Throughout the history of college football bowl games, there cannot be another scenario that matches the strangeness surrounding the Sugar Bowl between Florida and Cincinnati when it comes to the coaching arrangement.
You have to sharpen your pencil and be ready to connect the dots. Ready? On New Year’s Day there will be no less than six, yes six, head coaches connected to just these two teams.
Most of you are aware that head Gator Urban Meyer resigned on Saturday, Dec. 26th only to change that decision to making that a leave of absence for health reasons. To quote Urban, “it’s full speed ahead” for him to coach through the Sugar Bowl. Once the game ends Florida’s offensive coordinator, Steve Addazio, takes over for Meyer as interim head coach for an undetermined amount of time. Gator defensive coordinator Charlie Strong accepted the head coaching job at Louisville the week after the SEC title game but the agreement included Srong prepping and coaching the defense in the Sugar Bowl. So, that's three for the Gators.
Flipping over to Cincinnati, Brian Kelly led the Bearcats to unprecedented success over the last three years and parlayed that into becoming the new head coach at Notre Dame. Because Kelly accepted the job at the Golden Dome in the second week of December and he needed to move on to assemble a staff, get a handle on recruiting, and further organize his new program the Bearcats placed Cincy’s offensive coordinator, Jeff Quinn, in charge as interim head coach for the bowl game. Now we are up to five head coaches.
Lastly, as Kelly departed the Queen City for South Bend the Bearcats carried out their search for a permanent head coach. Enter Butch Jones, who coincidentally succeeded Kelly three years ago as head coach at Central Michigan upon Kelly’s leaving for Cincy. Jones will be watching his new team with a keen eye as they go about tangling with the Gators while being coached by other people than his own.
I am not sure if this has any effect on the game itself, but it certainly is unusual. So, there you have it. Connect the dots. Six versions of head coaches all tied to two teams in just one bowl game.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Christmas Gift Comes Early for Some Bowl Teams
Christmas gifts came early for several college football teams when they were selected to play in a post season bowl game. With the long-play version of the bowl season kicking off this weekend it is worth noting (or maybe not) the background on some of the recipients of these gifts.
Sat. Dec. 19 New Mexico Bowl Wyoming (6-6) vs. Fresno St. (8-4)
Wyoming staggers into this game winning just two of their last six games and they struggled to beat a poor Colorado St. team, who lost their last nine in a row, 17-16 in the finale.
Sat. Dec. 26 Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl Marshall (6-6) vs. Ohio (9-4)
For those of you who thought the Pizza Bowl was Laverne DeFazio’s father’s bowling alley/pizza shop on that goofy 70’s TV show, you are right, but they are not the title sponsor of this bowl game in Detroit. Marshall (not Penny) fired their head coach at the end of the season and will play this game with a lame duck staff unless the interim head coach actually gets named head coach. To get the minimum of six wins for bowl eligibility Marshall defeated Southern Illinois, Tulane, Bowling Green, Memphis, Tulane, Alabama-Birmingham and SMU. Impressed? They lost to a 4-8 UTEP team 52-21.
Mon. Dec. 28 Independence Bowl Texas A&M (6-6) vs. Georgia (7-5)
A&M started off 3-0 and then went 3-6 the rest of the way, including 3-5 in a softer Big 12 conference this season. The Aggies were a roller-coaster team evidenced by their 62-14 loss to Kansas State, who didn’t have enough Division I wins to be bowl eligible.
Tues. Dec. 29 Eagle Bank Bowl UCLA(6-6) vs. Temple (9-3)
This would make for a good basketball match-up, but not necessarily on the gridiron. UCLA backed into this game. If Army had beaten Navy in the season’s wrap-up game last weekend then Army would play Temple. Thanks to Navy, UCLA will play in the nation’s capitol against the Owls. The Bruins started 3-0, then lost five in a row before closing with three wins in their last four outings. UCLA was 3-6 in the PAC 10.
Thurs. Dec. 31 Insight Bowl Iowa St. (6-6) vs. Minnesota (6-6)
Glancing at this match-up you might think what lure does this game have? A winning season! It’s obvious that the winner of this game can say they had a winning season, which they can’t say just yet, whereas the loser has a losing season…pretty simple. Each team had a not quite, but near-signature win. ISU was granted eight turnovers by Nebraska in barely edging the Huskers, 9-7. Three of their other five wins were over North Dakota St., Kent State and Army. The Goophers, or excuse me…Gophers, beat Northwestern. Both teams finished 3-5 in their league play.
Fri. Jan 1 Gator Bowl Florida St. (6-6) vs. West Virginia (9-3)
The bowl committee decided to let Coach Bobby Bowden go out on a high note by taking the Seminoles over much more-deserving, higher ranked teams for this traditional New Year’s Day bowl. After 34 years as a head coach and being ranked second all-time in career wins he deserves the benefit of the doubt . FSU was the model of inconsistency. Early in the year they barely got by Division I-AA Jacksonville State, 19-9, they then headed out to Provo, UT to pound BYU, 54-28, only to return home to lose to South Florida who had a red-shirt freshmen starting his first game at QB. FSU finished 4-4 in the ACC.
As a thank you to the bowls who selected them it will be interesting to see which teams cease the opportunity presented to them. By making the most out their post-season practices and putting their best product on the field they can quiet the nay-sayers who may have thought they weren’t bowl worthy.
Sat. Dec. 19 New Mexico Bowl Wyoming (6-6) vs. Fresno St. (8-4)
Wyoming staggers into this game winning just two of their last six games and they struggled to beat a poor Colorado St. team, who lost their last nine in a row, 17-16 in the finale.
Sat. Dec. 26 Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl Marshall (6-6) vs. Ohio (9-4)
For those of you who thought the Pizza Bowl was Laverne DeFazio’s father’s bowling alley/pizza shop on that goofy 70’s TV show, you are right, but they are not the title sponsor of this bowl game in Detroit. Marshall (not Penny) fired their head coach at the end of the season and will play this game with a lame duck staff unless the interim head coach actually gets named head coach. To get the minimum of six wins for bowl eligibility Marshall defeated Southern Illinois, Tulane, Bowling Green, Memphis, Tulane, Alabama-Birmingham and SMU. Impressed? They lost to a 4-8 UTEP team 52-21.
Mon. Dec. 28 Independence Bowl Texas A&M (6-6) vs. Georgia (7-5)
A&M started off 3-0 and then went 3-6 the rest of the way, including 3-5 in a softer Big 12 conference this season. The Aggies were a roller-coaster team evidenced by their 62-14 loss to Kansas State, who didn’t have enough Division I wins to be bowl eligible.
Tues. Dec. 29 Eagle Bank Bowl UCLA(6-6) vs. Temple (9-3)
This would make for a good basketball match-up, but not necessarily on the gridiron. UCLA backed into this game. If Army had beaten Navy in the season’s wrap-up game last weekend then Army would play Temple. Thanks to Navy, UCLA will play in the nation’s capitol against the Owls. The Bruins started 3-0, then lost five in a row before closing with three wins in their last four outings. UCLA was 3-6 in the PAC 10.
Thurs. Dec. 31 Insight Bowl Iowa St. (6-6) vs. Minnesota (6-6)
Glancing at this match-up you might think what lure does this game have? A winning season! It’s obvious that the winner of this game can say they had a winning season, which they can’t say just yet, whereas the loser has a losing season…pretty simple. Each team had a not quite, but near-signature win. ISU was granted eight turnovers by Nebraska in barely edging the Huskers, 9-7. Three of their other five wins were over North Dakota St., Kent State and Army. The Goophers, or excuse me…Gophers, beat Northwestern. Both teams finished 3-5 in their league play.
Fri. Jan 1 Gator Bowl Florida St. (6-6) vs. West Virginia (9-3)
The bowl committee decided to let Coach Bobby Bowden go out on a high note by taking the Seminoles over much more-deserving, higher ranked teams for this traditional New Year’s Day bowl. After 34 years as a head coach and being ranked second all-time in career wins he deserves the benefit of the doubt . FSU was the model of inconsistency. Early in the year they barely got by Division I-AA Jacksonville State, 19-9, they then headed out to Provo, UT to pound BYU, 54-28, only to return home to lose to South Florida who had a red-shirt freshmen starting his first game at QB. FSU finished 4-4 in the ACC.
As a thank you to the bowls who selected them it will be interesting to see which teams cease the opportunity presented to them. By making the most out their post-season practices and putting their best product on the field they can quiet the nay-sayers who may have thought they weren’t bowl worthy.
Monday, December 14, 2009
A Tale of Two Mark Ingrams
Whether you watched the 2009 Heisman Trophy Award presentation live Saturday night, or maybe saw a short video report, or even read about it in your Sunday sports section, the story was as much about Mark Ingram’s acceptance speech as it was his winning the award.
Mark Ingram, Jr. became the first player in the storied history of Alabama football to win the coveted award. He did this in just his sophomore season of competition while leading the nation in rushing yardage totals and helping drive his Crimson Tide team to the national championship game on January 7th versus Texas.
A very solid, conscientious student, Ingram gave an emotional speech where he thanked all of the right people in his life from family members right down to the individual staff members at Alabama who have helped him develop his abilities. He noted his love and appreciation for his mother and grandfather who were in attendance. He did the same for his father who was such a strong factor in him becoming who is today.
Ingram, Sr. was not present at the nationally broadcast ceremony in New York City because he is in a Queen’s, NY correctional facility. The only good thing about the settings being within close proximity is that the two Mark Ingrams had a chance to spend a little time together when the son visited his father.
Turning back the clock, I was just a young 27 year-old college coach at Northwestern University, under head coach Dennis Green, when in the winter of 1982-83 I was dispatched to Flint, MI to recruit a talented wide receiver at Flint Southwestern High School. Because Coach Green was known for his offensive mind, especially the passing game, there was a strong mutual interest between Mark Ingram, Sr. and us. After flying aboard a small regional turbo prop plane into Flint, I visited with Mark at school and then at home with his family. He wanted to come to Northwestern in the worst way. As it turned out his college board scores were not as high as required for admission to NU, so he took Michigan State’s offer and went on to a great college career for the Spartans. Mark’s career blossomed and he became a late first-round pick of the NY Giants where he played from 1987-92 (including winning Super Bowl XXV) and finished his 10 year career in 1996 after playing for four different teams.
What happened after that time is a whole lot of bad decisions and just plain no good for Ingram, Sr. Possession of counterfeit cash, breaking and entering while stealing credit cards, as well as money-laundering are some of the reasons he has had to pay, and will continue to pay even more of a debt to society. In the Queen’s correctional facility he is awaiting sentencing for skipping bail late last year on charges of bank fraud and money laundering, for which he was originally sentenced to more than seven years in prison. While serving time Mark Sr. has kept regular communication between he and his son as they speak three to four times per week by phone and he has seen most of his son’s games this year on television.
When interviewed exclusively on the CBS Evening News last Friday he said this about his son, “He'll tell you. He'll say, 'My dad made a mistake, and he's paying for it and he's moving on and we're moving on,' and that's it," Ingram Sr. said. "You can't do anything else about it, and he can't let it affect him. What I'm going through, he can't let it affect him. He has to be his own person, be his own man, take and learn from what I've done, the mistakes that I've made, the experience that I had off the field, the experience I've had off the field and take it and use it to his advantage."
Mark Jr. acknowledged how his father, in a good way, was tough on him in his younger years and instilled in him the values of mental toughness, competitiveness, and the ability to stay focused on achieving through hard work. All of that combined with a great blend of speed, agility and power helped him win college football’s most prestigious award.
Such is the story for two Mark Ingrams. For Sr. we hope that the love, values and attitude which he used as a father to help raise a terrific son will help him through this rough patch in his life. For Jr. we hope that he continues to stay as well-grounded, focused and hungry to do the right things as he has shown to this point in his young life. If he does so, there will be more nights for him to humbly celebrate his outstanding successes.
Mark Ingram, Jr. became the first player in the storied history of Alabama football to win the coveted award. He did this in just his sophomore season of competition while leading the nation in rushing yardage totals and helping drive his Crimson Tide team to the national championship game on January 7th versus Texas.
A very solid, conscientious student, Ingram gave an emotional speech where he thanked all of the right people in his life from family members right down to the individual staff members at Alabama who have helped him develop his abilities. He noted his love and appreciation for his mother and grandfather who were in attendance. He did the same for his father who was such a strong factor in him becoming who is today.
Ingram, Sr. was not present at the nationally broadcast ceremony in New York City because he is in a Queen’s, NY correctional facility. The only good thing about the settings being within close proximity is that the two Mark Ingrams had a chance to spend a little time together when the son visited his father.
Turning back the clock, I was just a young 27 year-old college coach at Northwestern University, under head coach Dennis Green, when in the winter of 1982-83 I was dispatched to Flint, MI to recruit a talented wide receiver at Flint Southwestern High School. Because Coach Green was known for his offensive mind, especially the passing game, there was a strong mutual interest between Mark Ingram, Sr. and us. After flying aboard a small regional turbo prop plane into Flint, I visited with Mark at school and then at home with his family. He wanted to come to Northwestern in the worst way. As it turned out his college board scores were not as high as required for admission to NU, so he took Michigan State’s offer and went on to a great college career for the Spartans. Mark’s career blossomed and he became a late first-round pick of the NY Giants where he played from 1987-92 (including winning Super Bowl XXV) and finished his 10 year career in 1996 after playing for four different teams.
What happened after that time is a whole lot of bad decisions and just plain no good for Ingram, Sr. Possession of counterfeit cash, breaking and entering while stealing credit cards, as well as money-laundering are some of the reasons he has had to pay, and will continue to pay even more of a debt to society. In the Queen’s correctional facility he is awaiting sentencing for skipping bail late last year on charges of bank fraud and money laundering, for which he was originally sentenced to more than seven years in prison. While serving time Mark Sr. has kept regular communication between he and his son as they speak three to four times per week by phone and he has seen most of his son’s games this year on television.
When interviewed exclusively on the CBS Evening News last Friday he said this about his son, “He'll tell you. He'll say, 'My dad made a mistake, and he's paying for it and he's moving on and we're moving on,' and that's it," Ingram Sr. said. "You can't do anything else about it, and he can't let it affect him. What I'm going through, he can't let it affect him. He has to be his own person, be his own man, take and learn from what I've done, the mistakes that I've made, the experience that I had off the field, the experience I've had off the field and take it and use it to his advantage."
Mark Jr. acknowledged how his father, in a good way, was tough on him in his younger years and instilled in him the values of mental toughness, competitiveness, and the ability to stay focused on achieving through hard work. All of that combined with a great blend of speed, agility and power helped him win college football’s most prestigious award.
Such is the story for two Mark Ingrams. For Sr. we hope that the love, values and attitude which he used as a father to help raise a terrific son will help him through this rough patch in his life. For Jr. we hope that he continues to stay as well-grounded, focused and hungry to do the right things as he has shown to this point in his young life. If he does so, there will be more nights for him to humbly celebrate his outstanding successes.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
CURTAIN DROPS THIS WEEKEND ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL REGULAR SEASON
The curtain will drop this weekend on college football’s regular season. There are some awfully good match-ups that are either legitimate conference championships, or games that are disguised as essentially the same thing. It kicks off tonight, Thursday for those of you who don't open your email promptly.
Due to having to work a real job for a living I apologize for not getting this out sooner in order to add some much-deserved hype to tonight's big-time PAC-10 intra-state battle in the great Northwest--Oregon vs. Oregon State. Oregon has gotten a lot more publicity, in large part for their stumble out of the gate at Boise, and then their complete dominance of USC about a month ago. But, OSU Coach Mike Reilly has another rough and tumble group and he has his black and orange clad Beavers playing with an attitude. You didn't hear it here, but the Ducks of Oregon could go waddling home unless they bring their "A Game" in all areas of tonight's game. Also know as the Civil War, this game is also the War of the Roses in terms of bowl implications.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh—This is not a conference championship game like the others, but it is going to determine the league champion. Cinderella Cincy has been rolling along undefeated (#5 ranking) whether it be with their #1 QB Tony Pike or #2 man Zach Collaros. They can score quickly and in bunches, plus they have a special teams return game that can help out, too. Unfortunately, the Bearcat defense is not on the same level as their offense. They are solid, have some good athletes and play hard, but they are by no means a physical, “shut-down the run” type of defense that matches up well with Pitt. The Panthers, #14, stubbed their toe last week in the Backyard Brawl at West Virginia, but by knocking off UC they can still win the Big East. Dion Lewis is a pleasure to watch as a freshman running back sensation and Jonathan Baldwin gives the Panthers a big, downfield threat. Pitt’s defense plays a lot of man-to-man coverage and will match-up pretty well vs. UC, but all it takes is a half-step by any Bearcat receiver against such coverage and it usually will result in six points. Pitt’s defensive line has great “sack-ability”, but knowing how quickly Cincy’s QBs get rid of the ball, the rush may not be as big of a factor as one would think. Be aware of poor weather and field conditions with the game being played at Heinz Field.
Nebraska at Texas—The Longhorns are essentially playing a home game at Jerry Jones’ palatial stadium home to the Cowboys. As the #3 ranked team in the land the ‘Horns are prohibitive favorites, and rightly so with Heisman hopeful Colt McCoy leading a potent offense. Mack Brown's defense is no slouch either. Texas is the only team in the land to be ranked in the Top 10 in both total offense and total defense. Although Nebraska’s strength is their gritty defense, they can’t afford to be on the field all night. I am doubtful that the Huskers aerial-challenged offense can run it consistently enough all night and produce enough points to outlast Texas. With a win Texas will vault itself into the national championship vs. the SEC winner.
Florida vs. Alabama—This is pretty much a national championship game in itself, similar to last year, with the top two ranked teams going head to head for a conference crown.. The defending champion Gators will have to rely on their stellar defense to slow down ‘Bama’s powerful running game. Due to the Tide’s own salty defensive unit Gator defenders will be asked to get a turnover or two in order to help provide the Gator offense with a short field. This is a classic match-up—two outstanding defenses and two solid, but not great offenses. So where is it decided? Kicking game. Florida’s punter can change field position and their punt block and kickoff return units are very solid. The kickers cancel each other out. Special teams, if everything else holds true, tilts this toward Florida. With the game at the Georgia Dome, weather and wind is no factor.
Clemson vs. Ga Tech—The ACC championship game is at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa (why, I’m not sure, but let’s see if it’s more than half-full). The 12th ranked Yellowjackets and #25 Tigers hooked up once earlier this year with Tech kicking a late field goal to win. We all know Tech features Coach Paul Johnson's option-oriented offense and the key is being able to stop their fullback and not give up deep play-action passes off of their heavy basic run passes. A second time around for the Tiger defense should prove to be an advantage in defensing that tricky offensive scheme. Clemson has more overall skill and speed at their RB/WR positions, but their QB, also a baseball player, still hasn't shown the consistency week in and week out to give the Tigers a clear edge in this one. With the first meeting way back in the early portion of the season, and with another shot this time around, a minor upset could be brewing in Tampa.
Due to having to work a real job for a living I apologize for not getting this out sooner in order to add some much-deserved hype to tonight's big-time PAC-10 intra-state battle in the great Northwest--Oregon vs. Oregon State. Oregon has gotten a lot more publicity, in large part for their stumble out of the gate at Boise, and then their complete dominance of USC about a month ago. But, OSU Coach Mike Reilly has another rough and tumble group and he has his black and orange clad Beavers playing with an attitude. You didn't hear it here, but the Ducks of Oregon could go waddling home unless they bring their "A Game" in all areas of tonight's game. Also know as the Civil War, this game is also the War of the Roses in terms of bowl implications.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh—This is not a conference championship game like the others, but it is going to determine the league champion. Cinderella Cincy has been rolling along undefeated (#5 ranking) whether it be with their #1 QB Tony Pike or #2 man Zach Collaros. They can score quickly and in bunches, plus they have a special teams return game that can help out, too. Unfortunately, the Bearcat defense is not on the same level as their offense. They are solid, have some good athletes and play hard, but they are by no means a physical, “shut-down the run” type of defense that matches up well with Pitt. The Panthers, #14, stubbed their toe last week in the Backyard Brawl at West Virginia, but by knocking off UC they can still win the Big East. Dion Lewis is a pleasure to watch as a freshman running back sensation and Jonathan Baldwin gives the Panthers a big, downfield threat. Pitt’s defense plays a lot of man-to-man coverage and will match-up pretty well vs. UC, but all it takes is a half-step by any Bearcat receiver against such coverage and it usually will result in six points. Pitt’s defensive line has great “sack-ability”, but knowing how quickly Cincy’s QBs get rid of the ball, the rush may not be as big of a factor as one would think. Be aware of poor weather and field conditions with the game being played at Heinz Field.
Nebraska at Texas—The Longhorns are essentially playing a home game at Jerry Jones’ palatial stadium home to the Cowboys. As the #3 ranked team in the land the ‘Horns are prohibitive favorites, and rightly so with Heisman hopeful Colt McCoy leading a potent offense. Mack Brown's defense is no slouch either. Texas is the only team in the land to be ranked in the Top 10 in both total offense and total defense. Although Nebraska’s strength is their gritty defense, they can’t afford to be on the field all night. I am doubtful that the Huskers aerial-challenged offense can run it consistently enough all night and produce enough points to outlast Texas. With a win Texas will vault itself into the national championship vs. the SEC winner.
Florida vs. Alabama—This is pretty much a national championship game in itself, similar to last year, with the top two ranked teams going head to head for a conference crown.. The defending champion Gators will have to rely on their stellar defense to slow down ‘Bama’s powerful running game. Due to the Tide’s own salty defensive unit Gator defenders will be asked to get a turnover or two in order to help provide the Gator offense with a short field. This is a classic match-up—two outstanding defenses and two solid, but not great offenses. So where is it decided? Kicking game. Florida’s punter can change field position and their punt block and kickoff return units are very solid. The kickers cancel each other out. Special teams, if everything else holds true, tilts this toward Florida. With the game at the Georgia Dome, weather and wind is no factor.
Clemson vs. Ga Tech—The ACC championship game is at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa (why, I’m not sure, but let’s see if it’s more than half-full). The 12th ranked Yellowjackets and #25 Tigers hooked up once earlier this year with Tech kicking a late field goal to win. We all know Tech features Coach Paul Johnson's option-oriented offense and the key is being able to stop their fullback and not give up deep play-action passes off of their heavy basic run passes. A second time around for the Tiger defense should prove to be an advantage in defensing that tricky offensive scheme. Clemson has more overall skill and speed at their RB/WR positions, but their QB, also a baseball player, still hasn't shown the consistency week in and week out to give the Tigers a clear edge in this one. With the first meeting way back in the early portion of the season, and with another shot this time around, a minor upset could be brewing in Tampa.
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