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

[moose141]

This is wild and I am here for it... that said, there will always be one game every season where I will be rooting against you!

[Careless Whisper]

Quote: Originally Posted by moose141

This is wild and I am here for it... that said, there will always be one game every season where I will be rooting against you!

Appreciate it! Hopefully I can pull off the upset against your Panthers... in 2015? lol

Always wanted to dive into the football dynasty pool and add to all the great ones we have on here, and I figured it was the right time with the lockdown. Wanted to do something off the wall and make it challenging for myself, and not where I'm competitive after just 2-3 years. After some research, I found what I wanted to do aligned best with CMU, so hopefully I can eventually bring them to glory.

[Careless Whisper]

Tartans Enter Historic 2006 with Minimal Expectations
Carnegie Mellon begins its first season as a FCS independent as it starts ambitious leap

by Alicia Brown, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- “We’re going to work our tails off.”

That was first-year head coach John Elliott’s initial words when asked about his team’s expectations ahead of an unlikely journey. Carnegie Mellon is making the unprecedented leap from NCAA Division III to Division I competition this season, and even the man in charge knows the Tartans will be taking their lumps for some time.

“That same work ethic that these guys display in the classroom, it translates to the practice field,” said Elliott, who previously served as defensive coordinator at Gannon University. “It translates there, and it will translate to games. I’d be lying if I said we’d have more talent than any of the teams on our schedule this season, but we certainly are going to work harder than them.”

Elliott’s offensive attack will be based around the running game, and he has the workhorse to lead them in junior Robert Riley. Riley rushed for 1,101 yards and eight touchdowns last season as a sophomore and was named to the All-UAA Second Team.

“Robert’s strong and durable,” said Elliott. “We want to get him 20 or more touches each game, especially with QB1 up in the air between Andre (Miller), David (Ford), and Alex (Smith).”

Redshirt senior Andre Miller is the leader for the starting quarterback job ahead of classmate David Ford and true freshman Alex Smith, and whoever wins the job will have an intriguing piece in Pete Carlson to throw to. Carlson, a sophomore, scored three touchdowns of 30+ yards as a freshman and will serve as the team’s primary kick returner.

“Pete’s small (five-foot-seven) and wiggly, but he’s an explosive piece on the outside,” said Miller. “He’s another guy we have to get as many touches as possible.”

On the defensive side, the sophomore duo of Devon Elliott and Raymond Cooper stand out. Both were All-UAA selections last year as freshmen and have been turning heads in practice.

“Devon hasn’t been able to be blocked all camp,” said Elliott. “And our quarterbacks haven’t been throwing it to Coop’s side at all. I’m excited to see them raise their game to the level we’re playing at now.”

Carnegie Mellon’s schedule features 10 FCS opponents, a Division II school, and its renewed annual rivalry game with neighboring Pitt. The Tartans will play four games at Gesling Stadium, starting with their home opener on Saturday, Sept. 23 against Western Illinois.

“Our record might not be what we’d like it to be at the end of the day,” said Elliott. “But we’re going to make our community proud and establish the foundation for this new era of Tartan football.”

2006 Schedule
(Home games in ALL CAPS)

08/31 | at Youngstown State (6:00 PM)
09/09 | at Maine (6:00 PM)
09/16 | at James Madison (6:00 PM)
09/23 | WESTERN ILLINOIS (12:30 PM)
10/07 | at Montana (3:30 PM)
10/12 | at Pittsburgh (7:00 PM) – Rivalry Game
10/21 | HARVARD (6:00 PM) – Homecoming
10/28 | at Furman (3:30 PM)
11/04 | SHIPPENSBURG [1-AA East] (12:30 PM)
11/11 | at Princeton (3:30 PM)
11/18 | at Stephen F. Austin (12:30 PM)
11/25 | RICHMOND (8:00 PM) – Senior Night

Two-Deep Depth Chart
QB | #1 Andre Miller (R-Sr.), #14 David Ford (R-Sr.)
HB | #11 Robert Riley (Jr.), #40 Tramon McCollum (So.)
FB | #21 Andre Clifford (Sr.), #29 Korey Harper (Fr.)
WR | #82 Pete Carlson (So.), #15 Al Jackson (Jr.)
WR | #81 Ali Concepcion (Jr.), #83 Kurt Thompson (Fr.)
TE | #80 Antwan Copeland (Jr.), #86 Calvin Scott (So.)
LT | #52 Jon Young (So.), #75 Ryan Fisher (Sr.)
LG | #67 Andy Clarke (So.), #69 Anton Green (So.)
C | #73 Rob Hill (So.), #63 Andrew Stanford (Jr.)
RG | #59 Leroy Webb (So.), #58 Clint Chavez (Jr.)
RT | #70 David Jenkins (So.), #64 Greg Cunningham (So.)
LE | #45 Jared Davis (So.), #99 Joe Berg (Sr.)
RE | #62 Todd Brown (Fr.), #48 Justin Fisher (Jr.)
DT | #60 Devon Elliott (So.), #61 Brandon Kellner (Jr.)
DT | #91 Walter Hunter (Fr.), #65 Terrance Knox (So.)
LOLB | #98 Robert Graves (So.), #94 Andrew Motte (Jr.)
MLB | #43 Bobby Smith (Jr.), #93 Will Reid (Jr.)
ROLB | #50 Curtis Willis (Jr.), #44 Nick St. Louis (So.)
CB | #10 Raymond Cooper (So.), #46 Jay Edmonds (Fr.)
CB | #16 Spencer Mason (Sr.), #2 Brent Matthews (Jr.)
FS | #34 Sean Day (Jr.), #23 Xavier Bennett (So.)
SS | #24 Eric Holloway (Jr.), #26 Braylon Cunningham (So.)
K | #30 Justin Thompson (Jr.)
P | #49 Brad Jones (So.)
KR | #82 Pete Carlson (So.), #10 Raymond Cooper (So.)
PR | #10 Raymond Cooper (So.), #82 Pete Carlson (So.)

[Careless Whisper]

Around the NCAA – Preseason Edition
Behind quarterback Troy Smith, Ohio State comes into 2007 as the favorite to capture the BCS title

USA Today Preseason Top 25 Coaches' Poll
1 | Ohio State [34 first-place votes]
2 | Texas [25]
3 | Notre Dame [1]
4 | USC [1]
5 | LSU
6 | Florida
7 | Auburn
8 | Oklahoma
9 | West Virginia
10 | Louisville
11 | Miami (Fla.)
12 | Florida State
13 | Penn State
14 | Michigan
15 | California
16 | Georgia
17 | Iowa
18 | Tennessee
19 | Arizona State
20 | Nebraska
21 | Virginia Tech
22 | Texas Tech
23 | Clemson
24 | Alabama
25 | Georgia Tech

Heisman Watch
Brady Quinn, Sr., QB, Notre Dame | 158.4 QB rtg., 292-450, 3,919 yards, 33 TD (1 rush), 7 INT in 2005
Adrian Peterson, Jr., HB, Oklahoma | 221 carries, 1,104 yards, 14 TD in 2005
Troy Smith, R-Sr., QB, Ohio State | 162.7 QB rtg., 149-237, 2,282 yards, 16 TD, 4 INT; 136 carries, 611 yards, 11 TD in 2005
Chris Leak, Sr., QB, Florida | 136.5 QB rtg., 235-374, 2,639 yards, 26 TD (6 rush), 6 INT in 2005
Brian Brohm, Jr., QB, Louisville | 166.7 QB rtg., 207-301, 2,883 yards, 23 TD (4 rush), 5 INT in 2005

Conference Favorites
ACC | Miami [Fla.]
Big Ten | Ohio State
Big 12 | Texas
Big East | West Virginia
C-USA | Central Florida
MAC | Northern Illinois
Mountain West | TCU
Pac-10 | USC
SEC | LSU
Sun Belt | Louisiana-Lafayette
WAC | Nevada

Top 10 Toughest Places to Play
1 | Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – Florida (90,177 avg.)
2 | Ohio Stadium – Ohio State (104,870 avg.)
3 | Tiger Stadium – LSU (90,974 avg.)
4 | Beaver Stadium –Penn State (105,629 avg.)
5 | Lane Stadium – Virginia Tech (62,031 avg.)
6 | Neyland Stadium – Tennessee (105,038 avg.)
7 | USC Stadium – USC (77,804 avg.)
8 | DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium – Texas (83,339 avg.)
9 | Kinnick Stadium – Iowa (65,798 avg.)
10 | Doak Campbell Stadium – Florida State (83,149 avg.)

Week 1 National Broadcasts
Southern Miss at #6 Florida
Northern Illinois at #1 Ohio State
Washington State at #7 Auburn
#4 USC at Arkansas
#15 California at #18 Tennessee
#3 Notre Dame at #25 Georgia Tech
#12 Florida State at #11 Miami (Fla.) – Game of the Week

[Careless Whisper]

Offense Non-Existent in FCS Debut at Youngstown State
Carnegie Mellon could only manage 222 yards of total offense as it fell to the Penguins, 42-3

by Alicia Brown, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- History was made on Saturday night at Stambaugh Stadium, as Carnegie Mellon made its NCAA Division I FCS debut. However, as most expected, the Tartans went down without much of a fight, falling to Youngstown State, 42-3.

Carnegie Mellon (0-1) managed to not turn the ball over in its first test on the FCS level, but compiled just 222 yards of total offense on the day. Only a Justin Thompson 24-yard field goal in the second quarter kept the Tartans from being blanked, something that can be seen as a small victory according to first-year head coach John Elliott.

“There were a couple of solid drives there,” said Elliott. “Justin (Thompson) missed the first one, but nailed the second. I thought our defense played pretty well all things considered. We’ll have to get them off the field more often, which may mean going more conservative on offense to try and extend drives.”

Redshirt senior Andre Miller earned the first start under center and threw for 112 yards on 30 attempts, completing 14 of them. 11 of those completions went to sophomore Pete Carlson (6) and junior Ali Concepcion (5), who combined for 100 yards receiving.

Junior tailback Robert Riley finished with 57 yards on nine carries, while sophomore sidekick Tramon McCollum added 53 yards on nine attempts.

“Our backs were good today but we couldn’t convert those third and shorts to keep drives going,” added Elliott.

Defensively, junior linebacker Brett Davidson forced the first turnover in CMU’s first FCS bout, picking off a Tom Zetts pass in the second quarter that set up Thompson’s field goal. Davidson finished with 10 tackles and a sack, as he and sophomores Jared Davis and Devon Elliott sacked the Youngstown State (1-0) signal-caller three times.

Runningbacks Marcus Mason and Justin Reams scored twice for the Penguins, as well as wide receiver T.J. Peterson. YSU carried a 14-3 lead into halftime before churning out an 80-yard drive to open the third quarter that ended in a Zetts touchdown pass to Peterson.

Carnegie Mellon continues its inaugural season of FCS competition on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Maine.

Carnegie Mellon Tartans at Youngstown State Penguins
Aug 31, 2006	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (0-0)	0	3	0	0	3
Youngstown State Penguins (0-0)	14	0	21	7	42

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CMU	YSU
10:02	(YSU) Marcus Mason 3-yard run (Joe Bishop kick)	0	7
4:32	(YSU) Marcus Mason 3-yard run (Joe Bishop kick)	0	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CMU	YSU
11:43	(CMU) Justin Thompson 24-yard field goal	3	14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CMU	YSU
9:21	(YSU) Tom Zetts 28-yard pass to T.J. Peterson (Joe Bishop kick)	3	21
4:33	(YSU) Tom Zetts 36-yard pass to T.J. Peterson (Joe Bishop kick)	3	28
2:19	(YSU) Justin Reams 4-yard run (Joe Bishop kick)	3	35
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CMU	YSU
3:53	(YSU) Justin Reams 1-yard run (Joe Bishop kick)	3	42

Carnegie Mellon Tartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Andre Miller 14/30 112 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Robert Riley 9 57 6.3 0 Tramon McCollum 9 53 5.9 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Pete Carlson 6 64 10.7 0 Ali Concepcion 5 36 7.2 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Brett Davidson 10 1 1 0 Curtis Willis 9 0 0 0 Jared Davis 8 1 0 0 Devon Elliott 2 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Justin Thompson 1/2 0/0 3 24

Youngstown State Penguins

[dfsJunkie]

42-3 against Youngstown St... this is going to be a long season. I like the setup so far. Cool seeing those old names in the heisman race.

[Careless Whisper]

Quote: Originally Posted by dfsJunkie

42-3 against Youngstown St... this is going to be a long season. I like the setup so far. Cool seeing those old names in the heisman race.

Appreciate it! I've always had more fun playing the older titles, which is why I'm still trucking along with my old PS3 that is backwards compatible - not sure if I'll ever upgrade from it unless NCAA comes back.

As for the game, it was about what I expected. I can definitely move the ball on the ground against FCS teams, but my QB situation is going to be a struggle all season. If I have any shot at winning this year, I'll probably have to lean on the ground game and churn clock, and hope my defense can bend to its breaking point without snapping.

Thanks for checking in!

[Careless Whisper]

Around the NCAA – Week 1 Edition
Miami (Fla.) defeats rival Florida State on Labor Day, 38-14, but loses Jon Beason to broken tibia

USA Today Top 25 Coaches' Poll
1 | Ohio State [35 first-place votes] (1-0)
2 | Texas [21] (1-0)
3 | Notre Dame [2] (1-0)
4 | USC [2] (1-0)
5 | LSU (1-0)
6 | Florida (1-0)
7 | Auburn (1-0)
8 | Oklahoma (1-0)
9 | West Virginia (1-0)
10 | Louisville (1-0)

Biggest Climb | California (1-0) – #15 to #13; Arizona State (1-0) – #19 to #17
Biggest Drop | Florida State (0-1) – #12 to #18; Tennessee (1-0) – #24 to #18
Newcomers | #25 Oregon
Drop Outs | #25 Georgia Tech

Heisman Watch
Brady Quinn, Sr., QB, Notre Dame | 278.1 QB rtg., 16-22, 389 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT
Adrian Peterson, Jr., HB, Oklahoma | 18 carries, 148 yards, 1 TD
Troy Smith, R-Sr., QB, Ohio State | 222.4 QB rtg., 9-16, 120 yards, 5 TD
Chris Leak, Sr., QB, Florida | 124.5 QB rtg., 18-34, 274 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Antonio Pittman, Jr., HB, Ohio State | 26 carries, 299 yards, 2 TD; 1 catch, 2 yards, 1 TD

NCAA Players of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola
Offensive: Erick Jackson, R-Sr., HB, UNLV | 24 carries, 179 yards, 3 TD; 3 catches, 111 yards, 1 TD in 31-20 win vs. Idaho State
Defensive: Rufus Alexander, R-Sr., OLB, Oklahoma | 8 tackles (4 TFL), 2 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 TD in 35-12 win vs. UAB

Injury Report
Brent Ratliff, Sr., QB, Utah | Broken tailbone (season)
Matt Bonislawski, R-Sr., QB, Connecticut | Torn groin (10 weeks)
Adrian Peterson, Jr., HB, Oklahoma | Broken finger (3 weeks)
Paul Williams, R-Sr., WR, Fresno State | Torn shoulder muscle (7 weeks)
Keith Brown, Jr., WR, Alabama | Foot fracture (season)
Kevin McLee, R-Sr., OLB, West Virginia | Broken shoulder blade (season)
Jon Beason, R-Jr., OLB, Miami [Fla.] | Broken tibia (8 weeks)
Josh Gattis, R-Sr., FS, Wake Forest | Broken collarbone (season)

Notable Top 25 Scores
#9 West Virginia 45, Marshall 27
#6 Florida 39, Southern Miss 25
#8 Oklahoma 35, UAB 12
#1 Ohio State 63, Northern Illinois 21
#14 Michigan 48, Vanderbilt 10
#2 Texas 38, North Texas 7
#25 Oregon 32, Stanford 14
#7 Auburn 31, Washington State 24
#4 USC 27, Arkansas 24
#13 California 24, #24 Tennessee 21
#3 Notre Dame 44, Georgia Tech 14
#23 Alabama 48, Hawaii 10
#10 Louisville 42, Kentucky 10
#11 Miami (Fla.) 38, #18 Florida State 14

Week 2 National Broadcasts
Arizona at #5 LSU
Minnesota at #13 California
#22 Clemson at Boston College
#15 Georgia at South Carolina
#12 Penn State at #3 Notre Dame
Central Florida at #6 Florida
#1 Ohio State at #2 Texas
Washington at #8 Oklahoma