SLUG-FEST! A UC-Santa Cruz C-a-S Dynasty (NCAA 12)

[PFellah]

PRESEASON COACHES POLL

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Sep 1, 2011
RK	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	Oklahoma (32)	0	0
2	Alabama (23)	0	0
3	Stanford (3)	0	0
4	LSU (1)	0	0
5	Oregon (1)	0	0
6	Ohio State	0	0
7	Oklahoma State	0	0
8	Boise State	0	0
9	Texas A&M	0	0
10	Florida State	0	0
11	Wisconsin	0	0
12	Auburn	0	0
13	South Carolina	0	0
14	TCU	0	0
15	Michigan State	0	0
16	Nebraska	0	0
17	Virginia Tech	0	0
18	Arkansas	0	0
19	Mississippi State	0	0
20	Florida	0	0
21	Notre Dame	0	0
22	Texas	0	0
23	Missouri	0	0
24	NC State	0	0
25	Arizona State	0	0

PRESEASON HEISMAN WATCH

Heisman Watch - Updated: Sep 1, 2011
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Andrew Luck	QB	Stanford
Kellen Moore	QB	Boise State
LaMichael James	HB	Oregon
Denard Robinson	QB	Michigan
Justin Blackmon	WR	Oklahoma State

[PFellah]

Quote: Originally Posted by moose141

Will definitely follow, cool choice of school (Banana Slugs, who would have thought?) and should be interesting to see how you do in building them up. As a fellow Pitt guy myself, maybe you'll get over there and do some good for the program.

The interesting thing is they did an audio capture of "Banana Slugs", so Nessler will say "Banana Slugs" instead of the generic "home team" or "visitors".

[PFellah]

SLUG TALES INTERVIEWS COACH IAN BAXTER!


The Banana Slugs officially kicked off their FBS existence with a "Midnight Madness" scrimmage. Students are clearly excited about the new team, as Hawley Stadium was filled to capacity, despite the late hour.

Slug Tales is pleased to bring our readers the first extended interview with new head coach Ian Baxter.

ST: Coach, first of all, welcome to California. Let's start with a little bit of background. Tell us about yourself.

IB: Well, I'm originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I'd gotten into coaching in the area at the Quad-A high school level with Woodland Hills. It's a program that's sent a lot of players to the NFL, and happens to be my alma mater. So I was an assistant coach there, unofficially the offensive coordinator, though my title was just "Assistant Coach". I was as surprised as anyone when Santa Cruz wanted to interview me for this position, but I guess they saw things they liked, and here we are.

ST: You've made statements about how you want to run a more pro-style program here. Can you elaborate on that?

IB: Ultimately a program is driven by athletes, and what motivates athletes? At the top end, part of it is going to be whether your program gets them ready to potentially play in the NFL. Some of these college systems like the pistol, the option, even the spread to some extent... they work well at this level, but you don't see them in the pros, and players from these systems don't always succeed. One of the things I stressed in my interview was about building a destination program was to do it on a pro model, to make us more attractive to those elite talents.

ST: On both sides of the ball?

IB: Yes, although defense is more reactionary by its nature. Our base defense is going to be a 3-4, but realistically, the personnel packages you're up against dictate a lot. If we're playing a lot of spread teams that go four-wide or five-wide, our nickel and dime packages will get a lot of work.

ST: 3-4 instead of 4-3?

IB: For now, yes. We may have a few 4-3 looks in our playbook or adjust if we get the right athletes to do something different. And I suppose injuries could take us out of that, since we don't have a lot of depth at inside linebacker yet. But I'm a sucker for speed on the defensive side of the ball, and a mobile 3-4 defense is part of my DNA, I guess.

ST: Turning to the schedule. I understand the NCAA offered the school the chance to play mostly FCS schools and you turned them down? Tell us about that decision.

IB: Yeah, we were presented with two choices: take Louisiana Tech's schedule, which had a lot of games in the east -- local to them, long road trips for us -- or schedule mostly FCS schools and start things in earnest in 2012. I did consider the other option as a means of getting the program some initial momentum. But you know... the kids, the school, all of us... we signed up to play Division I football. Playing a bunch of FCS schools isn't the experience they came here for. So we took the harder schedule, and... OK, maybe I'll need to get a time-share in Mississippi, but it is what we signed up for.

ST: Turning to the roster, one can't help but notice the roster is almost entirely composed of East Coast players, heavy on Pennsylvania and Ohio. How did that come about?

IB: That's a function of how this program came about. When you have to create a football team out of whole cloth, you have to do things a little differently. As this thing was coming together, I didn't have an office, my team existed only on paper -- I was Napoleon in exile. So I recruited the kids that were available to me locally. As we get the program off the ground, of course we're going to hit California hard, though. But I'll also still try to keep those local ties fresh because Pennsylvania and Ohio are definitely football country.

ST: People watching practices have been seeing a very close battle at quarterback between Johnny Broussard and Alex Handy. Do you have a quarterback controversy brewing?

IB: No. Controversy is an external thing. It's what -- no offense -- writers talk about to sell papers and generate website hits. I just have a decision to make. I have two kids who are very close in talent level, but right now Broussard is throwing the ball a little better.

ST: Was there any discussion that Handy should get the starting nod since he's the senior?

IB: Specifically about being a senior, no. Sports is the ultimate meritocracy -- you get out what you put in. If Alex throws the ball better, he gets the call. If he doesn't execute, he doesn't get extra chips just for being a senior. (Ed: OVRs are similar, but Broussard is better in THP and THA... THA by a significant margin).

ST: What are your goals for the season, and does the school see things the same way you do?

IB: I can't comment on specific details of my contract, but my goals for now, and the administration's goals, are modest. As a general statement, they're more driven by program creation than wins and losses. I don't have a blueprint of how many games we're "supposed" to win or what bowl we have to go to, but I know that we HAVE to get good football players in the door moving forward.

(Ed: Actual goals are....)

• Win 100% of your games each season -0 / +4
• Win 8 games in one season -0 /+4
• Win 4 games in one season -6/+3
• Sign 1 Top 1000 Prospect in one season -4/+3
• Finish 6th or better in the conference each season -4/+1
• Sign 5 2-star prospects in one season 0/+1
• Win 25% of your games in one season -1/0
• Sign a top 100 recruiting class in one season -3/0

ST: Coach, you've got a scrimmage coming up so we'll let you get going... any last thoughts?

IB: I'd ask our students to get behind this team and give this program a chance. OK, we're not going to be nationally ranked tomorrow. There's a chance we'll lose more than we'll win at first. But we're building the ground floor of something here, and if we get the foundation right, we really can grow and grow and be a program that DOES get the national spotlight.

[PFellah]

WEEK 1 - Around the NCAA

Nothing to see here... move along.... Just getting into a consistent format.

TOP 25 IN ACTION
Head-to-Head:

• NONE

Single Games:

• #19 Mississippi State def. Tulane, 52-14

OFF:

• (everyone else)

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Sep 1, 2011
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Oklahoma (35)	0	0	1499
2	2	Alabama (22)	0	0	1424
3	3	Stanford (1)	0	0	1350
4	4	LSU (1)	0	0	1279
5	5	Oregon (1)	0	0	1210
6	6	Ohio State (1)	0	0	1142
7	7	Oklahoma State	0	0	1076
8	8	Boise State	0	0	1012
9	9	Texas A&M	0	0	950
10	10	Florida State	0	0	889
11	11	Wisconsin	0	0	831
12	12	Auburn	0	0	774
13	13	South Carolina	0	0	719
14	14	TCU	0	0	665
15	15	Michigan State	0	0	614
16	16	Nebraska	0	0	565
17	17	Virginia Tech	0	0	517
18	18	Arkansas	0	0	471
19	19	Mississippi State	1	0	427
20	20	Florida	0	0	384
21	21	Notre Dame	0	0	344
22	22	Texas	0	0	305
23	23	Missouri	0	0	268
24	24	NC State	0	0	233
25	25	Arizona State	0	0	200

Also Receiving Votes: West Virginia 169, Georgia 139, Penn State 111, USC 85, UCF 61, Utah 39, Tulsa 28, Clemson 18, Northern Illinois 11
Dropped Out: NONE

Heisman Watch - Updated: Sep 1, 2011
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Andrew Luck	QB	Stanford
Kellen Moore	QB	Boise State
LaMichael James	HB	Oregon
Denard Robinson	QB	Michigan
Justin Blackmon	WR	Oklahoma State

[PFellah]

Matchup Preview | September 3, 2011
	@
UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs (0-0, 0-0 Away)		Southern Miss Golden Eagles (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Injury Report Game Notes And here... we... go... No injuries to speak of, no prior stats to look at. Halfback Kendrick Hardy (#29) leads the Golden Eagles, but senior QB Austin Davis (#12) is a dual threat, with both a decent arm and speed. The strength of the Golden Eagle defense is in the linebacking corps, with MLB Korey Williams (#42) being the team's best player, assisted by outside linebackers Jamie Collins (#22) and Ronnie Thornton (#56). Not a great team in the grand scheme of things, but a tough first test for the Banana Slugs.

[PFellah]

INSULT, INJURY, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN
Southern Miss thrashes Banana Slugs 49-14 in FBS debut; Broussard injured.

HATTIESBURG, MS -- The UC Santa Cruz football program began its existence with a dull thud Saturday, as the Banana Slugs were pummeled in the rain at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Quarterback Austin Davis beat the Slugs with his arm and feet, notching a combined five touchdowns through the air and on the ground. It was a game of big plays, as five of the Golden Eagles' scores came on plays of 40 yards or longer.

"Let's be honest. We lost the physical battles in this game," said UC-SC coach Ian Baxter. "We didn't win the battles at the line, and we didn't wrap up on our tackles. I thought our offense wasn't so far off from where we wanted to be, but our defense has to execute better."

The Golden Eagles jumped out to an early lead that could have even been worse. On their first drive, Southern Miss was inside the Slugs' 5-yard-line when Jerrod Twitchell would intercept an option pitch to shutdown a scoring drive. And right at at the end of the 1st quarter, safety Jacorius Cotton appeared to return a fumble for a touchdown, but replay ruled the Santa Cruz receiver down by contact, nullifying the score. Even with those breaks, Southern Miss led 14-0 at the first quarter break, and Santa Cruz had mostly three-and-outs to show for their trouble.

In the second quarter, things seemed to briefly turn for the Slugs, as they mounted their first scoring drive. Let the record reflect that at 7:38 of the second quarter, Terry McCabe got Santa Cruz on the scoreboard for the first time in team history on a three-yard plunge. And just for a moment, it looked like Santa Cruz might be finding their legs.

The moment ended quickly, though. In fact, it lasted one play. On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Kelvin Bolden took an end-around 63 yards to the house and just like that the Eagles were back in command. Meanwhile, the hits kept coming for Santa Cruz, as starting quarterback Johnny Broussard left the game with an abdominal strain.

And then, USM put the game away by bookending the half with two touchdowns. Just before the break, Davis wriggled free from a sack and found Bolden for a 41-yard almost-Hail-Mary, as coverage broke down. And then, on the first play after the break, Davis called his own number on the option, broke a pair of tackles, and rambled 76-yards. All of a sudden, 21-7 and a glimmer of hope was 35-7 and a long second half.

The rest was just playing out the string. Southern Miss put together its one sustained drive to wind down the third quarter, and then added a fourth-quarter TD on a 26-yard perfectly executed screen to Kendrick Hardy. Alex Handy hooked up with Reggie Hairston for a 62-yard score in garbage time, but the final pen strokes of the Banana Slugs' first chapter were soon penned, and it was a stinker.

FINAL: SOUTHERN MISS 49, UC - SANTA CRUZ 14

UC - Santa Cruz Banana Slugs at Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
UC - Santa Cruz Banana Slugs (0-0)	0	7	0	7	14
Southern Miss Golden Eagles (0-0)	14	14	14	7	49

Team Stats Comparison
	UCSC	USM
Total Offense	300	586
Rushing Yards	51	383
Passing Yards	249	203
First Downs	13	11
Punt Return Yards	11	79
Kick Return Yards	132	27
Total Yards	443	692
Turnovers	0	3
3rd Down Converstion	5-16	5-10
4th Down Conversion	0-2	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-1-0	2-1-0
Penalties	4-36	3-30
Posession Time	26:11	12:43

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		UCSC	USM
4:22	(USM) Hardy 76-yard run (Hrapmann kick)	0	7
1:15	(USM) Davis 77-yard run (Hrapmann kick)	0	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		UCSC	USM
7:38	(UCSC) McCabe 3-yard run (Britt kick)	7	14
7:06	(USM) Bolden 63-yard run (Hrapmann kick)	7	21
0:19	(USM) Bolden 41-yard pass from Davis (Hrapmann kick)	7	28
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		UCSC	USM
7:44	(USM) Davis 76-yard run (Hrapmann kick)	7	35
3:37	(USM) Johnson 5-yard pass from Davis (Hrapmann kick)	7	42
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		UCSC	USM
7:07	(USM) Hardy 26-yard pass from Davis (Hrapmann kick)	7	49
3:09	(UCSC) Hairston 62-yard pass from Handy (Britt kick)	14	49

UC - Santa Cruz Banana Slugs PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Alex Handy 11/29 176 1 0 Johnny Broussard 5/12 73 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Trey Lambert 10 46 4.6 0 Terry McCabe 7 19 2.7 1 Johnny Broussard 4 5 1.2 0 Alex Handy 3 -29 -9.6 0 Shannon Blanks 2 10 5.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Reggie Hairston 4 131 32.7 1 Trey Lambert 3 13 4.3 0 Shannon Blanks 2 14 7.0 0 Donnell Shaffer 2 14 7.0 0 Jay Meeks 2 25 12.5 0 Jon Culver 1 40 40.0 0 Terry McCabe 1 -3 -3.0 0 Darryl Stevens 1 15 15.0 0

Southern Miss Golden Eagles PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Austin Davis 16/28 203 3 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Kendrick Hardy 15 138 9.2 1 Austin Davis 7 178 25.4 2 William Spight 1 4 4.0 0 Kelvin Bolden 1 63 63.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Kelvin Bolden 5 66 13.2 1 William Spight 3 68 22.6 0 Ryan Hanks 2 11 5.5 0 Quentin Pierce 2 7 3.5 0 Kendrick Hardy 2 42 21.0 1 Desmond Johnson 1 5 5.0 1 Ryan Balentine 1 4 4.0 0

[PFellah]

Ed: Sigh. I'm having trouble posting photos at the moment -- basically I had to launch a fraud investigation with Microsoft because someone bought 10,000 MS points using my account. The good news is they're going to refund the money; the bad news is they have to disable my Live access while they do the investigation, which means no upload.

So I'll keep playing for now, but no visuals. Grrrr...

[PFellah]

WEEK 2 - Around the NCAA

An unsurprising first week, as most of the favorites did what they were supposed to do. #5 Oregon beat #4 LSU, if you can even call something that close an "upset".

TOP 25 IN ACTION
Head-to-Head:

• #5 Oregon def. #4 LSU, 31-19

Single Games:

• #1 Oklahoma def. Tulsa, 12-7
• #2 Alabama def. Kent State, 45-7
• #3 Stanford def. San Jose State, 63-3 (Ed: I don't feel SO bad now)
• #6 Ohio State def. Akron, 37-0
• #7 Oklahoma State def. Louisiana-Lafayette, 45-0
• #8 Boise State def. Georgia, 31-28
• #9 Texas A&M def. Southern Methodist, 23-20
• #10 Florida State def. Louisiana-Monroe, 41-10
• #11 Wisconsin def. UNLV, 35-7
• #12 Auburn def. Utah State, 41-17
• #13 South Carolina def. East Carolina 49-14
• #14 TCU def. Baylor, 38-28
• #15 Michigan State def. FCS-East, 48-3
• #16 Nebraska def. FCS-Southeast, 45-6
• #17 Virginia Tech def. FCS-Southeast, 63-3
• #18 Arkansas def. FCS-Northwest, 42-0
• #19 Mississippi State def. Memphis, 58-0
• #20 Florida def. Florida Atlantic, 37-10
• South Florida def. #21 Notre Dame, 30-35
  
• #22 Texas def. Rice, 37-10
• #23 Missouri def. Miami (Ohio), 32-24
• #24 NC State def. FCS-East, 42-17
• #25 Arizona State def. FCS-West, 49-0
  

OFF:

• NONE
  

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Sep 5, 2011
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Oklahoma (41)	1	0	1505
2	2	Alabama (20)	1	0	1433
3	5	Oregon	1	0	1398
4	3	Stanford	1	0	1363
5	6	Ohio State	1	0	1163
6	7	Oklahoma State	1	0	1099
7	8	Boise State	1	0	1080
8	9	Texas A&M	1	0	977
9	10	Florida State	1	0	918
10	4	LSU	0	1	862
11	11	Wisconsin	1	0	861
12	12	Auburn	1	0	805
13	13	South Carolina	1	0	767
14	14	TCU	1	0	713
15	15	Michigan State	1	0	647
16	16	Nebraska	1	0	597
17	17	Virginia Tech	1	0	549
18	18	Arkansas	1	0	502
19	19	Mississippi State	2	0	471
20	20	Florida	1	0	414
21	22	Texas	1	0	332
22	23	Missouri	1	0	294
23	24	NC State	1	0	256
24	25	NC Arizona State	1	0	221
25	NR	West Virginia	1	0	187

Also Receiving Votes: Penn State 124, USC 94, UCF 66, Utah 40, Georgia 31, Iowa 28, Miami 14
Dropped Out: Notre Dame (#21)

Heisman Watch - Updated: Sep 5, 2011
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Andrew Luck	QB	Stanford		14-15, 233 yards, 4TDs
Kellen Moore	QB	Boise State		17-25, 251 yards, TD
LaMichael James	HB	Oregon		14-60 rushing; 2-26 receiving
Denard Robinson	QB	Michigan		13-27, 134 yards; 22-115 rushing
Darron Thomas	QB	Oregon		22-35, 248 yards, 2TDs; 15-70 2TDs rushing