Don’t count out Stanzi or the Hawkeyes
October 31, 2009
Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Why should a team leave a quarterback in the game when he has thrown five interceptions?
Ricky Stanzi just showed you why.
Mr. Fourth Quarter did it again, finding Marvin McNutt on a crossing route that went for a 92-yard touchdown, as Iowa has closed the gap to 24-21. After throwing four interceptions in the third quarter, Stanzi once again didn’t flinch, proving again that resiliency is his best trait as a quarterback. McNutt deserves a ton of credit, as he beat Donnell Jones and was off to the races. It marked the fourth longest touchdown pass in team history.
Iowa has owned the fourth quarter all season, outscoring its opponents 72-38. Let’s see if the Hawkeyes have another comeback left in them.
Paul Jones to Become a Penn State Nittany Lion
October 31, 2009
Penn State’s 2010 recruiting class is currently ranked second in the nation according to college football recruiting website rivals.com.
The only school Penn State is behind is Big 12 power Texas. One of the reasons Penn State ranks this high is because of four-star quarterback recruit Paul Jones.
Paul Jones is from McKees Rocks, Pa./ and attends Sto Rox High School. He is the fourth highest recruit in the state of Pennsylvania, as well as the seventh-highest ranked quarterback in all of the country.
This is the biggest recruit Sto Rox has had since quarterback Adam Dimichele in 2004. Dimichele was also recruited by Penn State and like Jones, he verbally committed to Penn State.
However, Dimichele backed out of his commit and went to a Junior College in Florida to play baseball.
He then ended up playing football at Temple, and played against the Nittany Lions. There have been rumors circulating that Paul was thinking about looking elsewhere, but he has assured me that this is not going to happen.
Considering I am from McKees Rocks, and also attended Sto Rox High School, I am very proud of my home school. I think it’s great that he has chosen to become a Nittany Lion, as he had many offers from schools all over.
Penn State football has one of the strongest traditions in the country, and I’m glad someone from my hometown can help add to this tradition.
I talked to a few Penn State football fans who were also very excited about this Pennsylvania prospect coming to Penn State.
Junior Greg P stated “It’s great to land big time recruits inside our state. We’ve missed out on a lot of big-time Pennsylvania recruits who ended up playing against us, and it’s nice to know that this won’t be the case with Jones.”
Penn State’s future is bright with this strong recruiting class coming in next year. It will be exciting to watch these players carry on the strong winning tradition in Happy Valley.
This Saturday, Penn State will travel to Northwestern to take on the Wildcats on Halloween.
Penn State needs to get another road win as they still have their eyes on a Big Ten Championship.
Hopefully they show Northwestern a trick or two, and leave with a treat, a much-needed win.
Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com
Keenum putting on a show against Southern Miss
October 31, 2009
Posted by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson
Southern Miss is learning in the first half that staying toe-to-toe with Houston is not an easy prospect.
Through 30 minutes, Houston quarterback Case Keenum has completed 81 percent of his passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns.
But the first half of this pivotal Conference USA matchup has been about more than just the Cougars’ offense. Houston’s special teams have kept Southern Miss off-balance. The Cougars already have blocked two extra points, including one they ran back for a two points.
Southern Miss quarterback Martevious Young has held his own against the Cougars. He’s thrown for 160 yards and a score, which came on a 70-yard pass to Gerald Baptiste. However, the one player who hasn’t been involved in the offense is star receiver DeAndre Brown. I haven’t seen anything that says Brown is injured, so it’s curious that he hasn’t had a single catch.
We’ll see if Southern Miss makes the necessary adjustments to quiet the Houston offense because I don’t think the Golden Eagles can go score-for-score with the Cougars.
Cincinnati gets some breathing room
October 31, 2009
Posted by ESPN.com’s Brian Bennett
Call off the upset alert in Syracuse.
Cincinnati just scored its second touchdown of the second half and leads 28-7 with less than 10 minutes to go. Syracuse shot itself in the foot earlier with another turnover in the red zone, this one a fumble by Delone Carter at the Bearcats’ 5.
The No. 8 Bearcats might not have gained a ton of style points today, but considering the way Iowa is playing, there’s no way they should get knocked for this. Remember that Syracuse only lost 28-7 at Penn State earlier this year.
Wild play gives Hawkeyes new life
October 31, 2009
Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The magic of the Iowa Hawkeyes continues.
Iowa is right back in the game just when it seemed like the Hawkeyes had dug themselves too deep of a hole. Safety Tyler Sash picked off his sixth pass of the season and returned it 86 yards to the end zone after a wild sequence. Iowa now trails 21-14.
On third-and-goal from the 2-yard line, linebacker A.J. Edds hit quarterback Ben Chappell as he threw. The pass hit Hoosiers right tackle James Brewer and then Iowa defensive tackle Christian Ballard before Sash grabbed the ball and raced untouched to the end zone.
Indiana seemed poised to increase its lead after Ricky Stanzi threw his third interception and his second of the half. The Hoosiers can’t allow themselves to fall into the same trap as last week, when they collapsed at Northwestern.
Halftime analysis: Indiana-Iowa
October 31, 2009
Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Quick analysis from halftime at Kinnick Stadium, where Indiana leads No. 4 Iowa 21-7 (upset alert!).
Turning point: After Iowa had closed the deficit to 14-7, star cornerback Amari Spievey muffed a punt and Indiana recovered inside the red zone. It marked the second turnover for Iowa. The Hoosiers converted for a touchdown and took a 21-7 lead to the locker room.
Best player in the half: Indiana junior quarterback Ben Chappell has been terrific so far, completing 12 of 19 passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns. He has made smart decisions and did a great job recognizing the blitz and finding Damarlo Belcher in the end zone with nine seconds left in the half. Honorable mentions go to Belcher and fellow wideout Mitchell Evans.
What Indiana needs to do: Keep the pressure on and forget what happened last week when the Hoosiers blew a 28-3 lead and lost to Northwestern. Chappell should continue to attack, and Indiana shouldn’t get away from the run with Darius Willis. The Hoosiers must make Ricky Stanzi win this game and take away the run.
What Iowa needs to do: How about showing up to play? The Hawkeyes look woefully unprepared for this game. This team is used to being behind, but the sloppiness in the first 30 minutes is really uncharacteristic. Iowa needs to force a few turnovers and take better care of the football.
What does indisputable evidence really mean?
October 31, 2009
Posted by ESPN.com’s Chris Low
Again, I ask: What is indisputable evidence?
The replay official in the Auburn-Ole Miss game overturned a batted interception on the field in the second quarter and ruled that the ball hit the ground before Ole Miss’ Jonathan Cornell secured it.
Perhaps the replay official had the luxury of different angles than we did at home, but I saw nothing in the replays shown on television that would come close to rising to the level of being indisputable.
Put it this way: If that play was indisputable, how in the world was Dustin Doe’s interception return not overturned last week when replays in the Florida-Mississippi State game showed that the ball was clearly out of his hands before he crossed the goal line?
Obviously, there are different versions of what’s indisputable.
World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party Betting
October 31, 2009
The Georgia Bulldogs and the No. 1 Florida Gators take part in their annual rivalry game, aka the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, on Saturday with Florida favored by 14.5-points.
Florida is 8-3-1 ATS in its last 12 games when favored by more than 8-points while Georgia has struggled in its last 12 road games going 3-9 ATS.
The rivalry game between the two has really heated up the last two years.
There was the “Gator Stomp” in 2007 and Urban Meyer’s two timeouts in the last minute in 2008 despite a 49-10 lead where Florida covered as a 7.5-point favorite.
The Total for Saturday’s game is set at 48.5.
Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com
NCAA Friday Night Lights
October 31, 2009
Ranked No. 21 in the BCS, the West Virginia Mountaineers play the South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium and are three-point road favorites.
The Bulls are listed at +135 on the Money line and are 15-5 SU in their last 20 home games.
The Mountaineers are -155 on the Money line and are 14-6 in their last 20 road games.
The Total for tonight’s game is 47.5.
Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com
Cincinnati in a dogfight at halftime
October 31, 2009
Posted by ESPN.com’s Brian Bennett
So far, this isn’t the romp that Cincinnati is used to on the road in Big East play.
Syracuse is hanging tough, and this game could be tied at 14 if Greg Paulus wasn’t picked off by Drew Frey in the final couple of minutes in the second quarter.
One of Cincinnati’s touchdowns came on what looked to be a busted field goal try. Zach Collaros was the holder, and after a bobbled snap, he scrambled and threw a touchdown pass. Other than that, though, Syracuse has mostly made Cincinnati drive the field instead of ripping off their usual explosive plays.
Jake Rogers missed a field goal at the end of the half, after Syracuse successfully pulled off the old ice-the-kicker-with-a-timeout routine.
Delone Carter has been a hoss for the Orange, dragging tacklers past the initial point of contact.
The No. 8 Bearcats need to get back on track in the second half. Not because of style points. Because they’re in danger of losing this game.
