Pittsburgh Panthers 2009 - The Season

[Its Vanilla]

Things have finally fallen into place in Pittsburgh. For the first time since the late 1980s, the program is an annual contender in the BCS. This has been helped a little by the fact that the Panthers play in a weak Big East Conference. Two years ago, a 7-5 unranked Boston College team got the BCS bid. However, the conference is getting stronger.

2008 appeared to be the season for Pitt. It started off bad when the team was put on NCAA Sanctions at the beginning of the year. The team fought back and played great throughout the whole year and went undefeated. The only other undefeated team was the Kansas State Wildcats. The BCS however, decided to rank 10-2 LSU as the #1 team, jumping them up from the #3 spot. Pitt was the team to get lost in the shuffle and ended up playing Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl. Kansas State would become the national champions. Pitt is out for revenge.


This is a simulation of the 2009 NCAA College Football season using NCAA 2005.

[Its Vanilla]

Head Coach Overview

Head Coach: Cody Myers - Pittsburgh Panthers(2004-present)

Overall Record: 48-12
Average Attendance: 65,415

Current Streak: Lost 1
Winning Seasons: 5
Longest Winning Streak: 11 games
Record vs. Top 25: 7-3
Record vs. Rival(s): 9-1
-Record vs. Syracuse: 1-4
Bowl Record: 3-2
Conference Championships: 2
National Championships: 0


2009 Panthers Schedule:

8/22 - #3 LSU
8/29 - @ Clemson

9/12 - Central Florida
9/19 - Navy

10/1 - UConn
10/10 - @ Rutgers
10/17 - Syracuse
10/24 - @ Boston College

11/7 - @ #18 West Virginia
11/14 - Temple
11/21 - @ UL-Lafayette
11/28 - @ Toledo

[Its Vanilla]

Here are the 2009 Pittsburgh Panthers!

Offense:

#12 QB Drew Herring(Sr-RS) - Baldwin, Pa
6'3" 207 lbs. 89 Overall
-Drew has been waiting for his opportunity here at Pitt. He's been waiting for his body to heal. He's started for 3 seasons, but all have been cut short due to injury. If he can stay healthy, he's a legitimate Heisman contender.

#23 HB Dustin Monroe(Sr) - Peachtree City, Ga
6'1" 204 lbs. 89 Overall
-For the past several seasons, we've run a 2 RB set. I'm not sure what will happen this year. Monroe is definately able to carry the offense on his shoulders. He has yet to run for 1,000 yards in a season.

#22 HB Jamie Andersen(Fr-RS) - Severna Park, MD
6' 193 lbs. 78 Overall
-Jamie was a top recruit last season and is coming off of his redshirt year.

#41 FB Douglas Washington(Jr) - Bristol, Pa
6' 248 lbs. 85 Overall
-The FB in my offensive scheme is basically a 6th offensive lineman. Doug plays that to a T.

#86 WR Tre Dalton(Jr) - Darien, Il
6' 184 lbs. 84 Overall
-Because of my #1 WR from last year entering the draft and my #2 WR graduating, Dalton moves up to starter. I hope he'll be able to adjust to the role.

#81 WR Vince Keith(Jr) - Horsham, Pa
6'7" 211 lbs. 76 Overall
-Vince's height makes him a valuable target at WR. Lack of experience is my only worry about him.

#85 TE Kenny Bowden(Jr-RS) - Thousand Oaks, Ca
6'3" 251 lbs. 99 Overall
-On the field, he's the best TE in the nation. Off the field, he's trouble waiting to happen. If he can control himself, he's got a bright future.

#64 LT Steve Cross(So) - Holladay-Cottonwd, Ut
6'7" 311 lbs. 84 Overall
The guy has so much raw potential. He just needs some playing time under his belt.

#71 LG Tracy Everett(So) - Richmond, Va
6'6" 286 lbs. 84 Overall
-Tracy started as a freshman and did well. Should have no problems this year.

#63 C Ted Wilkins(So) - Atlantic City, NJ
6'3" 289 lbs. 84 Overall
-Last year's backup will now anchor my young OL. He's got the talent to do it.

#77 RG Dorian Schmidt(Sr) - Tulare, Ca - Offensive Team Captain
6'5" 307 lbs. 95 Overall
-This year's offensive captain. He's started since he joined the team as a freshman.

#73 RT Neal McCall(Jr) - London, Cn
6'4" 306 lbs. 82 Overall
-The Canadien finally gets his chance to start this season.


Defense:

#91 LE Phil Kline(So-RS) - Hazel Park, Mi
6'1" 248 lbs. 86 Overall
-The departure of last year's starter makes Phil the starter this year. He's got a lot of potential.

#72 DT Jermaine Mays(Jr-RS) - Shaker Heights, Oh
6'1" 314 lbs. 89 Overall
-Mays has been a conistant block in my DL for the last 2 seasons and has recorded 71 tackles and 7 sacks.

#96 DT DeWayne Capers(So-RS) - Paterson, NJ
6'8" 289 lbs. 89 Overall
-Capers was an afterthough when he was recruited, a week 5 pickup. Now he's a high-caliber DT and could have a breakout year.

#95 RE Peter Logan(Sr) - Mason, Mi
6'1" 244 lbs. 89 Overall
-Peter is the senior leader of my defensive line.

#53 LOLB Akim Owen(Sr) - North Highlands, Ca
6'1" 240 lbs. 90 Overall
-Akim is a 4th year starter and a role model on defense. He broke the 200 tackle mark last year.

#40 MLB Teddy Christensen(Jr) - Pleasant Hill, Ca
6'1" 247 lbs. 91 Overall
-Ted moves into the starting role this season.

#58 ROLB DaRon McPherson(Sr) - Washington, DC
6'5" 235 lbs. 96 Overall
-DaRon is the anchor of the defense. He had 12 sacks last season.

#9 CB Dennis Thorpe(Sr) - Whitehall, Pa - Defensive Team Captain
6' 190 lbs. 96 Overall
-Dennis has started since he was a freshman. He helped lead the defense into the top 5 last year. He's been rewarded by being named defensive captain.

#6 CB Dennis Colbert(Sr) - Mason, Oh
6'3" 177 lbs. 94 Overall
-My other great CB. Passing on us should be a little difficult this season.

#24 FS Kelley Wilcox(Fr) - Bradford, Pa
6'2" 210 lbs. 80 Overall
-One of my top recruit this season, Wilcox will start right away.

#27 SS Corbin Hayes(Sr) - Auburn, In
6'3" 204 lbs. 90 Overall
-Corbin finally gets the start this season. He's talented but unproven.


Specialists:

#43 K Godfrey Crayton(Sr) - Halawa, Hi
5'11" 179 lbs. 99 Overall
-One of the top kickers in college football. He was a lucky shot in recruiting a few years ago and has blossomed.

#45 P Travaris Robertson(Jr) - Norristown, Pa
6' 204 lbs. 80 Overall
-Travaris wasn't great when he came here, but has developed his skill rapidly.

[Its Vanilla]

Well, the 2009 football season is upon us. There is no good news to fall back on right now. Our scholarship reduction finally caught up with us this year, and we only brought in the #24 recruiting class. As if that wasn't bad enough, we made the cover of Sports Illustrated. You may think that's good, but not when the headline is "Scandal in Pittsburgh - #3 Panthers have 10 fewer scholarships after being reprimanded."

There also seems to be a 3 way tie at the top of the preseason polls. After winning the title last year, the Preseason 119 has Kansas State at 13th. We sit at #1, with Tennessee, who beat us in the Fiesta Bowl, at #2, and LSU is at #3.

The way my team works is that no player really stands out. We play as one cohesive unit. That's why we don't have a player in the Heisman watch. The top contender right now is Cal QB Zach Lowe, from Turlock, Ca. He's led the Golden Bears for the past 2 seasons, being named All Pac10 and a 2nd team All-American last year.

A Panther also made the cover of the Preseason All-American section of the SI Issue. That Panther would be OLB DaRon McPherson, who has been named All Big East twice and was an All-American last year. He is our only All-American.

The All Big East team features RB Dustin Monroe, who enters his 2nd year as a starter. Originally from Peachtree City, Ga, Dustin leads our powerful running attack. Also making the 1st team was OG Tracy Everett from Richmond, Va, senior CB and 2 time All Big East player Dennis Colbert. Finally, K Godfrey Crayton, has been named for the 3rd time in his career.

2 year starting QB Drew Herring leads our list of 2nd Team All Big East players. The hometown favorite from Baldwin, Pa has fought through injuries over his 4 years here and is still looking for a breakout season. Junior TE Kenny Bowden from Thousand Oaks, Ca. His only problem has been staying out of trouble. He's been disciplined numerous times while in Pittsburgh and ended up being suspended for the season last year. He is however, the best rated TE in the nation. 4th year starting OLB Akim Owen is also on the team, along with CB Bryson McLaughlin and CB Dennis Thorpe, a 3 year All Big East player.

SI also predicts us to win the Big East, behind the awesome receiving corps, led by TE Kenny Bowden. We are followed by #18 WVU, Rutgers, who is also on probation, Temple, Syracuse, and Boston College.

[Its Vanilla]

The Game:

As August 22nd drew closer, the excitement began to build in the city of Pittsburgh. All eyes would be on the Panthers as we would take the field against the hated Tigers of LSU. Just last season, they'd stolen a spot in the National Championship from us. Now, we were going to make them pay. The game started slow, with each team feeling the other out. That's when I decided to go big or not go at all.

Drew Herring dropped back and fired the ball deep to Dustin Monroe, who scampered 70 yards for the first score of the season. LSU would answer on their next drive with a Russ Fletcher touchdown run. Monroe would answer his run with one of his own, to put us back in the lead. Our next drive saw a 58 yard touchdown pass from Herring to Tre Dalton. The first quarter ended with us ahead 21-7.

The Tigers opened up the scoring in the 2nd quarter with a 10 yard TD run by TE Dexter Demps. Very little more scoring would take place as both teams settled in for a battle. LSU would tack on a field goal midway through to bring the score to 21-17. With just over one minute left in the half, Herring again found Dalton, this time for 5 yards, to make our lead 28-17 as we headed into the locker room.

This was just what I wanted to see. Last year, we got no respect as an undefeated team coming from the Big East. The BCS felt that a team with 2 losses in the SEC was better than us. Well, look at the scoreboard now.

LSU opened up scoring in the 2nd half with a 38 yard field goal midway through the 3rd quarter. After an exchange of punts, Drew Herring went big again, this time finding TE Kenny Bowden for a 52 yard TD strike, making the score 35-20.

Not even a second had ticked away in the 4th quarter when Herring found Dalton for the 3rd time in the game, making the score 42-20. LSU couldn't regain their composure in front of our riotous crowd of 67,156. Our defense shut them down. We accomplished our goal. Pitt has arrived and our 42-20 thumping of the Tigers is only the beginning.

Drew Herring ended up completing 15 of 31 passes for 427 yards and 5 touchdowns. But also threw 4 interceptions.

Both Monroe and Bowden had over 100 receiving yards. Dalton caught 3 passes for 66 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Akim Owen led the defense, recording 13 tackles and 2 sacks.


The Week After:

On Wednesday, I was hoping to see my Panthers grace the cover of Sports Illustrated, but I was severly disappointed. Then I actually read the headline. "Stunned - Florida State's high hopes are dismantled on opening weekend." The Seminoles dropped from 9th to 19th after losing a 26-25 battle against BYU.

Tre Dalton's 3 touchdowns has him being talked about as a Heisman candidate. I love the publicity, but I don't know if he's a Heisman caliber player...yet.

Unfortunately, not all of the news is good. I received a call from the University Medical Center this morning. After being injured in the 3rd quarter of our game, I was worried about Phil Logan. Apparently, I was worried for a good reason. He dislocated his ankle. He will be out of play for the next 7 weeks. He was definately angry. He'd waited on the bench for 3 seasons and finally got his chance this year. We'll now have to play without him.

[Its Vanilla]

After practice on Tuesday and Wednesday, we loaded up the bus and headed south. We are scheduled to play Clemson, deep in much-hated ACC territory. The game would be on regional television.


The Game:

Boy would this turn out to be a fun game to watch! Clemson won the toss and elected to receive. The first score of the game would come just 45 seconds in. However, it was us doing the scoring, as Bryson McLaughlin returned an intercepted pass 32 yards for a touchdown. After a punt by Clemson on the next drive, our first actual drive began. It ended in the endzone after a 12 yard Herring to Bowden strike. We'd go up 21-0 on an 8 yard run by Dustin Monroe. The Tigers finally got on to the scoreboard with a 47 yard Jack Atkinson field goal. Monroe answered that with his 2nd touchdown of the quarter, a 3 yard run. The first quarter ended on a Clemson 7 yard touchdown pass from Carey Bates to Lyle Person.

The 2nd quarter began with us ahead 28-10. We'd score 2 more touchdowns before Clemson would even threaten us. The first was a 2 yard Herring pass to Gabe Benton. The 2nd was Dustin Monroe's 3rd touchdown run of the half, a scamper of 6 yards. Clemson scored their last touchdown of the half on a 10 yard pass from Bates to Bryant Dean. The half ended on a 34 yard Godfrey Crayton field goal.

We walked into the locker room ahead 45-17. I hate to look like a jerk, but we knew at that point the Tigers' tank was empty. I told the guys to go out and have a fun 2nd half.

The fun began on our very first drive when Herring found Vince Keith for a 2 yard touchdown. Our defense prevented Clemson from doing anything and we got the ball back. That's when Herring found Tre Dalton, who'd been quiet most of the game. 57 yards later, he was in the endzone. Monroe capped off scoring in the 3rd with a 2 yard touchdown run.

The 4th quarter began with a 35 yard Godfrey Crayton field goal. As the stadium emptied, the Panthers 2nd team came in to finish out the game. There's no need to have your starters get injured when your ahead 69-17. Clemson would find the endzone one final time on a QB dive by Carey Bates. We would go on to win a 69-24 offensive scorefest.

Herring was simply magnificent on the field, completing 17 of 23 passes for 319 yards and 4 touchdowns. Backup and heir to the throne George Strong, a scrambler from Fairview Park, Oh completed 3 of 9 passes for 33 yards.

Dustin Monroe only ended up with 76 yards on 12 carries. 4 of those carries were touchdowns in a dominating 3 quarter performance.

Bowden led all of our receivers with 5 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown.

DaRon McPherson was the leader on defense this week, recording 7 tackles, a sack, and an interception.


The Week After:

While I was expecting LSU's upset in a rematch of last year's title game against Kansas State, my issue off Sports Illustrated arrived with a very different cover. There he was, Dustin Monroe, and under him the headline, "Pittsburgh's Bright Spot - Monroe has the Panthers talking about winning a championship." I was pleased to see some media attention.

Monroe was also on the cover of the Heisman coverage section. The headline was, "Leading the Panthers - Monroe's Heisman candidacy is in full force in Pittsburgh." Monroe was picked by SI, but any Panther could have been on the page. Dustin led an insurgeance of Pitt players into the Heisman race. He's currently 3rd, while QB Drew Herring is 4th and WR Tre Dalton is 5th. Although, I still think it's a little early to talk Heisman.

Our next game is in 2 weeks, against Central Florida.

[Its Vanilla]

The Week:

Most of this week was spent practicing.

I picked up the latest SI issue. Tennessee's near upset against Marshall made the cover. The #2 Volunteers escaped with a 44-37 victory.

#3 Cal wasn't so lucky, as they were handed a 37-34 loss at the hands of the unranked Golden Gophers of Minnesota. It was one of the biggest upsets in school history.

I turned to the Heisman section and was happy to see that even when we don't play, we still get media coverage. Monroe graced the page once again, along with the headline, "Ready to Shine - Pittsburgh's offense depends heavily on the legs of Monroe." He's moved up to 2nd in the race. Cal QB Zach Lowe is still #1, despite the Golden Bears loss. Miami QB Herb Sanderson drops to #2 after a shakey performance in a win over Memphis.

Peter Logan's ankle continues to heal. He should be back in 5 weeks.

[Its Vanilla]

After our week off and huge win over Clemson, we come home to face the 0-2 Central Florida Golden Knights. The game is televised on local TV.


The Game:

The game started out slow, in a torrential downpour. After the first 2 drives, I started to notice a lack of effort being put forth by my players. The fans may have also noticed. After the first quarter, the scoreboard read 6-0. We had scored on field goals of 25 and 49 yards.

The second quarter would continue the trend of the first. We'd add 6 more points on a 24 yard Drew Herring touchdown pass to Vince Keith. The 2 point conversion failed. We went into the locker room ahead of UCF 12-0.

At halftime, I pretty much laid into the team. I think I had a right to. I mean, we were ahead of the mighty Golden Knights 12-0. I think the players responded though.

The third quarter saw us bust out of our shell. A 14 yard touchdown pass to backup runningback Jamie Andersen pretty much busted the game wide open. Herring would pass for 3 more touchdowns in the 3rd quarter, all to Tre Dalton. They were 20 yard, 34 yard, and 5 yard strikes. By the time the 4th quarter began, we were ahead 40-0.

The 4th saw 2 UCF TD passes to WR Mike Jackson from QBs Alexander Petty and Santino Clarke. They were split by a 31 yard Crayton field goal. The guy is pretty much automatic. I'm not sure why we tried a 2 point conversion. We'd go on to win 43-14, outgaining the Knights in offensive yards, 466 to 190.

Drew Herring had another banner day, completing 17 of 27 passes for 272 yards and 5 touchdowns, while only throwing 1 interception.

Andersen and Monroe split time in the backfield. Jamie gained 76 yards on 16 carries and Monroe came up with 54 yards on 13 carries.

Dalton had an amazing game for himself, catching 9 passes for 145 yards and 3 touchdowns.

DT DeWayne Capers stood out on defense this week, recording 8 tackles, 6 for a loss, and 3 sacks.


The Week After:

I check out the latest copy of Sports Illustrated and boom!, we're on the cover again. This time it's Tre Dalton with the headline, "The New Favorite? - Dalton is the new #1 after a 145 yard, 3 TD performance."

Dalton can also be seen at the beginning of the Heisman section with the headline, "Checking the Ballots - There's a new leader atop the Heisman list." Dalton has moved into the #1 spot and right behind him at #2 is Drew Herring. Monroe drops to #4 this week.

The only media coverage that I'm not happy to see is the local Post-Gazette. Apparently, someone within the organization started a rumor that I would be leaving Pittsburgh after this season. At my weekly press conference, I tell the press that Pittsburgh will be my home for years to come.

[Its Vanilla]

This week, Heinz Field hosts the Naval Academy. The game is shown on regional TV.

The Game:

The first quarter went back and forth, with both teams just getting a feel for one another.

The first score would come in the 2nd quarter. Navy QB Khary Barnard made a 6 yard run to put the Midshipmen up 7-0. We answered right back with a 4 yard Dustin Monroe touchdown run. A couple drives later, he'd do it again, this time for 5 yards. We try for 2 and get it, making the halftime score 15-7.

Halftime went a little better this week, but I still wasn't happy with the team's performance. We should be destroying a team like Navy.

The third quarter belonged to us. Our first score came on a 2 yard run. But this time, it was Drew Herring who was holding the ball. Our defense got us the ball back and our next drive ended with a 52 yard Crayton field goal. With a little over 2 minutes left in the 3rd, we capped off the game with a 2 yard touchdown pass to Monroe. I took my starters out and the 2nd team went in.

Sophomore George Strong got his first TD pass of the season on a 5 yard pass to Vince Keith. Jamie Andersen ran it into the endzone from 3 yards out for our final score of the day. With just 8 seconds left, Navy QB Khary Barnard ran it in from 3 yards out, making the final score 46-14.

Drew Herring had a solid performance, completing 14 of 22 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown. Strong had a great outing himself, completing all 5 of his passes for 89 yards and a touchdown.

Monroe had himself a solid game aswell. He ran 13 times for 74 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Dalton was our leading receiver, yardage wise, catching 2 passes for 81 yards.

No one really stood out on defense this week, but mention should go to the unit as a whole. We held Navy QBs to just 7/16 for 124 yards and 2 interceptions.


The Week After:

SI arrives to my house and the cover has ACC foe Miami on it. The headline reads, "Upended - Miami's loss to unranked Virginia tops a wild weekend in football." The 'Canes 48-45 loss drops them from #2 to #11. I hate Miami, so I'm happy. I also see that UCLA upset #3 Tennessee 35-30. So #2 and #3 fell. I am starting to get a little nervous. Big East play begins for us in 2 weeks against UConn, and anything can happen.

The Heisman section is once again plastered with a Panther. This time it's QB Drew Herring with the headline, "A New Face on the List - Look who tops this week's Heisman Watch feature." Herring is now atop the list, while Dustin Monroe moves up to #2. Tre Dalton has fallen to 3rd. TCU Sophomore HB Andrew Hamilton and Miami QB Herb Sanderson round out the list.

There are no new injuries to report. Player behavior seems quiet, too quiet. However, I guess no news is good news. We have next week off before hosting UConn.

[Its Vanilla]

The Week:

We run a couple extra practices this week to get us prepared for conference play.

My Sports Illustrated reveals that the Pittsburgh media frenzy is only instensening. Drew Herring graces the cover this week with the tag, "Too Early to Tell? - Herring is mentioned on everyone's Heisman list." Funny, how at the beginning of the season he was a 2nd Team All Big East player and most though that was too high to rank him.

In the top 25, Miami now has a losing streak on their hands as they fall to 2-2 Wake Forest 31-28. They now sit at #17. I also see that they are on 2 year sanctions from the NCAA. Maybe you should've stayed in the Big East?

Drew Herring can also be seen on the cover of the Heisman Watch with the headline, "Mid-Season Form - Herring has put up impressive numbers being in the national spotlight." If his talent can lead the team to its first national title in 33 years, then I'll be happy. No change in position for any of the Panthers, however there are 2 new faces on the list. Auburn senior HB Mike Bean and TCU HB Frankie Carroll, who transferred from junior college last year, round out the list.

Peter Logan's ankle is healing nicely and he should be back in action in 2 weeks.

Next week, we host UConn in our Big East opener.

[Its Vanilla]

This week, 5-1 UConn comes to town in our first Big East matchup of the season. The game is broadcast on local television.


The Game:

Our first conference game of the year opened up slowly. We exchanged a couple punts before some points finally found their way to the scoreboard. We took a 7-0 lead on a 3 yard Herring to Bowden touchdown pass.

The second quarter would be more of the same. Herring found Dustin Monroe for 8 yards and Vince Keith for 5 yards to increase our lead to 21-0. The Huskies would finally get some points on a 7 yard Marcellus Preston to Donnell Billings touchdown pass. The half came to a close as Godfrey Crayton blasted a 41 yard field goal.

We were up 24-7 at halftime, so I stuck with the usual "Keep it going, we're playing tough" speech.

The third quarter saw now scoring.

The only points of the second half came in the 4th quarter. Midway through, Monroe dove into the endzone from 3 yards out to put us up 31-7. That's how it would end.

Herring had a solid day at QB, going 12 of 25 for 174 yards and 3 touchdowns. He threw no interceptions. On the other hand, Huskies QB Marcellus Preston threw 4 picks and 1 touchdown.

Monroe got the ball a little more than usual this week, carrying 19 times for 85 yards and a touchdown.

No standout receivers to note this week.

On defense, Tyrell Miller led the charge, recording 5 tackles, 4 of them for a loss, and 2 sacks. 4 players had 1 inteception.


The Week After:

Sports Illustrated features the Tennessee Volunteers this week. The team is ranked #22 and now 2-3 after beating Georgia 42-35.

#7 California's 44-38 loss to unranked Oregon leads top 25 action this week. They are now ranked 15th.

In the Big East, #14 Rutgers defeated #19 West Virginia 30-28.

In a surprising turn of events, a Panther isn't on the cover of the Heisman feature. Instead it is senior Ole Miss QB Chad Tidwell, with the tag, "Just off the Radar - can Tidwell's golden arm make him a Heisman finalist?" What's cool is that he isn't in the top 5 yet. Speaking of the top 5, Monroe has moved up to #1 with Herring at #2. Dalton has dropped off the list. Sophomore HB Elton Holt of Florida is 3rd, 4th is USC senior QB Dominique Dodd. HB Andrew Hamilton, a sophomore from TCU is 5th.

I got some bad news in the form of a phone call from the university hospital. Starting DE Phil Kline suffered some broken ribs in our win over the Huskies and will need 4 weeks to heal. This means that both starting DEs will be out and replaced by freshman in our matchup against Rutgers.

This Saturday, we head to New Jersey to take on #8 Rutgers(3-0) in a huge Big East matchup.

[Its Vanilla]

In a huge matchup this week, we head to Piscataway, New Jersey to take on #8 undefeated Rutgers. We aren't the only people who feel that this is a huge event. ESPN College Gameday is also in town to televise the game.


The Game:

In the pregame show, Kirk Herbstreit talked about how much of a team leader that Drew Herring is, and also mentioned that he leads the Big East in passing yards. Lee Corso actually agreed and talked about our ability to pass the ball. He wouldn't be surprised if we racked up 400 yards.

It didn't take too long for Corso and Herbstreit's prediction to come true. Just 39 seconds into the game, Drew Herring let loose a 59 yard bomb to Vince Keith, who scored the game's first touchdown. Rutgers would tie it up a couple minutes later on a 3 yard run by Sands. The first quarter would come to a close, but not before Godfrey Crayton booted a 49 yard field goal.

Herring would find the endzone twice more in the 2nd quarter, on 6 and 7 yard passes to Kenny Bowden and Vince Keith. 3 more Crayton field goals of 26 ,54 and 37 yards made the halftime score 33-7.

The team was ecstatic coming into the lockerroom. While I was also thrilled, I had to remind my team that Rutgers was in the top 10 for a reason, and they still had fight left in them.

The 3rd quarter saw us pretty much take that fight right out of them. Even FB Washington got into the mix, running for a 2 yard touchdown. Backup HB Jamie Andersen got a TD of his own, on a 6 yard run on our following drive. After a 23 yard pass from Herring to Bowden which put us up 54-7, I knew it was over.

Rutgers HB Errick Clark put it into the endzone from 3 yards out at the beginning of the 4th quarter. 2nd string QB George Strong answered that with a 10 yard pass to 3rd string QB/WR Tory Redding. Jamie Andersen ran for his 2nd TD of the game on a 1 yard dive. A 66 yard pass from Rutgers QB Richard Martinez to WR Chris Colbert ended the game. We had destroyed the Scarlet Knights 68-21.

We outgained the Scarlet Knights 614-326.

Herring was magnificent, completing 14 of 22 passes for 325 yards and 4 touchdowns, with no interceptions. Even George Strong did well, going 4 of 7 for 94 yards and a touchdown.

Andersen was our leading rusher on the day, running 23 times for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns. Monroe ran 12 times for 71 yards.

Monroe however, led all of our receivers with 5 catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Keith and Redding had 95 and 94 yards respectively.

Dennis Thorpe stood out on defense, intercepting 3 passes.


The Week After:

Our triumph over Rutgers puts us on the cover of SI, along with the fact that the first BCS Rankings have been released. We are first in the BCS, with a ranking of 4.44. Florida is #2 with a 7.71. They are followed by Texas, TCU, and USC.

#25 Arizona State's 38-33 victory over #6 Washington State tops Top 25 action this week.

Herring is back atop the Heisman list after his performance against Rutgers. Monroe is down to #2, followed by Dodd of USC, WR Jahmal Clayton of Ole Miss, and QB Jeff Pearson of Florida State.

Drew is also the coverboy of the Player of the Week section. "Player of the Week - Herring collects Player of the Week honors following a laugher vs. Rutgers."

The cover of the Conference Standing section also tells of us defeating Rutgers. "Panthers win behind the arm of Herring."

Peter Logan returns to action next week, after being injured in our opener against LSU.

News isn't all good though. Dennis Thorpe decided not to show up for voluntary workouts this week. While the name includes "Voluntary", we coaches consider it mandatory. If he was just a regular player, I'd probably let it slide, considering his performance against Rutgers. He, however is a defensive captain. That means I'd probably only suspend him for a half. But, being on probation and having the NCAA ready to bust my door down, I have to make sure he won't do it again. He will not play next week.

Next week, we face Syracuse at Heinz Field. In my tenure, we are 1-5 against the Orangemen, with our only win coming last season.

[Its Vanilla]

In a big game this week, we take on Big East foe Syracuse, who is 3-1 on the season. We've beaten them 1 time in the last 6 seasons.


The Game:

The game started off well for us, as we scored twice in the first quarter. The first came on a 39 yard Crayton field goal. The second was a 3 yard TD pass from Herring to Vince Keith.

Our only other point of the half came at the beginning of the 2nd quarter. That's when Godfrey Crayton booted his 2nd field goal of the day, a 28 yarder. Syracuse QB Hawkins got the Orangemen onto the scoreboard with a 12 yard pass to Harden. With just 20 seconds left in the half, a 7 yard Ross run put the Orangemen up 14-13 heading into the half.

We were only down by 1, so I didn't get too angry at the half. We still had a chance to win it.

Things did get worse from that point. Syracuse marched down the field once again and a 2 yard run by Harden put them ahead 20-14. Kicker missed the extra point. That was the turning point. We got the ball back and Herring marched us downfield. A 17 yard pass to Keith tied the game at 20 and ended the third quarter.

The 4th quarter was all us. Herring added on 2 more touchdowns, a 1 yarder to Benton and a 42 yarder to Tre Dalton. We'd go on to win 34-20.

Herring was awesome yet again, completing 18 of 28 passes for 376 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Monroe and Andersen split time in the backfield, and neither had 100 yards.

We had 2 star receivers today. Vince Keith caught 6 passes for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tre Dalton caught 4 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown.


The Week After:

After reading this week's Sports Illustrated, it seems we won't have a mid-major sneaking into the BCS this year. #5 TCU's loss to Houston was big enough to make the cover.

We still lead the BCS. Florida has dropped out of the top 10 after a 45-43 loss to Mississippi State. Texas is now #2, Kansas State, with a loss is at #3. USC and Washington round out the top 5.

Herring's recent interview was printed in the Heisman section this week. The title was, "Who is This Guy? - Herring has made defenses look silly all year, throwing for 2,079 yards and 26 TDs." Herring is still #1. Clayton of Ole Miss has moved up to 2nd, dropping Monroe to 3rd. USC's Dodd is 4th. Tre Dalton moves back onto the list at 5th.

Monroe is likely to drop out of the list all together. He is suffering from hip bursitis and will be out for 3 weeks.

Nobody skipped practice this week.

[Its Vanilla]

This week, we travel to Massachusetts to take on the 1-5 Boston College Eagles. The game is broadcast on local TV.


The Game:

In opposite fashion to last week, the game got off to a slow start. It took 10 minutes for the first points of the day to be put on the scoreboard. Unfortunately for us, it was Boston College HB Richard Teague who ran in from 2 yards out. We answered with a long drive of our own. The drive ended in the endzone, after a 5 yard pass from Herring to Vince Keith.

We would take the lead in the 2nd quarter after Godfrey Crayton booted a 50 yard field goal. The Eagles would fight back however and on the ensuing drive, QB Daniel Kirk launched a 28 yard pass to HB Emmanuel Brooks, who happened to be standing in the endzone. The Eagles would take a 14-10 lead into the half.

I let into the players. I had a right to. We shouldn't be down 4 points to a team that is 1-5. It's rediculous. They may have won the Big East 2 years ago, but they were only 7-5 then and are a lot worse now.

I accidently cancelled out of the box score of the game. We outscored the Eagles 21-3 in the 3rd quarter and 14-3 in the 4th en route to a 45-20 victory.

Vince Keith was the talk of the town after the game. He caught 6 passes for 132 yards and 3 TD.


The Week After:

I am once again greeted by one of my players. But not in person, on Sports Illustrated. Vince Keith makes the cover with the tag, "Will They be There? = The Keith-led Panthers are looking at a potential NC appearance." I'm hoping that yes, we will be there.

We still lead the BCS. We are the only team with a total under 10. Texas, USC, and Washington are 2, 3, and 4. 1 loss Kansas State is at #5.

The Heisman writers this week proclaim that WR Jahmal Clayton of Ole Miss is "The Real Deal". They have good reason to. The senior has 45 catches for 833 yards and 12 total touchdowns. Meanwhile, Herring is still at the top of the list, but is now the lone Panther. Clayton is 2nd. Miami HB Gordon Stephens jumps onto the list this week and sits at 3rd. Ole Miss QB Chad Tidwell is finally getting some recognition in 4th place and Washington junior QB Raheem Hunt rounds out the top 5.

The semifinalists for the annual NCAA awards are announced this week. Herring's candidacy in the Best QB category gets him the cover. Herring is the leading candidate for the Maxwell award. Teammate Dustin Monroe is 9th. We have 2 finalists for the Bednarik. New defensive captain, OLB DaRon McPherson is 5th. Former defensive captain(he was stripped of the title after his "incident") is 6th. Herring also leads the Best QB category while Monroe is 5th for the Doak Walker Award. At Best WR, we have Vince Keith in 3rd and Tre Dalton in 4th. Kenny Bowden is the leading candidate for Best TE. Junior RT Neal McCall is 8th in the running for Best OL. DaRon McPherson is 5th in the Best LB category and in the Thorpe, Dennis Thorpe is 1st, SS Corbin Hayes is 5th, and CB Bryson McLaughlin is 8th. Godfrey Crayton leads all hopefuls for the Groza and Robertson is the leader for Best P. Also, I am 2nd to TCU's head coach for Coach of the Year.

We have next week off. Then we head to Morgantown to take on #13 West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl.

[Its Vanilla]

The Week:

We have an off week this week. I decide to run some extra practices after the scare against Boston College. It will also prepare us to face WVU next week.

I am shocked to see that Texas lost this week. I was even more shocked when I learned that the loss was to Baylor. I about had a heart attack when I saw that the score was 44-14. Well, another one bites the dust.

USC and Washington jump up to 2 and 3 in the BCS. Kansas State stays at 5th. LSU, with 2 losses, one to me, jumps to #4. It's like last year all over again, but I'm not on the outside looking in.

QB Raheem Hunt of Washington's Heisman stock is definately growing. He jumps up to #2 this week, behind Drew Herring, after a 4TD performance against Arizona State. Miami QB Herb Sanderson is back on the list in 3rd this week. WR Jahmal Clayton drops to 4th and USC's Dominique Dodd is 5th.

My entire defensive line is now healthy and ready to take on the hated Mountaineers. Monroe will be back in 1 week.

Don't bother trying to get tickets to see #1 Pittsburgh(8-0) take on #9 West Virginia(5-2). Mountaineer Field is sold to capacity. But there's always enough room for Brad Nessler, Lee Corso, and Kirk Herbstreit. ESPN Gameday will televise the game.

[Its Vanilla]

You know what's going down this week. At 12:30pm, the biggest Backyard Brawl in history kicks off. Gameday is in Morgantown on a blustery 42 degree day to cover the game. Herbstreit mentions Drew Herring several times during the broadcast. He talked about him leading the Big East in passing yards and being 6th in the nation in touchdowns. Corso, however, was enoamoured with our defense. He predicted them to make some big plays to win the field position battle.


The Game:

The first quarter went scoreless and we prepared for a defensive battle.

Things started off well for us in the 2nd, as Jamie Andersen ran it in from 6 yards out to put us up 7-0. Godfrey Crayton chimed in with a 28 yard field goal on our next drive. HB Desi Carpenter put the Mountaineers on the board with a 5 yard touchdown run. A 3 yard pass from Herring to Keith with just 23 seconds left gave us a little morale boost going into the half.

At halftime, leading 17-7, I told the guys to crouch down and hit your marks. We had WVU right where we wanted them.

The defensive battle continued through the 3rd quarter. Each team could only manage a field goal. We got a 38 yarder from Crayton and WVU got a 40 yarder from Cross.

Then the 4th quarter happened. We went in leading 20-10. Then QB Jamelle McGrath hit a 23 yarder to WR C.C. Molina to bring them within a field goal. Everything was allright, just a little snag. The snag got bigger when McGrath hit WR Alvin Kramer for a 41 yard touchdown to put the Mountaineers up 24-20. They struck us a death blow with a 4 yard run by Samples. It was over. We have fallen. Final score, 31-20.

Herring had a good and bad day, going 18 of 30 for 203 yards with a touchdown. Unfortunately, he also threw 2 picks.

We got no where on the ground. That is witnessed by the fact that CB Dennis Thorpe was our leading rusher.

I would mention a stand out on defense, if we had one. It's kind of hard to when you give up 21 in the 4th quarter.


The Week After:

I take one look at this week's Sports Illustrated before ripping off the cover and throwing it in the trash. The cover features WVU QB Jamelle McGrath with the headline, "Perfect No More! - The Panthers are no longer unbeaten after a 31-20 loss to West Virginia." At least we had a partner in losing. The Washington Huskies were upset by Oregon State.

Surprisingly, we are still in the top 5 in the BCS. Kansas State will currently take on undefeated USC in the championship. They are followed by LSU, West Virginia, and us.

Our loss is also bad news to Drew Herring as he drops to 3rd in the Heisman race. Dominique Dodd of USC is the new leader, followed by QB Raheem Hunt of Washington. Florida HB Elton Holt is 4th and Herbert Sanderson of Miami is 5th.

Award Finalists are announced this week. Herring is a finalist for the Maxwell and Best QB. Kenny Bowden is a finalist for Best TE. CB Dennis Thorpe is a finalist for the Thorpe. Crayton is a finalist for the Groza and Robertson is a finalist for Best P.

The current Bowl Projections have us facing Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl.

In some more bad news this week, Senior RE Peter Logan re-dislocated his ankle against the Mountaineers. His season, and possibly his career, is over.

[Its Vanilla]

We need to take our anger out on someone and Temple happens to be scheduled for this week. The game is nationally televised.

The Game:

Dustin Monroe is back and his presence is immediately felt. He runs for a 20 yard touchdown in the only score of the 1st quarter.

A 20 yard Crayton field goal and another 4 yard run by Monroe put us up 17-0. The Owls get on the board with a 54 yard Shawn Lynch field goal.

The lockerroom is eerily silent at halftime. The players don't feel like talking and neither do I. We go back to the field and get about our business.

A 7 yard run by Jackson Davis brings Temple to within a touchdown. But, we get the ball back and a 60 yard run by FB Doug Washington puts us up 24-10.

Washington continued to have the game of his life when he got his 2nd TD of the day on a 9 yard pass from Herring. A 7 yard pass from Herring to Tre Dalton put us up 38-10. Temple added a touchdown with 24 seconds left to make the final score 38-17.

Herring had a mediocre game, going 15 of 28 for 229 yards with 2 touchdown and 1 interception.

Running is what we did well this week, in stark contrast to our last game. Monroe carried 19 times for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns. Andersen carried 19 times for 95 yards.


The Week After:

History seems to be repeating itself as I look at the cover of this week's SI. "Tigers Get a Break - LSU benefits from latest BCS controversy." Hmm, just like last year.

Undefeated USC has moved into the #1 BCS spot. 2 loss LSU has jumped 1 loss Kansas State and moved into 2nd. Last season, Kansas State defeates LSU in the championship. WVU is 4th and Wake Forest is 5th. We sit on the outside at 6th.

No change in the Heisman standings this week.


The current Bowl Projections have us facing Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl.

In some more bad news this week, Senior RE Peter Logan re-dislocated his ankle against the Mountaineers. His season, and possibly his career, is over.

[Its Vanilla]

This week, we head to Cajun country to take on winless UL Lafayette in an untelevised matchup.

The Game:

I'm going to spare the details of this game. We crushed the Ragin' Cajuns 49-24.

Herring was nearly perfect, going 22 of 26 for 318 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Monroe ran 16 times for 86 yards and a touchdown.


The Week After:

The cover of Sports Illustrated this week features the USC Trojans and the main story tells of how excited their fans are at a potential championship appearance.

There is no change in the BCS rankings.

The only change in the Heisman standings is Raheem Hunt and Drew Herring swapping the #2 and #3 spot. USC's Dominique Dodd is still 1st.

For some reason, we are not projected to play in a bowl game.

RG Dorian Schmidt broke a toe in our game. He will miss our season finale, but will be healthy for our bowl game.

[Its Vanilla]

We face Toledo on regional TV in our season finale.

The Game:

The Rockets go up early on a 3 yard Bigham to Britton touchdown pass. We answer right back as Herring finds Dalton for 19 yards to tie the game.

Toledo would get 3 field goals in the 2nd quarter, and we'd counter those with 3 Herring touchdown passes, 2 to Dalton, and 1 to CB Dennis Thorpe. Toledo would also run for a touchdown. A 45 yard field goal by Crayton ended the half.

Toledo scored the only points of the 3rd on a 52 yard Bingham to Britton touchdown pass.

We would go on to a 45-29 victory.

Herring had a good game, going 13 of 21 for 199 yards and 4 touchdowns. George Strong got in as well, going 6 of 8 for 59 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Dalton caught 7 passes for 101 yards and 3 touchdowns.

We finish the season at 11-1.


The Week After:

USC's loss to lowly Notre Dame makes the SI cover this week.

Kansas State moves to #1 in the BCS, followed by LSU, West Virginia, and Wake Forest, all with 2 losses. We are 5th.

Herring moves back into the top spot in the Heisman race, replacing Dominique Dodd, who is now 2nd. Raheem Hunt is 3rd, Elton Hunt is 4th , and Dustin Monroe is now in 5th.

We are still not going bowling apparently.

[CraigSca]

Whoa, weird. Let us know if that's just a bowl projection bug and not an actual matchup bug.

[Its Vanilla]

The Week:

With everyone's season over, Kansas State defeats Florida International in the final regular season game.

LSU's upcoming battle with Florida for the SEC title is SI's main story this week.

[Its Vanilla]

Pittsburgh Panthers 2004 Statistical Analysis

Team Offense:

Total Yards: 7,060(1-BE, 3-NCAA)
Total Offense: 5,513(1-BE, 1-NCAA)
Total Passing: 3,633(1-BE, 6-NCAA)
Total Rushing: 1,880(3-BE, 46-NCAA)
Points/Game: 44.1(1-BE, 1-NCAA)
Passing TD: 47(1-BE, 1-NCAA)
Rushing TD: 20(4-BE, 36-NCAA)
First Downs: 261(2-BE, 13-NCAA)
Sacks Allowed: 45(5-BE, 84-NCAA)

Team Defense:

Total Yards: 3,657(2-BE, 12-NCAA)
Passing Yards: 2,020(1-BE, 7-NCAA)
Rushing Yards: 1,637(4-BE, 38-NCAA)
Points/Game: 20.0(1-BE, 3-NCAA)
Sacks: 44(3-BE, 31-NCAA)
Interceptions: 21(1-BE, 7-NCAA)
Fumble Rec: 16(1-BE, 8-NCAA)

Team Efficiency:

3rd Down Conv: 76(3-BE, 31-NCAA)
3rd Down Att: 154(4-BE, 61-NCAA)
3rd Down %: 49(3-BE, 24-NCAA)
4th Down Conv: 2(7-BE, 110-NCAA)
4th Down Att: 6(6-BE, 103-NCAA)
4th Down %: 33(7-BE, 111-NCAA)
Off. Redzone Att: 76(1-BE, 2-NCAA)
Off. Redzone TD: 54(1-BE, 1-NCAA)
Off. Redzone FG: 9(4-BE, 25-NCAA)
Off. Redzone Scoring %: 82(3-BE, 21-NCAA)
Def. Redzone Att: 32(1-BE, 2-NCAA)
Def. Redzone TD: 22(1-BE, 10-NCAA)
Def. Redzone FG: 3(1-BE, 3-NCAA)
Def. Redzone Scoring %: 78(4-BE, 58-NCAA)
2 Point Conv: 1(3-BE, 42-NCAA)
2 Point Att: 2(5-BE, 64-NCAA)
2 Point %: 50(3-BE, 32-NCAA)
Penalties: 101(7-BE, 103-NCAA)
Penalty Yards: 773(7-BE, 99-NCAA)

Team Turnovers:

Int Thrown: 13(3-BE, 48-NCAA)
Fum Lost: 7(2-BE,21-NCAA)
Giveaways: 20(2-BE, 31-NCAA)
Def Int: 21(1-BE, 6-NCAA)
Fum Rec: 16(1-BE, 6-NCAA)
Takeaways: 37(1-BE, 4-NCAA)
Turnover Diff: 17(1-BE, 3-NCAA)


Individual Stats:

Passing:
Rat. Att/Com Yds. TD/INT Skd.
D.Herring 188.1 192/311 3292 42/11 42
G. Strong 148.1 24/44 341 5/3 3


Rushing:
Att. Yds. Avg. TD
D.Monroe 147 756 5.1 11
J.Andersen 159 728 4.5 4
D.Washington 52 238 4.8 2
D.Thorpe 33 171 5.1 1
D.Godsey 11 43 3.9 0
G.Strong 10 39 3.9 0
V.Keith 5 24 4.7 0
K.Bowden 2 6 3.0 0
T.Dalton 2 5 2.5 0
G.Benton 3 0 0.0 0
D.Herring 83 -130 -1.5 2


Receiving:
Rec. Yds. Avg. TD
T.Dalton 43 838 19.4 13
V.Keith 38 698 18.3 14
K.Bowden 30 559 18.6 7
D.Monroe 26 404 15.5 5
G.Benton 24 312 13.0 2
D.Thorpe 17 297 17.4 2
J.Andersen 14 201 14.3 1
D.Washington 8 89 11.1 1
T.Redding 6 112 18.6 1
J.Moore 6 95 15.8 0
J.Hurst 3 26 8.6 1
D.Godsey 1 2 2.0 0



Blocking:
Pancakes Sacks
N.McCall 35 3
D.Schmidt 25 8
S.Cross 22 9
T.Everett 18 3
T.Wilkins 18 15
T.Falls 7 3
D.Gallagher 2 1
B.McElroy 1 0
G.Boldin 1 2
W.Lane 0 1

Defense:
Tak Sacks INT FF FR TD
D.McPherson 83 7 2 1 3 0
A.Owen 75 4 0 1 2 0
T.Christensen 66 6 0 1 0 0
B.McLaughlin 45 1 2 2 1 1
D.Capers 45 6 0 1 0 0
D.Davis 38 3 0 2 0 0
C.Hayes 37 0 3 0 1 0
P.Kline 37 1 0 1 2 0
J.Mays 36 4 0 2 1 0
T.Miller 34 8 0 0 2 0
D.Colbert 34 1 4 0 1 0
D.Thorpe 32 0 7 1 0 0
K.Wilcox 28 0 2 0 1 0
J.McKnight 17 0 0 0 0 0
T.Pitts 17 0 1 1 1 1
P.Logan 16 2 0 0 0 0
T.Shipley 12 0 0 0 0 0
B.McElroy 11 0 0 0 0 0
J.Bridges 7 0 0 0 0 0
R.Archer 6 0 0 0 1 0
M.Matthews 6 1 0 0 0 0
C.Sherman 2 0 0 0 0 0
D.Simms 1 0 0 0 0 0


Kicking:
FGM FGA FG% FGLong XPM XPA XP% KO KOTB
G.Crayton 18 22 81 54 66 66 100 96 13


Punting:
Punts Avg. In20 TB
T.Robertson 50 47.3 20 11


Punt Returning:
Ret. Yds. Avg. TD Long
D.Thorpe 37 342 9.2 0 49
D.Colbert 10 135 13.5 0 54
G.Benton 6 26 4.3 0 8

[Its Vanilla]

The Week:

The NCAA Awards Ceremony is held.

Travaris Robertson is named Best Punter.
Drew Herring wins the Maxwell Award.

The Heisman Ceremony is also held. Edging out USC's Dominique Dodd 1561 points to 1396 points, quarterback Drew Herring becomes the first Panther to win the Heisman Trophy since Tony Dorsett. Over the season, Herring completed 192 of 311 passes for 3,292 yards and 44 touchdowns. In comparison, Dodd completed 198 of 305 passes for 3,141 yards and 39 total touchdowns. Other vote-getters were HB Elton Holt of Florida with 520. QB Raheem Hunt of Washington received 490. HB Dustin Monroe of Pittsburgh received 390 votes.

I am furious to see that we have been placed in the Continental Tire Bowl. Yes, the #5, 11-1 Pittsburgh Panthers will play the #24 Miami Hurricanes, 7-4, in the Continental Tire Bowl.

1st Team All Americans:
WR Tre Dalton
CB Dennis Thorpe
P Travaris Robertson

2nd Team All Americans:
WR Vince Keith
RT Neal McCall
ROLB DaRon McPherson

Freshman Team All Americans:
FS Kelley Wilcox

1st Team All Big East:
QB Drew Herring
HB Dustin Monroe
WR Tre Dalton
WR Vince Keith
TE Kenny Bowden
LG Tracy Everett
RT Neal McCall
LOLB Akim Owen
ROLB DaRon McPherson
CB Dennis Thorpe
CB Bryson McLaughlin
SS Corbin Hayes
K Godfrey Crayton
P Travaris Robertson

2nd Team Big East:
RG Dorian Schmidt
RE Tyrell Miller
DT DeWayne Capers
DT Jermaine Mays
CB Dennis Colbert
FS Kelley Wilcox


Conference Champions:
ACC - Wake Forest
Big Ten - Minnesota
Big XII - Kansas State
Big East - West Virginia
C-USA - TCU
MAC - Kent State
MtnWest - New Mexico
Pac-10 - USC
SEC - LSU
Sun Belt - North Texas
WAC - Fresno State

[Its Vanilla]

The Week:

We run some extra practices in preparation for the Hurricanes. I do however, let the guys take some time off to watch #12 North Texas(11-0) defeat Stanford(5-6) in the New Orleans Bowl 42-10.

Sports Illustrated continues to hype up the rematch between Kansas State and LSU. Last season, KSU won the title over LSU, and earlier this year, LSU defeated Kansas State.

[Its Vanilla]

The Week:

Practice continues for our appearance in the Tire Bowl. Other Bowl games continue also.

In the Tangerine Bowl, NC State(7-4) defeats Air Force(7-4) 31-17.

In the GMAC Bowl, Southern Miss(7-4) defeats Miami of Ohio(6-5) 35-30.

In the Fort Worth Bowl, Eastern Michigan(8-4) defeats Tulane(7-4) 38-35.

In the Las Vegas Bowl, #19 BYU(8-3) defeats Bowling Green(6-5) 49-28.

This week's SI concentrated on the media frenzy surrounding the BCS and this year's title game.

[Its Vanilla]

The Week(Prior to our Game):

In the Hawaii Bowl, #16 Louisiana Tech(9-2) defeats Louisville(6-5) 52-25.

In the MPC Computers Bowl, #15 Fresno State(9-2) defeats Boise State(6-5) 38-24.

In the Motor City Bowl, Kent State(10-2) defeats Buffalo(6-5) 35-25.

In the Independence Bowl, Kansas(7-4) defeats Alabama(8-3) 31-24.

In the Insight Bowl, UConn(7-4) defeats #25 Washington State(7-4) 35-32.

In the Mastercard Alamo Bowl, Texas(8-3) defeats #13 Iowa(8-3) 45-21.

In the Silicon Valley Classic, San Jose State(6-5) defeats Troy State(6-5) 42-28.


Our Game:

We are pitted against the #24 Hurricanes of Miami(7-4) in the Continental Tire Bowl. If I were to say that this is where I wanted to be, I'd be lying. Kirk picks Herring's ability to spread the ball around on offense to be the difference in this game. Lee agrees and predicts us to win.

We lose the toss and receive the opening kickoff. Herring leads the offense on a drive downfield that results in a 43 yard Crayton field goal to put us up 3-0. We stop the Canes on their next series and get the ball back. A 7 yard run by Dustin Monroe makes the score 10-0.

Our first drive of the 2nd quarter ends with Monroe in the endzone again. This time he's on the receiving end of an 18 yard Drew Herring pass. Miami would finally answer and put up their first points on a 22 yard Herbert Sanderson to WR Dorian Barnett touchdown pass. Sanderson would get his 2nd TD pass of the half on the next drive, this time a 52 yards. Fortunately for me, the receiver was CB Bryson McLauglin, putting us up 24-7. The half would end on a 9 yard touchdown pass from Herring to FB Doug Washington. We went into the lockerroom ahead 31-7.

All I would tell the guys to do was preserve the lead.

I guess they didn't understand what I meant, as Miami scored 2 TDs in the 3rd quarter. The first was a 4 yard run by HB Anthony Dudley and the 2nd was a 3 yard run by Sanderson. A 2 yard pass to TE Kenny Bowden made the score 38-21 going into the 4th quarter.

An 8 yard pass from Sanderson to Dudley put the Canes within 2 touchdowns, but it wouldn't last long. 2 Crayton field goals of 48 and 26 yards kept a comfortable margin for us. Just for good measure, Miami scored on a 4 yard pass from Sanderson to Barnett with just 47 seconds left. We were victorious. 44-35. The Pittsburgh Panthers are your 2010 Continental Tire Bowl Champions.

Drew Herring had a spectacular final outing, going 15 of 25 for 185 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Dustin Monroe had a great farewell himself, running 24 times for 159 yards and a touchdown. He also caught 6 passes for 124 yards and another touchdown, winning the game MVP award.


The Week(After our game):

In the Houston Bowl, Oklahoma(6-5) defeats Tennessee(5-6) 27-20.

In the Emerald Bowl, New Mexico State(8-3) defeats #18 Fresno State(9-2) 34-9.

In the Holiday Bowl, Nebraska(8-3) defeats #17 Washington(8-3) 52-17.

The Rose Bowl continues to get hype from Sports Illustrated.

[Its Vanilla]

The Week:

In the Music City Bowl, Ole Miss(7-5) defeats Colorado State(7-5) 41-10.

In the Sun Bowl, #9 Cal(7-4) defeats Ohio State(6-5) 42-35.

In the Autozone Liberty Bowl, New Mexico(7-4) defeats South Florida(6-5) 31-28.

In the Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl, Auburn(6-5) defeats Virginia(6-5) 42-35.

In the Outback Bowl, #11 Indiana(9-2) defeats Kentucky(6-5) 40-9.

In the SBC Cotton Bowl, #22 Texas A&M(8-4) defeats #10 Georgia(8-3) 51-35.

In the Gator Bowl, #21 Notre Dame(7-4) defeats #23 Florida State(7-4) 45-13.

In the Capital One Bowl, #14 Penn State(8-3) defeats Florida(8-4) 21-7.

In the Nokia Sugar Bowl, #20 Minnesota(9-2) defeats #4 Wake Forest(9-2) 18-17.

In the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, #7 USC(10-1) defeats #8 Houston(10-1) 38-28.

In the FedEx Orange Bowl, #6 TCU(10-1) defeats #3 West Virginia(9-2) 35-10.

In the AT&T Rose Bowl National Championship, #2 LSU(11-2) defeats #1 Kansas State(11-1) 34-20 to win the National Title.


School Records:

Drew Herring has set a new school record with 45 passing touchdowns this season.
Drew Herring has set a new school record with 81 career passing touchdowns.

Pittsburgh offered me a 6 year extension on my contract. I accepted.


Final Top 25:
1.) LSU
2.) Texas Christian
3.) Pittsburgh
4.) USC
5.) Kansas State
6.) California
7.) West Virginia
8.) Indiana
9.) North Texas
10.) Wake Forest
11.) Penn State
12.) Fresno State
13.) Louisiana Tech
14.) Houston
15.) Minnesota
16.) Brigham Young
17.) Texas A&M
18.) Georgia
19.) Notre Dame
20.) Iowa
21.) Texas
22.) Kent State
23.) Washington
24.) New Mexico State
25.) Nebraska

And so ends the 2009-2010 College Football Season.

[CraigSca]

Geez, you got ripped. I'm not sure what to say here, as you'll probably start next season ranked as you were the beginning of this season. It seems the game really isn't taking kindly to a Big East loss....

[Its Vanilla]

Here's what I believe happened.

West Virginia got the Big East Champion BCS Bid. They beat us.
Somehow, #6 TCU and #8 Houston got at large bids. I guess having a better record and being ranked ahead of them wasn't good enough for us.
Then we got screwed twice as bad because they gave 7-4 Notre Dame our Gator Bowl bid, moving us down to Big East #3. I didn't think it was possible, but I hate Notre Dame even more.