Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Oct. 29---College Football---
Georgia Tech 10 ... Clemson 9---College Football---
Georgia Tech got a three-yard touchdown run from P.J. Daniels in the fourth quarter and Travis Bell connected on a 33-yard field goal in the first half. Clemson lost three first half fumbles and only managed three Jad Dean field goals. The Tigers had the ball on its own 41 with three seconds to play, but QB Charlie Whitehurst was picked off. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Georgia Tech RB P.J. Daniels ran 21 times for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Clemson - Passing: Charlie Whitehurst, 19-29, 180 yds, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Reggie Merriweather, 23-128. Receiving: Chansi Stuckey, 8-89---College Football---
Georgia Tech - Passing: Reggie Ball, 14-24, 126 yds, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: P.J. Daniels, 21-100, 1 TD. Receiving: Damarius Bilbo, 5-68---College Football---
What to take away from this game: The win over Clemson might not have been pretty, but it was a big one for bowl hopes. Reggie Ball wasn't put in any situations to screw up, and he was effective with P.J. Daniels handling most of the offensive work. 11 penalties and few big plays from the passing game were a big problem, and the run defense didn't do nearly enough against Reggie Merriweather. The D had better be much better next week against Wake Forest.---College Football---
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Oct. 15---College Football---
Georgia Tech 35 ... Duke 10---College Football---
Starting QB Reggie Ball left with a hip pointer and RB P.J. Daniels hurt his shoulder, but Georgia Tech got a strong game out of Tashard Choice with two, one-yard touchdown runs in the third quarter as part of a run of 28 unanswered points in the third quarter. Duke got a three-yard touchdown pass to Andy Roland for a 10-7 first half lead, but the Georgia Tech offense rolled in the third quarter and Darrell Robertson took an interception 28 yards for a score. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Georgia Tech RB Tashard Choice ran 15 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Georgia Tech - Passing: Reggie Ball, 16-25, 144 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Tashard Choice, 15-107, 2 TD. Receiving: Calvin Johnson, 4-73---College Football---
Duke - Passing: Zack Asack, 9-28, 90 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Justin Boyle, 27-88. Receiving: Ben Patrick, 3-26---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Georgia Tech did what it needed to do in the second half to put Duke away, but there has to be a big concern how healthy it'll be next week against Miami. For the second straight year, it doesn't look like RB P.J. Daniels will be able to be ready to go against the Canes. If Daniels and QB Reggie Ball are out, the defense will have to play that much better than it already has been, and the offense won't be able to afford any mistakes, or the slow start it got off to against Duke. ---College Football---
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Oct. 6
NC State 17 ... Georgia Tech 14---College Football---
Down three with 33 seconds to play, Georgia Tech was on the three-yard line looking to go in for the game winning score, and appeared to have it as Reggie Ball hit a leaping Calvin Johnson in the hands, but Johnson bobbled the ball as he fell letting NC State's Garland Heath picked it off to seal the Wolfpack win. Brian Clark caught a 40-yard touchdown pass off a flea flicker in the first half, and took a slant pattern for the game-winning 80-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter. Georgia Tech was able to rally from a 10-0 deficit with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Johnson and a 12-yard P.J. Daniels touchdown run, but PK Travis Bell missed two short field goals wide right that turned out to be the difference.---College Football---
Player of the game: NC State WR Brian Clark caught four passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns.---College Football---
Stat Leaders: NC State - Passing: Jay Davis, 18-25, 230 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Toney Baker, 22-68. Receiving: Brian Clark, 4-148, 2 TD---College Football---
Georgia Tech - Passing: Reggie Ball, 21-53, 279 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: P.J. Daniels, 12-88. Receiving: Calvin Johnson, 10-130, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Reggie Ball proved to be good enough to lead Georgia Tech back into game-winning range with a nice fourth quarter against NC State, but he also was bad enough to put the team in a hole in the first place. A horrible first half wasn't all his fault, but he tried to force it to Calvin Johnson all game long and it didn't always work. Tech needed to get P.J. Daniels and the running game more involved, and the offense only really got rolling late when Ball scrambled. After two straight brutal defeats, each coming in different ways with this loss probably tougher than the Virginia Tech blowout, the team needs to regroup in a hurry to keep the season from slipping away. Ahhhh, Duke's up next. ---College Football---
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Sept. 24---College Football---
Virginia Tech 51 ... Georgia Tech 7---College Football---
Virginia Tech throttled Georgia Tech in all phases with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jeff King and touchdown runs from Mike Imoh and Cedric Humes on offense, a blocked field goal for a 78-yard score from D.J. Parker and the special teams, and interception returns for touchdowns in the third quarter from Xavier Adibi and Chris Ellis. Georgia Tech was able to get an 11-yard touchdown catch from Calvin Johnson in the third quarter, but the Hokies were already up 31-7.
Player of the game: Virginia Tech QB Marcus Vick completed 13 of 18 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 15 yards.---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Virginia Tech - Passing: Marcus Vick, 13-18, 223 yds, 1 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Mike Imoh, 11-55, 1 TD. Receiving: David Clowney, 3-47---College Football---
Georgia Tech - Passing: Reggie Ball, 11-27, 143 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: P.J. Daniels, 10-48. Receiving: Calvin Johnson, 5-123, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Even if Reggie Ball had been fully healthy, he wouldn't have made a difference against Virginia Tech. The Hokies swarmed all over everything the Yellow Jackets tried to do, and it didn't help that Ball appeared off. You can't convert a mere two of 16 third down chances, and throw two pick sizes, and hope to hang with a team this good. It's important for the team to rest and get fully healthy over the next few weeks with NC State's tough defense coming up.---College Football---
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Sept. 17---College Football---
Georgia Tech 28 ... Connecticut 13 ---College Football---
Taylor Bennett, playing in place of Reggie Ball, threw a touchdown pass on his first throw connecting with Calvin Johnson from 42 yards out, but Connecticut was able to bounce back to take a 13-7 lead on a five-yard scoring run from Matt Bonislawski before Kenny Scott put the Yellow Jackets up for good on a 21-yard interception return for a touchdown with just :45 left in the first half. The Tech defense took care of the rest and Tashard Choice ran for two short touchdown runs to put the game away. UConn was held to six first downs and 196 yards of total offense losing four turnovers. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Georgia Tech RB P.J. Daniels ran 25 times for 114 yards. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Georgia Tech - Passing: Taylor Bennett, 11-30, 142 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: P.J. Daniels, 25-114. Receiving: Calvin Johnson, 3-75, 1 TD
Connecticut - Passing: Matt Bonislawski, 7-25, 67 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Terry Caulley, 14-83. Receiving: Brandon Young, 2-34---College Football---
What to take away from this game: The loss of Reggie Ball just before the game to an illness threw Taylor Bennett into the spotlight against UConn, and he didn't necessarily come through. If he has to play against Virginia Tech next week, he has to be far, far better than 11 of 30 for 142 yards. However, he didn't turn the ball over and let the running game and the defense do the work. As long as the defense played well and keeps forcing turnovers like it did this week, Tech has a shot against anyone, including the Hokies. ---College Football---
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Sept. 10
Georgia Tech 27 ... North Carolina 21---College Football---
Reggie Ball threw two touchdown passes and ran for a another as Georgia Tech squeaked out a win. North Carolina had its chances, but Matt Baker, who threw two touchdown passes and ran for another, threw three interceptions including one with less than two minutes to play to snuff out a final shot. Tech WR Damarius Bilbo caught a career-high eight passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.
Player of the game: Georgia Tech QB Reggie Ball completed 24 of 47 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns and ran seven times for 20 yards and a score. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Georgia Tech - Passing: Reggie Ball, 24-47, 320 yds, 2 TD---College Football---
Rushing: P.J. Daniels, 21-113. Receiving: Pat Clark, 6-36---College Football---
North Carolina - Passing: Matt Baker, 18-39, 280 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT---College Football---
Rushing: James Arnold, 9-28. Receiving: Jawarski Pollock, 4-65, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: It has to be a bit of a concern that QB Reggie Ball played a great game, the running game was working, and the defense picked off three passes and still it took a late interception to put North Carolina away. The defense is swarming behind the play of Gerris Wilkinson, but the Yellow Jacket pass defense has to lock up better after getting torched for a ton of yards two weeks in a row. Will the D trade yards for interceptions? It appears so.
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Sept. 3---College Football---
Georgia Tech 23 ... Auburn 14 Instant Analysis---College Football---
Georgia Tech got three Travis Bell field goals, including a 23 yarder to ice the game late in the fourth quarter, a two-yard P.J. Daniels touchdown run and a 35-yard diving touchdown catch from Calvin Johnson to end Auburn's 15-game winning streak. The Tiger offense moved the ball gaining close to 400 yards, but starting QB Brandon Cox threw four interceptions and struggled with his consistency. Cox also threw for 342 yards with two second quarter touchdowns, but the offense couldn't put any points on the board in the second half. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Georgia Tech RB P.J. Daniels ran 23 times for 111 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 15 yards---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Georgia Tech - Passing: Reggie Ball, 17-36, 174 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: P.J. Daniels, 23-111, 1 TD. Receiving: Pat Clark, 6-36---College Football---
Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 22-44, 342 yds, 2 TD, 4 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Tre Smith, 12-53. Receiving: Ben Obomanu, 6-89, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Considering the brutal schedule the Yellow Jackets have to face, this is a fantastic win that could propel them to a huge season. If QB Reggie Ball isn't making mistakes, and the Tech defense forces errors, this is going to be a tough team to beat. It's encouraging that the rest of the offense stepped up when star WR Calvin Johnson was out for a stretch and was the focus of the Tiger D. RB P.J. Daniels was a steady force taking the pressure off of Ball. Don't forget about what a weapon PK Travis Bell can be. In other words, this is a dangerous team.---College Football---
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2005 Schedule---College Football---
Sept. 3 – at Auburn (9-2, 6-2 in SEC) – Offense: This should be an interesting year for the Auburn offense. All the talk will be about the loss of QB Jason Campbell and running backs Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown, but there's enough talent coming back to expect another good year. This wasn't always the most explosive attack last year, and that could change with one of the nation's best receiving corps and a backfield full of home-run hitting speed. The line will be fine with All-America talent at the tackles. So it all comes down to the quarterbacks. If Brandon Cox is ready to handle the pressure, the offense will be fine. If he struggles, the attack won't be pretty.
Defense: All eyes will be on new defensive coordinator David Gibbs and if he can keep Auburn number one in the nation in scoring defense and in the top five in total D. As a former secondary coach for the Denver Broncos, Gibbs will be a big help to the defensive backs; the one area that needs a bit of help after losing Carlos Rogers and Junior Rosegreen. The front seven will be tremendous with a frighteningly good front four and an emerging linebacking corps. This will be an aggressive defense that'll crank out around 40 sacks helped most by ends Stanley McClover and Quentin Groves.---College Football---

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Sept. 10 - North Carolina (3-8, 3-5 in ACC) – Offense: Coordinator Gary Tranquill did a masterful job last year helping the Tar Heels to a big season finishing second in the ACC in total offense. The line is outstanding and the receiving corps is deep and underrated. There are concerns in the backfield needing new quarterback Matt Baker to be consistent, while inexperienced running backs Vince Wilson and Barrington Edwards need to pick up the slack for injured junior Ronnie McGill.---College Football---
Defense: Nine starters, not including top tackle Chase Page, return to a defense that finished 109th in the nation allowing 446.5 yards and 31.83 points per game. The most work has to be done in the run defense with the veteran linebacking corps needing to make far more plays to allow the safeties to play pass defense. The young, inconsistent line has to generate more of a pass rush and the secondary has to pick off more passes.---College Football---
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Sept. 17 - Connecticut (6-5, 3-4 in Big East) – Offense: All the focus is on the quarterback situation where Matt Bonislawski and D.J. Hernandez will try to replace heart-and-soul leader Dan Orlovsky, but the winner of the derby will be more than capable of putting up big numbers. The backfield is the best in the Big East with Terry Caulley returning from a knee injury to join defending Big East rushing champion Cornell Brockington. The receiving corps is more than solid despite some key losses. And then there's the offensive line. The interior could be a nightmare early, there aren't any true tackles and there's no depth whatsoever.---College Football---
Defense: Is this the Big East's best defense? It'll be close with a deep and experienced front four and secondary. While the numbers are there as far as good retuning players, the star quality is gone with the departure of LBs Alfred Fincher and Maurice Lloyd along with CB Justin Perkins. Even so, don't expect much of a drop-off from the D that finished 27th in the nation last year unless there's a major fallout from losing five players to suspension due to the shooting of a vehicle window with a pellet gun.---College Football---
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Sept. 24 – at Virginia Tech (9-2, 6-2 in ACC) – Offense: The offense was efficient last year, but it didn't move the ball much averaging almost 31 points per game despite only averaging 366 yards. Now this should be a devastating attack as long as Marcus Vick plays like he's supposed to. There are two great quarterback prospects (Sean Glennon and Cory Holt) also in the mix, but Vick is the type of player who can make this loaded attack special. There's too much talent at running back and receiver for one football, and the line is big and will be fine in time. Expect big, explosive numbers, but the question is whether or not someone can pick up the leadership slack left by Bryan Randall.---College Football---
Defense: While this probably won't be the killer defense it was last year when it finished fourth in the nation and second in scoring defense, it'll still be impressive with a tremendous front four, an experienced linebacking corps, and All-America corner Jimmy Williams leading the secondary. Depth is a bit of a problem in the back seven with decent, but mostly inexperienced prospects being shuffled around to find the right fit. Like always with the Hokies, expect plenty of great athletes, lots of big plays, and another good year.---College Football---
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Oct. 6 - NC State (6-5, 3-5 in ACC) - Offense: All the offense had to do was be competent and not screw up so the defense could win games. It didn't happen with little consistent run production and 16 interceptions thrown from the quarterbacks. Things should be better as the line returned experienced and potentially much, much better after injuries struck just about everyone last year. The running game should shine with speedsters Darrell Blackman and Bobby Washington complementing power running Reggie Davis. The concern is the passing attack as QB Jay Davis has to be more consistent and a number one wide receiver has to emerge to take the place of Richard Washington.---College Football---
Defense: The defense was number one last year in the nation in total defense, number two in pass defense and number nine is pass defense. Even though most of the starting back seven is gone, this will still be an ultra-productive group thanks to the outstanding front four. Mario Williams and Manny Lawson form the nation's best defensive end pair, while tackles John McCargo and Tank Tyler are solid veterans. There's speed and athleticism in the back seven, but there has to be proven production early. This will be a much better defense in October than it will be in September.
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Oct. 15 – at Duke (3-8, 0-8 in ACC) – Offense: The Blue Devils can go nowhere but up after finishing dead-last in total offense averaging 266 yards per game and averaging 16.6 points per outing. There's experience returning among the skill players with quarterback Mike Schneider returning for his third year as a starter getting two fantastic tight ends, Andy Roland and Ben Patrick, to work with. The backfield will be a strength as long as Cedric Dargan can stay healthy, but they won't produce much behind a rebuilding offensive line that returns one starter.
Defense: The defense couldn't stop anyone's running game finishing 113th in the nation and allowed 426 yards per game of total offense. Expect that to change as the line has gone from a weakness to a strength with star tackle recruit Vince Oghobaase taking over in the middle along with the hopeful return of end Phillip Alexander from a broken leg. The secondary will be fine led by corner John Talley, but the linebackers will be a concern early until two new starters get their feet wet.---College Football---
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Oct. 22 – at Miami (10-1, 7-1 in ACC) – Offense: The Cane offense is long on great prospects, but short on proven production. Unlike last year when the attack relied on experience over potential, players like QB Kyle Wright, RB Tyrone Moss and WR Lance Leggett have more excitement around them and have more NFL potential. Moss and Leggett have given a glimpse of what they can do, but Wright, or Kirby Freeman, has to show the maturity and poise to handle one of college football's most glamorous and highly scrutinized positions. The offensive line will be more than solid, but it needs Eric Winston and Tyler McMeans to return to pre-injury form.---College Football---
Defense: This will be one of the best defenses in the country, if not the best. The only concern is with a run defense that was surprisingly soft last year allowing 155 yards per game. If that's tightened up, this will be a killer with 11 players returning who started six or more games last year. That doesn't include superstar Devin Hester taking over the full-time job at one of the corners. The linebacking corps has the potential to be one of Miami's best ever.---College Football---
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Oct. 29 - Clemson (6-5, 3-5 in ACC) – Offense: Former Toledo offensive coordinator Rob Spence will take over for Mike O'Cain after the Tiger attack finished 110th in the nation in offense and averaged a mere 21.45 points per game. The key will be an improvement on the line as the talent is there in the backfield and the receiving corps, even with the loss of top pass catcher Airese Currie, to see a night-and-day improvement. QB Charlie Whitehurst has to rebound after a lousy season, but he needs time to throw. The running game will be better with the expected emergence of RB Reggie Merriweather as a star for a full season.---College Football---
Defense: New defensive coordinator Vic Koenning should be able to keep things rolling after a fantastic 2004. Plenty of experience returns, but there are some huge losses hurt most by the departure of LB Leroy Hill and CB Justin Miller. The run defense should be solid with a good front four and solid, deep linebacking corps. Even with the early defection of Miller to the NFL, the secondary will be good if CB Sergio Gilliam can play well right away. CB Tye Hill and FS Jamaal Fudge will be among the ACC's best.---College Football---
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Nov. 5 - Wake Forest (5-6, 3-5 in ACC) - Offense: You know what you're getting from Wake Forest. It'll be another great rushing attack led by Chris Barclay and strong backups Micah Andrews and De'Angelo Bryant working behind an experienced, but inconsistent line. The passing game has weapons with most of the top receivers coming back, so now the key is finding a quarterback to get them the ball. Ben Mauk and Cory Randolph are average passers at best and will be in a battle for the starting spot up until the opener.---College Football---
Defense: The front seven will be the best in the Jim Grobe era with plenty of speed and good depth at almost every spot. The secondary will be the concern losing stars Eric King and Marcus McGruder from a group that wasn't all that great anyway. The safeties will have to be the strength early led by junior Josh Gattis, but the corners will have a hard time with several young players looking to find time. ---College Football---
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Nov. 12 – at Virginia (7-4, 4-4 in ACC) – Offense: The Cavaliers had one of the nation's best offenses ... against average teams. Lack of a deep threat receiver and inconsistency in the backfield led to problems against teams like Miami, Florida State and Virginia Tech. That should change now that quarterback Marques Hagans has a year of starting experience. The big, fast receivers should be better with more of a focus on the passing attack. The ground game will still be outstanding with Wali Lundy and Michael Johnson working behind a line that'll have to find a way to overcome the loss of Elton Brown and Zac Yarbrough.---College Football---
Defense: The defense won't be quite the killer it was last year, but it'll be strong led by future millionaires Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham on the inside. Even though there aren't the stars of recent Cavalier defenses, there are plenty of great athletes and plenty of good, steady playmakers like Brennan Schmidt on the end and Tony Franklin at corner. There's decent depth everywhere.
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Nov. 26 - Georgia (8-3, 6-2 in SEC) – Offense: For all of last year's talent, Georgia's offense wasn't nearly as dominant as it should've been. That should change this year with an interesting mix of players. The running game will be one of the nation's best as long as the passing attack can be merely adequate. D.J. Shockley takes over the quarterbacking job providing experience and plenty of mobility and excitement. What he doesn't have is Fred Gibson or Reggie Brown to throw to. Fortunately, the backfield is five-deep in great runners while the line, led by Max Jean-Gilles, will be among the nation's best. ---College Football---
Defense: This will still be one of the nation's best defenses despite the loss of DE David Pollack, LB Odell Thurman and FS Thomas Davis. However, many of the great players on potential have to come through with big seasons and that starts up front with Kedric Golston and Gerald Anderson. Both are on the verge of being among the SEC's top tackles, but they haven't proven they can do it for a full season. The secondary will be tremendous with three starters returning. The most interesting area is the linebacking corps with good number two options for each spot and the return of Tony Taylor. The only real concern is finding one sure-thing pass rusher. The hope is for Quentin Moses to be the man.---College Football---
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Perspective Piece
Ohio State - Penn State, Oct. 8
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By Matthew Zemek---college football---
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Saturday night’s tilt between Ohio State and Penn State has a delicious and irresistible emotional feel to it. Buckeyes-Nittany Lions is the kind of game a sportswriter loves to contemplate. It has a texture and flavor that is not just appealing, but even endearing. There’s a sweetness to the subtext of this game that warms the heart, and makes one appreciate college football ten thousand times more than any other sport on the planet.
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OSU-PSU is an ultimate, prototypical kind of college football game, and I emphasize college here.
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College, after all, is where you learn about yourself, grow up, and become a real man. College is where you get an education, and for education to be relevant, you can’t just study textbooks or notes; you need to learn by experience, having your baptism by fire in so many aspects of life that you were either shielded from by your parents, or which Mom and Dad did for you.---college football---
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Saturday night, Penn State’s precocious freshmen will get a real college education at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes’ defense.---college football---
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No, this does not mean that Ohio State will run the Nittany Lions into the ground; the above comment is not meant to convey that idea. It simply indicates that these young Penn State talents will learn a lot about how to conduct themselves and make in-game adjustments—physically, tactically and emotionally—against a veteran defense that is the best in all of college football. The extent to which Derrick Williams and the other young Lion pups can make these changes in midstream will largely determine Penn State’s fate. If you can outfox Nate Salley or Donte Whitner, and minimize the impact of Heisman-worthy linebacker A.J. Hawk (who should cry bloody murder if he doesn’t get a plane ticket to New York this December; surely, he deserves that much), you can then proclaim to the world that your college education is paying big dividends.---college football---
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Adding to the emotional sweetness of Saturday night’s battle, which is just as much a “big event” as it is a mere game, is the presence of the Old Master on the sideline, watching over the progress of his too-young-to-know-better freshmen forces.---college football---
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Yes, this heartstring-tugging extravaganza, a Hallmark kind of football game if there ever was one, is made complete by the presence of Joe Paterno, defying time and staying young at heart to lead a resurrected Penn State program unbeaten into battle against the behemoth from Columbus. College football soars with joy and crackles with extra excitement whenever an iconic figure graces a spotlight game, and with PSU rebounding to battle the Buckeyes in a game that’s significant for both teams—and more instructively, significant for the same reasons (a Big Ten title)—you have JoePa back where he belongs: on the sidelines in a big-time game. The fact that he’s entering this contest with a rare youth movement in Happy Valley only adds to the sizzle of this high-stakes tilt.---college football---
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Everything that’s good and right about college football, everything that’s magical and endearing about this treasured sport, will be on display when the legendary coach and his teenage talents face the mighty colossus from central Ohio, loaded with linebackers every bit as good as anyone Paterno himself cranked out at the original “Linebacker U.”
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Youth and skill. Old age and treachery. The established power and a resurgent one. An established icon—Paterno—against a potential icon in the making in Jim Tressel, who—just like JoePa—loves old-school sweaters, button-down shirts, and ties.---college football---
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The imagery, the cross-generational appeal, and the meaning of a real college education all make Bucks-Lions a game that sings with romance, beauty and magic.---college football---
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Let’s hope the action on the field can match the delicious storylines that give this contest its rare, timeless and endearingly sweet texture.---college football---

Weekly College Football Column: Ex-Narbonne group will try to avoid scenery

By Bob Holtzman
Daily Breeze

Ask any college football fan about Las Vegas on a fall Saturday and you're bound to see eyes light up and drool trickle out of the mouth. - College Football -

I know the greatness of a Las Vegas sports book during football season and have been accused of trying to recreate a sports book in my own living room with multiple televisions, a computer to check other scores and plenty of screaming and yelling at the teams on the televisions.

Truth be told, there are plenty of college football fans who would prefer a Saturday afternoon in Vegas to tailgating at the biggest game of the week. Not only can you watch the big game of the week, you can bet on it legally (if you're over 21) and maybe get a few free cocktails.

But ask a college football player about going to Las Vegas and the answer is a little different. If you play for UNLV, you've got to learn to balance the bright lights and party-time atmosphere of Southern California's favorite destination with the focus and preparation necessary to play for the Rebels.

Ask a player heading to Las Vegas for a game with UNLV and he'll tell you this is a business trip. Of course, we all know that Sin City doesn't host all those business conventions just because there's a lot of hotel rooms. - College Football -

San Diego State and UNLV meet today and it could practically be seen as a Narbonne football reunion. The Rebels (1-4, 0-2) have three former Gauchos on their roster with defensive back Jeff Brown, running back and wide receiver Ronnie Smith and wide receiver Donell Wheaton. The Aztecs (2-3, 1-1) feature defensive end Antwon Applewhite and linebacker Marc Hull. San Diego State spent Friday night in Las Vegas and Coach Tom Craft told his players they weren't allowed to leave the hotel ... but we're talking about 18-to-22-year-olds.

"The rule is they stay in the hotel. We don't let them go out and experience Las Vegas. They can do that on their own time," Craft said. "We keep them in the hotel. Last time we were here, we had three guys that didn't do that. They got in late, were five minutes late to a meeting and we sent them home." - College Football -

Applewhite, who is third on the team with 27 tackles and leads the team with 2½ sacks, said he was a freshman when those players were sent back to San Diego. He thinks his teammates will make better decisions this time around. But he also knows that Vegas is an alluring place to venture out after dark.

"Well, everybody pretty much knows, there is not much dissent like that," Applewhite said. "Everybody is happy and nobody wants to mess this up. As a team we are not here to play around. We're here to do business." - College Football -

Wheaton said separating your social life in a city like Las Vegas and focusing on schoolwork and football isn't easy. He admitted it took him a while to discipline himself but it seems to be working now as he leads UNLV with 23 catches for 298 yards and three touchdowns.

"Vegas is the one and only place where the first things people think about when they come here is," Wheaton said, "I want to party, lose my mind and get away.

"It was hard when I first got here. We had parties on the Strip and school parties beside that. It's too easy to get caught up in the Vegas life. As I got older, it became easier to separate yourself and find out what was more important. For me, that was school."

First-year UNLV coach Mike Sanford said he always thought the program was an untapped gold mine because of its proximity to talent-rich Southern California and a supportive athletic director and university president. He doesn't deny that the team's home-field advantage is bigger than the 36,800 capacity of Sam Boyd Stadium. - College Football -

"I hope so," Sanford said about teams struggling with distractions while staying in Las Vegas. "I hope that can be an advantage for us up front when people travel.''

Applewhite said the Aztecs aren't going to be distracted before today's game. But he didn't deny that Las Vegas could be a really fun town to visit. - College Football -

"Right now, we're going to play football and trying to come out with a victory," Applewhite said. "We'll have to take a team trip (later) to go to Vegas to have fun."

Of course, Applewhite and the Aztecs can assure this weekend is a fun trip too -- with a victory.

Daily Breeze

College football notebook: Penn St., 'Bama impress pollsters

By The Associated Press and The Orlando Sentinel

Penn State is back and Alabama is moving up in The Associated Press Top 25.

The 16th-ranked Nittany Lions moved into the rankings yesterday for the first time since the final media poll of the 2002 season. The Crimson Tide jumped eight places to No. 7, its highest ranking since being third in the Sept. 3, 2000, poll. - College Football -

The top three spots were unchanged. USC, with 24 consecutive polls at No. 1, again received 59 first-place votes and the other six went to No. 2 Texas. Virginia Tech is No. 3 and Florida State is up to No. 4 with Georgia at No. 5 and Ohio State at No. 6.

Penn State and coach Joe Paterno, coming off four losing seasons in the past five years, leapt into the rankings with a 44-14 win at StateCollege, Pa., on Saturday over then-No. 18 Minnesota. The loss knocked the Gophers out of the rankings. - College Football -

Alabama's move came after a 31-3 rout of Florida in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Gators dropped eight spots to No. 13 after their first loss under coach Urban Meyer.

David Paschall of the Chattanooga (Tenn.) Times Free Press had the Crimson Tide No. 4 on his ballot this week, jumping the Tide 12 spots from the week before.

"I'm just a believer in significant movement based on performance," he said. "I believe (Alabama's) performance was one of the most impressive of the season at this point."

Penn State gets its chance to make a big jump Saturday, when Ohio State comes to Happy Valley. - College Football -

No. 8 Tennessee, Miami and California round out the Top 10.

In the USA Today coaches' poll, the top three are USC, Texas and Virginia Tech. Georgia is No. 4 and Florida State is No. 5.

The top six teams in the second Harris Interactive poll were the same as in the AP poll — USC, Texas, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Georgia and Ohio State.

In the AP poll, Louisiana is 11th followed by Notre Dame, Florida, Wisconsin, Texas Tech and Penn State. - College Football -

Arizona State dropped three spots to No. 17 after its 38-28 loss to USC.

No. 18 is Boston College with Michigan State at 19 and UCLA No. 20.

Michigan's 34-31 overtime win over Michigan State put the Wolverines back in the rankings at No. 21. The Wolverines were unranked last week, snapping a string of 114 consecutive poll appearances that was the nation's longest. - College Football -

No. 22 Auburn re-enters the Top 25 for the first time since the preseason. The Tigers fell out when they lost their opener to Georgia Tech, but have won four in a row since.

No. 23 Louisville, Georgia Tech and Oregon complete the Top 25.

Falling out of the rankings along with Minnesota were Purdue, Virginia and Iowa State.

Iowa State lost to 27-20 in overtime to unbeaten Nebraska, which received 107 points in the latest poll, the most of the teams listed in the others receiving votes. - College Football -

Copyright © The Seattle Times Company.

College football notebook: USC sets mark for longest stay atop AP poll

The Associated Press

USC's streak at No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 reached a record-breaking level and Oklahoma, the team the Trojans replaced in the top spot almost two years ago, was unranked for the first time since 1999. - College Football -

USC has been No. 1 for 22 straight AP media polls, surpassing the record set by Miami from 2001 to 2002.

USC received 57 of 65 first-place votes in the poll released yesterday. No. 2 Texas received the other eight first-place votes. Louisiana State is No. 3, ahead of fourth-ranked Virginia Tech and No. 5 Florida.

The Trojans took over the top spot Dec. 7, 2003, after then-No. 1 Oklahoma lost the Big 12 Conference championship game to Kansas State. - College Football -

USC won the Rose Bowl to finish the season No. 1 in the AP poll, then began last season in the same spot. The Trojans improved to 2-0 Saturday night with a 70-17 rout of Arkansas at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and the Trojans have scored 133 points. - College Football -

But staying at No. 1 might get tougher, as USC hits the road for its next two games. The Trojans play No. 24 Oregon in Eugene on Saturday and visit No. 18 Arizona State on Oct. 1.

Half of the Pac-10 schools are ranked. In addition to USC, Oregon and Arizona State, California is ranked 13th and UCLA is 25th. Oregon and UCLA weren't ranked last week.

UCLA beat then-No. 21 Oklahoma 41-24 Saturday. The Sooners are out of the rankings for the first time since Bob Stoops' first season as coach. - College Football -

In the USA Today coaches poll, the top five is identical to the AP poll. The coaches have Cal 14th, Arizona State 17th and UCLA 23rd. Oregon leads the category for "others receiving votes," meaning the coaches have the Ducks 26th.

Trojans adapt to new staff

USC scored the most points an Arkansas team has allowed in nearly 87 years, and gained the most yards (736) the Razorbacks have ever allowed in a game. - College Football -

If there was any question about USC's offense without Norm Chow, it has been emphatically answered.

Chow left as USC's offensive coordinator during the offseason to take the same job with the NFL Tennessee Titans, leaving youthful assistant coaches Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian to handle his duties. - College Football -

"Everyone made a big deal about it all offseason," quarterback Leinart said. "I think we've proved in the first two weeks that it doesn't matter. He was a great coach, but coach Kiffin and Sark are two of the finest young coaches in the country."

Having Leinart and company makes their job a lot easier.

"Leinart is a coach on the field — he's a true playmaker," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. "It's the best offensive team I've seen." - College Football -

The Trojans beat Hawaii 63-17 to open the season. The 133 points they have scored in their first two games are their most ever to start a season.

The 70 points against Arkansas are the most USC has scored in a game since Nov. 7, 1970, when it beat Washington State 70-33. Arkansas hadn't allowed as many as 70 points in a game since Oct. 19, 1918, when the Razorbacks lost to Oklahoma 103-0. - College Football -

Bush said, "We feel like our best competition is in practice."

Copyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company

Fittipaldo's College Football Notebook: Early-bird special

Texas-Ohio State non-conference showdown a rare treat and a throwback to the 1980s

By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

How often are college football fans treated to marquee non-conference matchups such as the ultra-hyped contest between No. 2 Texas and No. 4 Ohio State? - College Football -

Lately it has been a rarity, making the Buckeyes-Longhorns game Saturday at the Horseshoe all the more appealing. Once upon a time, before the major powers joined conferences (except for Notre Dame, of course) and independents played a national schedule, these types of early season games were commonplace.

For the sake of having a cutoff date, the Post-Gazette went back 25 years to 1980 and researched how many early non-conference games involving highly ranked teams were played.

College football fans had it good in the 1980s and early '90s. But few games of any significance have been played in recent years. Check out how common these games used to be:

From 1981-86, Penn State, then an independent, played four games when the Lions and their opponent were ranked among the top six. Since then, they have been involved in one such game.

It's the same with other national powers. From 1989-94, Michigan played five non-conference games in which the Wolverines and their opponent were ranked among the top six, including a 1989 No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown against Notre Dame that the top-ranked Irish won. But none since. - College Football -

We took a look at some of those early (early, for argument's sake, meaning games played before the second week of October) non-conference games of yesteryear and where the teams finished in the final Associated Press poll (see chart). Many of these highly ranked teams didn't finish among the top 20 of the final poll, which demonstrates the problem with preseason rankings. The good news for the loser of the Texas-Ohio State game is this: One notable team from this commonwealth was able to overcome a loss and still win a national championship -- Penn State in 1982.

Irish slate a bear

Speaking of early-season schedules, has anyone checked out Notre Dame's slate of games? The Irish are on the road for four of their first five games. They travel to Michigan this week and, after a home game against Michigan State, go back on the road for games at Washington and Purdue.

In all, five of the 11 games on Notre Dame's schedule are against teams that began the season ranked, including four of the first six. - College Football -

Temple's is tougher

Notre Dame's schedule looks like a piece of cake compared to Temple, which is playing an independent schedule this season as it makes a transition from the Big East to the Mid-American Conference.

Temple opened the season with a 63-16 loss at No. 20 Arizona State. This week, the Owls play at Wisconsin. The rest of their schedule: Toledo, Western Michigan, at Bowling Green, Maryland, Miami, Fla., at Clemson, Miami of Ohio, at Virginia and at Navy.

The last dance

In case you were wondering how Southern California quarterback Matt Leinart could coast through his senior season by taking one class -- and ballroom dancing, at that -- here's the explanation from the NCAA:

The NCAA requires that "at the time of competition, a student-athlete shall be enrolled in not less than 12 semester or quarter hours, regardless of the institution's definition of a minimum full-time program of studies." But a recently revised bylaw states: "A student-athlete may compete while enrolled in less than a minimum full-time program of studies," provided he or she is enrolled in the final semester or quarter of the baccalaureate program and is taking the courses needed to graduate. - College Football -

Leinart could have graduated in the spring but purposely did not take that final course because he wanted to come back for his senior season. Had he taken that course, he would have had to take a full course load working toward a minor.

Brad Hostetter, director of NCAA membership services, said the exception to the rule is there because "the goal is for the student-athlete to graduate, and this exception is there to recognize that there are student-athletes that have done their job in the classroom throughout their previous years and have gotten close to graduation." - College Football -

Copyright ©1997-2005 PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.

College football: Georgia prepares to host Boise State

By The Associated Press

ATHENS, Ga. — This could resemble one of those appealing matchups from the NCAA basketball tournament: a juggernaut from a powerful conference against an up-and-coming team that wants to make its mark on the national stage. - College Football -

But in this case, the sport is football and the up-and-coming team is No. 18 Boise State, which has a 36-3 record the last three years and first preseason ranking since moving up to Division I-A.

No wonder 13th-ranked Georgia is feeling a bit overlooked heading into Saturday's opener.

"I'm pretty sure a lot of people look at Boise State winning this game," Bulldogs defensive tackle Gerald Anderson said yesterday. "Everyone is looking at the type of team they have, and looking at the type of team they think we have."

Boise State, from the Western Athletic Conference, went 11-0 during the 2004 regular season and lost 44-40 to Louisville in the Liberty Bowl. - College Football -

"If they beat us, it will be their biggest victory ever," Georgia safety Greg Blue said of the Broncos. "It means a lot to them. But it means a lot to us, too."

While the Bulldogs have finished in the Top 10 the last three seasons, they are in a bit of a rebuilding mode. D.J. Shockley takes over at quarterback for David Greene, the winningest quarterback in major-college history, and the defense must replace standouts David Pollack, Thomas Davis and Odell Thurman, a dominating trio that moved to the NFL en masse.

"In this situation, I see us as the underdog," cornerback DeMario Minter said. "A lot of people are doubting us." - College Football -

Nevada oddsmakers aren't doubting Georgia. The Southeastern Conference Bulldogs are favored by seven points.

"We're trying to get to the national-championship game," Blue said. "If we blow this game, oh, it's going to be hard. It wouldn't affect us in the SEC race, but I think you can say our national championships are gone if we don't win this game."
oise State averaged 48.9 points per game last season.

But Shockley, who finally gets his chance to start as a senior, doesn't think he'll need to put up huge numbers in the opener. - College Football -

"They have played some good teams, but they haven't played a Georgia defense," Shockley said of the Broncos. "We're big. We're fast. I don't expect them to put up many points on our defense."

Oregon seeks fresh start

Oregon opens the season on the road against Houston in a nationally televised game at Reliant Stadium tomorrow. - College Football -

For Oregon, it's a chance for a fresh start after finishing 2004 at 5-6, the team's first losing season since 1993.

Houston looks to rebound after going 3-8 last season, a dip from coach Art Briles' first season when the Cougars went 7-6 and played in their first bowl game in seven years.

"We're still adding and deleting some things," Briles said about the game plan against the Ducks. "Our team is a pretty mature. We have a general idea heading in of what we want to do, but we'll alter that as the game goes along." - College Football -

The Ducks will debut a spread-option offense under new offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, hired in the offseason after four seasons as coach at Brigham Young.

"It is a departure. It is interesting," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. "I feel very good about it, and hopefully the results will bear that out."

Houston, meanwhile, is debuting a new 3-4 defense, led by nose tackle Marquay Love.