Non-AQ Players of the Week

Here are your non-AQ players of the week, as selected by each conference. The independent players are selected by a national media panel.

C-USA

Offense: Dominique Davis, QB, East Carolina. Davis set an NCAA single-game record with 26 straight completions to open the game in a 38-34 win at Navy. He finished the game 40-of-45 for 372 yards with two touchdowns. His completion percentage of 88.9 was a school record.

Defense: Marques Wheaton, DB, Southern Miss. Wheaton recorded five tackles (four solos), a pass breakup and two fourth-quarter interceptions in Southern Miss’ 27-3 win over SMU. He returned one of his interceptions 41 yards for a score.

Special teams: Ty Long, K, UAB. Long, a true freshman, made the game-winning 40-yarder with 21 seconds remaining in a 26-24 win over UCF.

Independent

Offense: Riley Nelson, QB, BYU. Nelson led six touchdown drives in seven series before leaving the game early in the third quarter in a 56-3 win over Idaho State. Nelson completed 11 of 17 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns, and added 62 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.

Co-defense: Geoffrey Bacon, LB, Army. Kyle Van Noy, LB, BYU. Bacon returned his first career interception 70 yards for a touchdown in a 44-21 loss at Vanderbilt. Making his first career start, Bacon added a pass break-up, and he matched his season tally with a career-high 13 tackles, including a half tackle for loss. Van Noy had two sacks, three quarterback hurries and a blocked punt.

Special teams: George Atkinson III, KR, Notre Dame. Atkinson had a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in a 31-17 loss to USC. He tallied 178 yards on five kickoff returns.

MAC

East Division

Offense: Chazz Anderson, QB, Buffalo. Accounted for 460 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in a 31-30 loss to Northern Illinois. Anderson completed a school record 35 passes on 53 attempts for 406 yards and three touchdowns, including one with just 14 seconds left in regulation that pulled Buffalo to within one before a missed extra point made the difference.

Defense: Chris Jones, DT, Bowling Green. Jones had six tackles, three sacks and one quarterback hurry in a 13-10 win over Temple.

Special teams: Matt Weller, K, Ohio. Went 3-for-3 on his field goal attempts, connecting from 24, 27 and 23 yards in a 37-20 win at Akron.

West Division

Offense: Javonti Greene, RB, Eastern Michigan. Greene caught a 50-yard pass from Alex Gillett in the first quarter and scored on a 50-yard run midway through the fourth quarter for the two Eastern Michigan touchdowns in a 14-10 victory over Western Michigan.

Defense: Desmond Marrow, DB, Toledo. Marrow led Toledo with six tackles and tied his career high with two interceptions in a 49-28 win over Miami.

Special Teams:Jamill Smith, KR, Ball State. Returned the opening kickoff for a career-high 48 yards in the Cardinals' 17-point second half comeback victory, a 31-27 win over Central Michigan. Smith led all returners for both teams with four kickoff returns for a total of 135 yards.

Mountain West

Offense: Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State. Moore completed 23-of-29 passes for 281 yards in a 37-26 win over Air Force. Moore tied former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy for the most career wins (45) in NCAA history.

Defense:Byron Hout, LB, Boise State. Hout had a career-high 18 tackles against Air Force, including eight unassisted stops and a half tackle for loss.

Special teams:Antonio Graves, WR, TCU. Graves scored his first collegiate touchdown when he recovered a blocked punt in the end zone in a 69-0 win over New Mexico. He also forced a fumble on a kickoff return.

Sun Belt

Offense:Bobby Rainey, RB, Western Kentucky. Rainey rushed for 206 yards and a career-high three touchdowns as the Hilltoppers won their first home game since 2008 with a 42-23 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette.

Defense:Eric Russell, DB, Middle Tennessee. Russell had six tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception in a win over FAU.

Special Teams:Luther Ambrose, KR, ULM. Ambrose became ULM's all-time leader in kickoff return yards and he did it in style, returning the opening kickoff 100 yards at North Texas. He finished with 148 yards on three returns.

WAC

Offense: Mike Ball, RB, Nevada. Ball rushed for a career-high 198 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries and added two catches for 18 yards and another score in a 45-38 win over Fresno State.

Defense: Adrien Cole, LB, Louisiana Tech. Cole had 14 tackles (9 solo), including two for a loss, and broke up a pass in a 24-17 win at Utah State.

Special teams: Ryan Allen, P, Louisiana Tech. Allen averaged 52.2 yards on eight punts in the win at Utah State. Seven of them were downed inside the 20-yard line.

View the original article here

Non-AQ Players of the Week

Here are your non-AQ players of the week, as selected by each conference. The independent players of the week are picked by a national media panel.

C-USA

Offense: J.J. McDermott, QB, SMU. McDermott was 20-of-31 and passed for a career-high 358 yards and two touchdowns as SMU defeated UCF, 38-17. McDermott improved to 5-0 as a starter and it marked his third straight 300-yard passing game, tying the SMU record.

Defense: Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall. Curry had nine tackles, which included four tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, to go with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in a win over Rice.

Special teams: Richard Crawford, PR, SMU. Returned a punt 92 yards in a win over UCF, the second-longest punt return in league history. He totaled 141 punt return yards for the game, the second-best single-game effort in SMU history.

Independent

Offense: Riley Nelson, QB, BYU. Nelson completed 17 of 27 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns, while adding a team-high 87 rushing yards on 12 carries to lead BYU to a 38-28 win over Oregon State.

Defense: Brandon Ogletree, LB, BYU. Forced turnovers on each of the Beavers’ first three possessions of the third quarter, intercepting a pass and causing two fumbles.

Special teams: Jon Teague, PK, Navy. Teague made two field goals against Rutgers, though his 34-yard attempt was blocked with under five minutes to play.

MAC

East Division

Offense: Bernard Pierce, RB, Temple. Pierce broke five school records in a 34-0 win over Buffalo after running for 152 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Pierce and Matt Brown each rushed for 100 yards.

Defense: Roosevelt Nix, DT, Kent State. Forced an early fumble that led to a Kent State field goal and posted career-highs of six tackles and four solo stops in a loss to Miami (Ohio). He also had two tackles for loss, a pair of quarterback hurries and broke up a pass.

Special teams: BooBoo Gates, KR, Bowling Green. Gates had four kick returns for 152 yards, including an 88-yard touchdown return in the fourth quarter in a 28-21 loss to Toledo.

West Division

Offense: Chandler Harnish, QB, Northern Illinois. Ran for a career-high 229 yards on 14 carries and passed for 203 yards on 14-of-27 passing for a total of 432 yards of total offense in the Huskies 51-22 win over Western Michigan.

Defense: Desmond Marrow, DB, Toledo. Had a team-high 10 tackles in a 28-21 win at Bowling Green. Marrow added a career-best three passes defensed.

Special Teams: Scott Kovanda, P, Ball State. Punted seven times for 327 yards and a 46.7 average in a 23-20 win at Ohio. Kovanda pinned Ohio inside the 20-yard line four times and had a career-long 67-yard punt.

Mountain West

Co-Offense: Doug Martin, RB, Boise State. Ronnie Hillman, RB, San Diego State. Martin carried the ball 20 times for a career-high 200 yards and three touchdowns in a 63-13 win at Colorado State. His 65-yard TD run was the longest of the season for Martin. Hillman ran 27 times for 172 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-27 win at Air Force. Both of his touchdowns came in the final period after the game was tied with 2:30 remaining in the third quarter.

Defense: Tyrone Crawford, DE, Boise State. Crawford recorded five tackles in a win at Colorado State, including two sacks for losses totaling 14 yards. He also recovered a fumble.

Special teams: Chris McNeill, WR/PR, Wyoming. McNeill returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown, threw a 28-yard touchdown pass and also completed a 2-point conversion pass in a 41-14 win over UNLV. The punt return for a touchdown was the Cowboys’ first since 2004 and the first in the Mountain West this season.

Sun Belt

Offense: Kolton Browning, QB, ULM. Went 23-of-31 for 275 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Troy. He also added 33 yards on nine carries on the ground to top the 300-yard mark in total offense.

Defense: Lance Kelly, LB, ULL. Had a game-high eight tackles, a tackle-for-loss, a fumble recovery, a pass break-up and an interception in a win over North Texas.

Special Teams: Mitchell Bailey, RB, ULM. After ULM took a 15-10 lead on Troy late in the third quarter, Bailey forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff that the Warhawks recovered on the 17-yard line. Two plays later, Browning threw a touchdown pass to Colby Harper to stretch the ULM lead and the Warhawks never looked back.

WAC

Offense: Chandler Jones, WR, San Jose State. Scored three touchdowns three different ways in a 28-27 win over Hawaii. He scored on a 20-yard reverse, off a fumbled kick return, and caught a 37-yard pass with 36 seconds remaining to win. Jones came into the game with just one career touchdown.

Defense: Khalid Wooten, CB, Nevada. Recorded six tackles, forced two fumbles and intercepted a pass in a 49-7 win over New Mexico.

Special teams: Travis Johnson, DE, San Jose State. Blocked two kicks in San Jose State’s win over Hawaii. One was on an extra-point attempt, which was picked up and returned by Duke Ihenacho for the Spartans’ first-ever 2-point defensive PAT. He also blocked a 42-yard field goal attempt with 3:22 remaining.

View the original article here

Top non-AQ players, offense

Wanted to give you a quick rundown of the top non-AQ players in the final NCAA statistics for offense. Many of these players will be back for 2011, but many will be gone.

First let us take a look at rushing. Four non-AQ players finished in the Top 10 in yards per game:

No. 3 Bobby Rainey, Western Kentucky (137.4)

No. 6 Lance Dunbar, North Texas (129.4)

No. 7 Vai Taua, Nevada (123.85)

No. 10 Ronnie Hillman, San Diego State (117.9)

Taua is the only player who does not return next season. Hillman was a true freshman and many expect him to have an even better season. Rainey and Dunbar will both be seniors and vying once again to be the best running back in the Sun Belt. With Dunbar, it will be interesting to see how he fairs under new coach Dan McCarney, though offensive coordinator Mike Canales remains onboard. Rainey carried the ball a nation-leading 340 times last season. Can he handle another strenuous workload in 2011?

At quarterback, seven of the top 11 players in total passing yards were non-AQ players:

No. 1 Bryant Moniz, Hawaii, 5,040 yards

No. 4. Dominique Davis, East Carolina, 3,967

No. 6 Kellen Moore, Boise State, 3,845

No. 7 Ryan Lindley, San Diego State, 3,830

No. 8 Kyle Padron, SMU, 3,828

t. No. 9 Corey Robinson, Troy, 3,726

No. 11. G.J. Kinne, Tulsa, 3,650

I stretched this list all the way to 11 to show the depth of quality quarterbacks among the non-AQs. Although big-name players like Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick are gone, every player on this list returns to school next season, which means non-AQ quarterbacks will definitely be ones to watch again. But what is interesting is their receiver situation. Everybody but Kinne is losing his leading receiver. In the case of Moore, he loses two in Austin Pettis and Titus Young. Moniz loses Greg Salas and Kealoha Pilares, and Lindley loses DeMarco Sampson and Vincent Brown.

At receiver, seven of the top 100 players in total yards also came from non-AQ schools:

No. 1 Salas, 1,889 yards

No. 5 Jordan White, Western Michigan, 1,378

No. 6 Brown, 1,352

No. 7 Pilares, 1,306

No. 8 Aldrick Robinson, SMU, 1,301

10. Sampson, 1,220

11. Young, 1,215

Ssix of these players are definitely done with their college careers. The one up in the air is White, who is petitioning the NCAA for a medical hardship waiver and sixth season of eligibility. White had serious injuries to both his knees and sat out 2006 and 2008, so it seems likely his waiver will be granted. He set the school record for receiving yards in 2010.

Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

View the original article here

Top non-AQ players, defense

Earlier today I did a post with the top non-AQ offensive players, according to the final NCAA stats. Now let us take a look at the top NCAA defensive players from the non-AQs.

We start with tackles. Seven of the top 10 leaders in tackles per game came from non-AQ teams:

No. 3 Jamon Hughes, Memphis, 12.25

No. 4 Mario Harvey, Marshall, 11.92

No. 5 Archie Donald, Toledo, 11.23

No. 6 Dwayne Woods Jr., Bowling Green, 11.17

t. No. 7 Bobby Wagner, Utah State, 11.08

t. No. 7 Craig Robertson, North Texas, 11.08

No. 10 Dan Molls, Toledo, 11

Only three of these players return for next season -- Woods, Wagner and Molls. Donald and Molls formed one of the best linebacker duos in the nation if you want to look at their numbers alone. Donald finished with 146 total tackles, while Molls had 143. The only other school with two tacklers in the top 30 was Akron with Brian Wagner (130) and Mike Thomas (113).

Next up: sacks. Five of the top 10 in the NCAA stats are from non-AQ schools.

No. 4 Jonathan Massaquoi, Troy, 13.5 (1.04 pg)

No. 5 Vinny Curry, Marshall, 12 (1.0 pg)

No. 7 Jamari Lattimore, Middle Tennessee, 11.5 (0.88 per game)

No. 8 Mario Addison, Troy, 10.5 (0.88 per game)

No. 9 Chris Carter, Fresno State, 11 (0.88 per game)

Just missing the list is Kent State true freshman Roosevelt Nix, who will most definitely be a player to watch for 2011. Nix had 10 sacks and 20 tackles for loss in his debut season, en route to winning MAC defensive player of the year honors. Troy will lose one member of its sack duo -- Addison just finished his senior season. So did Lattimore and Carter. Massaquoi is an early candidate for Sun Belt defensive player of the year. The honors went to Lattimore this past season.

Finally, we take a look at interceptions. Many non-AQ players made the list here if you want to count total interceptions:

No. 3 Mana Silva, Hawaii, 8 (0.57 pg)

t. No. 5 Dexter McCoil, Tulsa, 6 (0.5 pg)

t. No. 5 Sean Baker, Ball State

t. No. 5 Domonic Cook, Buffalo

t. No. 10 Marco Nelson, Tulsa (.046 pg)

t. No. 13 Evan Harris, Miami (Ohio), (0.43 pg)

t. No. 13 Dayonne Nunley, Miami (0.43 pg)

Everybody on the list but Silva had six interceptions this past season. Impressive to see duos from Tulsa and Miami on the list. Each of those players returns for 2011. There were only three seniors on this list -- Baker, Cook and Silva.

Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

View the original article here

Rocky Long, BCS top non-AQ mailbag

We end the week with a brief mailbag. Just because the season is over doesn't mean the college football talk ends. Keep sending in your questions and comments.

Scott Butler in Bellingham, Mass., writes: Andrea, First, thanks for your coverage of SDSU and all non-AQs (I hate that label almost as much as the term "mid major"). Anyway, you left off the best quote from the Rocky Long press conference."I have a better job here at SDSU. He (Brady) has a lot of work to do there." The Aztecs are going to kill Michigan in the little house next season, and I will be there to see it.

Andrea Adelson writes: Well, I was watching on the Internet and might have missed that quote because the sound got muffled a few times. But thanks for putting it down for the record now! As for San Diego State killing Michigan, I foresee a shootout! Denard Robinson will get his yards; Ronnie Hillman will get his yards. Don't see it being a blowout either way.

Jason in Boise, Idaho, writes: Where will the one and only MWC matchup between Boise State and TCU be played?

Adelson writes: It is expected to be in Fort Worth, Texas. Boise State is essentially replacing Utah on the Mountain West schedule. Since TCU played at Utah, this season the game would be in Texas.

Jeff Proctor in Fort Worth writes: Is BYU still a non AQ team? Notre Dame isn't included with the non AQ's so shouldn't BYU be removed also?

Adelson writes: I have custody of all independents except Notre Dame. The Irish are handled by the Big East blogger and are treated independently by him as well.

Aaron in Tampa writes: Hi Andrea. Nice piece on the BCS. I agree with you that a plus-one would be a more perfect postseason, but given the commissioners' and presidents' common fear that it would quickly evolve into an expansive playoff, I think we'll have to be content with the BCS. While its overall concept hasn't changed, the BCS has come a long, long way in terms of opening its doors to the non-AQs since the early snubs of BYU, Marshall, etc. More fans of non-AQ schools need to recognize that, and stop complaining about wanting more.

Adelson writes: You are right, the BCS has opened a lot more doors and is a better system than the old one. But what's wrong with acknowledging the system is imperfect and wanting changes to make it even better than ever? I don't have a problem with the fans complaining, because there is a legitimate gripe. Right now less than half the teams in America have a chance to win a national championship. Nothing wrong with wanting everyone to get a fair shot.

Todd Parisi in St. Louis writes: As a graduate of Arkansas State, what is the real role of the Sun Belt Conference other than being guaranteed wins for teams like Auburn?

Adelson writes: Providing opportunities for student-athletes to play on the Division I level for one. Providing bowl opportunities for the student-athletes for another. The Sun Belt might be the least regarded of the 11 conferences and provide "Ws" for teams like Auburn, but these schools have joined the league willingly and believe they can sustain themselves on the FBS level.

Kenneth Daniels in Mount Dora, Fla., writes: Isn't TCU in the Big East in 2011? And is the Big East planning on adding anymore schools?

Adelson writes: TCU joins the Big East in 2012. And yes, all indications point to the Big East adding more schools. Right now the league is waiting to see if Villanova wants to move to the FBS level in football. Villanova is expected to make a decision in April.

Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

View the original article here

BYU bowl moves top Non-AQ mailbag

Happy Friday to all, and thanks for writing into the mailbag. Keep those questions and comments coming.

Matt Coss in Portland writes: Now that BYU has two bowl agreements in place, we know their fate if they have a winning record in 2012 and 2013. Were these bowl agreements necessary for the school to have a post-season in those years? Doesn't that take away some of the excitement from the regular season?

Andrea Adelson: The bowl agreements make it much easier to have a postseason, that is for sure. Without them, then BYU would have to rely on getting selected as an at-large team, and that could have put them in less desirable locations against in less desirable matchups. Navy and Army have tie-ins to games, and Notre Dame has a deal to be taken in the Champs Sports Bowl depending on other Big East selections. So yes, the agreements were all but necessary. As for taking away some of the excitement, BYU still has a chance to make it into a BCS game should it qualify. And as a member of a conference, there are only so many bowl tie-ins. Can't imagine it was terribly exciting going to Las Vegas five years in a row. Then again, it is Vegas.

Daniel Hoy in Toledo writes: How will the MAC coaching changes affect the Ohio Bobcats and Northern Illinois in the bowl games?

Adelson: No impact on Ohio. As for Northern Illinois, it could go one of two ways: The team could be flat after a crazy 72-hour period in which it lost the MAC title game and then head coach Jerry Kill. Or the players could be fired up to prove that they will be just fine without him.

Austin in Orlando writes: Do you think that the Big East is going to join UCF as an all sports member by the end of this season? It only seems practical now that the Knights are No. 25 in football, and next in line to be ranked in basketball. If the Big East does not want UCF, is UCF ready for the ACC or SEC?

Adelson: I don't think it's going to happen by the end of the season. A big wild card is Villanova, which recently announced it is not going to make a decision on whether to move up to FBS until April. It's unclear whether the Big East will wait that long to make another move. But UCF is right up there to be selected. That is UCF's only hope at this point. No shot at the ACC or SEC.

Loren Cooper in Hampton, Neb., writes: What kinds of things will need to happen in the various bowls for Boise to jump a couple spots in the final polls?

Adelson: Well, teams ahead of the Broncos are going to have to lose and Boise State is going to have to win. Losses by No. 7 Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, No. 8 Arkansas in the Allstate Sugar Bowl and No. 9 Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl would be the best bets. Now here is something interesting to ponder -- if No. 6 Ohio State loses to Arkansas and Boise State wins -- who finishes ranked higher? E. Gordon Gee wants to know!

Kevin in Provo, Utah, asks: What do you think the chances are that Bronco Mendenhall would put Brandon Doman in as a new OC (assuming that he will get rid of Robert Anae). I've read articles where Bronco praises Doman as the best quarterbacks coach in the country, and I know Doman won't want to stick around forever if he doesn't get a promotion or raise. What would be the best move in your opinion?

Adelson: I know a lot of fans are unhappy with Anae this season, but here is something I wonder -- how much of the two QB system at the beginning of the year should be blamed on Anae, and how much should be blamed on Mendenhall? This is an offense that has been just fine until this season, and I think a lot of the troubles started with that QB rotation. Doman is a great coach, no question, but I think Anae deserves another year to call the plays. More importantly, I think Doman needs another year working with Jake Heaps full time to get him prepared to be a true leader of this offense.

Spencer in Provo, Utah, writes: What do you think about Craig Thompson's two-faced decision to add Hawaii as a football only school after he shot BYU down when the Cougars wanted to leave all their sports in the MWC and go independent in football? It seems terribly hypocritical and even though the presidents of the universities make the decision on who to add to the league he has a voice in what is happening.

Adelson: There are a lot of politics behind the scenes involving BYU and its relationship with the Mountain West. There could have been more resistance from the university presents to accept that plan than we know publicly. So I am not ready to call Thompson a hypocrite. I also think BYU preferred to take its other sports to the WAC.

Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

View the original article here

Other non-AQ bowl misses

Earlier today, I had a breakdown on why Houston missed a bowl game this season. Now here is a breakdown of several other 2009 bowl teams that missed out in 2010.

Bowling Green

What happened: The Falcons had one of the youngest teams in the country going into the season and they had big shoes to fill with the departure of quarterback Tyler Sheehan and receiver Freddie Barnes. The offense struggled all season, especially the run game, which ranked last in the nation. The Falcons also lost four games by three points or fewer.

Bowling in 2011? Plenty of players return, so they should have the experience, but a big question is whether Matt Schilz can take the next step at quarterback. He already has his go-to target in Kamar Jorden.

Central Michigan

What happened: It's never easy to replace one of the best players in school history in Dan LeFevour, who led the team in rushing and passing last season. Ryan Radcliff held his own at quarterback, but threw way too many interceptions (17 TDs and 17 INTs). The Chippewas struggled to find consistency with their offensive line, failing to protect the quarterback (33 sacks allowed) or establish a decent run game. They also had problems taking care of the football, ranking as one of the worst in the country in turnover margin.

Bowling in 2011? It all depends on the development of Radcliff, and a big-time replacement for linebacker Nick Bellore.

Idaho

What happened: Quarterback Nathan Enderle may have thrown for more yards this season than last, but that is because he had way more attempts. The reason? Idaho could never get its running game going, averaging 88.5 yards a game. The offensive line was a problem because it also failed to protect Enderle -- Idaho gave up 45 sacks this season, third worst in the country. Enderle also saw his completion percentage and yards per attempt drop, and his interceptions go up (from nine to 16). The Vandals were also one of the most penalized teams in the nation.

Bowling in 2011? Leaning no. Idaho is losing Enderle and a lot of senior leadership in defensive end Aaron Lavarias, linebacker JoJo Dickson, safety Shiloh Keoh, tight end Daniel Hardy and receiver Eric Greenwood.

Marshall

What happened: Inconsistency at quarterback, along the offensive line and in the kicking game. Marshall struggled to run the ball, ranking No. 113 in the country and averaging 97.2 yards a game. Much of that was because of a young offensive line. The scoring suffered, too, as the Herd only averaged 20.8 points a game.

Bowling in 2011? Depends on what happens with the quarterback and offensive line. Brian Anderson is gone, leaving A.J. Graham and Eddie Sullivan as the lone returners with experience.

Temple

What happened: The Owls were bowl eligible at 8-4, but were not chosen to go bowling, thanks in part to two straight losses to close the year to Ohio and Miami (Ohio). Turnovers hurt in the loss to the Bobcats, and the offense just never showed up against the RedHawks. Leading rusher Bernard Pierce was banged up all season, though Matt Brown did a nice job filling in. The Owls also made a quarterback change midway through the season, finishing up with Mike Gerardi because Chester Stewart was too inconsistent.

Bowling in 2011? Depends on who Temple hires to replace Al Golden. There is talent here. Can the new coach continue to build on what Golden did the last two seasons?

Wyoming

What happened:A brutal schedule is what happened. After opening against Southern Utah, Wyoming played eight straight bowl teams, including nonconference games at Texas and home to Boise State. The offense took a step back, ranking No. 116 in total offense and 107 in scoring offense. Despite speculation that he may transfer, quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels will return. The Cowboys also dealt with tragedy early in the year when freshman Ruben Narcisse was killed in a car accident Sept. 6.

Bowling in 2011? It is going to be close. Wyoming has an easier out of conference schedule, but it does play two FCS schools. That means the Cowboys have to get to seven wins. They get Nebraska and TCU at home, but Air Force, Boise State and San Diego State on the road.

Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

View the original article here

Non-AQ mid-season signings

Here is a listing of a few non-AQ midyear signings:

Houston

The Cougars signed four junior college players, including three from NJCAA national champion Navarro Junior College in Texas. All four will join the program in January to take part in offseason workouts.

The signees are: defensive backs Chevy Bennett and D.J. Hayden and offensive lineman Daniel Campbell of Navarro College and defensive lineman Dominique Smith of Blinn College.

“Through graduation we have lost two defensive backs, an offensive tackle and a defensive tackle and with these four midyear players we view them as immediate replacements,” coach Kevin Sumlin said in a statement. “Our track record with junior college players has been excellent particularly with mid-year transfers and their ability to get on the field right away and in critical roles for our team.”

Nevada

The Wolf Pack will add six players to their roster for the spring semester, including five high school players who signed in February but delayed their enrollment.

The freshmen players are: offensive linemen in Connor Talbott (Reno, Nev.) and Sebastian Tretola (San Bernardino, Calif.), defensive linemen Zack Brickell (Fallbrook, Calif.) and Rykeem Yates (Fresno, Calif.) and defensive back Ryan Goforth (Long Beach, Calif.).

The lone junior college player is Jon McNeal, a standout from Santa Monica (Calif.) Junior College who will join the Pack with three years of eligibility remaining.

Toledo

The Rockets signed two junior college players: Colby Kratch, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound tight end from the North Dakota State College of Science, and Jordan Barnes, a 6-foot-1, 240-pound linebacker from Western Oklahoma Community College. Kratch will be a junior next fall; Barnes will be a sophomore. Both players will enroll in school in January and participate in spring practice.

Coach Tim Beckman expects to add more midyear transfers to the program in January.

Utah State

The Aggies signed three junior college players: quarterback Adam Kennedy (San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton, Calif.) and Eastern Arizona Junior College teammates Stetson Tenney (OL) and Corey Orth (DL). All three will participate in spring football.

“We are very excited to have all three young men in our program,” coach Gary Andersen said in a statement. “It gives us depth and competition at each one of those positions. Anytime you go out and recruit junior college players, especially midyear junior college players, you expect them to come in and compete for a starting job, and that is what we expect each of these young men to do.”

Memphis

The Tigers signed two junior college players: DB Perrance Ward (East Mississippi Community College) and OL Jordan Devey (Snow College, Ephraim, Utah). Both will enroll in January and participate in spring practice.

Ward ranked tied for sixth nationally among NJCAA statistical leaders with a team-high five interceptions. He also posted two sacks and helped the Lions to a 5-5 record and an appearance in the state playoffs. Devey started a majority of the 2009 season at left guard and transitioned to left tackle in 2010.

UCF

Linebacker Ray Cottman (Tucson, Ariz.) and defensive end Toby Jackson (Griffin, Ga.) both signed with the Knights. Jackson was the Defensive MVP of the Junior College National Championship Game as Navarro (Texas) beat Bulter (Kan.) 13-12. Jackson had a pair of fourth quarter sacks, one of which forced a fumble, and added two tackles for loss.

Cottman made 88 tackles with 4.5 sacks, an interception, four forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries this past fall at Glendale (Ariz.) Community College.

Southern Miss

Southern Miss signed three junior college players: OL Vincent Brown (Miami, Fla.), CB Clifford Johnson (Jacksonville, Fla.) and DB Martez Thompson (Pascagoula, Miss.).

Brown played last season at the ASA Institute in New York City, where he was a second team Northeast Football Conference selection on the offensive line. Johnson played at Pierce College in Los Angeles the previous two seasons. He had 10 tackles, including seven solos, to go along with five pass breakups in 2010.

Thompson went to Gulf Coast Community College the last two seasons. As a sophomore, he posted 28 tackles (23 solos) to go along with 2.0 tackles for loss as the Bulldogs finished 10-2 and won the MACJC championship.

Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

View the original article here

Non-AQ bowl look

We are running out of weekends for teams to become bowl eligible. Here is a look at where teams stand in the non-AQ conferences.

Conference USA

Already eligible: UCF, Tulsa, Southern Miss, UTEP, East Carolina, SMU.

Vying for a spot: Houston has to win at Texas Tech to get to six wins.

Conference race: UCF clinches the East and hosts the C-USA title game with a win at Memphis (1-10). Southern Miss needs to beat Tulsa and have UCF lose. East Carolina needs a win over SMU and UCF and Southern Miss to lose, creating a three-way tie. If that happens, the Pirates win the East. All three teams would finish 6-2 and would have beaten each other. The next tiebreaker is highest winning percentage within the division. East Carolina would be 4-1 while Southern Miss and UCF would be 3-2.

In the West: SMU clinches with a win at East Carolina. Tulsa clinches with a win over Southern Miss and an SMU loss. If both lose, SMU clinches a spot in the C-USA title game.

Guaranteed bowl spots: Six.

MAC

Already eligible: Temple, Toledo, Ohio, Northern Illinois, Miami (Ohio).

Vying for a spot: Western Michigan needs a win at Bowling Green (2-9) on Friday to get to six wins.

Conference race: Northern Illinois has clinched the West. Ohio wins the East with a victory at Kent State on Friday. Miami (Ohio) needs a win over Temple tonight and an Ohio loss. If both lose, Ohio clinches a spot in the MAC title game.

Guaranteed bowl spots: Three.

Mountain West

Already eligible: TCU, San Diego State, Air Force, Utah, BYU.

Vying for a spot: Nobody else can become eligible.

Conference race: TCU wins the title outright with a victory over New Mexico or a Utah loss to BYU.

Guaranteed bowl spots: Five.

Sun Belt

Already eligible: No one.

Vying for a spot: Troy (5-5), FIU (5-5) and ULM (5-6) become bowl eligible with wins this weekend. Troy plays Western Kentucky (2-9), FIU hosts Arkansas State (4-7) and ULM hosts Louisiana (2-9). FAU (4-6) and Middle Tennessee (4-6) play each other with bowl hopes on the line.

Conference race: FIU takes the league with one win in its final two games. Troy needs to win out and have FIU lose out to win its fifth straight title.

Guaranteed bowl spots: Two.

WAC

Already eligible: Boise State, Hawaii, Nevada, Fresno State. Hawaii has accepted an invite to the Hawaii Bowl.

Vying for a spot: Louisiana Tech (4-6) and Idaho (5-6) have to win out to become eligible. Louisiana Tech has to beat San Jose State and Nevada; while Idaho needs to beat Fresno State and San Jose State. The Vandals need seven wins because they have a 13-game schedule this season.

Conference race: Boise State wins the WAC with wins over Nevada and Utah State. Hawaii wins the WAC if it wins its final two games and Boise State loses its final two games. Nevada wins the WAC with a win over Boise State and a Hawaii loss. If there is a three-way tie, Nevada, Boise State and Hawaii would be considered co-champions. Hawaii is headed to the Hawaii Bowl regardless. As for Nevada and Boise State, the WAC -- along with a bowl committee of non-bowl eligible athletic directors -- work with the bowls to help decide the best place for each bowl eligible team.

Guaranteed bowl spots: Four.

Independents

Navy (8-3) and Army (6-5) are bowl eligible. Navy will head to the Poinsettia Bowl. Army is eligible for the first time since 1996. Though the Black Knights don’t have an automatic bowl tie-in this year, they have backup agreements with the Armed Forces Bowl and Military Bowl. Notre Dame (6-5) is also headed to a bowl.

Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

View the original article here

Non-AQ bowl look

You saw my bowl projections from Sunday. Now here is a breakdown of the teams that have a shot at becoming bowl eligible this weekend.

Conference USA

Already eligible: UCF, Tulsa, Southern Miss, UTEP.

Vying for a spot: East Carolina, SMU and Houston each have five wins. The Pirates are hoping to bounce back after an embarrassing 76-45 loss to Navy at UAB. Houston hosts Tulsa in an important West division game, while SMU is off. SMU, Houston and Tulsa each have two league losses. SMU already beat Tulsa but lost to Houston. If there is a three-way tie atop the division when the season ends, the first tiebreaker is overall record to determine who plays in the Conference USA title game.

On the other end of the spectrum: Tulane (3-6), Marshall (3-6) and UAB (3-6) have to win out. Rice (2-7) and Memphis (1-8) have been eliminated.

Guaranteed bowl spots: Six.

MAC

Already eligible: Temple, Toledo, Ohio and Northern Illinois.

Vying for a spot: Miami (Ohio) is 5-4 and has a great shot at becoming bowl eligible in the next two weeks with games at Bowling Green (2-7) on Wednesday and at Akron (0-10) on Nov. 17. Kent State (4-5) needs to win two of its final three against Army (5-4), Western Michigan (3-6) and Ohio (7-3).

On the other end of the spectrum: Western Michigan has to win out. Buffalo, Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Akron, Eastern Michigan and Ball State are out.

Guaranteed bowl spots: Three.

Mountain West

Already eligible: TCU, San Diego State, Air Force, Utah.

Vying for a spot: BYU (4-5) plays at Colorado State in a critical must-win before closing against New Mexico and Utah.

On the other end of the spectrum: Colorado State, Wyoming, UNLV and New Mexico have been eliminated.

Guaranteed bowl spots: Five.

Sun Belt

Already eligible: No one.

Vying for a spot: Troy (5-3) is the only team with five wins. A home win against FIU on Saturday gets the Trojans bowl eligible. ULM (4-5) and Arkansas State (4-5) have to win two of three. The Warhawks have LSU, North Texas and Louisiana. Arkansas State has Western Kentucky, Navy and FIU.

On the other end of the spectrum: FIU, Middle Tennessee and FAU are each 3-5. The Blue Raiders may have the easiest road with games against North Texas, Western Kentucky, FAU and FIU remaining. FAU has Troy and Texas on its schedule. FIU also has tough games against Troy, Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee. North Texas, Louisiana and Western Kentucky have been eliminated.

Guaranteed bowl spots: Two.

WAC

Already eligible: Boise State, Hawaii, Nevada, Fresno State. Hawaii has accepted an invite to the Hawaii Bowl.

Vying for a spot: Idaho (4-5) has to win three of four against Boise State, Utah State, Fresno State and San Jose State. Since the Vandals have a 13-game schedule, they have to get to seven wins. Louisiana Tech and Utah State are both 3-6 and have to win out. The Bulldogs have New Mexico State, San Jose State and Nevada. Utah State has San Jose State, Idaho and Boise State.

On the other end of the spectrum: New Mexico State and San Jose State (1-8) have been eliminated.

Guaranteed bowl spots: Four.

Independents

Navy (6-3) became eligible for the Poinsettia Bowl. Army (5-4) needs one more win with games left against Kent State, Notre Dame and Navy. Army does not have an automatic bowl tie-in this year, but has backup agreements with the Armed Forces Bowl and Military Bowl. Notre Dame (4-5) needs two more wins with games remaining against Utah, Army and USC.

Tags:

WAC, MWC, C-USA, MAC, Sun Belt, Navy Midshipmen, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, Fresno State, East Carolina, Boise State, Utah, Nevada, Colorado State, Ohio, Southern Miss, New Mexico, Louisiana Tech, Northern Illinois, Air Force, Houston, Utah State, North Texas, Troy, UAB, UNLV, Wyoming, BYU, TCU, Marshall, Hawaii, SMU, UCF, Tulsa, UTEP, Idaho, Temple, Tulane, Memphis, Miami (Ohio), Middle Tennessee, Western Michigan, San Diego State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Toledo, FAU, Rice, Arkansas State, FIU, Western Kentucky, Kent State, Akron, Ball State, Louisiana, ULM, 2010 bowl countdown

Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

View the original article here