The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 07)

[Careless Whisper]

Around the MAC – Week 11 Edition
Toledo can clinch its spot in the MAC Championship Game with a win at Northern Illinois this weekend

MAC East Standings
Carnegie Mellon | 7-3, 6-0 MAC
Akron | 7-3, 5-1 MAC
Miami (Ohio) | 5-5, 4-2 MAC
Kent State | 6-4, 4-2 MAC
Ohio | 6-4, 4-2 MAC
Bowling Green | 4-6, 3-3 MAC
Buffalo | 1-9, 0-6 MAC

MAC West Standings
Toledo | 8-2, 5-1 MAC
Western Michigan | 5-6, 4-3 MAC
Ball State | 6-5, 2-5 MAC
Central Michigan | 3-7, 1-5 MAC
Northern Illinois | 3-7, 1-5 MAC
Eastern Michigan | 1-9, 1-5 MAC

MAC Players of the Week
Offensive: Jamelle Murray, R-Sr., WR, Western Michigan | 11 catches, 234 yards, 5 TD in 49-31 win at Central Michigan
Defensive: Pat Yates, Fr., MLB, Ball State | 6 tackles (2 TFL), 1 sack, 2 INT, 1 FR in 27-14 win against Eastern Michigan

Week 11 Scores
Toledo 31, Navy 20
Ball State 27, Eastern Michigan 14
Northern Illinois 42, UTEP 14
Kent State 28, Buffalo 14
Western Michigan 49, Central Michigan 31

Week 12 Matchups
Akron (7-3, 5-1) at Ohio (6-4, 4-2) | 11/17, 6:00 PM
Miami (Ohio) (5-5, 4-2) at Bowling Green (4-6, 3-3) | 11/17, 8:00 PM
Toledo (8-2, 5-1) at Northern Illinois (3-7, 1-5) | 11/18, 8:00 PM
Carnegie Mellon (7-3, 6-0) at Kent State (6-4, 4-2) | 11/20, 12:30 PM
Ball State (6-5, 2-5) at Central Michigan (3-7, 1-5) | 11/20, 12:30 PM
Buffalo (1-9, 0-6) at Eastern Michigan (1-9, 1-5) | 11/20, 3:30 PM

[moose141]

Some good looking prospects in the commits (or verbals) list this season, starting to get a bit more quantity and also the quality should be solid. Always good to see that you're recruiting up against some big boys like Notre Dame and Wisconsin rather than just going after players that can only draw the eyes of MAC schools.

[Careless Whisper]

Quote: Originally Posted by moose141

Some good looking prospects in the commits (or verbals) list this season, starting to get a bit more quantity and also the quality should be solid. Always good to see that you're recruiting up against some big boys like Notre Dame and Wisconsin rather than just going after players that can only draw the eyes of MAC schools.

Agreed completely, feel like this year has been really good so far in in-season recruiting even if I only manage to land one or two more of these targets. I think if I finish the season strong on the field then my prestige should be high enough that I can start going after four-star guys, which would open up a whole bunch of in-season opportunities considering the talent jump and that there are more four-stars that qualify from an academic (awareness) standpoint.

[Careless Whisper]

by Jeff Greenberg, Carnegie Mellon insider for Rivals.com

CMU can punch MAC title game ticket with win and Akron loss

With a victory at Kent State this Saturday and an Akron loss at Ohio, Carnegie Mellon would secure its spot in the MAC Championship Game for a second consecutive season, where it would likely meet Toledo in a rematch of last year’s 33-27 thriller.

The Tartans and Zips do not play each other this season, and it is reported that Akron would hold the tiebreaker over CMU if the two teams finished tied in the MAC standings. If the Tartans can advance to the MAC Championship Game and defeat their opponent, they would become the sixth different conference champion in as many seasons, following Akron (2005), Ohio (2006), Kent State (2007), Ball State (2008), and Toledo (2009).

Freshmen elevated on depth chart

Two big changes appeared on the updated CMU depth chart this week, as freshmen Lawrence McIntire and Travis Sledge moved into starting roles.

McIntire moved ahead of junior Nate Satele as the top runningback, with head coach John Elliott frustrated with the latter’s fumbling issues. The freshman has rushed for 354 yards and three touchdowns on 78 carries (4.5 avg.), while Satele has fumbled 14 times over the last two seasons after losing the ball just once as a freshman. The junior has scored six touchdowns (5 rush, 1 rec) and has 593 rushing yards on 137 carries this year.

Sledge was already in a primary offensive role as the third receiver, but this week he moved ahead of junior Stephen Carter as the second wide out on the depth chart. The freshman has come along as of late and now has 316 yards and two touchdowns on 24 receptions, and achieved his first 100-yard game at Eastern Michigan on Oct. 30. Carter has accumulated 39 catches, 440 yards, and three touchdowns in his third collegiate season.

Johnson shows out on Sunday Night Football

Former CMU linebacker Matt Johnson was front and center on Monday Night Football, recording five tackles and a sack in the Tennessee Titans’ 23-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Johnson has served as a reserve linebacker after making the team as an undrafted free agent signing, netting at least one tackle in six consecutive games. He suffered a shoulder injury near the end of the contest, however, and will reportedly miss the next two weeks. The Titans now sit at 8-1 as they look to repeat as Super Bowl champions, while the Colts fell to 5-4.

Wiley drops CMU from consideration

Three-star middle linebacker Lionel Wiley (McCandless, Pa.) is moving forward in his recruitment without Carnegie Mellon, leaving the Tartans out of his top three announced yesterday.

Wiley, a five-foot-eleven, 234-pound linebacker from Avonworth High School, is now considering Virginia Tech, Ohio State, and Michigan as his final three. He noted that the other schools had more to offer than CMU.

Carnegie Mellon In-Season Recruiting Targets
Kevin Doucette, G, *** (6’3”, 282 lbs.; Elizabethtown, Pa. / Elizabethtown) – Verbal Commit
Charlie Williams, OT, *** (6’6”, 290 lbs.; Barberton, Ohio / Barberton) – Soft Commit, Official Visit 11/6
- Carnegie Mellon, Notre Dame, Ohio State
Jeff Gilmore, HB, *** (5’8”, 200 lbs.; Winnipeg, Manitoba / Portage Collegiate) – Soft Commit, Official Visit 11/6
- Carnegie Mellon, Wisconsin, Michigan
Morgan Cook, TE, *** (6’5”, 255 lbs.; Takoma Park, Md. / Don Bosco Cristo Rey) – Top 3, Official Visit 11/6
- Virginia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, Virginia
Andrew Davis, CB, *** (5’11”, 185 lbs.; Philadelphia, Pa. / St. Joseph’s Prep) – Top 5
- Michigan State, Carnegie Mellon, Virginia, Navy, North Carolina State
Tom Cook, OLB, *** (6’4”, 213 lbs.; Pittsburgh, Pa. / Woodland Hills) – Removed; Committed to Penn
Jason Crossley, DT, *** (6’3”, 315 lbs.; Bartlett, Ill. / Bartlett) – Removed; Committed to Nebraska
Lionel Wiley, MLB, *** (5’11”, 234 lbs.; McCandless, Pa. / Avonworth) – Removed
Harry Hand, C, *** (6’4”, 291 lbs.; Philadelphia, Pa. / St. Joseph’s Prep) – Removed
Bryan Ward, QB, *** (6’3”, 215 lbs.; Monessen, Pa. / Monessen) – Removed
James Williamson, DE, *** (6’1”, 252 lbs.; Edmonton, Alberta / W.R. Myers) – Removed
Mike Bush, OT, *** (6’6”, 304 lbs.; Fostoria, Ohio / Fostoria) – Removed
Shannon Green, G, *** (6’5”, 335 lbs.; Warren, Ohio / Harding) – Removed
Dusty Hayward, OT, *** (6’4”, 300 lbs.; Jefferson, Pa. / Thomas Jefferson) – Removed
David Jenkins, DT, *** (6’0”, 315 lbs.; Bartlett, Tenn. / Bartlett) – Removed

[Careless Whisper]

at
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (7-3, 6-0 MAC) at Kent State Golden Flashes (6-4, 4-2 MAC)
Saturday, November 20, 2010 | 12:30 PM (ET)
Kent, Ohio – Dix Stadium | FSN Pittsburgh

Team Overview (C- overall, C- offense, C- defense)
Kent State has played a unique schedule in 2010, starting with five straight home games before a four-game road trip in the middle of the season. The Golden Flashes are bowl eligible at 6-4 overall, but blowout defeats to Miami (Ohio) (10-31) and Bowling Green (27-56) eliminated them from contention in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East division.

Redshirt junior Giorgio Morgan (115.0 QB rtg., 143-249, 1,387 yards, 13 TD, 8 INT; 46 carries, 130 yards, 3 TD) won the starting quarterback job in fall camp over second-year freshman John Estes (52.9 QB rtg., 14-36, 92 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT), though KSU sees Estes as the future signal-caller in the coming years. The offense is led by junior tailback Brock Fitzhenry (96 carries, 630 yards, 3 TD; 7 catches, 84 yards, 1 TD), a former four-star recruit who has struggled with injuries. He shares time with junior college transfer Jacob Barnett (140 carries, 838 yards, 5 TD; 11 catches, 113 yards), and the duo team up to give the Golden Flashes a formable rushing attack. The offensive line is stout with Preseason All-MAC selection Charles Laster leading the charge at left tackle, and Morgan has some reliable targets to throw to in redshirt juniors Alan Vanderink (54 catches, 394 yards, 3 TD) and Rashad Tukes (37 catches, 396 yards, 3 TD), and junior tight end Drew Brown (14 catches, 236 yards, 4 TD).

Kent State’s defense features a solid linebacker corps, led by redshirt senior Quinton Rainey (57 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 INT, 2 FF, 1 FR), who was a Preseason All-MAC selection. In the middle are sophomore cousins Chauncey Johnson (36 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 FF) and Lorenzo Johnson (38 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR), with Chauncey providing 69 tackles and three sacks as a true freshman starter in 2009. Second-year defensive end Alfred Kennedy (39 tackles, 5 sacks) provides the pass rush off the edge, while the secondary is still making up for the loss of senior free safety Kirk Belgrave (14 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF), who is lost for the season with a broken wrist. Freshman safety Greg Fletcher (27 tackles, 4 INT) has been excellent on the right side, and could be a future star for the Golden Flashes.

Sophomore kicker Kevin Mays (13-26 FG, 25-25 XP) features a big leg with a long field goal of 50 yards, but has only made 48 percent of his career attempts. Freshman punter Thurman Gordon (35 punts, 1,494 yards, 42.7 avg., 14 inside 20) has been good in his first year out of high school. Fitzhenry (21 kick returns, 515 yards; 11 punt returns, 83 yards) and Vanderkirk (11 kick returns, 205 yards; 13 punt returns, 118 yards) are the primary returners for KSU.

Season Results
09/04 | NEW HAMPSHIRE | W, 34-7
09/11 | IOWA STATE | L, 7-28
09/18 | BAYLOR | L, 25-29
09/25 | OHIO * | W, 24-21
10/02 | EASTERN MICHIGAN * | W, 44-17
10/09 | at Indiana | W, 17-16
10/23 | at Northern Illinois * | W, 14-10
10/30 | at Miami (Ohio) * | L, 10-31
11/06 | at Bowling Green * | L, 27-56
11/13 | BUFFALO * | W, 28-14

PFF Top Five
Charles Laster, R-Jr., OT (88)
Brock Fitzhenry, Jr., HB (86)
Sam Frist, R-Sr., G (84)
Quinton Rainey, R-Sr., OLB (82)
Arnold Dyches, R-So., C (80)

Injury Report
Carnegie Mellon: Jon Crowell, R-So., CB (dislocated ankle – season)
Kent State: Kirk Belgrave, Sr., FS (broken wrist – season)

Suspensions
Carnegie Mellon: None
Kent State: None

[Deuce2223]

Bummer to lose out on Ward, but maybe you can find a QB in the off-season that could still compete with Wilson.

Also losing Tom Cook was a bummer too, hopefully Morgan will still sign.

[moose141]

FSN Pittsburgh, what a classic, aha. Feels like finally we can say you're close to being the class of the MAC, none of these random Ohio based programs scare me in MACtion anymore... think you should handle the business, the team is just too dynamic on both sides of the ball at this point.

[Careless Whisper]

Quote: Originally Posted by Deuce2223

Bummer to lose out on Ward, but maybe you can find a QB in the off-season that could still compete with Wilson. Also losing Tom Cook was a bummer too, hopefully Morgan will still sign.

Really wanted Ward, but he just wasn't all that interested despite CMU being in his top five. Hopefully I'll have some interest from the quarterback class with Keyes graduating and bring in someone to compete for the job. As for the Cooks, losing Tom stunk because he looked to be a lock, but I'm expecting to see Morgan commit elsewhere soon - typically when I don't move up to first after an official, that pretty much ends my hopes of a commitment.

Quote: Originally Posted by moose141

FSN Pittsburgh, what a classic, aha. Feels like finally we can say you're close to being the class of the MAC, none of these random Ohio based programs scare me in MACtion anymore... think you should handle the business, the team is just too dynamic on both sides of the ball at this point.

Haha only a few years in this until it becomes AT&T Sports Pittsburgh! Definitely feel like it's leaning that way, I've got the talent and the depth that most of the other MAC teams have, and while I expect a slight drop-off without Keyes next year, the future is very bright moving forward. Kent State is pretty solid and its running game with Fitzhenry and Barnett could give me fits, but I should have enough firepower to keep this going!