02-10-2003, 03:58 PM | #1 | ||
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Goal-oriented TCY 2002-A newbie wades in over his head
Greetings one and all! Brand spanking new member of the FOF community. I recently bought TCY after a long period of hemming and hawing, not to mention getting a good buzz from the outstanding recruiting class NC State hauled in last weekend (explains the nickname).
I've decided for my first project to build a true career coach. I've gone so far as to *gasp* start in the SC8 and work my way up. The #1 goal of this is to land the head-coaching job at NC State and win at least one national title before retiring or burning out (I'm in my late 20s, so that should give plenty of time). In this universe, the bowl system remains the same (I used real-life names and tried to at least match one conference representative from real-life in each matchup). The Solecismic Eight has been put in Montana and re-dubbed the "Lewis and Clark Conference". Six of the eight in the L&C are actually real schools in their correct location (though obviously the game won't refer to them by school name) while the other two have reality bent a little to suit my needs: Montana State-Billings Yellowjackets (Billings) Montana State Bobcats (Bozeman) Montana Tech Orediggers (Butte) Univ of Great Falls Argonauts (Great Falls) Montana State-Northern Lights (Havre) Univ of Helena Fighting Saints (Helena) * Univ of Montana Grizzlies (Missoula) Univ of Montana-Western Bulldogs (Kalispell) ** *There is a private college in Helena called Caroll. I've taken a liberty and given them an endowment enough to become a university that wants people to know they exist and where they are. **There is a Montana-Western, but not in Kalispell. It's actually in Dillon. Kalispell still fits geographically with the school name, though it's in far northwest Montana rather than in the southwest like Dillon is. Settings 1-All-star level (like I said, over my head... ) 2-Real world reps in all aspects, nothing random 3-Handle recruiting and depth charts for now, leave other issues to assistants until I understand the game better Assorted house rules as I've thought of them: 1) Must stay at a school until fired or have a winning record after four years or more. 2) Limit replacing of coaches/scouts to one per year. Voluntary departures/replacements do not count against this. (Who would want to play for an unstable staff?) 3) May only make in-homes in one region per week, everyone else gets a phone call. Can't run myself ragged every week trying to be all over the country while still being the coach in the middle of the season. 4) I haven't decided on whether I should limit contacts with recruits each week, though I kinda defaulted to one during my first week. Anybody have a good rule regarding this? At what point does it balance, as it were? I've seen a reference to "no blitz recruiting". What does that mean? 5) 7 freshmen, 5 sophomores, 3 juniors may change positions in the offseason (something that does happen frequently in the college game). 6) 85 scholarship limit as it is in real life 7) No jumps from SC8 to ACC or anything like that. Have to advance to mid-majors before jumping to top level conferences. Any other suggestions people want to add, I'm open to it. I will post the roster (such as it is), schedule, rankings, recruiting efforts, etc. sometime later today. Oop. Forgot to mention I'm taking over Montana State. Last edited by Wolfpack : 02-10-2003 at 04:00 PM. |
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02-10-2003, 08:12 PM | #2 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Montana State Takes the Longview of Things
Bozeman, MT (AP)--The Montana State Bobcats today announced the hiring of 27-year-old Norwood Longviewas head football coach. He is believed to be the youngest head coach currently in Division I-A. The new Bobcat head man is a graduate of North Carolina State and has spent the last four years as a position coach at Michigan. He will get to return to his roots in early October as Montana State will travel to Raleigh to face the Wolfpack.... --------------- Montana State Bobcat Staff *Syndicate Coordinator Marvin Abrams, 40, VG/VG/Ex Abrams, as you will come to note, is probably my best staff guy and he's got virtually nothing to do with on-field performance. Lucky me. *Defensive Coordinator Dave Stump, 65, VG/PG/G/PG/Po/Po/Lo A grizzled coach, Stump is a good gameday coach, but he's going to be detrimental to season-long development. May retire soon. *Offensive Coordinator Troy Folsom, 57, F/D/Ex/D/Po/G/F/Ex/VG, Single-back Off (5 yrs) Folsom seems all over the place with his ratings. His one "poor" mark is developing QBs, which is not exactly a bonus in my book. *Scouts NW-Andrew Creveling, 54, Tb/Po/PG/G/F/Tf/Po/Tb SW-Adam Barber, 40, PG/Ex/Lo/Po/Po/Ex/Po/Ex MW-Matt Kinney, 75, F/D/P/Tb/Lo/PG/F/Tf DS-Quentin Pribbenow, 41, Ex/Lo/Lo/Lo/Lo/Po/Tb/Ex SE-Al Mayes, 54, D/G/Tb/Po/G/Lo/Tb/Lo GL-Rickey Escobar, 43, VG/PG/D/G/VG/Tb/Tf/Po NE-Gino Frederick, 60, D/Ex/Ex/Tf/Lo/D/Po/PG MA-Gene Bovee, 53, Po/Tb/Po/PG/F/F/Ex/Po An up-and-down group. Due to the limited potential of MSU, I'm most likely to depend on Creveling, Barber, and perhaps Kinney, going to the others only occasionally. Kinney, however, may keel over before too long. |
02-10-2003, 08:21 PM | #3 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Montana State Bobcat Roster
An unimpressive set of players man the controls of the offense. Garrison gets the start nod, and while Watts shows no current skill, his individual grades are better than the other two, so he's slotted to backup.
Unspectacular is a good word to describe the RBs here. Franz gets the start since he has better combined individual ratings and Conley is tapped out on his growth.
Maxed potential at FB and it's not very high. Fortunately, we run a single-back offense primarly so this isn't an issue, really.
Definitely have some size at TE and a little bit of skill with it. Bellamy is starter due to individual ratings, though Rayburn isn't that far behind.
Clearly the leader of this group is Reilly. Has a good Big Play rating (44) and is probably going to be the top offensive player. Gamez and Newsome are the other starters in a 3-wide set (which I assume is the WR formation in a single-back set).
The line is fairly solid and has a little bit of depth. Cole and Hill have plenty of growth potential and hopefully will realize it. However, OC's inability to develop talent may prevent that from happening.
Kicking is going to be adventurous this year. Thomas and Garner get the starts. Now, we come to the ghastliness. (You're saying that the offense wasn't ghastly?)
To say the line needs help would be a mild understatement. A whole raft of walk-ons and very unskilled players to deal with. Golalic is far and away the best player on the line and mans one of the tackle spots, and Mitchell gets the other almost by default. Cobb is the best end of the group and Theriot is the other end due to having slighly better rush defense ratings than Cage. I doubt it'll make much difference, though.
Give me strength, Lord. Yet more motliness at linebacker. Scott wins the MLB job by virtute of having no zeroes in his individual skill ratings. Jacobs and Rice man the OLB slots.
I would like to say that the problems at corner can be easily explained as youth and inexperience. I can't. Buzzanca is one corner and I'll roll the dice on Peterson at the other, since his individual numbers are actually second to that of Buzzanca's no matter what his skill numbers say. Again, probably doesn't matter much.
It says something when you consider your starting safeties at these ratings probably the best players on your defense. I'll leave it at that. Strong and Windham are the obvious starters here and the depth is, in a word, lacking a bit, though the backups could develop into something. Maybe. Last edited by Wolfpack : 02-12-2003 at 11:22 AM. |
02-11-2003, 05:52 PM | #4 |
Bonafide Seminole Fan
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Miami
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Since you apart of the Wolfpack I should warn next season(In real life) Florida State is gonna beat the $h!t out of the Pack. Oh but besides that I will be reading. Oh and welcome to the family keep posting we need new faces around here.
noop
__________________
Subby's favorite woman hater. |
02-12-2003, 10:20 AM | #5 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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I wouldn't bet on that beating you describe happening. Remember the last time Bobby scheduled us for homecoming.
Seriously, thanks. Was wondering if anyone was reading. I've been playing over the last couple of days and I'm beginning to find out just what happens when you send Division III teams against Division I-A teams. Scores like 41-3, 80-10 (yes, 80-10), and 59-7 happen. And this isn't versus Miami, Florida, or FSU. This is Memphis, Baylor, and Ball State. Yikes. I draw some comfort from the fact that every team in my conference has lost all their games and usually by lopsided margins. I've been torn between playing the game and actually writing up what has been happening. By this thread's account, I'm still in preseason, but I'm up to week five in the game. I wonder if it will be well and good just to finish the season and write up afterwards or would it be better to do the commentary as the season runs. |
02-12-2003, 11:31 AM | #6 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Montana State Recruiting Needs
I'll simply state that just about everything is a need. When your team is rated 125th of 125 in just about every single poll, everything is a need. We will take any warm body that at least has studied the rules of football, if not played a down once in a while...okay, maybe not that bad, but you get the idea. Just about any recruit I bring in will likely be superior to any player currently on this roster.
Last edited by Wolfpack : 02-12-2003 at 11:32 AM. |
02-12-2003, 12:06 PM | #7 |
Mascot
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Boulder
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Sounds like quite an interesting dynasty. I’ll be reading.
Also, congrats to the real-life Wolfpack on their recruiting success. They got a kid out of Texas named Jimmie Sutton who’s going to be one heck of a wide receiver! |
02-12-2003, 12:12 PM | #8 |
Strategy Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: North Carolina
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As far as recruiting suggestions, one idea I employ in my Rutgers dynasty is a 2 phone call, 2 visit maximum per player. I've found that those 4 is all you'll ever need really, and it's realisitc enough. I also don't ever make both visits in the same week (since it's totally unrealistic).
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02-12-2003, 12:26 PM | #9 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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I know about Sutton. BTW, he's from Florida, but we took him away from Texas's class, right?
However, I wouldn't be surprised if he redshirted this year. We are pretty deep at WR this year as we get Richard Washington (taken as a partial last year) and Tramain Hall (who from just about every account I have read is a total stud...had bizarre eligibility issues that kept him out his first two years) finally eligible, not to mention our leading receiver from last year Jerricho Cotchery. As to my recruiting rule, I have settled on one contact per week and I can't offer a scholarship unless I've in-homed with the recruit. Oddly enough, I feel it's simplified things for me since I also have the rule about doing in-homes in one region only per week. I can in-home in one region while calling up new recruits in another and offer visits to those I've already contacted. Granted, it's a thin spreading, but it definitely allows a broader number of recruits to hear from me. I may modify things if I feel I'm not getting enough though. |
02-12-2003, 12:53 PM | #10 |
Mascot
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Boulder
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That's right, Sutton's from Florida and a decommit from Texas. I was confused. Wherever he's from, the guy is going to be one heck of a player.
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02-12-2003, 12:53 PM | #11 |
College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Cinn City
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Good luck with the dynasty. I will follow closely since my old favorite TCY dynasty *cough rutgers cough* seems to have not made the move.
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02-12-2003, 01:52 PM | #12 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Preseason Coaches Top 25
1 Michigan 2 Nebraska 3 Florida State 4 Oklahoma 5 Florida 6 Ohio State 7 Miami, FL 8 Tennessee 9 Texas 10 UCLA 11 Notre Dame 12 Penn State 13 Texas A&M 14 Georgia 15 Alabama 16 Oregon 17 Washington 18 Michigan State 19 Wisconsin 20 Kansas State 21 Clemson 22 Georgia Tech 23 Virginia Tech 24 Auburn 25 LSU |
02-12-2003, 02:02 PM | #13 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Week 1 (August 25-31, 2002)
Upcoming Opponent None, bye week Coaches Top 10 Code:
Recruiting New Contacts Code:
In-home (Northwest) Burke (+), Devine (+), Jenkins (+), Northcutt (+), Sherman (+), Stephens (+), Torres (+), Van Pelt (--), Wolfe (+) Phone calls Atkins, Burns, Hoover, Hughes, Kiani, Levine, Patten, Robinson, Rodgers, Webster We need help just about everywhere, so we fish around for any kind of interest from the top players in Montana and many players throughout the West rated at or near the top of their position in their respective states. Most are surprised our lowly little school contacted them, which is to be expected. Certainly would like to get one of the two big in-state QB prospects, but both are "black" in terms of odds of success, so we also ring up likelier candidates in New Mexico to cover. Game Time None, bye week Coaches Top 10 and other scores of interest Code:
In a light opening week, all ranked teams playing win their games and NC State rolls over New Mexico. No L&C teams are in action this week. Last edited by Wolfpack : 02-28-2003 at 11:46 PM. |
02-17-2003, 10:51 AM | #14 |
Pro Rookie
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Do want to let folks know I haven't forgotten this thread. I've just been busy with the game and haven't really had a good chance to bang out reports of progress.
At this point I'm in week 9 and to say my team sucks would win anyone Understatement of the Year awards (0-7). Fortunately, I seem to be doing somewhat well in recruiting in spite of on-the-field troubles. Have three signees, two of whom I'm thrilled about. Will try to post the goings-on sometime soon. |
02-20-2003, 08:53 AM | #15 |
Rider Of Rohan
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Port Angeles, WA or Helm's Deep
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Yeah, it's sure tough in those early S-8 days. Sometimes simply getting a first down is cause for a celebration.
I'll be interested to see how you do with Montana as your base for recruiting. Lots of sparse states surrounding that area, as I'm sure you're aware. Wisconsin and Minnesota seem to produce relatively well, and then there's monster California the other way. Good luck!
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It's not the years...it's the mileage. |
02-24-2003, 10:55 AM | #16 |
Pro Rookie
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Further updating the situation. I have completed 2002 and bombed out at 1-10, the lone win a 16-6 unneccessary nailbiter against MSU-Billings. I have never seen such offensive ineptitude, though. At or near bottom in all categories. Averaged like 7 points a game.
At any rate, my OC left, I fired the DC, and replaced them both with great gameday coaches, but they leave lots to be desired developmentally. I agonized over their replacements because I wasn't sure whether it was better to be horrible on gameday, but develop talent, or to be great on gameday, but have trouble improving the players overall. I didn't have a suitable candidate who could do both. Speaking of recruiting, I hit California hard. I got about half the class from California and was in the running for an All-America TE who ultimately committed to Notre Dame. Still had a class ranked #119, but hey, it's 4th in the L&C. My problem is I'm working from such a dearth of talent, that it'll take years before the talent is sufficiently upgraded at all positions to be consistently competitive. I may be in Bozeman quite a while unless they fire me. |
02-26-2003, 09:49 PM | #17 |
Pro Rookie
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Week 2
Upcoming Opponent vs Memphis (0-0) Coaches Top 10 Code:
Recruiting New Contacts Code:
In-home (Northwest) Gomez (+), Gowan (+), Haggans (+), Hoover (+), Hughes (+), Kiani (--), Levine (+), Patten (+), Rand (+) Phone calls Drury, Estell, Hawley, James, Leat, Masterson, Mulinaro, Peete, Randle, Webster Visit offers Atkins, Devine, Robinson, Rodgers, Sherman, Stevens, Torres, Van Pelt We continue to branch out our contact list. We want to make a trip to see Tyrus Webster worthwhile, so we add a bunch of Deep South contacts to justify a trip to Texas as well as see if we can find any potential interest from southern boys who like cold, snowy weather. We set sights a bit lower this week and don't contact anyone of "black" or "red" odds. Game Time Memphis 41, Montana State 3 TIGERS CLAW BOBCATS Bozeman, MT--The Norwood Longview era at Montana State got off to an inauspicious start as visiting Conference USA member demolished the homestanding Bobcats 41-3 in front of 10,200 at Bobcat Stadium. "I knew what was likely to happen in the early going in this job," said Longview afterwards. "There will be games like this. Lots of them. It will take time to build this program." The Tigers dominated the Bobcats and controlled the game from the outset, rolling to a 24-0 halftime lead. They continued to pour it on in the second half, only allowing a Kyle Garner 37 yard field goal with 10:12 left in the 4th to ruin the shutout bid. Turnovers plagued the Bobcats, suffering two interceptions thrown by Bob Garrison and two fumbles. Combined with an anemic offensive output that generated only 181 yards on the day and the Bobcats struggled through a long afternoon in their opener. Meanwhile, behind the running of Tyrone Lynch (20-130-1), Memphis put up 380 yards of offense and 41 points. Code:
Coaches Top 10 and other scores of interest Code:
Three Top 10 teams fall this week. LSU isn't much of an upset winner, the Buffs upend the Rams, but the head scratcher is why in the world the coaches rated UCF #10. The Knights get plastered by Penn State. In the L&C, all teams drop their games and four go down by shutout. The L&C is apparently not going to set the world on fire this year. Last edited by Wolfpack : 02-28-2003 at 11:48 PM. |
02-28-2003, 11:50 PM | #18 |
Pro Rookie
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Location: Raleigh, NC
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Week 3
Upcoming Opponent @ Baylor (0-1) Coaches Top 10 Code:
Recruiting New Contacts Code:
In-home (Deep South) Hawley (-), Masterson (+), Mulinaro (++), Peete (-), Webster (+) Phone calls Atkins, Bourgeois, Franz, Gomez, Haggans, Hodges, Hoover, Lusk, Robinson, Rodgers Visit offers Burke, Burns, Gowan, Hughes, Leat, Levine, Patten, Randle Offered scholarships Devine, Sherman, Stevens, Torres, Van Pelt In-home recruiting ventures out of the Northwest for the first time as visits are paid to several recruits across the Deep South. We are impressed by what we see and Webster is everything we could hope for. Unfortunately, one of his criteria is distance and some in-state schools have started to knock on his door as well. New contacts are limited this week as recontacts are the order of the day, but intentions are to begin mining the Southwest for recruits. We also make five scholarship offers, including the #1 player in Montana in Van Pelt. Game Time Baylor 80, Montana State 10 ROUT 80 Waco, TX--The Montana State Bobcats ventured on the road for the first time in the 2002 campaign. Unfortunately, like many an armadillo in Texas, they ended up as kill, crushed by a Mack Truck driven by the Baylor Bears. In the most lopsided defeat in Montana State's football history, the Bobcats were plastered by the Bears, 80-10. "You can't sugar-coat anything about this game," said Bobcats coach Norwood Longview. "We just played about as bad as you can play." Behind the one-two running punch of Jose Mahoney and Damon McCarthy, the Bears piled up 610 yards of offense, 302 on the ground. Mahoney rushed for 179 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries, while McCarthy also broke 100 yards for the game, getting 104 on 11 carries. To put it in perspective, Mahoney's rushing outgained the Bobcats as a team 179-147. Baylor got things started early, putting up the first three touchdowns of the game to lead 21-0 early in the second quarter. Montana State scored its first touchdown of the year when Bob Garrison tossed a nine-yard strike to Jerald Gamez to make it 21-7. "I thought we might have a chance to rally after that," said Longview. However, a disastrous stretch just before half set the rout into motion as Mahoney caught a short pass for touchdown from Les Murphy (15-22-166-2) with 3:23 left, followed by a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown by Ike Garner on the next Bobcat possession, and then struck for a field goal just before halftime that made the score an unreachable 38-7. Baylor would score 21 points in each second half quarter to reach the 80 point mark, the highest score any team has achieved in the young season to date. Code:
Coaches Top 10 and other scores of interest Code:
Oklahoma takes an early defeat at the hands of Alabama (in this world they aren't on probation, so this could bode well for the Tide). The Gators hold off the Canes in the Swamp, hurting Miami's chances to repeat as title-hodlers. Tennessee suffers a humiliating loss to Middle Tennessee that effectively eliminates the Vols from this year's title chase just as it begins in earnest. Once again the L&C represents themselves. It doesn't neccessarily mean they represented themselves very well. Another 0-8 week, but at least more teams scored than got shut out this time around. NC State meanwhile moves to 2-0 on the young season. |
03-01-2003, 04:24 AM | #19 |
High School JV
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Boston, MA
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Just to let you know that I'll be reading. Good luck, you sure chose quite a challenge to start out with. From my experience, SC8 teams will be very bad. For quite some time. By year 10-15 I begin to occasionally see some end up in the top 25, but I'm sure you cam do it more quickly. My best advice is to pick a game plan and recruit around that. Maybe once you get a few strengths through recruiting you can try to build around those.
Anyhoo, good luck and keep it up! Love the amount of detail.
__________________
----------------------------------------- Lookin' forward to great seasons from my 'Skins, Cubbies, and Red Sox (please humor me) Proud Manager of the BOSTON WYCKYD SCEPTRE Also attempting to Right The Ship with the Clippers |
03-01-2003, 05:00 PM | #20 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Thanks. I'm not planning on being at an SC8 school the whole time. I'm just trying to move up to a better job until I get to NC State where I'll try to win it all.
Onward: Week 4 Vital Statistics Casualty List Geoff Rice, WR, O-9, Arthroscopic Knee Surgery Aaron Madison, OLB, P-1, Head Cold Walt Williams, DE, P-1, Ankle Sprain Upcoming Opponent @ Ball State (0-1) Coaches Top 10 Code:
Recruiting New Contacts Code:
In-home (Southwest) Atkins (+), Bourgeois (+), Burns (+), Franz (++), Hodges (-), Robinson (+) Phone calls Fulcher, Horn, Leat, Randle, Rodgers, Rodriquez, Stevens, Thompson, Torres, Van Pelt Visit offers Gomez, James, Kiani, Lusk, Masterson, Mulinaro, Peete, Webster Offered scholarships Burke, Gowan, Hughes, Levine, Patten We feel we don't have much of a kicking game at present, thus we add a couple of kicking prospects this week, and a couple of other Northwest recruits that haven't been contacted by other teams yet. We pay visits to several recruits across the Southwest and are impressed by most of them. Since we have slim odds for the two Montana QBs, perhaps Atkins and/or Robinson will be satisfactory. However, they both have idolized New Mexico schools, though oddly enough they have been contacted by the rival schools of the ones they idolized. Bourgeois looks like a good fallback if we can't get Webster out of Texas. Game Time Ball State 59, Montana State 7 CARDINALS HAVE A BALL Muncie, IN--Another game, another thrashing at the hands of a non-conference opponent. The Montana State Bobcats are rapidly becoming accustomed to this sort of outcome. The 0-3 MSU squad has lost by a combined 180-20 in the three games of the 2002 season. A visibly frustrated coach Norwood Longview had no comments to the press after the game. A soggy afternoon in Muncie, Indiana saw the Ball State Cardinals (1-1) strike quickly, intercepting a pass on the very first play of the game from MSU QB Bob Garrison and moving the ball 42 yards down the field, capping the drive with a Leon Duran-to-Louie Stevens touchdown pass with barely two minutes elapsed in the first quarter. Garrison was again picked off on the second MSU drive, but Ball State did not capitalize. A series of punts were traded until Ball State struck on a 43-yard bomb from Duran to Luther Freeman with 1:47 left in the first quarter to make it 14-0. For the game, Duran went 22-of-36 for 319 yards and a whopping six touchdowns against two interceptions. The Bobcats could never get untracked, throwing interception after interception, seven in all between Garrison and Freshman QB Harris Watts who came in after the game had gotten out of hand. MSU also fumbled twice. Meanwhile, after a scoreless second quarter for both teams, the Cardinals broke loose for 24 points in the third quarter and 21 points in the fourth. Only a late Willie Conley touchdown run from five yards out prevented the shutout. It was the only trip the Bobcats ever made inside the Red Zone in the game and it didn't occur until the last Bobcat possession of the game. Code:
Coaches Top 10 and other scores of interest Code:
Penn State wins a Top 10 showdown with Nebraska to lead the news. Michigan is embarrassed by Notre Dame in South Bend. FSU suffers its first ever conference loss to Maryland. The Longhorns suffer a surprise loss in Chapel Hill. All other ranked teams win. The L&C is now a collective 0-24 in non-conference games this season. In the end, it can be said of the L&C, at least they'll have each other to get wins from. NC State moves to 3-0 and 1-0 in the ACC after winning the conference opener. |
03-01-2003, 05:02 PM | #21 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Week 5
Vital Statistics The Numbers Code:
Casualty List Bernard Reilly, WR, O-21, Torn knee ligament (NEW) Geoff Rice, OLB, O-8, Arthroscopic knee surgery Bob Garrison, QB, P-2, Abdominal strain (NEW) Upcoming Opponent Code:
BCS Top 10 Code:
Recruiting New Contacts Code:
In-home (Northwest) Fulcher (--), Gant (++), Gray (+), James (+), Patten (+), Randle (-), Rodgers (-), Straight (-), Thompson (+) Phone calls Bronson, Carpenter, Cunningham, Garrison, Heath, Ledford, MacWhirter, Myles, Stavros, Vaughn Visit offers Bourgeois, Drury, Franz, Hawley, Hodges, Hoover, Horn, Rodriquez Offered scholarships Atkins, Burns, Gomez, Masterson, Mulinaro, Peete, Robinson, Webster Spent this week beginning to plan for second choices in case any players from the first few weeks begin to fall through. Returned to the Northwest to visit earlier contacts and in-home with some new ones that haven't been chased yet. Also managed to find some highly rated "black" chance players that haven't been contacted. Perhaps I can steal one. Another eight are offered scholarships this week. I have offered more than I have available, but I'm perfectly willing to take the first 16 that commit. Game Time Montana-Western 30, Montana State 0 OFFENSIVE Bozeman, MT--Montana-Western running back Mike Mason rushed 44 times for 234 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs (1-3, 1-0 L&C) rolled past the hapless Montana State Bobcats (0-4, 0-1 L&C) 30-0. "What was it that Jim McKay said about his team's execution?" Bobcat coach Norwood Longstreet asked rhetorically. "That he was all for it? Sounds about right to me." The irate coach had good reason to be displeased with his team as the Bobcats gained a grand total of 75 yards of offense the entire day. "Offense? What's that? It's quite clear we don't know." Harris Watts started in place of the injured Bob Garrison and was largely ineffective, going 10-for-16 for just 50 yards and three picks. MSU rushers fared as badly, gaining only 25 yards on 20 carries. In addition to the three interceptions, MSU fumbled the ball away twice. The total offensive ineptitude by the Bobcats allowed the Bulldog ground game to pile up 306 yards on 66 carries and contributed to a two-to-one possession time ratio. A scoreless first quarter gave way to an ugly second quarter for the Bobcats as two Harris Watts picks on consecutive drives resulted in 10 Western points. MSU fumbled the ball away on the first play of the next drive and was fortunate that the Bulldogs fumbled it right back on the very next play, or it would have gotten ugly quicker. The Bulldogs added a Corwin Sorrell 25-yard field goal just before halftime to go up 13-0. In the second half, the Bulldogs continued to ground down the Bobcat defense as Mason rumbled for two third quarter touchdowns to effectively finish the game. Code:
BCS Top 10 and other scores of interest Code:
Players of the week Offense: Kurt Thagcher, QB, TTU, 33-44-458-4-1 Defense: Rico Pierce, ILB, SDSU, 15 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 int MSU nominees: None Last edited by Wolfpack : 03-01-2003 at 05:05 PM. |
03-01-2003, 05:07 PM | #22 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Week 6
Vital Statistics Code:
Casualty List Bernard Reilly, WR, O-20, Torn knee ligament Geoff Rice, OLB, O-7, Arthroscopic knee surgery Bob Garrison, QB, P-1, Abdominal strain Louis Herndon, DE, P-1, Minor injury Upcoming Opponent Code:
BCS Top 10 Code:
Recruiting New Contacts None this week In-home (Southwest) Carpenter (-), Heath (--), Leat (--), Lusk (+), MacWhirter (-), Rodriquez (-), Vaughn (+) Phone calls Burke, Devine, Hughes, Levine, Masterson, Rand, Robinson, SHerman, Torres, Van Pelt, Webster Visit offers Cunningham, Fulcher, Gant, Garrison, Ledford, Myles, Stavros, Straight Offered scholarships Bourgeois, Franz, Hawley, Hodges, James, Randle Going elsewhere Levon Mulinaro, OLB, LA, has committed to Louisiana-Lafayette Earnest Stevens, ILB, MT, has committted to MSU-Northern Things aren't going so well on the recruiting front as a very promising OLB from Louisiana stays home and an ILB from our neck of the woods commits to a conference rival. Ugh. Not to mention that our in-homes generally revealed players poorer than scouted. Still, we press on, spending the week recontacting many recruits on the phone and extending visit offers and scholarships to several more targets. With the first two commits of recruits we've had any contact with going to other schools, things are starting to get dicey. Game Time North Carolina State 48, Montana State 14 HOME COOKED Raleigh, NC--Montana State coach Norwood Longview returned to his alma mater and for a time enjoyed it. But the good feelings ended quickly, replaced by the gnawing worry regarding troubles his Bobcats have on both sides of the ball, as Montana State was trounced by the NC State Wolfpack 48-14 at Carter-Finley Stadium. "We fared better this week than last week," said Longview. "One step at a time. Perhaps when we get back to Bozeman and face the rest of our conference slate, we'll be more confident and able to compete." The Wolfpack (4-1, 1-0 ACC) completed a sweep of four losses by Montana State (0-5, 0-1 L&C) against non-conference opponents in 2002. All remaining games are in-conference against other Lewis and Clark teams. The 36,000 in attendance were initially stunned by 9-play 72-yard drive by Montana State on the opening possession that resulted in a Willie Conley 5-yard touchdown. "That was by far -- by far -- our best drive of the year on offense," said Longview. "If we could just bottle that and use it for the rest of the year, we'd be in good shape." But, it would not last as the Wolfpack answered back with two touchdowns on the next two possessions to make it 14-7 with 4:34 left in the first quarter. Then a costly fumble by Lionel Franz deep in Bobcat territory early in the second quarter resulted in a 23-yard touchdown from Matt Hernandez (24-36-323-4-1) to Norm Franz (4-59-2) pushed the lead to 21-7 and the floodgates opened. Terrell Alstott returned a punt on the next Bobcat possession 65 yards for a score. Then Bob Garrison was picked off at the Wolfpack 9 by Gene Harrison who returned it the distance and the lead had ballooned to 35-7. It was another rough day in the pocket for Bob Garrison, who started in spite of a strained abdominal muscle. He went 10-for-25 for 145 yards but was picked three times. The Bobcat offense as a whole did significantly better than last week's 75-yard debacle against Montana-Western. Behind Franz (11-76) and Conley (6-61-1), the ground game netted 166 yards and the team as a whole netted 341. However, they were undone by the three Garrison picks and two fumbles. Code:
BCS Top 10 and other scores of interest Code:
Players of the week Offense: Kurt Thagcher, QB, TTU, 33-44-458-4-1 Defense: Rico Pierce, ILB, SDSU, 15 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 int MSU nominees: None Last edited by Wolfpack : 03-01-2003 at 05:09 PM. |
03-01-2003, 05:12 PM | #23 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
|
Week 7
Vital Statistics Code:
Casualty List Bernard Reilly, WR, O-19, Torn knee ligament Bert Niles, OLB, O-18, Elbow ligament surgery Geoff Rice, OLB, O-6, Arthroscopic knee surgery Dixon Brewer, WR, D-9, Hip pointer Oliver Cobb, DE, P-2, Bruised sternum Bob Garrison, QB, has fully recovered Louis Herndon, G, has fully recovered Upcoming Opponent Code:
BCS Top 10 Code:
Recruiting New Contacts None this week In-home (Deep south) Cunningham (--), Ledford (-), Miles (-), Stavros (-), Garrison (-), Webster (RV) Phone calls Burns, Gomez, Gowan, Atkins, Bourgeois, Franz, Hodges, James, Peete, Randle Visit offers MacWhirter, Vaughn, Carpenter, Heath, Rand, Haggans, Thompson, Gray Offered scholarships Hoover, Rogers, Fulcher, Kiani, Leat, Lusk, Rodriquez, Straight Going elsewhere Rod Gant, QB, MT, has committed to Montana-Western Recruiting continues to be a struggle as another recruit whom we had just begun talking to commits to another conference rival and our visits to the Deep South reveal recruits worse than scouted. More scholarships are offered, but thus far no one has even visited campus yet. Game Time Montana Tech 27, Montana State 21 TECH KNOCKS OUT BOBCATS Butte, MT--Montana Tech bested Montana State 27-21 behind two rushing touchdowns from Mario Gerak, putting the Orediggers into a first place tie in-conference at 2-0. Montana State meanwhile dropped to 0-2 and is still looking for their first win of the season. "Chances. It's all about chances," said Bobcat coach Norwood Longview. "Our offense had problems today and we did not take advantage of our chances while they did make use of some of theirs." Montana State quarterback Bob Garrison had his best outing of the season though he only connected on 12 of 30 passes. He accumulated 165 yards and two scores and was only picked off once. However, the offense struggled much of the day despite limiting turnovers as they punted the ball nine times, averaging a very modest 28.3 per kick. Tech, meanwhile ground out 300 yards on the ground behind the running of Gerak (24-170-2). The Bobcats drew first blood with 6:46 left in the first as Jerald Gamez caught a three-yard touchdown pass from Garrison to make it 7-0 MSU. The Orediggers responded on the next drive, going 80 yards in six plays, completing the drive when Gerak rumbled in from 10 yards out to tie the game with 3:54 left in the first. Tech took the lead for good early in the second on a three-yard keeper by QB Trevor Calderon (15-18-191-0-1, 20-80-1). A Gerak touchdown run in the third and a Jumbo Lombardo 27-yard field goal midway into the fourth seemed to put the game away at 24-7 with just 7:56 left. However, the Bobcats struck for a quick touchdown in two plays, closing to 24-14 on a 40-yard strike from Dixon Brewer to Bob Garrison. The defense did not hold, though, surrendering a Lombardo field goal from 43 yards away at the 3:30 mark. The Bobcat offense failed to get a first down and punted on the next possession. Tech just needed to collect a first down and run out the clock, but Calderon fumbled the ball deep in MSU territory. Linebacker Peter Aydellotte scooped up the loose ball and ran it 81 yards the other way to draw the Bobcats to 27-21. MSU's onside kick failed and Tech was finally able to run out the clock. Code:
BCS Top 10 and other scores of interest Code:
Players of the week Offense: Percy Bulger, QB, BYU, 23-33-323-6-1 Defense: Peter Brovins, DE, UW, 7 tackles, 1 ast, 4 sacks MSU nominees: None |
03-01-2003, 10:19 PM | #24 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
|
Week 8
Vital Statistics Code:
Casualty List Terrell Cage, DE, O-22, Torn knee ligament (NEW) Bernard Reilly, WR, O-18, Torn knee ligament Bert Niles, OLB, O-17, Elbow ligament surgery Geoff Rice, OLB, O-5, Arthroscopic knee surgery Ike Graham, DT, O-3, Hyperextended knee (NEW) Dixon Brewer, WR, D-8, Hip pointer Corey Dawson, TE, D-2, Abdominal Strain (NEW) Oliver Cobb, DE, P-1, Bruised sternum Upcoming Opponent Code:
BCS Top 10 Code:
Recruiting New Contacts Code:
In-home (Deep south) Horn, Estell (+), Drury (-), Nwokome (++), Leiter (+), Tatum (--) Phone calls Burke, Burks, Hughes, Atkins, Bourgeois, Griffith, Hawley, Lusk, Mullin, Devine Visit offers Bronson, Northcutt, Jenkins, Wolfe Offered scholarships MacWhirter, Vaughn, Carpenter, Cunningham, Heath, Ledford, Miles, Rand, Stavros, Garrison, Haggans, Thompson Visiting campus Franz, Fulcher, Hodges, James, Kiani, Leat, Masterson, Peete, Randle, Rodriquez, Sherman, Torres, Webster, Gomez, Gowan, Levine, Patten, Robinson, Straight, Van Pelt Going elsewhere Trent Hoover, OLB, OR, eliminates Montana State from consideration Bryant Rogers, T, MT, eliminates Montana State from consideration A milestone week arrives as 20(!) recruits announce visits to Bozeman, including top QB targets Van Pelt and Webster. There are also several other good targets making the trip, including Xavier Gowan and Shaun Franz (with which I have gotten stiff competition from none other than NC State for). On the down side, two other recruits announce their respective final fives and we are not on their list. We offer scholarships to another batch of prospects, among them Reuben MacWhirter, which has a seriously competitive recruiting list, but we are hoping that getting to him first may give us a leg up. Game Time Montana 45, Montana State 3 GRIZZLY MAULING Bozeman, MT--The annual showdown between the two largest state institutions in Montana turned into a laugher as the Montana Grizzlies made the trek from Missoula and whipped their in-state rivals 45-3. Montana remains perfect in the Lewis and Clark Conference at 3-0, while Montana State drops to 0-3 and still has not won a game in new coach Norwood Longview's brief tenure in Bozeman. On a crisp October afternoon, the Grizzlies dominated the Bobcats in every phase of the game. They outrushed, outpassed, outdefensed, and generally outplayed MSU. Only a third quarter field goal by Kyle Garner prevented a shutout. "They just plain whipped us," said Bobcat coach Norwood Longstreet. "You don't need me to interpret what you saw out there. Just run your finger down the stat sheet and try to find something that we beat them at." Left unspoken was the shouting match that went on midway through the first quarter between Longview and Offensive Coordinator Troy Folsom. The argument apparently ensued after Montana State decided to go for it on fourth and goal from the Montana 10 and failed. Montana then capitalized by moving down the field to score a field goal. "No comment," was the terse response from the Bobcat coach. No one player single-handedly won the game for Montana as no player rushed for 100 yards, had 100 yards receiving or even threw for 200 yards. In the same breath, nobody stepped up for Montana State when things went downhill during the crucial second quarter. After an ugly first quarter which saw three punts, three interceptions, and the turnover on downs that resulted in the field goal and the argument on the MSU sideline, the Grizzlies got things going after a Bobcat fumble gave them possession at the MSU 28. Bert Shea (13-77-1) took the handoff on the next play and rumbled in to make the score 7-0. Another turnover, this time an interception of a Bob Garrison pass, led to a John Fain (16-58-1) touchdown run. MSU went three-and-out and the Grizzlies tacked on another touchdown with 3:49 left when Les Denney (7-14-119-2-2) connected with Benjamin Craddock (2-22-1) from 13 yards out. But it wasn't over yet. Garrison was picked off on the next MSU play from scrimmage and Chris Fisk ran it all the way back for another Grizzly touchdown. A 3-0 game turned into a 31-0 blowout in less than a quarter. Garrison continued to struggle for MSU, posting a meager 7-for-24 for 51 yards and 3 picks. Daniel Anderson, a little used senior came on in relief in the second half and raised some eyebrows among the staff in garbage time, going 8-for-13 for 107 yards. "I have not seen him throw that well in practice," said Longview. "I have not decided who will start for us in the next game." If Longview opts for Anderson, he'll be the third different starter at QB for MSU this year. Garrison and freshman Harris Watts have each started previously for the Bobcats. Code:
BCS Top 10 and other scores of interest Code:
In the L&C, Montana Tech keeps pace with Montana by beating Great Falls and Montana-Western stays close behind by beating UHel(l). Akron keeps the L&C perfect in non-conference play at 0-for-30 by beating up on MSUN. NC State is beaten by archrival UNC 31-17 to drop to 4-2 and 1-1 in the ACC. In a curious irony, the real-life game this year was almost the same score except that State won, 34-17. Players of the week Offense: Floyd Rey, QB, UGA, 21-34-258-7-0 Defense: Martin Sawyer, CSU, 7 tackles, 4 sacks MSU Nominees: Daniel Anderson, QB, 8-13-107-0-0 Last edited by Wolfpack : 03-01-2003 at 10:20 PM. |
03-01-2003, 10:23 PM | #25 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
|
Week 9
Vital Statistics Code:
Casualty List Terrell Cage, DE, O-21, Torn knee ligament Bernard Reilly, WR, O-17, Torn knee ligament Bert Niles, OLB, O-16, Elbow ligament surgery Aaron Theriot, DE, O-14,Torn knee ligament (NEW) Lionel Mitchell, DT, O-14, Broken jaw (NEW) Casey Ciaccio, OLB, O-13, High ankle sprain (NEW) Walt Williams, DE, O-4, Torn knee cartiledge (NEW) Willie Conley, RB, O-4, Separated Shoulder (NEW) Geoff Rice, OLB, O-4, Arthroscopic knee surgery Dixon Brewer, WR, D-8, Hip pointer Ike Graham, DT, Q-2, Hyperextended knee (UPGRADED) Corey Dawson, TE, Q-1, Abdominal Strain (UPGRADED) Fred Peters, CB, P-5, Broken hand (NEW) Oliver Cobb, DE, recovered Upcoming Opponent Code:
BCS Top 10 Code:
Recruiting New Contacts Code:
In-home (Great Lakes) Griffith (-), Mullin (-), Sanchez (-), Fagan (+), Brookshire (-), Harmon (+), Phone calls Bronson, Van Pelt Visit offers None Offered scholarships None Visiting campus MacWhirter, Carpenter, Cunningham, Heath, Hughes, Ledford, Myles, Rand, Stavros, Atkins, Garrison, Haggins, Hawley, Hodges, Lusk, Thompson, Gray Going elsewhere John Burke, QB, MT, is no longer considering Montana State Grant Devine, DE, MT, commits to Great Falls Allen Levine, DT, OR, commits to Idaho Rex Robinson, QB, NM, commits to New Mexico State Mel Sherman, DT, MT, commits to Eastern Michigan Coming here Xavier Gowan, RB, from Benson Polytechnic HS in Portland, OR (All-state) Wally Bourgeois, WR, from Coachella Valley HS in Thermal, CA Donny Straight, S, from Franklin HS in Portland, OR (All-state) All the effort is finally bearing fruit as the first three recruits of the class of 2006 commit to Montana State, two of them All-state players. Another large batch of players commits to visiting Montana State, including Reuben MacWhirter who has MSU among his five finalists which include schools like Notre Dame and Stanford. Scoring him would be an incredible coup, especially since he's been announced an All-American. We also make our first tour of homes in the Great Lakes region and think we've uncovered an overlooked gem in Brock Harmon from Pennsylvania. Even though we've already got several OLB recruits targeted, it doesn't hurt to go after one more. Unfortunately, we are striking out on QBs and D-linemen, two areas we are very much in need. Game Time Montana State 16, MSU-Billings 6 WINLESS NO MORE Bozeman, MT--Each game over the last few weeks, the Montana State Bobcats seem to have been playing with a large weight on the back of each player and coach. It was the weight of winlessness as the Bobcats had progressed through eight games without winning. Eight games without even coming close to winning, actually. That all ended at last Saturday as Montana State defeated fellow hapless L&C rival MSU-Billings 16-6 for their first win of the year. "I can't tell you how relieved I am," said Bobcat coach Norwood Longview. "It just had been such a burden to bear." It has been a good week in Bozeman as Longview recently found out that Oregon all-state running back Xavier Gowan, Oregon all-state safety Donnie Straight, and California wide receiver Wally Bourgeois all became the first verbal commitments to Montana State during his tenure. However, the game was tinged with a bit of sadness for MSU as well. Daniel Anderson was annointed the surprise starter for the Bobcats and played well for three quarters. However, in the fourth quarter Anderson was blocking for running back Alvin Rohr and was knocked down hard in the process. He got up, but was very woozy and slowly made his way to the bench. He was immediately diagnosed with a concussion. As a precaution, he was taken to the hospital for overnight observation. Preliminary indications are that he may have developed a severe form of concussion syndrome and is defintely finished for the year. As he is a senior, this will also conclude his career at Montana State. "we've had torn up knees, bruised sternums, pulled muscles, now this," said Longview. "We just haven't caught a break injury-wise this year." Before getting knocked out, Anderson had gone 11-for-22 for 101 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown was in the first quarter on Montana State's first possession, when he hooked up with Dixon Brewer to make it 7-0 Bobcats. Then the Bobcat ground game took over. Though they failed to score a touchdown, they ate up massive amounts of clock and produced two field goals to put MSU up 13-0. For the game, the Bobcats rushed for a season high 218 yards, led by Alvin Rohr's 85 yards on 10 carries. Rohr was starting for the injured Willie Conley. MSU-Billings kicked two field goals, one each in the second and third quarters, to draw to within 13-6 with 7:12 left in the third, but the Bobcat defense came up with critical stops throughout the second half to prevent the Yellowjackets from getting any closer. Kyle Garner added a field goal early in the fourth to close the scoring. Code:
BCS Top 10 and other scores of interest Code:
In the L&C, Montana and Montana Tech remain undefeated with wins and UHel(l) remains winless. They meet in week 12. Will it be for the L&C berth in the New Orleans Bowl? NC State bounces back from their loss against Carolina to take down Duke handily. State is now 5-2 and 2-1 in the ACC. However, they now hit the hardest part of the schedule, which will include several teams in many Top 25 polls, human or computer. Last edited by Wolfpack : 03-01-2003 at 10:29 PM. |
03-02-2003, 05:15 PM | #26 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
|
Week 10
Vital Statistics Code:
Casualty List Daniel Anderson, QB, O-60, Repetitive Concussion Syndrome (NEW) Terrell Cage, DE, O-20, Torn knee ligament Bernard Reilly, WR, O-16, Torn knee ligament Bert Niles, OLB, O-15, Elbow ligament surgery Aaron Theriot, DE, O-13,Torn knee ligament Lionel Mitchell, DT, O-13, Broken jaw Casey Ciaccio, OLB, O-12, High ankle sprain Walt Williams, DE, O-3, Torn knee cartiledge Willie Conley, RB, O-3, Separated Shoulder Geoff Rice, OLB, Q-3, Arthroscopic knee surgery (UPGRADED) Dixon Brewer, WR, Q-7, Hip pointer (UPGRADED) Ike Graham, DT, P-1, Hyperextended knee (UPGRADED) Fred Peters, CB, P-4, Broken hand Upcoming Opponent None, bye week BCS Top 10 Code:
Recruiting New Contacts Code:
In-home (Southwest) MacWhirter (RV), Vaughn (RV), Burks (RV), Perry (+), Rice (+), Bolerjack (-), Fielder (+) Phone calls Van Pelt, Carpenter, Heath, Ledford, Patten, Fulcher, Kiani, Leat, Masterson, Webster Visit offers Harmon, Sanchez, Brookshire, Fagan, Griffith Offered scholarships Horn, Mullin Visiting campus No new visitors Going elsewhere Aaron Atkins, QB, NM, commits to New Mexico Brian Bronson DE, CA, is no longer considering Montana State John Burke, QB, MT, commits to Brigham Young William Estell, DT, LA, is no longer considering Montana State Shaun Franz, G, UT, commits to North Carolina State Carlos Hodges, OLB, AZ, commits to Texas-El Paso Rondell James, FB, WA commits to Louisiana-Monroe Bryan Myles, OLB, TX, commits to Southern Methodist Coming here Wally Bourgeois, WR, from Coachella Valley HS in Thermal, CA Xavier Gowan, RB, from Benson Polytechnic HS in Portland, OR (All-state) Donny Straight, S, from Franklin HS in Portland, OR (All-state) *NEW* Zach Hughes, OLB, from South Albany HS in Albany, OR (All-state) *NEW* Johnny Lusk, T, from Canyon Springs HS in Moreno Valley, CA *NEW* Moe Rodriquez, P, from Mission Viejo HS in Mission Viejo, CA *NEW* Bill Thompson, FB, from Henry Foss HS in Tacoma, WA *NEW* Joe Torres, CB, from Whitefish HS in Whitefish, MT (All-state) Five more recruits commit to MSU, including our third Oregon All-state player and two more from California. However, we are beginning to watch our chances for a QB in this class evaporate as two of the three remaining targets commit to other schools. So, we are forced to dig around for other targets and unearth two possible candidates in California. Game Time None, bye week BCS Top 10 and other scores of interest Code:
In conference play, Montana keeps the L&C perfection record going at 0-31 in OOC play, but by default moves into first in the conference standings when Montana-Western knocks off the other unbeaten, Montana Tech, in Kalispell. Western and MSUN are close on the heals of the leaders. MSUB remains winless, but UHel(l) gets its first win by beating up Great Falls. NC State suffers loss number three at the hands of #6 Clemson. The Wolfpack is now 5-3 and 2-2 in the ACC. Players of the week Offense: Jack Muniz, QB, BUFF, 25-37-315-5-2 Defense: Timothy Davison, DE, BGSU, 9 tckls, 5 sacks MSU Nominees: None Last edited by Wolfpack : 03-02-2003 at 05:17 PM. |
03-02-2003, 05:20 PM | #27 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
|
Week 11
Vital Statistics Code:
Casualty List Daniel Anderson, QB, O-59, Repetitive Concussion Syndrome Terrell Cage, DE, O-19, Torn knee ligament Bernard Reilly, WR, O-15, Torn knee ligament Bert Niles, OLB, O-14, Elbow ligament surgery Aaron Theriot, DE, O-12,Torn knee ligament Lionel Mitchell, DT, O-12, Broken jaw Casey Ciaccio, OLB, O-11, High ankle sprain Walt Williams, DE, D-2, Torn knee cartiledge (UPGRADED) Dixon Brewer, WR, Q-6, Hip pointer Willie Conley, RB, Q-2, Separated Shoulder (UPGRADED) Geoff Rice, OLB, Q-2, Arthroscopic knee surgery Fred Peters, CB, P-4, Broken hand Ike Graham, DT, P-1, Hyperextended knee Upcoming Opponent Code:
BCS Top 10 Code:
Recruiting New Contacts None In-home (Deep south) Webster (RV) Phone calls MacWhirter Visit offers Fielder, Perry Offered scholarships Burks, Harmon, Sanchez Visiting campus No visitors this week Going elsewhere Brian Bronson, DE, CA, commits to Southern California Percy Burns, CB, CA, commits to Utah State Bryan Gray, S, MT, commits to New Mexico State Jimmie Leat, OLB, CA, commits to San Diego State Vernon Masterson, G, AL, commits to Alabama-Birmingham Alonzo Van Pelt, QB, MT, commits to Utah Oscar Vaughn, OLB, CA, commits to Southern Mississippi Ray Kiani, S, CA, had his offer taken away Steve Hawley, ILB, OK, had his offer taken away Greg Cunningham, C, TX, had his offer taken away Coming here Wally Bourgeois, WR, from Coachella Valley HS in Thermal, CA Xavier Gowan, RB, from Benson Polytechnic HS in Portland, OR (All-state) Donny Straight, S, from Franklin HS in Portland, OR (All-state) Zach Hughes, OLB, from South Albany HS in Albany, OR (All-state) Johnny Lusk, T, from Canyon Springs HS in Moreno Valley, CA Moe Rodriquez, P, from Mission Viejo HS in Mission Viejo, CA Bill Thompson, FB, from Henry Foss HS in Tacoma, WA Joe Torres, CB, from Whitefish HS in Whitefish, MT (All-state) *NEW* Darren Fulcher, S, from Thompson Falls HS in Thompson Falls, MT (All-state) *NEW* Mo Garrison, OLB, from Channelview HS in Channelview, TX *NEW* Brett Heath, G, from El Camino Real HS in Woodland Hills, CA We receive the heartbreaking news that Alonzo Van Pelt, whom we've been trying to get from the outset of the recruiting process, has turned us down and is going to Utah. We feel fortunate that we decided to look into other QBs last week as we continue contact this week with Mitch Fielder from California. We do have three more commitments this week, leaving five left in the class, which means we now must begin the ugly process of having to decide which offers we want to take back. Ideally, four of the last five we want to go to MacWhirter, Webster, a QB like Fielder, and OLB Brock Harmon, whom we've taken a strong interest in, namely because no one else is. As we have two safeties in this class, are already decent at center, and feel that we have better ILB prospects on the board, we drop Kiani, Hawley, and Cunningham. Game Time MSU-Northern 31, Montana State 3 NORTHERN LIGHTS UP MSU Havre, MT--The MSU-Northern Lights kept their L&C title hopes alive by dismantling the MSU Bobcats 31-3 in snowy Havre. Northern moves to 4-1 in conference play, while the Bobcats, who won their first game of the season two weeks ago, dropped to 1-4 in the L&C. The 17,700 in attendance were treated to a strong defensive performance by the Lights, who held Montana State to 177 yards of total offense. Offensively, they were lead by the strong running of Jerome Dubose, who rushed for two scores on 15 carries for 101 yards and caught another score from quarterback Dominic Finch (20-35-143-1-1). "It was just another struggle," said Bobcat coach Norwood Longview. "We were able to minimize our turnovers, but we were killed by penalties and special teams. If it isn't one thing, it's another." MSU was penalized 10 times, often at critical points, normally reliable kicker Kyle Garner struggled in the weather, missing three field goal attempts, and punter Bryce Gunn had a punt blocked and recovered by MSUN for a touchdown in the second quarter. MSU QB Bob Garrison returned to the starting lineup after Daniel Anderson was diagnosed with Repetitive Concussion Syndrome during the bye week, effectively ending his football playing career. Garrison was marginally effective, going 18-for-34 for 123 yards and was intercepted once. The Lights got the jump early by marching the opening possession 64 yards in five plays, capping it with a 29-yard scamper by Dubose to go ahead 7-0 with just over two minutes elapsed. MSUN kicker Bryan Barlow added a field goal to push the lead to 10. Then MSUN made the play of the game as they blocked a Bryce Gunn punt early in the second quarter and Ben Sheldon of the Lights recovered it and scored to make it 17-0. MSU kicker Kyle Garner did manage to make a 39 yard field goal late in the half to make the score at halftime 17-3. However, the MSUN defense kept the Bobcats in check during the second half and Dubose added two touchdowns, one in each quarter, to provide the final score. Code:
BCS Top 10 and other scores of interest Code:
The L&C has broken into two distinct halves, with Montana, Tech, MSUN, and Western all tied at 4-1 and everyone else in the conference at 1-4. As a final indignity for the conference, the conference completes an 0-32 campaign against non-conference foes with USF's whipping of Montana Tech. Meanwhile, the promising start to the season in Raleigh has dissolved as NC State falls to 5-4 and 2-3 in the ACC. A bowl bid is no longer assured as State still has Maryland and FSU left on the schedule. Players of the week Offense: Earnest Lindsay, QB, MICH, 27-37-392-7-0 Defense: Rico Ferro, DE, BOIS, 9 tckls, 5 sacks MSU Nominees: Pete Joseph, ILB, 9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 PD |
03-02-2003, 05:28 PM | #28 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
|
Week 12
Vital Statistics Code:
Casualty List Daniel Anderson, QB, O-58, Repetitive Concussion Syndrome Terrell Cage, DE, O-18, Torn knee ligament Bernard Reilly, WR, O-14, Torn knee ligament Bert Niles, OLB, O-13, Elbow ligament surgery Lionel Mitchell, DT, O-11, Broken jaw Casey Ciaccio, OLB, O-10, High ankle sprain Aaron Theriot, DE, O-10,Torn knee ligament Geoff Rice, OLB, D-7, Torn thumb ligament (NEW) Walt Williams, DE, Q-1, Torn knee cartiledge (UPGRADED) Fred Peters, CB, P-3, Broken hand Willie Conley, RB, P-1, Separated Shoulder (UPGRADED) Ike Graham, DT, has fully recovered Dixon Brewer, WR, has fully recovered Upcoming Opponent Code:
BCS Top 10 Code:
Recruiting New Contacts None In-home None Phone calls Drury, Haggans, MacWhirter, Northcutt, Patten, Randle, Wolfe Visit offers Fielder, Perry Offered scholarships Fielder, Perry, Rice Visiting campus Burks, Harmon, Sanchez Going elsewhere Perry Bolerjack, QB, CA, has committed to Washington State Patrick Carpenter, T, CA, has committed to Kentucky William Estell, DT, LA, has committed to Louisiana-Lafayette Oscar Ledford, C, OK, has committed to Louisiana-Monroe Wally Peete, TE, TX, has committed to North Texas Joseph Rand, ILB, MT, has committed to Helena JB Stavros, ILB, TX, has committed to Utah State Tyrus Webster, WR, TX, has committed to Houston Coming here Wally Bourgeois, WR, from Coachella Valley HS in Thermal, CA Xavier Gowan, RB, from Benson Polytechnic HS in Portland, OR (All-state) Donny Straight, S, from Franklin HS in Portland, OR (All-state) Zach Hughes, OLB, from South Albany HS in Albany, OR (All-state) Johnny Lusk, T, from Canyon Springs HS in Moreno Valley, CA Moe Rodriquez, P, from Mission Viejo HS in Mission Viejo, CA Bill Thompson, FB, from Henry Foss HS in Tacoma, WA Joe Torres, CB, from Whitefish HS in Whitefish, MT (All-state) Darren Fulcher, S, from Thompson Falls HS in Thompson Falls, MT (All-state) Mo Garrison, OLB, from Channelview HS in Channelview, TX Brett Heath, G, from El Camino Real HS in Woodland Hills, CA *NEW* Blake Gomez, OLB, from Bozeman HS in Bozeman, MT Another blow this week as Tyrus Webster, another long-time target commits to Houston. With Perry Bolerjack committing to WSU, our last chance at a QB is now Mitch Fielder and he is visiting this week. The only recruit we land this week is our third OLB, Blake Gomez, who is a hometown pickup. We weren't sure if we wanted him, but we were sure we didn't want him to go elsewhere in the L&C. It would be distasteful to have a kid from Bozeman play against the school he grew up in the shadow of, rather than for that school. That leaves four commits left, and we are hoping that MacWhirter is one of them, along with Fielder and Brock Harmon. If we get Harmon, that's four OLBs in this class, but we'll likely either reposition one or two to the ILB slot or redshirt two of them. We are also notified this week by OLB Peter Aydellotte that he wants a full scholarship for the amount of time he's been playing this year. With three OLB recruits and possibly four coming next year, he's not likely to get it, though perhaps he may move to ILB and get it that way. Something to consider. Game Time Great Falls 34, Montana State 6 ARGOS RUN OVER BOBCATS Bozeman, MT--Great Falls running back Mickey Watson rushed 29 times for 171 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Argonauts to a 34-6 win over Montana State in Bozeman. The Argonauts (2-8, 2-4 L&C) won their second straight conference game after dropping the first four in the L&C. Montana State, meanwhile, lost its second straight game and is now 1-9, 1-5 in the L&C. "We just could not stop #21 (Watson)," said Bobcat coach Norwood Longview. "He had a heck of a game and single-handedly beat us." The Bobcats did themselves no favors, however, as they were not able to run the ball effectively, gaining only 79 yards on 21 attempts. Bob Garrison continued his season-long struggle at quarterback by going 16-for-32 for 157 yards and three interceptions. He has thrown 19 interceptions and just three touchdowns this season. The early portion of the game was dominated by Great Falls, but they could only get two field goals despite two time-consuming drives while MSU answered with one of their own. The score stood at 6-3 Argos with 12:58 left in the second. But, UGF continued to hammer at the Bobcat defense and sustained another long drive, this one lasting 5:17 and covering 68 yards in nine plays. It resulted in the first of Mickey Watson's touchdowns and UGF went up 10. The drive seemed to deflate the Bobcats and their sparse crowd of supporters. Though UGF did not score again in the half, Montana State could not answer, punting on the next possession and then getting a promising drive snuffed out by a Garrison interception. Neither team started well in the second half as punts and turnovers on downs littered the stat sheet. Finally, however, UGF put together another pound-it-out drive that resulted in a second Watson rushing touchdown with 1:44 left in the third, putting the Argos up 20-3. At that point, MSU became plagued by problems, starting with a missed field goal that was not capitalized on, followed by two Garrison interceptions on each of the next two drives which were both converted to Watson's last two touchdowns of the game. Bobcat kicker Kyle Garner added a meaningless field goal late to reduce the margin to 34-6. Code:
BCS Top 10 and other scores of interest Code:
In the L&C, Montana Tech wins the big showdown against Montana and keeps pace with Montana-Western in the standings. Western has the tiebreaker, though, having beaten Tech 42-10 in week 10. NC State, meanwhile, is in danger of missing out on the postseason. They are roughly handled by Maryland and are now 5-5 and 2-4 in the ACC. They get a break by playing lowly Virginia next week, but they have a season-ending date against FSU that will make or break their bowl hopes. Last edited by Wolfpack : 03-03-2003 at 07:50 PM. |
03-02-2003, 05:32 PM | #29 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Week 13
NOTE: WEEK 13 HAS BEEN SOMEHOW LOST FROM MY RECORDS, SO MANY PARTS OF MY WEEKLY REPORT WILL BE MISSING FROM THE POST BELOW. Vital Statistics Code:
Upcoming Opponent Code:
BCS Top 10 (rough guess) Code:
Recruiting New Contacts None In-home None Phone calls Haggans Visit offers None Offered scholarships None Visiting campus Fielder, Perry, Rice Going elsewhere Greg Cunningham, C, TX, has committed to Kansas Reuben MacWhirter, TE, CA, has committed to Notre Dame Andrew Patten, OLB, WA, has committed to Kansas Karl Sanchez, ILB, IL, has committed to Pittsburgh Coming here Wally Bourgeois, WR, from Coachella Valley HS in Thermal, CA Xavier Gowan, RB, from Benson Polytechnic HS in Portland, OR (All-state) Donny Straight, S, from Franklin HS in Portland, OR (All-state) Zach Hughes, OLB, from South Albany HS in Albany, OR (All-state) Johnny Lusk, T, from Canyon Springs HS in Moreno Valley, CA Moe Rodriquez, P, from Mission Viejo HS in Mission Viejo, CA Bill Thompson, FB, from Henry Foss HS in Tacoma, WA Joe Torres, CB, from Whitefish HS in Whitefish, MT (All-state) Darren Fulcher, S, from Thompson Falls HS in Thompson Falls, MT (All-state) Mo Garrison, OLB, from Channelview HS in Channelview, TX Brett Heath, G, from El Camino Real HS in Woodland Hills, CA Blake Gomez, OLB, from Bozeman HS in Bozeman, MT *NEW* Lee Burks, DT, from Lone Peak HS in Highland, UT *NEW* Brock Harmon, OLB, from Upper Perkiomen HS in Pennsburg, PA (All-state) Our recruiting effort is winding down as two more commits are made to us, but we finally lose MacWhirter. To be in a fight with Notre Dame, Stanford, UCLA, and another top school that isn't immediately coming to mind was a welcome surprise for our lower-tier program. We wish MacWhirter luck with the Irish. However, we are enthused about landing Brock Harmon, an all-state OLB from Pennsylvania, whom we uncovered late in the recruiting process. We have two rides left, one of which is reserved for Mitch Fielder if he wants it and the other will go to whoever asks for it first. Game Time Helena 37, Montana State 3 HELENA THUMPS BOBCATS Helena, MT--The first year of the Norwood Longview era in Bozeman closed with a resounding thud as the Helena Saints took the rivalry game from MSU 37-3. Helena finished the year 3-8, 3-4 in the L&C, while Montana State limped to a 1-10, 1-7 L&C finish. 8700 came out in a dreary rain to watch the rivals splash through a meaningless final game of the regular season. They were treated to an ugly, one-sided affair as the Saints, after an initial slow start, dominated the last three quarters, rolling up 406 yards of offense to MSU's paltry 137. "Well, it's over," said Longview afterwards. "That's about all I can really say. We must, we can, and we shall do better next year." Trying to shake things up, Longview made several changes to the starting lineup. Most notable was inserting Harris Watts at quarterback for his second start in favor of struggling senior Bob Garrison. None of the changes seemed to have any effect, as Watts had a rough day, going 8-for-28 for only 112 yards and no touchdowns, but also didn't throw an interception. Blake Beamon lead a balanced Saint rushing attack that accumulated 213 yards on 18 carries by scoring two touchdowns on 11 carries and 40 yards. No Saint back accumulated 55 yards, but the collective team effort was enough to dominate the game. After a sluggish start for both sides, Kyle Garner put MSU up 3-0 with a 37-yard field goal at the 4:24 mark of the first quarter. Helena would respond with a Kenny Remington 31-yarder to tie the game a little way into the second quarter. MSU's offense continued to struggle, but Helena's offense finally started clicking, putting together two consecutive touchdown drives during the latter half of the second quarter to break ahead 17-3 at the half. MSU continued to struggle throughout the second half, as Bryce Gunn punted a whopping 11 times over the course of the game, averaging a modest 29.6 per kick. Helena, however, continued to pour it on with three second-half touchdowns to put the game away. Code:
BCS Top 10 and other scores of interest Code:
In the L&C, both Tech and Western won, but since Western has the tiebreaker by virtue of beating Tech in week 10, Western will get the L&C's bid to the New Orleans Bowl. NC State temporarily halted their slide by hammering Virginia in Charlottesville. They now stand at 6-5, 3-4 in the ACC, but must beat FSU at home to have any chance at a bowl game. |
03-02-2003, 05:39 PM | #30 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Week 14
Vital Statistics Code:
BCS Top 10 Code:
Recruiting New Contacts None In-home Fielder Phone Calls None Visit Offers None Offered Scholarships None Visiting campus None this week Going Elsewhere Zach Randle commits to Arizona Coming here Wally Bourgeois, WR, from Coachella Valley HS in Thermal, CA Xavier Gowan, RB, from Benson Polytechnic HS in Portland, OR (All-state) Donny Straight, S, from Franklin HS in Portland, OR (All-state) Zach Hughes, OLB, from South Albany HS in Albany, OR (All-state) Johnny Lusk, T, from Canyon Springs HS in Moreno Valley, CA Moe Rodriquez, P, from Mission Viejo HS in Mission Viejo, CA Bill Thompson, FB, from Henry Foss HS in Tacoma, WA Joe Torres, CB, from Whitefish HS in Whitefish, MT (All-state) Darren Fulcher, S, from Thompson Falls HS in Thompson Falls, MT (All-state) Mo Garrison, OLB, from Channelview HS in Channelview, TX Brett Heath, G, from El Camino Real HS in Woodland Hills, CA Blake Gomez, OLB, from Bozeman HS in Bozeman, MT Lee Burks, DT, from Lone Peak HS in Highland, UT Brock Harmon, OLB, from Upper Perkomian HS in Pennsburg, PA (All-state) *NEW* Sedrick Haggans, DE, from Henley HS in Klamath Falls, OR Only one more ride left to give and we are determined to give it to Mitch Fielder. If we don't get him, we'll just hold the scholarship and perhaps give it to Aydellotte as he requests. BCS Top 10 and other scores of interest Code:
Players of the week Offense: Kendall Sellers, QB, KENT, 31-48-325-6-0 Defense: Neal Clark, DE, LATC, 7 tckls, 4 sacks |
03-02-2003, 05:41 PM | #31 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Week 15
Vital Statistics Code:
BCS Top 10 Code:
Recruiting Coming here Wally Bourgeois, WR, from Coachella Valley HS in Thermal, CA Xavier Gowan, RB, from Benson Polytechnic HS in Portland, OR (All-state) Donny Straight, S, from Franklin HS in Portland, OR (All-state) Zach Hughes, OLB, from South Albany HS in Albany, OR (All-state) Johnny Lusk, T, from Canyon Springs HS in Moreno Valley, CA Moe Rodriquez, P, from Mission Viejo HS in Mission Viejo, CA Bill Thompson, FB, from Henry Foss HS in Tacoma, WA Joe Torres, CB, from Whitefish HS in Whitefish, MT (All-state) Darren Fulcher, S, from Thompson Falls HS in Thompson Falls, MT (All-state) Mo Garrison, OLB, from Channelview HS in Channelview, TX Brett Heath, G, from El Camino Real HS in Woodland Hills, CA Blake Gomez, OLB, from Bozeman HS in Bozeman, MT Lee Burks, DT, from Lone Peak HS in Highland, UT Brock Harmon, OLB, from Upper Perkomian HS in Pennsburg, PA (All-state) Sedrick Haggans, DE, from Henley HS in Klamath Falls, OR *NEW* Mitch Fielder, QB, from Central Valley HS in Central Valley, CA We get our last recruit, Mitch Fielder and our class is complete. We are pleased to see we managed to get solid recruits for many positions, though we regret the paucity of linemen in the class. Many of our players were noted as All-state at their position and five of them hail from talent rich California, a trend we hope to keep going in the coming years. BCS Top 10 and other scores of interest Code:
Meanwhile, NC State's season has ended in misery as FSU takes a 27-16 win in Raleigh, leaving the Pack 6-6, 3-5 in the ACC and likely staying home for the bowl season. Players of the Week Offense: Tyrus O'Donnell, ND, 21-31-414-6-1 Defense: Raymond Meier, TAMU, 5 tckls, 4 sacks Last edited by Wolfpack : 03-02-2003 at 05:42 PM. |
03-03-2003, 08:25 PM | #32 |
Pro Rookie
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Location: Raleigh, NC
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Author's note: I accidentally used the 2003-04 BCS pecking order rather than the 2002-03 order, thus, the Sugar Bowl is hosting this year's championship rather than the Fiesta Bowl.
FLORIDA SURPRISE PICK FOR TITLE GAME New Orleans, LA--In an annoucement that stunned much of the college football world, the Florida Gators leapfrogged Notre Dame and into the BCS title game opposite Michigan. The BCS also released pairing for the remaining games in the series. This year's championship is the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. With Texas A&M upset by Colorado in Saturday's Big XII championship game, it was widely speculated that Michigan and Notre Dame, then #2 and #3 in the BCS, would move up one place into the title game slots and play a rematch of Notre Dame's early-season blowout in South Bend for the national title. Michigan moved up as expected, but unexpectedly, Florida, by virtue of its victory over Mississippi in the SEC championship game, leaped over the Irish into the #2 slot by just a few fractions of a point, in spite of Notre Dame's second-ranked strength of schedule. Florida had been higher in the human polls most of the season as Notre Dame had to come from being unranked. However, the victory over Ole Miss likely nudged the Gators just high enough to pass Notre Dame in computer polls and, combined with the human polls, offset Notre Dame's strength of schedule advantage. With the Sugar Bowl pairing dictated by computer numbers, the remaining BCS Bowls selected their teams. Notre Dame will play in the Orange Bowl against Pacific 10 champion Stanford. The Miami Hurricanes, winners of the Big East, will take on the other BCS at-large team, Texas A&M in the Rose Bowl. The Fiesta Bowl in Tempe will match Colorado, champions of the Big XII, against surprise ACC champion North Carolina. Six Invited to New York for Heisman Trophy Presentation New York, NY--The Downtown Athletic Club has completed the counting of ballots for this year's Heisman Trophy. In a surprise announcement, the DAC has invited six players rather than the customary five to New York for this Saturday's presentation. The additional player indicates that there was a tie somewhere in the ballot order. The candidates in alphabetical order are: Kenny Allen, Jr, QB, Alabama Dan Boyer, Sr, QB, Purdue Percy Bulger, Sr, QB, BYU Amos McCloud, R-Sr, QB, Texas A&M Tyrus O'Donnell, R-Sr, QB, Notre Dame Artie Shepard, Sr, RB, Arizona O'Donnell is seen as the favorite in the field after leading Notre Dame's return to glory by passing for 3187 yards and 34 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. Allen, who passed for 3725 yards and 31 touchdowns, and McCloud (3291 yards, 29 touchdowns) are seen as strong contenders. The dark horse and the trendy pick is Percy Bulger of BYU, who passed for 3208 yards and 33 touchdowns in guiding BYU nearly into the BCS this year before the Cougars dropped two games to close the season, which may hurt Bulger's chances. The Heisman Trophy will be presented in New York City on Saturday. |
03-05-2003, 03:06 PM | #33 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Bulger Wins Heisman
New York, NY--Brigham Young quarterback Percy Bulger was selected the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner in a ceremony in New York. The senior completed 231 of 380 passes for 3208 yards and 33 touchdowns against 14 interceptions in leading the Cougars nearly into BCS contention before consecutive losses in BYU's last two games dropped them from contention. Bulger beat out Notre Dame senior quarterback Tyrus O'Donnell by five votes, 127-122, in a very tight race that saw six invited to New York because of a tie in the voting. The tie was revealed to be for fifth place between running back Artie Shepard of Arizona and Dan Boyer of Purdue at 103 votes. Just ahead of them was Amos McCloud of Texas A&M at 105 votes. Third place went to Kenny Allen of Alabama with 113. "I am humbled to have been chosen for this honor," said Bulger. "I acknowledge the group that came here for this award is the best that college football has to offer." Of the six finalists, O'Donnell and McCloud, both redshirt seniors, and Allen, a junior, will be eligible to return for one more try at the trophy. The other three have finished their eligibility with this season and all are likely to be picked somewhere in next spring's NFL draft. |
03-08-2003, 11:13 PM | #34 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Bowl Season
Vital Statistics (final) Code:
2002 Conference Champions ACC: North Carolina (10-2, 7-1 ACC, Fiesta Bowl) Big 10: Michigan (11-1, 8-0 B10, Sugar Bowl) Big XII: Colorado (11-2, 7-1 B12, Fiesta Bowl) Big East: Miami (10-2, 7-0 BEC, Rose Bowl) Pac 10: Stanford (10-1, 8-0 P10, Orange Bowl) SEC: Florida (12-1, 7-1 SEC, Sugar Bowl) MWC: Utah (10-1, 7-0 MWC, Gator Bowl) C-USA: TCU (8-3, 6-2 USA, Queen City Bowl) WAC: Boise State (9-3, 6-2 WAC, Silicon Valley Classic) MAC: Western Michigan (7-5, 6-2 MAC, Mobile Alabama Bowl) Sun Belt: Middle Tennessee State (8-3, 6-0 SBC, New Orleans Bowl) L&C: Montana-Western (6-5, 6-1 L&C, New Orleans Bowl) Bowl Matchups Code:
Recruiting Coming here Wally Bourgeois, WR, from Coachella Valley HS in Thermal, CA Xavier Gowan, RB, from Benson Polytechnic HS in Portland, OR (All-state) Donny Straight, S, from Franklin HS in Portland, OR (All-state) Zach Hughes, OLB, from South Albany HS in Albany, OR (All-state) Johnny Lusk, T, from Canyon Springs HS in Moreno Valley, CA Moe Rodriquez, P, from Mission Viejo HS in Mission Viejo, CA Bill Thompson, FB, from Henry Foss HS in Tacoma, WA Joe Torres, CB, from Whitefish HS in Whitefish, MT (All-state) Darren Fulcher, S, from Thompson Falls HS in Thompson Falls, MT (All-state) Mo Garrison, OLB, from Channelview HS in Channelview, TX Brett Heath, G, from El Camino Real HS in Woodland Hills, CA Blake Gomez, OLB, from Bozeman HS in Bozeman, MT Lee Burks, DT, from Lone Peak HS in Highland, UT Brock Harmon, OLB, from Upper Perkomian HS in Pennsburg, PA (All-state) Sedrick Haggans, DE, from Henley HS in Klamath Falls, OR Mitch Fielder, QB, from Central Valley HS in Central Valley, CA Going Elsewhere JR Northcutt commits to Fresno State Gino Nwokome commits to Miami (FL) Where the Top Ten Are Heading #1 Jeremy Langdon, QB, New Milford HS in New Milford, CT, ALABAMA #2 Graham Lynn, G, Chardon HS in Chardon, OH, GEORGIA #3 Donnie Skelton, DE, Lebanon HS in Lebanon, OH, OHIO STATE #4 Randall Jenkins, T, Cook HS in Adel, GA, FLORIDA STATE #5 Eugene Humphries, QB, Parkdale HS in Riverdale, MD, WEST VIRGINIA #6 Hunter Pettine, QB, Simi Valley HS in Simi Valley, CA, VIRGINIA TECH #7 Kelly Delgado, S, San Jacinto HS in San Jacinto, CA, UCLA #8 Johnny Walton, T, Savanna HS in Anaheim, CA, UCLA #9 Karl Gunn, TE, Fitch HS in Youngstown, OH, OHIO STATE #10 Conrad Bush, QB, Orem HS in Orem, UT, NEBRASKA Non-BCS Bowl Scores Code:
Last edited by Wolfpack : 03-08-2003 at 11:20 PM. |
03-09-2003, 04:05 PM | #35 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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HEELS GET BUFFALOED
Tempe, AZ--Colorado running back Jerome Ross rushed for two touchdowns and caught another as the Colorado Buffaloes routed North Carolina 34-10 in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. Colorado finishes the season 12-2 and on a nine-game winning streak, including the Big XII Championship. North Carolina finishes at 10-3. Ross, the Fiesta Bowl MVP, did not put up large numbers. He rushed 12 times for just 38 yards, and caught 5 balls for an additional 28. However, the Buff defense was effective enough so that he didn't have to. The Buffs forced four UNC turnovers and held Carolina to just 248 total yards, including shutting down top wideout Ryan Farmer. He was held to 1 catch for 17 yards and one rush on a reverse, though that run did result in Carolina's only touchdown of the game. Farmer had been battling a strained knee that slowed him down during the last games of the season. The first quarter was a solid defensive struggle as both teams traded punts on their opening possessions before UNC quarterback Morris Alcott (13-27-174-0-3) was intercepted at the UNC 44 with 9:53 left. Colorado moved the ball inside the UNC 10 but had to settle for a 29-yard field goal by Steve Jacobs to go up 3-0. The Heels immediately responded with a grinding 14-play, 60 yard drive that resulted in Ryan Farmer's touchdown for a 7-3 Carolina lead with 9:42 left in the half. It would be just about the last time UNC would see the ball in the half. The Buffaloes would pound out a long 12-play, 56-yard drive that ate up 6:51 and result in the first of Ross's touchdowns. Disaster struck the Heels on the ensuing kickoff as Damon Calvert fumbled the ball away at the UNC 43. The Buffs then moved quickly down the field and Ross added a second CU touchdown to make the score 17-7 with just :27 left in the half. It only got worse for Carolina as the Buff defense started asserting itself. Carolina's first two possessions resulted in a punt and an interception, which Colorado turned into 10 more points to put themselves comfortably ahead at 27-7 with 3:50 left in the third. The Buffs coasted from there en route to their Fiesta Bowl win. |
03-09-2003, 04:36 PM | #36 |
Pro Rookie
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Location: Raleigh, NC
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IRISH SEEING CARDINAL
Fort Lauderdale, FL--The talk around the Orange Bowl had been centered around Notre Dame and how the Irish were snubbed by the BCS computers for the right to play in New Orleans for the national title. The fact that the Irish were to be playing Stanford in this year's Orange Bowl seemed almost an afterthought. Perhaps that was why the Cardinal were able to rally from 10 down in the fourth to defeat the Irish and Heisman runner-up Tyrus O'Donnell 17-13. Stanford's Luther Gaskin was selected as MVP for making 6 tackles and 2.5 sacks in the game. Stanford finished a strong 2002 campaign with Pac-10 and Orange Bowl championships and an impressive 11-1 record, while the Irish suffered it's second loss of the season to fall to 11-2. The Irish had not lost since suffering a 24-9 loss at Maryland in the Kickoff Classic. They reeled off 11 straight wins, including a 20-19 nailbiter in South Bend over the Cardinal on October 12. The first half was an ugly affair with punts, missed field goals, and turnovers plaguing both sides. Stanford broke ahead early with a 33-yard field goal by Gilbert Mallory at the 13:15 mark of the second. Notre Dame knotted things up with a 29 yarder by Bernard Horn just before the half to make it 3-all. Stanford was ineffective to start the third quarter, going three-and-out and gaining no yards. Notre Dame, behind the arm of O'Donnell (19-31-285-1-0), marched quickly down the field, covering 56 yards in eight plays and 3:43, capping it with a 6-yard touchdown pass from O'Donnell to Jack Peltier (3-49-1) to put the Irish up 10-3 with 10:04 left in the third. Stanford was able to get a first down on the next drive but had to punt again. This time, the Irish responded with a field goal. The Irish seemed to be in control, leading 13-3 with just :43 left in the third and the Cardinal unable to move effectively against the Irish defense. However, this proved to be an illusion as Stanford's offense suddenly caught fire. Behind the passing of Tommie Harrison (13-25-260-0-0) and the rushing of Dominic Vance (16-74-1), the Cardinal blitzed the Irish on their next two possessions. First, the Cardinal punched out a 6-play 77-yard drive in just 2:16, capping it with a Vance touchdown to close to 13-10. Then the Cardinal forced a three-and-out. Stanford then moved 62 yards in just 3 plays, including a 44-yard strike to receiver Nick Armstrong (6-147-0), with Harrison scrambling for the final 17 yards. Suddenly, the Cardinal were up 17-13 with 10:14 left in the game. Defenses finally reasserted themselves as the teams traded punts throughout the remainder of the fourth quarter. The Irish got their last chance with the ball on their own 22 with just 1:58 left, but failed to move the ball and turned it over on downs, allowing the Cardinal to run out the clock and claim the win. |
03-10-2003, 08:52 PM | #37 |
Pro Rookie
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CANES COME UP ROSES AGAIN
Pasadena, CA--The Miami Hurricanes, though unable to defend their 2001 national title, did successfully defend their Rose Bowl championship with a 20-17 defeat of Texas A&M. The Hurricanes (11-2) jumped ahead early and held on as the Aggies (12-2) rallied from a 14-3 halftime deficit. They accomplished all this in spite of having their starting quarterback ejected and their number two signal-caller go down with injury, all in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Texas A&M's Heisman candidate quarterback Amos McCloud did not suffer the misfortune of his counterparts, but still struggled for much of the game (15-30-178-2-0). Still, he nearly rallied his team to the win. Miami got the first break as A&M fumbled the ball on their first play from scrimmage early in the first quarter. Casey Fortney completed two passes in a row, the second to game MVP Leland Koehke (7-133-1) for 31 yards, but was rudely tossed to the turf by an A&M lineman. Feeling that a late hit penalty should have been called, Fortney went ballistic and got an unsportsmanlike penalty. In the ensuing argument, Fortney bumped the head linesman and was ejected from the game. Cris MacIver was suddenly thrust into the game at quarterback. He did not disappoint his team. After a run play garnered no yards, MacIver tossed a perfect strike to Koehke for 34 yards and a touchdown and Miami led 7-0, in spite of what happened to their starting quarterback. Things got sublime after A&M was forced into a three-and-out on their next possession. MacIver overthrew his intended receiver and apparently hurt his arm. It was later diagnosed as a hyperextended elbow. Regardless, Miami was faced with having to put their third-string quarterback, redshirt junior Dixon Ali, who had played a single game all year and had made just seven pass attempts, completing six for 69 yards and a touchdown. Ali did not show any jitters, though, as he threw 11 yards for a first down on his first attempt and then running back Hardy Tuggle (29-96-0) chugged for another 13 on the next play. Ali was then sacked, but the play after that, A&M was hit with a pass interference penalty. After that, the Canes kept it on the ground, churning their way to the end zone. Finally, Ali connected on a three yard touchdown pass to running back Percy Lancaster and Miami increased their lead to 14-0 with 2:44 left in the first. A&M finally pieced together a long drive that ate seven minutes off the clock, but ultimately the Aggies settled for a 28-yard field goal from Lenny Balderas to make it 14-3 with 10:34 left in the second. It would be a score that held until the half as A&M turned the ball over twice, once on a fumble and once on downs, while Miami punted and made a turnover on downs of its own. A&M continued to struggle in the third quarter and nearly met with disaster when, after a Miami punt pinned the Aggies on their own 4, McCloud was hit in the backfield and fumbled. Miami recovered on the Aggie 2 and looked to apply the knockout. However, the Aggie defense was stalwart as three consecutive runs were stuffed and Miami walked away with only a field goal by Luther Wheeler, putting Miami up 17-3 with 7:48 left in the third. A&M finally got going again as the crisp passing of McCloud and the sharp running of Emmanuel DiMatteo (18-44-0 rushing, 5-45-1 receiving) maneuvered the Aggies down the field from their own 20 to the Hurricane 4. DiMatteo gained a yard and then McCloud was dumped for a sack back at the 9. However, McCloud responded with a deft screen pass to DiMatteo who then rumbled in to make it 17-10 with 1:18 left in the third. The teams exchanged punts into the early part of the fourth quarter until Miami initiated a time-consuming 47-yard drive that resulted in another Wheeler field goal to put Miami up 20-10 with 5:50 left. The Hurricane defense forced the Aggies into a three-and-out and had the ball on their own 49 with just 5:11 left. However, they went backwards, first with a delay penalty and then Ali was sacked twice in a row, the second time resulting in a fumble that was recovered by A&M on the Miami 23. Given new life, McCloud struck quickly, connecting with Carlton Wood (3-52-1) on the very next play to make it 20-17 with 3:44 remaining. Miami moved the ball only a little on its next possession and A&M got the ball back on its own 29 with 2:05 left and McCloud with one more shot. However it was not to be as McCloud threw three straight perfect passes, only to watch his receivers drop all three. McCloud was then sacked on fourth down and Miami took over. The Canes then salted away the clock for the win. |
03-10-2003, 10:10 PM | #38 |
Pro Rookie
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Location: Raleigh, NC
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MICHIGAN IS SUGAR KING
New Orleans, LA--Top-ranked Michigan concluded the 2002 season with a 31-21 victory over the Florida Gators and claimed the national championship for the first time since 1997 and their first outright title since 1948. The 1997 title was split with Nebraska. In a surprise announcement, Michigan offensive lineman Daniel Huddleston was chosen for MVP. Huddleston threw several key blocks, including one that sprung quarterback Ernest Lindsay for a five-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter that put Michigan (12-1) ahead to stay. Florida (12-2) had rallied from a 17-7 halftime deficit to take the lead before ultimately succombing. Michigan jumped ahead early when Florida's quarterback Clay Kirk (17-32-270-2-1) was picked off by Michigan's Erik Sayre at the Michigan 25. Sayre bobbed and weaved his way through traffic before breaking clear at midfield and raced into the end zone to put the Wolverines up 7-0 with 9:05 left in the first. Florida continued to be plagued by trouble as they were assessed a holding penalty on the kickoff, pinning them back at their own 7. Running back Jerry Hatcher (27-66-1) was knocked back for a loss on consecutive plays and then disaster struck as Kirk tried to run a quarterback draw but was hit at the line and coughed up the ball. Michigan pounced on it at the three, but got a touchdown the hard way after consecutive losses by running back Bo Warren (26-109-0 rushing, 2-7-1 receiving) forced Lindsay (12-27-160-2-1) to connect with Ken Coles (3-33-1) from nine yards out to put Michigan up 14-0 with 5:57 left in the first. The teams traded punts on the next two possessions. Florida then had the ball on their own 35 with 2:32 left in the quarter. The Gators marched down the field, covering 65 yards in seven plays and 3:13, capping it with a ten-yard touchdown pass from Kirk to tight end Gilbert Goldstein (4-69-1) to make it 14-7 just under a minute into the second quarter. On the drive, Hatcher rushed for 20 yards on the first three plays, while Kirk connected on three of four passes for 45 yards to close the drive. The defenses controlled the remainder of the half as the teams continued to punt the ball back and forth to each other. The lone exception was a 27-yard field goal by Michigan's Nolan Garay with 92 second left in the half to put Michigan up 17-7 going into the break. The offenses continued to struggle at the start of the third quarter until Florida finally put together another touchdown drive, this one covering 69 yards in seven plays and 2:59 on the clock and concluding with a Kirk touchdown pass to Deron Jenkins () to cut Michigan's lead to 17-14 with 9:04 left. Momentum seemed to have shifted to the Gators when Lindsay was picked off by Florida linebacker Carl Gomez at the Gator 33. The momentum did not seem to stay, though as the Gators could not capitalize on the mistake and punted. However, returner K.C. Kirsch mishandled the kick and Florida pounced on the loose ball at the Michigan 6. The Gators did not squander this golden opportunity as Hatcher broke through on the right side of the line for six yards and a touchdown to put the Gators up 21-17 with 5:02 left in the third. Trailing for the first time in the game, the Wolverines responded brilliantly. Lindsay directed his troops down the field on an eight-play, 65-yard drive which included Kirsch atoning for his muffed punt by catching a 23-yard strike on a critical 3rd-and-8 to keep the drive going. After a Gator pass interference call put the ball on the Gator 5, Lindsay took off around the right end and into the end zone and put Michigan ahead for good at 24-21 with 0:49 left in the third quarter. The Gators, however, could not respond. They went three-and-out on consecutive possessions, sandwiched around a three-and-out by Michigan. The net result gave Michigan the ball at the Gator 39 after Florida punter Deon Francis shanked a 24-yard punt. The Wolverines then turned the ball over to Warren, who proceeded to pound away at the Florida defense, rushing for 36 yards on three consecutive plays. Lindsay then completed a short three-yard pass to Warren to complete the drive and put the Wolverines comfortably ahead by 10 at 31-21 with 9:56 left in the game. It was a knockout punch from which Florida would not recover as their next drive stalled at the Michigan 33 and Mitch Page missed a 40-yard attempt. Though Garay missed a 38-yard attempt of his own on the next possession, Florida could not capitalize and was forced to turn it over on downs when Kirk went down in a sack on fourth and 15 at the Gator 47 with 1:10 left in the game. The Wolverines then ran out the clock and the celebration was on. |
03-11-2003, 07:28 PM | #39 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Post-Bowl Wrap-Up
2002 National Champions Michigan Wolverines (12-1) 2002 Heisman Trophy Winner Percy Bulger, BYU, 127 votes 2002 Players of the Year Offense: Percy Bulger, BYU Defense: Hugh Ritchie, KSU 2002 Rookies of the Year Offense: Russell Becker, MINN Defense: Mike Tyler, BYU 2002 National Coach of the Year Leon Ballard, Michigan 2002 1st and 2nd Team All-Americas Code:
Montana State Players on 2002 All-America Teams None Montana State Players on 2002 All-Conference Teams Dixon Golalic, DE, First Team Stan Morris, TE, Academic Made to Be Broken: Records Set in 2002 Obviously, as this is the first year, everything is a record. I intend to track national, conference, and team records and note game records set each week, and seasonal and career records in each yearly summary at the national, conference, and team level, though the last two strictly will be for the conference and team I am with at the time. I won't establish career records until after 2005, giving one whole class four years of play to set those marks. Final Grades for 2002 Team Performance: 48 Academic Performance: 28 Recruiting Performance: 86 Television Revenue: 51 Alumni Donations: 0 Attendance/Stadium: 0 Final Grade: 31 Last edited by Wolfpack : 03-11-2003 at 07:29 PM. |
03-11-2003, 07:40 PM | #40 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Thus ends the 2002 campaign for Norwood Longview at Montana State. The next report I'll make will be the 2003 offseason report which will, of course, be posted in a separate 2003 thread.
I thought it'd be tough, but this is a pretty big hill to climb. But, hey, at 1-10, there isn't much likelyhood I can do worse in 2003. Can I? (Do I hear "0-11"?) Just so I don't feel like I'm whistling into a strong breeze, what does everyone think of the reporting thus far? I want to concentrate on the job I'm doing, but I do also want to bring as much of the rest of the world in to flesh out and breath life into it, so this just isn't something about me and my team (though it is the primary focus). I figure it'd be nice for fans of the various teams to know how they're doing in this world, not to mention perhaps seeing a recruit from their high school come play for me or be among the 10 best that I'll note going to whatever school they select. (I'm considering noting how those players are doing at the end of each year statistics-wise as well as noting where the new class is heading.) |
03-11-2003, 08:56 PM | #41 |
College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Connecticut
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Good start. Keep it up.
__________________
GM of the Milwaukee Muscle Men of the ZFL. The 1st team in ZFL history to have a perfect losing season. I am on a quest to show that the Dolphins can win the Super Bowl. Or should I say Front Office Bowl, with FOF2K7. The revival of an old favorite, FOFC Wrestling Dynasty |
03-12-2003, 01:23 AM | #42 |
College Starter
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Sweden
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I think your format is very good, it really helps me as a reader to get a feel for your college football world. By all means keep it up, but be ready to cut down on detail if you find you can't manage the load. A dynasty is not considered a success until you've got about 8-10 seasons, by that time your hard work is most likely being rewarded by a following of fans that read and comment in your threads - that's the fun part really.
__________________
San Diego Chargers (HFL) - Lappland Reindeers (WOOF) - Gothenburg Giants (IHOF) Indiana: A TCY VC - year 2044 - the longest running dynasty ever on FOFC! |
03-12-2003, 08:32 AM | #43 |
Mascot
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Columbia, S.C.
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Good stuff. Very entertaining. Keep it up.
__________________
At death you will receive everlasting consciousness . . . So I've got that going for me. |
03-12-2003, 10:52 AM | #44 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Thanks for the kind words. I see that counter going up on views to my thread but never really got many opinions on whether I was doing a good job or not.
If you scroll up a ways, you'll note that I completed this season several weeks ago. I have not begun playing out 2003 yet because I wanted to finish my reporting of 2002. At this point, I'm not yet completely sure on what I'm doing for my offseason 2003 report. It'll obviously contain things like rosters, staff changes and the like related to my school, but I'm kicking around the notion of continuing to flesh out the world as a whole by doing some sort of mini-digest on the Top 25 teams, noting star players and the like and perhaps some sort of prognostication listing for all the conferences. (A "preview issue", if you will) One thing I've decided to do is to go with the Coaches Poll order when reporting Top 25 scores, since the rankings seen throughout most of the game are the Coaches rankings. However, each week starting with Week 8, I'll put out the BCS numbers in a separate listing. I regretted not really keeping track of the BCS numbers when it came out that Florida had leapfrogged Notre Dame. I was quite surprised when that happened. At any rate, once I resolve how I'll handle offseaons, 2003 should be under way shortly and should be done quicker since I save my reports as text files in Notepad and paste them into here afterwards, so my format's now in place for those reports. Thanks for reading. |
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