A Girl Scouts: Scrimmage 8/21/2010

Well boys and girls. T9 got the chance (along with a dozen hundred others, or so) to check out the new premium seats and the team.

Lemme say, the stadium looks great! The new sound system will have the place ROCKIN'.
And tomorrow is the annual Fan Day.

Beyond that, you are on your own.

Just kidding.

In theory there were no photos/videos allowed. Rule follower here did just that. I'm betting you will be able to find some other blog/website with the contraband if you desire. Me? I'm just going to share what I saw.

Denard: He will absolutely start as he is clearly the leader on the team. He had the most energy during warm-ups, was the first one and the fastest one doing stretch drills, and was clearly the first-team QB of the day during the 'scrimmage'. He hit a nice 23-ish yard pass on a WICKED play fake to Grady. And then ran it in for another 25 or so on a QB draw, juking a DB as he went. Enough to even get the sidelines "ooh-ing".

Tater: Low energy, still doesn't step into his throws. Can hit Tacopants on a dime though....ie, over threw a bunch. Just didn't seem engaged, although propped his center up when a bad snap caused a fumble. He and Denard didn't seem to have much love for each other. Not nasty, just not talking to one another or very friendly---at least from the nosebleed seats.

Devin Gardner: Our lucky number 7. Lemme tell you this kid looks GOOD. Tall, poised, mobile, accurate, made smart reads--he got most of the action for the day.

RBs: Ooooh we got a bunch of them! Mike Shaw looks strong and fast. Although I think he coughed one up. Vince Smith is a beast. He looks fast and confident and was not afraid to go lateral. Quote of the day? "Cox your ball carrier". Hoping for more Beavis and Butthead like comments soon! heh-heh. heh-heh.

And, all of the QBs got some snaps up under center from the typical, old-school, smash-mouth, big ugly I-formation football. Niiiiice.

Big ol' number 77 Taylor Lewan even got flagged for a personal foul after the whistle going after safety Jordan Kovacs. I like the intensity!

AND NOW TO EVERYONE'S QUESTION:

THE DEFENSE

Unfortunately, it will remain a mystery. Lots of different looks, lots of substitutions and variation. I will say, however, that the D closes fast and hits hard. Still no support in the middle, but better pursuit angles and zone-like defense. Anyone hits us deep on the edge though and that will be 6. A lot.
Like I said before, best Defense??? BALL CONTROL OFFENSE.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Take your anti-acids now. Kick off team didn't kick it into the end-zone once, and didn't control the return. Punt coverage? Close your eyes as it may be a scary ride.

OVERALL????
I'm stoked for the season to start already!!!!!
I'm excited for the "new" stadium and "new" crowd traditions.
And, I've got my fingers crossed that we can win the ones we are supposed to and that everyone stays healthy.

GO BLUE !!!!!!!
BEAT CONNECTICUT

A Girl Scouts: Superbowl Commercials

So I was going to go thru and remind us all about the "playas" for the Saints and the Colts, but then I thought, nah....what we all really care about are the commercials. Then I got sucked into NFL networks best commercials of the decade and well, here we are....laundry not getting done and the chores on hold.

This was the #1 ad of the decade according to Jim Nantz...and I kinda agree.



But, I found some other ones that make my own personal list.

Here's one that is just perfectly stoopid and ballsy:



And this laugh out loud cuz you know you work in this office:



Amazing how a commercial can create a phenomenon all by it's self:




And this final one for the ladies.....




SO, which one's have I forgotten??? What makes a great Superbowl Commercial??? Funny? Stoopid? Animals? Violence? Sarcasm?

A Girl Scouts: Little Caesars Pizza Bowl

PIZZA ! PIZZA !
Oh, if only !!! We could been contenda's !!!

But no, today's bowl game (1 pm ET) features the green and white clad Ohio Bobcats versus the similarly clad green and white Thundering Herd from (we are) Marshall. Ironical, wouldn't you say??? Two green and white teams in our Pizza Bowl? bah humbug.

This game, while interesting from a football standpoint--given the strength of the MAC--actually has more drama trauma off the field. And I'm alllllll about the drama!

In case you haven't heard, Marshall's coach Mark Snyder resigned as Head Coach the day after their final game (a 52-21 drubbing by UTEP). Bummer dude. Snyder graduated from Marshall in 1988 and over his five year tenure produced a 22-37 record. Not what the Herders are used to, alas. John "Doc" Holliday will be their Head Coach Huckleberry now. Doc has been the associate head coach at (wait for it) West Virginia this past year, and was at Florida and NC State before that.
BUT....ol' Doc won't be coaching the team today. Oh no, that task will go to the Interim-Head Coach-For-A-Day Defensive Coordinator Rick Minter.

Lemme just digress here for a minute about Rick Minter.
The guy has a long history of coaching line backers from Arkansas, La Tech, NC State, and New Mexico State before going to Ball State as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator from 1985 to 1991. In '92-'93 he was a Domer and helped the Irish to a #2 national ranking. Then he becomes the head coach at Cincinnati before heading over to Pete Carroll's factory in 2004. He went back to ND before ending up at Marshall as their Defensive Coordinator. Are ya sensing a theme here?????
Anyone else thinking that WEEEE need a linebacker coach???????
Hmmm....lemme see, he's been in Detroit for the week, he's gonna be out of a job soon.....Hire the man !!! How sweet would that be? Stealing from West Virginny and the Domers all in one????? Diabolical !!!

The Bobcats are the MAC East Champions, racking up a 9-4 record. The boys from Marshall bring their 6-6 record in Conference USA to the table. Here's ESPNs take on the game.

And, of course there are two more games today too---
At 4 pm Eastern the Meineke Car Care Bowl pitting, well, um, Pitt against North Carolina.
And, at 8 pm Eastern the Emerald Bowl where Boston College has to face a pretty pissed of Trojan team.
Should be a great day !!!
Enjoy the football and the leftovers. Oh, and trying to figure out how to put all that Christmas shit together......

A Girl Scouts: New Mexico Bowl 2009

First up this bowl season is the New Mexico Bowl pitting the (8-4) Fresno State Bulldogs against the (6-6) Cowboys of Wyoming.
First, I'm loving both logos. Seriously.

This game pits the WAC vs. The Mountain West and I think we will be in for a treat.

The Bulldogs have Ryan Mathews at RB. Who you say??? Well, stealth Ryan Mathews averages a bit over 151 yards per game, and tallied up 235 against Boise State. He also ran all over Wisconsin, Illinois, and Cincinnati. Heck, he even has 7 more yards this season than Toby Gerhart. Fresno State's ground game is 7th in the nation overall. So get ready for some smash mouth football from Pat Hill's gang. But, the QBs from Fresno State are no slouches either. In fact three former Bulldogs currently play in the NFL--the best of which is David Carr. Current QB Ryan Colburn has lofted 18 TDs this season, the longest for 92 yards. On the defensive side, watch Moses Harris, a finalist for the Moses V. Campbell award (the Academic Heisman). He didn't win it, but did get 18K in scholarship monies to finish his MBA. Not too shabby........

The cowpokes' MVP, however, seems to be their head coach Dave Christensen--I mean, he is front and center on their media guide......This will be Wyoming's first bowl appearance since 2004. I have no comment in that regard since our sorry butts are sitting at home without our own bowl game to travel to for the second straight year. sigh.
Their QB is also a true freshman, Austyn Carta-Samuels (check out his blog: austyncartasamuels.blogspot.com) , and their best RB is a guy named Alvester Alexander, another freshman, out of Houston. He is listed as 5'11" and 200 pounds..... They've started 7 true freshman (the only teams starting more believe it or not are Texas A&M with 11, and Eastern Michigan at 8 and Tulane with 9.

I think that this one is a no-brainer. The Bulldogs in a runaway. But it should be fun !!!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

New Mexico Fresno State vs. Wyoming	Albuquerque, N.M. University Stadium	Dec. 19 4:30 p.m.	ESPN
St. Petersburg pres. by Beef 'O' Brady's UCF vs. Rutgers	St. Petersburg, Fla. Tropicana Field	Dec. 19 8 p.m.	ESPN
R+L Carriers New Orleans Southern Miss vs. Middle Tennessee	New Orleans Louisiana Superdome	Dec. 20 8:30 p.m.	ESPN
MAACO Las Vegas Oregon State vs. BYU	Las Vegas Sam Boyd Stadium	Dec. 22 8 p.m.	ESPN
S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia Utah vs. Cal	San Diego Qualcomm Stadium	Dec. 23 8 p.m.	ESPN
Sheraton Hawaii Nevada vs. SMU	Honolulu Aloha Stadium	Dec. 24 8 p.m.	ESPN
Little Caesars Marshall vs. Ohio	Detroit Ford Field	Dec. 26 1 p.m.	ESPN
Meineke Car Care Pitt vs. North Carolina	Charlotte, N.C. Bank of America Stadium	Dec. 26 4:30 p.m.	ESPN
Emerald Boston College vs. USC	San Francisco AT&T Park	Dec. 26 8 p.m.	ESPN
Gaylord Hotels Music City Kentucky vs. Clemson	Nashville, Tenn. LP Field	Dec. 27 8:30 p.m.	ESPN
AdvoCare V100 Independence Texas A&M vs. Georgia	Shreveport, La. Independence Stadium	Dec. 28 5 p.m.	ESPN2
EagleBank UCLA vs. Temple	Washington, D.C. RFK Stadium	Dec. 29 4:30 p.m.	ESPN
Champs Sports Miami vs. Wisconsin	Orlando, Fla. Florida Citrus Bowl	Dec. 29 8 p.m.	ESPN
Roady's Humanitarian Bowling Green vs. Idaho	Boise, Idaho Bronco Stadium	Dec. 30 4:30 p.m.	ESPN
Pacific Life Holiday Arizona vs. Nebraska	San Diego Qualcomm Stadium	Dec. 30 8 p.m.	ESPN
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Houston vs. Air Force	Fort Worth, Texas Amon G. Carter Stadium	Dec. 31 Noon	ESPN
Brut Sun Oklahoma vs. Stanford	El Paso, Texas Sun Bowl	Dec. 31 2 p.m.	CBS
Texas Navy vs. Missouri	Houston Reliant Stadium	Dec. 31 3:30 p.m.	ESPN
Insight Minnesota vs. Iowa State	Tempe, Ariz. Sun Devil Stadium	Dec. 31 6 p.m.	NFL Network
Chick-fil-A Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee	Atlanta Georgia Dome	Dec. 31 7:30 p.m.	ESPN
Outback Northwestern vs. Auburn	Tampa, Fla. Raymond James Stadium	Jan. 1 11 a.m.	ESPN
Capital One Penn State vs. LSU	Orlando, Fla. Florida Citrus Bowl	Jan. 1 1 p.m.	ABC
Konica Minolta Gator West Virginia vs. Florida State	Jacksonville, Fla. Municipal Stadium	Jan. 1 1 p.m.	CBS
Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi Ohio State vs. Oregon	Pasadena, Calif. Rose Bowl	Jan. 1 4:30 p.m.	ABC
Allstate Sugar Florida vs. Cincinnati	New Orleans Louisiana Superdome	Jan. 1 8:30 p.m.	FOX
International South Florida vs. Northern Illinois	Toronto, Canada Rogers Centre	Jan. 2 Noon	ESPN2
Papajohns.com South Carolina vs. UConn	Birmingham, Ala. Legion Field	Jan. 2 2 p.m.	ESPN
AT&T Cotton Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss	Arlington, Texas Cowboys Stadium	Jan. 2 2 p.m.	FOX
AutoZone Liberty Arkansas vs. East Carolina	Memphis, Tenn. Liberty Bowl	Jan. 2 5:30 p.m.	ESPN
Valero Alamo Michigan State vs. Texas Tech	San Antonio Alamodome	Jan. 2 9 p.m.	ESPN
Tostitos Fiesta Boise State vs. TCU	Glendale, Ariz. U. of Phoenix Stadium	Jan. 4 8 p.m.	FOX
FedEx Orange Iowa vs. Georgia Tech	Miami Land Shark Stadium	Jan. 5 8 p.m.	FOX
GMAC Central Michigan vs. Troy	Mobile, Ala. Ladd-Peebles Stadium	Jan. 6 7 p.m.	ESPN
Citi BCS National Championship Game Texas vs. Alabama	Pasadena, Calif. Rose Bowl	Jan. 7 8 p.m.	ABC

A Girl Scouts: Delaware State

Well, it's been a while since a scouting report has been required, mainly because our opponents have been known entities. Not this week though my friends! Hopefully we can get some serious healing done--not only like Andy prescribes, but also from a football fundamental perspective as well!? We need a win and we need some progress!!!

So, just who are these Hornets from Delaware and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference???

First things first, you go to their athletics website and their top story is about...get this...their equestrian team!!! AWESOME. Their football stadium holds a mere 7,000 TOTAL. But, they have a conference championship in 2007 which is sure a whole lot more than we can say....

The Hornets come into Ann Arbor with a 1 - 3 record. They had a decisive win over Hampton (21-6) but losses to Florida A&M (12-21), Delaware (17-27), and a squeeker to Bethune-Cookman (7-9) make it tempting to start counting this one in the win column. But, remember the Appy State.....

DSU is coached by Al Lavan, formerly of EMU fame, with a 5 year record of 34-22. I'm not at all sure how Cap'n Bill found this team for our 12th game, but here they are. They too are stacked with youngins with 30 freshmen and 15 sophomores on the roster. Here's a gauntlet opportunity: the Hornets have not been shut out in 56-straight games. OOOHHH Yeah....bring it!

Anthony Glaud (#8) is their redshirt sophomore QB. His line for this season, is well, as expected: 65 completions with 113 attempts. That's 57.5% for you math majors. 2 TD tosses, although not to his lead receiver--Their #1, Darius Jackson, who is averaging 50 yds/game with no TDs. He's a sophomore waterbug at 5'10-a-buck-85. Glaud got rocked in the head last week so he didn't play much. No injury report available for this week, yet. His back up, Nick Elko is a freshman.... (is it just me or does this sound hauntingly familiar?)

Leading the charge from the backfield is # 32 Tahree McQueen (how great a name is that!!?) he's averaging 4.8 yards per carry on 35 attempts. He has some BooBoo-like issues, and was suspended for the first quarter of last week's game due to "conduct detrimental to the team". He's a transfer from Cincinnati. DSU spreads their run game around though and Jason Randall (#23) has 4.1 yds/carry and Jaashawn Jones (#45) averages 5. 5 yds on a mere 13 touches. Their offense is number 76 in the nation, averaging 298 yards per game. That is like HALF of what we normally allow.......right?? Their O-line averages around 300 pounds and their left tackle, # 78 Nail Nuradymov (FROM!? Kazakstan!) is a monster at 6 foot 7 inches. These beefeaters might push us around at first, but when the Barwis kicks in, it should be all over.
Ok, seriously---if our D can't handle this then Mr. Robinson is going to have some serious 'splainin to do......

Their defense is led by Senior LB Mike Gable, wearing #20. He's got 24 tackles, 12 of them solo, and one sack. Big #95 is Tyron Hurst who is listed at 6'2", 295# but from the looks of him his right thigh accounts for at least 100 of those lbs......The defensive unit has 5 picks, 2 of which were pick-sixes. I couldn't find a whole lot about their defensive scheme or their success in general. The D-unit is coached by Rayford Petty, who used to be the head coach at rival Howard. From what I've gathered, they aren't a defensive powerhouse....

The kicking battle boils down to the best name: Riley Flickinger versus Jason Olesnavage. That's a toss to me. Speaking of names--here's an honorable mention to line backer Eric Sewell (who's pronunciation in the media guide is listed as "Sool, rhymes with tool", not kidding)

So here's my take on this week's game.....on paper, this should be an easy easy win. But let's not start counting chickens. It's a long week and who knows what is going on with Tater and Denard. BooBoo may be a bigger distraction for all-- beyond merely his poor play. Crazy adjustments in the defensive backfield continue to confound. But, on the positive side, the Hornets are going to be pretty darned wide-eyed coming into the Big House. Even if the whole ring tone thing doesn't fly, the place should really be loud and rawkin'. Overall talent should be in our favor, but but but. It's a 12 o'clock game...always annoying in mid-October. Game time weather should be partly cloudy in the crisp 40's. I'm calling for a big win, with the opportunity for some bench-clearing-let-all-in-a-uni-play kinda game. Hell, I won't be surprised if Sheridan also gets some playing time as well. MARK IT. I said it.
I've been tolerant and patient all season long, understanding that we are still in a rebuilding phase....but seriously, if we don't win this one I'm goin' F-lion on Rich Rod and crew!!!

Alumni Reunion Tour: sponsored by MNF

Saturday's sad performance has left me yearning for our 'glory days'. I miss Tom Terrific and Woodson and all the other guys who made me smile. Well, the football gods have provided!
Monday Night Football.

More from JMud at Myxer

You can tune in to ESPN at 8 pm tonight and see 5 (FIVE) Wolverine Alumni go at it as the FINS take on the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!
Normally when I watch games, I root for whomever has a Michigan Man on the team---but tonight's game will have my allegiances split.

The game will be played in Miami, at the best-named stadium around....

Land Shark | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

The home-field Dolphins come in to Week 5 with an underwhelming record of 1-3 in the AFC East. Chad Henne will make his second start at QB, protected on the left side by #1 draft pick Jake Long. Henne led the Fins to a 38-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills last week.
The Jets come into this match-up leading the AFC East at 3-1 after a big loss to New Ahlins last week. They are led by their noobie QB Mark Sanchez. Braylon Edwards is now in uniform for New York and it will be interesting to see if he can a) quickly adapt to the offense, b) hang on to the ball, and c) beat up Eli Manning's best friend??? David Harris has 33 tackles in 4 games from his linebacker spot and 2 sacks to date. Jay Feely, kicker extraordinaire, missed practice due to a family issue, but scouting reports expect him to play. I've read in a few spots that there was a death in Feely's family, and if so, I send my sincere condolences for sure.
The line on this game is close---Jets by 2. Given my complete and utter adoration of Tom Brady, I'm pulling for the Fins, just so the Jets can fall a bit in the standings......either way, it should be a good game with lots of back stories and drama.

A Girl Scouts: Flag Football Alumni Game

Given the recent announcement by the athletic department that Saturday's Spring "Game" will be nothing more than a glorified walk-thru with the players still in development....
Rodriguez said he hopes the spring game will be entertaining for fans.
"We don't have enough guys to have a true game -- to have a maize and a blue team -- but I think you'll be able to see some guys compete a little bit who are out there for the first time and have some fun," he said. The coaching staff will keep the play calling simple, and the few familiar names probably won't see much action because of the risk of injuries."That's why it's hard to pick two teams, because guys like (defensive end) Brandon Graham won't play a whole lot," Rodriguez said. "They'll play a few series and be out of there." freep.com

My slight amount of enthusiasm for this Saturday's event has shifted to the FIRST EVER Alumni Flag Football Game!!!! woot-woot!!!!!? Set to begin at 10 AM in the Big House this event has my heart pounding! (which it does, generally, 70 times a minute...). Check out the former players line-up:

Derek Bell, OL, 2004	Allen Jefferson, RB, 1987-90
Ron Bellamy, WR, 1999-2002	Dan Jokisch, TE, 1988-90
Jim Betts, S, 1968-70	Ankit Kachhal, P, 2007
Mark Bihl, C, 2003-06	Brian Lafer, WR, 2003
Chris Bohn, LB, 1988-90	Rick Leach, QB, 1975-78
Chris Calloway, WR, 1987-89	Mike Leoni, OT, 1978-79
Jason Carr, QB, 1993-95	Roy Manning, LB, 2001-04
Zia Combs, CB, 2001-02	Alex Marshall, LB/DE, 1988-91
Clint Copenhaver, LB, 1995-98	Andy Mignery, TE, 2001-03
Markus Curry, CB, 2002-04	Kirk Moundros, RB, 1999-2002
Carl Diggs, LB, 2000-03	Aaron Richards, WR, 2000
Scott Dreisbach, QB, 1995-98	Todd Richards, WR, 1993-95
Bill Dufek, OT, 1974-78	Jay Riemersma, TE, 1992-95
Brandent Englemon, S, 2004-07	Aaron Shea, TE, 1996-99
Mike Evans, DT, 1988-91	Michael Taylor, QB, 1987-89
Thomas Guynes, OL, 1993-96	Anthony Thomas, RB, 1997-2000
Ali Haji-Sheikh, PK, 1979-82	Phil Webb, RB, 1985-87
James Hall, DE, 1996-99 (GUEST REFEREE)	Thomas Wilcher, RB, 1985-86
Kenneth Jackson, CB, 1996-98	Brandon Williams, CB, 1999-200

Special spectators will include: Steve Breaston (Arizona Cardinals), Larry Foote (Pittsburgh Steelers), James Hall (St. Louis Rams), Mike Hart (Indianapolis Colts), Jon Jansen (Washington Redskins), Ryan Mundy (Pittsburgh Steelers), LaMarr Woodley (Pittsburgh Steelers).

Could you imagine the fall-out if those NFL guys played and were injured during a Flag Football Game???? Ruh-oh!! Although, one can ride a motorcycle sans helmet and still succeed.......

Tirrel Burton will coach the maize squad and Jerry Hanlon will command the blue flaggers. Teams will be announced later today (broadcast on WTKA no less!) from practice late this afternoon. Once we find out who got picked last...um, I mean who is on which team...we'll weigh-in on the match-up!

Hopefully they'll have someone announcing the game on Saturday too!!!!!
I'd love to hear Bob Ueker say: "He missed the flag, He missed the flag!!!"

And this one is extra credit, since I have completely taken a powder the past few months and left Andy with the show.
I "love you man" (sticking with the beer commercial theme)

You're welcome.

A Girl Scouts: The Hawai'i (Rainbow) Warriors

The 7-6 Warriors from Hawai'i play Fat Charlie's (6-6) boys on Christmas Eve in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl at Aloha Stadium. Kick off is at 8pm Eastern on ESPN. That's 3pm Hawaiian. I figure that we know all that we care to about The Domers --but Greg McMackin's team??? Not so much.

This is not your 12-0 Hawai'i team of yore. No Colt Brennan. No June Jones. Colt graduated and June Jones left the rock to go to Southern Methodist University (of NCAA death penalty fame) and defensive coordinator Greg McMackin became the head coach. Love his last name. Reminds me of another famous Hawaiian.....

So let's find out about these Warriors. I was at the Michigan v. Hawaii game at Aloha Stadium in 1998, and I can tell you that Aloha Stadium is super cool brah. The 2007 Hawaiian squad went 5-2 at home and for the season won games against Weber State (36-17), Fresno State (32-29 OT), La Tech (24-14), Nevada (38-31), New Mexico State (42-30), and Idaho (49-17) to finish second in the WAC--behind Boise State.

Hawai'i owns this bowl, appearing in 2002, '03, '04, and '06 winning all of them except the first. Weird fact: ND last traveled to a Hawaiian bowl when it appeared in the Aloha Bowl in 1984 which they lost to SMU (June Jones' new school...). ND and Hawai'i have met twice before and ND won in both 1991 and 1997. The third time's da charm brah. Beat ND, yah.

ESPN scouts this game and doesn't even talk about Hawai'i. Shocking ND-favoritism. The only reason to go check out their site is to see their comparison charts matching the almost identical stats for each team in total yards, rushing yards, passing yards, and points scored. I'll get to the details in a minute, but one of the BEST things about the Hawai'ian Warriors is their pre-game Ha'ka. Check it out.


Unfortunately, the Sugar Bowl refs and the WAC penalized them for unsportsmanlike conduct for performing the Ha'ka prior to last year's game. Hopefully the home-town crew will look the other way this year.

On the offense:
The Warriors are led by QB Greg Alexander, a JuCo transfer junior from Santa Rosa CA and the WAC offensive player of the week back in October for his performance against Nevada. His numbers are solid, completing about 64% of his passes and tossing 12 TDs. Their other QB, Inoke Funaki, also a junior, completed 56% of his passes, but threw to the other guys 12 times.... doh!
Their preferred receivers are Greg Salas and Michael Washington. Salas, the "X" receiver wearing #1, is a sophmore receiver out of Chino, CA and Washington is the senior out of Aliquippa, PA who also returns punts and kickoffs. More importantly, Washington's 3rd cousin is Ty Law!!!
On the ground for the Warriors, keep your eyes on Daniel Libre and Kealoha Pilares. Each averages about 4-5 yards per carry, scoring 6 and 5 rushing TDs respectively.

On the defense:
Linebacker Solomon Elimimian was the WAC's co-defensive player of the year. The guy averages 10.9 tackles per game, and I'm betting he becomes Jimmah's new-best friend. As Andy's son would say: BEAST! A senior out of Compton in LA, this dude takes no prisoners. Oh, and he's an academic all-WAC team member as well. Look for him on Sundays.
Another guy Jimmah should be a'scared of is David Veikune off the left end.
Watch Ryan Mouton too. He returned a pick for 91 yards this season against Nevada. He also returns kicks and averages 21.4 yards per return. He housed one for 90 yards this season too.

Although still a run-and-shoot offense, Hawai'i hasn't really been lighting up the score board. Nor have they shut down too many opponents. In their defense, they did play 4 ranked teams this season: No. 5 Florida, at No. 22 Fresno State, at No. 15 Boise State, and No. 13 Cinncinati. (pre-emptive strike: that's more than we can say...)
Hawai'i's special teams are very solid and have blocked 3 FGs this season. I think that their special teams will make a game changing impact.

With game time temperatures in the low 70s and a boat load of jet-lag for the Irish, I'm calling this one in favor of the Warriors, 38-23. Making a perfect 10 losses in bowl games! As an aside, Mike Haywood, ND's offensive co-ordinator will be the new head coach at Miami (OH). This makes Haywood the 7th black head coach (Ron English was #6) in the FBS and the third one in the MAC........And, it also means that Fat Charlie is callin' the plays. I can't stop giggling!
To quote one of MGoBlog Brian's favorite expressions (with the help of Avenue Q and Sponge Bob): SCHADENFREUDE

And, dear reader, I would be completely remiss if I did not end this post with some happy healing images from Hawai'i---particularly given the weather in the upper Midwest......

A Girl Scouts: The Northwestern Wildcats

Well kids, we find ourselves at the end of the 2008 Home Schedule for Football.
This Saturday's contest will be against the "Mildcats"??? Once upon a time a game against Northwestern was like money in the bag. (work alert!) But....this year we have fallen down the rabbit hole and up is down and big is small. The Wolverines are 3-7 overall and 2-4 in the Big 10. The Wildcats??? 7-3 overall, and 3-3 in the conference. Their wins have come against the likes of Syracuse, Duke, So. Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, Purdue and Minnesota.

The Wild facts:
Their offense on average this season has produced 4.2 avg yards/rush and 5.9 avg yds/catch with 3.9 yards of YAC tacked on. They have scored 86% of the time from within the red zone. While posting an average 24.6 points per game, they have also allowed their opponents 20.8 push-ups on average. Bloated stats are courtesy of the 37 they gifted Sparty and the 45 tUOS racked up on them. Seriously, these guys won their first 5 games including their Big Ten opener against Nittany-Slaying-Iowa. Uh, ok.

BUT---Northwestern seems to be running a M*A*S*H Unit. Their starting QB and 3rd leading rusher, C. J. Bacher hasn't started the past 2 games. Interestingly, their back-up QB Mike Kafka ran for 217 yards against Minny. Kafka is second in rushing yards on the team behind Tyrell Sutton....who, um, well--hasn't started the last two games due to an injured wrist. Omar Conteh, #4 on the RB depth-chart is now out for the season with a knee injury....Stephen Simmons has started only 4 games for them this year but has only played in three. He had a whopping 34 yards on 14 attempts against the Buckeyes. Kinda reminds me of this.....


Coach Pat Fitzgerald is spreadin' the love our way, saying at his presser on Monday: "Looking to this week, we're going to play a team that when you look back to the beginning of the year, with the amount of change they had in their program, is playing their best football of the year. Against Minnesota, they played outstanding in all three phases of the game. Their kicker was the player of the week in the conference, they have the Big Ten's leading punter, punt returner and kick returner. Offensively they went out and made a lot of plays, they're running Rich Rodriguez's offense to the best of their ability. On defense, they're doing a great job of bringing multiple pressures from a lot of different places, playing not only four-down but a three-down defense as well, and they're very aggressive. They're a team I've seen improve each week and it will be a game in a very hostile environment. But the focus this week is on us, we did not play our best football of the year last week and there's a lot of room for improvement."

Thanks Coach!!! You just did all my work for me!!!!! Given all their holes on offense and our D-line's improvement over the past few weeks we definitely stuff the run and dress which ever of their QBs shows up back there. Coupled with Sheridan's SAFE game play against Minny, and the development of our O-line, well, I just may be giddy about our chances again!!!!....
I say we SOOOO win this one and that it will be way fun again just like last week's win. Big smiles on the sidelines for the Boys in Maize and Blue!

GO BLUE
TAME THE WILDCATS

A Girl Scouts: Minnesota plus some crumbs

Sheridan starts due to Threet's concussion.
That is all.

Cue the Gopher (HT: BAH)


Ok, ok. Here are the sad facts. Minnesota allows an average of 132.5 yards rushing per game this season and 230.3 yards thru the air each game. We have averaged 138.6 yards per game via ground shipping (HT:BAH) and 149.4 yds/game thru the air.

Seriously, I think that there can only be one history-making, earth-shattering triumph of hope this week---and, well, this game ain't it.

And now, for something completely different...

• Some blotter acid: Stonum drives drunk.
• Urban Meyer does the right thing: Jacques Robinson is a pussy.
• Joel Foreman, offensive guard for Sparty did not start last week against Wisconsin because he did not wear a tie on Game Day.....
• Ryan Leaf, QB coach for West Texas A&M, and former 2nd pick overall in the 1998 draft (behind Peyton Manning) out of Washington State, has been placed on indefinite leave per his request due to personal issues.......you may remember the drama-trauma that was his stint in the NFL
• The axe falls for Prince at KState. And the rush for the door at Tennessee begins....

A Girl Scouts

I'm going to take a stab at a new feature here, something I'm calling "A Girl Scouts". I thought about calling it THE Girl Scouts, but worried about the little green gnomes suing me for infringement or some such nonsense. Plus, while I am no shrinking violet, I thought utilizing a determiner in reference to myself would be beyond the pale and just plain narcissistic. However, I am not so humble as to believe that I don't have something useful and prescient to say about upcoming games. SO. When I consider Saturday's game I believe that Michigan's success will hinge on 3 factors. 1) QB Play, 2) The Run Game, 3) The Fourth Quarter.

QB PLAY:
Exhibit A---Brian Hoyer. Ok, no kidding, check out the guy's myspace page He spells the name of his school's mascot with an "E". No, really. A 6'3", 215 lb. senior from Ohio, Hoyer has a 49% completion rate this season with a QB rating of 117.09. He has 6 aerial TDs and 4 air mails to the other team. And, he's been sacked 6 times. Here's my point: sack him, rush him, pressure him, bother molest and otherwise annoy him to no end and he will fold. He averages 2 rushes a game and basically rushes the other way: -14 against Florida Atlantic, -7 against Iowa, -15 for Northwestern and Ohio State each. The guy isn't going anywhere. Blitz him. Defend the screen pass. You heard it here first Shafer.

Exhibit B ---Steven Threet. Couldn't find a myspace or facebook page for this 6'6" 230 lb. youngin' from Adrian, MI. Stevie has a 52% completion rate with 6 TDs, 3 INTs and 8 sacks. He put up 89 yards on the ground against Wisconsin and racked up 50 in Happy Valley. I call for more off tackle-misdirection rushing plays for him. They will result in big gains. Mark my words. Overall he has a QB rating of 107.81. Ugly, I know, but while he was in the game against PSU he completed 69.2% of his passes. Throw quick up and outs and bubble screens to get a flow going, then stretch the field up top to Matthews. And throw the crossing route in the soft spot of the zone. I'm telling you, that's gonna be the honey hole. BUT: I've said it, Andy's said it and I'm gonna say it again without a solid game from Threet we are done. cooked. hapless. sans rudder. adios. Pray for healing of Threet's olecranon and/or ulnar nerve. Nay---have his mommy kiss his oww-y elbow all week long.

THE RUN GAME:
Ok, stop the eye-rolling because of course Javon Ringer is the key here. The guy is a beast and a true double threat....14 rushing TDs this year so far, and an average of 6.3 yards per reception...but those big numbers came against the likes of Eastern Michigan, Florida Atlantic, Notre Dame, Indiana, and Northwestern. The Buckeyes held him to 67 yards rushing and no TDs. Iowa kept him under a C-note, and Cal allowed only 81 yards for Javon on the ground. But, not so fast Sparty: Our defense has held opponents to an average of 3.3 yards/rush and 120.9 rushing yards per game. Javon, meet the linebackers. We've got to stop him on the line and defend the screen. And the best fun fact about Javon Ringer???? He's NEVER fumbled. Never, ever while a Sparty. Javon, meet the law of averages! Cough it up buddy!!!! Noo-NAN!!! uuuhhhDROPIT! I'm calling for one crucial fumble by Javon. How beautiful for him to drop the rock and cost his team the game. Yes, when Sparty is concerned I am a spiteful sadist. So sue me.

THE FOURTH QUARTER:
First, we gotta play the whole damn game. It's deja-freakin'-Lloydball-vu-all-over-again. We've given up 57 points in the 4th quarter and have only scored 45 on our side. Not sure why the secret weapon hasn't really kicked in this season....but Sparty needs to fear the chocolate cow. I don't think that it's conditioning like it has been in the past. You don't see kids looking gassed or holding their knees. No-I think it's a concentration issue. And, honestly, a coaching issue. After the half, the coaches aren't making (any?) the right adjustments and then the wheels come right on off the bus. We've scored a measly 7 points in the third Q and given up a lop-sided 28 to the enemy. Ok, that sucks. So maybe my key to the game should really be about coming out strong in the 3rd which will then carry over mentally to the 4th???? Either way---play the whole damned game!! The only problem beyond anyone's control is mid-terms. All students had Monday and Tuesday off from school for "fall study days". Either, school will get in the way of game prep or being done with mid-terms will allow complete concentration on the game.... Coin-toss there. Either way....stay in the game dudes, K?

Overall, I think that we can win this game, but it's going to take concentration, commitment, and execution. And, as I told Andy--if even ONE of my points comes to fruition over the course of the game, I will be IMPOSSIBLE to blog with!!!! :-)

GO BLUE
BEAT SPARTY