The Coaching Legacy of Mark "Thor" Thornton

[thelionheart3456]

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This is a coaching legacy in which I(Coach Thor) will start out as an OC for the Rice Owls his alma mater and attempt to become the top coach in college football history.

System: PS3
Rosters: Unsure
Difficulty:Heisman
Recruiting:Heisman

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Re: The Coaching Legacy of Mark "Thor" Thornton

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The Thor File

Personal
Birthdate: August 12, 1984
Hometown: Houston, Texas
High School: Sam Houston High School, 2003
College: Rice, 2007

Coaching Career
2011:OC @ Rice

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Re: The Coaching Legacy of Mark "Thor" Thornton

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Dynasty Overview

National Champions
2011:

Heisman Winner
2011:

Conference Champion
2011:

Conference Realignments
2011:

Rose Bowl
2011:

Orange Bowl
2011:

Fiesta Bowl
2011:

Sugar Bowl
2011:
Realignment

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Re: The Coaching Legacy of Mark "Thor" Thornton

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1999 Freshman Year of High School
When you are a freshman high school football player in the state of Texas most of the time you're still playing junior-high football. For some of the better players they will play on the JV high school team, but if you're a true stud you will be playing varsity ball. Mark Thornton checked in at 6 foot and 200 pounds who ran a 4.4 40 time. As a 15 year old man-child he was called up by legendary Sam Houston High School coach Bo Peterson. As a freshman running back Mark became the schools single season rushing leader in the final game of the season beating the old mark by 7 yards which was previously held by his cousin Jimmy only 5 years earlier but wasn’t able to accomplish the feat until his senior season. Mark became somewhat of a school legend after this and going into his sophomore year much was expected of Thornton.

2000 Sophomore Year of High School
Mark Thornton picked up right where he left off as he piled up the rushing yards throughout the season. During the first 3 games of the season the newly nicknamed Mark “Thor” Thornton because of a newspaper article had already racked up close to a thousand yards. The only reason this pace was slowed down was because teams started to put 9 players in the box so the Mustangs decided to start passing the ball more and had a more balanced attack. Thor was still able to dominate games albeit he didn’t have to do it himself with the help of his teammates. Best friend QB Mike McClellan and WR Tommy Harrison. By the end of the season his play caught attention throughout the state as he helped to lead the Sam Houston High School Mustangs to their 3^rd State Championship in school history. He was able to eclipse the single season school record that he had set the previous year by almost 800 yards.

2001 Junior Year of High School
The best high school player in the state of Texas is almost by default the top player in the country or at least up for consideration for that title. “Thor” came into his junior year as the top player in his class in the state and was thought to perhaps be the top player overall in Texas. As the year began letters started pouring in from all over the country the University of Texas, USC, Florida, Miami, Ohio State and many others contacted Thor and promised scholarships to him. The first game of the season Mark rushed for 250 in the first half by this time he was 6’2 and weighed in at 225 and ran a 4.35 40. The second game saw Mark only rush for 200 yards but he only needed 10 carries to get to this mark and the Mustangs had already blown out their opponent. The third game of the season was against cross-town rival Dallas Metro High School. The previous year Mark had rushed for almost 400 yards against Dallas Metro and had earned his nickname Thor. On the first play from scrimmage Mark had gained 30 yards before being tackled by three Metro players. Two plays later Thor was handed the ball and saw a wall of Metro defenders to his right so he planted his foot switched directions and as he started his cut he was hit from the opposite side and went down immediately. The whole stadium hushed as soon as they saw what had transpired and Thor had to be taken off on a stretcher and was not able to return to the game. Metro went on to beat the Mustangs 21-7 and many agreed had Thor been playing Sam Houston would have no doubt won the game. Mark worked as hard as he could to rehab his knee and get back to play as the Mustangs lost the next week’s game as well. He decided that he would have to play this game in order to ensure that the Mustangs would get back on track for this season and have a shot at repeating as state champs. Thor ran out onto the field and was greeted by a standing ovation he was handed the ball on the first play of the game and had a rush for 10 yards and all the fans were relieved the next play was a pass play and he stayed in for blocking purposes. On the next play Thor was handed the ball and made a cut and went down with a dramatic yell. After being transported to the hospital via ambulance an MRI revealed that Mark had torn both his ACL and MCL and he was out for the remainder of the season.

2002 Senior Year of High School
Mark had worked as hard as he could to get back into playing shape however he wasn’t ready until game 6 of the regular season to actually get into the game. By this point the Mustangs were 3-3 and most of Thor’s scholarship offers were off the table and the national attention was gone. He came back and was able to play but had lost a few steps and was just a shadow of the former great player that he was prior to the injury. The only scholarship offer that remained was hometown Rice who wished to get some excitement for the program. Thor decided that he would take up Rice on the offer instead of trying to make it as a walk on at the bigger schools that wanted him as a preferred walk-on. Mark finished the year and felt that he would be able to make an impact at Rice his freshman year and then maybe if he showed that he could still be a dominant player he could transfer to a bigger school with a scholarship offer.

[thelionheart3456]

Re: The Coaching Legacy of Mark "Thor" Thornton

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College Years
2003 Freshman Year
Coming into a small college as a former national prospect is not something that you see everyday but this is exactly what occurred to Mark "Thor" Thornton. Thor came in as the 4th running back on the depth chart mainly due to the severe injury that he suffered his junior year of high school that caused him to lose many scholarship offers.
After summer camp it was easy to see that Mark was the most talented back on the roster, the only problem was that he had trouble keeping consistent play because his knee was only good for so long. He refused to wear a knee brace however because he didn't want anyone to know that his knee was still bothering him.
The first game of the season Thor was back to return a kickoff and took off he had gained 20 yards as he changed directions and was subsequently hit on both sides of his body. His knee buckled and he went down, this play re-injured his knee and he was out for the remainder of the season.

2004 Sophomore Year
Thor once again decided that he would try to make a comeback he did as much rehab as he could but his knee continued to give him problems. A national newspaper printed Thor's story of a once 5 star football player that had fallen off of the map because of injuries suffered while in high school. Thor was quoted, "You know I mean obviously I wish I had never been injured but that's in the past now. I'm just trying to do the best job I can now and I'm gunna try to come back and help us win some games here at Rice."
Well Thor never made it back onto the field this year he continued to play on the practice squad a little bit but the coaches didn't feel that he was able to help them in games. Mark got more and more frustrated as the season went on, the only thing that helped him settle down was when he was helping the coaches break down film during the season.

2005 Junior Year
The season started off great for Mark he had finally rehabbed his knee completely and was back to 100%. He was even named the starter for the first game of the season. On 14 rushes Thor had gained 82 yards which is a good stat line when coming back from injury. Rice fans started to get excited as they thought that with their reborn stud running back they could make a real run this season even though they had lost the first game in a blowout. The next game was against the hated Texas Longhorns which was a very special game for Thor since the Longhorns had offered him a scholarship in high school and withdrew it after his injury. Mark wanted revenge bad and he came out playing as hard as he could however once again the injury was there to bite him. On just the fifth play for the Rice offense Thor re-aggravated his knee and was taken out of the game he tried to make a return but once again he was hurt and after the game team doctors advised Mark to give up football or else risk not being able to walk again. He was heartbroken but after talking to his parents he decided it was best if he gave up the game. Ken Hatfield the head coach at the time asked Mark to remain with the team and help the coaching staff break down film and help game-plan as he did the previous year when he suffered his injury. Thor found that game-planning was one of the things that he had not previously been able to do in the game of football but it became something that he really loved to do and became his new passion.

2006 Senior Year
Following a 1-10 season Rice head coach Ken Hatfield resigned after the disappointing season and Todd Graham was brought in to replace him. Graham extended Mark the same invitation that Hatfield had and even made him an assistant running back coach. He helped to get Quinton Smith to register a 1000 yard 10 TD season for the Owls. Following the season that saw Rice go 7-6 and to the Holiday Bowl which they lost Todd Graham left for greener pastures at Tulsa and Thornton decided that his time was done at Rice for the present and after graduating with a degree in accounting went back to coach at his high school alma mater Sam Houston High School in Dallas.

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Re: The Coaching Legacy of Mark "Thor" Thornton

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High School Coaching

2007 OC @ Sam Houston
Mark Thornton returned to his high school and installed an offense that was run heavy but also mixed in some spread so that the Mustangs would be able to play to the weaknesses of their opponents whether it be overpowering, outrunning, or throwing over the opponent. This proved to be the exact thing that Sam Houston needed as they went undefeated in the regular season setting school records for offensive production, however they fell in the state semi-finals.

2008 OC @ Sam Houston
Following the successes of last year the Mustangs under Thor's guidance on offense put up state records for offensive production and scored no fewer than 50 points in a game the team went undefeated this year and were able to attain the school's fourth state championship and first since the Mark's playing days.

2009 HC @ Sam Houston
Following the retirement of legendary Mustang coach Bo Peterson, the obvious successor to take over the helm was Mark Thornton and this is exactly what occurred. Mark knew that in order to get into the coaching ranks in college he would again have to lead his team to putting up big numbers and once again he was able to do so. He led his team to a one loss season and brought home another state championship.

2010 HC @ Sam Houston
There were rumors abound that Coach Thor was being contacted by JUCO colleges in the state of Texas to join coaching staffs as anything from running back coach to offensive coordinator though he assured his players he was going to be back for another season and during this season it was a very special one for the Mustangs they only allowed 14 points all season and averaged 70 points a game one of the most dominating performances in high school football history. The thing that was more amazing was that Thor didn't even try to run up the score he took his starters out of more than half of the games by halftime. The state championship game was won by a 50 point margin and the Mustangs knew that they had been coached by Coach Thor for the last time.

January 14 2011
Dallas Texas

A phone rings at Mark Thornton's apartment.

Thor: Hello?

Rice Head Coach David Bailiff: Hello, Thor, I mean Mark this is Coach Baliff over here at Rice. We've been watching what you've been doing over at Sam Houston and I was wondering how you would like to join my coaching staff here as our new offensive coordinator?

Thor: Man, I wasn't really expecting this but it's great when can I start?

Bailiff: (laughs) Right away. We want you to implement your own offense and you will have control over every facet of the offense including recruiting.

Thor: Alright, thanks coach sounds good.

[thelionheart3456]

Re: The Coaching Legacy of Mark "Thor" Thornton

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Hey guys I'm still working on getting this set up just right before the game drops so if you have any suggestions please say so and I'll implement them as best as I can I'm working on a season preview that I'm looking to put up here at some point tonight. Also I will be doing CAR so the form is here

First name:
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2011 Rice Owls Preview

Rice is back to being Rice after having a 10 win season in 2008 many fans hoped that this might prove to be an awakening of the football program. However after losing all time Rice great Chase Clement and his number one target Jarett Dillard the school has fallen back into it's old ways. Losing. Rice has gone just 6-18 over the last two seasons and has been out of bowl contention by the first week of November. Head Coach David Bailiff and his staff know they have work to do or else they risk falling even further behind in the college football arms race.

There is hope though the offense showed that they can put points on the board at the end of last season averaging more than 40 points per game in their last four games. This was due in large part due to QB Taylor McHargue's return from injury and star half-back Sam McGuffie's emergence as a star. The Owls even brought in new offensive coordinator Mark "Thor" Thornton to help Rice put up some big numbers offensively. The defense will once again be tested as they were one of the worst in the country last year. There is good news on that end to though as DE Scott Solomon is back after missing the entire 2010 season.

The Schedule: Rice will have a very rough start, but their late season schedule will definitely be a lot easier. To start off September they will play against lop-sided rival Texas and then face Purdue. Following a week off they will have to play Baylor and their offense led by Robert Griffin III. Conference USA play kicks off against a talented Southern Miss. team. The Owls could very well start the season off without a win in their first four games, the good news is that they won't have to play UCF or East Carolina in this year's regular season. After Southern Miss. they will be matched up against Memphis and Marshall which could prove favorable. They then have two tough weeks against Tulsa and Case Keenum led Houston. Rice will then need to go on a win streak in November to have any chance at keeping bowl dreams alive with winnable games against UTEP, Tulane and at SMU with a game at Northwestern thrown in there. So we're looking at best at a record of 6-6 though 4-8 is more likely.

The season will be considered a success if: Rice is able to surpass last fall's record of 4-8 which could be very tough to do considering the schedule they will be playing. If they can score an upset or two it's very likely they'll be able to meet expectations.

Key game: October 8 vs. Memphis. The Owls will most likely start the season off with an 0-4 mark which makes the game against lowly Memphis a good game to put one in the win column. If they lose this game look for no better than a 3 win season.

[thelionheart3456]

Re: The Coaching Legacy of Mark "Thor" Thornton

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2011 Rice Owl Offensive Preview

Offensive Keys: If Rice is able to stay healthy (Taylor McHargue) then the Owls will have a chance to put up big numbers. They showed flashes of great play down the stretch when they averaged more than 40 points a game over the final four games of 2010. This was about the same time that McHargue came back from his shoulder injury. The dual-threat sophomore out-played strong-armed senior Nick Fanuzzi for the starting job. He will be helped by a deep backfield led by the versatile half-back Sam McGuffie. Also the passing game will feature a lot of the Owls tight ends and be light on wideouts. The line is experienced but needs to make some progress on pass blocking.

Star of the offense: Junior HB Sam McGuffie
Strength of the offense: Backfield depth, tight ends, and a veteran line
Weakness of the offense: Wide receivers and pass protection

Quarterbacks
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State of the Unit: After losing an all-timer at quarterback there is usually a rebuilding period for smaller schools due to not being able to capture lighting in a bottle twice in a row. This is exactly what happened to Rice and after a few years they feel like they found their new guy. The Owls believe that they've got a young signal caller who they can build their offense around and are also excited by the depth at the position.

Sophomore Taylor McHargue wasn't just handed the reins this year he earned them this spring against some tough competition. Hampered by a shoulder injury for much of the previous season McHargue returned in November to lead the Owls to wins over East Carolina and UAB. The 6'1" 215 pounder reminds some fans of Clement due to being under-sized but being able to make plays. He finished last season 33-58 for 493 yards 6 TDs and only one pick with 151 yards and a score with his feet. A terrific athlete with an accurate arm he seems to be a natural born leader which is exactly what the Owls need right now.

Senior Nick Fanuzzi the back-up is actually the most experienced quarterback in the group he took over for McHargue when the latter was injured in September went 151-241 for 1,681 yards, 11 TDs and 9 picks. He is a former Alabama player that has a strong arm with more than 500 career attempts, but makes too many mistakes as seen by his 9 picks to only 11 TDs. Junior Taylor Cook is now the third-stringer. At an intimidating 6'7" 240 pounds look for the transfer from Miami to get time at both wide-out and tight-end.

Strengths: Experience. Two players started multiple games last fall. The Owls have as much depth as they've had in years which can protect them against injuries or ineffectiveness.
Weakness: Consistency in the passing game. There is a reason they ranked number 10 in passing in the conference and now a young quarterback is in control.
Outlook: McHargue didn't play all that many games but he just has a feel about him he could be the next Chase Clement if he continues to progress and the way in which he is a leader already is impressive. If he fails they always do have Fanuzzi and Cook but the Owl's coaching staff don't think that will be necessary.
Rating: 5.5

Running Backs
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State of the Unit: The Owl coaching staff and especially Coach Thornton are extremely excited about the depth and talent in the running game. Five backs rushed for at least 50 yards last fall and not one of them has departed, giving the offense a number of suitable options when it keeps the ball on the ground as it likely will do under Coach Thor.

In his first season 6'0 200 pound junior Sam McGuffie, a former Michigan Wolverine, showed that it wasn't all talk he delivered. Leading the Owls in rushing with 883 yards and 6 TDs on 197 carries and catching 39 passes for 384 yards and three more scores. He has track speed and has super-human jumping abilities that have the staff trying to find as many ways to get him the ball as possible.

Rice has no shortage of back-ups that they can mix and match in different formations expect McGuffie and these guys here to get some time at wide-out as well. The future of the position is 6'2" 220 pound sophomore Jeremy Eddington who is a very big and physical inside runner, he had 59 carries for 365 yards and a team-high 10 TDs. Tyler Smith a 5'8" 195 pound senior has good burst and can provide a little speed off the bench. There is also the 6'1 230 pound bulldozer Charles Ross who had led the team in rushing in 2009..

Strength: Depth and versatility. Coach Thornton will be able to pick what weapon he wants to use and when he has the big-play ability of McGuffie or the power of Eddington, he'll likely use both so that he can change the pace and dictate what the defense has to do.
Weakness: Blocking. Rice's backs are usually either running the ball or catching it that they don't focus on the small things that are needed to be done to help win games.
Outlook: There is so much potential here that fits perfectly with Thornton's philosophy of pounding the ball that Rice could be a premier ground team in Conference USA this season. If McGuffie has a breakout season expect him to lead the conference in rushing and maybe be up towards the top in the nation in total yards. Between the quartet of McGuffie, Eddington, Smith, and Ross the Owls have the ability to mix it up and keep the chains moving.
Rating: 6.5

Receivers
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State of the Unit: The positive for the Owls is that they have backs and tight ends who are threats in the passing game. The negative is that these are probably their biggest threats. None of the wide receivers who are projected to start this fall had more than 20 catches last season. Coach Thornton will more than likely come out in a lot of 2 wide-out sets or even two tight-end sets to help the running game.

The Owls best receiver is their 6'5 250 pound junior Luke Wilson, a Canadian who has good size and is above average athletic ability at the tight end spot. Last season he had 33 receptions for 425 yards and 3 scores.

Donte Moore a 6'0" 175 pound sophomore finished fifth on the team with 16 catches for 160 yards, he needs to add some weight but he possesses blazing type speed. The veteran leader is 6'3" 210 pound senior Randy Kitchens who started off as a safety caught a career high 10 balls for 158 yards before being hurt mid-way through the season. 6'1" 190 pound sophomore Klein Kubiak, the son of Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak, is also in the mix he had 13 receptions for 143 yards last year. 6'5" 260 pound junior Vance McDonald who is built like a tight end with hands of a wide receiver might find some time at wide-out but also some tight-end. Trevor Gillette is the next tight-end in linefor the Owls he is 6'3" 230 pounds and will look to be more productive than last season.

Strength: Size. The Owls have three receivers who are at least 210 pounds who will be able to go across the middle and fight for balls against linebackers
Weakness: Speed. Rice is missing any real dangerous deep threats. There are a ton of talented tight-end type players but no real game-breakers.
Outlook: With no one to really stretch the defense the Owls will have to rely on medium and short routes as those will likely be the only areas the receivers will be able to make plays in.
Rating: 4.0

Offensive Line
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State of the Unit: The Owls lost one of their best lineman, LT Scott Mitchell to graduation, but everyone else is back. The group did a decent job last year but will need to take a step forward this year to make the offense go.

Rice's top blocker this year should be 6'4" 290 pound senior Jake Hicks who will be moving to left tackle, he is very versatile moving around from right tackle, left guard, and left tackle just last season. He has been named honorable mention for Conference USA the last two years and will look to surpass that this year. At right tackle is 6'4" 300 pound senior Tyler Parish. Keshawn Carrington is the anchor at center he is a 6'3" 275 pound senior who will need to use his athletic ability to block bigger, strong opponents. To his right is 6'4" 270 pound junior Eric Ball who is also the back-up center. Finally at left guard will probably be the massive Ian Gray who stands at an impressive 6'8" 340 pounds.

Strength: Versatility. With guards who can play center, tackles who can play guard this is a very unselfish group who can play a variety of positions if injury strikes.
Weakness: Drive blockers. The coaches have smaller athletic players that can really move but lack size so that they can be bull rushed and ranked 78th in sacks allowed last year.
Outlook: After using underclassman the last few years Rice now has experienced players who while not NFL talent won't make many mental errors and should do more good than bad this season.
Rating: 5.5

[thelionheart3456]

Re: The Coaching Legacy of Mark "Thor" Thornton

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2011 Rice Defensive Preview

Defense: It's hard to remember the last time that the Owls defense was any good, it's even hard to remember the last time they were above average. Last year they allowed 449 yards and 38 points a game last season. They had no big plays either. The good news is DE/NT Scott Solomon is making his return after sitting out a year due to injury.

Star of the Defense: Senior DE/NT Scott Solomon
Strength of the Defense: The defensive line, safties
Weakness of the Defense: Pass defense, pass rush, turnover creation, run defense, and third down D

Defensive Line
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State of the Unit: The defensive line is going to be all about veterans and young-bloods mixing it up. Although the rotation on the line isn't wholly figured out, one thing is and that is the Owls need to be able to create pressure upfront.

Last season was supposed to be the last time 6'3" 280 pound senior Scott Solomon suited up in an Owls uniform, but that was before a broken bone in his foot made him seek a medical redshirt for a return this year. He's intense, strong, and savvy and has the ability to create pressure. On the opposite end will be 6'3" 250 pound junior Jared Williams who also missed the end of the year last season. He's more of a speed rusher than a power guy. 6'3" 270 pound sophomore Dylan Klare will also fight for time as one of the line's strongest players.

On the inside the Owls are very experienced with nose tackle 6'0" 290 pound senior John Gioffre who returns for his second season as a starter, he's a former high school wrestling champion who has a non-stop motor. 6'1" 290 pound senior DT Michael Smith will help anchor the line. His successor is 6'3" 290 pound sophomore Hosam Shahin.

Strength: Energy. Experience. The leaders of the line will provide energy to show the younger guys what's needed in order to be a college player while they try to make plays.
Weakness: Pressure. The Owls were 105th in sacks and last in tackles for loss.
Outlook: While Solomon's return makes everyone else better they will still be going against more talented opponents who will give them all they can handle.
Rating: 5.5

Linebacker
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State of the Unit: The Owls use a 4-2-5 defense where they only use two backers but they need to be athletic and be able to be very versatile. At weakside will be 5'11" 215 pound senior Justin Allen who played well after transferring from Idaho. At strong-side will be 6'1" 225 pound junior Trey Briggs, he is a good defender but missed the last three games to injury.

The back-ups this year are a little bigger than those that will be starting with 6'0" 220 pound senior Matt Nordstrom at weak-side and 5'10" 235 pound sophomore Cameron Nwosu at strong-side. Nordstrom is a former walk-on who is a productive player on both defense and special teams. Nwosu also got some playing time before he had suffered an injury.

Strength: Range. There's a reason why Rice's linebackers are not that big but are very quick they not only help the run defense but they are vital in the pass defense like safeties.
Weakness: Size. The Owls are often out-muscled when it comes to run defense and also will have trouble covering tight-ends.
Outlook: There are tackles a plenty for this group to make and the key for this unit is to make those stops near the line of scrimmage instead of down-field.
Rating: 4

Secondary
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State of the Unit: Rice uses five defensive backs in it's defensive scheme and if they had their way they would probably try to put another one or two players back there because of the poor way in which they defend the pass. Last season they allowed 34 TDs through the air while only getting 6 picks.

The leader in the secondary this year is 6'1" 210 pound FS Travis Bradshaw who is a three-time letter-winner which is surprising considering he is a former walk-on. He was second on the team last year with 76 tackles and No. 9 on the schools all-time list and has a shot at being No. 1 following this year.

At the KAT position which is a safety-linebacker hybrid will be 6'1" 210 pound junior Corey Frazier who is the son of Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier. He led the team in tackles last year and will look to lead them again this year. The third safety is 6'2" 190 pound sophomore Paul Porras who is a former wide receiver and made 30 stops last season. The Owls have mixed experience at the back-up positions with 5'11" 205 pound senior Xavier Webb and sophomore Gabe Baker who made 20 stops last year.

As of yet neither corner-back job is a given. 5'10 180 pound red-shirt freshman Bryce Callahan is battling for both spots with upperclassmen. Senior Chris Jammer who stands at 6'1" 185 pounds looks the part but hasn't stepped up yet. Junior Phillip Gaines also has a shot at starting but makes too many mistakes with blown coverages.

Strength: Tackling. This is one strong point in the secondary because if they don't tackle well they will get consistently bull-dozed.
Weakness: Pass defense. Any passing stat you can think of the Owls ranked near the bottom in the nation last year.
Outlook: Rice's pass defense can't be described as anything other than horrendous, while their DBs could be labelled tough that doesn't do much for you when the balls getting over your head and the opposition is going for 6 whenever they want.
Rating: 3.5


Special Teams
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State of the Unit:While the star punter returns just about everyone else is a question mark. Senior punter Kyle Martens is one of the best punters in the nation averaging a school record 46 yards per in 2010. He's long and lean at 6'6" 200 pounds and has great strength behind his kicks.

Place-kicker sophomore Chris Boswell showed amazing leg strength last season however he didn't have the accuracy to match going 11-17 on field goals, missing three extra points and having three blocked.

The return tag team of sophomore Andy Erickson and junior Charles Ross will again be competing for their roles.

Strength: Leg strength. Just considering this Rice might have the best in Conference USA with Martens third nationally and Boswell hitting 2-3 from 50+ yards.
Weakness: Coverage. The Owls were 77th on punt coverage and 55th on kickoffs.
Outlook: Martens will be key to helping the defense and winning field position battles while Boswell needs to be consistent helping put points on the board.
Rating: 6

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2011 Conference Preview
One thing that can be said about Conference USA is that most of the teams are able to put up a ton of points on the board. Houston and Tulsa can potentially put up 60 plus. Last year, C-USA had at least three teams in the NCCAs top 20 for TDs, total yards, rushing yards, passing yards, and points scored.
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ECU's Dominique Davis

The reason for this. Most of the defenses in the league are just horrid. East Carolina who was great offensively was at the bottom in the nation in almost all of the defensive statistics, except for passing yards which ended up being conference mate Tulsa. If you looked at some of the box scores they could be high-school or college basketball games.

The three biggest stories of the conference are...

1. The return of Case Keenum as he attempts to comeback from a season ending injury he suffered last year. With Keenum at the helm, Houston was a top five offensive team, as well as their star being a dark horse Heisman candidate. There's a good chance he will be the NCCA all-time passing leader in yards.

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Houston QB Case Keenum

2. Defending champ UCF has to deal with the verdict in the wrongful death suit of Erick Plancher that came down heavily against the school.
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UCF's Brynn Harvey

3. Tulsa looks to catch lighting in a bottle a second time as Bill Blankenship, the legendary Oklahoma high school coach, takes over the reins with little college experience. With the success of Gus Malzahn, Tulsa will once again try to replicate engineering one of the nations best offenses.

Projected Conference Finish

East Division

1.UCF- UCF has the talent to go back to the championship game, the question is will they have the overall best record to host the game as it did last year.

2.Southern Mississippi- Southern Miss has the benefit of maybe the easiest schedule in all of C-USA. The toughest non-conference game features them against Navy and they will get to play UCF at home.

3.ECU- Dominique Davis is going to be leading the Pirate offense and as long as the D can keep opponents under 40 points they could be winning a few games.

4.Marshall- The one thing that would easily overcome a C-USA championship is if they were to beat big brother West Virginia. The last two games have gone down to the wire where they gave away late leads.

5.UAB- The biggest news for the football team is that they will be building a new football field on campus although we can't say there is too much to get excited about on the field this year.

6.Memphis- There's not too much hope for the Tigers with only 3 wins the last two years the Tigers hope their easy schedule could give them a few wins. Probably not.

West Division
1.Houston- Case Keenum is back and that can only mean good thing for Cougar fans as they look to return to the championship game after their 2009 win.

2.SMU- After getting the first bowl victory since the death penalty in the mid-80s the Mustangs will look to try and compete for a western division crown.

3.Tulsa- No doubt Tulsa has the toughest out of conference schedule in possibly the nation with games against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Boise State. This is made even tougher by the promotion of new head coach Bill Blakenship.

4.UTEP- The first game of 2011 for UTEP is against Stony Brook. What more needs to be said?

5.Rice- Rice's offense will put up points behind star Sam McGuffie. The question is can the defense keep the other team off of it?

6.Tulane- The Green Wave are just trying to stay out of last place in the conference.

[thelionheart3456]

Re: The Coaching Legacy of Mark "Thor" Thornton

got the game tonight so whenever some good rosters are finished up i will be starting up my dynasty hopefully happens before friday because i leave for the beach for a week but get your create a recruits in and we'll be ready to go when i get back thanks guys