NCAA 2007 - USC Mini-dynasty

[Eaglesfan27]

This will be much less detailed than my other dynasties. I'm going to jot down a few key stats from each game. A description of a few key plays. I'm not going to over my team's current roster in too much depth to start as they are named after the real life USC team using Fairdale King's Rosters. I'm playing on the 360 and starting this mini-dynasty on All American Difficulty level.

Strengths of the team: 2 Amazing WR's in Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith. A pair of very good QB's in John David Booty and Sanchez. A very good left side of the OL that is all rated above 90. The defensive front 7 is very highly rated. My secondary is young and not rated quite as well.


We started off the season at Arkansas which has a good team that is rated just a bit below USC. At halftime, we are up 14-3 as we have been putting pressure on their QB Dick, who is 3 of 12 at the half.

However, their option attack and talented HB have gotten them some good yardage on the ground.

[MizzouRah]

USC baby!!

[Eaglesfan27]

The 3rd quarter sees a big turn of events as Darren McFadden their very talented HB has 2 big TD runs on back to back drives to give them a 17-14 lead.


I find myself in shock as after stopping me short on 4th and 1 on their 20, they drive down the field ending with a touchdown pass to make it 24-14.


I think I made a good choice in going with AA instead of Heisman.



Shock turns to disgust as Booty is sacked on the next play, fumbles it, and they run it in for a TD. 31-14 and the home crowd is going crazy.



With 9 minute quarters, I only have 11 minutes to turn the game around.


Things turn even worse as the next play is battled by a DL who knocks it to a MLB for the pick.


McFadden is just killing me and keeping momentum on their side. We have no chance of a comeback with 6 minutes left in the game as they go up 38-14.


I spoke too quickly as we strike in 3 big plays including a bomb to Jarrett. I make the tough decision to go for a stop with 5:45 left and down 38-21.


We get the ball back with 4:45 after forcing a punt.


They blitz relentlessly, giving up a few good plays, but eventually they force me into my 2nd 4th down of the drive. This time a 4th and 12 which I can't convert. The game is over with us down 38-21 with 2:34 left.


A major upset for us. At least it was early in the season.


We lose the game 38-21 in Arkansas.


Key stats:


Booty 20 of 41 for 295 yards 2 TD 3 INT (mostly as I was trying desperately to come back.)

C. Dick 10 of 25 for 119 yards, 1 TD 1 INT.


Rushing:

C. Washington had 13 carries for 55 yards for me. (mostly in the 1st half.)

Darren McFadden had 26 carries for 169 yards and 2 TD's with a long of 44 and 42.


C. Dick had 5 carries for 18 yards.


Receiving:

D. Jarrett had 6 catches for 117 yards and 2 TD's.

S. Smith had 4 catches for 75 yards for me.


W. Murphy led them with 4 catches for 25 yards and a TD.


Ting led my team with 7 tackles. 4 other guys had 5.


A Brown sacked my QB 5 times! I really was getting nailed once I abandon the running game. Also, I have to make sure to vary my counts.


A. Brown led the team with 9 tackles.


D. Sims led them with 2 interceptions.

T. Thomas had my only interception.



Total offense: Ark 309, USC 304.

We had 5 turnovers to their 1.

[Eaglesfan27]

That loss dropped us from 4th to 14th in the rankings.


We made Anthony Brown the defensive player of the Week.

Bobby Reid for Oklahoma State was the offensive player of the week with 10 carries for 110 yards, 16-27 passing for 258 yards, and 7 total TD's against a cream puff school.


We have a bye in week 2.


We drop to #15. Today we host Nebraska which is 18th. Lee is picking us to win while Kirk is picking Nebraska. Both picked us to win the first game.

[MizzouRah]

Confirms me starting on AA as well.

[Eaglesfan27]

It's a rainy, muddy game today in LA.


Wow. Bad start to the game, as after a long drive, Booty fumbles inside the 20. Nebraska's QB hits his WR in stride for an 84 yard TD on their 1st play!


We put together a balanced drive that ends in a 2 yard TD run by Washington to tie it up.


At the end of the half, we are tied 14-14. They are hitting us with some big PA passes. Our running game has been very solid. We are mostly stopping their running game, but we are still getting hurt by those PA passes. Our short passing game has been effective.



Unfortunately, we kick off to start the 2nd half.


We have a tough blow to start the 2nd half as Terrell Thomas, our #1 or #2 CB suffers a severe injury that is going to cost him the season! Our weak secondary is getting even thinner.


Booty scrambles to his right and hits Washington for a big TD reception to make it 21-14 after we got the ball back.


Late in the 3rd quarter, Booty bruised his ribs running an option and it knocked him out for the rest of the game, bringing Sanchez into the game.


Coleman our backup RB came in for a series late in the 3rd as we were trying to grind down the clock, but he fumbled in their redzone and they recovered.


In the 4th quarter, we were in control until Ting muffed a punt and they recovered deep in our turf.

Pinkard with his second pick of the game in the endzone!!!


Oh my, Sanchez hits Jarrett on a PA pass in which it was a shallow cross, but Jarrett makes a man miss then beats everyone to the endzone for a long TD!!! That puts us up 28-14 with 4:30 left in the game.



We stop them, and then get the ball back and march down the field with our running game eating up the clock.


We win 28-14


Nebraska:

Zac Taylor was 15 of 28 for 248 yards with 2 TD's and 2 INT's.

M. Lucky ran it 19 times for 29 yards as our run defense did much better this game.

Terrence Nunn had 6 receptions for 92 yards including a TD.

N. Swift had 4 catches for 42 yards.


C. McKeon led their defense with 9 tackles.

B. Cryer had their only sack.

C. Grixby had their only interception.



USC:

Booty was 12 of 24 for 187 yards 1 TD 1 INT.

Sanchez creates a QB controversy with 5 of 5 passing for 93 yards 1 TD 0 INT.


Chauncey Washington had 23 carries for 98 yards with 2 TD's. Long of 29.

Brandon Hancock had 4 carries for 29 yards. I really need to give the ball more to our skilled FB.

Sanchez had 3 carries for 12 yards.

Booty had 2 carries for 11 yards.

Colemen our backup HB had 5 carries for 5 yards.


Chauncey Washington led the team with 6 receptions for 80 yards and a TD.

Jarrett had 4 caches for 104 yards and a TD which was that amazing 73 yard play that he made happen all by himself.


Smith had 3 catches for 44 yards.


Ting led us with 7 tackles.

Our MLB Oscar Lua had 5 tackles, all for a loss!

Our All American DE Jackson had our only sack.

Josh Pinkard, the junior, had 2 critical interceptions for us.


Now, I have a decision to make about our QB situation. Do I go with the Freshman Sanchez who played brilliantly in relief? Do I stick with the JR Booty who has waited patiently to lead the team? I'll sleep on it.

[MrBug708]

Practice update

[Eaglesfan27]

The win last week moved us up to #14 this week. Today we travel to play Arizona who are currently 1-2.

Both Kirk and Lee are picking us to win.


I've decided to give Booty one more start to prove that he belongs.


Arizona's offense and defense are both rated quite a bit worse, and we should win by a good margin. There is no reason for Booty to struggle this game.

[Eaglesfan27]

Adam Austin is having a good drive to start their offense with crisp short passing. However, we stop them about midfield.


We end a quick 6 play drive with a 53 yard bomb to our 4th WR down the middle of the field. Patrick Turner would be a #1 or #2 on most teams in America.


We were in control most of the 1st half, but it was very disappointing when our FB Hancock fumbled it (and they recovered) on the 1 yard line on what should have been a sure TD.

Booty has done well, but I could have screamed when he overthrew Jarrett on a wide open Fly patter down the right sideline in the 2nd quarter.


Fortunately, on the next play Jarrett broke a short curl with a good stiff arm and spin move and took it 42 yards for a TD!! 14-0 with 2 minutes left in the half.


After we get the ball back, Booty throws a pick thwarting our last drive of the half. 14-0 at the half.


Booty is 10 of 13 for 149 yards 2 TD's 1 INT at the half.


Adam Austin is 15 of 27 for 130 yards with 0 TD 1 INT at the half.



End of 3rd quarter, still 14-0. Our offense is having some problems with their defense, but our defense is good.

Booty ran a perfect option play with a late pitch to Washington for a long TD early in the 4th to make it 21-0.



Thanks to two bogus PI calls, they get into our red zone, but on 4th and 2 from the 4, we strip the QB of the ball and stop them short!


Game over. 21-0 win!


Key Stats:

USC:


Booty 16 of 21 for 200 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT.

Washington 15 carries for 134 yards 1 TD. Long of 56.


Hancock had 4 carries for 12 yards with a fumble.

Jarrett had 6 catches for 81 yards.

Smith had 3 catches for 41 yards.


Lua led us with 8 tackles, 3 for a loss. Ellis and Moore had 1 sack each.

Ting had 2 picks for us, and was our player of the game. Both were deep in our zone.


Arizona:

Austin was 24 of 44 for 278 yards with 2 INT.

Henry had 16 carries for 28 yards.


Thomas led the team with 5 catches for 72 yards.


Johnson led their team with 7 tackles.

J. Turner had 3 sacks for them.


Tatum had their only pick.

[Eaglesfan27]

Looking at the number of plays I'm getting per game, I'm going to go up to 10 minute quarters and keep it there for a while.


I'm getting the sense that my right side of my OL is letting me down, so let's look at the OL stats:



After 3 games, LG Jeff Byers leads the team with 13 pancakes. He has allowed 2 sacks.

RT Kyle Williams has 12 pancakes and he has only allowed 1 sack.

LT Sam Baker who is my best rated player has 10 pancakes and has allowed 3 sacks.


RG Chilo Rachal had 6 pancakes and has allowed 1 sack.

Captain and C Ryan Kalil had 6 pancakes and 0 sacks allowed.

Chauncey Washington is credited with allowing 1 sack.


I know I've given up more sacks, so perhaps the rest were considered coverage sacks?

[Eaglesfan27]

We are now 13th in the polls.


Josh Allen of Maryland was the offensive player of the week after he had 26 carries for 153 yards and 2 TD's as well as 6 receptions for 123 yards and 2 TD's against FIU.

Scott White of Washington was the defensive player of the week after he had 12 tackles 3 for a loss, a sack, and an interception against UCLA in a 42-25 win.


Chris Leak of Florda, Patrick White of WVA, and Brady Quinn of ND are getting the early Heisman Hype.



Today we play at Washington State. We are the pick of all of the experts.


Our offense is currently 110th in the nation. Theirs is 40th.

Our defense is currently 19th. Theirs is 66th.

[Eaglesfan27]

Coming into the game, their QB Alex Brink is 79-144-about 950 yards-8TD-11 INT.


For the first time this season, our toss play out of the I form works perfectly with great blocking and we break off a 35 yard run. That is the biggest play of a 9 play 56 yard TD drive which ends in a 6 yard pass to Jarrett in the middle of the field.


OUCH. Lawrence Jackson creams the QB and forces a fumble, but as he goes to dive on it, a big OL comes crashing into him and recovers it. Jackson's ribs are badly bruised and he will miss a part of the game.


Our offense just isn't clicking as we exchange multiple failed drives. They finally put together a good drive that gets inside our 5 for a 1st. But, we stop them on 2nd and goal from 3, 3rd and goal from the 2, and then 4 and goal from the 1!


Jason Hill, their star WR, has been keeping their offense moving a fair bit. Towards the end of the half, Ting took him out of the game with a vicious hit.

With 10 seconds left, I was only trying to get into FG range, but they blitzed and Booty hit Smith for a quick slant. He then juked his man and took it 53 yards for a TD!! That made it 14-3 at the half.


Brink is 11 of 22 for 117 yards with an INT at the half.


Booty is 12 of 17 for 143 yards with 2 TD's and 1 INT.


Another short TD pass from Booty to Jarrett starts off a good drive at the beginning of the 3rd period.


A PI call negates an interception and TD return by one of my CB's.


24-3 as we end the 3rd quarter.


Early in the 4th, Lawrence Jackson crushes their HB knocking him out of the game.

After running 6 times in a row, I call a play action pass and Booty hits Jarrett in stride for a 62 yard TD! 31-3.


We get the ball back after a short drive and put together another balanced drive that ends in a TD pass to Davis our TE. 38-3!


We allow a meaningless TD as the game winds down.


Game over. 38-10 win


USC:

Booty 24 of 32 for 348 yards 5 TD 1 INT.

Washington 23 carries for 130 yards.

Hancock caught a lateral from a WR which counted as a 39 yard run. He had 4 carries for 43 yards counting that.

Jarrett had 11 catches for 164 yards and 3 TD's.

Smith had 4 catches for 87 yards and a TD.

Davis had 4 catches for 40 yards and a TD.


Oscar Lua led the team with 8 tackels, 4 for a loss.

Jackson had 2 sacks for us.


Ting and Rivers each had a pick.



WSU:

Brink was 16 of 35 for 215 yards with a TD and 2 INT.

Woolridge ran it 20 times for 48 yards.


Bumpus had 5 catches for 85 yards.

Jordan had 3 catches for 50 yards and a TD.


Dildine led the team with 10 tackles.

Mullennix led the team with 2 sacks.

Turner had their only interception.

[Eaglesfan27]

Counting Special Team plays we had 137 plays run in this game. So, assuming the average college game has 140 which is what has been stated in the main thread, I'll stick with 10 minute quarters.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are now up to #11 in the polls. Today, we host 4-1 Washington. The experts are all picking us to win.


Their offense is poorly ranked, but their defense is good. I expect that we should be able to hold them to 14 points or less.


Their QB I. Stanback is 78 of 164 for 1072 yards with 13 TD 9 INT.

Their leading rusher, Rankin, has 249 yards on 63 carries with 1 TD.

Their leading receiver has 16 receptions for 246 yards with 2 TD's.

Booty has completed 72 of 118 passes for 1030 yards with 10 TD's 6 INT's.

Washington has 417 yards on 74 carries (5.6 avg) with 4 TD's.

Jarrett has 27 receptions for 466 yards and 7 TD's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Well, that stinks. I was losing 21-0 at halftime when a nearby storm temporarily knocked out my power

Oh well, time to take another break from NCAA as another line of storms are coming through the area.

[Eaglesfan27]

We stop them early, and then strike first with a 43 yard FG. 3-0 lead.


After stopping them, I throw a very short hitch to Jarrett. He jukes the first defender, stiff arms a safety, and runs down the sideline 75 yards for a TD!!!! He has amazing skills. 10-0.


Momentum is going our way at Keith Rivers forces a fumble with a jarring hit on the HB which he then proceeds to recover!


Unfortunately, Booty throws a pick on the 1.


10-0 at the end of 1.


The 2nd quarter is mostly boring with us getting a safety and them getting a FG, until the last minute. Booty directs a masterful 1:20 second drive that went 70 yards in 8 plays ending with a 5 yard HB Screen TD to Washington to make it 19-3 at the half.


Stanback is 3 of 10 for 70 yards with an INT, but he is running the option reasonably well.

Booty is 11 of 18 for 190 yards with 2 TD's and 1 INT.



Booty connects with TE Davis for a 29 yard TD pass on a play action. 26-3.


Early in the 3rd, I risk blitzing 8 and get a quick forced throw as a result which my guy intercepts and returns for a TD! 33-3.


Early in the 4th, Booty directs a great drive mostly through the air, but Washington ends it with a 2 yard TD run to make it 40-6 (they kicked a FG late in the 3rd.)


I'm going to bring in my offensive 2nd team soon.


I left the offense in too long, as Booty throws a pick on our next drive. Not a great day for him.


They hit us with a long bomb (Stanbeck to Williams) to make it 40-13 with 3 minutes left.


Our 2nd team offense doesn't do much, but our defense holds and the offense manages to run off the last minute of the clock.


Game over. 40-13 win.


Passing:

Booty 20 of 31 for 323 yards 3 TD 3 INT.

Sanchez 1 of 4 for 1 yard.


Stanback 8 of 26 for 157 yards 1 TD 2 INT.


Rushing:

Washington 18 carries for 51 yards with 1 TD.

Hancock 3 carries for 21 yards.

Coleman 6 carries for 11 yards with a long of 9. He is a big bruiser, but doesn't get much yardage. I might move him down the depth chart.

Stanback had 4 carries for 32 yards.

Rankin had 23 carries for 4 yards.



Receiving:


Jarrett had 7 catches for 134 yards and 1 TD.

Smith had 4 catches for 45 yards.

Davis had 3 catches for 69 yards and a TD.

Washington had 3 catches for 19 yards and a TD.


For Washington Lewis led them with 3 catches for 53 yards.

Williams had their 1 TD which was his only catch and it went for 58 yards.



Defense:

Ting led our defense with 8 tackles.

4 players had a sack for us.

McCurtis had the interception which he returned for a TD.

Ellison also had an interception.


Bomar led Wash with 8 tackles.

Winter had their only 2 sacks.

White led them with 2 picks.

[Eaglesfan27]

Excellent news. We had Joe Howard, a guard who is ranked #2 in the country overall and is ranked the #1 guard, at this game as our guest. Joe is from Spring Valley, CA and he was considering us and Washington. Now, he has given us a committment! Joe runs a 5.2 40, benches 470 and squats 690. Our staff thinks he has top tier potential.


That win boosts us to #10 in the polls.


Troy Smith of Ohio State was the offensive player of the week. Against BGSU, he was 16 of 21 for 366 yards and had 6 carries for 52 yards for 6 total TD's.

Tra Battle of Georgia was the defensive player of the week with 3 tackles, 2 FF, 1 FR, and 1 INT.


Dwayne Jarrett is starting to get some Heisman consideration. Brandon Cox has led Auburn to a 6-0 record and he is a highly hyped QB for the Heisman right now. So far, he has completed 123 of 194 passes for 1692 yards and 22 TD's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Today we host #7 Arizona State while we are currently #10. Most of the experts are picking ASU to win this game. ASU is currently 5-0. If they win this game, they will very likely win the Pac-10. Obviously, this would be a huge win for us.


ASU's offense is 6th in the nation for points scored. Their pass attack is highly prolific and is 11th in the nation. Their run defense is very good and their pass defense is also good. However, I think we have the talent to beat them if we play well.

[Eaglesfan27]

Their first few plays, their HB was tearing us up, but on their first pass attempt, Jackson sacked the QB forced a fumble, which our DT Moala picked up and ran back 42 yards for a TD!!!! 7-0.


Unfortunately, a few drives later Booty throws a pick from his own 4 which the LB easily returns into the endzone to make it 7-7.


And our KR, Reed, fumbles the kickoff giving them the ball on our 18.


The next play, we force the HB to fumble and Rivers recovers!

We put together a 45 yard drive which ends with a 43 yard FG. 10-7.


A fumbled punt return gives them a short field, and they put together a nice short TD drive to make it 13-10 (we blocked the extra point.)


2nd quarter: ASU leads 13-10.



Most of the 2nd was a defensive battle, surprisingly, but they managed to put together a 68 yard drive which ends in a 4 yard pass for a TD to make it 20-10 with 0:58 left in the half.


We get sacked and fumble it (but recover it) and then get sacked again, and I let time run out on the half.



Halftime: 20-10, ASU leads.


Keller, their QB is 12 of 15 for 151 yards with 1 TD 0 INT.

Booty is 4 of 11 for 66 yards with 1 INT.



They force a 3 and out to start the 2nd half. They are double teaming Jarrett to great effect.


ASU runs it in on their next drive to make it 27-10


Booty fumbles on an option on the next drive. They recover.


A few minutes later they throw another TD pass to make it 34-10.


I decide to bring Sanchez into the game to try to spark my team.


Sanchez moves the team some, but we end up failing to convert 4th and 4 on their 38.

We get a quick stop and then Sanchez directs us on a nice drive which ends with a long TD pass to Smith to make it 34-17. Can we come back? There is 1:40 left in the 3rd.


Oh my, Rivers sacks the QB and strips him. Jeff Schweiger recovers it and runs it in 19 yards for a TD! 34-24 with 12 seconds left in the 3rd!


Wow. Momentum has completely turned, and their HB drops an option pitch deep in their zone. Oscar Lua picks it up and runs it in 14 yards for a TD!!!! 34-31 with 9:30 left in the game.


I'm really wishing we hadn't missed a FG early in the game now.


That reminds me, I'll probably turn kicking power for both the player and the CPU up to 60. My FG kicker has a very good rating but he is short on 45 yard FG's, and this is the 3rd time it has happened despite hitting the meter almost near the top.


Ouch. 6 plays into the game, their HB Herring breaks off a 54 yard TD run in which he just burst through a hole, juked our S, and then took it the distance.


Sanchez drives us most of the way, but then he throws a pick to their safety which probably ends our hopes.


We get the ball back with 5 minutes left, but we fail to convert 4th and 4 on the 50.


We get the ball back quickly, but there is only 3:30 left.


We manage to drive inside the 20. Rather than go for it on 4th and 3. I decide to kick the FG to make it 41-34. Now, the tough decision. My defense has stopped them quickly the last few times. I decide to kick it deep.


They run for minimal gains the first 2 plays, and then don't convert the 3rd and 8. We use all 3 timeouts, but keep 1:30 on the clock as we get the ball back.


We start on our 30.


After some good quick passes and a few spikes, we get onto their 25 with 11 seconds left...


Sanchez throws a pass that is almost intercepted. 7 seconds left. Sanchez is blindsided by a blitzing LB. He fumbles and another LB runs it 73 yards for a TD. Game over. 47-34. We lost a heart breaker and lose our chance at the national title.


Passing:

Sam Keller 22 of 28 for 233 yards 2 TD 0 INT.

Sanchez (in relief) 16 of 27 for 273 yards 1 TD 1 INT.

Booty 4 of 13 for 66 yards 0 TD 1 INT.



Rushing:

K Herring 24-104-3TD's. Long of 49.

Keller had 8 rushes for 2 yards.


Washington had 8 carries for 22 yards. Sanchez had 2 carries for 6 yards.



T. Richardson led them with 8 catches for 82 yards and a TD.

Z. Miller had 6 catches for 52 yards.



Jarrett had 8 catches for 100 yards.

Smith had 4 catches for 89 yards 1 TD. Long of 37.

Davis had 4 catches for 49 yards.


Z. Catanese led them with 7 tackles.

R. James had 3 sacks and a FF.


Lua led us with 11 tackles, 4 for a loss.

Jackson led the team with 2 sacks.

[Eaglesfan27]

Lawrence Harmon, a C from Hacienda Heights, CA visited this past game. Despite our loss, he has now given us a soft committ. He is ranked #192 overall in the nation, and he is one of the top C prospects. He runs a 5.24, benches 480, and squats 645. He has excellent potential, but poor discipline.


Kenny Irons of Auburn was the Player of the Week. Against UF he ran the ball 13 times for 86 yards and 3 TD's. He also had 5 receptions for 52 yards and 2 TD's.


Eric Morrah of Cal was the defensive player of the week. The Linebacker had 11 tackles, 2 INT's, and 2 FF against WSU in a close 29-26 win.


We have a bye this week. Here are the Pac-10 Standings:

1. Arizona State (6-0, 3-0) now ranked #6
2. USC (4-2, 3-1) now ranked #16.
3. Washington (5-2, 3-1) NR.
4. Stanford (5-2, 3-1)
5. Oregon State (4-1, 2-1)
6. Cal (4-3, 2-2)
7. UCLA (3-3, 2-2)
8. Oregon (1-5, 1-3)
9. Washington State (2-5, 0-4)
10. Arizona (1-6, 0-4)



We have a bye this week.

[Eaglesfan27]

At the start of week 9 (after our bye) here is the top 15 in the polls (we are #15):

1. Auburn 8-0
2. Oklahoma 7-0
3. West Virginia 7-0
4. Louisville 7-0
5. ASU 7-0
6. Texas Tech 8-0
7. Penn State 7-1
8. Texas 6-2
9. Ohio State 6-2
10. Iowa 7-1
11. ND 5-2
12. Florida 5-2
13. FSU 6-1
14. Michigan 6-2
15. USC 4-2

[Eaglesfan27]

Today, we travel to play at Oregon State. They are 5-1 but unranked. We are ranked 15th. We are favored by all of the experts to win this game. However, they have a talented defense and I'm not taking anything for granted. They also have a very good turnover margin while ours is -9.


M. Moore is their leading passer. He has completed 108 of 175 passes for 1233 yards, 8 TD's and 7 INT's. Y. Bernard has 429 yards on 72 carries for a 6.0 avg with 4 TD's. J. Newton is their leading receiver with 15 catches for 302 yards and 3 TD's.

[Eaglesfan27]

After only scoring 3 points in the first quarter, we put together a strong drive that ends in a 30 yard TD run by Washington to make it 10-3 with 9 minutes left in the 1st half.


After a pair of failed drives, Booty hits Smith in stride for a TD to make it 17-3.


After exchanged failed drives, their speedy HB breaks a long run to make it 17-10 with 2:40 left in the half.


We put together a balanced drive which ends in a sneak from the 1 yard line by Booty for a TD as the half expires. 24-10.


At halftime, Booty is 15 of 23 for 168 yards with a TD, no INT's.

Moore is 5 of 13 for 94 yards with 0 TD's 1 INT.


After multiple exchanged failed drives, we put together a passing drive that ends with a 2 yard run by our FB Hancock for a TD. 31-10.


Pinkard picks off a post to the TE, dodges two men and takes it to the house to make it 38-10!


At the beginning of the 4th, Booty ends a nice drive with a 28 yard TD pass to Jarrett in the corner of the endzone. 45-10.


They put together a very long time consuming drive, but we pick it off in the endzone.

I bring in my 2nd team offense with 3 minutes left and the big lead.


The 3rd play of the drive, Sanchez and Coleman run the option to perfection and Coleman breaks off an 82 yard TD run! 52-10.


Game over. 52-10. We dominated them today, and played to our potential for the first time this year IMO.


Booty 22 of 33 for 290 yards 2 TD's 0 INT's.

Moore 13 of 30 for 186 yards 0 TD 3 INT.


Washington had 21 carries for 109 yards with 1 TD. Long of 30 for us.

Michael Coleman had 8 carries for 97 yards with a TD for us. Long of 81.


Booty had 4 carries for 25 yards for us.

Hancock had 3 carries for 9 yards for us.


Bernard had 21 carries for 93 yards with a TD for Oregon State. His long was a 60 yard carry.


Jarrett had 9 receptions for 124 yards and 1 TD. Long of 27.

Smith had 3 catches for 63 yards with a TD. Long of 28.

Washington had 3 catches for 42 yards with a long of 31.

A. Wheat Brown led Oregon State with 5 catches for 88 yards.



Pinkard led our team with 6 tackles. He led the team with 2 interceptions as well.


Jackson led our team with 2 sacks.


J. LaRocque led their team with 11 tackles. He also led their team with 2 sacks and a FF.

[Eaglesfan27]

Lawrence Harmon firmed up his committment today and we now have two very good prospects signed. This gives me more time to work on the other guys I've been pursuing as well.


Jeremy Young the QB of Sountern Miss was the Player of the week in an OT game against ECU he was 18 of 42 for 254 yards. However, he also had 19 carries for 100 yards and 7 total TD's.


Korey Raymond a DT from ULL was the Defensive Player of the Week. He had 7 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 FF in a 31-24 win over MTSU.


The top 5 Heisman candidates at this point are:

HB Kenny Irons of Auburn. He has 188 carries for 1334 yards and 14 TD's. He also has 25 receptions for 409 yards and 5 TD's.


Robert Johnson of Texas Tech. HE has 78 receptions for 1174 yards and 11 TD's.


Troy Smith of Ohio State University. He is 169 of 264 for 2076 yards. He also has 97 carries for 629 yards and 32 Total TD's.


Chris Todd of Texas Tech. He is 220 of 348 for 2778 yards. He has 44 carries as well and 34 total TD's.


Brandon Cox of Auburn. He is 183 of 286 for 2434 yards and 24 TD's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Today we travel to play Stanford. We are ranked 12th with our 5-2 record. Stanford is unranked with a 5-3 record. All of the experts are picking us to win. Their defense is bad, but their QB is putting up some huge numbers this year. Trent Edwards has completed 177 of 277 passed for 2173 yards. He also has 23 TD's and 9 INT's. Evan Moore is his favoorite target with 49 receptions for 821 yards and 7 TD's.

All of the experts are picking us to win.

[Eaglesfan27]

It's a rainy day today in Palo Alto.


Trent Edwards completed his first 4 passes, but on his 5th attempt Lua tipped it up to himself, picked it off, and ran it back all of the way! 7-0.


After stopping them, I hit Jarrett on a quick hitch, he turns, jukes a man, and beats everyone down the sideline for a long TD!! 14-0.


Midway into the 2nd quarter, Booty hits Hancock on a delayed wheel pattern in stride and he is wide open for a 20 yard TD pass! 21-0.



A few plays later Rivers makes an acrobatic interception and manages to regain his balance and return it 33 yards for a TD. 28-0.


They score a FG with 24 seconds left to make it 28-3.


Reed gets our best Kickoff return of the season to take it to their 30. We have 16 seconds left. Booty hits Jarrett on a corner route for 27 yards before he is pushed out of bounds. I decide to surprise them and try running it with 7 seconds left. Washington goes untouched into the endzone. 35-3 as the 1st half ends.

I find myself questioning if I need to adjust sliders as some people have found it too easy, but then I remember my loss not too long ago. It just seems like Stanford's O-Line is not holding up and we aren't giving their QB much time to throw at all. Their LT and RT are rated between 10 and 15 points below the guys they are trying to block, and their interior is rated even further below the guys they are trying to block. So, it's no wonder we are getting some good pressure and some resulting picks. Other than that, Jarrett is simply too fast and strong for their top CB who is rated 15 points below him. Smith is rated over 10 points above the CB covering him as well. Except for the QB spot, we are outclassing our competition. Even their star WR is only rated 88 which is the same as my top CB who is covering him.


Even with all of that Edwards stats aren't terrible:


Edwards 12 of 24 for 136 yards with 0 TD 2 INT.

Booty is 6 of 11 for 142 yards 2 TD's.




On our first drive of the 2nd half, Booty hits Coleman, the backup HB, for a 3 yard TD pass to make it 42-3.


On 2nd and 6, we hit the TE on an out on a PA call and he uses his extraordinary speed to burn his man for a TD. 49-3. It will be time to bring the 2nd team offense in soon.


Harris intercepts a ball deep in our zone and returns it 74 yards for a TD. 56-3! I guess it will be time to bring in the 2nd team defense in the 4th quarter as well.


We just got our 7th sack on their QB.

They fake punt on 4th and 14 on their 49. They fail. I bring in the 2nd team with 1:31 left in the 3rd.



Wow. Their offense was driving against my 2nd team defense late in the 4th, but McCurtis intercepted a slant on the 3 yard line and took it 97 yards for a TD! 63-3.


Just a few quick key stats as my friend just got here.


Booty 10 of 17 for 249 yards 4 TD's 0 INT.

Edwards 24 of 44 for 258 yards 0 TD 4 INT.

Washington 10 carries for 15 yards.

Jarrett 3 catches for 108 yards and 1 TD.

[Eaglesfan27]

Thanks in part to Todd's recommendation, I'm using some sliders that are based off the ones he posted from OS. I thought a few things were a bit too far toned down. Specifically, I don't think interceptions have been as excessive as needing to be turned down to 0/25. Here are the sliders I'm using for the rest of the season:


Offense (HUM/CPU)
QB Accuracy - 50/60
Pass Blocking - 60/60
WR Catching - 50/60
RB Ability - 50/60
Run Blocking - 50/60

Defense (HUM/CPU)
Awareness - 50/65
Knockdowns - 50/50
Interceptions - 40/45
Break Block - 45/45
Tackling - 35/50

Special Teams (HUM/CPU)
FG Power - 60/60
FG Accuracy - 50/25
Punt Power - 50/50
Punt Accuracy - 50/50
Kickoff Power -60/60

Penalties
Offside - 100
False Start - 80
Holding - 100
Facemask - 100
Offensive PI - 100
Defensive PI - 100
KR/PR Interf. - 100
Clipping - 75
Int. Grounding - 100
Roughing Passer - 100
Roughing Kicker - 100

[Eaglesfan27]

After the big win, we remain ranked 12th. Today we host Oregon and we have several recruits we've been working on coming to see this game. Oregon is 3-6. We are favored by both Lee and Kirk to win this game.

Oregon's Dennis Dixon is last in the Pac 10 in passing with only 1527 yards. He is 120 of 259 and we should be able to shut down his passing well. He has 15 TD's and 13 INT's. However, he is a very mobile QB who is a potential dangerous runner.

Andre Crenshaw their HB is #2 in the Pac 10 with 880 yards on 132 carries (6.6 avg). He only has 4 TD's despite all of the yardage with a long of 29. Drew Larson is their leading receiver with 38 catches for 560 yards and 4 TD's. He is a true burner who we have to constantly keep an eye on.

[General Mike]

Nice job so far Dr. EF27.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dixon ran well early, but we forced them into a 3rd and 7. They threw a long pass that the receiver caught near the sideline. I challenged the call and on replay he was ruled out of bounds.

Midway through the 1st quarter, I find myself with a solution to the QB dilemma as Booty breaks clearly his wrist on the option. Our trainers think he will miss the rest of the season.


2 plays later Danelo misses a 46 yard FG just barely short.


Very early in the 2nd quarter, Sanchez reads the blitz, throws a quick cross to Jarrett who spins away from a defender and runs to the left corner of the endzone for a 16 yard TD!! 7-0.


Dixon just had a sick run in which he broke 2 tackles to get them a 1st down.


Danelo hits a 41 yard FG as time expires in the half to make it 10-0. Oregon's defense is doing better than I thought they would.


Dixon is 6 of 13 for 58 yards. However, he also has 7 scrambles for 42 yards.

Booty was 4 of 7 for 60 yards.

Sanchez is 8 of 16 for 85 yards and a TD.


Booty is definitely done for the year. His season stats: 128 of 212 for 1958 yards with 19 TD's 10 INT's.



Sanchez fumbles on the 1 as he was attempting to scramble for a TD. They recover. 2 plays later Dixon runs it 28 yards, and then 10 on the next play. Despite my placing a spy on him, he is making some amazing runs.


Dixon runs a beautiful option play for another 8 yard gain after a few other plays and finally gets it into the endzone on a QB Keeper. 10-6, as we block the XP. 1:29 left in the 3rd.



3 plays into our drive Sanchez throws a pick.


Coleman has been running well as the spell HB, but he just fumbled in teh red zone and they recovered.


With 5 minutes left, Sanchez hits Fred Davis in stride on a PA pass where he was wide open to make it 17-6.


Davis has been Sanchez' main target today.


Dixon sprains his wrist on an option run, and we aren't sure if he will return. He has close to 100 yards rushing today, I think.


With 2:46 left, they miss a 48 yard FG.


Washington runs it in from 5 yards out with less than a minute left to make it 24-6. i guess that was a bit unsporting of me.. (at least I didn't use any timeouts.)


I have to say these sliders gave a good challenge which is a good thing considering despite their record Oregon wasn't ranked that much below me.



Game over. 24-6 win for us.


Dixon 7 of 19 for 68 yards. 14 carries for 111 yards.


Sanchez 18 of 30 for 201 yards 2 TD's 1 INT.

Booty was 4 of 7 for 60 yards.


Crenshaw had 18 carries for 47 yards.


Washington had 24 carries for 103 yards for me and 1 TD.

Sanchez had 7 carries for 49 yards.

Coleman had 8 carries for 35 yards and a fumble.

Hancock had 4 carries for 19 yards.


Finley led them with 4 receptions for 34 yards.


Davis had 9 catches for 100 yards and a TD.

Jarrett had 5 catches for 97 yards and a TD.

Hancok had 3 catches for 25 yards.

Smith only had 1 catch for 14 yards.


Tuitele led them with 11 tackles.

Linehan had their only sack.

Glasper had their only pick.


Lua led my team with 6 tackles, 2 for a loss.

Jackson and 3 others each had a sack.


The game would have been a bigger blowout if our turnover margin wasn't so bad this game. We've had a terrible turnover margin this year.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by General Mike

Nice job so far Dr. EF27.

Thanks

[Eaglesfan27]

YES!!! We had 3 recruits at the Oregon game, and 2 of them liked what they saw. We stole Dedrick Burke right away from Texas! Dedrick plays HS in Denton, TX. He is a SS who is ranked 65th in the nation overall and in the top 3 at his position. He is 6'1 196 pounds and he runs a 4.4 40. He also has a great high jump very good hands and excellent awareness according to our scouts. He could be a major contributor to our secondary.


We also got a MLB which we desperately need as Lua will leave this year P.J. McCray is from Altadena, CA and he was considering Cal but chose us instead. He is ranked 67th nationally overall and 2nd at MLB in the nation. He runs a 4.47 and is a compact 5'11 215 pounds. He has decent hands but very good awareness. Our scouts think he has Excellent Growth Potential. They also think he is a very disciplined player.


Our Third Recruit TE Christian Roberts is 64th in the nation and 2nd at his position gave us a soft verbal after the game. Christian runs a 4.73 in the 40. He has good strength and good hands. He has the potential to develop into a very good possession receiver as well as a decent blocker.

After the win, we remain 12th in the nation.


Here are the top 10 in the polls:

1. Oklahoma 10-0
2. Auburn 11-0
3. Lousiville 9-0
4. Penn State 10-1
5. Ohio State 9-2
6. Iowa 10-1
7. West Virginia 8-1
8. ND 8-2
9. Texas Tech 10-1
10. Arizona State 9-1.


Jarrett has been named as a semifinalist for the Best WR award.

C Ryan Kalil has been named a semifinalist for the Rimington Award.

DE Lawrence Jackson has been named a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award.

Troy Smith of Ohio State and Kenny Irons of Auburn are getting most of the Heisman talk right now.


Ryan Cubit of Western Michigan was the offensive player of the week after he threw for over 360 yards and 8 TD's in a 59-35 win over CMU.

Brandon Archer of Kansas State was the defensive player of the week after he had 22 tackles, 3 sacks, and 3 FF against Texas in a 21-14 win!

[Eaglesfan27]

Today we host Cal in a game that has big implications in the Pac-10 as we still have a slim chance of catching ASU. Also, it is important because our last in season recruit that is still interested in us is visiting the campus today. We missed out on the top HB, Mike Razzano from Kennewick, Washington who committed to Louisville. We also missed out on the top WR in the nation A.J. Pollard from Newport Beach, CA. He surprised everyone by committing to Fresno State. Finally, we missed the top QB in the nation, Matt Temple from Illinois. He committed to Michigan.

Today, we host Matt Allen the top FB in the nation. He is from Apex, NC. Tennessee is our main competition for Matt.


We are favored by both announcers over Cal. Cal is led by Senior QB Steve Levy who has completed 170 of 298 passes for 2133 yards with 24 TD's and 14 INT's.

Marshawn Lynch is one of the best backs in the Pac-10, and he is a true gamebreaker. He has 859 yards on 122 carries and 6 TD's this year.

Levy has added another 269 yards on 73 carries as he has good mobility.

They have 3 WR's who are good but not great. Their #1 receiver statistically is Desean Jacksonm who has 39 catches for 496 yards and 5 TD's. However, he is injured for the season. Lavelle Hawkins has 400 yards and 7 TD's on 34 catches. He and Robert Jordan are the main threats today. TE Craig Stevens is one of the better pass receiving TE's in the Pac-10. Overall, they have the potential to be a dangerous offense.

[Eaglesfan27]

After exchanging failed drives, Lua blocks a 34 yard FG to keep it 0-0.


Early in the 2nd, I go for it on 4th and goal from the half yard line, but they stop Washington inches short of the TD.

3 plays later, Kevin Ellison intercepts it on the 15.


The next play Sanchez hits Fred Davis in stride on a wheel pattern for a TD. 7-0.


Our next drive, Sanchez throws a bullet for 50 yards to Jarrett in stride to get to the 2. Unfortunately, he throws a pick 2 plays later.


On our next drive, Sanchez fumbles it on their 14 after being sacked rolling out.


Halftime. Surprisingly, both defenses are dominating. Well, our offense is failing to execute in the redzone. 2 Fumbles, 1 turnover on downs all in the redzone. However, our defense, particularly our front 7 has been brilliant.


Levy is 6 of 16 for 58 yards with 1 INT.

Sanchez is 11 of 19 for 151 yards with 1 TD 1 INT.

Lynch only has 29 yards on 11 attempts as we are bottling him up.

Washington has 37 yards on 9 carries for me.



Late in the 3rd, Hancock runs it in from 4 yards out to end a balanced drive. That makes it 17-0 (I hit a 34 yard FG earlier in the quarter.)


Midway through the 4th, Thomas intercepts a hitch on our own 33 and returns it 67 yards for a TD! 24-0.


Our front 7 have gotten amazing pressure on Levy today while preventing him from scrambling too much.



Game over. 24-0. Our offense had some trouble punching it in against this team, but our defense was brilliant.


Levy was 13 of 30 for 107 yards with 2 INT.

Sanchez was 17 of 32 for 273 yards with 1 TD 1 INT.


Lynch had 17 rushes for 59 yards.

Levy had 2 rushes for 9 yards.


Washington had 21 carries for 74 yards.

Hancock had 5 carries for 21 yards and 1 TD.

Sanchez had 7 carries for 10 yards.


Coleman had 5 carries for 21 yards.


Lynch led them with 4 catches for 38 yards.

Jarrett led us with 6 catches for 90 yards.

McFoy, our 3rd WR, had 4 catches for 91 yards including a 35 yard play.

Fred Davis had 3 catches for 55 yards.


Smith had 2 catches for 29 yards.



Morrah led them with 9 tackles. He also led them with 1 sack.


Mixon had their only pick.


Ellison led us with 6 tackles.

Ellis and Lawrence Jackson each had 3 sacks and countless hurries.

Ellison and Thomas had 1 pick each.

[Eaglesfan27]

Christian Roberts the 6'7 240 pound TE that we have been pursuing just commited to us. We have gotten 5 of our original 12 targets. Not bad. Roberts size and speed for his size will make him a dangerous target for us in the red zone, in particular.


With most of our in-season recruiting wrapped up, we can turn our full attention to the #1 FB in the nation, Allen. He enjoyed his visit, and his coach has informed us that he almost committed to us last week. However, Allen tells us he really likes us, but he really likes Tenn. too.



This upcoming week, we have our biggest challenge (and probably the biggest indicator of whether I need to tighten sliders more as I become adjusted to the game.) ND is ranked 5th in the nation, and our coaches believe this is the 1st team all year that actually has more talent than us. Well, I should say their offense is ranked better than ours by the coaches. Our defense i sranked better than theirs. Overall, we are even. ND's offense is 10th in the nation overall and their passing attack is 3rd in the nation. Brady Quinn has completed 229 of 339 passes for 2765 yards with 32 TD's and 9 INT's.

Darius Walker has 1275 yards on 188 carries and 15 TD's.

Jeff Samardzija has 79 catches for 1061 yards with 13 TD's. Our coaches believe he is the best WR we've faced all year. Rhema McKnight is a top flight WR who has another 63 catches for 682 yards and 8 TD's. Each of their skill position players on offense are among the best in the nation. Furthermore, with the exception of their RT, Brian Mattes, each of their OL are excellent. If Lawrence Jackson can dominate their RT that might be our defense's saving grace. We'll play this game tomorrow, as I'm getting sleepy tonight (long week of work.)

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Ryan Cubit of Western Michigan was the offensive player of the week after he threw for over 360 yards and 8 TD's in a 59-35 win over CMU.

No effin way he ever does this in real life.

I hate the Cubits.

[Eaglesfan27]

We got the ball first at home, but they stopped us around midfield.


A good punt starts them on their 9.



They cut through our defense like butter, until Rivers blitzed and sacked him on the 10 and forced a fumble which Lua recovered. Quinn completed every pass on the drive.


A. Wooden intercepts our 2nd pass of the drive and returns it 15 yards to our 35. He is covering Jarrett well so far.


On 2nd down, we stop Walker on a toss for a 7 yard loss. This leads to a 53 yard FG attempt which we block!


On the next play, Hancock fumbles the ball inside a LARGE crowd... it bounces free to Jarrett on the right side of the field. He picks it up on our 49 and runs it 51 yards for a TD!!!!! 7-0.


3 plays later Quinn hits Samardjiza on a quick slant, he breaks two tackles and runs it 79 yards for a TD!! 7-7.


They stop us just short of midfield and we punt starting them on their 12.


Quinn completed his first 3 short passes, but I asked Lua to play underneath coverage on Samardjiza and he intercepted a slant meant for him and returned it 32 yards for a TD!!! 14-7.


A few plays later, Darius Walker fumbles it in the middle of our Defense and Ellison picks it up.


Their defense holds up well, and we settle for a 37 yard FG. 17-7.


A holding call kills their drive and they settle for a 35 yard FG attempt which we block. I'm not doing anything special to block FG's.


A holding call brings back a 42 yard TD after they had blitzed almost everyone. Instead, we ended up getting a 4 and 3 from the 36. It is a bit long for my FG kicker, so I go for it, but my silly TE lets it hit his helmet and fall incomplete.


2 plays later, Jackson is in Quinn's face, but Quinn throws it.. right to Thomas who intercepts it and runs it in 32 yards for a TD. 23-7 as my kicker missed the XP!


Quinn goes 8 of 9 on a drive down the field 75 yards in 1:37 with a 17 yard TD to Ford to make it 23-14.



Halftime: 23-14 we lead. They are dominating yardage, while we are dominating turnovers. Without the turnovers, we'd be in deep trouble.

We've gotten 6 turnovers, including 2 fumbles that we recovered, and 2 interceptions.

They have 324 yards of offense. We have 148.


Quinn at the half is 15 of 25 for 306 yards with 2 TD's 2 INT's.

Sanchez is 8 of 17 for 102 yards with 1 INT.


Time to head to the 2nd half...

[Eaglesfan27]

Jackson gets a sack for us on the 1st play of the 2nd half. Finally, something more than a hurry.


They drive to our 30, before Harris picks off a slant.


We drive to their 20, and get stopped on 3rd and 2. I settle for a 37 yard FG. 26-14.


After stopping them, I try to throw a deep PA pass on 3rd and 1. #18 for ND picks it off.


They get to our 33, where we stop them. They attempt a 50 yard FG that is wide left.


They stop us around midfield and we punt. We down it on the 8.


Early in the 4th, Quinn just went over 400 yards passing.

Lua tips a pass across the middle that Ellison intercepts to end a drive deep in our zone.


They stop us around midfield and we punt it inside the 10 again.



They drive 85 yards inside our 5. We stop them on 3 plays. With 2:47 left, they have no choice but to go for it on 4th and goal from the 4. I have double coverage on Samardzija, but he gets a good pick from one of his men, and gets open across the middle. Quinn guns it in there for a TD. 26-21.

With 2:40 left they kick deep. They've stopped us most of the game.

Sanchez breaks off a 42 yard option keeper run on the 1st play!!!


Washington with 3 runs of 3, 4, and 6 yards to get us a 1st and eat up clock.


Washington with another 3 runs of 3, 4, and 3 yards for another 1st.


We run out the clock on 3rd down with the ball on their 5.


Game over. 26-21 win. Our defense won this one for us today.


I'm going to look at the interception leaders across the nation to see if our guys are disproportionately represented based on their ratings. If so, I might cut down the interception sliders as per Heelsfan's sliders. However, this is the first game where we had a lot of interceptions, but this is one of the first QB's to throw for over 400 yards, to lock in on a receiver, and to throw it 50 plus times..


We won the turnover battle 6-2.

Total offense 508 for ND, 255 for USC.


Quinn was 32 of 51 for 501 yards 3 TD's 4 INT's.

Sanchez was 10 of 23 for 116 yards 0 TD 2 INT's.



Walker only had 16 carries for 42 yards.

Quinn had 3 carries for -8 yards.


Washington had 24 carries for 81 yards.

Sanchez had 3 carries for 53 yards.



Coleman had 5 carries for 14 yards.

Hancock had 3 carries for 12 yards.



McKnight had 12 catches for 158 yards for ND.

Samardzija had 11 catches for 242 yards and 2 TD's for ND. Long of 79.


Walker had 5 catches for 58 yards.



Jarrett had 3 catches for 36 yards.

Washington had 2 catches for 10 yards.

McFoy had 2 catches for 48 yards.

Davis had a catch for 4 yards as did Hancock.

Smith had 1 catch for 14 yards.



Ndukwe led ND with 10 tackles.

Landri had their only sack.

Ndukwe and Wooden had their 2 sacks.


Lua led us with 10 tackles, 2 FR.

He also was one of 4 people with a pick.

Jackson was one of 4 players with 1 sack. Jackson had countless hurries as well.

[Eaglesfan27]

The leading player for interceptions inn the nation is Larry Anam of Boston College with 7. 2 other players are tied with 7.

My leading interceptions guys are Kevin Ellison with 4, Josh Pinkard with 4, and Ryan Ting with 3.


Ellison is rated 85 overall and has 62 catching ability.

Pinkard is rated 90 overall and has 68 catching ability along with great Man Coverage and Zone Coverage abilities.


Ting is rated 90 overall with 71 catching ability and excellent zone coverage.

The top 5 guys in interceptions in the nation all have catching ability below 71.


I decide to lower my own interception rate to 35, but that is where I will leave it for the rest of the year. I think I was just lucky Quinn threw some passes right to my guys while under pressure.

[Eaglesfan27]

Matt Allen disappointed me by committing to Tennessee today. I guess he wanted to stay closer to home. Oh well, we got 5 guys that we targeted as early recruits. Not too bad.


We are now done in-season recruiting and just need to focus on beating UCLA. We are 9-2. They are 3-8. It should be an easy win on paper, but you never know against UCLA.


First let's look across the nation:

Mark Bonds of Western Michigan won the Player of the Week for 6 TD's on 20 carries and 93 yards in a 52-7 win over the Zips.


Quinton Culberson of Mississippi State won Defensive Player of the Week for a 6 tackles and 3 interceptions against Mississippi in a 28-20 win.



Top 10 of the Top 25 polls:

1. Oklahoma 12-0
2. Louisville 11-0
3. West Virginia 10-1
4. Auburn 11-1
5. Michigan 10-2
6. Texas Tech 11-1
7. Arizona State 11-1
8. USC 9-2
9. Alabama 10-2
10. Iowa 10-2

ND dropped to 13th (from 5th) after the loss to us.


Bowl Projections as of right now:


National Championship: Louisville vs Oklahoma

Fiesta Bowl: West Virginia vs Boise State

Sugar Bowl: Auburn vs USC.

Rose Bowl: Michigan vs Arizona State

Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs Texas Tech.


I'll probably play the UCLA game a bit later tonight.

[Eaglesfan27]

Today we face UCLA on their home field. They are the least talented team we've faced most of the year according to our scouts. Their offense is rated a B- and their defense is a C+. Their offense is 72nd in the nation and their run game is 104th in the nation. Their deense is 48th in the nation. Their turnover margin on the year is -6. Our is plus 1.

Olson their QB has completed 196 of 385 passes for 2539 yards. He has 20 TD's and 21 INT's.

Their HB Markey has 149 carries for 802 yards and 3 TD's.

J. Cowan their leading receiver has 58 catches for 972 yards and 8 TD's.


Like I said, the Battle for the Victory Bell usually surprises even when one team is down..

[General Mike]

EF27, when you initially set up the inseason recruiting points, did you give points to all 12 guys, or just concentrate on 8 or so?

[Eaglesfan27]

After exchanging failed drives, UCLA strikes first with a 48 yard FG. 3-0.


On 3rd and 5, McCoy is crushed on a crossing pattern and can't hold onto the ball.

Their FG kicker hits another long FG, 47 yards, to end this drive. 6-0.


End of the 1st.



#37 intercepts it and returns it all the way when Sanchez tries to force it on 3 and 14. 13-0, and momentum is all with UCLA.



Sanchez fumbles it when scrambling and they recover. They have it on our 22.

On 3rd and GOAL from the 1, they call a PA pass to get a TD. 20-0.


This cannot stand...

We get a good drive going, but Sanchez overthrows Jarrett on a wide open pattern that would have been a TD. We fail to convert the ensuing 3rd down and we settle for a 30 yard FG. 20-3.


Thanks in big part to a big gain on a screen pass to the HB, they get a 43 yard FG to make it 23-3 with 1:25 left in the half.


With time running out in the half, Sanchez hits Turner for a 4 yard TD pass. 23-10.


Halftime Stats:


We've lost 2 turnovers. They've lost 0.

We each have about 175 yards of total offense.


Sanchez is 15 of 27 for 141 yards 1 TD 1 INT.

Olson is 8 of 17 for 118 yards with a TD.


Our running games is nonexistant. Markey has 61 yards on 13 carries.

Markey is also their top receiver with 3 catches for 45 yards.



We force a 3 and out to start the 2nd. I feel momentum turning our way.


We drive to the 26 but get stopped on 3rd and 10. We make a 43 yard FG. 23-13.



We force another 3 and out.


Oh my, Sanchez hits Turner for a 32 yard TD on 3rd and 14th. 23-20.


Momentum is all ours now.


Late in the 3rd, Sanchez just makes a terrible throw no where near the receiver and they pick it off.


Early in the 4th, they kick a 44 yard FG. 26-20.


Rather than sticking with Coleman as my backup HB as I have all year, I decide to bring Whitney Lewis into the game. He is arguably my fastest HB. It pays off as the 2nd play of the drive he takes a toss and turns the corner and beats everyone for a 66 yard TD!!!! 27-26.


We stop them well short of midfield and get the ball back with 5 minutes left.


Jarrett shocks me by dropping a 3rd down pass. We go 3 and out.


We force a 3 and out.


They force a 3 and out as Washington is just getting stuffed.


With 1:37 and all of their timeouts left, they punt rather than go for 4th and 18.


Rather than run multiple times into their heart, I call a PA pass that gets me a 33 yard gain to my backup TE.

That 1st down allows me to run out the clock with 2 more running plays.


Game over. 27-26 win. Much closer than I expected, but like I said, the Rivalry is always hard to predict. They got momentum early, and they played us tough.


Sanchez 25 of 41 for 289 yards 2 TD's 2 INT's.

Ben Olson 16 of 30 for 185 yards 1 TD 0 INT.


Whitney Lewis had 5 carries for 70 yards.

Sanchez had 7 carries for 42 yards.

Washington had 14 carries for 14 yards.



Markey had 80 yards on 20 carries for UCLA.



Jarrett had 11 catches for 99 yards.


Smith had 4 catches for 45 yards.


Patrick Turner our #4 WR had 3 catches for 51 yards and 2 TD's.


Davis had 2 catches for 42 yards.

Thompson had the 1 catch for 33 yards.



Markey led the Bruins with 5 catches for 58 yards.

Bell was 2nd with 3 catches for 49 yards.


Ting led us with 9 tackles.

Jackson was second with 6 tackles. He had 3 Tackles for a loss and 2 sacks.

C. Taylor led the Bruins with 7 tackkles. T. Brown led them with 1 sack.

J. Hale had one pick and R. Van had the other.



We end our regular season at 10-2. Will we make it into one of the top tier bowl games?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by General Mike

EF27, when you initially set up the inseason recruiting points, did you give points to all 12 guys, or just concentrate on 8 or so?

Actually, I generally pick my top 6 and just give them the points. Or at most I give the 7th and 8th guy 5 points and if they don't respond to that in the 1st week, I drop them to 0.

[Eaglesfan27]

In this case though, the WR and HB were two of my top guys and once I saw them not responding, I dropped them to 0 and put two of the other guys at the top of my point list.

[Eaglesfan27]

It's Conference Championship Week.


Miami University will play Western Michigan.


Georgia will play Auburn.


Nebraska will play 12-0 Oklahoma.

NC State will play Georgia Tech.


Houston will play UAB.


For the past week, Clifton Smith of Fresno State was the Offensive player of the Week. He had 34 carries for 307 yards and 4 TD's in a 52-3 win over SJSU.

Marvin White of TCU was the defensive player of the week for 6 tackles and 2 picks against Air Force in a 62-10 win.

[Eaglesfan27]

Miami University beat Western Michigan 35-24

Georgia beat Auburn 31-6.

Oklahoma beat Nebraska 31-7.

NC State beat Georgia Tech 45-26.

UAB beat Houston 32-18.


The Major Bowls shape up to be:

Rose Bowl - #4 Michigan vs #6 ASU.

Orange Bowl - #21 NC State vs #5 Texas Tech.

Sugar Bowl - #18 Georgia vs #7 USC!!! (we got an at large bid)

Fiesta Bowl - #3 West Virginia vs #10 Boise State

National Championship Game: #2 Louisville vs #1 Oklahoma Sooners.



Kenny Irons of Auburn won the Heisman. He had 332 1st place votes, 240 2nd place votes, and 131 3rd place votes for a total of 1607 points. For the season, he had 1862 yards on 268 carries and he had 17 rushing TD's. He also had 31 receptions for 490 yards and 7 receiving TD's.


Chris Todd of TTU came in 2nd with 173 1st place votes, 205 2nd place votes, 203 3rd place votes for a total of 1132 points. He completed 310 of 485 passes for 4,131 yards with 48 TD's and only 12 INT's.

Robert Johnson also of TTU came in 3rd with 168 1st place votes, 178 2nd place votes, and 243 3rd place votes for a total of 1103 points. He had 104 catches for 1612 yards and 15 TD's.

Troy Smith of Ohio State University came in 4th with 90 1st place votes, 124 2nd place votes, and 165 3rd place votes for a total of 683 points. He completed 223 of 341 passes for 2907 yards. He also had 136 carries for 847 yards. He had a total of 41 TD's.

Kevin Kolb of Houston came in 5th with 18 1st place votes, 30 2nd place votes, and 36 3rd places votes for a total of 150 points. He completed 239 of 414 passes for 3,282 yards. He also had 116 carries for 543 yards. He had 44 total TD's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Other Award Winners:

Irons won the Maxwell.

Brandon Archer, Kansas State, won the Bednarik with 89 tackles, 26 for a loss, 9 sacks, and 4 interceptions.

Troy Smith won the Best QB Award.


Adrian Peterson won the Doak Walker Award. He had 277 carries for 1967 yards and 26 rushing TD's. Where was he in the Heisman race?


Robert Johnson of Texas Tech won the Best WR award. Jarrett came in 4th.


Joe Jon Finley of Oklahoma won the best TE award. He had 22 catches for 506 yards and 7 receiving TD's.

Kyle Williams our RT won the Best OL award with 62 pancakes and 5 sacks allowed. Jeff Byers, our LG, came in 2nd with 62 pancakes and 7 sacks allowed. Leon Hart of Auburn came in 3rd with 29 pancakes and 4 sacks allowed.


Ryan Kalil our C won the Rimington Award. He had 36 pancakes and 4 sacks allowed.

Alan Branch of Michigan won the Lombardi with 66 tackles, 34 for a loss, and 16 sacks.

Lawrence Jackson came in 5th with 41 tackles, 18 for a loss, and 18 sackks.


Brandon Archer, KSU, won the best LB award.


Lance Fuller, Texas Tech, won the Thorpe Award. He had 38 tackles, 3 for a loss, a sack, 3 FF, and 5 INT's.


Kevin Kelly of Penn State won the Groza. He made 22 of 25 FG's, long of 51. He also hit 45 of 46 XP's.


Zoltan Mesko of Michigan won the Punter of the Year Award. He had 50 punts with a net avg of 37.1. Long of 80! 22 downed inside the 20.


Chris Markey of UCLA won the best returner. He had 2285 all purpose yards and 6 Total TD's.

[Eaglesfan27]

All American Team (1st team):

QB Troy Smith, Ohio State
HB Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma
HB Kenny Irons, Auburn
LT Sam Baker, USC
LG Jeff Byers, USC
C Ryan Kalil, USC
RG Jeremy Sheffey, West Virginia
RT Kyle Williams, USC
TE Joe Jon Finley, Oklahoma
WR Jeff Samardzija, ND
WR Robert Johnson, Texas Tech


DE Alan Branch, Michigan
DE Lawrence Jackson, USC
DT Ray Gant, Georgia
DT Cory Bennett, Oklahoma
OLB Scott White, Washington
OLB Brandon Archer, Kansas State
MLB Zach Latimer, Oklahoma
CB Kevin Thomas, USC
C D.J. Wolfe, Oklahoma
FS Lance Fuller, Texas Tech
SS Ryan Ting, USC


Other notables on 2nd team and All-Freshman Team:

Patrick White of West Virginia was the 2nd team QB. Since, he is only a sophomore, we have to watch out for him.

Colt McCoy of Texas was the Freshman QB of the Year.

[Eaglesfan27]

Today, we play Georgia in the New Orleans Superdome in the Sugar Bowl. Lee is picking Georgia to win while Kirk is picking us.

Georgia's offense has been decent, but not great. Their pass offense is 59th in the nation while their run offense is 24th. Their defense has been excellent. Theri run defense is 14th allowing only 1194 yards all year. Their pass defense is 32nd. Their turnover differential is plus 22 which is 6th in the nation.


All 3 of their top QB's have seen a bit of action this year. Joe Tereshinski has almost 1000 yards passing on 78 of 149 passing with 13 TD's and 3 INT's. Blake Barnes has completed 115 of 222 passes for 1484 yards with 16 TD's and 10 INT's.


Thomas Brown has been their main offensive star. The JR HB has 1519 yards on 215 carries. He is quick, agile, and dangerous. He also has 15 rushing TD's.

Kenneth Harris has been their main receiving leader with 54 catches for 692 yards and 8 TD's.

Mohamed Massaquoi has 53 catches for 673 yards and 8 TD's as well.

Their talented TE, Martrez Milner has 28 catches for 292 yards and 4 TD's.


Tony Taylor is a telented MLB who has 70 tackles, 16 for a loss, and 3 sacks.

Brandon Miller leads the team with 6 sacks.

Paul Oliver leads the secondary with 6 interceptions.