'll get the top recruits in Florida and probably some from Georgia as well.

As Bobby Bowdon said in his press conference, nothing lasts forever. The inevitable was going to occur either now or a year from now. Better for both Bowdon and Florida St. that it happen now than for the program to go through another year of mediocrity and possibly worse than that. A new voice is needed to relate to young men, and Head Coach Jimbo Fisher is that new voice. Bobby Bowdon will always be the greatest head coach in Florida St. history and among the very best in the history of college football surpassed only by Penn State's Joe Paterno. Eventually, even Paterno's reign in Happy Valley will come to an end. The torch must eventually be passed.

Delle Donne Regains Passion For Basketball; Puts Family First

2009-11-24T20:53:00.000-08:00

Elena Delle Donne was one of the top high school girls basketball recruits in the country last year. The Wilmington, DE native had planned to go to UCONN to help the Lady Huskies continue to win championships.

However, the sport that had given Delle Donne so much failed to make her happy. She turned down Connecticut and decided to quit basketball all together. She believed she was burned out, but in reality, she just wanted to be closer to home and to her family. She especially wanted to be with her older sister who is both blind and deaf.

Once she realized that what made her happy was being closer to home, she returned to the sport she loved. She is now a Freshman Forward/Guard on the University of Delaware Women's Basketball Team. She has already made a huge impact for the Lady Blue Hens. They won their season opener against St. Francis University. Even though Delaware lost to Princeton, Delle Donne poured in 35 points on the night and was named the CAA Rookie of the Week.

Delle Donne may never experience cutting down the nets after winning a national championship, but in many ways, she is already a champion. She has the heart of a champion. Elena Delle Donne has put her family first, especially her severely handicapped sister. In this blogger's mind, she has won the biggest championship of all: the championship of life itself.

Lambert is a Disgrace to the Beautiful Game

2009-11-19T23:08:00.000-08:00

The University of New Mexico Womens' Soccer Team has gotten national attention, but unlike programs like North Carolina, Florida and the University of Portland, the Lady Lobos have gotten the wrong kind of attention thanks to one of their players, Elizabeth Lambert.

Lambert gained national attention for her dirty play against Brigham Young when she yanked down a player from behind by the player's pony tail. A video of the incident was sent to several new outlets including the New York Times. As a result of her flagrant behavior, Lambert has been suspended indefinitely from the New Mexico Womens' team. "I still deeply regret it and will always regret it and will carry it through the rest of my life not to retaliate,” said Lambert.

The pony tail yanking incident wasn't the only thing Lambert was guilty of during the BYU match in which the Lady Lobos lost 2-1. She elbowed a player in the back and received a yellow card for tripping. She also appeared to throw a punch at an opponent's head. When she saw the video, she said that she couldn't believe that it was really her. "I look at it and I’m like, ‘That is not me,’ ” said Lambert, a defender and an all-conference academic player. “I have so much regret. I can’t believe I did that.”

Really, Elizabeth? That's not you? I agree with one writer when he said that if it was just an isolated incident, that statement may be true. However, there were several incidents of foul play on the part of Lambert. Yes, Elizabeth, it is you, and you need to own up to it and admit it. However, that's not the worst of what she said. In an interview with the New York Times, she said that because she is a female, the media is making a bigger deal out of it. "I definitely feel because I am a female it did bring about a lot more attention than if a male were to do it,” Lambert said. “It’s more expected for men to go out there and be rough. The female, we’re still looked at as, Oh, we kick the ball around and score a goal. But it’s not. We train very hard to reach the highest level we can get to. The physical aspect has maybe increased over the years. I’m not saying it’s for the bad or it’s been too overly aggressive. It’s a game. Sports are physical.”

Yes, Elizabeth, sports are physical, but there is a fine line between good, physical play and dirty, unsportsman like play. To say that the media is making more of this because you're a girl is a cop out. Men do not play like that. That's why they don't get the attention you are getting right now. It's a disgrace. It's rare that the mainstream media talks about soccer, let alone Womens' College Soccer. Elizabeth, you have embarrassed the UNM Womens' program and the University, not the national attention they wanted. You are a Junior, an upper classman, yet you have lots of growing up to do.

Local Product Earns Starting Role for Clemson

2009-11-17T22:45:00.000-08:00

Tanner Smith came out of the Wesleyan School in Norcross, Ga as one of the top players in the state. He had a solid season as a Freshman coming off Coach Oliver Pernell's bench a year ago. This year, he is now a starter for the #23 ranked Clemson Tigers Basketball Team.

So far, Smith has been putting up good numbers for the orange and blue kitties. In the Tigers first two games, Smith is shooting 10-18 from the field and has a total of 3 assists on the season. Even though both of those games, Presbyterian and Liberty, were blowouts, Smith has gotten off to a good start.

Tanner Smith has also made a huge impact off the court as well. Several years ago, Smith, with the help of his parents, started a foundation to provide gift bags for teenagers fighting cancer. Since then, "Tanner's Totes" has taken off big time. We here at College Sports will continue to monitor the success of this young man's college career both on and off the court. More will be expected of him this season, but I'm sure he is up to the task of meeting those expectations.

Kuhn Sets Record For Lady Mocs Volleyball

2009-11-08T18:17:00.000-08:00

UTC Sophomore Middle Blocker Ellie Kuhn set a new single season school record for block assists with 101. She reached that mile stone by registering 5 block assists against fellow Southern Conference opponent Appalachian St. this past Sunday. The Mocs dropped the match against the Lady Mountaineers 3-1 (25-22, 11-25, 22-25, 20-25), but nevertheless, it was a tremendous performance by the San Antonio, TX and Alamo Heights HS product.

Kuhn passed the previous leader Heather Gibson, who had 100 block assists during the 1991 season. She also moved up the ranks in the single season total blocks category to eighth all-time by totaling 114 blocks in Sunday's match against the Mountaineers. With that performance, she passed former Mocs Carmen Walker and Rachel Evan, and current teammate Leslie Ball.

Kuhn, along with her teammate, Jr. Courtney Barnes, both registered 10 kills for the second straight match. "I am thrilled to have surpassed the record," said Kuhn. "I have two more years left to improve and add to it. I couldn't have done it without the presence of the outside and right side hitters. I am glad that I was able to accomplish the feat and there is more to look forward to in the future."

It was Senior Day at UT-Chattanooga, and it would be shameful for this blogger not to mention Sr. Cassie Conner, who was honored before the match. The Willow Springs, ILL native registered 35 assists, 13 kills and two blocks on the day.

Ellie Kuhn enjoys her role as Middle Blocker. You can tell that from her remarks: "I love contributing offensively especially as a middle because it can open up things for our outsides," said Kuhn. "I am sure it did because our outsides had a pretty good day. It is a great feeling to contribute offensively and defensively."

The amazing thing is that Kuhn is just a Sophomore and has two more years to improve on her record-breaking accomplishment. She could leave UTC as the greatest Lady Mocs Volleyball player in school history. As a Freshman a year ago, Kuhn started in 10 matches and appeared in 23 matches for the Lady Mocs. She recorded 10 service aces and 26 total blocks during the 08 campaign. Also as a Freshman, Kuhn had a season high 8 kills in matches against Alabama A&M and Georgia St.

As great as these accomplishments are, they are even more staggering considering the fact that Kuhn had never even touched a volleyball until her Freshman year in high school. An Atlanta read club coach named Bob Westbrook worked with Kuhn constantly and the her training paid off. Ellie Kuhn is one of many student-athletes whose accomplishments don't get the big time press attention, but are every bit as impressive as the accomplishments of a Tim Tebo, Tyler Hansbrough or Eric Berry.

Information in this article was obtained from the official UTC athletics website http://www.gomocs.com/.

Quitters Never Win And Winners Never Quit

2009-11-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

Just this past week, Syracuse Wide Receiver Mike Williams walked into Head Coach Doug Marrone's office and told the coach he was quitting the team. You might expect that from a member of the Scout Team who rarely gets to play in a game if ever, but not from a semifinalist for the Bilettnikoff Award, the award going to College Football's top wide receiver.

But that is exactly what happened. With four weeks left in the season, Williams has decided to throw in the towel. Syracuse is having a bad year, but that's no excuse or reason whatsoever for any member of the team, let alone the team's best player, to quit.

Williams was suspended from school last year for violating the university's academic integrity policy, but was allowed to return to the school in January. He was also suspended for the Oct. 10 contest against West Virginia for violating team rules. Though his team is having a losing season, Williams his having an outstanding season personally. He ranks fifth in the country in receiving yards and first in the Big East Conference with 118.7 yards, 7.5 yards per catch. So far this season, Williams has caught 49 balls for 746 yards and six touchdowns. Williams would have been a sure first round pick in next year's NFL Draft. Two years ago, Williams set a Syracuse record with touchdown receptions in 9 straight games

With so much a head of him, including millions of dollars, why would he up and quit? Whats more baffling is that in an interview, he said he was looking forward to returning for his final year of eligibility in 2010. Perhaps he is tired of losing. So what! Syracuse didn't quit on you after you cheated, or broke some academic rule. Why, Mr. Williams, are you quitting on the Orange now?

There are the Mike Williamses of the world, and then there are those like Brett Favre. Yes, Favre hasn't handled the soap opera with the Packers and Vikings like he should have, but that's beside my point. I wonder how many people know that Southern Mississippi was the only Division 1 school that gave Favre a scholarship. At one point, he was ranked 7th on the USM depth chart, absolutely buried with little hope of playing time, let alone being the starting quarterback. However, Favre worked and worked and eventually won the starting job for the Golden Eagles. During his Senior year in 1989, the Brett Favre-led Southern Miss Football Team upset Florida St. in Jacksonville, FL.

He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, then traded to the Green Bay Packers. The rest, of course, is history. He's a sure Hall of Fame QB, and is leading Minnesota to a possible play off appearance and who knows what after that. What if Favre had decided to quit while being buried so far down on the USM depth chart? He didn't do it because he is a winner and winners never quit. Mike Williams, on the other hand, is throwing away a possible lucrative career in the NFL and letting down his Orange teammates when they need him the most. As one sports broadcaster put it, he went from a sure First Round draft pick to three or even four rounds down. It's ridiculous! Shame on you Mike Williams. Quitters never win, and you are a quitter.

Spikes Get's Off Too Easy

2009-11-02T21:46:00.000-08:00

Florida Head Football Coach Urban Meyer cares more about winning than doing the right thing. This belief can be proven by the fact that he gave his star linebacker, Brandon Spikes, a "slap on the wrist" for clawing at the eyes of Georgia Running back Washaun Ealey at the end of a play.
Meyer suspended Spikes for the FIRST HALF of next week's game instead of, at least, the whole game.

This is despicable! What if Spikes had damaged Ealey's eyes? He could have gone blind. There was no need or excuse for that kind of behavior. Also, if it were a second teamer who did this barbaric act, that second teamer would probably been suspended for not just one, but probably two whole games. We have a situation here where a coach feels he has to have his best linebacker playing in order for Florida to win regardless of what transgression the player has committed. Standards of propper behavior have been lowered in the name of winning. Spikes put his fingers through Ealey's facemask and grabbed at his eyes. Unnecessary and stupid! Spikes should at least be suspended for the entire game, not just the first half.

We have lost and are continuing to lose all sense of decency. Yes, football is an emotional game, but there are still things a player cannot do. Clawing at an opponent's eyes is one of those things. Am I the only one that agrees with this? I don't think so. In a yahoo.com poll, an overwhelming 91% of people said that the punishment meted out to Spikes for his actions was not enough. Consider me one of them. You can still win by doing the right thing. You don't need to cause intentional harm to your opponent in order to win. where's the sportsmanship here?

Florida Quarterback Tim Tebo told reporters after the game that guys on the other team were probably doing it too. That is a pathetic excuse. Come on, Tim. You're suppose to be above that. To sum it up, Meyer has made a poor decision. Brandon Spikes needs to sit out at least one entire game, not just the first half.

USC Trojans Run-A-Duck

2009-10-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

Oregon put up 613 yards of offense against Southern Cal's defense enroute to a 47-20 shellacking of #5 ranked USC. The Ducks, led by QB Jeremiah Masoli and RB LeMichael James made it inside the red zone 9 times out of their total of 11 offensive drives. You make it inside the opponent's 20 yard line that many times, you will come away with lots of points. and the Ducks did. This was the Trojans' worst loss in Head Coach Pete Carol's tenure in Los Angeles.

The ducks now have the inside track to the PAC-10 Title, but if they can win out, and win convincingly as they did Saturday Night, they just might be playing for much more than the PAC-10 Crown. the last time I saw Oregon play, it was the debacle at Boisie St. ending with Ducks RB LeGarrett Blount's TKO of a Boisie St. player. The Ducks were throttled by the Broncos on the blue turf. They looked like anything but a top 25 team.

but give credit to Head Coach Chip Kelly. He suspended Blount for most of the season (Blount may actually be reinstated), which he had to do. However, Ducks quack caller Jeremiah Masoli, RB LeMichael James and the rest of the Ducks picked up the pieces and, unlike Humpty Dumpty, put their season back together again.

Since that blue performance on BSU's blue turf, the ducks have beaten California by 39, Washington St. by 46, UCLA by 14, and Saturday defeated the #5 ranked team in the country by 27. Oregon was ranked #10 before the thrashing of USC. They will most certainly will be ranked in the top 5. Oregon is one outstanding football team that no one, up until now, is talking about.

One big turning point in this game, in my opinion, was win Kelly wanted his offense to try and score before the third quarter ended. He didn't want to interrupt their rhythm and momentum. It was a smart move because the Ducks scored with just 5 seconds left in the third to make the score 41-20 to start the 4th quarter. Many coaches would have just waited till the start of the next quarter, but Kelly wanted to keep attacking and it was a good thing that the Ducks did.

Oregon still has two tough away games against Stanford next week and then Arizona two weeks later. In between those two games, they have the Sun Devils of Arizona St. at home, and of course, the Civil War game with the Beavers in Eugene to close out the season. If the
Ducks keep playing like they did against USC, they will most certainly assure themselves no less than a trip to the Rose Bowl. Realistically, for the Ducks to play for the National Title, they must win out and hope Texas and Iowa loses. The winner between Florida and Alabama in the SEC Championship Game will play for the National Title, so if the Ducks win out, and the Longhorns and Hawkeyes lose one or two games, they would have a very good shot of playing the Gators or Crimson Tide. However, the prospect of Iowa and Texas losing two games is highly unlikely. Iowa might lose a game, but I doubt Texas loses again until their bowl game, if then.

To sum it up, the Ducks will most likely play Iowa in the Rose Bowl. If both Texas and Iowa win out (Texas will probably play Kansas St. or Mizzou in the Big Xll Title Game), the Longhorns will probably get the upper hand because of their more dominating victories than those of the Hawkeyes. Texas would then play either Alabama or Florida in the National Title Game. Nevertheless, what Oregon Head Coach Chip Kelly and his team have done since the debacle in Boisie at the beginning of the year is one of the biggest stories in College Football this year.

Bryan's Harper Gains National Recognition

2009-10-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Cross Country and Track & Field programs at Bryan College were both reinstated a few years ago. Now, they are producing some of the best runners at the small college level. Bryan Sophomore Runner Bryson Harper was named the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Student-Athlete of the week for leading the Lions to a #1 finish at the Southeastern Classic in Louisville, KY a week ago. The meet contained teams from 22 different schools.

The Pikeville, TN native ran the 8k race in a time of 25:22, earning his team a first place finish and earning Harper a second place finish out of 216 runners. Bryson Harper is only a Sophomore, but already he has had a brilliant career at Bryan. This past Spring during the Outdoor Track season, Harper was AAC Runner up in the Outdoor 1500 and 800 meter events at the AAC (Appalachian Athletic Conference) Championships.
Back on October 4, Harper finished 4th overall in the Music City Carnival 5k with a time of 15:05.98 and finished 5th overall at the Smoky Mountain Twilight Mile with a time of 4:16.73. At the AAC Track & Field Championships last Spring, Harper in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:02.82 and 2nd in the 800 meter event. Before redshirting in 2008, Harper made the AAC Cross Country All-Freshman Team in 07.

The accomplishments of Bryson Harper and his teammates have earned Bryan College a #8 ranking in the NAIA Men's Cross Country top 25, possibly the highest ranking ever of any varsity sport in the school's history. Out of a 10-man roster, the Bryan Men's Cross Country Team has 5 upper class men, meaning the other 5, including Harper, are Freshman and Sophomores. This will hopefully ensure continued success in the years to come for the program as their recent success will draw top notch recruits to Bryan. Congratulations to Bryson Harper and the rest of the Bryan College Men's Cross Country Team. More information on this article can be obtained by going to www.bryanlions.com.

Could Be a Long Day For The Dawgs in Jacksonville

2009-10-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

UGA Defensive Coordinator Willie Martinez and his defense have been much maligned all year. Maybe they will have enough motivation and confidence to help Georgia pull off and upset, but that is probably about as likely as the St. John's River drying up.

Yes, the Dawgs have had a week off to get healthy while Florida struggled against Mississippi St. The Gators have struggled in the red zone (inside the opponent's 20 yard line). Tim Tebo is 4 out of 16 passing attemps inside the red zone. However, the Georgia offense has been inconsistent. Starting RB Richard Samuels has not proven himself a consistant ground gainer and is a possible candidate to play LB on the other side of the ball. Caleb King has been hampered by injury for much of the season. Freshman WR Tavaris King has also been injured as well.

There is also the distraction caused by Lineman Vince Vance as he was flagged for a traffic misdemeanor. One broadcaster on a local sports talk show in Atlanta said that the Dawgs' best chance is for All-SEC Wide Receiver A.J. Green to run slant routs and for QB Joe Cox to throw him the ball every time since Green is capable of going up and grabbing it. That would be an interesting game plan. If it succeeds on the first few plays, the Gators may double team Green, leaving other wide outs like Orson Charles and Aaron White open, that is if they can make the crucial catches. The pass could then open up the run. Usually, it's suppose to be the other way around.

I don't have to mention that the Gators have an outstanding defense, one of the best in the country, but I just did. Can the Georgia Offensive Line block like the old Berlin Wall, or Buford Dam. If they can, the Dawgs MAY have a chance. On the other hand , if the line blocks like New Orleans levys, the Gators will have breakfast, lunch, dinner and a midnight snack. Walls, levys, rivers drying up, I didn't think I'd be mentioning these things talking about Georgia/Florida in Jacksonville, but I just did.ies

Sprint Football: Football The Light Way

2009-10-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

In 2006, Mansfield University, an NCAA Div. ll school in Mansfield, PA, dropped its football program as part of a huge slash of budget cuts of up to $1.5 million. Mansfield finished the 2006 season without winning a game. The team hadn't even scored a touchdown in quite some time. Mansfield University President Maravene Loeschke looked at every other alternative she could to keep the program. "I consulted with every one in the world before a made my decision," Loeschke said. "But the bottom line was that if we could not do this well, then we should not do it at all".

However, a year later, Mansfield was back to playing football: Sprint Football. It's football played by lightweight players weighing no more than 172 lbs. It is a sanctioned Varsity sport by the NCAA and six colleges: Army, Navy, Cornell, Princeton, Pennsylvania and the newest member, Mansfield. These six schools make up the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL).

Steve Murray, the Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference of which Mansfield is a member, asked MU Sports Information Director Steve McCloskey if he had ever heard of Sprint Football. Murray had seen a piece about it in an NFL Films special.
Sprint Football was founded in the 1930s by the President of the University of Pennsylvania. He wanted to make sure that smaller, talented athletes got a chance to play football. A league was founded in 1934 and it was called the Eastern 150 lb. Football League and it consisted of Cornell, Lafayette, Penn, Princeton, Yale, Villanova and Rutgers. In 1998, the CSFL added the term "Sprint" to describe the speed and quickness of the athletes.

Rutgers, Villanova, Lafayette and Yale would move on to play only conventional football. Navy later joined the CSFL, but the athletes grew as the league shrank. Therefore, the league capped the wight limit to 172 lbs. According to Mansfield SID Steve McCloskey, the same passion and fire that you see with conventional football is the same: "The biggest question you get is are there 11 players per side and if they wear pads and helmets", McCloskey said. "But once you watch it for 10 minutes, you don't see size. You see talented kids playing football. There's the same excitement and pride from these players about running on to the field and representing their school. The only difference is that if you're a 170 lb. kid, you're considered a big guy on the team."

Mansfield's Matt Gant, a wide receiver on the Sprint Football Team, made a catch on a 10-yard slant pattern during a drive that ended with RB Desmen Johnson scoring one of his two touchdowns to lead the Mounties of Mansfield to a 26-14 win over Princeton this past Saturday. This was a far cry from when Gant was a Freshman three years ago. He served as Manager on the football team. Last Saturday, he caught 7 catches for 90 yards as a starting wide receiver. He is also the team's Punter.Gant said that his punts weren't as good as he had hoped for, but that he made up for it with a few receptions. Think about it. If it hadn't been for the inception of Sprint Football, Matt Gant, and several other current players, might not be playing any kind of college football at all.

Sr. Solomon Isom plays Free Safety for the Mounties. He was extremely disappointed that Mansfield dropped its Division ll Football Program, but now realizes the Sprint Football was the best thing for Mansfield. "After doing my own research about it, I knew that Sprint Football would be a more manageable alternative for the University" Isom said. "It's not Division ll Football, but it's something, and something is better than nothing. Everyone is excited about this program."

Sprint Football is apparently much less costly and more cost-effective than traditional football. Now realizing what I (the blogger) now know, I'm surprised that more schools, especially small schools like Mansfield, don't have Sprint Football. This is a very viable option for schools that don't have the funds to field a regular football team. Since all the players on Sprint Football teams are lightweights, that's less pounding and wear and tare on the field. This also gives opportunities for student-athletes who are not big enough to play conventional College Football a chance to experience College Football the "light" way, a type of football that is at their level. Information in this article was obtained from an article written by Gary Brown in NCAA Champion Magazine. You can access that article by going to www.ncaachampionmagazine.com.

Bryan's Simpson Named AAC Female Runer of the Week

2009-10-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, I wrote about a female Cross Country Runner who hails from Grayson, GA, part of Gwinnett County, on the northeast side of Atlanta. Her name is Erika Simpson and runs Cross Country at Bryan College, a Christian Liberal Arts school located in Dayton, TN near Chattanooga. Simpson had a fine Freshman season, and is continuing her solid performance as a Sophomore.

This past week, Simpson was named the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Female Runner of the Week for her efforts in the Southeastern Classic; a meet containing 22 teams. Simpson led the Lady Lions with a time of 20:22 in the 5K race, finishing 37th individually, and netting Bryan an 8th place finish in the 22 team field containing 181 runners.

Erika Simpson is one of the hundreds of student-athletes from Gwinnett County, GA who have excelled both athletically and academically at the collegiate level. For more information on Bryan College Athletics, as well as the school itself, you can go to www.bryanlions.org and www.bryan.edu.

EMU Mens' Soccer Finishing Strong With Four Straight Wins; Upsets Conference Leader Roanoke

2009-10-25T22:25:00.000-07:00

The Eastern Mennonite University Mens' Soccer Team is probably the hottest team in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), having now won four straight matches with a well-earned upset of conference leader Roanoke by a score of 2-1 this past Saturday on the Maroons home field.

The Royals were out played in just about every phase of the game except on the scoreboard. The Maroons out shot the Royals 25-7 for the game, including out shooting EMU 14-5 in the second half. The Royals virtually were playing on their heels the whole match. However, thanks to EMU Goalkeeper Dillon Brunk's 13 saves, the Royals were able to hold on to the 2-1 victory and will finish no worse than 5th place in the ODAC standings.

The Royals drew first blood when Soph. Forward Muoka Musau served a corner kick into the box where Soph. Midfielder Mitchell Leap headed it into the net to give the Royals the 1-0 advantage at the 15:38 mark in the first half. Roanoke's Michael Stark struck back with the equalizer two minutes later, and the Maroons pressed for the next 10 minutes but could not breech Goalkeeper Dillon Brunk and the Royals Defense.

With just over 3 minutes until halftime, the Royals made a "quantum leap" in the form of their leading goal scorer, Mitchell Leap, who scored the second of his two goals at the 41:55 mark, which proved to be the winning goal. Royals Goalkeeper Dillon Brunk, a Sophomore from Dayton, VA, made a crucial save just before halftime.

Roanoke pushed and pressed the whole second half and nearly tied the game in the 78th minute, but Brunk came up big again with 2 big saves and two more with just 2 minutes left in the game to help preserve the upset win for the Royals. With 13 saves on the day, and several of them at crucial times in the match, Brunk was easily the "Man of the Match". The defeat for Roanoke was their first conference loss of the season.

The win vaults EMU's overall record to 7-5-5 and 5-2-2 in ODAC play. The Royals will wrap up the regular season Tuesday when they take on Randolph College. The ODAC Tournament begins Saturday, Oct. 31.

West Virginia Fans, players and Coaches Showed Tremendous Class

2009-10-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

Obviously, the University of Connecticut has been through a lot this past week with the tragic death of UCONN football player Jasper Howard, who was murdered last Sunday morning outside of the UCONN Student Union. The Huskies wanted desperately to win their game against West Virginia for their slain comrade.

The Huskies almost pulled it off, but Mountaineers RB Noel Divine scored the winning touchdown for West Virginia with less than a minute left to defeat the Huskies 28-24. However, to me, the real story was the wonderful compassion and class showed by the West Virginia crowd, as well as their players and coaches. They cheered when the Connecticut team came out with Howard's jersey. WVU Head Coach Bill Stewart and his staff embraced Connecticut Head Coach Randy Etzel. The Mountaineer players lovingly embraced and encouraged their Connecticut opponents. Once the game was on, it was dog eat dog, but the love and respect showed to UCONN was beautiful to see.

I know what you are thinking. If UCONN were at Georgia, Iowa, USC or any other program, the fans, players and coaches of that program would have shown the same respect and class. That's probably true. The fact that the WVU family did what they did is commendable and must be recognized. We hear enough stories about players, coaches and even fans coming up short in the area of behavior. The West Virginia University community put football into its proper perspective. The rest of us should do the same.

College Soccer Player Scores From 95 Yards Out

2009-10-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the goal scored from the longest distance ever in the history of the sport, in ANY soccer game at ANY level, was done last night when SMU Freshman Defender Ryan Rosenbaum scored a goal from 95 yards out against #16 Tulsa. Rosenbaum was just trying to clear the ball out as the Mustangs were trying to hold off the onslaught of the Golden Hurricanes, who trailed 2-1 in the 63 minute and were trying to equalize.

Video of the goal showed that Rosenbaum simply sent a high clearance ball from just outside SMU's own goal box. The ball sailed high in the air and long and took a high bounce off the pitch just outside Tulsa's goal box fooling the Tulsa Goalkeeper. The ball bounced high over his head as he tried to clear it. He couldn't track back in time to get the ball and it rolled into the net giving the Mustangs a 3-1 lead. They would go on to win their Conference USA match 3-2.

Video footage of this incredible goal can be seen at this site: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/post/Video-SMU-freshman-hits-95-yard-soccer-goal?urn=top,197845. This has to be one of the longest, if not the longest distance to score a goal, in the history of the game of soccer. One other footnote: This wasn't just Rosenbaum's first college goal, it was his first ever shot on goal in a college game. He is a defender for the Mustangs, and is not called upon to score goals. That may change now. Also, should the SMU Football Team need a Field Goal Kicker, they don't have to look too far. Information in this article was gathered from Chris Chase, who is a blogger for Yahoo.Com.

At This Moment, Iowa Should Be Ranked A Head Of Cincinati

2009-10-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

About a couple of months ago, I wrote an article on this College Sports Blog saying that Iowa had an excellent shot of winning the Big X Title. A few weeks ago, Is aid that Iowa has an excellent chance to play for the National Title if they run the table and go undefeated. They are very close to doing both.

I won't speak too soon. there's a lot of football to be played. The Hawkeyes face Michigan St. later today in East Lansing. Two home games against Indiana and Northwestern follow. The Hawkeyes did struggle with Div 1-AA N. Iowa and Sun Belt opponent Arkansas St. However, they beat a solid Penn St. club who is ranked 13th in the AP Poll and 11th in the Coaches Poll. They also beat an improving Michigan team as well as Wisconsin on the road.

Cincinati, as good as they are, has not yet beaten a top 25 team. They deserve to be in the top 10. Don't get me wrong. However, Iowa has beaten Penn St. That alone should put the Hawkeyes a head of the Bearcats. The two teams sort of offset each other in defensive rankings. Iowa is #1 in the country in interceptions with 15. Cincinnati is #3 in the country in sacks with 25. Should both teams win out, and both Texas and either Florida or Alabama win out, Cincinnati and Iowa may very well meet in a BCS bowl, but it wouldn't be for the National Title.

Back to my point though, at this very moment, the Hawkeyes should be ranked one spot a head of the Bearcats based simply on the fact that Iowa has beaten a top 25 team and Cinci hasn't. A bunch of stuff can change tomorrow and the next few remaining weeks. Iowa is ranked #7 in the AP Poll and Cinci is #5. In the Coaches Poll, Iowa is ranked #8 and Cincinnati #6. In the CBS Sports.Com 120 Poll, the Hawkeyes are ranked a head of the Bearcats at #4 and Cinci #5. I would agree with that poll not because I'm a Hawkeye fan, but because of what I said earlier. The one other poll, the CBSSports.Com Blog Poll, the Hawkeyes are right behind Cincinnati, who is ranked #4. The teams seem pretty even and it would be a very entertaining game. In my opinion, the CBS Sports.Com 120 poll is the only poll that has it right, your opinions please.

Soothing Medicine For Bowden

2009-10-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

Some in the Seminole Nation wanted Head Coach Bobby Bowden to step down. The cries have been as loud as earth quake tremors and getting louder until Wednesday Night, when the Seminoles staged a tremendous come from behind victory over North Carolina in Chapel Hill by the score of 30-27 after trailing at one time 24-3

Much thanks should be given to Seminole QB Christian Ponder, who threw for 395 yards, and wide receiver Rod Owens, who caught 9 balls for 199 yards, including a 98 yard touchdown reception from the Seminoles own 2 yard line. This came after an interception thrown by Tar Heels QB T.J. Yates. The pass was intercepted in the end zone. Owens caught the pass from Seminole QB Christian Ponder, broke a tackle, and scampered all the way for the TD making the score 24-20. Up until then, UNC seemed to ahve the game in hand and marching toward a convincing beat down of FSU, which would have raised the Rictor Scale of the cries from Bobby Bowden detractors.

The win gives Florida St. its first ACC win of the season. They are now 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the ACC. This was certainly soothing medicine for the embattled Bowden. The Seminole Defense is not your Grandfather's defense from back in the 80s and 90s, when the front four was as dominate as any in the country. The FSU Defense could not contain the running plays of UNC all night. However, that one crucial interception by Yates proved to be heartbreaking for the Tar Heels as it turned the momentum in the game with Owens scoring the 98 yard TD a play later.
Coach Bowden can finally breathe a little easier for now. In fact, with this year's topsy turby ACC, the Seminoles are still in contention for the Atlantic Division Title.

EMU Soccer Team Making a Leap of Progress

2009-10-21T22:17:00.000-07:00

The Eastern Mennonite Men's Soccer Team "leaped" into fifth place in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) with a big away Victory over Washington & Lee University on Wed. Oct. 21 thanks to Sophomore Forward Mitchell Leap as he scored to break a 1-1 deadlock to put the Royals up 2-1. Sophomore Midfielder Philip Yoder knocked in an insurance goal off a corner kick late in the first half and the Royals held the W&L Generals at bay in the second half to give EMU the 3-1 win.

Eastern Mennonite moves to 6-5-5 overall and 4-2-2 in ODAC play. They trail fourth place Hampden-Sydney by four points and are 2 points a head of Randolph Macon. The Royals actually trailed in the W&L match when Freshman Midfielder Tyler Gilcrest scored at the 31:15 mark in the first half to tie the match. The Royals have a tall order as they take on the ODAC top dog, Roanoke College, on Saturday Oct. 24.

Mitchell Leap, a Sophomore from Harrisonburg, VA, leads the Royals in scoring with 9 goals and 3 assists on the season with a total of 21 points. His career high came on August 31 of last year when he scored 2 goals and tallied an assist against La Roche College.

Eastern Mennonite University, located in Harissonburg, Virginia, competes at the NCAA Div. lll level and is a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1917, EMU is a Christian Liberal Arts College affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA. The current enrollment at the college is around 1,600

Wahoos Waking Up

2009-10-18T14:38:00.000-07:00

If you remember my articles on Virginia Football about a month ago, you'll remember that I didn't hold out much hope for the Wahoos after they dropped their opener against FCS opponent William & Mary. My prediction seemed to be coming to fruition as they lost to TCU an then to Southern Mississippi.

However, the Cavaliers have awakened. They beat one of the best teams in the ACC in North Carolina, then Indiana, which is not a surprise. Then yesterday, the Cavs defeated the Maryland Terps. Believe it or not, Virginia is tied for the lead in the ACC Coastal Division. As Georgia Tech Play-By-Play guy Wes Durham said "It's as if Head Coach Al Groh treated the first three games like NFL pre-season games. Will somebody tell Athletic Director Craig Littlepage to tell Coach Groh that those first three games were for real".

The Wahoos host Georgia Tech next Saturday. The Jackets haven't won in Charlottesville since 1990, the year Tech Field Goal Kicker Scott Sisson kicked the winning field goal to beat the Cavaliers 41-38. That year, Virginia came into that game ranked #1 in the nation. After that win, Georgia Tech went on to win a split national title with the Colorado Buffaloes. Without giving the exact stats, the offense has stopped turning the ball over. In the first three games, Virginia turned the ball over 5 times, four of them via the interception. They didn't turn the ball over in the last three victories.

In their first three losses, the Cavs Defense gave up a combined total of 1,033 yards both through the air and on the ground, an average of 344 yards per game. In their last three wins, they gave up a combined total of 730 yards both air and ground, an average of 243 yards per game. The defense cut their yardage given-up average by almost 100 yards during their last three games, which were victories.

As a result, Virginia is a top the ACC Coastal Division followed by Georgia Tech and Miami. About a month ago, this would have been unthinkable. There is still a lot of football to be played. The Cavs host the Jackets next week. Georgia Tech's Spread Option Offense with QB Josh Nesbitt and RB Jonathan Dwyer looks unstoppable as they made mince meat out the Hokies. After that, the Wahoos host Duke, a winnable game. They then must head to South Florida to take on the Canes of Miami, followed by a home game against a Jekyll & Hyde Boston College, a road game at Clemson, and the in-state war with Virginia Tech, which is in Charlottesville.

I don't see the Wahoos beating the Yellow Jackets. Tech will finally end the winless streak at Jefferson's place. Duke will be a win, but they will not survive Miami. However, Boston College, Clemson and VPI could all be wins if the Cavs continue to play well on offense as they've played these last three weeks. 7-5 is a possibility, but 6-6 and a trip to a pre-Christmas bowl is more likely.

Middlebury Mens College Soccer Gunning For Another NCAA Tournament Berth

2009-10-16T23:41:00.000-07:00

One of the most successful intercollegiate athletic programs in the country happens to be at the NCAA Div. 3 level. Middlebury College, located in picturesque Middlebury, VT near the Green Mountains, has won 29 NCAA National Championships. One of those championships is claimed by the Mens Soccer program.

The Panthers won the Soccer program's first national title back in 2007 going 18-2-2 on the season. A year ago, Middlebury reached the NCAA Sectional Finals before losing in penalty kicks to Stephens Institute. This year, the Panthers are 5-3-2 with a 1-0 win over Castleton St. 3 days ago.

They haven't scored a lot of goals this year, but Jr. Midfielder Carson Cornbrooks from Williston, VT, leads the Panthers in goals with three on the season. Middlebury has played very well defensively, especially the man between the pipes. Soph. Goal Keeper Tim Cahill, a native of Glastonbury, Connecticut, has 34 saves on the season and ranks 6th in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) in goals against with a 0.95 goals against average.

The Panthers may struggle this year to win the conference title again. Right now they sit in 7th place in the NESCAC at 1-2-2 with an overall record of 5-3-2. However, most of the roster is made up of upper class men, including 7 seniors, who were on the national championship team two years ago. Head Coach David Saward is in his 25th year at the helm of the Mens Soccer Program and is the winningest coach in the history of Midlebury Mens Soccer with a record of 251-83-36. That would be among the best records of any college soccer coach. The Panthers will try to climb up the conference standings when they host Connecticut College
Saturday, Oct. 17 at 11am.

Boisie St. Does Not Belong in the Top 5

2009-10-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

The BCS rankings are all about perception. The "BCS Conferences" are perceived to have the best talented college football teams, and for the most part, they do. However, there are teams from the non-BCS conferences such as the Mountain West, the WAC and Conference USA that have teams who are capable of beating the top flight teams of the BCS.

That having been said, Boisie St., as good a football team as they are, is not deserving of a #5 ranking. They are ranked ahead of USC and Ohio St.. Yes, I know that USC lost to Washington and Ohio St. lost to USC, but both of those teams play in much tougher conferences and their out of conference opponents are tougher. Boisie State's only really tough out of conference opponent was Oregon, who they beat 19-8. Their two other out of conference foes were Bowling Green and Miami (OH), not too difficult competition.

This is not to say that the Broncos aren't capable of beating USC, LSU, Ohio St. or Oklahoma. I believe they are, and the Broncos should be willing to go to these places and try to beat these teams like they did Oregon last year. Boisie St. is deserving of a top 10 ranking since they are undefeated and have a win against Oregon, a good BCS team, but not a top 5 ranking.

Richt's Feet Not Yet to the Fire, But Warm Sensations Abound

2009-10-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

In the aftermath of an embarrassing loss in Knoxville to Tennessee, UGA Athletic Director Daeman Evans has expressed concern over the state of Georgia' Football Program but said he is "confident" that Head Coach Mark Richt can find ways to get the program back to where everyone wants it to be. He may have to do something he doesn't want to do: fire some of his coaches.

On his call-in show, Richt was bombarded by questions from callers asking him if he plans to fire some of his coaches like Defensive Coordinator Willie Martinez or Offensive Coordinator Mike Bobo. In his answers, Richt did say that changes to that effect may have to be made eventually. "I think a lot of people expect blood. They want somebody to be let go and fired and all that kind of thing and maybe that's what needs to be done." Richt said to one critical caller. Richt went on to say to the caller, in so many words, that he and the team plan to do the best thing right now, which is preparing for the Vanderbilt game.

Some callers, echoing sentiment among many Bulldog fans, asked Coach Richt if and when Freshman quarterbacks Logan Gray, Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger, will get playing time this year. Richt answered by saying that it wasn't out of the realm of possibility, but highly unlikely.

It is a shame that a Coach Richt, who since his arrival at Georgia, has given Bulldog fans 2 SEC Championships and 3 BCS Bowl appearances (two of them wins) and several other winning seasons, is now experiencing the first serious trimmers of a vocational earthquake. It is true that Richt's club is near or at the bottom nationally in important statistics such as scoring defense and penalties, even though his recruiting classes are at the top tier nationally the last few years.

Play calling has been at times, at best, questionable, and the defense has not played well of late. I don't think Richt needs to can Martinez or Bobo just yet. I do think it might be a good idea to allow Aaron Murray to get a series in one of the upcoming SEC games. He, Gray and maybe even Mettenberger will need experience sooner or later. Actually, from what I'm hearing about Mettenberger, he may be better suited for a place like Georgia St.

If Georgia falls to the Commodores this Saturday, changes must be made. The problem is that Kentucky, the Gators, Auburn and Tech await, so what changes do you make. Do you fire Martinez in the middle of the season. Who would coach the Defense? Coach Richt is in a very tough spot.

The most disturbing thing for me is the penalties. That doesn't seem to be improving. Richt brought discipline when he came to Georgia 8 years ago. "Finish The Drill" was and still is the motto. There needs to be a "drill" to eliminate or drastically reduce the penalties on offense. Things like jumping off sides, false starts, and especially things like personal fouls cannot be tolerated. If these things improve, that's one step towards the type of successful football Georgia is use to playing, the type of football that wins games and championships.

This begins with Richt and his coaches. They must get back to the philosophy they started with back in 2001: discipline, finishing the drill. The players, in particular the Senior leadership, must take it upon themselves to buy back into Richt's standards. Georgia Tech Head Coach Paul Johnsos revival of the Tech program is eerily similar to what Mark Richt did back in 01. In Richt's second year, the Dogs won an SEC Championship, the first since 1983. Georgia Tech, thanks to Johnson's Spread Option Offense, is poised to make a run for the ACC Title this year. To summarise it all, the Dogs need to get back to 2001 basics

Bryan College Gets Last Laugh

2009-10-09T22:50:00.000-07:00

I was up at Bryan College, my Alma mater located in Dayton, TN, last Wednesday to film the great soccer rivalry between Bryan and Covenant College, a storied rivalry which goes back several decades and a rivalry which may very well have come to an end at about 9:45 pm Wednesday night.

Fortunately, the Lions won the match 1-0 on a goal in the second half by Junior Midfielder and Mesquite, Texas native Bennie Bardales. If the rivalry has ended, at least the Lions got the last laugh. When yours truly was a player way back in 1990, the first game I played in was against Covenant at their place high atop Lookout Mountain. We lost 4-0, thus continuing a "clean sheet" the Scotts had on Bryan for about a decade. Bryan went at least 10 years without scoring on Covenant, let alone beating the Scotts, until 1996 when BC Forward Gabe Hammelwright ended the scoreless and winless streak as the Lions toppled the Scotts 1-0.

Since then, Bryan has had the upper hand in most of the matches, including an incredible come from behind victory over Covenant in Dayton as the Lions, trailing 2-1 with under 2 minutes remaining, scored two goals to win in spectacular fashion. In 2007 and 08, the Lions won the regular season contests, but lost in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament Semi-Finals to the Scotts two years in a row, the second of the two on Bryan's home pitch.

However, we Lions got the last laugh. Covenant has left both the AAC and the NAIA so we won't have to see them in the post season. For many reasons, I wish Covenant wouldn't make the move to NCAA Div. 3 and stay in the AAC so we could have another chance to beat them in the playoffs. But as it is, Bryan won't get that chance. So what though! If Bryan never plays Covenant again, the Lions won the last match and got the last laugh.

There are several great college soccer rivalries throughout the United States: Boston College vs Boston University, William &Mary vs Ole Dominion and Maryland vs North Carolina in NCAA Div. 1. In NCAA Div. 3, two Pennsylvania schools, Messiah and Elizabethtown, have an extremely heated rivalry. The Bryan-Covenant rivalry ranks right up there with them in intensity. It's a shame to see it go.

Tebo's Quality of Life More Important Then Championship

2009-10-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

Florida Quarterback Tim Tebo wants badly to play against LSU and is in Baton Rouge with the team, but has not been cleared to play yet. He really doesn't need to. Backup John Brantley is more than capable of handling Urban Meyer's offense and leading the Gators to a win at Tiger Stadium.

This past week, a study came out saying that NFL players who suffered concussions were more likely to suffer Dementia later in life. I think it's pretty simple here. Tim Tebo's quality of life after football (and he will have a life after football) is more important than winning a championship. I agree with those who say that florida could still play for the National Championship even if they lose to LSU but win the rest of their games, including, of course, the SEC Title Game.

Tebo should sit the LSU game out. Again, Brantley is capable of leading the Gator offense. Florida also has an excellent running attach with Jeff Demps and Immanuel Moody, so it's more than just the quarterback. Florida has the #1 ranked running attack in the country. Florida's defense will also take care of business, so it is not that crucial for Tebo to play in this game. He's not 100% and his quality of life could be in jeopardy, not to mention his future NFL career, should another concussion take place in Baton Rouge.

Bottom line, Tebo should sit out the LSU game. Brantley, Demps and Moody & company can take care of business against the Bayou Bengals.

Don't Suppress Emotion, But Let Them Celebrate

2009-10-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

Georgia did not take care of business last Saturday as they lost to #4 ranked LSU 20-13. They did not make the key tackle to stop LSU's Charles Scott from scoring the Tigers' winning touchdown.

However, the celebration penalty handed down by the officials after A.J. Green's sensational touchdown catch to give the Bulldogs a 13-12 lead was atrocious and unfair. It gave the Tigers great field position to push for the eventual go ahead score. On the CBS broadcast, it looked clearly that Green and his Bulldog teammates were celebrating amongst themselves and not taunting any LSU players. Why is it that College Football wants to suppress emotion. It is rarely easy to score a touchdown, and especially in the SEC. Green's TD was a hard-fought touchdown worthy of at least a brief expression of emotion. Football is an emotional game, so why suppress the emotion?

Yes, I know that they penalized LSU after their winning touchdown for "too much celebration". However, a correction doesn't always totally erase a wrong. The celebration penalty against the Dogs is a classic example of this truth. This silly celebration rule must be revised and corrected. It should only apply if a player is drawing attention to himself. If he raises his hands in joy after scoring a touchdown, or if he kneels to thank God as many players do, there is nothing wrong with those things. The penalty should only apply when a player slaps his chest multiple times while not celebrating with teammates or if he is taunting a member of the opposing team. In these instances, he is drawing attention to himself and not his teammates who helped make it possible for him to score. That is when the penalty should be enforced.

A.J. Green was not drawing attention to himself, but celebrating with teammates. He was not delaying the game. It was a totally bad call and the refs realize that now since they did offer an apology. Unfortunately, it was too little too late. The rule must be clearly defined but at the same time not meant to suppress emotion. Celebrating with your teammates when you make a touchdown or a key sack or blocking a punt: These are not penalties.

Best For Bowdon, Best For FSU That He Should Go

2009-10-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, a member of the Board of Trustees at Florida St. said that "enough is enough" referring to his opinion that FSU Head Football Coach Bobby Bowden should step down after this season. Up until now, the university, along with it's Board of Trustees, had been very supportive of Coach Bowden even though the level of success has gone down somewhat.

I'm reminded of a verse in the Bible, more particularly in the book of Ecclesiastees, that "to everything there is a season". I may be taking that verse slightly out of context, but it may very well be time for Coach Bowden to step down and allow Head Coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher take over after this season.

Ever since the Seminoles lost to Oklahoma in the 2000 National Title Game, the program has been, at best, mediocre. Also, things have happened off the field with a cheating scandal involving several football players as well as athletes from other sports. The fact that 14 of Bowden's wins might be taken from him by the NCAA is a shame. He has won 2 national titles and trails Joe Paterno of Penn St. by three games as the winningest coach in college football. The program, however, is not getting better. It is right now barely above average.

Jimbo Fisher deserves the opportunity to be a head coach. Coach Bowden has taken Florida St. as far as he can take it. for the sake of the university, his family and his health, Bobby Bowden should step aside after this season. Your comments please!

Georgia Can and Must Do Better Against LSU

2009-10-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

I went to the Georgia/ASU game last Saturday in the torrential rain. Arizona St. does have a decent team, but once again, the Dogs made it possible for the Sun Devils to have a chance to win at the end. If it hadn't been for A.J. Green's spectacular block of a filed goal with about two minutes left, ASU would have probably done just that.

Penalties such as offsides, fumbling the football, interceptions. The Georgia Defense has saved the Dawgs' rear ends so many times. They gotten a bad rap this year for giving up so many points in their first three games, but let's face it. If they didn't perform in the rain Saturday, Arizona St. would be flying back to Tempe having upset a top notch SEC team on their home field. The Dawgs are near the bottom among FBS (Football Bow Subdivision) teams in penalties.

There is no way they will survive the likes of LSU, Florida, Auburn or Georgia Tech if they don't clean up the silly penalties and take better care of the football. Richard Samuel and Caleb King must run hard yet hold on to the ball, the line must block better, and Joe Cox, who played great against Arkansas and South Carolina, must make better decisions with the ball. This all sounds like I'm stating the obvious, but it's obvious that we (I'm a Georgia fan) are escaping because of the play of A.J. Green and our defense. Green, by the way, needs to get the ball more. In short, the Dawgs can and must do better against LSU this Saturday and the remaining riggers of the SEC.

USF Football Could win the Big East Title and More

2009-09-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

Way back in July, I wrote a blog entitled "USF Football to Finish 10-2;, Will win the big East Title". That seems like a very real possibility after their impressive upset victory in Tallahassee over the Seminoles. Should they keep playing the way they're playing, could they actually jockey for a National Title Game berth?

It seems very far fetched. The Bulls certainly have a great chance to win the Big East Title outright. The schedule the rest of the way is favorable. Their only real tough obstacles are #10 Cincinnati, which is in Tampa, West Virginia, also a home game, and a home game against the Hurricanes of Miami. The game against Miami will be the toughest. The Hurricanes are better than they showed in Blacksburg last Saturday. However, the Bulls have the confidence necessary to win since they were able to beat in-state traditional power house Florida St. at Doke/Campbell Stadium.

If they take care of business against Syracuse this Saturday, along with Rutgers, UCONN, Pittsburgh and Louisville, and come up with big wins against Cinci, Miami and West Virginia, the Bulls will have beaten 4 top 25 teams and will have a very serious argument to play for the National Championship. What a quagmire the BCS will be in trying to decide between several top teams who the two teams will be.

However, there is a lot of football to be played. South Florida, when last they were in a similar position, were ranked #2 in the country after beating Auburn on the plains and fell the very next week. Can they handle the pressure of not slipping up. they are 4-0 right now going into Saturday's game at Syracuse in the Empire State, a game the Bulls should win over Greg Paulus and the Orange. They will need to abuse the Cuse, or a taming of the Toros by the Orange is entirely possible. We shall see.

"There Are Things Bigger Than Sport". Two Student-Athletes Win NCAA Sportsmanship Award

2009-09-30T20:39:00.001-07:00

In today's society, looking out for number one seems to be paramount. In the arena of sport, this is no exception. Athletes want all the glory for themselves and many times want it at the expense of their team. However, once in a while there are examples of extraordinary selflessness and sacrifice. Two student-athletes, Anthony Dicarlo and Aleksandra M and Aleksandra Mackiewicz, are examples of putting their respective teams first.

Dicarlo, a Senior Wrestler at Div. lll Anderson College in Anderson, SC, and Mackiewicz, a Fencer at Brown University in Rhode Island, were recipients of the NCAA Sportsmanship Award this week. The award goes to student-athletes who have exemplified one or more ideals such as honesty, responsibility, fairness, civility and respect in the competitive environment of intercollegiate athletics.

Dicarlo was asked by Anderson Wrestling Coach Dock Kelly to fill in for an injured teammate. Dicarlo was in the 141 pound weight class and he would be wrestling in a dual meet against Central Missouri St. against an opponent in the 157 lb. weight class. Whether or not Anderson won the dual meet would depend on Dicarlo's performance. He got off to a slow start but came on real strong near the end of the match. With 1 minute left in the Dicarlo's match, all he needed was another take down to ensure victory for himself and the Anderson squad, but the CMU wrestler suffered an eye injury making him easy prey for Dicarlo. However, Anthony Dicarlo decided not to attack and the match ended with the CMU wrestler winning the match and CMU winning the dual meet 20-15.

"If a guy steps on the mat, he’s there to wrestle, so it’s almost an insult if you chose not to wrestle hard", said Dicarlo. "But, in certain situations, when it’s just common courtesy, if he’s motioning to call injury time, it doesn't make any sense to blast him.” Coach Dock Kelly wasn't surprised by his pupil's actions. "Anthony is a competitor to the core,” said Kelly.
"If he can’t succeed the right way, then he doesn’t want the success. I’m grateful for the sport of wrestling because it gave the world an opportunity to see a young man like Anthony DiCarlo.” Kelly compared coaching Dicarlo like seeing Halley's Comet; a once in a lifetime event.
"There are bigger things than sport and one of them is respect for the person", said Dicarlo. “That transcends not just sport, but winning and losing. I try to conduct myself with that mindset not just in sports, but period.”

The other recipient of the NCAA Sportsmanship Award, a female, was Aleksandra Mackiewicz, who is a Sophomore Fencer at Brown University, a Div. l Ivey League school in Rhode Island. Before she began her Sophomore Fencing season, she asked the coach about her chances of earning a berth in the NCAA Regional Competition. She was one of four fencers specialized in the saber, but only three were allowed to compete in the competition. The coach told her that the stronger fencer would compete. All four of the fencers, including Mackiewicz, qualified for the NCAA Regionals, but Mackiewicz was chosen over Sr. Fencer Charlotte Rose. Both had produced excellent results throughout the year, but Mackiewicz got the nod.

Although excited about her opportunity, Mackiewicz didn't feel right about the situation. She felt that Rose, a Senior, deserved the chance to compete in the NCAA Regionals, She had waited her turn patiently, but had never had a chance to compete in the NCAA Regionals. She persuaded the coaches to allow Rose to compete in her place and they agreed. “Coach announced it to the team and I think Charlotte was really surprised,” said Mackiewicz. “She got up and hugged me. I think the whole team was happy with the decision.”

Mackiewicz said she struggled with the decision, but believes she did the right thing. "I’m not going to regret my decision because I felt like I was going to have more respect for myself and my teammates and my coaches,” said Mackiewicz. "In the end, I think it was what was going to be more meaningful to me.”

Charlotte Rose was overwhelmed with gratitude for her teammates actions. "I don’t know how often something like what [Aleksandra] did happens, but I definitely think that her selfless sacrificing of her spot really does speak for itself. This is the epitome of putting the team and teammates before oneself, which I believe to be the essence of a great athlete.” It is very nice and refreshing to hear of stories like this. Student-athletes showing selflessness, sportsmanship and sacrifice for the good for their teammates and opponents alike. More on this story can be found by going to the official website of the NCAA: www.ncaa.org.

Former Brookwood Soccer Star Excells for ETSU

2009-09-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

Gwinnett County, located on the northeast side of Atlanta, is arguably Georgia's hot bed for High School Soccer. Theo Yang, currently a starting midfielder for the East Tennessee St. Men's Soccer Team, was among the many great college-bound high school soccer players from Gwinnett.

Yang was a standout player at Brookwood High School in Snellville, GA. While at Brookwood, Yang helped lead the Broncos to the State Semifinals in 2008 and was named to the Gwinnett Daily Post "Super Six" list, a list which contains Atlanta's top 6 college-bound high school soccer players. Yang also excelled at the Club level,. He played for the Concorde Fire U18 Academy team, and also competed for the Georgia 91 ODP Team and was a member of the Region 1 Pool in 2004/5 and Region III Pool in 2007.

Theo Yang has started 6 games as a Freshman for the ETSU Pirates. He tallied an assist in a tough 2-1 OT loss to then #2 ranked North Carolina. It will be exciting to follow this young man's career at ETSU. Yang is another of the many great college-bound high school student-athletes coming out of Gwinnett County near Atlanta, GA.

Ratlers Bite Tigers in Atlanta

2009-09-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

One of the more unknown but fiercest rivalries in all of College Football took place in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta last Saturday as the Ratlers of Florida A&M University defeated the Tigers of Tennessee St. 31-12 in the 21st annual Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic.

Much of the national hoopla surrounding FAMU is on All-American Sr. Defensive End and Punt Returner LeRoy Vann, who got the attention of ESPN and Sports Illustrated with his four punt returns for touchdowns in the past two weeks. In Saturday's game, however, FAMU Red Shirt Sr. QB Curtis Pulley was the man of the hour. Pulley led the Ratlers to the 31-12 as he completed 24 of 34 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns, earning Pulley the Classic MVP for the second year in a row.

The Ratlers are now 4-0 and broke into the FCS (formerly Div. 1-AA) top 25. After their bye week this Saturday, the Ratlers will face Jacory Harris and the Miami Hurricanes October 10 before returning to MEAC play the following week against S. Carolina St. in Orangeburg, SC.

The game between FAMU and TSU is one of a few rivalry games between predominately African-American universities. One of the other huge annual rivalries is between two Louisiana schools: Grambling St. and Southern University, who play in the annual Bayou Classic in New Orleans in early December.

LeRoy Vann has surely caught the eyes of NFL scouts as has Pulley, a transfer from Kentucky and backup to former All-SEC performer Andre Woodson, who is now in the NFL.

While they probably don't have enough athletes to hang with the Canes, the Ratlers are playing well enough to make a run for the MEAC Title and an FCS playoff berth. As for Tenessee St., they drop to 1-3 and begin OVC play as they host SE Missouri St. this Saturday. More information on this article can be found by going to www.famu.edu/athletics and www.tsutigers.com.

Hawkeyes Have Realistic Shot at Playing for National Title

2009-09-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

Those who saw the Iowa Hawkeyes score 21 unanswered points in a spectacular come from behind victory over Penn St. at Happy Valley should have no doubts in their minds that Iowa (4-0, 2-0 in the Big 10) is among the elite teams and has a shot at playing for the National Championship should they run the table.

The Hawkeye Defense, led by Jr. DE Adrian Clayborn and Jr. LB Pat Angerer, spear headed the comeback starting in the second quarter. QB Ricky Stanzi didn't have a great day passing (11-26 for 135 yards and 2 INTs), but RB Adam Robinson led the Iowa ground attack with 19 caries for 88 yards.

The schedule, at least on paper, is in Iowa's favor. Arkansas St. next Saturday at Kinnick Stadium should be a win, then the Hawks host an inconsistent Michigan squad. I predict a win there as well. Two tough road games at Wisconsin and Michigan St. follow. After that, a home games against Indiana and Northwestern. If the Hawkeyes are playing as good as they are now, those should be wins. Should the Hawks be undefeated at this point, a pivotal match up at the Horseshoe in Columbus is key. The Hawkeyes finish with the Golden Gophers at home, and that game (again, at least on paper) should be a win.

Wisconsin, Michigan St. and Ohio St. are the three biggest obstacles the Hawkeyes face. all three of those games are on the road. Iowa, however, has proven they can win on the road against top notch opponents. Should they continue their excellent play and run the table, and things work in their favor with the other teams in the top 5, Iowa has a very realistic shot at playing for the National Title. In the mean time, lets not get ahead of ourselves. Arkansas St., like N. Iowa did three weeks ago, will come to Kinnick to play.

Gabbert, Kappernick and Harris On Their Way to Possible Stellar Pro Careers

2009-09-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

Three of the top quarterbacks in College Football will showcase their talents this weekend and several weekends to come. Actually, two of them squared off against each other Friday Night 25 September when Missouri traveled to Reno, NV to take on the Nevada Wolfpack.

Mizzou Soph. QB Blaine Gabbert threw for 414 and three touchdowns en route to a 31-21 win over Nevada in a nationally televised game on ESPN. Gabbert was quick, elusive and able to throw on the run. He particularly found his favorite wide receiver Damario Alexander nine times for 170 yards and one TD. this guy is just a Sophomore, yet if he continues to have performances like this and his team is in contention for the Big X11 Title, he is a Heisman Trophy candidate just like his predecessor Chase Daniel, who is now with the New Orleans Saints on their Practice Squad.

His opposite Friday Night was no less impressive. Jr. QB Colin Kapernick has shown that he can light it up in the passing department as well as rush the football. In the loss to the Tigers, Kapernick was 17-28 for 146 yards and one touchdown. He has rushed the ball 30 times this season for 122 yards and 1 touchdown this year. His team is 0-3, but has played three tough teams in Notre Dame, Colorado St. and Missouri. The WAC doesn't get any easier for them as #8 Boisie St. looms later in the season. so far this year, Kapernick has completed 54 of 89 passes for 546 yards and two touchdowns. The one glaring problem: 4 interceptions.

In spite of all this, Kapernick has the quickness, pocket presence and arm strength NFL scouts look for, as does Gabbert of Mizzou. Kapernick has been named to the watch list for the Davey O'Brien Award; the award given to the nation's top quarterback. In 2008, he emerged as one of the top QBs in the country and was named All-WAC Second Team by Phil Steele's College Football Preview. He currently has a pass efficiency rating of 110.63. If he were starting for a team in a BCS conference and the team was winning, he would also be on the Heisman watch.

The third of these quarterbacks mentioned in this blog is the most well-known because of who he plays for. Jacory Harris starts for "The U", The Miami Hurricanes. He has already put up outstanding numbers after just two games against Florida St. and Georgia Tech. Many, myself included, say that because of him and his surrounding cast, The U is back. Miami was consistently in the top 5 in the late 80s and early 90s under Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson and won at least two national championships. Current Head Coach Randy Shannon was a key defensive player on those Miami teams. After a period of mediocrity in the late 90s, the Canes reemerged to win a national championship in 2001 and nearly duplicated the feat in 02 when they lost in OT to Ohio St., all of this under former Head Coach Larry Cocker. However, the U slipped back down to mediocrity. As a result, Cocker was fired and former Miami standout Randy Shannon was hired. He brought in Jacory Harris out of Miami-Northwestern HS, where Harris led his team to a Florida State Championship.

Harris, only a Sophomore, has already dazzled fans and pro scouts alike. He threw for 386 yards in the Hurricanes opening win over Florida St., including a 40 yard pass to Travis Benjamen in double coverage leading to a crucial made field goal. Against Georgia Tech, Harris was 20 for 25 for 270 yards and three TDs en route to a 33-17 wrecking of the ramblin reck. Before the Tech game, Harris said that the Hurricanes offense couldn't be stopped. He backed it up against the Jackets, and if he can back it up against Virginia Tech on Saturday and later against Oklahoma and the rest of the ACC, Harris will be holding the Heisman Trophy and the U will celebrate another national title.

The three QBS mentioned in this blog: Blaine Gabbert (Soph. Mizzou), Colin Kapernick (Jr. Nevada) and Jacory Harris (Soph. Miami) all have the talent, in my opinion. to have stellar pro careers. Lets hope, for their sakes, that their potential is realized.

Lane Kiffin is "Lame Kickin"

2009-09-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

It appears that Tennessee Head Coach Lane Kiffin is a big fan of moral victories. His Vols went down tot eh swamp and lost to Meyer, Tebo and the Gators 23-13 last Saturday. He seemed pleased with the way his team played. That's fine, but championships are not won on style or effort, although those are a big part of it. Championships are decided by wins and losses.

Lane Kiffin's excuse for a moral victory was lame, and he left the swamp "kickin and screamin" that he and the Vols, though in his mind they lost the battle, they would win the war. Lane, let me tell you something. The battle and the war are THE SAME!! A loss on the scoreboard is not a victory, but a loss. You and your team got your heads handed to you by a team you motivated by your false accusations and silly comments last Spring. Your team is now 1-2 with your only win against Bluegrass Sisters of the Poor, otherwise known as Western Kentucky. you lost at home to a half-way decent UCLA team, and you've tasted your first of many SEC defeats at the hands of the Gators. Victories are won on the field and when the scoreboard is at 00:00 after 4 quarters (barring OT), not on the fact that you held your opponent in check or had the right game plan. Until you get all of this in your head, you are "Lame Kickin".

Wegert Finishes 18th at IPFW Invitational

2009-09-17T21:19:00.002-07:00

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about a remarkable student-athlete from Grace College in Winona Lake, IN named Marijean Wegert. Wegert if a Junior on the Grace College Women's Cross Country Team. What makes this young lady a really tough competitor is that she runs in a way very few runners do: barefooted.

Wegert finished 13th overall in the NAIA National Meet last November. This year, she's gotten off to a good start by finishing 18th at the IPFW Invitational this past Saturday. As a team, the Lady Lancers finished in 4th place out of 5 teams. We here at College Sports will continue to follow the career of "Shoeless Marijean" as she and the rest of the Lady Lancers from Grace College try to win an NAIA National Championship. For more information on this story, you can check out the article entitled "Fast Feet Without Shoes: Cross Country Runner Runs Barefooted" at kgussports.blogspot.com.

Dyer Getting it Done for the U-Dogs

2009-09-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

From time to time here at College Sports, we want to highlight student-athletes from a certain part of the country, Gwinnett County (GA), who are making their mark on college athletics around the nation. One of those student-athletes is Junior WR Rolando Dyer of Union College in Barbourville, KY.

Two weeks ago, Dyer, a former standout wide receiver at Central Gwinnett High School, led the Union Bulldogs in receptions with 4 catches for 73 yards in Union's 57-7 opening win over University of Virginia-Wise. Dyer was not able to duplicate that performance the following week against Southeastern Louisiana. The NCAA Div. l-AA opponent drubbed the U-Dogs 69-20. Dyer and his Union Bulldog mates will try to get back on the winning track when they host Faulkner College this Saturday. Congratulations to Junior WR Rolando Dyer, one of Gwinnett County's many successful college student-athletes.

Urban Meyer Having Lunch Saturday, Not with Lane Kiffin, on Lane Kiffin

2009-09-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

Lane Kiffin is so excited about beating Florida in the Swamp and singing Rocky Top Saturday Night. The only "Rocky" will be a Rocky Mop. Florida will mop up Rocky Bottom and Lane Kiffin and his Orange will head back to Knoxville with Old Smoky's tail between his legs.

Jonathan Crompton is not ready for SEC Football, let alone Major Div 1 Football. This will be one of Kiffin's many "growing pains". Tebo and the boys will rout the Vols and will not be hungry afterwards because they will have feasted on the Big Orange. Florida has asked their fans to ware blue at the game. I can see why because they won't need the extra orange. They'll be eating enough of it on the field.

Crompton is like former Tennessee and Georgia Tech QB A.J. Suggs: not ready for Major Div. 1 Football. This is not a criticism of Crompton as a person, not at all. He's more suited for football up the road from Knoxville, i.e. Carson-Newman.

Give The Other Team Credit

2009-09-15T22:48:00.000-07:00

I was listening to Chuck Oliver and Matt Chernov on Sports Radio 680 The Fan yesterday and they were talking and taking calls about why the UGA Defense isn't better than it is. Oliver, a former high school football coach, believes that the talent on the Bulldog Squad is there, but the coaching is lacking.

Georgia is 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the SEC after their opening season defeat at Oklahoma St. and their win this past Saturday against SEC rival South Carolina. The Georgia Defense played well against the Cowboys even though they gave up 24 points, but not so well in a 41-37 win over the Gamecocks. Georgia fans have been all over the back of UGA Defensive Coordinator Willie Martinez for the Defense sub-par performance a year ago. Not much seems to have changed.

Could it be that the other teams offenses have gotten better? they've had all Summer to prepare for Georgia, and they've recruited players with the talent to go toe to toe against teams like Georgia. When our teams to play as well as we would like, even when they win, we tend to blame them for their mistakes instead of giving credit to the opponent.
South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia is improving. Lets give credit to the Gamecocks for giving Georgia all they could handle. Some Georgia fans think the talent isn't as good and that Richt isn't recruiting the best players. Others say the talent is there but the coaching isn't as good as it use to be. I say give the opponents credit for finding ways to compete and win. Most of Georgia's opponents, especially SEC opponents, have the same type of talent if not better talent. Let's stop blaming the Georgia players and coaches for their so-called mistakes and give credit to their opponents for playing well and, at times, winning against the Dogs.

Billingsley Wins 500th Career Victory

2009-09-10T21:33:00.001-07:00

Here at College Sports, we want to celebrate milestones. Many student-athletes have reached various milestones and so have coaches. Saint Ambrose University Volleyball Coach Bruce Billingsley won his 500th career victory as he guided SAU to a 3 games to 0 shutout over Midland Lutheran at the SAU Early Bird Tournament a couple of weeks ago.

The win give Billingsley 303 wins at Saint Ambrose, an NAIA school in Davenport, IA. He began his stint at Saint Ambrose back in 1997. Since then, Billingsley has won 268 matches as the Women's Head Coach as well as 35 wins as Head of the Men's VB program giving him a total of 303 while at SAU. He began hsi college coaching career at Marycrest University, where he won nearly 200 matches while coaching both the Men's and Women's teams.

The score of the Midland Lutheran match was 25-18, 25-21, 25-23 giving him the milestone win. The Queen Bees defeated Robert Morris (ILL.) and Trinity Christian (ILL.) before losing their final match against Upper Iowa. The Queen Bees have actually won four out of their last six matches since Billingsley's milestone victory, giving the Saint Ambrose Coach a lifetime total of 504 wins. SAU takes on Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, IA on Tues, Sept. 15. More information can be obtained by going to www.sau.edu.volleyball.

Big Time Praise Comes With Big Time Criticism

2009-09-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

Georgia starting QB Joe Cox said he doesn't care what those who never have played a down of football say about him. Really? Perhaps he's not being honest. One thing is for sure. Cox, along with every player who signed out of high school to play for a big time Div. 1 school, did so because they wanted to be in the "Big Time."

When things go well, it's great to be in the spotlight. If you're a starting QB at a big time program and you're playing well and your team is winning, you're the hero. It feels great! That's why many of these players come to places like Georgia, Florida St., Alabama and USC. However, when things don't go your way, or you're not playing well and your team is under performing, criticism, a lot of it, comes your way, especially if you are the starting quarterback.

At big time programs, big time praise comes with big time criticism. You cant have it both ways. I'm sure Cox, along with every other starting quarterback at major programs, knows this principle. I'm sure that he tried his best at Stillwater last Saturday in the loss to Oklahoma St. One of his receivers dropped an open pass which would have given the Dawgs a first down in OSU territory. That play wasn't his fault. The quarterback, whether this is right or wrong, is given god-like status at these big time schools. To whom much is given (full-ride scholarship, free tuition, fame, girls, etc.), much is expected.

I'm not mad at Joe Cox. He was suffering from the flu. Again, he and the Dawgs tried their best. They just didn't make the plays they needed to make. This is his first year as the Georgia starting QB. If criticism really bothers him, he needs to get use to it. At places like Georgia, where the passion is intense, he will get criticism if he performs poorly. The critics have already spoken (I'm not one of them). How he handles criticism will show how good his Senior leadership is. If he's not really bothered by it as he says he isn't, that's great. But if he is, he's got to get over it. It's part of the territory. At big time schools like UGA, big time praise comes with big time criticism.

Division 1-A and 1-AA Should Reunite

2009-09-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday witnessed 2 Div. l-AA (now called Playoff Subdivision) teams upset Bowl Subdivision teams, albeit the two losing teams were ACC bottom feeders Duke and Virginia. They both lost to Richmond and William & Mary respectively. There was very nearly a third upset when Iowa had to block not one but two field goal attempts by N. Iowa, a Playoff Subdivision opponent, to escape with a 17-16 victory.

The most famous take down of a Div. 1-A opponent by a l-AA team was Appalachia State's 34-31 upset win over Michigan in the Big House two years ago. What is my point in all of this? My point is that the top Playoff Subdivision teams can not only hang with but beat most Bowl Subdivision teams. Why was there ever a split in Div. 1 Football back in, I believe, 1978? I think both divisions should reunite. There have been more and more examples of Div. 1-AA teams not only holding their own but beating big time schools. I know it doesn't happen most of the time, but it seems more and more frequent of late.

Now, if this were to happen, you would have to create more bowl games for bowl eligible schools, and perhaps 1 or 2 more BCS bowls. These former Playoff Subdivision schools would get more money for their programs by playing in bowl games (money is what it's all about, right?).
Bottom line, I really don't see the point in having a Playoff Division and a Bowl Division. Just go ahead and reunite into Division 1 Football.

Canes / Noles Rivalry Is Back to Greatness

2009-09-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

The game between Florida St. and Miami last night was a fantastic game. It was reminiscent of the great games back in the late 80s and early 90s. It went down to the wire like it should, with the Hurricanes defeating the Seminoles 38-34 with an FSU receiver being unable to hold on to what would have been a Christian Ponder winning touchdown pass for the Noles.

This game had everything you would expect in an FSU-Miami rivalry: big plays by both the offenses and defenses of both teams. Also, what would a Florida St.-Miami game be without a mistake by an FSU kicker. Noles Freshman Kicker Dustin Hopkins hit a 52 yard field goal near the end of the first half to give the Seminoles a 10-7 lead at halftime. However, he shanked an extra point and almost missed another one. The second one hit the right upright and bounced through, but that first missed PAT came back to haunt the Noles as they had to score a touchdown with 9 seconds left in the game because they were 4 points down, not 3.

Both teams have a chance to win the ACC Title. The road will be hard with the likes of Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Clemson and a resurgent North Carolina team. The ACC had a bad weekend with Duke and Virginia losing to Div l-AA opponents Richmond and William & Mary, and NC St. not able to score a touchdown in a loss to South Carolina. Virginia Tech losing in a hard fought game to Alabama is disappointing for the conference, but understandable.

Both FSU and Miami have shown the nation that the rivalry is back where it should be: having national championship implications. It should be exciting to see if at the end of the year, one or both of these two in-state rivals is in the running for the ACC Title and more.

BCS Means "Beauty Contest Schools"

2009-09-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, we saw another example of how the non-BCS schools can go toe to toe with the BCS schools and win. BYU, out of the non-BCS Mountain West Conference, defeated Oklahoma of the BCS Big 12 Conference. It is said that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Those in the BCS view their schools as more beautiful than the schools of the "non-BCS." All BCS means is "Beauty Contest Schools."

Many Oklahoma fans and BCS proponents will say BYU capitalized on the injury to 2008 Heisman Trophy Winner Sam Bradford and his subsequent departure from the game as the reason why the Cougars won. Rubbish! Injuries ar apart of football, and BYU came to play and play they did. The Cougars shouldn't be penalized because Bradford was injured and couldn't play most of the game. If BYU runs the table (and it's a shame they have to do that just to get into the BCS), they should play for the National Championship. I don't think they will though, since Utah and a solid Colorado St. team await the Cougars. Maybe I'm wrong, but all of that is beside the point.

Conferences like the Big 12, the SEC, the Big 10, and even the Big East have what I call "tradition-laden programs." These schools like Oklahoma, Ohio St., Alabama and USC have rich traditions in college football. All four of the schools just mentioned have won national titles. These conferences have been around for a long, long time. If they have 1 or 2 losses, they are still seen as better than an undefeated BYU or Utah from a relatively new comers in the Mountain West and Western Athletic Conference, in which Boisie St. is a member. Even is a Boisie St., Utah, or BYU beat a BCS team like Oklahoma or USC and go undefeated, a team like Florida who goes 11-1 and wins the SEC with just 1 loss to someone like Ole Miss or Georgia will get the invite to play for the National Championship because they are "Florida". Perception, to the BCS, its member schools and supporters, is reality.

It looks as if they only way to solve this problem of special treatment to the big name conferences and schools is for Congress to get involved. That is something that really ought not happen. Congress and the President have more important issues to deal with such as health care and the down economy. But they may be forced to act to insure a more equitable playing field and an end to the spoils system of college football.

Woeful Start for Cavaliers in 09

2009-09-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

Will someone please give Virginia Head Coach Al Groh a wet towell to sit on because his back side is on fire after a 26-14 loss to Playoff Subdivision opponent William & Mary to open the 2009 season. Groh is on the hot seat.

The Cavaliers committed seven turnovers including an interception by W&R Defensive Back B.W. Webb who ran it back 50 yards for a touchdown with 2:39 left in the game. It was one of 3 interceptions Webb had on the day for the Tribe. Virginia used all three of their QBs to try and muster something with their new spread offense. Unfortunately, the only spreading they were doing was spreading the ball around to the William & Mary Defense, who forced seven turnovers.

W&M Redshirt Senior R.J. Archer was the most effective of all QBs on the field. The Charlottesville native was 23 of 45 for 184 yards and one interception. He also rushed for 46 yards on 9 carries. UVA Sr. Quarterback Vic Hall started the game and delivered right away for Virginia. He completed a 3 yard pass on the Cavs first play from scrimmage, and two plays later, Hall ran 34 yards for a touchdown to give Virginia an early 7-0 lead. However, Archer and the Tribe struck right back as he hit Rob Varno for a 5 yard TD pass to tie the game at 7.

Cavalier Sr. QB Jameel Sewell drove Virginia for a go ahead touchdown as he completed all 5 of his passes for 45 yards and rushed for 35 yards. However, it was all William & Mary after that as the Tribe Kicker Brian Pate connected on 2 of 5 field goal attempts in the second quarter alone to make the score 14-13 Virginia at the half. However, three Cavs turnovers allowed to connect on a 20 yarder after Vic Hall's muff with 5:35 in the third and a 24 yarder with 3:50 remaining in the game after Jr. QB Marc Verica's fumble. Then their was back breaking interception run back for a touchdown by Webb to seal the deal for the Tribe. This was the first time since 1986 that Virginia has lost to a Playoff Subdivision (formerly Div. l-AA team) team. Ironically, it was the Tribe of William & Mary who defeated the Cavs back in 1986 41-37. It was the Tribe's first win over a Bowl Subdivision team since a 1998 win over Temple.

Last Saturday was a bad day for the ACC, especially for Virginia and Duke, who both lost to Playoff Subdivision teams. The Blue Devils were beaten by Subdivision National Champions Richmond. The lower division almost made it three wins as Iowa had to block not one, but two field goals to hold off N. Iowa 17-16. Virginia hosts TCU next week and then travels to Southern Miss before starting ACC play against North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Cavs had better get their offense sorted out quickly, or it will be a very long year if not a winless year. If they cant beat William & Mary, there's no way they can win against the better teams in the ACC or the two solid C-USA opponents in Southern Miss and TCU. I thought at first that the Tribe, along with Big 10 seller dweller Indiana were easy wins for the Cavaliers and that they should upgrade their non-conference schedule. Well, I was very wrong. The quarterback situation is a mess. They need to stick with one guy and go with him. The W&M looked as if Virginia was treating it as a pre-season game. Please! Put a wet towell on Coach Groh's hot seat, two wet towells! the seat is gonna get hotter!

Broncos Experience "Blount Force Trauma."

2009-09-03T22:55:00.000-07:00

The main story about this particular blog should be that Boisie State Defense turned the Oregon high-powered Duck offense into a lame duck offense. The Ducks couldn't even muster a first down in the entire first half. They only had a total of 14 yards on offense. The BSU offense pretty much had their way with the lame ducks as they went on to a 19-8 victory in their home opener. No. 14 Oregon was the highest ranked team to visit the blue turf.

However, the most "exciting" event in the ball game came after the game. Oregon Sr. RB LeGarrette Blount sucker punched a Boisie St. player in the face just below the chin after the player tapped him on the shoulder in a "taunting" way (or so Blount thought). After that, Blount was teased by some BSU fans and he went ballistic, having to be restrained by Oregon coaches as they hauled him off to the locker room.

In the last blog, I said that a symbolic handshake before the game is not a good idea since emotions are high and the players, at least some of them, don't have the discipline and maturity to control their mouths and emotions. Both teams did handle the pre-game hand shake well. It's a miracle since Blount said before the game that Oregon owed BSU a "butt woopin" (probably something more unprintable than that). Those comments, of course, are going to be used as locker room fodder by the other team. Their was a butt woopin, only Oregon was the recipient for the second straight year.

Jason Smith, the host of ESPN Radio's All Night With Jason Smith, thinks Blount should be suspended for the rest of the season and not just the next game or two. Blount has behaved badly before. He was kicked out of practice on one occasion after unruly behavior. He should certainly be suspended for at least the next two games. The NCAA will probably suspend him for even more games.

What is very interesting is the different perspectives of both the Oregon and Boisie State radio networks. Oregon broadcaster Jerry Allen made it sound like the Boisie State players were taunting Blount and Blount "responded". He went on to say that the BSU players were taunting but then cooler heads prevailed and Blount just "didn't like it".
On the other hand, the Boisie State broadcasters saw it as yours truly saw it happen on national television. The Boisie State player tapped blount on iether the shoulder or helmet and Blount punched the player just below the chin. People, including broadcasters, will call it the way THEY WANT to see it.

Should Blount be suspended for the rest of the season, possibly. He was suspended at one time, but over the Summer, had grown in his maturity according to new Oregon Head Coach Chip Kelly. Kelly spoke too soon. What a way to start the college football season.

Lobo Men's Soccer Team Shuts Out Billikens in St. Louis

2009-09-03T21:51:00.000-07:00

If there was any doubt that the New Mexico Lobos Men's Soccer team is a top 25 team, they put it to rest last Tuesday night as they began their season by an eye=opening 3-0 win over No. 21 ranked St. Louis University on their home field.

Seniors Simon Ejdemyr, Justin Davis and P.J. Wilson scored the three goals for the Lobos. Lobo Goal Keeper Justin Fite didn't have to do too much work, as he tallied four saves on the night. "Saint Louis is a good team, a very tradition-rich team," UNM Head Coach Jeremy Fishbein said. "We're really proud of our boys. Anytime you go up against a Top-25 team, beat them by three goals, and shut them out at their place, it's a pretty great way to start the season."

The Lobos came out firing in the first half as they out shot the Billikens 15-9. New Mexico may very well be a national force in Div. l College Soccer. Even though they were pre-season games, the Lobos knocked off No. 16 ranked Tulsa 3-2, an defeated both Oral Roberts and Colorado State-Pueblo by the score of 2-0. They are on a role already, and they've only played 1 game in the regular season. If there aren't any injuries to key people, the Lobos should make it to the NCAA Tournament. They take on San Francisco Saturday
Sept. 5 in their home opener. Top 20 powers Indiana and Notre Dame await, along with two other top 25 teams in UC Davis and Cal. The Lobos have already proven they can beat the caliber of a top 25 team. THEY ARE a top 25 team. They should be fun to follow.

Organized Pre-game Handshake Is Not a Good Idea

2009-09-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

Just recently, the College Football Coaches Association suggested, not mandated, that teams before a game have an organized handshake. The intention is wonderful, but in practicality, it will not work.

In the past, we have seen too many examples of when teams meet up together before the start of the game, a fight breaks out. Someone opens their mouth to trash talk, or some player bumps into a player from the other team either accidentally or on purpose, the fist-a-cuffs begin and all you know what breaks loose. Oklahoma St. Head Football Coach Mike Gundy said yesterday on a radio interview that if something like that happened, he didn't know how it would be broken up.

I don't think it's a good idea because emotions are very high and these young men do not yet have the discipline and the maturity to control their mouths and emotions. Before the game, they are getting ready to play ball, not make nice with the other team. Do the handshakes after the game, like they do in the NHL Playoffs. Remember what happened with Notre Dame in the late 80s. They had fights in the tunnel leading out to the field with at least three teams, and the Irish were coached by the tough disciplinarian Lou Holtz. Shake hands after the game, not before.

Shorter's Tamar Watson a "Walking Miracle"

2009-09-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

From time to time on College Sports, we highlight those student-athletes who have overcome all odds to excel at their sport. Perhaps no other student-athlete exemplifies overcoming all odds then Shorter's Tamar Watson. It's a miracle she is even walking, let alone playing soccer for the Lady Hawks.

Watson was in her native country of Trinidad during the Christmas break. Watson and her best friend Giselle Salandy were driving on the outskirts of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad's capital city, when they were involved in a horrible automobile accident which killed Salandy and seriously wounded Watson. both femurs in Watson's legs were shattered in the accident, and doctors feared she would never walk normally again.

"It was the hardest and most difficult days of my life," said Watson. "I was thinking I'd never walk normally again and I'd never play again and knowing that Giselle was not here any more - it was hard." Doctors inserted two steel rods into each of Watson's femurs. They said that in time, her injuries would heal, but that she would never walk normally again.

However, through Tamar Watson's faith in God and her own determination, she defied the odds and is looking forward for her final year wearing a Shorter uniform. She also believes that Giselle Salandy would want her to persevere and never give up. "Giselle and I worked hard to get where we were despite the problems we had growing up," Watson said of her best friend Salandy, a world-class boxer. "What keeps me going is that I know she'd tell me to get up, work hard and keep going."

Watson was confined to a wheelchair for 5 months, but after that, she had had enough. "I'd get up and take a few steps on my own," Watson said. "I wasn't supposed to and the doctors were upset about it." After weeks of taking those initial steps, Watson took bigger and bigger ones until she was rehabbing twice a day and doing more work on her own. She added the pool, beach and the gym to her rehab. Watson said it was exhausting for her, but it eased the stress as well.

As a result of God's healing hand and her hard work in rehab, Watson returned to Shorter for the Fall semester. Lady Hawks Head Coach Josh Severns was amazed at how far she had come. "We had talked about her coming back, finishing at Shorter and being a part of the team," Severns said. "But we had no idea of just how far she has come. I know T's attitude. She is very determined and has a lot of passion about what she does. "I know it was tough on her, but she has focused on getting back on the field."

Right now, Watson is on the sidelines cheering her teammates, but she is determined to get back on the field. During the 2008 season, Watson scored 8 goals and had an assist. Shorter Athletic Director Josh Tucker is hopeful that Watson will be able to play before her career at Shorter is over. "Primarily we are working on regaining full range of motion in both of her knees which have stiffened due to the large amount of scarring in the quads from the initial injuries, the surgeries and general inactivity," Tucker said. "At this point maybe, and I'm just guessing, she'll be practicing again with the team around mid-October." Tucker went on to say that regardless of when Watson will be able to play again, it is simply a miracle she is even walking around.

Tamar Watson is extremely thankful to God and to her Shorter family. She feels she wants to give back to Shorter for all that they have done for her. "The Lord definitely has a plan for my life," Watson said. "He wants me to do what is right and now I'm starting to find out what it is." During the aftermath of the accident, Coach Severns, her teammates and the Shorter community called her and sent cards and gift baskets. "I know I have to give something back to Shorter because they have been so good to me," Watson said. A Business Administration major at Shorter, the Senior forward knows that God has much more in store for her and she is ready to do his will. "All of this, what I'm doing, is purpose driven. I know that God has a plan for me," Watson said. "There is a greater things for me to do and I want to find out what they are."

May of us from day to day may feel sorry for ourselves due to whatever trials we may have to deal with, most of them trivial compared to that of Tamar Watson. Her story is one of the most inspiring examples of faith in God, hard work and perseverance, and love and support from the Shorter community. If and when Watson takes the field again for the Lady Hawks, it will be a great day indeed. The fact that she overcame a terrible car crash which killed her best friend and regained the ability to walk is truly a miracle indeed. More on this story can be found at the Shorter athletic website www.goshorterhawks.cstv.com

I Love The Blue Turf

2009-09-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

One of the many great traditions of college football will begin again this Thursday Night as Boisie St. hosts Oregon on the blue turf. The Broncos are an exciting team to watch. They have toppled traditional powers like Oklahoma. Last year, they upset Oregon in Eugene.

The best thing about watching Boisie St. Football is that blue artificial turf. It's different, obviously, as all other high school, college and pro teams play on something green. It comes through nicely on my LCD 32 inch TV. I wonder if Tennessee would ever think of going to an orange turf. Boy would that be interesting to see.

Boisie St. had the longest home winning streak in the nation until Boston College upset them in the Humanitarian Bowl a couple of years ago. I wonder if the "Smurf Turf" as some call it, distracted the opposing teams and threw their concentration off just a bit. Here's an interesting fact: The NCAA told BSU that they had to get rid of the blue turf and go green. However, the Idaho Legislature past a law that the blue turf has to stay. Sorry NCAA, Lex Rex (Law is king)!

To me, Boisie St. is still that Cinderella team that upsets the big boys. That's one reason I like watching them. I want to see them in a BCS bowl again beating the likes of Ohio St. or Florida. When they defeated Oklahoma in that classic 43-42 overtime win in the Tostitoes Fiesta Bowl a couple of years ago, followed by Broncos RB Ian Johnson proposing to his cheerleader fiance on national television, it capped off a perfect 13-0 season. I wanted them to play undefeated Ohio St. for a chance to really win it all, but the good old boys at the BCS and the university presidents wouldn't let it happen. I actually think they would have given the Buckeyes a run for their money. Stay true blue, BSU! I love that blue turf.

Former Gwinnett Wrestler Excelling at Stanford

2009-08-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

Back in 2005 at the Macon Colosseum in Macon, GA, Tyler Parker, a Senior wrestler at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, GA, did something that had never been done in the history of Georgia High School Wrestling. He won the state championship in his weight class for the fourth straight year, making Parker the first to win the individual State Title four years in a row. The match that won him the championship capped off an incredible record of 54-0 his Senior year.

Parker has since taken his skills on the mat to the West Coast, to Stanford University, where he is beginning his Senior year and serves as one of four team co-captains on the Stanford Wrestling Team. His Freshman year in 2005-06 saw him earn a starting spot at 141 lbs. That year, he took second at the Central Missouri Open and won 7 of his first 9 collegiate matches. He also competed in the FILA Junior Nationals in April of that year.

During his Sophomore season, Parker competed in the PAC-10 Championships and finished with a 1-2 record. The competition got tougher as Parker would face three ranked wrestlers in his first nine matches of the year. Parker performed so well that he made it into the PAC-10 rankings at #6. Also during his Sophomore season, Parker earned Second Team All-Academic honors and competed in the NCAA Div. l National Championships.

After a red shirt season in which Parker didn't compete on the mat for the Cardinal, Parker returned to the mat in January 2009 after sitting out much of the season due to injury. He finished the year with an overall record of 4-3. One of those wins was a key come from behind win against Arizona State's Vincente Varela. That win helped Stanford beat ASU for only the second time in school history. A Management Science major, Parker was named to the First Team PAC-10 All-Academic Team during the 2008-09 season.

Tyler Parker has achieved a tremendous amount of success both on and off the mat during his high school and college careers. He is another of the many student-athletes from Gwinnett County, GA who have excelled in college both academically and athletically. It will be exciting to watch and see what he will do during his final year wrestling for the Stanford Cardinal.

Stanford's Press Named Pac-10 Player of the Week

2009-08-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

Stanford Sr. Forward Christen Press was named PAC-10 Player of the Week this past week for her efforts against Hawaii, as she scored two goals to lead the Cardinal to a 6-2 victory over the Rainbow Warriors in Honolulu this past weekend.

The Palos Verdes Estates, CA native also tallied an assist as she connected with Sr. Forward Kelly O'Hara who scored a breakaway goal in the fifth minute of the second half. Press scored her two goals in a 5 minute span to secure the win for Stanford. Press was Stanford's leading scorer a year ago. With her two goals over the weekend, Press is now ranked #9 among Stanford's all-time leading scorers with 26 goals. With her assist on O'Hara's goal, Press is now ranked #8 on the school's all-time career assist list with 18.

Press continued her scoring ways on Sunday against San Diego St. The Cardinal found themselves down by two goals, but Press and Sophomore MF Teresa Novala each scored twice and Sr. Forward Kelly O'Hara scored to give the Cardinal a come from behind 5-2 victory over the Lady Aztecs. Press now has a total of 28 goals all-time.

Christen Press was one of 24 players called to the US U-23 Training Camp back in June. She scored a goal against an Irish select team during the U-23 team's two-game tour of Ireland and N. Ireland. She was formerly part of the US U-20 Player Pool.

It appears that if Christen Press continues to perform as she is doing, she has a great chance of being on the US National Team when the FIFA Women's World Cup comes around two years from now.

Former Central Gwinnett Standout Getting it Done for Union

2009-08-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

From time to time here at College Sports, we want to give a shout out to former Gwinnett County, GA student-athletes who are excelling at the college level. One such student-athlete is Jr. Wide Receiver Rolando Dyer of Union College.

Dyer had a stellar career at Central Gwinnett High School and has translated that on to the college grit iron of Union College , a small NAIA school in Barbourville, KY. Back on Sept. 27, 2008, Dyer caught a career-high six passes for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 35-28 win over then-No. 18 Georgeotwn (Ky.). During his Freshman season in 2007, Dyer appeared in 8 games catching 8 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns for the Bulldogs.

Back in 2008. Union finished the regular season at 9-2 before losing to St. Francis University in the first round of the NAIA Playoffs. Dyer finished the 2008 campaign with 29 catches for 518 yards and 8 touchdowns. His longest reception was for 64 yards against the University of Virginia-Wise back on Nov. 1 of last year. Dyer also performed punt returning duties for the Bulldogs. He had 4 punt returns for 78 yards against St. Francis, his longest being for 31 yards.

Dyer is also teammates of two other Gwinnett Prep standouts: Sophomore RB Chandler Priest out of Grayson High School and Freshman OL Darryl Jones from Lawrenceville. There are 17 Georgia player on Union's roster for 2009, and I'm sure that Head Coach Tommy Reid will do more tapping into the rich talent of Gwinnett County high school football. The Bulldogs open their 2009 campaign on Saturday Sept. 5 with a home game against fellow Appalachian Athletic Conference foe UVA-Wise at 1:30PM.

Oklahoma St. May be Georgia's Toughest Season Opener in Program's History

2009-08-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

I cant think of another year in Georgia Football history where the Dawgs have opened with an opponent as tough as Oklahoma St. Perhaps maybe Alabama in 1985, a game the Dawgs lost to the Tide on a Labor Day Monday night under the lights between the hedges.

The Cowboys are ranked in the top 10, and their offense is ranked the best in the nation by CollegeFootballNews.com. One of the big reasons is QB Zack Robinson. the Sr. signal caller from Littleton, CO broke a plethora of school records last year. Robinson Is already all over the OSU record books with another full season to play. He's second all-time at OSU in passing yards (6,223). He holds the school record for career total offense (7,786) and is third all-time at OSU in touchdown passes with 51 - just four shy of the school record held by Josh Fields. If that's not enough, his 2008 season statistics place him second on the single-season passing yards list with 3,064 and second on touchdown passes list with 25. Based on all this, Robinson should be a Heisman Trophy candidate.

The Cowboys have an explosive running attack in Jr. RB Kendall Hunter. Hunter was the Big 12's leading rusher by more than 30 yards per game last year, and is already No. 11 all-time at OSU with 2,251 rushing yards. Also, the Dawgs will have to deal with Junior All-American WR Dez Bryant. With just two seasons under his belt, Bryant is arguably the best wide receiver in school history. In 2008, he was second in the nation in touchdown receptions with 19, third nationally with 113.9 receiving yards per game, third nationally with 17.94 yards per punt return, and second nationally with 9.69 points per game. He's just a Junior. If he, Robinson and Hunter have the kind of seasons this year they had in 08, OSU has the possibility of winning the Big 12. Georgia Defensive Coordinator Willie Martinez probably isn't getting much sleep thinking about how to stop this multi-powered offense. We cant forget Sr. Offensive Lineman Russell Okung. Okung is one of the nation's top lineman and is expected to go high in the 2010 NFL Draft.

The Georgia defense has its work cut out for them, no question about it. If the Offensive Line of Georgia can protect Joe Cox and block for RBs Caleb King, Richard Samuels and others, the Dawgs might have a chance. I will go out on a limb and say Georgia upsets the Pokes 20-17, but this is just a hunch. In the past, Georgia wins this type of game because Georgia has been more talented, at least on paper. However, this is a daunting task. The game is in Stillwater, the Cowboys desperately want to upset a big name school and take their place among fellow conference and national powerhouses Oklahoma and Texas. Again, this may very well be the toughest opponent the Dawgs have faced in an opener ever, at least in the last 3 decades. Information in this article was gleaned from the Oklahoma St. athletic web site www.okstate.com.

Knight's Inclusion Into IU Hall of Fame Long Overdue

2009-08-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

Know matter what you or I might think about Coach Bobby Knight, and I'm not a big fan of his at all, we cannot deny that he is arguably the greatest college basketball coach of all time. He is definitely the winningest coach of all time in college basketball, as far as Mens College Basketball is concerned.

It's because of that success that Indiana University has finally inducted Coach Knight into the Indiana University Sports Hall of Fame. This has been long overdue. I know he has engaged in reprehensible behavior: throwing chairs, berating members of the media, berating his own players, etc. Most people, myself included, don't condone any of that. However, he has won three national titles at IU and he has done a lot for the university and the city of Bloomington. He's also done a lot for his former players. As mentioned above, he has more wins than any other Div. l college basketball head coach. I believe it's something like 826.

I know this could not have been done back when then Indiana University President Miles Brand was there. We all know what happened. Knight was given a "zero tolerance" reprimand after a video tape showing the coach "choking" IU player Neal Reed surfaced back in May of 2000. Four months later, an incident with an IU student gave President Miles Brand the excuse to fire bob Knight. The student in question was the son of one of Knight's most vociferous critics.

Time heals all wounds, and with a new president and new athletic director, the timing was right for Knight to be inducted into the IU Sports Hall of Fame. He deserves it in spite of all of the baggage he brought. He won games and championships, and he made academics the top priority for his players. Congratulations to Coach Knight. It was long overdue.

Former Gwinnett Soccer Standouts Make Pre-season All-Conference

2009-08-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

As a testimony to the outstanding soccer talent produced in Gwinnett County, GA, two former Gwinnett area soccer starts have been named to the All-Conference USA Pre-season Team last Wednesday.

Both teammates at the University of South Carolina, Juniors Sam Arthur and Jimmy Mauer are key contributors for the success of the Gamecoks in 2008. Arthur, out of Greater Atlanta Christian, spear headed the Gamecocks' attack with a conference best 12 goals and three assists for 27 points last season, and was a first team all-conference selection as a Sophomore.

Jimmy Mauer is a Junior Goal Keeper from Lawrenceville, but attended St. Pius X High School in Atlanta. Mauer was a second team all-conference selection in 2008. Mauer had a great year between the pipes with a 0.80 goals against average and 9 shutouts. That performance earned him Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week four times.

These are two examples of the plethora of soccer players coming out of Gwinnett County who have gone on to have stellar college careers. Some players, such as Josh Wolfe of the MLS Kansas City Wizzards (Parkview HS) and Justin Moore of Real Salt Lake (MLS) and the Atlanta Silverbacks (USL First Division) have made it to the pros. Justin Moore also played at Parkview High School and he played collegiately at Clemson. Back in the mid 90s, his older brother Jason Moore, also of Parkview HS, played collegiately at Virginia before having a stint with DC United.

With the growth of soccer in Gwinnett, there will undoubtedly be more players to excel at the college level and maybe event the professional ranks. Information in this article was gained from the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Be Sure Your Sins Will Find You Out: Memphis Forfeits 2007-08 Season

2009-08-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

When I was a young boy, I had the privilege of growing up in a Christian home and attending Christian schools. One thing I learned from my parents and teachers is that consequences, sooner or later, will follow wrong doing. "Be sure your sins will find you out" was a statement I heard. Apparently, John Calipari and Derrick Rhodes didn't take seriously that dire warning.

Yesterday, the NCAA informed the University of Memphis that the Mens Basketball Team would have to forfeit all 38 games including their Final Four appearance because one of their players, starting point guard Derrick Rose, had a fraudulent score on the SAT. The Mens Basketball Program will also be put on probation for 3 years. I wrote an article about this a few months ago. John Calipari had left the Tigers to go to "bluer" pastures at Kentucky. I warned Kentucky that the Wildcats might be making a big mistake. It turns out that "might" may be looking more like "is" or "are", depending on your grammar.

Derrick Rose is now making millions as the starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls, and, as mentioned earlier, John Calipari is now at Kentucky. This is the second time that one of Calipari's Final Four teams will have their Final Four appearance stricken from the record. The first one was back in 1996 when Calipari's UMASS Minutemen reached the Final Four and lost to Kentucky, the eventual national champion. Massachusetts was assessed this penalty because former Minutemen Center Marcus Cambi was given financial gifts, which is obviously and NCAA violation.

Some people just don't get it. They will never get it. John Calipari is apparently one of these people. The University of Memphis says they will appeal the NCAA's decision. My suggestion to Memphis is this: since both Rose and Calipari are making millions of dollars with their respective employers, the university should go after them via law suits. Right now, they are both off the hook since they aren't at Memphis anymore. They both have caused embarrassment and shame to U of M and the city of Memphis. I'm wondering if a defamation law suit is possible. I find Calipari more culpable since this is the second time this has happened on his watch. The chances of Memphis winning an appeal of the NCAA's edict is slim to none, but the university might be able to save face by going after Calipari and Rose in a law suit. That's my opinion and I welcome yours.

Bryan Womens Soccer Team Scoring in the Classroom

2009-08-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

Here at College Sports from time to time, we want to recognize student-athletes who are excelling where it really counts: in the classroom.

Last week, the NAIA announced the winners of the Scholar Team Awards, and the Bryan College Women's Soccer Team was tied for 8th in the nation with a team GPA of 3.51. The Womens Soccer Team was one of four Bryan athletic teams to receive the award, and of those four, they had the highest GPA. They were also the only Womens Soccer Team in the Appalachian Athletic Conference to receive the award.

Head Coach Mark Suave is extremely proud of his team's accomplishment: "Being the head women's soccer coach at Bryan College is a lot more than just running technical and tactical sessions," Coach Suave said. "For me, coaching is an opportunity to invest in lives. Coaching extends well beyond the practice fields and times. I take a holistic approach with each individual player. I challenge the girls to always give just a little more on the field and off the field. At the beginning of the spring semester I challenged the girls to have a team GPA higher than a 3.5, and they responded. I am honored to be their coach and I am very proud of my team's efforts on the field and in the class room."

The Lady Lions open their season Friday evening when they host Trevecca Nazarine University at 7pm. One of the other Bryan teams to receive the award was the Mens Basketball Team. They were ranked 24th in the NAIA with a team GPA of 3.06. They also were the only mens basketball team in the Appalachian Athletic Conference to receive the award. Congratulations to all of the Bryan athletic teams who received the NAIA Scholar Team Award. You did it where it counts the most!

Fast Feet Without Shoes: Cross Country Runner Runs Barefooted

2009-08-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

Mari Jean Wegert is a Junior runner on the Grace College Women's Cross Country and Track teams. She advanced to the NAIA Nationals in the 800 as a freshman, and her 3,200-meter relay team qualified to nationals during the indoor season last year. This is nothing out of the ordinary for top notch runners. There is one exception. She is doing it barefooted.

"I don't know how to put into words why it's so much more fun," Wegert said of running barefooted. "I remember feeling miserable (with shoes). It felt a lot lighter without shoes. I like to be different -- it's fun to have a way to run that nobody else does," Wegert continued. As a Cross Country runner, Wegert advanced to the NAIA nationals and she finished 13th at the Christian college nationals meet as a Sophomore.

When she came to Grace College, a small NAIA school in Winnona Lake, Indiana, Wegert had no plans to participate in intercollegiate athletics. "When I first came to college, I wasn't an athlete. I like poetry and music and didn't like the athlete stereotype. It gives me a way to not totally fit into the mold of a jock. I can run faster and be more competitive," Wegert said. Wegert's goal is to run under 18 minutes in Cross Country and 2:09 in the 800.

Wegert didn't start running competitively until her Senior year in high school, at the request of the coach. She ended up being part of a 3200 meter relay team that qualified for the Regionals. Grace Cross and Country and Track Coach Neal Butler didn't discourage Wegert from running barefooted. At a meet in Indianapolis, Wegert complained to Coach Butler that she wanted to run barefooted. Butler asked the meet officials and they said it was OK. Wegert made it to the Finals and finished in seventh place. "I started too fast but it was so much fun, and I've run about every race since without shoes," Wegert said.

Marijean Wegert does have to be very careful to take care of her feet. "I have to run carefully and watch where I'm running," Wegert said. "The track does tear up your feet, and I'll limp around after a race. It wasn't too bad after a while, and I have a couple layers of callouses on my feet (now). Wegert also said that it was a gradual experience building up callouses and endurance. She says that form is important and that running barefooted actually helps her form.

An English major from Elmore, OH, Wegert is having a great time at Grace College. She's enjoying the academic, social and athletic atmosphere of college life: "I always looked forward to college," Wegert said. "Everybody learning together and eating together. That attracted me. I love having a deep discussion or talking about literature with friends after class. It's a good environment to learn, have fun with friends and find ways to be creative."I really enjoy the team, coach and the whole competitive aspect."

to me, Marijean Wegert is one of the toughest athletes around. To be able to run barefoot at a high level on the track or through the woods takes guts. Some days the asphalt or concrete is very hot. When running through the woods in a Cross Country meet or in practice, she steps on sharp twigs or rocks, yet that doesn't deter her from having fast fet without shoes. Marijean Wegert is one tough student-athlete. Information for this article was gathered from the NAIA's official website http://www.naia.org/ and from the News Messenger out of Fremont, OH and their Staff Writer Matthew Horn.

Paulus Nemed Starting QB at Syracuse

2009-08-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

After four years in the back court of the Duke Blue Devils, Greg Paulus will now be passing an oblong ball for the Syracuse Orange. Yesterday, Greg Paulus was named the starting quarterback for Syracuse University in their opener against Minnesota at noon on Sept. 5.

Paulus graduated from Duke, but still has 1 year of eligibility left and has decided to use it at Syracuse. He didn't join the Orange for workouts until July, and he has already been named the starting quarterback. He didn't participate in Spring Practice, but he has beaten out the other QBs to be the starter. Something is wrong with this picture. Yes, I know he has talent. Coming out of high school, Paulus was one of the elite high school quarterbacks in the country. However, he has not thrown a football in 4 years, let alone thrown one with huge defensive linemen breathing down his neck.

Either Paulus is a natural and has a nack of picking up the offense quickly, or the Orange other quarterbacks are really bad. I hope the best for him. I hope he succeeds, but I cant help but feel for the other QBs who put in the work in the Spring and Summer workouts. They paid their dues. I'm not sure Paulus did.

Gruden Should Become the Next Football Coach at IU

2009-08-17T21:56:00.000-07:00

What is John Gruden doing in the booth for Monday Night Football? He belongs back in coaching, but this time, at the college level. I cant think of a better place for him to go: Indiana.

Yes, you heard me right. IU needs a resuscitation of it's woeful pigskin experiment. John Gruden would be the perfect man to resurrect the program. He's from Indiana. He's won the ultimate prize at the professional ranks: Super Bowl Championship. He's young and energetic. He would breathe life into the program. If you watched last night's pre-season ESPN telecast of the NY Giants/Carolina game, he was giving rave reviews of the Wildcat Offense. He could install that at Indiana, bring some excitement to the program. there's no doubt he would recruit the right players for his system.

Several blogs ago, I wrote that Indiana Football should revert to a Club Sport because it has been, for the most part, awful. I think John Gruden would change that, just like Mark Mangino has turned Kansas from the Big Xll door matt to a BCS bowl appearance and a win over Virginia Tech 2 years ago. Gruden could do the same thing. I have no doubt. That's my opinion, and I welcome yours.

State with the Best ever College Basketball Starting 5 Revised Version

2009-08-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

I need to change the criteria. If you read the previous blog about which state has the best ever college basketball starting 5, you'll notice that the criteria I chose was that in order for those players to be eligible, they had to play at least High School ball in that particular state and not necessarily college in that state. My friend's idea when he suggested this topic was that the criteria would be that the players would represent the state they played COLLEGE BASKETBALL in, not high school.

He made a case for Louisiana being the state with the best all-time CB starting 5: Shaquille Oneal, Bob Petit, Karl Malone, Pete Maravich and Chris Jackson. All 5 of these players play college ball in the state of Louisiana. They were not all from Louisiana and they didn't all play high school ball there. By the way, his sixth man was Joe Dumars. So, if you still want to come up with the state with the best all-time starting five based on the players being from that state, or at least playing high school ball there, then go read the previous blog at kgussports.blogspot.com and post your comment. However, as far as I'm concerned, I'm changing the criteria to it being the state where they played college basketball.

OK, in that light, North Carolina would be my candidate for the state with the best all-time college basketball starting 5. Here they are: Phil Ford, Michael Jordan, Bobby Jones, Tyler Hansbrough and David Thompson. Chris Paul is my sixth man. This was a tough one. I had to leave out several Dukies like Johny Dawkins, Christian Laetner and Jason Williams, not to mention Jerry Stackhouse and Donald Williams from UNC, as well as Rodney Monroe (NC. St.) and Stephan Curry from Davidson.

As a Georgian, I have to throw in Georgia's case as being the state with the best college basketball starting 5. If they have to have played college ball in the state of Georgia, then here they are: Kenny Anderson, Mark Price, Dominique Wilkins, Jarvis Hayes and Dwayne Ferrell with Tommy Hammonds as the sixth man. Make your case for your state being the one with the best all-time college basketball starting 5. They have to have played college ball in that particular state! Post your comment below.

What State Can Boast the Best All-Time College Starting 5

2009-08-14T12:08:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine in Louisiana gave me a great idea for a blog. What state in the union would have the best all-time college all-star starting five? He made a great case for Louisiana. his starting five were Bob Petit, Pete Maravich, Shaquile Oneal, Karl Malone and Chris Jackson (later changed name to Mahmoud Abdul Raouf). That's an excellent case.

My vote might be the state of North Carolina. Here is my all-time starting five for NC: Jerry Stackhouse, Michael Jordan, Lou Hudson, Dominique Wilkins and Bobby Jones. Yes, I know some of you are screaming for Tyler Hansbrough, but he is not from the state of North Carolina. He is from Missouri. He would definitely be on the Missouri all-time starting five. The five players I mentioned all at least went to high school in North Carolina. By the way, Dominique Wilkins played high school ball in Washington, NC.

Here is my case for Georgia having the best all-time college starting five. they at least played high school ball in Georgia. Norm Nixon, started on the L.A Lakers 1982 NBA Championship team with Magic and Kareem. He went to SW Macon in Macon, Ga. I believe during his tenure there, SW Macon was ranked #1 in the country. Horace Grant, who one 6 NBA titles with Jordan and the Bulls. He played high school ball in Sparta, GA and was an All-American at Clemson. By the way, to qualify, the players need to have played college ball. Kenny "Sky" Walker, who was a star at the Univ. of Kentucky. He is from Georgia. Ricky Moore from Macon, GA, who played for the UCONN Huskies and is now in the NBA. My final Georgia player is Jody Meeks. He scored 54 points for Kentucky this past year breaking the school's all-time single game scoring total. Jody is from Norcross, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in this past Summer's NBA Draft. I'll make Brian Oliver my sixth man. Oliver was part of the "Lethal Weapon Three" trio who led Georgia Tech to the 1990 Final Four. There have been so many great players from Georgia to play college and pro ball. This was a tough call.

Feel free to post your state's case for the best all-time college starting five. You can throw in a sixth man also. By the way, my sixth man for the North Carolina contingent would be Stephan Curry. Your comments please.

Should Rick Petino be Fired? That's a Tough Call

2009-08-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

No doubt Michael Vick being signed by the Philadelphia Eagles is the top off the field sports story. However, the second off the field sports story is that of the saga of Louisville University Head Basketball Coach Rick Petino.

Petino admitted to having consensual sex with a woman 6 years ago. According to reports, the woman got pregnant and Petino paid the lady something like $3,000.00 to have an abortion. Now this lady claims Petino raped her not once, but twice. The rape charges, I believe, are bogus. The woman has already been charged with filing a false report as well as extortion.

The issue I'm dealing with is; Does the university want to associate itself with someone who not only did something "inappropriate", but covered it up from UL officials these past 6 years. Yes, I know consensual sex is not a crime as far as the legal sense of the word. However, this happened while Petino was married (He still is). That's adultery. Adultery is at best very inappropriate behavior and at worst a crime against God. By the way, if Petino was serving in the US Military, he would be charged with adultery because it is a crime in the military.

Petino is a coach, but he is also a teacher. His students are his players. UL, along with every other college and university in the country, wants their professors and coaches to set the right examples for their students. What Petino did was far from the right example. It is an embarrassment to the University of Louisville. What's more worse is this was covered up until now. Petino is a winner on the court. That is, I believe, the real reason why he hasn't been fired. Winning cures everything, so they say.
Do people deserve second chances, yes. If they have a repentant attitude and are making steps to correct their behavior. like Michael Vick is trying to do, then yes, they deserve a second chance. However, the reputation of UL and its basketball program is at stake. Parents of potential recruits will now think twice about allowing their sons to play for Petino.

As far as whether or not Petino should be fired, that's a tough call for me. As one emailer to a sports talk show wrote: "If you fired everyone who has engaged in infidelity, the nation would have a 75% unemployment rate. I'm afraid that may very well be true. Your comments please.

Dustdevils Aim to Improve on Successful 08 Season

2009-08-11T22:06:00.000-07:00

The Texas A&M International Mens Soccer Team finished the 2008 season with a strong 12-5-1 record and a third place finish in the Heartland Conference at 5-4-1. To improve on that success in 09, Head Coach Claudio Arias and his charges will have to do it while losing 9 seniors to graduation, including 2008 Conference Player of the Year Greg Mulamba.

Mulamba finished his career at TAMIU in 2008 ranked sixth on the TAMIU career list in goals (13) and total points (32). Mulamba, along with fellow senior Albert Escovar were named First Team All-Conference. Seniors Adeyemi Gill and Victor Garcia were named to the All-Conference Second Team. Soamy Bautista embarks on his Junior season for the Dustdevils. He also earned second team All-Conference honors in 08. In an effort to hewn his skills in the off season, Bautista had a successful Summer season with the Laredo Heat of the PDL (Professional Developmental League).

The Dustdevils have another tough schedule in 2009, including fellow Heartland Conference foes Midwestern St., who is currently ranked #5 in the nation in the NCAA Div ll pre-season poll, and teams like Incarnate Word and W. Texas A&M just to name a few. The Dustdevils have other capable players to step in and fill the roles left by the departing seniors, such as Junior Forward Alejandro Castillo, a transfer from Concordia-Nebraska. While playing for the Bulldogs back in 2005, Castillo scored 5 goals and finished with 14 points that year. He will be looked upon to provide scoring for the Dustdevils. Also returning for his Senior season is Forward Roy Hernandez. The Houston, TX native played his first two collegiate season at San Jacinto Jr. College where he scored 11 goals as a Freshman and 12 as a Sophomore. The Dustdevils will need his scoring punch in 09 if they are to compete for a conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Div. ll Tournament.

Texas A&M International University, located in Laredo, TX on the Mexican border, is a member of the Heartland Conference in NCAA Div. ll. Head Coach Claudio Arias begins his sixth season this Fall as Head Coach of the Dustdevils with a total record of 50-34-5 while at TAMIU. Last year's 12-5-1 record was the program's best record in 4 seasons.

College Football Pre-season Polls Are Worthless

2009-08-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

A year ago, Georgia was picked #1 in the pre-season college football polls. They finished 10-2 with a win in the Capital One Bowl It wasn't a bad season, but they couldn't live up to expectations. In 2000, Alabama was picked as the pre-season #1 team. They ended up horrible with a losing season. I believe it was 3-8 and losing to Louisiana Tech that year at home. Auburn was picked #1 pre-season in 2003. They lost to Southern Cal at home 23-0 and to Ga. Tech the following week. They ended up 6-5 with a win over Wisconsin in the Music City Bowl. Get my drift.

The title of #1 before the first kickoff is at best meaningless and at worst a curse for the team with that mantle. Pre-season polls do nothing but get the sports talk shows good ratings and inflate the heads of the players. They are worthless! In my opinion, the first ranking of the season should come out no earlier than after week three of the college football season. By then, there is pretty much a consensus of who the best team is. Texas Head Coach Mack Brown said on a sports talk show that the polls shouldn't come out until October. I'd be OK with that.

I will say that Florida, who is #1 in the pre-season polls, will probably stay there throughout the season and win the national title again. They should be the pre-season #1 pick anyway because they ARE the national champions. The champs are the champs until they are knocked off. However, that doesn't do away with the fact that pre-season polls don't mean anything. The first poll should come out at least after 3 weeks of the season have been completed. that's my opinion, and I welcome yours.

Orange Getting Ready for the next "Melo"

2009-08-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

The Syracuse University Basketball Team will have another Melo on its squad in 2010. He's a 7 footer from Brazil named Fabricio De Melo. Recruited by several big time schools such as Louisville, Uconn, Florida St. and Florida, Fab Melo chose the Cuse.

The 7 foot 267 pound Melo transferred fro his school in Brazil to Sagemont High School in Florida. Because of Florida High School Athletic Association rules on international transfers, Melo had to sit out last season but will be eligible to play for Sagemont this year.

"He felt really comfortable with Coach Jim Boeheim, assistant coach Mike Hopkins and Bernie Fine," Sagemont High School Coach Adam Ross said. It really came down to that; feeling comfortable with the coaches and the school and the city." Coach Ross continued.

Even though Fab Melo didn't play this past season, he still created tremendous interest in the college coaching world. Coaches went to Sagemont to scout Div. l prospects and Melo caught their eye. Coach Ross believes Melo has all the skills coaches want to see in a post player. "Fab is a tremendous talent because not only does he have tremendous size but he has a very advanced skill set. For a high school junior who's 7-feet tall, his potential is limitless. He has all the tools college coaches look for to build on." Coach Ross said.

This pas Summer, Melo played in several elite camps and with his AAU team, the Florida Rams, on the AAU circuit. Melo also participated in the NBA's prestigious Players Association Top 100 Camp at the University of Virginia. While at the camp, Melo was so impressive that he was named to the First Team.

Coach Ross commented that it has been tough for Melo not being able to play high school ball this past school year, but that his conditioning has gotten better. Ross said he played in 50 games in the month of July, going from one extreme to the other. "He continues to work hard. He knows that's a key to his success.'' Coach Ross said.

Both Melo and Ross toured Syracuse University on an unofficial visit back in May. It was the third unofficial visit that Melo made. He also visited two other Big East schools; Louisville and Connecticut. Melo also made a visit to the University of Florida.

Melo had some pre-conceived ideas about the university and the city of Syracuse, but those trepidations were put to rest upon his visitation.
"He was very surprised by the campus and the town,'' Coach Ross said. "When we came out of the Carrier Dome, he said to me "I want to play in this place.''

Fab Melo has played on the Brazilian Junior National Team, but recently he's been playing in other events which took him away from the National Team. Melo is the most recent addition to an already outstanding Syracuse 2010 class. In fact, Dave Telep, the scouting director at Scout.com, ranks Melo at #5 in the Syracuse class of 2010.
Other Syracuse commitments include Dion Waiters, a 6'3 guard from Philadelphia, C.J. Fair, a 6'8 forward from Baltimore and Baye Moussa Keita, a 6'9 forward from Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, VA.

The Cuse is going to have an incredible season in 2010-11 with this class. The may very well win a national championship. The last Melo to lead Syracuse to a national title was Carmello Anthony in 2003. But I predict that Fab Melo will only attend the Cuse for 2 years, then it's off to the NBA. We shall see. Info in this blog was obtained from www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball.

NCAA Tells State of Delaware "Don't Bet on it."

2009-08-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

Earlier today, all three divisions of the NCAA made it clear that any state that allows gambling on college games will not be allowed to host any title games. I say it's a good idea. The NCAA is trying to protect the integrity of its amature athletics. The state of Delaware wants to have sports betting, including betting on college sporting events.

I know the economy is rough. Delaware could use the money made from betting. However, I applaud the NCAA for taking a stand. The want to keep their sports clean. It is well documented the many, many abuses by student-athletes, coaches and boosters that have stained the college game. The NCAA wants less and less of it, and sending such a message as was sent today will help to keep college sports what they were intended to be: played by armature student-athletes. The NCAA has a right to do what ever it wants to keep it that way. If the state of Delaware ever hopes to host an NCAA national championship game, then they "shouldn't bet on it." Your comments please!