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

[Careless Whisper]

by Jeff Greenberg, Carnegie Mellon insider for Rivals.com

Starting linebacker out until mid-October

After being helped off the field in the second quarter of last Thursday’s season opener at Youngstown State, junior middle linebacker Bobby Smith was diagnosed with a foot stress fracture and will miss at least seven weeks.

Smith, who started at middle linebacker against the Penguins, laid on the ground after a tackle of Marcus Mason and was helped off by an athletic trainer. The junior was seen not putting much weight on the foot and sat on the bench for the remainder of the Tartans’ 42-3 defeat.

With the loss of Smith, classmate Will Reid will shift into the starting spot at middle linebacker.

Ford to miss Maine trip

Redshirt senior quarterback David Ford will miss Carnegie Mellon’s road trip to Maine this weekend with an injury suffered in practice.

Ford is suffering from a hip pointer after taking a hit in Wednesday’s practice. The fifth-year signal-caller backs up classmate Andre Miller after competing for the starting job in fall camp.

True freshman Alex Smith will serve as Miller’s backup against the Black Bears.

Elliott to target 12 during in-season recruiting period

Head coach John Elliott has extended 12 scholarship offers to begin the in-season recruiting period, highlighted by six offensive lineman targets.

In hopes of building a stable unit for his offensive attack in 2007, Elliott has offered three-star tackles Travis Logan (Broadview Heights, Ohio / Brecksville-Broadview Heights), Andre Jack (Latrobe, Pa. / Greater Latrobe), and Michael Johnson (Dayton, Ohio / Carroll), as well as three-star guards Sean Sanders (Englewood, Ohio / Jefferstown Township), Matt Fitch (Sylvania, Ohio / Northview), and Curtis Davis (Hazelton, Pa. / Hazelton Area). Playing time and location, along with the university’s clear academic reputation, are likely pitches for Elliott’s targets.

Linebackers Justin Grant (Newark, N.J. / Central), Matt Johnson (Circleville, Ohio), and Eric Lindsey (Cherry Hill, N.J. / Cherry Hill West), defensive end Sean Brown (Cleveland Heights, Ohio / Cleveland Heights), tight end John Goff (East Norriton, Pa. / Norristown Area), and runningback Jim Manning (Reisterstown, Md. / Franklin) were also offered scholarships prior to CMU’s season opener at Youngstown State.

[Careless Whisper]

Second Half Surge Lifts Black Bears Past Tartans
Tied at halftime, 3-3, Maine outscored Carnegie Mellon 24-0 in the second half

by Alicia Brown, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter

ORONO, Maine -- Carnegie Mellon managed to score first and found itself in a 3-3 deadlock at halftime, but was blanked 24-0 in the second half and fell to Maine on Saturday night, 27-3.

Justin Thompson’s 36-yard field goal gave Carnegie Mellon (0-2) its first lead of the season on the game’s first drive, but the offense sputtered from that point on. Thompson missed two other attempts in the second and third quarters, and Andre Miller missed the mark on 30 of 40 passes in what was another scoring struggle for the Tartans.

“I thought our defense was good for the most part,” said first-year head coach John Elliott. “We bent and bent, but couldn’t quite keep bending in the second half. If we could have extended some drives maybe we would have a better shot at it late, but we’re still trying to figure out consistency on that side of the ball right now.”

One of the bright spots on offense was junior tailback Robert Riley, who finished with 114 yards on 22 carries. On defense, new starting middle linebacker Will Reid made nine tackles (two for loss) and a sack, while junior safety Eric Holloway intercepted a pass in the first quarter.

“Robert (Riley) was very steady today but we can’t give him the ball every single play,” said Elliott. “We need to find some openings in our passing game and be able to move the ball downfield in that way.”

Ron Whitcomb connected with Landis Williams three times for touchdowns in the second half, and eight times overall. Maine (1-1) also received a pair of field goals from Devin McNeill.

Carnegie Mellon finishes up its season-opening three-game road swing next weekend when it travels to James Madison.

Carnegie Mellon Tartans at Maine Black Bears
Sep 9, 2006	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (0-2)	3	0	0	0	3
Maine Black Bears (1-1)	0	3	10	14	27

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CMU	ME
9:36	(CMU) Justin Thompson 36-yard field goal	3	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CMU	ME
14:03	(ME) Devin McNeill 29-yard field goal	3	3
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CMU	ME
11:55	(ME) Devin McNeill 33-yard field goal	3	6
10:24	(ME) Ron Whitcomb 8-yard pass to Landis Williams (Devin McNeill kick)	3	13
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CMU	ME
13:02	(ME) Ron Whitcomb 3-yard pass to Landis Williams (Devin McNeill kick)	3	20
7:22	(ME) Ron Whitcomb 11-yard pass to Landis Williams (Devin McNeill kick)	3	27

Carnegie Mellon Tartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Andre Miller 10/40 84 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Robert Riley 22 114 5.2 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Pete Carlson 5 42 8.4 0 Ali Concepcion 4 31 7.8 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Will Reid 9 1 0 0 Brett Davidson 8 0 0 0 Eric Holloway 1 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Justin Thompson 1/3 0/0 3 36 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Pete Carlson 3 63 21.0 0

Maine Black Bears

[Careless Whisper]

Around the NCAA – Week 2 Edition
In clash between the nation's top two teams, #1 Ohio State outlasts #2 Texas in overtime, 34-28

USA Today Top 25 Coaches’ Poll
1 | Ohio State [37 first-place votes] (2-0)
2 | Notre Dame [23] (1-0)
3 | USC [1] (1-0)
4 | LSU (2-0)
5 | Florida (2-0)
6 | Auburn (2-0)
7 | Oklahoma (2-0)
8 | Texas (1-1)
9 | West Virginia (2-0)
10 | Louisville (1-0)

Biggest Climb | Five teams moved up two spots
Biggest Drop | California (1-1) – #13 to #22
Newcomers | #25 Minnesota (2-0)
Drop Outs | #24 Tennessee

Heisman Watch
Brady Quinn, Sr., QB, Notre Dame | 200.1 QB rtg., 32-50, 622 yards, 6 TD, 2 INT
Troy Smith, R-Sr., QB, Ohio State | 160.3 QB rtg., 25-45, 286 yards, 7 TD, 0 INT
Thomas Brown, Jr., HB, Georgia | 31 carries, 208 yards, 4 TD; 5 catches, 147 yards, 3 TD
Jeff Samardzija, Sr., WR, Notre Dame | 10 catches, 309 yards, 3 TD
Adrian Peterson, Jr., HB, Oklahoma | 18 carries, 148 yards, 1 TD

NCAA Players of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola
Offensive: Andre Woodson, R-Jr., QB, Kentucky | 30-34, 427 yards, 7 TD in 65-14 win vs. Texas State
Defensive: Prescott Burgess, Sr., OLB, Michigan | 4 tackles (3 TFL), 2 INT, 1 TD in 70-14 win vs. Central Michigan

Injury Report
Antonio Pittman, Jr., HB, Ohio State | Bruised shoulder (2 weeks)
Warren Young, R-Sr., DE, West Virginia | Dislocated ankle (10 weeks)
Brandon Condren, Sr., SS, Troy | Forearm fracture (11 weeks)

Notable Top 25 Scores
#4 LSU 41, Arizona 24
#25 Minnesota 35, #22 California 28
#21 Clemson 35, Boston College 14
#14 Iowa 27, Syracuse 10
#13 Georgia 29, South Carolina 19
#2 Notre Dame 38, #16 Penn State 7
#6 Auburn 28, Mississippi State 10
#5 Florida 42, Central Florida 7
#1 Ohio State 34, #8 Texas 28 (OT)
#7 Oklahoma 28, Washington 17
#19 Virginia Tech 52, North Carolina 21

Week 3 National Broadcasts
Maryland (2-0) at #9 West Virginia (2-0)
#21 Clemson (2-0) at #18 Florida State (1-1)
#11 Miami [Fla.] (2-0) at #10 Louisville (1-0)
#4 LSU (2-0) at #6 Auburn (2-0) – Game of the Week
#17 Nebraska (2-0) at #3 USC (1-0)
#5 Florida (2-0) at Tennessee (1-1)
#12 Michigan (2-0) at #2 Notre Dame (2-0)
#7 Oklahoma (2-0) at #24 Oregon (2-0)

[Careless Whisper]

by Jeff Greenberg, Carnegie Mellon insider for Rivals.com

Ford to return after missing Maine game

One week after missing CMU’s game at Maine, redshirt senior quarterback David Ford has returned to the practice field and is good to go for the Tartans’ trip to James Madison this Saturday.

Ford spent last Saturday back on campus while dealing with a hip pointer he suffered earlier that week in practice. True freshman Alex Smith served as the backup to Andre Miller.

Miller has struggled thus far in 2006, completing 24 of 70 passes for 200 yards with an interception in two starts.

Offensive tackle warms to Carnegie Mellon

Offensive tackle prospect Michael Johnson (Dayton, Ohio) has the Tartans in the top half of his college choices, and the team’s location has made a big difference.

Johnson is looking to stay close to home and likes that CMU is only four hours away. A three-star recruit standing at six-foot-seven and 320 pounds, last year’s All-State Second Team selection would be an immediate starter on either side for the Tartans.

Other prospects CMU currently seems to be in good standing with include Pennsylvania tight end John Goff, Ohio linebacker Matt Johnson (no relation to Michael), and Ohio guard Matt Fitch.

Guard drops Tartans from consideration

Three-star guard Curtis Davis (Hazelton, Pa.) has removed Carnegie Mellon from his potential schools, Tartan Tidbits has learned.

“Coach (John) Elliott is a good dude,” said Davis in a phone interview. “But I can’t see myself playing for Carnegie Mellon and losing a bunch in my first couple seasons. I need to go somewhere where we’ll win.”

Davis was one of the six offensive line prospects that head coach John Elliott had extended offers to before the season. The six-foot-five, 285-pound guard from Hazleton, Pa. was an honorable mention selection for All-State as a junior.

[moose141]

Might even need to start wooing some 2 star recruits to get the talent level up if you're losing like this to FCS schools right now! Tough start, but definitely will make for a fun journey. Enjoying all the little news tidbits and clippings, I like the newspaper style you have working.

[Careless Whisper]

Quote: Originally Posted by moose141

Might even need to start wooing some 2 star recruits to get the talent level up if you're losing like this to FCS schools right now! Tough start, but definitely will make for a fun journey. Enjoying all the little news tidbits and clippings, I like the newspaper style you have working.

I feel like even one-star guys would be immediate upgrades at this point - this team is that bad, but that's what I wanted. If I can land any of these in-season targets - the worst in-season guys are three-stars - then they'll be day-one starters and huge difference makers next season.

And I appreciate the kind words regarding the layout - wanted to stick with mediums that I'm comfortable with, while providing a variety of looks for my updates. Also wanted to be in line with the era the dynasty is in right now, which is why I've got the old-school ESPN and Rivals banners up there.

[Careless Whisper]

Offensive Struggles Continue at James Madison
Carnegie Mellon didn’t turn the ball over, but was kept out of the end zone for the third straight contest

by Jayson Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter

HARRISONBURG, Va. -- For a third consecutive game, Carnegie Mellon was limited to a single field goal as it fell to James Madison on Saturday night, 30-3.

Carnegie Mellon (0-3) managed to compile 201 yards of total offense and completed less than 35 percent of its passes. Justin Thompson provided the only Tartan points once again, connecting on a 25-yard field goal in the second quarter.

“Our (offensive) struggles aren’t for a lack of trying,” said first-year head coach John Elliott. “I give our guys all the credit in the world. They’re working their tails off. It’s just damn hard moving up from (Division III) to this level, as we expected.”

Trailing 7-0 in the first quarter, CMU strung together a couple of first downs before facing a fourth and short from the James Madison (3-0) 36-yard line. Elliott made the call to go for it, only to see Robert Riley stuffed inches from the marker. The Dukes would take over and score on the next drive to open up a 13-0 advantage.

“We needed a spark,” said Elliott of his fourth-down call. “Everyone knew Robert (Riley) was getting the ball there too, but we had to at least try and extend the drive.”

Riley finished with 50 yards on 13 carries. Andre Miller completed just 10 of 32 pass attempts for 109 yards.

Alvin Banks ran for 173 yards on 19 carries for the Dukes, while Justin Rascati tossed a pair of touchdown passes.

Carnegie Mellon welcomes Western Illinois to Gesling Stadium next Saturday at 12:30 p.m. for its home opener.

Carnegie Mellon Tartans at James Madison Dukes
Sep 16, 2006	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (0-3)	0	3	0	0	0
James Madison Dukes (3-0)	7	9	7	7	30

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CMU	JMU
4:01	(JMU) Alvin Banks 9-yard run (David Rabil kick)	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CMU	JMU
10:25	(JMU) Justin Rascati 27-yard pass to D.D. Boxley (XP failed)	0	13
2:43	(CMU) Justin Thompson 25-yard field goal	3	13
0:13	(JMU) David Rabil 24-yard field goal	3	16
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CMU	JMU
0:03	(JMU) Justin Rascati 8-yard pass to Patrick Ward (David Rabil kick)	3	23
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CMU	JMU
10:45	(JMU) Eugene Holloman 7-yard run (David Rabil kick)	3	30

Carnegie Mellon Tartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Andre Miller 10/32 109 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Robert Riley 13 50 3.8 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Pete Carlson 5 68 13.6 0 Ali Concepcion 3 33 11.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Robert Graves 7 2 0 0 Raymond Cooper 4 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Justin Thompson 1/2 0/0 3 25 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Pete Carlson 3 60 20.0 0

James Madison Dukes

[Careless Whisper]

Around the NCAA – Week 3 Edition
Maryland pulls a shocking 24-21 upset against #9 West Virginia in their rivalry game

USA Today Top 25 Coaches’ Poll
1 | Ohio State [37 first-place votes] (3-0)
2 | Florida [21] (3-0)
3 | Auburn [1] (3-0)
4 | Oklahoma [1] (3-0)
5 | Texas (2-1)
6 | Miami (Fla.) [1] (3-0)
7 | Michigan (3-0)
8 | Notre Dame (2-1)
9 | LSU (2-1)
10 | USC (1-1)

Biggest Climb | Miami (Fla.) (3-0) – #11 to #6; Michigan (3-0) – #12 to #7
Biggest Drop | USC (1-1) – #3 to #10; West Virginia (2-1) – #9 to #16
Newcomers | #22 TCU (3-0), #25 Colorado (3-0)
Drop Outs | #20 Texas Tech, #24 Oregon

Heisman Watch
Brady Quinn, Sr., QB, Notre Dame | 154.6 QB rtg., 58-94, 836 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT
Thomas Brown, Jr., HB, Georgia | 51 carries, 358 yards, 6 TD; 8 catches, 180 yards, 3 TD
Rufus Alexander, R-Sr., OLB, Oklahoma | 17 tackles (4 TFL), 2 sacks, 4 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 TD
Kenny Irons, Sr., HB, Auburn | 71 carries, 468 yards, 9 TD
Jamaal Charles, So., HB, Texas | 66 carries, 478 yards, 6 TD; 5 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD

NCAA Players of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola
Offensive: Kevin Kolb, Sr., QB, Houston | 27-32, 448 yards, 6 TD (1 rush) in 63-10 win vs. Grambling State
Defensive: John Guice, Sr., CB, UNLV | 2 INT, 2 TD in 49-21 win at Hawaii

Injury Report
JaMarcus Russell, R-Jr., QB, LSU | ACL sprain (2 weeks)
Marlon Lucky, So., HB, Nebraska | Foot stress fracture (3 weeks)
Quentin Moses, R-Sr., DE, Georgia | Strained pectoral (3 weeks)
Paul Posluszny, Sr., OLB, Penn State | Partially torn ACL (10 weeks)
Sergio Kindle, Fr., OLB, Texas | Knee cartilage tear (3 weeks)
Marquice Cole, R-Sr., CB, Northwestern | Broken wrist (10 weeks)

Notable Top 25 Scores
Maryland 24, #16 West Virginia 21
#17 Clemson 22, #24 Florida State 20
#12 Iowa 49, Iowa State 35
#1 Ohio State 14, Cincinnati 3
#6 Miami (Fla.) 28, #14 Louisville 23
#25 Colorado 49, #21 Arizona State 30
#3 Auburn 21, #9 LSU 14
#13 Nebraska 38, #10 USC 14
#2 Florida 28, Tennessee 0
#7 Michigan 30, #8 Notre Dame 16
#4 Oklahoma 42, Oregon 28

Week 4 National Broadcasts
Iowa State (2-1) at #5 Texas (2-1)
#10 USC (1-1) at Arizona (1-2)
#8 Notre Dame (2-1) at Michigan State (3-0)
Wisconsin (2-1) at #7 Michigan (3-0)
#14 Louisville (1-1) at Kansas State (3-0)
#21 Arizona State (2-1) at #19 California (2-1)
#15 Penn State (2-1) at #1 Ohio State (3-0) – Game of the Week
#25 Colorado (3-0) at #11 Georgia (3-0)