The Coaching Career of Graham Harrell. (NCAA 14)

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

PAC-12 Season Preview
Marcus Mariota and the Oregon Ducks are looking to knock off 2012 PAC-12 Champion Stanford

Associated Press-2012 Champion Stanford is looking to repeat as conference champions and are currently the favorites to win it all. To do so they must get through aspiring national champions Oregon as well as a very talented UCLA team. Utah will look to build on their success in 2012 in their second year as members. Fellow second year member, Colorado, will look to try and stay out of the conference cellar.

The PAC-12 has five schools in the Top 25 with number 5 Stanford leading the way. Will this be the year a PAC-12 school will finally win the national championship?

Preseason Standings

1. #5 Stanford
2. #10 Oregon
3. #14 Arizona State
4. #17 UCLA
5. #25 USC
6. California
7. Utah
8. Arizona
9. Washington
10. Oregon State
11. Washington State
12. Colorado

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Around the League

Top Story
Will Alabama's Defense lead them to a National Champion Ship?

Led by Seniors C.J Mosely and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Alabama is making a strong case to grab championship number four in the Nick Saban era. The offense returns Senior A.J McCarron, who is a preseason Heisman hopeful, and sophomore Running Back T.J Yeldon. Look for Alabama to dominate opponents on both sides of the ball.

Heisman Watch

Texas A&M QB Johnny Manzial, leads the all QB Heisman preseason watch. "He is a very talented kid" one scout said, "You have to specifically gameplan for this kid or he will destroy you." New Heisman hopeful Teddy Bridgewater out of Louisville, raised some eyebrows last season with a dominating performance. Some question whether that was just a product of a soft schedule.

Heisman Watch - Updated: Aug 1, 2013
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Johnny Manzial	QB	Texas A&M
A.J McCarron	QB	Alabama
Braxton Miller	QB	Ohio State
Teddy Bridgewater	QB	Louisville
Marcus Mariota	QB	Oregon

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Tough Road Games Ahead For Cougars

Pullman,WA-The Washington State Cougars have a tough task ahead of them as they will start the season against ranked opponents Auburn and USC. "Obviously the schedule makers thought we could handle it" Coach Mike Leach said, seemingly upset at the notion his team is an "easy win". "You ever hear that term any given sunday? Well let me tell you that this team can very easily go into Jordan Hare and grab a win. War Eagle my ***"

When asked about conference foe USC, Leach was just as adamant. "USC is a conference rival that we know well. If we play our best there is no reason why we shouldnt be 2-0."

Leach might be a bit brazen but that is exactly why the Cougs brought him here in the first place. He brings a confidence and swagger that hasnt been seen around campus in awhile. But will Leach's confidence and bravado be too much for this program?

Here is a glance at the Cougars 2013 schedule:

Washington State University Cougars 2013 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Aug 31	at Auburn Tigers
Sep 7	at USC Trojans
Sep 14	vs Southern Utah Thunderbirds
Sep 21	vs Idaho Vandals
Sep 28	vs Stanford Cardinal
Oct 5	at California Golden Bears
Oct 12	vs Oregon State Beavers
Oct 19	at Oregon Ducks
Oct 31	vs Arizona State Sun Devils
Nov 16	at Arizona Wildcats
Nov 23	vs Utah Utes
Nov 29	at Washington Huskies

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

August 28th, 2013

Its finally here! The beginning of the football season is finally around the corner. We have two very tough road games ahead of us but I'am confident our boys can handle it. Coach Leach certainly thinks so. Heck his confidence in these kids is doing wonders for Connor Halliday and Rickey Galvin. Those two, if they stay on the same page, are going to be dynamite for us.

On the recruiting trail I had a very good visit with offensive lineman Carlos Cantrell and Wide Receiver Tim Adams. Cantrells mother cooked me a homemade supper of enchiladas and rice with sopapillas for dessert. Its been a awhile since I've had a homecooked mexican meal like that. It was almost as good as back home in Texas. Coach Leach came with me to Adams house. He is a good kid but a little cocky. Guess that can happen when your the number two receiver in the nation. If he commits to play for us, I can guarantee Coach Leach will knock him down a few pegs. Speaking of Coach Leach, that man actually brought a model pirate ship to the visit. Wanted to show Adams some analogy about "teamwork" and "cohesive parts" or whatever. He loves his pirates. I walked into his office the other day and it was like I was transported back to my days in Lubbock. Its Unreal.

The fiance finally decorated the apartment to her liking. I think she is really missing home. Washington is a long way from Texas, but I think the apartment decorating has helped her feel more comfortable.

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Cougars Can't Get It Going in the 4th; Fall 31-17 To Auburn

Auburn,AL-Ah those 4th quarter woes.

The WSU Cougars fall to the #2 Auburn Tigers today 31-17, after the offense failed to score on consecutive drives in the 4th. "Yes it is very frustrating" Coach Mike Leach said at the post game conference, "Especially since it was tied at 17 at the end of the 3rd. We just couldnt seal the deal"

Junior QB Connor Halliday had a average day after coming into the season with high expectations. "Obviously you want to come out and win that first game of the year", Halliday said, "But I think it says a lot about our team that we stuck with these guys. We came into this year saying we were not going to be a door mat for teams anymore and I think we proved that today."

New QB Coach Graham Harrell was also equally frustrated but pointed out the positives from the game. "I believe Connor has yet to reach his full potential", he said "But against a good defense he showed tremendous poise. We just need to finish. We still have a lot we need to work on."

One of the bright spots was Wide Receiver Rickey Galvin who had 158 yds receiving and showed that incredible breakaway speed we heard so much about. On the other side of the ball, the much maligned defense showed grit against a tough offense but was unable to stop the run allowing over 250 yards rushing.

The Cougars will head to Los Angeles next week to take on conference foe USC who are coming off a close win over Hawaii.

Washington State Cougars at Auburn Tigers
Aug 31, 2013 1 2 3 4 F WSU (0-1) 0 10 7 0 17 #2 AUB (1-0) 7 3 7 14 31 Top Performers PASS: N. Marshall (Auburn) - 11-20, 141 YDS, 2 TD, INT RUSH: T. Mason (Auburn) - 22 ATT, 122 YDS, REC: R. Galvin (WSU) - 5 REC, 158 YDS, TD	Team Stats Comparison WSU AUB First Downs 16 23 3rd Down Efficiency 6-16 5-12 4th Down Efficiency 2-4 1-1 Total Yards 453 554 Passing Yards 284 141 Rushing Yards 81 257 Penalties-Penalty Yards 5-39 9-44 Turnovers 1 1 Time of Possession 29:21 30:35
Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING WSU AUB 9:12 (AUB) TD AUB: C.Artis-Payne 3 YD run (C.Parkey kick) 0 7 SECOND QUARTER SCORING WSU AUB 7:36 (WSU) FG WSU: A. Furney, 45 YD FG 3 7 2:20 (AUB) FG AUB: C. Parkey, 35 YD FG 3 10 1:20 (WSU) TD WSU: R. Galvin, 7 YD pass from C. Halliday (A. Furney kick) 10 10 THIRD QUARTER SCORING WSU AUB 10:29 (AUB) TD AUB: N. Marshall, 2 YD run (C.Parkey kick) 10 17 5:03 (WSU) TD WSU: M.Mason, 2 YD run (A. Furney kick) 17 17 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING WSU AUB 7:30 (AUB) TD AUB: S. Coates, 8 YD pass from N. Marshall (C. Parkey kick) 17 24 0:25 (AUB) TD AUB: C. Uzomah, 12 YD pass from N. Marshall (C.Parkey kick) 17 31
Washington State Cougars Auburn Tigers

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Around The League: Week 1 Recap

Top Story
Clemson gets the better of Georgia; Win 38-24

Clemson, SC-In a battle between two bitter rivals, Clemson outlasts 3 Aaron Murray touchdown passes to win 38-24. Clemson QB Tajh Boyd was unstoppable on the ground as he piled up 174 yds and 2 tds on the ground. All American Wide Receiver Sammy Watkins caught 8 passes for 104 yds and a td to help his team pull out the victory.

Heisman Watch

All five preseason Heisman hopeful candidates performed well in week 1 leading their team to victories. Oregon QB Marcus Mariota struggled a little against an FCS team but pundits and Coach Mark Helfrich believe Mariota will turn it around. We will be back with an update after week 5.

Heisman Watch - Updated: Sep 2, 2013
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Johnny Manzial	QB	Texas A&M		22-36, 285 YDS, 5 TD
A.J McCarron	QB	Alabama		18-28, 248 YDS, 3 TD
Braxton Miller	QB	Ohio State		14-19, 144 YDS, 2 TD
Teddy Bridgewater	QB	Louisville		19-26, 257 YDS, 3 TD
Marcus Mariota	QB	Oregon		7-20, 92 YDS, 2 TD

Top 25

With the loss against North Carolina, South Carolina falls from #9 to #19, while North Carolina jumps into the Top 25 for the first time taking #17. Newcomers Mississippi State, and Rutgers take the #24 and #25 spot respectfully.

NCAA Football Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Sep 2, 2013
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Florida State (40)	1	0	1504
2	2	Auburn (21)	1	0	1416
3	3	Alabama	1	0	1350
4	4	Michigan State	1	0	1285
5	5	Stanford	0	0	1222
6	6	Baylor	1	0	1160
7	7	Ohio State	1	0	1099
8	8	Missouri	1	0	1040
9	10	Oregon	1	0	925
10	11	Oklahoma	1	0	870
11	12	Clemson	1	0	826
12	14	Arizona State	0	0	713
13	15	UCF	1	0	663
14	16	LSU	1	0	629
15	17	UCLA	1	0	568
16	18	Louisville	1	0	522
17	--	North Carolina	1	0	490
18	19	Wisconsin	1	0	478
19	9	South Carolina	0	1	467
20	21	Texas A&M	1	0	393
21	24	Duke	1	0	276
22	13	Oklahoma State	0	1	273
23	25	USC	1	0	251
24	--	Mississippi State	1	0	242
25	--	Rutgers	1	0	227

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Behind The Helmet: Part One
A Rob Lawrence Production

Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen, My name is Rob Lawrence and tonight on ESPN, we bring you a very special segment of Behind the Helmet: Part One. This season we chose to highlight a very talented but polarizing figure. You either love him or you can't stand the sight of him, the talented, Johnny Manzial.

We took a trip down to Manzial's hometown of Kerrville, Tx to see if we could get a feel of what his friends and family think of him. As you would expect in a small town football crazed Texas town, they are very proud of the fact that they produced a Heisman Trophy Winner. In fact a banner sways in the wind at the front of Manzials old high school with the words "Tivy High School: Home of 2012 Heisman Trophy Winner Johnny Manzial."

"Oh yes we all love him very much", said Barry Rhodes, a 42 year old restaurant owner sporting a "Gig'em Aggies" tshirt. "He is the pride and joy of our town."

Some others are not easily impressed. James McKnight, a diehard Texas Longhorns fan, called Manzial "Overrated" and "Arrogant". Its well known that Manzials attitude has rubbed some people the wrong way but there is no denying that he produces results. During Manziel's senior season, he compiled 228-of-347 (65.7%) passing for 3,609 yards with 45 TDs and 5 INTs. He also had 170 carries for 1,674 yards and 30 TDs. He had 1 TD reception and returned a kickoff for a touchdown for a combined 77 TDs. He was named the All San Antonio Player of the year for the 2nd year in a row and was rated the number one QB in Texas. He was very hotly pursued by several highly rated schools including Oregon and Alabama. Manzial grew up a Texas Longhorn fan but received no offers from Mack Browns program. Although there is a rumor that Brown wanted to convert Manzial to defensive back (A rumor Brown denies).

The Manzial family is no stranger to challenges and obstacles. Manzials great-great- grandfather immigrated here to America from Lebanon to pursue the American dream. After many years of hard work, the Manzial Family are now successful and wealthy in the Texas petroleum. "I think that is part of why he polarizes people so quickly," Jake Sanders a former teacher at Manzials high school says, "People see him as this rich care who has everything handed to him on a silver platter without having to work for it." That sentiment would follow Manzial to Texas A&M and result in a couple controversies.

Next time we journey to College Station, Tx home of the Texas A&M Aggies where we will see the impact Manzial has had on this small but loyal college football town. Please tune in after week 5 for this very special segment. I am Rob Lawrence for ESPN, Good Night.

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

September 3rd, 2013

Damn I hate losing... I also forgot how obsessive Coach Leach gets after a loss. On the way back home to Pullman while the team slept, He has us all going over the highlights and notes. I think the fact that we were so close to pulling out an upset over a Top 5 team has coach very frustrated. It was like this at Tech too. We would come so close to beating a good opponent but we could not close. In fact they mentioned that on ESPN tonight. They wondered if Coach Leach could ever effectively lead a team. Thats the problem with those media pundits who sit in their comfortable chairs in their fancy suits, they honestly have no idea what they are talking about. If they did they would know that even though we were beaten today, these kids have hope and a lot of confidence. You can see it in the way they move and go about their business. We might not be able to pull off the upsets right away, but i believe this team is well on its way. They should stick with their infatuation with "Johnny Football" like that stupid program that aired last night and leave the analysis and predictions to people who know what they are talking about.

Anyways, I am off my soap box now. Hey I am getting pretty good at writing in this stupid journal. It was a pretty good idea... though i'd never admit that to the fiance, although she probably already knows. Tomorrow Coach wants me to take a trip to Halifax, Canada (Canada!!) to scout this little known receiver. Personally I dont see the reason why I need to go to the cold. This kid Hughes is a 3 star receiver and ranked as the number 53 best receiver. We already have some good kids on our team but Coach sees something in this kid so I am going to check it out. Then come back and get ready for the USC game. I think we have a legitimate shot at beating these guys. They have been down here recently and barely won against Hawaii. If Connor can get in rhythm against that secondary, it could be a defining game for us.