The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

[K0ZZ]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

First Letters Roll In

A new season and it took Tyler Kozlov four weeks to get his letters of intents. These two come from Ohio and Georgia as Kozlov looked locally and targeted the South for new recruits.

Starting out in Georgia, the Akron Zips picked up a two star junior college transfer from Garden City by signing Deon Eldridge. Eldridge was largely unrecruited by other squads and upon his visit last week during the Western Michigan game, it appeared that something had clicked and he opted to sign. Eldridge is presently a safety/wide receiver option for the Garden City football program and while it is more likely that he will shift to the defense rather than offense at the FBS level, it simply comes down to where the need is most evident. He is an electric returner and route runner, he would be a vertical threat offensively.

Looking locally, the Zips bring in a three star tackle from their home state, beating out Toledo and Miami (OH) for the prospect's signature. Andre Desdner is a smaller tackle that has excellent footwork and good strength. He doesn't excel in any one specific area but has an excellent all around body of work. He could figure to be a starter early in his career. He may project to be more of a guard prospect though due to his size.

[Matt10]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

I definitely dig the addition of the gifs

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

I definitely dig the addition of the gifs

Same! They look great and are a good size. Nice win against the broncos! Keep it up!

[K0ZZ]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

Updates will be coming slower now, classes start again in three days and I'm off my vacation from work, so I'll update as time allows!

[K0ZZ]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

Tevin Coleman ran loose and wild in Hoosiers victory

Tevin Coleman tears up the Zips defense, leads Hoosiers in rout

The streak ends just as likely as Kyle Pohl's career has for the Akron Zips.

It's truely rare to see a team yielding unheard of success to have their quarterback come under fire from local media. In recent years, the Zips have been abysmal and on pace for their first winning season in a long time, they find themselves stuck with quite a few controversies and it appears that Tyler Kozlov has addressed both of them.

One was done the friday before the game when Tyler Kozlov published his depth chart, listing freshman Tra Ingram over Connor Hundley for the halfback position. The move was stated to be a "test" and that Hundley would still see his share of carries. Hundley has struggled against opponents that can handle his size and the Hoosier defense was more inclined, while Tra Ingram has shown flashes of brilliance in limited action. The move was done to hopefully bring out what has been an offense stuck in reverse.



No, it has been the defense carrying this team and games like today show the failings of this year's Akron squad. The offense just cannot be counted upon when the game is on the line. This got out of hand early, in the first quarter and 3/4ths of the second quarter, Kyle Pohl threw three interceptions and had a pair of fumbles. The final interception was all Kozlov needed.

Regional cameras caught the coach in a heated exchange with his senior quarterback, who had gone 6-15 with 3 interceptions and just 48 yards in his time, before Pohl left the field shortly after. Chandler Kincade went out for the next drive.

He took on a 7-35 score and very nearly made a game out of it.

The Hoosiers jumped out fast, scoring on their first drive when Nate Boudreau found freshman, Andrew Campbell on a fade for the opening score of the game, the following drive would see Tevin Coleman and Nate Boudreau execute the read option to perfection and drive down the field quickly, a small touchdown rush from Boudreau on a keeper would send the Hoosiers to a 0-14 lead at the end of the first frame.

Between the break and the crowd, the pressure got to the Zips who after rattling off three consecutive wins appeared to be completely devastated when a team took the fight back to them, leaving the Zips defense to allow Tevin Coleman to take over in the second frame.

Midway through the period, the halfback dipped between the guard and tackle, cleanly cutting his way into the endzone for his first touchdown of the day, it wouldn't be long for his next. A Kyle Pohl interception set the Hoosiers up for success, in the red zone from the start of the drive, it would take just three plays before Tevin Coleman took a pitch outside of the tackle and went untouched for the score.

Just like that it was 0-28 and the crowd was roaring.

Just for good measure the Hoosiers offense which got decent field possession due to another sputtering of the Zip offense was able to score again, another rushing touchdown that made the score 0-35, and Tyler Kozlov was infuriated.

"We have no business being beat like this, are we really going to let them hang fifty to seventy points on us? Where's our pride from the past few weeks. Make a play or be benched, put your head down once today and you'll be putting your *** on the bench, enough said. Make it happen boys."

It seemed the pep talk didn't work this time, at least for the offense as Kyle Pohl went out and tossed his third and final interception, and on came the hook, the Hoosiers were poised to make it 0-42 before the half and Chandler Kincade came in for his first licks of the 2015 season.

The defense rose to the occasion though, DeAndre Scott jumped a pass brilliantly and ran it back, barely outrunning Tevin Coleman as he made his way into the endzone for the score, the first Zip touchdown of the day and suddenly bringing momentum to a team thus far starved of it.

The Zips defense shut down the Hoosiers and would get one more shot, and give the few Zips fans that traveled an opportunity to see Chandler Kincade before the half. He looked brilliant, disecting the defense going 3/4 for 58 yards including a touchdown to Andrew Pratt inside the twenty second mark to make the game a 14-35 affair, suddenly the Zips had momentum and they were rolling.

Was this another rally in the making?

It definitely appeared so, as the Zips offense began to pick up steam once again towards the end of the third, where they would chip away the lead even further, shrinking what was once a five touchdown lead to just one from a pair of touchdown passes.

Chandler Kincade connected with Jordan Matthews on a slant, the large tight end easily hauled in the ball going untouched into the end zone. Kincade on the following drive lobbed a deep pass to Zach D'Orazio who caught the ball and spun off his mark, getting free and getting into the endzone from 41 yards out. Just like that, the Chandler Kincade era started in Akron and the Zips were rolling.

It just wasn't meant to be this time around however.



The Zips have had a lot of magic this season and have made come backs, but today the turnovers were too much, in total there were 7, five from Kyle Pohl and two from Chandler Kincade.

In the first drive of the final period, it was Chandler Kincade dropping back and rocketing a pass downfield, the pass would be played brilliantly and intercepted, the Hoosiers managed to stop the Zips and quickly went to work. Tevin Coleman helped churn up yardage as they moved downfield, but it would be Nate Boudreau who would hook up with Josh Harris on a slant, Harris would juke out a defender before going the rest of the way untouched, a big score that extended the Hoosiers lead.

The Zips offense would slowly move the ball but they would stall just shy of the two minute mark when Chandler Kincade with little else on fourth and long had no check downs and lobbed a hail mary that would be intercepted and brought back a good distance. The Hoosiers offense churned out the clock, on what would've been the final play from scrimmage, Nate Boudreau kept the option run and took it upfield scoring a touchdown to make it a 49-28 game.

Nothing would go for the Zips final drive and they would fall to the wayside, as the Hoosiers pick up their first MAC victory in as many attempts, while Akron dips down to a 1-1 start in conference play. The Zips are still in good position for the rest of this season but they need to straighten themselves out quickly against Eastern Michigan next week if they are to seriously contend in the West.

Tyler Kozlov announced that following this game, Tra Ingram and Chandler Kincade would be the starters for their respective positions for the next game. The Zips can at least hope that the Kincade era goes a lot smoother than the Zips were with Pohl under center.

[K0ZZ]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

Week 5 Recap

Down goes Oregon, down goes Wisconsin.

The two which have seen eachother in recent years in the Rose Bowl both took a beating on Saturday and both saw their poll rankings drop with a second consecutive week of fairly fluid rankings, this season has been a true roller coaster affair from the get-go.

Oregon, just when you believe they could go the distance, always seems to find a way to lose a game and they did just that against the USC Trojans. The Trojans shut them down to the tune of a 14-35 score that had fans scratching their heads. An offensive machine was held to just two hundred yards and the Trojans managed to throw for 350, the Ducks weren't prepared and the Trojans took advantage. USC could be poised to reclaim the PAC-12 from the Ducks if they can continue to climb the polls.

Out in the B1G, Michigan State slides into the highest ranking spot following Wisconsin's ouster at the hands of their rivals in Ohio State. The Buckeyes avenged a bad early season loss to the Hokies by knocking off the Badgers which allowed Georgia to sneak into the #2 spot in the polls. Braxton Miller tossed for 289 yards and rushed for 113 more as his Buckeyes outscored the Badgers.

LSU jumps into the polls at 4-0 and ranking at #18. The Bayou Bengals needed a crucial victory over the Mississippi Bulldogs to reclaim their place in the polls, and they got it. This one wasn't even close and it adds to the Tigers resume early in the season. The Bulldogs fall to 2-3 on the year with this 45-20 defeat and have a lot of questions and not very many answers. They can quickly fall just as Ole Miss had if they continue to struggle.

Speaking of Ole Miss, the team that started out the season ranked number five in the country. They now sit at 0-5 following their 63-14 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. No one could've predicted such a fall from grace, but one thing is very clear. Down in Missisippi, there likely will be a job opening following this season, which has been one humiliation after another for the Rebels. Ole Miss surrendered over 600 yards of offense will only accumulating 158 yards of their own, 79 rushing yards, 79 passing yards.

In an upset, the Duke Blue Devils pick up win number one of the year by keeping the Florida State Seminoles winless in conference play. The Blue Devils improve to (1-3) on the season and (1-0) in the ACC, while Florida State falls to #24 in the polls and (2-2)(0-2) on the season. The Blue Devils controlled this game early and got out to a 14-3 lead, staving off a furious Seminole rally as the home team hoped to salvage this one. They couldn't and they sit on the fringe of the polls. They need to turn their season around, and fast.

Looking at the Mid-Major slate, the Boise State Broncos start their season off on the right foot, with Jay Ajayi being the hero of this one, scoring the touchdown in the final minute that would boost the Broncos beyond the San Jose State Spartans in a 13-12 victory.

Penn State continues their early season dominance, the (4-0) Nittany Lions very nearly picked up their first loss of the season but just managed to pick up the victory at Beaver Stadium. Down 10-21 to open the final quarter, by virtue of 29 unanswered points, the Nittany Lions would rally behind Christian Hackenberg to claim victory over the surprisingly competitive UAB Blazers.

Looking into the recruiting news, rumors are very quickly circulating that Matt McLeod of Salida, Colorado has likely made his decision, the top halfback in the country is said to have picked Georgia as his home for the next four years, while it is far from a guarantee, until he officially holds his press conference, it's very unlikely to expect anything otherwise.

Out in California, Levern Miller has suddenly stated his interest in the Cincinnati Bearcats has sky rocketed, and the Bearcats could use Miller. Adding him would be a huge surge to this offensive line which needs as much help as it can get as the American seeks to grow more competitive in the coming years.

The Auburn Tigers picked up a good commitment of their own by signing Jeff Kidd of Alabama to their roster. Kidd was the second ranked outside linebacker in the class and this gives them some help on the outside edge, he is a tremendous pass rusher and should excel for the Tigers in that regard.

Looking at the multi-postional players, Marlin Bellamy could follow Matt McLeod to Georgia, but the Georgia native has stated his interest in Duke's academic programs has him shuffling his interest between the two schools as they fight for his signature.

[K0ZZ]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

Tra Ingram spins out a defender

Zips escape from Eagles behind Tra Ingram

For once, the offense joined together as a cohesive unit and put together quite a show today as they rolled to their first 400 yard performance of the season. It came at the right time as the defense oddly struggled mightily in this one and needed every once of help the offense could muster in order for the Zips to emerge victorious and remain relevant in MAC play.

The Zips allowed Rob Bolden to have one of the better games of his career as he passed for over three hundred yards and added fifty yards on the ground, a touchdown toss in each period for the quarterback, including one that was thought to send the game to overtime in the final minutes of the contest.



Yet the offense struck back. Tra Ingram was absolutely electric, scoring a pair of crucial touchdowns in the fourth quarter that were the direct reason the Zips escaped with a win in this one. His yardage was far from fantastic as he only ran for 80 yards but his pair of touchdowns showcased just how good he could be, and his big catch and runs in this game established him as a threat in the passing game as well.

Chandler Kincade boasted an impressive performance with two touchdown throws and three hundred yards passing, the lone negatives being an average completion percentage and an interception.



The Zips defense struggled all night against Rob Bolden, but with the score 21-21 in the fourth quarter, they managed to jump a route when Bre Ford pulled a pass in and ran it back a few yards for the Zips. That changed things in favor of the Zips who let the ground game take care of the rest, Tra Ingram would score a few plays later and the Zips were celebrating. At least for a few minutes.

Rob Bolden would battle the Eagles back and set up a touchdown pass on a dink and dunk pass that would see his target go untouched into the endzone, tying the game with very little time left and many expected the Zips to run out the clock and chance overtime.

Obviously those people don't know Tyler Kozlov.

The head coach decided to utilize the uptempo shotgun offense and his team moved downfield between rushes and passes they moved extremely quickly and once they got near the redzone they would stall. Third and ten at the 23, Chandler Kincade dropped back and found Jordan Matthews in the seam, delivering a beautiful pass, the tight end caught the ball, ran the safety over and went into the end zone with the lead, a 35-28 score and just twenty seconds would remain.

Two incompletions before Rob Bolden would complete a 48 yard pass would lead to the final whistle and the Zips were able to celebrate their hard fought win. Akron improved to 4-2 and 2-1 in conference play despite early struggles in this one they manage to rally back and take control. Chandler Kincade and Tra Ingram have truly paid off as a duo to fear in the MAC in the short time they've started together.

For some odd reason, the game didn't show the first touchdown for EMU so I don't have a timestamp

[K0ZZ]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

Week 6 Review

For some teams this season is already half way over and it's time to take a good hard look at where they stand. Some teams overachieved, others under. Some are still in races to compete for their conference, or the title game while others are simply fighting for bowl birth. This is a midseason look at the 2015 season.

The Alabama Crimson Tide remain in the drivers seat this season, looking virtually unstoppable as they continue their warpath through the college football ranks. Treading just behind them is four other undefeated squads chomping at the bit, there's a major gridlock behind them as Georgia, Notre Dame, Nebraska and Minnesota all make realistic moves towards making a title game. At the very least, this will be resolved.

Alabama and Georgia could set up to be a 1/2 SEC Championship Game. It's hard to believe that if they both run the table through the end of the season anyone would leap frog them. This would however ensure that only one SEC team is playing for the championship when the chips are on the table. There isn't another realistic option for the SEC when it comes to the title game, the SEC has been forced out of the top 10 otherwise as the Big 10 came to play this season.

Behind them is Notre Dame, which does feature two ranked Pacific 12 squads including an undefeated Stanford Cardinal squad that they would have to best. Yet, as it stands the clearest path to the title game amongst these top teams is Notre Dame, not having a top five opponent the rest of the way, their schedule wasn't difficult however through the first half and at the very least the intensity ramps up quite a bit in the coming weeks.

Nebraska has a brutal schedule remaining, with just four games played, they haven't beaten a ranked opponent yet and had two near losses which shocks that they managed to storm the rankings so quickly. Two consecutive weeks has the Huskers taking on #6 Michigan State than #21 Penn State, before a small reprieve that opens up with a tough final four game stretch featuring the 3-1 Northwestern Wildcats, #9 Wisconsin Badgers (4-1) and closing out the season against the presently unranked and unbeaten Iowa Hawkeyes (4-0). If Nebraska runs the table, they likely would leapfrog Notre Dame by virtue of strength of schedule, but they have quite the gauntlet laid before them.

Minnesota's fate isn't much better, four of their last seven are against ranked squads, while Northwestern (3-1) and Michigan (3-2) highlight the unranked ones. Matches against #9 Wisconsin (4-1), #6 Michigan State (3-1) and #20 Penn State (4-0) offer the only comfort that they will be playing at home, where as they will have to travel to #8 Ohio State (3-1) to take on the Buckeyes. If both Nebraska and Minnesota can run the table, it would make one of the most interesting matchups in the B1G championship game.

Now outside the top five, this week saw the USC Trojans stunned by the Utah Utes, who scored a touchdown in the final minute to steal the game from the Trojans who were beaten infront of their home crowd. Notre Dame escaped against the North Carolina Tarheels by virtue of a field goal in the fourth quarter of a 24-22 win that keeps their title hopes alive.

Halfbacks are dominating the heisman talks and once again Todd Gurley hasn't relinquished his vice grip on the top spot in the polls, than again he ran away with that spot last year and finished third. He does have Georgia knocking on the door and a title run would certainly bolster his resume, and every bit of help he can get will aid his cause.

[K0ZZ]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

Close victory nets signatures

The Zips close victory yielded a lot more results than an extra tally in the win column, the several recruits that came to watch the Week Six contest walked away utterly impressed. Only one player out of the several visitors decided to not commit on the spot, a testament to Tyler Kozlov.


Almiro Rey heads off the list of signed recruits, one of two athletes to be signed by Kozlov. Rey was a talented prospect out of Alaska, playing both wide receiver and safety for his school, he quickly become one of the best in the state, but due to poor exposure, he wasn't overly recruited as he came with many question marks. That changed when Kozlov called, he was persistent and brought in the signature of the prospect. Rey isn't the fastest but he is a good reactor and he is also known for making a lot of rare catches that many other's couldn't make. It's difficult to tell where he projects to be, but Kozlov has been focusing on secondary help for a second straight season and that could be where they shuffle him to.

Dominick Womack out of Dekalb, Illinois decided he wanted to stick in the MAC making NIU's departure difficult for him. He ultimately signed with a different team in the MAC, the Akron Zips. A corner/wide receiver athlete, he definitely favors the defensive end of things, he has an extremely high number of drops for his football program at the moment, but has shown excellent coverage abilities on the defensive end.

Tero Gutierrez comes from Missouri and figures to shore up a wide receiver unit that for a second season will face a good amount of turnover. Gutierrez bring excellent speed and good route running schools which should prove to be a dynamic combination, his issue is that he does have a tendancy to drop passes and he cannot make many athletic grabs, he's a threat in the short passing game and the deep passing game.

Blaine Fitzgerald comes to Akron from nearby Pennsylvania. The cornerback has decent speed and won't have too much trouble keeping up with wide receivers, but don't hold him accountable for open field tackles, he struggles locking up the receiver at the line of scrimmage and he is extremely weak for a defensive player. On the positive side, his read and react skills are high for a freshman.

Benoit Dunn joins Fitzgerald in hailing from Pennslyvania and the three star quarterback won't see the field until at least his sophomore year at the earliest. Dunn does have good football skills but he was signed as a replacement for Kyle Pohl who graduates this season, he won't be needed or called upon. Dunn is a jack of all trades quarterback, decent speed, decent accuracy and decent arm strength, he could become a true force in the MAC if he continues to grow as such a well rounded quarterback.

Dennis Amoretto comes to the squad as a junior college transfer, he'll enlist as a junior which gives the Zips a solid two years with the cornerback who should be slated to be amongst the top two corners on the roster. His speed is elite, and his read and react skills are well above average. He is good in both man and zone, while he does have some issues with holding receivers at the line of scrimmage.

Closing out the recruits is Dustin Kirchner. Kirchner, a punter from the good old state of Ohio will take on punting duties starting next season with the graduation of the Zips senior punter. Kirchner is known more for pinpointing his spots with his punts, his leg is average at best in terms of strength however.

[K0ZZ]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

Alright, so starting next season I'll be taking on 6 CAP/CAC's. [Six total not six of each!]

With CAP, you can continue tentatively onto the NFL or switch to a coaching position after four years. (If you'd like).

CAC's will start as coordinators for schools that have openings. I haven't decided if I really want to have coaches be able to leave for the NFL quite yet, I'll have to see how much I'm willing to bounce between the two.

Alright so CAP's please use this form.

Name:
Position:
Location:
JUCO?:
Height:
Weight:
Top 3 Skills:
Bottom 3 Skills: (Relevant to position please)
Bio: (If wanted)
Accessories: (If wanted)

For CAC's

Name:
Offense/Defense:
Both Playbooks:
Age:
Coach Appearance: (If it matters to you)
Regional Preference:
Motivation: (1-5) How likely you are to leave your school to goto another. 5 = if it's even a slight improvement you jump ship, 1 meaning you want to build up the school as much as possible.
Regional Desire: (1-5) How tied are you to a certain region
R/P Slider: If you want it off 50%
Aggressiveness: If you want it off 50%
Alma Matter:

The two questions above will help me in regards to taking promotions if your coach is offered them and where they would go in terms of region. If you only want your coach to coach Texas schools for example, go ahead and state that and I won't accept a promotion for any school outside of that. I'll make the CAC start at one of the lower schools that have a coordinator opening this offseason, CAP's will be put in to the recruiting pool starting next season.

[LadiesandEdelman]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

Name:Eric Grant
Offense/Defense: Offense
Both Playbooks:Air Raid(Offense)/ 3-4(Defense)
Age: 34
Coach Appearance: No preference
Regional Preference: Northwest
Motivation: 1
Regional Desire: Wants to stay in Northwest
R/P Slider: 50%
Aggressiveness: 50%
Alma Matter: Washington

[K0ZZ]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

Name:Eric Grant
Offense/Defense: Offense
Both Playbooks:Air Raid(Offense)/ 3-4(Defense)
Age: 34
Coach Appearance: No preference
Regional Preference: Northwest
Motivation: 1
Regional Desire: Wants to stay in Northwest
R/P Slider: 50%
Aggressiveness: 50%
Alma Matter: Washington

Sound's good!

[K0ZZ]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

Zips can't overcome Rocket first half outburst; give Rockets first win

It's very likely that the Akron Zips hopes of winning the MAC came to an abrupt end this season with their loss against the Toledo Rockets Saturday, which drops them to a 4-3 record on the season, finding themselves in a 1-2 rut where they have been struggling mightily on both sides of the both, that trend continues against the Rockets who absolutely dominated the Zips in the first half and did just enough in the second to escape with a 28-35 upset of the Zips in the Glass Bowl.

Toledo came into this game (0-5) and their season was teetering on the brink, while the Akron Zips were (4-2) and flying high, after a difficult to stomach loss against the Indiana Hoosiers, the Zips righted their ship last week to claim victory over the Eagles. This week they would find the same struggles from a week ago, this time though they couldn't overcome them.



Connor Kincade threw three interceptions, fumbled once more on a brutal shot and the Zips turnover prone ways continued. "This is something we are going to work out. It's not acceptable for us to be so far into the negatives on the turnovers. Ball security and looking in passes are our key points moving forward. Without all the turnovers we rout the Rockets. With them we lose by 7, the better team lost today because we got cocky and allowed the Rockets to take advantage."

Took advantage they did, scoring 28 points off of turnovers, including a defensive touchdown on the fumble recovery. Patrick Ely was hot throughout the game finishing with a 70% completion percentage as the Zips secondary allowed another passer to tear them up through the air. A disappointing showing from a unit that started the season out so strong.

They did have a key moment when they shot the game significantly closer when DeAndre Scott jumped a route and pulled in the interception, narrowly outrunning the Toledo offense and diving into the endzone for the touchdown. It would be too little too late however, the score 21-35 at that point, the Zips wouldn't be able to score until the fourth quarter on a Tra Ingram rush.

28-35 the Zips had three more shots to get a tying score. The first time they got stuffed on the goal line by the Rockets on fourth down, the second time they drove downfield but ended up turning the ball over on downs, and the final time inside the one minute mark, Chandler Kincade made a bad pass and it would be intercepted and the Rockets were able to run down the clock.



Patrick Ely's performance nearly earned him player of the game honors, it wouldn't be the catalyst however as the reporters opted to select their cornerback, Juwan Haynes who piled up several tackles, a sack and a pair of interceptions off of Chandler Kincade. The other MVP very easily could've been Zach Yousey, the wideout went beast mode for his touchdown, breaking three tackles, two of which he ran the defender over and made several strong catches that extended drives for the Rockets.

The Akron Zips will get two weeks off to think things over and prepare for the final five games of their season. They sit close to being bowl eligible, but in the MAC, six victories doesn't guarantee a bowl birth. With their second loss of the season in conference play, the Zips would need to beat both Buffalo and Bowling Green and Bowling Green would need to lose to another MAC foe before the end of the season. Chances of Akron playing in Detroit seem slim.

[K0ZZ]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

Week 7 Recap

It's always ideal to have that one statement game, especially if you're a national title contender and looking to separate yourself from the rest of the pack, the Nebraska Cornhuskers picked up their major victory this week when they destroyed the Michigan State Spartans in their B1G contest. Nebraska showed they didn't only come to play, they came to win.

Terrell Newby made a major statement of his own in the victory, piling up 141 rushing yards against the Spartan's strong rush defense, not only that, he broke into the endzone three times. His scoring production was enough to outscore the entire Spartan offense, Connor Cook, a player once in the running for the Heisman was helpless for this game, he showcased superior decision making skills in that he didn't have a turnover but he threw for just 130 yards, down from his average of 218, and had no touchdowns either. A sub 50% completion percentage was a further ding against Cook who couldn't properly get this offense going.

The Stanford Cardinal have that game of their own in the upcoming week, while Notre Dame suffered a difficult upset at the hands of the Arizona State Sun Devils which saw the Devils shoot up the rankings, they still prove to be a strong foe that was just a week ago a serious contender at the national title game. With two heisman candidates in the offensive backfield, Evan Crower and Christian McCaffrey, this Stanford team is looking to be one of the best they've ever fielded, the offense is simply a juggernaut.

Georgia cannot be entirely happy to have been leapfrogged by the Cornhuskers, but the Bulldog schedule hasn't been much either and they are still looking for a statement win, their previous victories look a lot less impressive as the SEC continues to beat itself up and shows that the disparity of the conference may not be so far ahead of those around it. The Bulldogs can at least attest to the fact that Todd Gurley retains a strong hold of the favorite to win the Heisman, as he has been all year.

Recruiting news pegs Vanderbilt picking up a great guard prospect in Adisa Sanford, the South Carolina native chose Sanford over South Carolina and Auburn, a little surprising to some but it could bring about another rebirth for a Vanderbilt program that has defined mediocrity. The B1G was the big winners this week, as Orsino Bray (Alabama) and Lance Filipek (Florida) both left their southern states for the Midwest, Bray will suit up for the Nittany Lions while Filipek will be playing out west for the Wisconsin Badgers.

Jaxson Mikolajczak is the recruiting battle to watch for this week as the Texas State Bobcats scorched up his list, making their way into the top three thanks to a tremendous visit and rumors are, he has reasonable considerations to attend the school. Texas A&M is still slated as the favorite however.

[K0ZZ]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

Week 8 Review

Dun dun dun.
Dun dun dun.

Another week another upset, this time Notre Dame headlines action as they beat down, obliterate and incinerate the Stanford Cardinal on a Saturday that they needed anything but. The Cardinal came in as the hottest team in college football with the hottest offensive talent in the game. They left a broken, battered squad and their quarterback no where to be seen in Heisman conversations.

Another week, and another pretender taken out to pasture.

The Irish win sees them jump up to #8 but the Top five stood pat for one week in a rare display of solidarity. Minnesota avoided an upset from Northwestern but it had to scare fans of the Golden Gophers who suddenly are eyeing a national championship bid to see their team nearly bested by an unranked (albeit talented) squad.

Speaking of pretenders,

Penn State got whalloped by the Conrhuskers. While it was still way to early to even term them as potential B1G contenders, they had an early string of success that got fans excited in Happy Valley. That all changed when their offense was shut out and the Huskers rolled for a second straight week over a ranked opponent.

The Oregon Ducks continue to fall, this time their loss to the previously unranked UCLA Bruins caused their decline. The Bruins haven't recaptured their magic they had from a year ago when they made their run to the title game, but they managed to keep the Ducks out of this year's discussion and the door is closing fast on a PAC-12 contender for the title.

Finally, North Carolina dipped by ten to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets whom aren't quite ready to concede the conference to anyone outside of Virginia or Florida quite yet. The Yellow Jackets looked impressive in the victory while the Tarheels continued to show their weaknesses in full blast.

Looking to recruiting news, the state of Arkansas got a good bit more talented while the offense is looking to explode in South Bend. In a move that shocked experts, Gerald Woodard, the fifth ranked quarterback in this years class has opted to join the Arkansas State Red Wolves for his collegiate career. Woodard at best projects as a NFL Back-up to journeyman starter, but to have a player with professional aspirations slip to the mid-majors, especially Arkansas State which has struggled in recent years is shocking. Looking at the other in state program, the Razorbacks pick up what looks to be their best running back since Kniles Davis and Darren McFadden, Preston Peterson hopes to live up to the names that came before him from an Arkansas program designed to churn out runners, and a coach that has a history of turning them out.

Finally, in South Bend, it looks like they pulled out a little Irish magic, signing the 3rd and 4th ranked wide receivers in this years class. This instantly shoots the Irish offensive projections several areas higher as they pick up two major contributors that should figure to contribute from early on in their careers. Neither player comes locally and it's a testament to this coaching staff that they brought both in. Sadly, questions remain as to who will be throwing them the ball next season.