SB Nation - Army Black Knights

Don't Bet On It!: College Football Bowl Edition (Part III)

T Kyle King — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:50:18 -0000

Obviously, intervening considerations have sidetracked me after I offered the first two installments of my postseason predictions, for which I humbly apologize and which I now will endeavor to rectify by providing the next four bowl forecasts.

Two points bear making before I proceed, however. First of all, I am omitting the Independence Bowl from the mix because I will be giving special attention to the matchup in Shreveport between now and December 28. Secondly, my record as a prognosticator is not an impressive one, so, whatever you do . . . Don’t Bet On It!

Emerald Bowl: Boston College Eagles v. USC Trojans (Dec. 26): Southern California fell off a cliff in 2009, relatively speaking, earning the Men of Troy the highly unflattering distinction of "Team Schadenfreude." Boston College, meanwhile . . . um . . . wait a second . . . yeah, the Eagles quietly went a perfectly respectable yet nondescript 8-4 with five conference wins for a league mark above .500, which far outdistanced USC’s disastrous record of 8-4 with five conference wins for a league mark above .500. Hang on, that can’t be right, can it? Oh, yeah, it is. All right, then, I’m going with the Trojans.

Music City Bowl: Clemson Tigers v. Kentucky Wildcats (Dec. 27): While I hope this proves to be a preview of an SEC East divisional matchup in a couple or three years, I’m still a bit miffed that those Outback Bowl clowns slammed the door on the possibility of a renewal of the rivalry in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. These two clubs ought to be fairly evenly matched, since capturing an ACC division championship is approximately equivalent to finishing in the muddled middle of the SEC, but the Country Gentlemen have C.J. Spiller and the Wildcats have the 11th-ranked rushing defense in the Southeastern Conference. Yeah, I’m thinking Clemson wins a close one.

EagleBank Bowl: Temple Owls v. UCLA Bruins (Dec. 29): Absolutely nothing about this bowl makes sense to me. I don’t get the idea of playing a college football bowl game in Washington, D.C., home of the efforts to foul up the sport permanently. I don’t know what EagleBank is, although I’d be willing to bet that EagleBank uses magicJack for its telephone/internet/facsimile/séance/other communication services. I can’t wrap my brain around the concept of Temple playing in a bowl game. The only part of this whole thing that computes is the idea of the Bruins being there, and that only happened because the Army Black Knights couldn’t hold a halftime lead against the Navy Midshipmen. Since everything else about this bowl seems like something out of a Salvador Dali painting, a David Lynch film, or that "Star Trek" episode where Mr. Spock had a goatee, I’m going with the only sensible aspect of the entire affair and picking UCLA to emerge triumphant.

Champs Sports Bowl: Miami Hurricanes v. Wisconsin Badgers (Dec. 29): Are there two teams in the country tougher to figure than these two? We’re twelve games into the year for each of these squads and I have no idea how good either of them really is. While the Big Ten is a better conference than the ACC, that isn’t saying much, and whatever advantage Wiscy enjoys by virtue of its superior league affiliation is offset by the stellar ratings "The U" received. (Would a documentary about Wisconsin football called "The W" garner as many viewers? I think not, even on the Big Ten Network.) I’m going with the ’Canes to make the bold declaration, "Badgers? We don’t need no stinking badgers!"

I’ll pick up next time with the games being played on the eve of New Year’s Eve. In the interim, though, you should heed my regular advice and refrain from placing trust in my forecasts, so I will remind you once again: Don’t Bet On It!

Go ‘Dawgs!

Coming Together In DC Over Holidays: Getting Excited To See UCLA Football Out East

Nestor — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:57:14 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

ATV and Rahim are heading back out East

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Let's get to business right away this Sunday. If you haven't made your travel plans to Washington for the 29th, let's get it done. I have already changed up my flights and bought couple of tickets from the UCLA website. If you haven't done it yet, please go to this link and buy your tickets right now. Considering where we have been in recent years, I think this bowl game presents the perfect opportunity for the UCLA football program to take the next step, and set itself up for another step forward in Rick Neuheisel's third season in Westwood.

Yes, I know I am being a little selfish here because I get to see the Bruins in the town I live in. However, there are number of reasons this is a big opportunity for the UCLA program. We get to go up against a Temple Owl team, which is surging the way Rutgers and UConn programs have been in recent years. This is going to be matchup between two cities from two huge sports cities in LA and Philly, so a huge chunk of the country will tune in (no wonder EagleBank Bowl execs and WWL brass were so excited). Plus, it will give CRN and his staff an opportunity to directly showcase the prgogram to recruits out in the Easter seaboard. Lastly, speaking of the Eastern seaboard, not sure for the alums living in Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Boston, and up and down the entire East Coast, we will have an opportunity to take in our football team, in a city with so much to offer.

I have always dreamed about UCLA scheduling home and home with schools like UVa and Boston College over the years so that we could have huge gatherings in cities like DC and Boston. Now we have it thanks to this bowl game. So, let's take advantage of this. Let's gobble up the tickets and flood DC with Bruin Blue around the Holidays.

CRN is obviously excited:

"After the trepidation of the first half of the Army-Navy game, I was thrilled to see the Midshipmen have that second half and get us this opportunity," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said. "You obviously would like to have your destiny in your own hands. We knew we needed some help. I just made sure with our coaches that we're not in this situation again next year."

Similarly Al Golden and his Temple football team are fired up to play UCLA:

About 90 minutes into Temple's banquet, it was announced that Navy had defeated Army, 17-3, dropping the Black Knights to 5-7 and making them ineligible to play Temple, or anybody else, in a postseason game.

A big roar and then applause filled the hotel dining hall, because the Army-Navy outcome meant that the Owls (9-3) would be taking on high-profile UCLA as a bowl opponent at RFK Stadium in Washington.

"It's East-West, and it's the second-largest media market [L.A] against the fourth-largest media market [Philadelphia]," Temple coach Al Golden said. "But after that, they have some dudes over there. I haven't watched them much, but I know they have some great players. It's going to be a great day."

That was from the Phildelphia Inquirer, which has more on the excitement around Temple program with their upcoming matchup against our Bruins. More on those guys and other notes around this game after the jump.

Chris Foster from the LA Times has an early scouting report on the Owls:

Temple ranks 23rd nationally in rushing offense. The Owls' Bernard Pierce is 11th in rushing with 1,308 yards. Temple ranks 19th against the run.

"The ability to run the ball and stop the run usually equals victory," Neuheisel said. "Their defensive linemen remind me of the type of guys I would see play on Sunday."

UCLA struggled against the run at times this season. The Bruins gave up 150 or more yards rushing in seven games this season.

Still, Temple's schedule included only one team from a BCS conference. The Owls were routed by Penn State, 31-6, in the second game of the season. Their other losses were against Villanova and Ohio.

All but one of UCLA's games were against BCS conference teams.

"I looked at their schedule and could see why they felt they deserved a bowl game with six wins," Golden said. "Many of their losses were to teams ranked in the top 25."

Neuehisel immediately took note of Temple's rushing offense and defense:

"Those are usually huge indicators of how you do at the end of the day," Neuheisel said. "To be able to be an effective football team you have to be able to do both of those things. That's why they're 9-3. We know it's going to be a big challenge, but we're just excited to have that challenge."

Foster has some more random notes on the Temple program with a silly, concern trolling headline. We will be talking a lot about this game in the coming days. I think it is going to be interesting to see both our offensive and defensive coaching staff scheme for this game. Thankfully CRN is not going to cancel any practices just because of rain:

After canceling practices on Friday and Saturday with the Bruins' bowl prospects were still in limbo, Neuheisel said the team would resume preparation today, rain or shine.

"We weren't sure we were going to be in it," Neuheisel said. "Now that we're sure, if the weather is still poor, we'll go. We're playing now."

FWIW it is freezing and raining out here in DC. I hope the team and all of you are ready for some real football weather. I am hoping for snow!

Speaking of gathering in DC, if you are coming out here please make sure to comment in this thread. I think it would be cool to get idea who from BN are heading out here for the Holidays. May be if its feasible and there is a big interest we can organizing a big happy hour on Monday before the game. We will have to check in with the DC Bruins alumni group and also the Morgan Center folks to make sure we are not double booking. Either way, this is a game that everyone should get fired up for in next two weeks.

Let's hope our guys take advantage of these two extra week of practices, prepare their heart out, and then finish with a flourish here in DC. Coming together in DC and getting a victory would be the perfect way to end the decade after all the heartbreaks and disappointments from recent years.

GO BRUINS.

Don't Bet On It!: College Football Bowl Edition (Part I)

T Kyle King — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:53:51 -0000

The outcome of this afternoon’s Army-Navy game finalized the Division I-A postseason lineup, so now we are able to begin (albeit not end; there are a lot of these games, you know) taking a look at this year’s bowl pairings. My 4-3 record in last weekend’s predictions brought me to 69-16 (.812) in SEC forecasts, 35-33 (.515) in non-conference prognostications, and 104-49 (.680) in overall picks for 2009. Perhaps now would be a good time to remind you . . . Don’t Bet On It!

Here are the first four games of the 2009 bowl season, the earliest of which will occur only one week from today (which hopefully will keep tankertoad’s Saturday from sucking):

New Mexico Bowl: Fresno St. Bulldogs v. Wyoming Cowboys (Dec. 19): All right, seriously, this isn’t a rematch of a conference game? I genuinely find that hard to believe. The Cowboys will arrive in Albuquerque fresh from a 6-6 season that included losses to the Texas Longhorns, Colorado Buffaloes, Brigham Young Cougars, and TCU Horned Frogs by margins of 31, 24, 52, and 35 points, respectively. Wyoming simply hasn’t so much as shown up against anyone even passably good. The West Coast Bulldogs are passably good.

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl: Central Florida Golden Knights v. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (Dec. 19): On a day we all spent watching the Army Black Knights put forth a pretty good first-half effort in an attempt to earn a bowl bid, we now find ourselves confronting the prospect of two more groups of color-coded paladins squaring off in the postseason. It’s almost as though the Nike guys in charge of the Oregon Ducks’ uniforms were digitally enhancing the costumes in "Excalibur." I don’t know whether this one will begin with a coin toss or a jousting tournament, but I’m confident it will end with a Rutgers victory.

New Orleans Bowl: Middle Tenn. St. Blue Raiders v. Southern Miss. Golden Eagles (Dec. 20): Really, now, you can’t be telling me this isn’t a rematch of a conference game, can you? I mean, I’ve been in Sanford Stadium to see the Georgia Bulldogs up the integer in the left-hand side of their ledger against both of these teams. Then again, I’ve also been in the Classic City to see the Red and Black come up short against one of these teams, so that’s the one I’m picking to win. Southern Miss annually opens the season as the No. 25 team on my BlogPoll ballot in a nod to Matt Hinton and the Golden Eagles will end this season with a win.

Las Vegas Bowl: BYU Cougars v. Oregon St. Beavers (Dec. 22): Two things about this game continue to baffle me. First of all, if the bowl in Nashville is the Music City Bowl and the bowl in Detroit used to be the Motor City Bowl, shouldn’t the bowl in Las Vegas be the Sin City Bowl? Secondly, how strange is it that this bowl keeps playing host to Brigham Young, a school whose student-athletes consider caffeine morally objectionable? I’m not sure whether Oregon State’s presence in this game attests more to the depth of the Pac-10 as a conference or the crummy quality of the league’s postseason tie-ins, but, either way, if what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, then what’s staying in Vegas is a Beaver beatdown of the overrated Cougars.

You know, I know, and the American people know that I’m flying blind on these early predictions, so, even if you find that my forecasts make sense to you in the later games, that should not cause you to place faith in my initial set of prognostications. Simply stated, whatever you do . . . Don’t Bet On It!

Go ‘Dawgs!

Special Saturday Open Thread: Go Navy

Nestor — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:30:31 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

GO NAVY.

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Don't need to say much to get this thread started. We support and admire all of our incredibly brave men and women serving our country through our arm forces. However, just for three hours this afternoon the entire Bruin Nation is going to get behind Navy. The kickoff is scheduled for 11:30 am PST at Lincoln Financial Field, in Philadelphia. It will be broadcast live on CBS. You can keep track of the score via WWL here.

If you want to get a full flavor of the game you can also check out the official site built for this game over here. BTW don't forget our basketball game is scheduled for tip off around 1:40 pm PST. We will of course have a game thread all cued up for that which will go up around 1:30 pm PST. We will just continue this game thread into our hoops one once that is up.

So let's get this going. Anchors aweigh.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: Eye On Philadelphia & Other Team Notes

Nestor — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:42:13 -0000

Our coaches and players are going to be glued to their TV sets this morning. The Army-Navy game is going to tip off around 11:30 am PST on CBS. We all know what CRN and his players will be doing during that time. Interestingly though CRN had practices scheduled for yesterday and today but canceled it due to weather. From the Daily News:

After originally scheduling practices for Friday afternoon and this morning, UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel took a look outside and changed his mind.

Both practices were cancelled, and while the team will meet for lunch today and to watch the Navy-Army battle that will determine their bowl scenario - a Midshipmen win puts the Bruins in the EagleBank Bowl against Temple on Dec. 29 in Washington; a Black Knights win means no UCLA bowl. If the Bruins are indeed bowl-bound, they'll practice on Sunday afternoon for the first time in more than two weeks.

"The weather was the primary reason (for cancelling practice)," Neuheisel said. "What we were going to get done today didn't match the risk of somebody getting hurt. I thought it wise to go ahead and see how the game plays out tomorrow."

I kind of understand that. However, if Navy gets by Army today, I hope CRN doesn't cancel any more practices because of a little weather condition in Westwood. After all it was in the teens here in DC last night. We are expecting cold rain tomorrow morning (possibly turning into sleet/snow). So uhm yeah, if we do get into this bowl game, we can't afford cancel practices because our players might not be tough enough for the legendary winter weather storms we are so used to in Westwood. ;-) Couple of quick extra notes after the jump.

Looks like Kevin Prince might be ready to go by the bowl game after all:

"He's getting better, and these days will help him," Neuheisel said. "I'm told that he should be at full strength somewhere at midweek. There's reason for optimism with regard to that."

Oh and remember all the nonsense about Chow possibily being interested in San Jose State or about his relationship with CRN. Here is a little snipet on what Chow has been up to in recent days (emphasis added):

Neuheisel and most of the coaching staff was on recruiting trips last week, before returning Friday, and now they might have to adjust to refocusing on 2009 once again. Offensive coordinator Norm Chow had a particularly important in-home visit with coveted defensive tackle Ricky Heimuli out of Salt Lake City, rated the No. 6 defensive tackle by Scout.com "This is the pinnacle of wearing multiple hats," Neuheisel said. "This is multi-tasking in an advanced way. The only thing that takes a backseat is Christmas shopping. That's the one thing I haven't got mastered."

Boy, Chow must really hate working with CRN. That is why he is busting his rear end on the recruiting trail. rofl.

Anyway, the Army-Navy game will kickoff around 11:30 am PST. We will have an open thread taking in that action leading up to the game thread for our basketball game. A busy day on BN. Enjou your Sat.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: DC Thoughts, Verner's Views, Finals Week & Other Notes

Nestor — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:42:46 -0000

Can Bruins handle this (if it snows in DC)? Photo Credit: photoal (flickr)

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Well yeah. It's not snowing in DC today but it did over the weekend a bit giving us our first snow of the year. The picture above is from another year though, which I think gives a little hint of what folks could expect in late December if we get a legit snow storm in Washington DC. Will the Bruins get to play in their first legit snow bowl (don't really count the one from Washington State during the regular season because it wasn't really snowing during the game) this December? Well as everyone know by now, we are not going to know until the end of Army-Navy game this upcoming weekend.

CRN is excited about rooting for the Midshipmen:

"Although we always support the men and women fighting for our country, on this particular three-hour stint, we're going to be anchor's aweigh ~~away~~," Neuheisel said on Sunday. "We're excited about the opportunity and looking forward to getting into the ball game. We know we need a little bit of help, but we're looking forward to a chance."

Interestingly, from the LAT report today, it sounds like the Bruins did have a chance to accept an invitation to the Humanitarian Bowl. However, the payout for that game ($700,000) wasn't enough for our program:

UCLA officials received interest from other bowls, as Neuheisel said, "I know there were lots of conversations and I was also told that UCLA was a desired team."

Humanitarian Bowl officials showed particular interest, and the Bruins might have gone there if Army lost, but the bowl payoff "wasn't right," said a UCLA official not authorized to speak about the situation.

UCLA officials turned down a Humanitarian Bowl invitation in 2001 after bowl officials asked for a $300,000 sponsorship from the university, a former UCLA administrator said.

Wonder who was that former UCLA administrator talking to the LAT. Anyway, if Navy does come through for the Bruins on Saturday (you never can take an outcome for granted in an intense, emotional rivalry game), Bruins will have interesting decisions to make re. the quaterback situation. CRN seemed to indicate that Prince might be ready for the bowl game:

"He told me it was getting better when I saw him last week," Neuheisel said. Given some rest, I think he would be ready."

Prince of course is still recovering from his mild AC sprain (considered a "slight separation") of his throwing shoulder. I personally think the Bruins should start Craft and prepare Brehaut as the backup option, and let Prince fully heal for spring ball. However, I feel comfortable in having Neuheisel and Chow making the call. More bowl related and end of season notes after the jump.

Players in general sound pretty excited about the bowl game. Taylor Embree "wants it really bad":

"I saw (offensive coordinator Norm Chow) today, too, and he said it looked like we had a really good chance," sophomore wide receiver Taylor Embree said. "We had a meeting with coach Neuheisel last Tuesday, and he just said, 'Focus as if we were going to a bowl.' We're prepared. If we go to one, it won't be a shock. We're ready for a bowl. We want it really bad."

While ATV thinks Bruins could be an "exciting" team to watch during the bowl season:

"We're fortunate to be put in the position to try to get one, though, and that's all we can ask for. I think we did enough to deserve it, showed enough promise through the course of the year with our youth, and we'll be an exciting team to watch come bowl season."

Oh and speaking of ATV, if you haven't done it yet, I think you will want to read the last edition of Verner's views:

[F]our years have gone by way too fast for me as a UCLA Bruin. I remember the times when I used to watch the Bruins play and wearing the #1 UCLA jersey to high school and stuff to now, when I am leaving UCLA with an interception touchdown record and lasting memories to all the Bruin Nation. My experiences here have been top of the line and something I will cherish forever. From academics - competing against the top brains in the world in my math major was always fun - just walking around campus and seeing the variety of people and cultures on campus, it was beautiful to see. Through all this intermingling, you realize that everyone is basically the same and they have the same struggles as you. You can be an athlete, a pre-med student, or grad student - it didn't matter. Everyone is fighting for their education and that is what created so many bonds with people in all areas of UCLA life.

Having the pleasure of being the student representative for the library catalogue a while back to now being spotlighted on UCLA Big Moment spots are two others things that stand out. My time with this sector of UCLA has been difficult, however all the more amazing!

Football, man it's been the craziest roller coaster, but one of those that was worth the wait, but so short that you almost missed the thrills of it. Being in the Rose Bowl with our wonderful fans that were there from the beginning, to putting on the Blue and Gold was just simply amazing. I had the honor to be coached by DeWayne Walker for most of my career and finished up this year being coached by the great Carnell Lake! Many guys have helped me in numerous ways of playing the position. I appreciate their expertise on the field. I had a great time playing with my former killa bees and current ones -- Chris Horton, Rodney Van, Trey Brown, Dennis Keyes, and Bret Lockett to Tony Dye, Rahim Moore, Glenn Love, Courtney Viney, Aaron Hester, Sheldon Price, Andrew Abbott and everyone else. Each player is so good and made my job so much easier and helped contribute to my success. I will definitely miss all my teammates, I really love them all. The hard work and the grind I had to do with all of them makes them all special to me. They are all very talented and that's why I believe UCLA will be back at the top very soon and I can't wait to see that unfold.

You need to read rest of ATV's post by going here. ATV and his team-mates will be taking finals this week. Once they are done at the end of the week (per Jon Gold) they will have practices on Friday and Saturday. They are going to practice Saturday morning, have lunch and take in the Army-Navy game. Needless to say we will have an open thread here for that game cheering on Navy.

Lastly, before I end this good luck to all of your students this week. Yeah, I know we are hard on you guys sometimes. However, look at the ideas our discussions generated in last 24 hours. While we get down sometimes during the tough times, it is clear how much passion and dedication we have among a huge core of students and alums here in Bruins Nation. Often times when we call each other out, I personally think it only makes that dedication deeper forcing us to think hard about how we can make our community bigger offline. Hopefully we can keep the discussion that started yesterday going in the coming weeks/months resulting in what I truly believe will be the most rabid fanbase in the Western US. We have had two of the worst weekends in UCLA athletcs in recent history. Yet just look around this community this am. We are still here. Aren't we? Anyway, kick ass in finals and then head down to Anaheim.

GO BRUINS.

Air Force Blows Out Army After a Slow Start

Jeremy Mauss — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:01:52 -0000

Final - 11.7.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Army Black Knights	7	0	0	0	7
Air Force Falcons	7	0	14	14	35

Complete Coverage >

This game started off exciting with Air Force returning an 88 yard punt by Anthony Wright, Jr. for a touchdown which was their first in eleven years. Then Army scored a touchdown on a three play drive that ended with a 42 yard touchdown run by QB Trent Steelman. All that scoring occurred with four minutes left in the first quarter, but that is when the game went silent, until early in the third period.

Army held the Falcons for most of the game and some how managed to hold Air Force to only 160 yards rushing that is over 100 yards below their season average. The key was that Army was able to get to QB Tim Jefferson who came out on the negative side of the yards with -25, a long of only three, but did get a score. Jefferson was impressive throwing the ball with 131 yards and a score. The only two backs to move the ball were Jared Tew who had over 100 on the day and then Asher Clark had a solid 82 yards and two scores.

Army was just unable to do much on offense they did have the one drive but besides that they punted nine out of ten drives. They did rush the ball well, but were stoned on third down attemps and only went 4 for 15 which was their achilles in this game.

Half time was the key to this game and this what Coach Troy Calhoun had to say about the game:

"To play well in one of these games, you've got to be at an optimal pitch, and I thought that we played with a little more edge, were a little bit sharper and were a different football team in the second half."

Neither schools getting the coveted Commander-in-Chief award, that is going to Navy, and all three service academis are still the same as Air Force and Navy are going bowling while Army is trying to improve off of their three win campaign and should with games aganist VMI and North Texas.

Mountain West Football Open Thread: Umm... Game Day is in Town Anything Else Going On?

Jeremy Mauss — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:51:04 -0000

Today's slates on the surface seem to be nothing special. CSU vs. UNLV looks to be the most competitive on the day, and is an interesting game since Colorado State reassigned --ahem-- demoted offensive coordinator Greg Peterson to concentrate full time on recruiting. Play calling is the same as head coach Steve Fairchild has been calling the plays all year.

Wyoming vs. BYU could be interested because random stuff can happen in Laramie. Utah is experimenting with quarterback play, and it looks that true freshman Jordan Wynn will get the nod. TCU could be in a trap game by looking ahead to the Utah game next week.

So, I guess today's games all have some storyline to make them seem interesting -- well at least at the start of the game.

Also, feel free to comment on other games that may effect the MWC's chance for a BCS run.

BYU @ Wyoming 12PM MST

TCU @ San Diego State 1:00PM PST HD

Army @ Air Force 1:30PM MST HD

New Mexico @ Utah 4:00 PM MST

Colorado State @ UNLV 7:00PM PST

Let's hear what you think. Register for a free account here on the site and leave your comments, predictions and other game day chatter below in the comments section.

I have now integrated twitter to the open thread. I believe it is set up correctly, within your message you need to put #mwcfootball in the tweet and it should show up. Oh, if your not following me my twitter name is @mwcconnection

Army Travels to Air Force to Take on Rival Military Branch

Jeremy Mauss — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:31:27 -0000

Next Game

Army Black Knights
@ Air Force Falcons

Saturday, Nov 7, 2009, 12:30 PM PST
Falcon Stadium

TV: CBS College Sports

Complete Coverage >

ESPNs GameDay is back to visit another Mountain West school this time to celebrate the Veterans across the country with the Army/Air Force tilt. Now, this is not Army vs. Navy but it is still two proud service academies playing football before they go off and serve the country.

An interesting story about Army is 6-10 converted offensive lineman to wide receiver Ali Villanueva. New Army head coach Rich Ellerson decided to make the change with 6-10 lineman. Ellerson saw that Villanueva was an athlete and believed he would be able to make the switch. Plus, the Black Knights were coming off yet another losing season with a 3-9 record; so it was worth the risk. Villanueva leads the team in reception yards at 253, he has the only four receiving scores, and six-teen catches. That is not a lot but Army primarily runs a triple option; similar to Air Force.

To date Army's three wins are over the dregs of college football; Ball State, Eastern Michigan, and Vanderbilt. The reason for the three wins for Army could be attributed to starting a freshman in Trent Steelman. He has been solid and leads the team in rushing with 450 yards. The team as a whole is 11th in the nation in rushing yards per game at 219 while Air Force is fourth at 275 per game. This game could be one of the fastest played games of the year since both nearly exclusively run the ball.

The difference between the two teams is that Air Force has a decent defense while Army is not bad and to my surprise are 14th in the nation in total defense, which goes toward their schedule which is not very good. Their best team they played was Duke or Iowa State, and actually Air Force might be the best team they will have played to date.

Air Force has Tim Jefferson is back for Air Force and he can pass the ball better then Connor Dietz who picked up the slack while Jefferson was out with an ankle injury. Last years game was surprisingly close 16-7 at West Point with Air Force pulling it out late. Air Force should take out Army, because they have a new head coach and have not been great in a very, very long time.

The Shotgun/Throwdown: Friday (11/6/09), UL Pregame Edition

WVUIE97 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:15:24 -0000

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, brought to you today by Milwaukee's Best. That makes a baker's dozen.

Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends. We're so glad you could attend. Come inside! Come inside! (That's what she said) Sorry, I sometimes get songs in my head and can't get them out (I think most people do) and this one happened to be semi-appropriate. Anyway...when the Krag brings his little birdies in tomorrow, keep your AA's, C's and D's to yourself (we have a new rep to uphold....riiiiigghhht) and enjoy the atmosphere and game. Have a great weekend and keep your eyes open for tips and requests. See the show...

What You May Have Missed:

Scouting Report: Louisville - WVMETRONEWS.COM

Gold and Blue Report for Friday - WVMETRONEWS.COM

VIDEO: Jeff Mullen - WVIllustrated.com
The T-1000 talks.

Colin Dunlap's West Virginia football chat - PPG

Academic Center Dedication - MSNsportsNET.Com
...another impressive addition to our facilities

Jobe, Lider, Williams Get Academic Honor - MSNsportsNET.Com

Women's Soccer: Five Named All-BIG EAST - MSNsportsNET.Com

College GameDay Kickoff: Week 10 preview - ESPN

SEC Replay Official Overturns 'Roe v. Wade' - The Onion

News of Note:

On Call - MSNsportsNET.Com
Antonik's notebook

Mountaineers' new QB not just all legs - Courier-Journal

Tandy, staff moving past USF debacle - Charleston Gazette

Mountaineers try to shore up defense - Charleston Daily Mail

Honoring Fleming, Kilicli and Hamrick - Charleston Gazette
Vingle's notebook

WVU's Neild wish outcome in end zone was different - Charleston Daily Mail
Casazza's notebook

Williams fighting for playing time - Times West Virginian
Hertzel Column

Sands starting to come into his own for WVU - Times West Virginian

Glover Quietly Making Name for Himself - Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register

Bitancurt may have expanded role - Register-Herald

Stewart: "It all starts with me." - EerSports.com

Cardinals' Defense Lacking - Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register

WVU looks to bounce back after loss to USF - Parkersburg News and Sentinel

Stewart and Team Look to Refocus After a Tough Loss - WVIllustrated.com

WVU-Louisville matchups unforgettable - Parkersburg News and Sentinel

Marshall, WVU not meeting in the middle - Charleston Daily Mail

Huggins has West Virginia poised to contend - CBK News / FOX Sports on MSN

College basketball countdown: No. 5 West Virginia - Sporting News

Recruiting:

Mounties in the Mix for Mississippi Duo - EerSports.com
"West Virginia is among the final college choices for Macon, Miss., teammates Robert Johnson and Jay Hughes."

Kerns Hoping for Country Roads Return - EerSports.com
Also included is an update on junior college offensive line recruit Benji Kemoeautu

Tobias Harris Coming to Town - WVIllustrated.com

What's On Tap:

Women's Soccer: BE Semis vs. #10 Marquette - MSNsportsNET.Com
Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. tonight at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium on the campus of Connecticut.

ESPN Gameday feature on Bryan Logsdon - Twitter / Coach Bill Stewart
"Bryan Logsdon's feature will also appear on ESPN's GameDay on Saturday between 11 & 11:30 a.m. ... Closer to 11:20 most likely." He's a war veteran walk-on, fyi.

Louisville Cardinals vs. West Virginia Mountaineers, November 7 - ESPN
Noon, Saturday on ESPN Regional (MASN and SNY for sure). Current line has WVU by 17.5.

Men's BB Exhibition: WVU to Face Mountain State - MSNsportsNET.Com
Sunday, Nov. 8, 1 pm at the WVU Coliseum. Reserved tickets are priced at $16, while WVU students will be admitted free with a valid ID.

Women's Basketball: Exhibition Sunday - MSNsportsNET.Com
The women play Glenville State, at 6 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 8, at the WVU Coliseum. Admission to the event is free.

Around the League (and Beyond):

Pitt, West Virginia, Cincinnati want no letdowns - PPG

Bearcats boast best ball-security - ESPN

UC DB waited for this moment - Cincinnati Enquirer

South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels is a dual threat to Rutgers' defense - Star Ledger

Arthur Jones puts orange ahead of green as leader of Syracuse University football team - syracuse.com

Pitt to face tough Syracuse run defense - PPG

Rutgers and Army to play first major-college football game at new Meadowlands stadium next season - Star Ledger

Big East (BB) capsules - syracuse.com

Big East coaches' expectations high - Washington Post via Charleston Daily Mail

Dez Bryant of Oklahoma State Cowboys loses final appeal for reinstatement - ESPN

Eligibility issue holds three Connecticut players out vs. American International - ESPN

Cincinnati Bearcats' Lance Stephenson eligible to play - ESPN

Jordan's son wears Nike, costs UCF adidas deal - ESPN

Tailgate Recipe of the Week:

Cardinals = birds = wings....at least that's my reasoning this week.

B.D.'s Grilled Hot Wings

Take a bag of thawed wings (or fresh drummets) rinse (don't pat dry) and place in a zip lock bag. (You want to make several bags for easy handling).

Pour in 1 to 2 bottles of Paul Newman's Own Olive oil & Vinegar.

Add 1 heaping Tbs. of chopped "Old El Paso" green chilies. Mix well.

Remove as much air as possible and seal. Marinade for 2 hrs. Turn every so often.

For the sauce melt 1/2 stick of unsalted butter in a glass sauce pan.

Mix together and pour into sauce pan:
½ to 3/4 bottle of Louisiana Habanero sauce
1 to 2 Tbs. of Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce
1 to 2 Tbs. of Cajun Sunshine Hot sauce
1 to 2 Tbs. of Cholula Hot Sauce

Just heat enough to melt the butter and simmer the hot sauces. Remove wings from marinade, (discard) and grill on med. heat for 45 min's. Turning wings every ten min's. Remove from grill. Place wings in a large bowl and pour warm sauce over wings tossing with thongs to coat.

Courtesy of Tailgating.com

Video of Interest:

I figured this one was fitting. Sound has been disabled due to copyright.

Video of (Dis)Interest:

Just because....

Which Magazine has Better Pics of Hot Chicks Battle of the Week:

It's old, but I just found it and it's worth it.

via coedmagazine.files.wordpress.com

Miss Throwdown:

A while back, someone mentioned that today's beauty should be Miss Throwdown every day. I wouldn't argue that she doesn't deserve that honor. I just have to keep the variety going. Possessor of some of the greatest legs on the planet (and gorgeous from head to toe)......here's Blake Lively.

via images1.fanpop.com

Milwaukee's Best image via adland.tv