An Alien in the NCAA - Year 1 - University of Rochester (NCAA 2013)

[Kodos]

[sterlingice]

If you can't beat Buffalo, is there anyone on the schedule you can beat?

SI

[Kodos]

Indiana and UConn are probably our best hope for a win this season at this point. My roster ain't great, and obviously, I am having trouble overcoming that with the sliders I'm using.

[Kodos]

[Kodos]

The roster preview screen on EA's site is acting up right now, so no preview I guess. Suffice it to say, their guys are better than ours. A LOT BETTER.


I could try to write up a mildly entertaining recap of the game, but this one play really says it all. This was their backup RB....



It is safe to say that the Orangemen flat out kicked our ass in every way.

[Kodos]

Next up, the lowly Indiana Hoosiers. IU and UConn likely represent our only shot at avoiding 0-12.

[Kodos]

Indiana is led by sophomore QB Tre Roberson, a dangerous scrambler who is a work in progress when it comes to throwing the ball. His best targets are junior tight end Ted Bolser and junior wideout Kofi Hughes. Stephen Houston is a solid workhorse at runningback. The defense is young, but got a lot of experience during the Hoosiers 1-11 2011 campaign. This game looks winnable going in, especially since we are playing at home.

Vegas says:

Indiana by 7

[Autumn]

Fun read, I love the videos!

[Kodos]

Thanks! I think they add something too.

[Kodos]

Week 9 presented us with one of our last best chances to avert a winless 2012 season. Indiana, historically a doormat in the Big Ten, came in with a 2-4 record. Despite some talent on offense, they looked beatable to me, if we didn't make too many mistakes. One problem we faced going into the game was that our best runner, Kevin Wiggins, was out with a torn pectoral muscle. That left us with Joe Boulware as our best rushing option. The lack of depth at runningback is one of the many issues this team faces. The dropoff after Boulware is steep as well.

1st Quarter

The game started off on the wrong foot, as freshman QB Jackie Williamson's turnover problem reared its head once more in the form of an interception that set Indiana up at our 21. However, our defense was able to hold them to a short field goal attempt from 25 yards out, which junior Mitch Ewald missed. Could this be a sign of things to come?


2nd Quarter

Still tied at zero all at the start of the second quarter, good fortune smiled on us again when sophomore QB Tre Roberson was knocked out of the game by our defense. Sophomore Cameron Coffman came in and led the Hoosiers to the first score of the game, a 31-yard Ewald field goal.

Needing the respond, our offense trotted back onto the field trailing 3-0.

Spoiler

Two plays later, Williamson found Mo Godfrey wide open on a blown coverage. I was afraid the youngster might miss a player that was so wide open, but Williamson came through for us this time to give us a 7-3 lead with just under 5 minutes left in the first half.

IU didn't do much on offense with their next possession, and we took the ball over starting on our own 38 with 2 minutes left following a bad Mitchell Voss punt. Williamson and the offense hoped to convert the good field position into more points, but instead turned it into a three and out. The Hoosiers didn't do much on their next possession either, so we went to the half nursing a small 7-3 lead.


3rd Quarter

The Hoosiers struck first in the second half when Mitch Ewald hit a 26-yard field goal to trim our lead to 7-6 with 4 minutes in the third.

Spoiler

Less than 2 minutes later, freshman safety Jarod Capps allowed Cody Latimer to fly past him unmolested on his way to a long catch and run, which set up a 9-yard rushing TD by Stephen Houston that made it a 12-7 game. Afterward, Houston ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 14-7.

With time running out in the third quarter, Broderick Hidalgo hit a field goal for us from 46 yards out to trim the Hoosier advantage to 4 points.


4th Quarter


Trailing 14-10, our defense held the Hoosiers to a three-and-out on their next possession, and a good punt return by J.B. Dennis set us up at our own 43 with 7 minutes and change. From there, fullback Nick Nightingale became a one-man show, moving our offense down the field on the ground and through the air.

Spoiler

Joe Boulware's 3-yard rushing TD put us ahead 17-14 with 5:41 left in the game. Throughout the stadium, Lake Monster fans started to wonder... could this be our first win?

Our defense, who had played tough in our end of the field all day long, once again forced an Indiana field goal attempt in our red zone. Again Ewald missed, this time from 30 yards out with 3:23 left in regulation! The game was starting to tilt in our favor... if we could just find a way to finish it off.

Williamson and the offense came out hoping to eat some clock and move the ball down the field, but they failed on both counts. This was a time where Kevin Wiggins might have really helped us, but his backup Joe Boulware simply wasn't up to the challenge when we needed him. The result was three short runs, no first downs, and a punt. The one positive was that our offense forced the Hoosier defense to burn all of their timeouts.

Consequently, Cameron Coffman and the Hoosier offense were given another chance, trailing 17-14 with under 2 minutes remaining and no timeouts.

Spoiler

The Hoosiers didn't take long on their way to paydirt, as they completed a 2-play, 52-yard TD drive with this long pass to junior wideout Kofi Hughes. We now trailed 21-17 with just 1:39 remaining in the game.

Starting at our own 35, Williamson and the offense came out with one last chance to drive down the field and score the winning touchdown. On first down, Williamson hit Boulware coming out of the backfield for five yards. Two incompletions later, we found ourselves facing fourth-and-5 with the game on the line.

Spoiler

Facing heavy pressure from the defense and with nobody open, Williamson pulled the ball down and tried to run for the first down. He got past the first tacklers, but with one player left to beat, outside linebacker Ishmael Thomas took him down three yards short of a first down.

Game over.


Game Wrap Up

Just as we had thought coming in, this was a very winnable game for us. We needed to play perfect, but we came up short once again. Still, there were some signs of hope. Our defense was solid against the Hoosiers, holding them to field goal attempts instead of touchdowns. The Hoosiers did their part, missing a couple of very makeable field goals. Both teams had the dropsies, as IU racked up 8 drops and we had 5. Not a pretty game. Not a pretty result. Not a pretty season.

[Kodos]

Kofi Hughes scores the game-winning touchdown for Indiana.

[Kodos]

[Kodos]

[Kodos]

Our scouts are going hard and heavy after two-star Ohio HB Brett Harris. We believe he is very underrated, and are hoping we can get him into the fold quickly. After Week 9, it is painfully obviously that we need quality depth at RB.

[Kodos]

Talented sophomore RB Xavier McCombs powers the Huskies offense. Senior tight end Ryan Griffin is a dangerous receiver and a solid blocker. Senior QB Johnny McEntee is has an average arm at best. The Husky defense is headlined by senior cornerbacks Dwayne Gratz and Blidi Wreh Wilson and defensive end Trevardo Williams.

Vegas Says:

Connecticut by 10.

[Kodos]

It's Week 10 of our first season in the Big East, and still we have no wins. Our remaining schedule looks like this:

Wk 11 @ Penn State (3-4)
Wk 12 UMaass (6-1)
Wk 13 Pitt (5-3)
Wk 14 Cincinnati (6-1)
Wk 15 North Plainfield (5-2)

Realistically, UConn may be our last shot at avoiding a winless season. Kevin "Chief" Wiggins is still unable to play, so we are stuck with Joe Boulware trying to carry the load at RB.


1st Quarter

Things get off to a bad start, as Williamson threw an interception early in the opening drive of the game. Worse, Williamson suffered a dislocated shoulder on the play. Our defense stood strong, holding UConn to a 43-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide left, keeping the score deadlocked at 0-0.

Our next drive went equally bad, as junior receiver Amos Collins fumbled the ball on our first play. We challenged the fumble, and the call was overturned. We drove the ball to the UConn 30, and found ourselves facing fourth and inches. We decided to bypass a 47-yard field goal attempt. We gave the ball to fullback Nick Nightingale, but he was stuffed behind the line, and the ball went over on downs.


2nd Quarter

Spoiler

The second quarter started off more promisingly, as Micah Dennis directed the offense on a 5-play, 66-yard drive that was capped with a 50-yard TD pass to tight end Ricky Morelli, making it 7-0, Rochester.

Spoiler

The Huskies didn't take long to answer, as Xavier McCombs broke multiple tackles on his way to a 63-yard rushing touchdown. 7-7.

--------

As we approached the half, Rochester went on top again after a long Percy Glenn reception set up a 26-yard Broderick Hidalgo field goal, which made it 10-7 with 2:13 left in the first half.

Spoiler

We held the Huskies to a three-and-out on their next series, but on our ensuing drive, outside linebacker Jory Johnson stepped in the way of Dennis's pass and took it 32 yards to the house, putting us down 14-10 with one minute left in the half.

It was looking like we might be able to retake the lead when Dennis drove into the red zone. Facing third and goal from the 6, Dennis tried to force a pass to tight end Kenyon Watkins. Instead of a go-ahead score, Dennis found the hands of a lurking defender, so it remained a 14-10 lead for Connecticut.


3rd Quarter

Spoiler

A 44-yard pick six by cornerback Antoine Hall put us on top 17-14 less than a minute into the second half. The Huskies answered with an 8-play, 76-yard touchdown drive capped by another Xavier McCombs run.


-------

Later in the third quarter, a Terence Kennedy interception set Jackie Williamson and the offense up at our own 44. The offense would move into the red zone, but ultimately was forced to settle for a 34-yard field goal attempt early in the 4th quarter, which Hidalgo shanked badly, keeping the score 21-17 in Connecticut's favor.


4th Quarter

Another Williamson interception gave Connecticut the ball on our 35 with 4:30 left in the game. The Huskies moved the ball 21 yards to set up a 20-yard field goal, which Chad Christen knocked through with 2:17 remaining. With time running low, we trailed by a touchdown, 24-17.

Williamson and the offense got the ball back with 2:14 left and 2 timeouts. Needing a score, Williamson threw incompletions on first and second down, then took a 10-yard sack on third down, setting up 4th and long with the game on the line.

Needing a miracle, J.B. Dennis got open on 4th down, but Williamson overthrew him, sealing our loss (sorry, highlight wouldn't upload). The Huskies kicked another field goal as time ran down, and Williamson suffered the indignity of a safety on our final offensive play of the game. Final score: UConn 29, Rochester 17. (Note: For some reason, we got points for the safety in the box score.)


Postgame Analysis


Williamson was simply awful in the fourth quarter, as he completed just 2 out of 6 passes, was picked off once, and gave up 3 sacks, the final one for a safety. We are putrid, and will almost certainly finish the season 0-12. I feel like somebody is playing a cruel joke on us...

[Kodos]

[Kodos]

[Kodos]

In the aftermath of the sanctions imposed by the NCAA, Penn State underwent a massive roster purge. Unfortunately, the purge was probably not bad enough for us to think we might defeat the once proud institution. On the other hand, for those of us who are still holding out hope for a win, this might be our last real chance.

Led by senior WR Mike Bonner and TE Antwaun Ricks, the Nittany Lion offense is decent, but hardly spectacular. The defense is highlighted by senior left outside linebacker Brigham Dennis, who should not be mistaken for the typical studs from Linebacker U. Still, the team is filled with upperclassmen, and that in itself represents a significant edge over us.



Vegas Says:

Penn State by 17

[Kodos]

1st Quarter

It was a blustery day in the northeast when we traveled to play Penn State. The Nittany Lions began the game with the ball, and our defense held them to a three-and-out to start things off on the right foot for us.

Jackie Williamson and the offense came out looking to build upon the good start. Runningback Kevin "Chief" Wiggins was finally able to make a go of it with his torn pectoral injury, and we used balanced playcalling to move the ball down the field. Ten plays into the drive, Wiggins aggravated his injury and left the game. Still, consecutive receptions by tight end Ricky Morelli moved us into the red zone.

Spoiler

This catch by J.B. Dennis capped our 12-play, 67-yard drive and put us on top 7-0 with 3 minutes left in the opening quarter.

On their second possession, the Lions managed one first down before our defense forced another punt.


2nd Quarter

In the second quarter, the Penn State offense started to move the ball more effectively. Starting from his own 25, senior quarterback Bruce Andrews used short passes to move the ball to our 20. With the Lions threatening to tie things up, strong safety Ethan Palmer stepped up on third down and broke up a sure touchdown pass to Monte Anthony, forcing a field goal attempt by junior placekicker Kelvin Christian. Christian's prayers went unanswered, as his kick bounced off the crossbar and hit the turf, leaving us on top, 7-0 with 5 minutes to go in the second quarter.

A three-and-out by our offense followed by a fair-catch interference call against Deon Ratan set Penn State up at midfield. It took the Lions just five plays to tie the game up on a 4-yard run by junior Simeon Hopkins.

Things continued to go downhill late in the second quarter, when our top receiver, Amos Collins, left the game with a concussion. Still, Williamson and the offense mounted a solid drive with time running out in the first half.

Spoiler

MLB Reggie Sykes tried to knock down this pass by Jackie Williamson, but he whiffed, resulting in tight end Ricky Morelli taking the ball 48-yards to the house to make it a 13-7 Rochester advantage with 50 seconds! Regretably, Broderick Hidalgo missed the extra point, and the Lions were able to move the ball quickly into position for Christian to hit a 32-yard field goal as time expired, trimming our lead to 13-10.


3rd Quarter

Spoiler

Simeon Hopkins's second rushing touchdown of the game put us behind for the first time, 17-13, with 1:24 left in the third quarter.


4th Quarter

The fourth quarter began with a Penn State three-and-out. Following a bad punt and a good return by J.B. Dennis, our offense started with the ball at midfield. After picking up an initial first down, our offense soon found itself facing fourth-and-2 from the Penn State 29. Trailing by 4, I made the call to go for it. Chief Wiggins, who had returned earlier in the half, made the gamble pay off, as he picked up the first down on a determined run. However, we soon were facing fourth and six from the 22. This time, we opted to take the points. Hidalgo's 39-yard field goal made it 17-16 Penn State with 5:13 remaining.

Spoiler

Two long passes to sophomore wide receiver James Gatewood set up this 2-yard TD pass to tight end Anwaun Ricks, which put us down 24-16 with just 2:40 left in the game.

Trailing by 8, Jackie Williamson and the offense moved the ball 57 yards in 11 plays. Now, they found themselves facing fourth and long from the 18. With the game hanging in the balance, Jackie Williamson dropped back and scanned the field. He spotted Ricky Morelli breaking free down the middle of the field, and lofted the ball over the defense....

Spoiler

... only to watch helplessly as the ball sailed over Morelli's head when he slipped trying to make a cut. Game over. 0-8. This team just can't catch a break...

[sterlingice]

It's not that you're unlucky and can't catch a break. It's that they suck and can't catch a cold!

/offering pep talks all week/

SI

[Kodos]

They're not very good at tackling either.

[Kodos]

Tight end Ricky Morelli slips, dooming us to defeat once more.

[Kodos]

[Kodos]

[revrew]

Just came across this! But there's a serious problem here. Chuck Farley plays FOR Gatesville? That's wrong. Just ... wrong.

[Kodos]

Well, he did play for Gatesville in the Bill Gates Challenge. I couldn't very well make him a Lake Monster, so I did the next best thing. At least he gets a few cameos this way.

[Kodos]

We are in hot pursuit of 2* runningback Brett Harris. We think he is significantly better than his star rating would suggest. We're high on his list, but have some ground to gain if we want to bring him into the fold. Luckily, as I alluded to earlier, I have a Jedi mind trick or two up my sleeve...*





--------------------------------------

*I recently discovered that I accidentally (or maybe intentionally, I can't remember) had recruiting on All American. Judging by my recruiting class, All American is way too easy. A winless team in the Big East should not have the 27th ranked recruiting class. Anyhow, I bumped it up to Heisman (a couple of cycles ago), and now I will just work it into the story. Luckily, being an alien, I have a little bit of latitude in the storytelling.

[Kodos]

Maassluis is 7-1, and fighting to win the Big East title. We have the inside track to a last place finish. You do the math. This one could get ugly for us.




Vegas Says:

Maassluis by 17

[revrew]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Well, he did play for Gatesville in the Bill Gates Challenge. I couldn't very well make him a Lake Monster, so I did the next best thing. At least he gets a few cameos this way.

/Facepalm

Of course, he did!

It's been so long since that dynasty, I've forgotten the details. Now it's coming back. Disregard previous, misguided statement

[Kodos]

When UMaass and the U of R moved up to the FBS prior to the 2012 season, many pundits predicted a season of futility for both teams. One journalist had even gone so far as to dub this game the "Futility Bowl". The name struck a chord with college football fans, and a rivalry was born.

As it turned out, the pundits had been halfway right. Eight games into our first season, we had eight losses to our name. The Merchantmen, on the other hand, had thrived thus far, and were in good position to make a run at the Big East title. Rumors of rampant steroid (and marijuana) use within the team swirled around the program, but to date, nobody had proven any wrongdoing.



1st Quarter

We won the opening coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. On UMaass's first drive, true freshman QB Russell Harrison (in for junior Justin McDavid, who was out with a broken arm) led the Merchantmen 76 yards in 9 plays to put them on top 7-0 with a 1-yard plunge from sophomore halfback Mark McConnell with 5:35 left in the quarter. In turn, our offense managed one first down before being forced to punt it back to the Merchantmen.

On their second drive, we gave up a bunch of yards again, but we did manage to slow them down a bit in the red zone, as we held them to a 30-yard field goal that made it a 10-0 UMaass advantage. It could have been worse for sure, but we were definitely not off to a good start.


2nd Quarter

Junior tight end Ricky Morelli came into the game looking for redemption after his slip at the end of the Penn State game had cost us a chance at victory. He didn't find redemption early on against UMaass, as he dropped a sure touchdown after we had driven the ball 57 yards in 15 plays. Instead of putting six on the board, we settled for a 36-yard Broderick Hidalgo field goal that trimmed UMaass's lead to 10-3.

Spoiler

The Merchantmen had moved the ball to midfield on their ensuing drive when strong safety Ethan Palmer stripped Mark McConnell and Carl Cancel took advantage with a 51-yard scoop-and-score that tied the game at 10-10 with 4 minutes left in the half.

Starting from their own 25 on their next drive, UMaass used a well-balanced offense to move into our half of the field, but our defense stiffened once more, and they were forced to settle for a 41-yard Champ Cunningham field goal. 13-10, UMaass.

Jackie Williamson and the offense couldn't get anything done on our next possession, and a short punt set the guys in orange up just short of midfield with 1:22 left in the half. This time, Mark McConnell made us pay in full, as he followed up a long run with an 11-yard rushing TD to extend the Merchantmen advantage to 20-10 with :45 remaining in the half.

Williamson and the offense came out hoping to shave at least three off of the lead, and things were looking promising when Williamson rolled to the right and hit Percy Glenn for a 45 yard strike right off the bat. Regrettably, a holding call quickly negated the big gain.

Spoiler

Undaunted, Williamson went deep again on the next play, this time finding a leaping Mo Godfrey for a 76-yard TD!

Spoiler

Predictably, the football gods didn't let us celebrate very long, as Hidalgo shanked the extra point attempt to the right, leaving us down 4 at 20-16 with :13 left. Mercifully, our defense was able to thwart any hopes UMaass had of moving into field goal range before the half, and we went into the half trailing by 4.


3rd Quarter

A few minutes into the second half, disaster befell us, as Jackie Williamson was picked off inside the red zone by sophomore free safety Eddie Cole. Amazingly, wide receiver Percy Glenn stripped the ball from Cole's grasp, and Amos Collins made the recovery! On the next play, Williamson spotted an upcoming blitz, and audibled to a slant by Collins, who took the ball in for the score! With the successful extra point, we took a 23-20 lead with 4:26 left in the third quarter.

Later in the quarter, the Merchantmen found themselves facing 4th and 3 from our 30. Passing up a chance to tie the game, UMaass opted instead to go for the first down, and were rewarded handsomely for their gamble when Harrison found Tariq Lundy in the flats for a 25 yard gain. From there, Mark McConnell ran it in to put UMaass on top once more, 27-23, with one minute left in the third.


4th Quarter

We closed out the third quarter with a 40-yard strike to Ricky Morelli that set us up on the Merchantmen 22.

Spoiler

Three plays later, Williamson hit Morelli in the endzone from 17 yards out to put us back in the lead, 30-27, with just over 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Needing a field goal to pull into a tie, UMaass moved the ball into our half of the field. Harrison, seeing a man breaking free down the right side of the field, launched the ball deep....

Spoiler

... only to watch strong safety Ethan Palmer break on the pass and intercept it in the end zone!

Looking to pick up some first downs and drain the clock, our offense managed one first down before being forced to punt it away.

The freshman Russell Harrison and the Merchantmen offense took to the field starting at their own 26, trailing 30-27 with 2:29 remaining. A stop here, and we would be in great shape. Pacing the sideline, I watched in disappointment as Harrison methodically moved his team down the field like a seasoned upperclassman. Once again, with the game hanging in the balance, our defense was surrendering chunks of yardage on every play.

Into the red zone their offense rolled with great self-assurance. This was a team that was used to finding a way to win. Now, the Merchantmen were on the brink of winning the game outright, instead of sending the game into overtime on a long kick. With UMaass facing third and goal from the one with 30 seconds remaining, senior linebacker Terrance Kennedy nailed Mark McConnell in the backfield for a 2 yard loss that forced the Merchantmen to kick a field goal.

The now game tied at 30-30, Williamson and the offense took to the field with 25 seconds remaining after J.B. Dennis returned the ball to the thirty. We were able to advance the ball to midfield, but time ran out on us, and the game was sent to overtime.

[Kodos]

Spoiler

1st Overtime

We won the toss and elected to go on defense first. As they headed out onto the field, I yelled to the defense "Just one stop! That's all we need--Just one stop!"

Spoiler

The Merchantmen offense wasted no time, as Harrison hit a wide open Tariq Lundy from 12 yards out on just the second play of the possession to put them on top 37-30. The only other player within 10 yards was his teammate, Gabe Springer, who actually came quite close to unintentionally breaking up the pass.

The freshman Williamson led the offense onto the field once again facing a do or die situation. On the third play of the drive, Jackie found Amos Collins in the right front corner of the end zone from 6 yards out. With my heart in my throat, I watched Hidalgo line up for the tying point after attempt, but this time the kick was good, and the game was tied once more at 37-37.

[Kodos]

Spoiler

2nd Overtime

Spoiler

Our offense struck quickly in the second overtime, as Williamson connected with Morelli from 24 yards to put us up 44-37. "Just one stop!" I implored the defense.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Russell Harrison hit tight end D.J. Cahill on the first play of their next drive to tie the game at 44-44, sending the game to a third overtime.

[revrew]

And? And? !!!

I love the spoiler/short video format.

[Kodos]

Glad you like it. I do my best not to telegraph what's going to happen next.

Had to catch my train home. A little suspense never hurts...

[Kodos]

Spoiler

3rd Overtime

Our defense didn't get a stop on the next possession either, as Mark McConnell scored his fourth touchdown of the day on a 6-yard run. This time, our defense had at least made the Merchantmen work for it with a 6-play drive. Forced to go for two now, Russell Harrison ran it in himself after he found no receivers were open. 52-44, Merchantmen.

With heartbreaking defeat just one bad decision away, Williamson led the offense onto the field needing a touchdown and a conversion to stay alive. Two plays into the possession, Williamson dropped back and made the decision to try running it in himself...

Spoiler

Scrambling to his right, nobody even touched Williamson before he crossed the goal line! 52-50.

Spoiler

Needing the two point conversion to force quadruple overtime, Williamson took the snap and found Amos Collins in the right front corner of the endzone, tying the game once more at 52-52.

[Kodos]

Spoiler

4th Overtime

The gassed Merchantmen defense surrendered another touchdown in the 4th overtime, as Kevin Wiggins plunged into the end zone from 1 yard out to make it 58-52. On the two point conversion, Williamson tried to find Amos Collins once too often, and this time Merchantmen cornerback Tai Wayne was there to break the pass up. In a game where neither defense could stop the opposing offense, failing to get the conversion was a very bad omen.

I sent our weary defense out onto the field once more. "Just one stop!" I yelled. "Just. One. Stop!"

On first down, they gave the ball to McConnell, who plowed up the middle to our 10. Now facing first and goal from the 10, Harrison threw an incompletion.

Spoiler

On second down, sophomore cornerback Antoine Hall momentarily had the game-winning interception, but watched in disbelief as the ball slipped through his hands. "We can't keep giving these guys second chances!" I shouted.

Spoiler

On third down, Ethan Palmer broke on the ball, but like Hall before him, he lost the handle and the ball fell harmlessly to the turf. With UMaass now facing fourth and goal from the ten, I yelled "JUST ONE STOP!" to nobody in particular, and hoped that the defense had enough gas left in the tank for one more play...

[Kodos]

Spoiler

On fourth and goal from the ten, Russell Harrison dropped back and scanned the field. His offensive line held off our exhausted defensive line for what seemed an eternity from the sideline, as Harrison patiently waited for somebody to come open. His eyes grew wide as he spotted Gabe Springer open in the back corner of the end zone. Without hesitation, Harrison rifled the ball in direction of Springer...

Spoiler

Spoiler

Harrison's pass came out of his hand without much arc on it, and Antoine Hall was in position to get between Springer and the ball and knock it down!



Our stadium announcer was beside himself as he yelled "THE LAKE MONSTERS WIN! THE LAKE MONSTERS WIN!!!" again and again in disbelief. In a season of close losses, we had finally made a play with the game hanging in the balance, even if it took us quadruple overtime to do it...

[Kodos]

Spoiler

Antoine Hall knocks it down for the win!






Jackie Williamson took home the Player of the Game award by passing for 372 yards and 5 touchdowns, as well as rushing for 46 yards and 1 touchdown. Tight end Ricky Morelli earned a measure of redemption with 8 catches for 153 yards and 2 TDs. On defense, Ethan Palmer forced two turnovers (one interception, one forced fumble) and Antoine Hall made the game winning play. All in all, it took a tremendous team effort to beat a superior roster. You better believe I was jumping up and down after we won.

[sterlingice]

You have got to be kidding me

SI

[revrew]

Take that MIJB! :do a little dance, do a little dance:

Oh, wait. That doesn't exactly apply ...

[Kodos]

Mixed news this week on the recruiting front, as we picked up offensive tackle Kevin Cooper, but lost to Michigan State in the Brett Harris recruitment.

[Kodos]

Runningback Ray Graham, who is averaging 6 yards a pop this season, headlines the offense for the Pitt panthers. After surrendering 266 rushing yards and 4 TDs to Mark McConnell in Week 12, we are not delighted to see another strong runner in Week 13. On the plus side, Panthers QB Tito Sunseri has thrown 15 interceptions against 15 TD on the year while completing just 45% of his passes. We might have troubles passing against their corners, so Williamson will need to be judicious with the ball. Maybe I'm still slap-happy from the UMaass game, but I think we could win this one.



Vegas Says:

Pitt by 13.

[Kodos]

[Kodos]

[Kodos]

1st Half

A sluggish start by our offense and a very yielding defense put us in a 17-0 hole early in the second quarter against the visiting Pittsburgh Panthers, but we were able to rally a bit to go into the half trailing only 17-10 after a Williamson hit Amos Collins on a 34-yard TD pass.

3rd Quarter

Early in the third quarter, we found ourselves trailing 24-10 after a long pass to tight end Hubie Graham set up Ray Graham's second rushing touchdown of the day just 40 seconds in.

Spoiler

Later in the third quarter, this pass to Kevin Wiggins moved us into the red zone, and a few plays later, Wiggins cut it to 24-17 with a 6-yard run. However, 90 seconds later, Mike Shanahan's 21-yard receiving TD put us down two scores once more, and sent us into the 4th quarter trailing 31-17.

4th Quarter

Spoiler

Ricky Morelli's 20-yard receiving TD with 4:55 remaining cut the deficit to 31-24...

Spoiler

... and his 17-yard TD reception 2 minutes later pulled us into a tie at 31-31 with 3 minutes left in regulation. Having mounted yet another second half comeback, we just needed our defense to come up with a stop.

Facing third down and 6, Pitt QB Tino Sunseri tried to connect with Hubie Graham again, but Ethan Palmer was there to jar the ball loose just as it arrived, giving our offense another crack at the ball following a three-and-out by the Panthers.

A short punt set us up with the ball on our own 47 with two minutes left, but three consecutive incompletions soon forced us to punt it back to the Panthers.

Spoiler

Starting from his own 26 with 1:13 left, Sunseri found Shanahan for 42-yards on the first play of the drive. Already in field goal range, Sunseri found Devin Street for 13 more on the next play. A 17-yard run by Ray Graham on the third play of the drive moved the ball down to our 1, and Graham punched it in on the following play to put us down 38-31 with 21 seconds remaining.

After a couple of incompletions, Williamson and the offense found themselves facing third and long with time running down. Needing a miracle, Williamson dropped back, set his feet, and launched the ball downfield...

Spoiler

... right in to the arms of sophomore cornerback Lloyd Carrington. Game over.

Closing thoughts

Our offense has been able to rally us late many games, but our defense has had trouble coming up with stops when we really need them. This team has a long way to go if we want to be anything more than a laughingstock in the Big East.

[Kodos]

Spoiler

[Kodos]

[Kodos]

[Kodos]