Archive | December, 2009

Leach Gone

It’s not a good week for coaches, as Texas Tech’s Mike Leach has been fired from his perch following an accusation that he mistreated Tech player Adam James, the son of ABC broadcaster Craig James.

I’m not going to take sides here, as I’m not privy to all that is going on, but I find the following statements by Leach to be less than convincing:

Leach said he “would never intentionally harm or endanger a player” and that he has been “forced into this situation without being afforded any process.” He also said “absolutely” no evidence had been given to him that showed he had violated any university rules or standards.

So, no ‘evidence’ has been given to him that showed he broke any rules or standards.  That’s a pretty weak rebuttal to the charges.  If he is innocent, why not just categorically deny the charges instead of parsing them with a legalistic response?

Whatever the case, I hope Leach gets another chance to coach somewhere (I’m sure he will), but I also hope he (and other coaches) use his experience as a cautionary tale:  Coaches aren’t God and there are limits to what you can do with your program…and to your players.

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Top 10 Heisman Moments of 2009

Here are HP’s top 10 Heisman moments of the year (in order of their importance in determining the outcome of the race):

1. Ndamukong Suh’s domination of Texas–This was the game that ended up determining the Heisman winner.  Before Suh’s seven tackle-for-loss, four-and-a-half sack performance against the Longhorns, the support for the Nebraska defensive tackle was scant.  But his candidacy caught fire following the game and, as a result, he went on to win the Southwest region and finish fourth in the final vote, costing Colt McCoy the Heisman as a result. 

2. Ingram’s catch and run–The eventual Heisman winner looked solid against the Gators on the ground, rushing for 113 yards and three scores on 28 carries.  But his dazzling 69-yard scamper with a Greg McElroy screen pass helped break the SEC title game open and ended up putting him over the top in the closest Heisman vote ever.

3. Gerhart pummels the Irish–Beano Cook used to say that to win the Heisman you either have to play for Notre Dame or beat Notre Dame.  Well, few beat up on the Irish as well as Toby Gerhart, who made his definitive Heisman statement by rushing for 205 yards and three touchdowns (and passing for another) in a dramatic win over Notre Dame in Charlie Weiss’ final game.  It was almost enough to prove Beano right, as Gerhart finished second by just 28 points in the Heisman voting. 

4. Ingram runs wild against South Carolina–Ingram pinged brightly on the Heisman radar after running for 246 yards on 24 carries and a score to help lead the Tide over a pesky Gamecock squad.  This was the game that made Ingram a serious Heisman candidate as voters realized how vital he was to Alabama’s national title hopes.

5. McCoy’s Career Night against the Aggies–McCoy finally lived up to his preseason billing, throwing for 304 yards and four touchdowns while adding another 175 (and a score) on the ground against the Aggies in game 12.  This game might’ve won McCoy the Heisman…but there were still games to be played. 

6. Sam Bradford goes down against BYU–He was never going to get that second Heisman, but a healthy, high-performing Bradford would’ve shown up on a lot of ballots and been a key factor in determining the eventual winner.  Instead, he missed virtually the entire season.

7. Cal holds on to beat Stanford–Despite 136 yards and four touchdowns by Gerhart, the Cardinal lose to Cal when Andrew Luck’s pass is intercepted inside the Bear 10 yard line, halting a potential game-winning drive by Stanford.  Perhaps Gerhart gets the 28 points he needs to win the Heisman if his team is 9-3 instead of 8-4…

8. Tebow suffers concussion against Kentucky–While Tebow didn’t miss too much time as a result of his injury against the Wildcats, it had some effect on his overall game for a couple weeks.  The need to manage him carefully in the aftermath of his concussion ended up depressing his usually-gaudy stats.

9. C.J. Spiller goes crazy against Miami–The Clemson running back totaled 310 all-purpose yards and scored twice–on a 90-yard kickoff return and on a 56-yard reception–to lead the Tigers over Miami, 40-37, in overtime.  A minor Spiller-for-Heisman boomlet ensued and ended up helping Spiller finish sixth in the final vote.

10. Case Keenum leads dramatic win over Tulsa–Case Keenum threw for 522 yards and led his team to two scores in the final 21 seconds to help Houston beat Tulsa, 46-45.    Keenum ended up finishing eighth in the Heisman vote, but he was a viable candidate during the middle stretch of the season.

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Meyer Out

Urban Meyer is out at Florida, with the reason given being health concerns.

Obviously, this is going to have a huge impact, not only in the SEC, but in the recruiting and coaching worlds.

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that there is probably more to this story than meets the eye.  I’ve got a feeling we may not have heard the last of Coach Meyer.

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Merry Christmas From HP

Gonna pack it in here ’til after Christmas.  Hope everyone has a safe and joyous holiday season.

HP

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Picking the Bowl Games

Here are my bowl picks, against the spread:

Oregon State (-2.5) vs. BYU–I think the Rodgers brothers are too much for the Cougars to handle and the Beavers cover.

Oregon State 34, BYU 24

Utah (+3) vs. Cal–I think the Utes are going to be too physical for Cal and will pull the mild upset.

Utah 27, Cal 23

Nevada (-13.5) vs. SMU–I don’t like SMU’s chances of stopping the streamroller-like Nevada running attack.

Nevada 45, SMU 28

Pittsburgh (-2.5) vs. North Carolina–The Stull and Lewis show rides the Panthers to the win.

Pitt 20, North Carolina 17

Boston College (+7.5) vs. USC–The Trojans don’t want to be in this game and the Eagles have something to prove.  Not sure if the upset happens, but I at least like the Eagles to cover.

USC 24, Boston College 20

Kentucky (+7) vs. Clemson–Kentucky, being from the SEC, has more speed than Clemson, which is from the ACC, you see.  Okay, there’s my in-depth ESPN-style analysis of this game.

Clemson 31, Kentucky 30

Texas A&M (+7) vs. Georgia–A&M gives the Bulldogs a scare but I don’t think the Aggies are ready to win the close ones just yet.

Georgia 38, Texas A&M 35

UCLA (-5) vs. Temple–The Bruin defense stifles the Temple run game and UCLA wins this one in a yawner.

UCLA 21, Temple 3

Miami (-3.5) vs. Wisconsin–If the Canes can stop John Clay, they stop the Badgers.  Jacory Harris has a big game here.

Miami 28, Wisconsin 17

Arizona (-1.5) vs. Nebraska (under 40)–This one is basically a pickem.  I think Arizona will be able to manufacture just enough points in a defensive battle.  I also like the under.

Arizona 16, Nebraska 13

Navy (+6.5) vs. Missouri–I’m not very confident in Missouri’s defense, especially against Navy’s option scheme.  Too much Alexander and Gabbert in the end, though.

Missouri 42, Navy 37

Houston (-4) vs. Air Force–Case Keenum probably sets some bowl records in a Cougar win here.

Houston 45, Air Force 31

Oklahoma (-7.5) vs. Stanford–A hard task here for the Cardinal without Andrew Luck.  Landy Jones goes off.

Oklahoma 31, Stanford 21

Virginia Tech (-4.5) vs. Tennessee–I think the Hokies win this one going away as Crompton reverts to old form.

Virginia Tech 31, Tennesee 10

Auburn (-7) vs. Northwestern–I think Malzahn’s offense will be really sharp after a full month to prepare.  Too much talent for NW to overcome.

Auburn 31, Northwestern 17

West Virginia (-2.5) vs. Florida State–Bobby Bowden goes out with a loss against his former team as his FG kicker misses wide right.

West Virginia 24, Florida State 21

Penn State (-2.5) vs. LSU–If LSU is the third best team in the SEC, color me unimpressed.  I like Penn State here comfortably.

Penn State 24, LSU 13

Oregon (-3.5) vs. Ohio State–I like Oregon to win this going away.  Back to the drawing board for Tressel. 

Oregon 41, Ohio State 20

Cincinnati (+11.5) vs. Florida–Both teams are deflated, but Cincy has a lot of weapons and a lot to prove.  Tebow pulls it out in the end, though.

Florida 28, Cincinnati 21

Connecticut (+4.5) vs. South Carolina–Conecticut covers–nay, wins–here despite playing against a team from the SEC with all its speed.

UConn 23, South Carolina 20

Ole Miss (-3.5) vs. Oklahoma State–I like the Rebs in a blowout.  I think OSU is headed for major rebuilding.

Ole Miss 34, Oklahoma State 7

Arkansas (-7.5) vs. East Carolina–Heckuva bowl matchup here.  Razorbacks tune up for big 2010 with blowout win.

Arkansas 42, ECU 14

Texas Tech (-8) vs. Michigan State–Tech is always an exotic team to prepare for and you need to have a deep secondary to handle that attack.  Not sure the Spartans will be ready.

TTU 35, Michigan State 17

TCU (-7) vs. Boise State–I think the TCU defense will slow down Boise’s potent attack.  Kellen Moore throws some uncharacteristic picks.

TCU 38, Boise State 21

Georgia Tech (-4) vs. Iowa–Don’t think the Hawkeyes can keep up with the tempo and complexity of the Tech offense.

Georgia Tech 31, Iowa 14

Texas (+4.5) vs. Alabama–To me, this game will be decided by Greg McElroy’s arm.  If Texas shuts him down, the Longhorns win, but if he’s effective, the Tide wins.  Nebraska provided a blueprint for stopping Texas, but I think there may be some new wrinkles in the Longhorn offense this time.  McCoy will have to scramble more than usual and I think that keeps Texas in this one.  It’ll be a tightly-contested game but I think the Tide have a couple more weapons at their disposal and they eke it out.

Alabama 23, Texas 21

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HP Ranks This Decade’s Heisman Winners

Based on brilliance of performance (relative to the competition)  in the year they won:

1. Tim Tebow, 2007

2. Reggie Bush, 2005

3. Sam Bradford, 2008

4. Matt Leinart, 2004

5. Troy Smith, 2006

6. Carson Palmer, 2002

7. Jason White, 2003

8. Chris Weinke, 2000

9. Mark Ingram, 2009

10. Eric Crouch, 2001

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HP’s All-Decade Team

Other outlets are doing it, so I thought I’d put in my two cents. 

QB

Matt Leinart, USC

Leinart gets the nod due to his record: 37-2 as a starter (including 34 in a row), 2 national titles (just missing out on a third), a Heisman Trophy and another top three finish, 99 career touchdown passes, 10,693 passing yards.

Just missed the cut: Tim Tebow, Vince Young, Colt McCoy

RB

Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma

Reggie Bush, USC

Peterson and Bush were the two defining backs of this era with their own unique styles.  Peterson was the thunderous runner with breakaway speed and Bush was the do-it-all lightning bolt. 

Just missed the cut: Darren McFadden; DeAngelo Williams; Mike Hart

WR

Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh

Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech

Fitzgerald nearly won a Heisman as a pure receiver, while Crabtree is the only two-time winner of the Biletnikoff Award.

Just missed the cut: Braylon Edwards, Dwayne Jarrett, Calvin Johnson, Charles Rogers, Rashaun Woods; Josh Reed

TE

Heath Miller, Virginia

Miller dominated in college, starting three years for the Cavs and catching 144 passes for 1,703 yards.

Just missed the cut: Kellen Winslow, Zach Miller, Marcedes Lewis, Jermaine Gresham

OL

Bryant McKinnie, Miami; Jammaal Brown, Oklahoma; Joe Thomas, Wisconsin; Greg Eslinger, Minnesota; Jake Long, Michigan; Andre Smith, Alabama

We went with a top six here instead of a position-by-position breakdown. 

Just missed the cut: Jake Grove; Shawn Andrews; Jonathan Scott; Nick Mangold; Jordan Gross; D’Brickashaw Ferguson; Sam Baker

DL

Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska; Glenn Dorsey, LSU; Mike Patterson, USC; Terrell Suggs, Arizona State; Dwight Freeney, Syracuse; Julius Peppers, North Carolina

Suh made a serious Heisman run, finishing fourth this year.  Dorsey and Patterson anchored two of the best defensive lines of the decade.  Suggs, Freeney and Peppers were terrors coming off the edge.

Just missed the cut: Tommie Harris; Rien Long; Elvis Dumervil; David Pollack; Travis Johnson; John Henderson

LBs

Derrick Johnson, Texas; A.J. Hawk, Ohio State; Patrick Willis, Ole Miss; Brandon Spikes, Florida

The versatile Johnson was the best Longhorn defender of the decade.  Hawk and Spikes led dominating defenses, while Willis was a sideline-to-sideline tackling machine.

Just missed the cut: Teddy Lehman; Chad Greenway; Lofa Tatupu; James Laurinaitis; Rolando McClain

CBs

Terrance Newman, Kansas State; Antrell Rolle Miami

No one could shut down a receiver like Newman.  Rolle was the only one who could shut down Larry Fitzgerald.

Just missed the cut: Philip Buchanon; Marcus Trufant; Derrick Strait; Corey Webster; Antoine Cason; Malcolm Jenkins; Marlin Jackson

Safeties

Ed Reed, Miami; Troy Polamalu, USC 

Reed was the ultimate ball-hawking safety, while Polamalu made plays all over the field.

Just missed the cut: Donte Whitner; Michael Huff; Roy Williams; Sean Taylor; Jim Leonhard

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