Leading the way through the new age of College Football {--

[K0ZZ]

Snowy senior day ends in victory for Wake Forest

After the joke of a defensive showing last week, Wake Forest should've done some work on their defense, but it came out just as flawed as it had against Maryland managing to surrender forty one points to Vanderbilt. Luckily for the defense, the offense bailed them out with a fifty five point performance.

Brendan Cross completion column was in the single digits, Josh Harris had 148 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but the truth was, the offense was always placed in good field position thanks in large to special teams and the occasional solid stand by the Deacons defense.

Brendan Cross finished 9-15 for 257 yards and three touchdowns, tossing a lone interception as well in the end zone. His 60% completion percentage is the highest all season for him. Cross was never even sacked in this game. He also added 46 yards on the ground off of five attempts.

Josh Harris had less of a flashy game, gaining 148 yards off of 26 carries (5.6 YPC) but his presence was definitely felt. Denny Dembry was a true force on the aerial attack amassing 154 yards to lead the team in yardage.

On the flipside, senior Quarterback Larry Smith of Vanderbilt threw 28-44 for 414 Passing yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions leaving many concerned about the secondary especially for next year. With Wide Receiver John Cole amassing 137 yards off of seven catches and scoring three times.

The game was extremely close through the first half with Wake Forest holdinga slim lead at 27-21 (missed an XP), and they would continue to hold the lead at the end of the half at 34-31. The second half was when the Commodores seemed to run out of gas. Being outscored 21-10 as the Deacons whom already had the lead extended to an easy victory.

The Deacons improve to 5-7 in a disappointing bowless year and finish towards the bottom of the ACC. However offensive coordinator Tyler Starks seems to be a hot commodity this offseason and could be coaching elsewhere come this spring. The Deacons were without Tanner Price for the majority of the season with Halfback Jeff Smith and Wide Receiver Chris Givens missing extended playing time as well.

Sportscenters Not Top Ten plays, number two

Spoiler

[K0ZZ]

NCAA Football Award Winners
Award	Player	Pos	Team
Heisman Memorial Trophy	Andrew Luck	QB	Stanford Cardinal
Bronko Nagurski Trophy	Leon Mackey	RE	Texas Tech Red Raiders
Chuck Bednarik Award	Darius Ashley	CB	Louisville Cardinals
Davey O'Brien Award	Kellen Moore	QB	Boise State Broncos
Doak Walker Award	LaMichael James	HB	Oregon Ducks
Fred Biletnikoff Award	Chris Owusu	WR	Stanford Cardinal
Jim Thorpe Award	Darius Ashley	CB	Louisville Cardinals
John Mackey Award	Kendrick Moeai	TE	Utah Utes
Linebacker of the Year	Travis Lewis	ROLB	Oklahoma Sooners
Lombardi Award	Leon Mackey	RE	Texas Tech Red Raiders
Lou Groza Award	Cody Journell	K	Virginia Tech Hokies
Maxwell Award	Andrew Luck	QB	Stanford Cardinal
Outland Trophy	Josh Oglesby	RT	Wisconsin Badgers
Ray Guy Award	Ben Cuchanan	P	Ohio State Buckeyes
Returner of the Year	Bryce Brown	HB	Kansas State Wildcats
Rimington Trophy	TJ Johnson	C	South Carolina Gamecocks
Walter Camp Award	Andrew Luck	QB	Stanford Cardinal

Coach of the Year
Frank Solich (Ohio) 13-1

Top Recruiting Classes - 2011
RK	TEAM	5	4	3	2	1	TOTAL
1	Alabama Crimson Tide	4	7	0	0	0	11
2	Texas Longhorns	4	4	5	0	0	13
3	Penn State Nittany Lions	2	10	0	0	0	12
4	Oregon Ducks	3	8	0	0	0	11
5	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	2	7	2	0	0	11
6	Auburn Tigers	1	8	1	0	0	10
7	Texas Christian Horned Frogs	0	9	1	3	0	13
8	Nebraska Cornhuskers	2	5	2	1	0	10
9	Southern California Trojans	0	9	2	0	0	11
10	Florida Gators	3	3	2	0	0	8
11	Texas A&M Aggies	0	5	9	1	1	16
12	Michigan Wolverines	1	6	3	1	0	11
13	West Virginia Mountaineers	0	6	6	1	0	13
14	Wisconsin Badgers	0	7	3	1	0	11
15	Lousiana State Tigers	0	8	1	0	0	9
16	Clemson Tigers	0	6	4	1	0	11
17	Texas Tech Red Raiders	0	1	13	2	0	16
18	Central Florida Knigts	0	1	13	0	2	16
19	Stanford Cardinal	0	3	9	1	0	13
20	Florida State Seminoles	1	5	1	2	0	9
21	Ohio State Buckeyes	0	7	1	0	0	8
22	Tennessee Volunteers	0	5	4	1	1	11
23	Southern Methodist University	0	1	12	1	0	14
24	North Carolina State	0	1	12	0	0	13
25	Georgia	0	4	6	0	0	10

BCS Bowl Games

Rose Bowl
#9 Utah Utes (12-2) beat the #6 Wisconsin Badgers 24-21 in overtime

Fiesta Bowl
#2 Auburn (11-2) beat the #7 Oregon Ducks 44-41 in a rematch of last seasons National Championship

Orange Bowl
#20 Maryland (12-2) beat the #10 Central Florida Knights 21-14

Sugar Bowl
#17 Ole Miss(11-3) beat the West Virginia Mountaineers 45-17

BCS National Championship
#1 Oklahoma (13-0) beat the Boise State Broncos (12-1) 49-28 in a blow out victory


ACC in the Bowls

Belk Bowl
#13 Florida State (10-3) beats Connecticut (8-5) 27-17

Music City Bowl
Duke (7-6) slips past Mississippi State (6-7) 31-28

Champs Sports Bowl
#16 Notre Dame (9-4) beats up #21 North Carolina (10-3) in a 45-17 victory

Hyundai Sun Bowl
#18 Arizona (9-4) upsets the falling #15 Virginia Tech Hokies (10-3)

Chick-fil-A Bowl
#25 Miami (11-3) destroys Tennessee (8-5) 46-11

Conference Champions

Atlantic Coast Conference
#20 Maryland Terrapins (12-2)(7-2)
Miami Hurricanes (11-3)(7-2) lost in ACC championship game

Big 12
#1 Oklahoma Sooners (13-0)(9-0)

Big East
West Virginia Mountaineers (9-4)(6-1)

Big Ten
#4 Wisconsin Badgers (12-2)(8-1)
Michigan State (9-5)(5-4) won the tiebreaker over Nebraska and Iowa (9-4)(5-3) but fell to Wisconsin

Conference USA
Southern Miss Golden Eagles (12-2)(8-1)
Houston (11-2)(6-2) falls in the C-USA Championship game

Mid American Conference
Ohio Bobcats (13-1)(9-0)
Western Michigan (7-7)(6-3) falls to upset one loss Ohio in the MAC Championship

Mountain West Conference
Boise State Broncos (12-1)(7-0)

Pacific 12 Conference
Utah Utes (12-2)(9-1)
Utah would win the Pacific 12 in their first season in the conference, beating Stanford in the championship game

Southeastern Conference
Ole Miss Rebels (11-3)(7-2)
Ole Miss shocks the nation upsetting South Carolina in the SEC Championship game

Sunbelt Conference
Arkansas State Red Wolves (9-4)(7-1)

Western Athletic Conference
Hawai'i Warriors (10-3)(6-1)

All-Americans
QB - Kellen Moore (BSU)
HB - Marcus Lattimore (SCAR)
HB - LaMichael James (ORE)
WR - Marquis Maze (ALA)
WR - Chris Owusu (STAN)
TE - Kendrick Moeai (UTAH)
LT - Ricky Wagner (WISC)
C - TJ Johnson (SCAR)
RG - Tyler Evans (OU)
RG - Kevin Zeitler (WISC)
RT - Josh Oglesby (WISC)
RE - Melvin Ingram (SCAR)
RE - Leon Mackey (TTU)
DT - Jared Crick (NU)
DT - Kenneth Carter (AU)
MLB - Najee Goode (WVU)
ROLB - Eric Benjamin (OHIO)
ROLB - Travis Lewis (OU)
CB - Conroy Black (UTAH)
CB - Cliff Harris (ORE)
FS - Robert Lester (BAMA)
SS - George Iloka (BSU)
K - Rob Beard (ORE)
P - Brad Nortman (WISC)
RET - Bryce Brown (KSU)

0 Wake Forest Players selected to ACC All American squad

[K0ZZ]

Season In Review
(5-7)(3-5)
Ninth in ACC
Fifth in Atlantic Division

Coaching Staff
(HC) Jim Grobes - 75%
(OC) Tyler Starks - 100%
(DC) Tim Billings - 72%

Wake Forest Season Wrapup
OFFENSE	TOT	OFF	PASS	RUSH	PPG	PTD	RTD	SACK	1DWN
Wake Forest	6384	5301	3158	2143	30.4	20	24	49	197
DEFENSE	TOT	PASS	RUSH	PTS	SACK	FUMB	INT
Wake Forest	4554	3258	1296	402	28	14	6
CONVERSIONS	3DC	3DA	3D%	4DC	4DA	4D%	2PC	2PA	2P%
Wake Forest	60	165	36	23	43	53	1	1	100
RED ZONE	ATT	TD	FG	OFF%	DATT	DTD	DFG	DEF%
Wake Forest	58	20	15	60	66	44	7	77
PENALTIES	PEN		YARDS
Wake Forest	41		279
TURNOVERS	DIFF	GIVE	INT	FUMB	TAKE	INT	FUMB
Wake Forest	7	13	7	6	20	6	14

Wake Forest Stats - 2011
Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	YDS/G	LONG	TD	INT	RAT
Brendan Cross	112/241	241	17.7	247.8	80	12	1	131.2
Tanner Price	52/120	726	13.9	181.5	54	3	6	92.4
Ted Stachitas	27/56	449	16.6	89.8	55	5	0	145
Rushing	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	20+	TD	YDS/G	FUM
Josh Harris	207	1425	6.8	80	19	12	118.7	0
Brandon Pendergrass	56	431	7.6	54	6	5	43.1	0
Brendan Cross	75	99	1.3	28	7	2	12.3	4
Chris Givens	3	73	22.6	63	1	1	6.1	0
Nick Knott	7	37	5.2	8	0	1	9.2	0
Receiving	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	DROPS	YDS/G	YAC
Chris Givens	42	1045	24.8	8	75	4	95	186
Danny Dembry	34	627	18.4	3	80	9	52.2	184
Anthony Parker	32	452	14.1	2	47	4	37.6	147
Michael Campanaro	22	432	19.6	2	62	3	36	83
Josh Harris	21	169	8	0	25	2	14	106
Terence Davis	15	258	17.2	1	37	1	21.5	122
Cameron Ford	14	92	6.5	2	19	2	8.3	54
Matt James	5	66	13.2	2	20	0	5.5	6
Brandon Pendergrass	4	13	3.2	0	6	0	1.3	22
Jonathon Garcia	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Tommy Bohanon	1	4	4	0	4	0	0.4	0
	Field Goals				Extra Points
Kicking	FGM	FGA	PCT	LONG	XPM	XPA	PCT	PTS
Jimmy Newman	17	19	89	43	42	44	95	93
Punting	PUNTS	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	BP	IN20	TB
Alex Wulfeck	42	1874	50	44.6	1732	0	3	2

Atlantic Coast Conference Conference Standings - Updated: Feb 1, 2012
TEAM	REC	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	STRK
Maryland Terrapins	12-2	0.850	7-2	482	284	W-3
Miami Hurricane	11-3	0.780	7-2	452	257	W-1
North Carolina Tarheels	10-3	0.760	6-2	362	263	L-1
Virginia Tech Hokies	10-3	0.760	6-2	509	255	L-1
Florida State Seminoles	10-3	0.760	6-2	387	249	W-6
Boston College Eagles	5-7	0.410	3-5	308	343	L-2
Duke Blue Devils	7-6	0.530	3-5	408	343	W-1
Clemson Tigers	5-7	0.410	3-5	289	335	L-2
Wake Forest Demon Deacons	5-7	0.410	3-5	365	402	W-2
Georgia Tech Hornets	5-7	0.410	2-6	292	269	L-5
North Carolina State Wolfpack	5-7	0.410	2-6	312	241	L-1
Virginia Caviliers	3-9	0.250	1-7	215	399	L-5

Wake Forest Demon Deacons 2011 Recruits Recruiting - 2011
NAME	POS	CLASS	HOMETOWN	HT	WT	CALIBER
Philip Young	WR	HS	Powder Springs, GA	6'2	192
Tyler Moore	ATH	HS	Beverly Hills, CA	5'11	195
Lamar Higgins	WR	HS	Ocoee, FL	5'10	189
Brian Rodgers	TE	HS	Berwyn, IL	6'1	242
Darrell Arnold	WR	HS	Cullowhee, NC	5'10	178
Nicholas Parker	ATH	HS	Redan, GA	6'1	189
Melvin Pettway	DT	HS	Dillon, SC	6'2	283
Mike McClelland	CB	HS	Piney Green, NC	5'11	180
David Berry	FS	JUCO So	Mount Olive, NC	5'11	191

[K0ZZ]

Breaking News: Tyler Starks announces resignation from Wake Forest

Just a year after having one of the most successful offensive seasons in Wake Forest recent history including Jeff Smith breaking a school rushing record, the coordinator has taken his leave. Handing in his papers early this week he left a short statement filled with the common thank yous and good wishes. That was shocking at first, but what brought the news overboard? He had moved up the coaching chain. No longer is he going to be the offensive coordinator. This week, he signed a deal with the Tulane Green Wave for one year that he hopes will be very lucrative.

"Tulane has history and they've produced NFL caliber prospects. They had a rough season a year ago, but I believe full-heartedly that I can help turn this team around. I cannot understate how exciting of an opportunity this is for me. It's new and it's nice to be back at the helm. I wish Jim [Grobe] the best of luck at Wake Forest. They have a group of guys I could only wish to bring to Tulane. I leave Winston-Salem with a heavy heart, but I have no doubt in my mind that they can fully compete in the ACC next year. The ground work is there, they just need to maintain it. Which I fully believe they can do." Spoke Tyler Starks.

The Deacons were quick to file in a replacement, hiring ex-Kansas coach, Gil Turner whom was fired after an unsuccessful season in Kansas. "I have a solid unit in place, we are a team on the rise. The fans are great and the field is terrific. Why anyone would want to leave this place is beyond me." Spoke an excited Gill in the accompanying press conference.

[K0ZZ]

Tulane Green Wave Recruiting - 2012
NAME	POS	CLASS	HOMETOWN	HT	WT	CALIBER
Brett Jones	QB	HS	Pert Amboy, NJ	6'4	190
Ryan Herron	OLB	HS	Vero Beach South, FL	6'1	213
Evan Nelson	QB	JUCO Jr	Mansfield, TX	6'0	184
Trevor Reddick	WR	HS	Selma, AL	5'11	166
Chad Yates	DE	HS	Gretna, LA	6'2	244
Tim Robinson	WR	HS	Bridge City, LA	6'0	166
Isaac Roberts	OLB	HS	Plainview, TX	6'2	216
Charles Lester	DE	HS	Georgetown, TX	6'4	250
Nick Bailey	DE	HS	Orange, TX	6'5	249
Gary Brooks	SS	HS	Cut Off, LA	6'2	177
Kevin Baker	T	HS	Jeanerette, LA	6'4	297
Marvin Porter	MLB	HS	Village St. George, LA	6'4	228
Will Kidd	DT	HS	Adamsville, AL	6'0	270
Isaac Ryan	SS	HS	The Woodlands, TX	6'4	185
Shannon Jenkins	OLB	HS	Corsicana, TX	6'4	215
Corey Stewart	CB	HS	Gladeview, FL	6'2	167
Brandon Fitch	DT	HS	Pearland, TX	6'3	270
Derrick Foster	C	HS	Westwego, LA	6'4	275
Will Mullins	CB	HS	Jackson, AL	5'11	190
Russell Cutler	G	HS	Bridge City, LA	6'3	302
Jake Jordan	C	HS	Amite City, LA	6'1	278

Top Recruiting Classes - 2012
RK	TEAM	5	4	3	2	1	TOTAL
1	Alabama Crimson Tide	4	13	4	0	0	21
2	Penn State Nittany Lions	2	14	5	0	0	21
3	Florida Gators	4	7	6	0	1	18
4	Oregon Ducks	3	8	8	0	0	19
5	Texas Longhorns	4	5	9	0	0	18
6	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	2	9	9	0	0	20
7	Florida State	1	7	13	2	0	23
8	Auburn Tigers	1	12	3	0	3	19
9	Texas Christian Horned Frogs	0	11	8	3	0	22
10	Ohio State Buckeyes	0	13	5	0	0	18
11	Nebraska Cornhuskers	3	6	6	1	0	16
12	Stanford Cardinal	1	6	12	2	4	25
13	Oklahoma Sooners	3	4	8	0	4	19
14	Brigham Young Cougars	0	5	18	1	0	24
15	Boise State Broncos	0	7	12	3	0	22
16	Wisconsin Badgers	0	7	12	2	0	21
17	Texas A&M Aggies	0	5	15	2	3	25
18	West Virginia Mountaineers	0	6	13	3	0	22
19	Southern California Trojans	0	9	8	0	1	18
20	Lousiana State Tigers	0	10	6	0	0	16
21	Iowa Hawkeyes	0	6	13	2	0	21
22	Georgia Bulldogs	0	5	16	0	0	21
23	Wake Forest Demon Deacons	0	4	15	4	1	24
24	Michigan Wolverines	1	6	8	2	0	17
25	Clemson Tigers	0	7	8	3	1	19

Tulane is ranked number 79 in the nation

[K0ZZ]

Court ruling fall out

The Big East did just enough to scrape by with their BCS status and will be adding two teams for the upcoming football season. These moves bump them up to ten just two shy of what the BCS has decided they wanted their Automatic qualifiers to have. The Big East as expected has brought Texas Christian to their ranks. Texas Christian is coming off a great year including a #5 spot in the current polls. The jump to an automatic qualifying conference is a big leap for them. The shocker though is Notre Dame leaving the independency to join the Big East. Common homes for the school that have been suggested would be the Big East or Big Ten and with increasing pressure from the BCS with their inability of proving in the court case that Notre Dame is not getting preferential treatment, has been moved into an Automatic Qualifier conference making them look suddenly a lot more scary than last year.

The Big East has a lot more talent now, and there are rumors of them planning to offer the SEC's Kentucky and another unnamed school to bring them up to the twelve slots they hope to have. Kentucky is a long shot but their struggles in the SEC might be enough to make them make the leap. Notre Dame still retains its rights with CBS regardless of Big East favored channels, but will ensnare the same benefits that any other member would have.

The last of the pre-determined moves occured with a movement away from the Western Athletic Conference as conference winner, Hawai'i, has now joined the Mountain West, followed by two middle of the pack finishers in Fresno State and Nevada, the loss of Brigham Young a year ago keeps them at two shy of a conference championship game. The influx of talent is big though, if they can maintain a high level of play they may be elevated to Automatic Qualifier status.

The Conference USA announced a slight restructuring as two teams from the Sunbelt will be shifted up and two down. The ones making the cut? The Troy Trojans will be joining the West division alongside Rice, SMU, Tulsa, UTEP and now Southern Miss. In the East division, the Florida International Panthers were added, giving the Central Florida Knights an instate rival to compete with yearly. On the relegation list is both the Memphis Tigers and the Tulane Green Wave. Both have struggled heavily in the conference USA, the C-USA has been trying to battle with the Mountain West to be that conference that climbs to automatic qualifier status.

Coach Tyler Starks of Tulane was "shocked and extremely disappointed" that the Conference USA had decided to cut ties with the school and send them down to the Sunbelt but promises that "We will continue to have a successful season and will not let this news get us backtracked." The NCAA had offered to give the relegated teams players an opportunity to transfer without losing a year of eligibility but most stood by the rest of their squad and stayed put.

The Atlantic Coast Conference has warned Virginia that another poor performance this season may warrant them reaching out to a new member, similar threats have been placed upon Minnesota and Indiana out of the Big Ten, and Vanderbilt in the Southeastern conference. However for this year, the changes are set in stone. The Automatic qualifying conferences remain the same for another year, the Big East and Atlantic Coast have saved their bids, but the Mountain West or Conference USA with a solid performance can gain the right to the exclusive club.

[nredfoot]

Interesting move from Wake to Tulane. Seems like a step down but should be interesting to see what you can do there

[K0ZZ]

I was just happy to get a head coaching offer. They have solid pipelines, I had them planned to relegate before I signed and it kind of hurt to do it but I did it to make the C-USA slightly stronger.

Tulane should be pretty strong after a few years or worst comes to worst its a stepping stone to a decent midmajor school.