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

[Careless Whisper]

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

by Joe Greenberg, Carnegie Mellon insider for Rivals.com

Ohio defensive end leaves Tartans out of top five

Three-star defensive end Andy Mason (Norwood, Ohio) has removed Carnegie Mellon from consideration for his services, Tartan Tidbits understands.

“CMU just wasn’t the right fit,” said Mason over the phone. “A lot of the other schools recruiting me line up better with my personal goals, and I had to trim some.”

Mason has Louisville, Michigan, Notre, Dame, Ohio State, and West Virginia in his top five.

Williamsport wide out lists CMU as co-favorite

Three-star wide receiver Stephen Carter (Williamsport, Pa.) is now listing Carnegie Mellon as his co-favorite alongside Virginia Tech, Tartan Tidbits has learned.

“Coach (John) Elliott has been reaching out to me every day,” said Carter over the phone. “I see a spot where I can play immediately and help build that program up with all the young talent they’re currently playing.”

Carter is coming off the best game of his senior season thus far, accumulating 10 catches, 176 yards, and three touchdowns last Friday with the Millionaires.

[Careless Whisper]

Season 2, Game 5: Rhode Island at Carnegie Mellon

Classic Barnburner Falls Rhode Island’s Way in Double Overtime
CMU made up a 31-14 gap to force overtime, but Justin Keyes’ two-point pass was batted down in the extra frame

by Jayson Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Trailing 31-14 in the third quarter, Carnegie Mellon scored 31 points over the final 20 minutes of regulation to force overtime, but ultimately fell in the second extra frame after a failed two-point conversion in a 55-54 defeat to Rhode Island this evening from Gesling Stadium.

“At that moment coming back the way that we did,” said second-year head coach John Elliott. “We wanted to win the game right then and there. I’m so proud of the guys for never giving up, and I know it hurts more that we couldn’t finish the job but they have to keep their heads high. We don’t do this last year.”

In what is normally a night of exciting WPIAL action, Carnegie Mellon (1-4) and Rhode Island (3-2) provided the most fireworks in Allegheny County on a Friday. Freshman duo Jim Manning and Justin Keyes had breakout performances, combining for 299 rushing yards and five touchdowns between the two, with Keyes adding 168 yards and a score through the air.

The big plays came early and often, with Derek Cassidy connecting with Jimmy Hughes for a 72-yard touchdown on the Rams’ first offensive play. The Tartans answered with a Keyes 61-yard scamper on the option, but Cassidy then found Shawn Leonard for a 34-yard score to make it 14-7.

URI’s advantage grew to 21-7 before Robert Riley punched a touchdown in from one yard out. CMU then forced a three-and-out to get another chance to cut into the visitors’ lead, but Pete Carlson fumbled the punt to give it back to the Rams. A holding call on the one-yard-line negated a touchdown, but Colin Gallagher booted it between the uprights to make it 24-14 at halftime.

After another Cassidy touchdown toss, the Tartans responded with Keyes finding Carlson for a six-yard score to pull the hosts within 10 at the end of the third quarter. Manning then broke off a 79-yard touchdown run off a great block from Ali Concecpion to make it 31-28 early in the fourth, but URI had an immediate answer after Sean Day misread a deep throw from Cassidy to Tolbert Evans for 71 yards.

Keyes continued his strong evening with a 20-yard score on a busted play, trimming the deficit to 38-35 with 4:11 left in regulation. Aaron Crosby then forced a fumble from Joe Casey a minute later, and Brent Matthews fell on top of it to give CMU all the momentum. That led to an extended touchdown drive on the back of Manning, with Keyes finding paydirt from eight yards out to give the Tartans their first lead with 1:49 on the clock.

Cassidy made his first big mistake of the night seconds later, as he threw a pass right into the arms of Crosby that seemingly sealed the game. But the Rams forced a three-and-out and used all three timeouts, leaving Justin Thompson to convert a 21-yard field goal with 1:01 remaining in regulation.

“At that point I thought we had it,” said Elliott. “Justin (Thompson) nailing that field goal, and Aaron (Crosby) getting a pick on the previous drive felt like the icing on top of our comeback.”

URI lost Cassidy to a back injury on the desperation drive, forcing D.J. Stefkovich into action cold. But he quickly warmed up, moving the ball down the field before finding Marcel Robinson from nine yards out to force overtime with five seconds on the clock.

Both teams went three-and-out and converted field goals on their first possessions of overtime, then Stefkovich hit Evans on a third-and-four play to put the Rams ahead 55-48. Keyes kept CMU’s hopes alive by finding Carlson for 12 yards on a third-and-eight, and the drive ultimately ended in a Manning two-yard punch. Elliott made the call to go for two and the win, but Keyes’ throw to Concepcion was batted away at the last second to give URI the win.

Carlson finished with 121 yards and a touchdown on 11 catches. Crosby netted 10 tackles, two interceptions, and a forced fumble.

Cassidy threw for 355 yards and four touchdowns before leaving on the Rams’ last drive of regulation. Stefkovich went 4-of-7 for 60 yards and two scores in his place.

Shawn Leonard (7 catches, 112 yards, 2 TD), Jimmy Hughes (5 catches, 108 yards, 1 TD), and Tolbert Evans (4 catches, 123 yards, 2 TD) all had over 100 yards receiving for the visitors. Mizraim Farley tallied 20 tackles – four for loss – defensively.

Carnegie Mellon finishes off a two-game home stand next Saturday, Oct. 7 against Southeast Missouri State.

Rhode Island Rams at Carnegie Mellon Tartans
Sep 28, 2007	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Rhode Island Rams (3-2)	21	3	7	14	10	55
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (1-4)	7	7	7	24	9	54

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		URI	CMU
14:49	(URI) Derek Cassidy 72-yard pass to Jimmy Hughes (Colin Gallagher kick)	7	0
10:55	(CMU) Justin Keyes 61-yard run (Justin Thompson kick)	7	7
5:16	(URI) Derek Cassidy 34-yard pass to Shawn Leonard (Colin Gallagher kick)	14	7
2:07	(URI) Joe Casey 2-yard run (Colin Gallagher kick)	21	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		URI	CMU
4:29	(CMU) Robert Riley 1-yard run (Justin Thompson kick)	21	14
0:21	(URI) Colin Gallagher 29-yard field goal	24	14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		URI	CMU
5:21	(URI) Derek Cassidy 4-yard pass to Shawn Leonard (Colin Gallagher kick)	31	14
0:29	(CMU) Justin Keyes 6-yard pass to Pete Carlson (Justin Thompson kick)	31	21
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		URI	CMU
9:42	(CMU) Jim Manning 79-yard run (Justin Thompson kick)	31	28
8:08	(URI) Derek Cassidy 71-yard pass to Tolbert Evans (Colin Gallagher kick)	38	28
4:11	(CMU) Justin Keyes 20-yard run (Justin Thompson kick)	38	35
1:49	(CMU) Justin Keyes 8-yard run (Justin Thompson kick)	38	42
1:01	(CMU) Justin Thompson 21-yard field goal	38	45
0:05	(URI) D.J. Stefkovich 9-yard pass to Marcel Robinson (Colin Gallagher kick)	45	45
OVERTIME SCORING		URI	CMU
OT1	(CMU) Justin Thompson 35-yard field goal	45	48
OT1	(URI) Colin Gallagher 41-yard field goal	48	48
OT2	(URI) D.J. Stefkovich 18-yard pass to Tolbert Evans (Colin Gallagher kick)	55	48
OT2	(CMU) Jim Manning 1-yard run (pass failed)	55	54

Rhode Island Rams

Carnegie Mellon Tartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Justin Keyes 15/24 168 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jim Manning 31 179 5.8 2 Justin Keyes 14 120 8.6 3 Robert Riley 11 17 1.5 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Pete Carlson 11 121 11.0 1 Ali Concepcion 2 42 21.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Aaron Crosby 10 0 2 0 Sean Day 3 0 0 0 Eric Holloway 3 0 0 0 Bobby Smith 3 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Justin Thompson 2/2 6/6 12 35

[Deuce2223]

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

Wow, so tough to lose that way, The team showed alot of heart battling back in the 4th Quarter after giving up all those early TD's.

Your run game is/was dominating. Riley showed what he could do with Manning out. Maybe you ride those 2 in hopes of picking up a couple wins cause it looks like Keyes is a better runner then a passer at this point. Seems like each game he tends to really focus on 1 WR.

Maybe a Triple option attack with Keyes, Manning and Riley?

[moose141]

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

What an instant classic, that would have been talked about on CMU's campus for ages had you pulled out the dramatic win. What made you go for two in the second overtime when the normal go for two third overtime was right around the corner? Just wanted the dramatic, eh!? Really solid performance from the offense at least, and it looks like you may have found a gameplan that suits the team. Just need to put it all together with a good defensive performance and you're all set.

[Careless Whisper]

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

Wow, so tough to lose that way, The team showed alot of heart battling back in the 4th Quarter after giving up all those early TD's.

Your run game is/was dominating. Riley showed what he could do with Manning out. Maybe you ride those 2 in hopes of picking up a couple wins cause it looks like Keyes is a better runner then a passer at this point. Seems like each game he tends to really focus on 1 WR.

Maybe a Triple option attack with Keyes, Manning and Riley?

Yeah that one hurt, thought it was in the bag when I knocked their QB out on that final drive of regulation but their backup just found the holes in my zone. Definitely have to rely on my ground game since I don't have a reliable receiver besides Carlson, and Manning is a stud - I almost don't want to give Riley a ton of carries because the frosh is so much better.

Keyes is much better as a runner than thrower right now, but he's not ridiculously fast (like 74 SPD I'm pretty sure) so I'm not sure how effective a full option attack would be with him. He'll have games like this where the opponent has no answer for his legs, but there have been a few teams on my schedule that have enough speed to contain the outside.

What an instant classic, that would have been talked about on CMU's campus for ages had you pulled out the dramatic win. What made you go for two in the second overtime when the normal go for two third overtime was right around the corner? Just wanted the dramatic, eh!? Really solid performance from the offense at least, and it looks like you may have found a gameplan that suits the team. Just need to put it all together with a good defensive performance and you're all set.

Honestly I forgot about having to go for two on the third overtime, lol. But I thought I could win it right then and there, I was actually frustrated that I was in that position when I first thought I had the game won in regulation and then forced a long field goal in OT that he predictably drilled.

Definitely think I have things clicking with my Keyes/Manning/Riley running triumvirate, and Carlson as my primary option on the outside. My defense is still hit-or-miss though - my corners have been solid, but the safeties are so unathletic. And I have some pieces at LB and at DT, but the consistency isn't quite there yet.

[Careless Whisper]

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

Around the NCAA – Week 5 Edition
In an early season ACC showdown, #4 Virginia Tech defeats #7 Florida State, 39-31

USA Today Top 25 Coaches’ Poll
1 | Miami (Fla.) [39 first-place votes] (5-0)
2 | Texas [21] (4-0)
3 | Virginia Tech [1] (5-0)
4 | Ohio State (4-0)
5 | West Virginia (5-0)
6 | Oklahoma (3-1)
7 | USC (3-1)
8 | Penn State (3-0)
9 | Arizona State (4-0)
10 | Michigan (4-1)
11 | North Carolina State (5-0)
12 | Florida State (4-1)
13 | LSU (4-1)
14 | Florida (5-0)
15 | Iowa (4-0)
16 | Nebraska (5-0)
17 | Auburn (5-0)
18 | Wisconsin (4-0)
19 | Texas A&M (3-1)
20 | Utah (4-1)
21 | Oregon State (3-1)
22 | Notre Dame (3-2)
23 | Tulsa (5-0)
24 | Alabama (3-1)
25 | Oklahoma State (3-1)

Heisman Watch
Pat White, R-Jr., QB, West Virginia | 159.1 QB rtg., 59-99, 788 yards, 11 TD, 2 INT; 76 carries, 521 yards, 6 TD
Kyle Wright, R-Sr., QB, Miami (Fla.) | 178.6 QB rtg., 88-143, 1,538 yards, 14 TD, 4 INT
Elan Lewis, R-So., HB, Virginia Tech | 127 carries, 849 yards, 11 TD; 5 catches, 48 yards, 1 TD
Tim Tebow, So., QB, Florida | 165.8 QB rtg., 104-154, 1,220 yards, 16 TD, 2 INT
Jamaal Charles, Jr., HB, Texas | 74 carries, 519 yards, 6 TD; 12 catches, 159 yards, 2 TD

NCAA Players of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola
Offensive: Rocky Hinds, R-Jr., QB, UNLV | 30-38, 442 yards, 5 TD; 15 carries, 140 yards, 1 TD in 46-19 win at Wyoming
Defensive: Sha’Reff Rashad, Jr., CB, Central Florida | 3 tackles, 2 INT, 2 TD in 42-7 win at UTEP

Injury Report
JaMarcus Russell, R-Sr., QB, LSU | Broken wrist (5 weeks)
Bernard Jackson, R-Sr., QB, Colorado | Hip fracture (season)
Felix Jones, Jr., HB, Arkansas | Broken jaw (9 weeks)
Sidney Rice, R-Jr., WR, South Carolina | Torn bicep (3 weeks)

Notable Top 25 Scores
#5 West Virginia 52, Rutgers 3
#13 LSU 40, #22 Notre Dame 24
#9 Arizona State 48, #21 Oregon State 11
#6 Oklahoma 31, Colorado 21
#8 Penn State 45, Indiana 13
#4 Ohio State 43, Ohio 21
#20 Utah 31, Louisville 17
#2 Texas 24, Kansas State 16
#1 Miami (Fla.) 41, Boston College 16
#11 North Carolina State 49, Minnesota 35
#18 Wisconsin 30, #10 Michigan 13
#3 Virginia Tech 39, #12 Florida State 31

Week 6 National Broadcasts
#12 Florida State (4-1) at Wake Forest (4-1) | 10/4, 6:00 PM
#4 Ohio State (4-0) at #18 Wisconsin (4-0) | 10/6, 12:30 PM
#17 Auburn (5-0) at Arkansas (4-1) | 10/6, 3:30 PM
#14 Florida (5-0) at #13 LSU (4-1) | 10/6, 6:00 PM
#7 USC (3-1) at Washington (2-2) | 10/6, 6:00 PM
#6 Oklahoma (3-1) vs. #2 Texas (4-0) | 10/6, 6:00 PM (Game of the Week, Red River Shootout)
#22 Notre Dame (3-2) at #8 Penn State (3-0) | 10/6, 8:00 PM
Georgia (3-1) at #24 Alabama (3-1) | 10/6, 8:00 PM

[Careless Whisper]

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

by Joe Greenberg, Carnegie Mellon insider for Rivals.com

Manning moved to starting tailback

Freshman runningback Jim Manning will start this week against Southeast Missouri State, head coach John Elliott has announced.

Manning, who ran for 179 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries against Rhode Island last Friday, is averaging 6.3 yards per carry in a reserve role. He has run for 302 yards and three scores on 48 carries over the course of the season, compared to Robert Riley’s 461 yards and five touchdowns on 120 carries (3.8 yards per carry).

Elliott says that Riley will still see a share of the backfield touches, but Manning will be his primary option going forward.

Cooper suspended again

Junior cornerback Raymond Cooper has been suspended for an undisclosed amount of games because of an academic violation, Tartan Tidbits has learned.

Cooper, who was banned three games last season for forging a signature, does not a current timetable on this suspension. Freshman slot corner Hayden Temple is serving the last game of his three-game suspension this Saturday against Southeast Missouri State, and will move into Cooper’s starting spot afterward.

Brent Matthews, who moved into the primary slot cornerback role during Temple’s ban, will start opposite of freshman Calvin Burton this week.

Baker, Carter both list Carnegie Mellon in top five

Three-star offensive tackle Jason Baker (Regina, Saskatchewan) and wide receiver Stephen Carter (Williamsport, Pa.) have trimmed their respective college lists to a top five, and Carnegie Mellon has made both, Tartan Tidbits understands.

Baker has the Tartans alongside Boston College, Michigan, Ohio State, and Rutgers, with the Wolverines being the favorite as of now. Carter lists CMU as co-favorites with Virginia Tech, and he is also considering Ohio State, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia.

Five targets drop Tartans from consideration

Five of Carnegie Mellon’s in-season recruiting targets have removed the Tartans from consideration, Tartan Tidbits has learned.

Quarterback Lorenzo Sanders (McKeesport, Pa.), tailback Patrick Brown (Loveland, Ohio), guard Jeff Haumiller (Sidney, Ohio), offensive tackle Brian Huston (Passaic, N.J.), and defensive end Jonathan Long (Falls Church, Va.) all will not be considering CMU going forward.

Sanders is currently a toss-up between Penn State and Pitt, while Brown – an Ohio State lean – factored Jim Manning’s performance against Rhode Island into his top five list. Haumiller is a Louisville lean, Huston has Virginia Tech as his favorite, and Long likes West Virginia.

[Careless Whisper]

Season 2, Game 6: Southeast Missouri State at Carnegie Mellon

Tartans Pummeled by Redhawks in Baffling Blowout
Carnegie Mellon compiled just 147 yards of total offense in a 37-0 home defeat to Southeast Missouri State

by Alicia Brown, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Fresh off a heartbreaking 55-54 double-overtime defeat to Rhode Island last week, Carnegie Mellon was blanked in shocking fashion by Southeast Missouri State, falling 37-0 this evening from Gesling Stadium.

Carnegie Mellon (1-5) could only accumulate 147 yards of total offense and failed to contain a consistent Southeast Missouri State (3-3) offensive attack. Tim Holloman scored twice (one rushing, one receiving) for the Redhawks and ran for 141 yards, and Markus Mosley threw for 236 yards and two scores through the air.

“By far the most disappointing loss during my time here,” said second-year head coach John Elliott. “We weren’t prepared to play and (Southeast Missouri State) just hit us in the mouth. I really don’t understand the ups and downs of this bunch. I knew it would this build would be a challenge, but going from last week’s comeback to a performance like this is absolutely baffling.”

Robert Riley saw the majority of the carries after Jim Manning left the game on the opening drive, and ran for 90 yards on 18 touches. Justin Keyes continued his up-and-down freshman campaign, only connecting on 8-of-18 passes for 55 yards.

CMU could only reach as close as the SEMS 23-yard line offensively, where they failed to convert a fourth-and-two with 3:31 remaining.

“Sure we could have kicked a field goal there,” said Elliott. “But 37-3 is just as ugly as 37-0. And 37-7 wouldn’t have been much better, anyways.”

Carnegie Mellon will look to right the ship next Saturday as it begins a two-game road trip at McNeese State.

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at Carnegie Mellon Tartans
Oct 7, 2007	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (3-3)	10	10	10	7	37
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (1-5)	0	0	0	0	0

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		SEMO	CMU
10:21	(CMU) Doug Spada 38-yard field goal	3	0
4:29	(CMU) Markus Mosley 17-yard pass to Tim Holloman (Doug Spada kick)	10	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		SEMO	CMU
9:02	(CMU) Doug Spada 30-yard field goal	13	0
5:13	(CMU) Markus Mosley 22-yard pass to Samora Goodson (Doug Spada kick)	20	0
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		SEMO	CMU
9:44	(CMU) Doug Spada 32-yard field goal	23	0
1:18	(CMU) John Radney 1-yard run (Doug Spada kick)	30	0
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		SEMO	CMU
5:35	(CMU) Tim Holloman 5-yard run (Doug Spada kick)	37	0

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks

Carnegie Mellon Tartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Justin Keyes 8/18 55 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Robert Riley 18 90 5.0 0 Jim Manning 4 8 2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Pete Carlson 6 46 7.7 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Aaron Crosby 7 0 0 0 Matt Johnson 7 0 0 0 Devon Elliott 2 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Justin Thompson 0/0 0/0 0 --

[Careless Whisper]

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

Around the NCAA – Week 6 Edition
Dual-threat quarterbacks Pat White of West Virginia and Tim Tebow of Florida emerge as Heisman favorites

USA Today Top 25 Coaches’ Poll
1 | Miami (Fla.) [34 first-place votes] (6-0)
2 | Texas [24] (5-0)
3 | Virginia Tech [1] (6-0)
4 | Ohio State [1] (5-0)
5 | West Virginia [1] (6-0)
6 | USC (4-1)
7 | Penn State (4-0)
8 | Arizona State (5-0)
9 | Michigan (5-1)
10 | Florida (6-0)
11 | Florida State (5-1)
12 | Oklahoma (3-2)
13 | Iowa (5-0)
14 | Nebraska (6-0)
15 | Auburn (6-0)
16 | Utah (5-1)
17 | LSU (4-2)
18 | North Carolina State (5-1)
19 | Oregon State (4-1)
20 | Oklahoma State (4-1)
21 | Wisconsin (4-1)
22 | Tulsa (6-0)
23 | Alabama (4-1)
24 | TCU (6-0)
25 | Texas A&M (3-2)

Heisman Watch
Pat White, R-Jr., QB, West Virginia | 155.3 QB rtg., 70-119, 864 yards, 14 TD, 2 INT; 94 carries, 667 yards, 8 TD
Tim Tebow, So., QB, Florida | 170.1 QB rtg., 131-196, 1,640 yards, 22 TD, 4 INT
Kyle Wright, R-Sr., QB, Miami (Fla.) | 180.4 QB rtg., 104-168, 1,806 yards, 18 TD, 6 INT
Elan Lewis, R-So., HB, Virginia Tech | 150 carries, 1,018 yards, 15 TD; 7 catches, 59 yards, 1 TD
Jamaal Charles, Jr., HB, Texas | 95 carries, 707 yards, 7 TD; 14 catches, 201 yards, 4 TD

NCAA Players of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola
Offensive: Amir Pinnix, R-Sr., HB, Minnesota | 23 carries, 186 yards, 4 TD in 52-31 win at Northwestern
Defensive: Reggie Charles, Fr., FS, BYU | 7 tackles, 2 INT, 2 FF in 42-35 win at New Mexico

Injury Report
Nate Longshore, R-Jr., QB, California | Torn rotator cuff (season)
Dan Connor, Sr., OLB, Penn State | Hip fracture (season)
Jermaine Dias, R-Sr., OLB, Virginia | Broken femur (season)
Lawrence Timmons, Sr., OLB, Florida State | Broken fibula (7 weeks)

Notable Top 25 Scores
#11 Florida State 22, Wake Forest 19
#8 Arizona State 56, Stanford 17
#4 Ohio State 35, #21 Wisconsin 14
#13 Iowa 38, Michigan State 7
Maryland 20, #18 North Carolina State 17
#5 West Virginia 45, Syracuse 17
#15 Auburn 34, Arkansas 18
#10 Florida 48, #17 LSU 35
#6 USC 59, Washington 14
#2 Texas 35, #12 Oklahoma 27
#7 Penn State 36, Notre Dame 27
#23 Alabama 35, Georgia 3
#20 Oklahoma State 28, #25 Texas A&M 18
#3 Virginia Tech 49, North Carolina 10

Week 7 National Broadcasts
Notre Dame (3-3) at UCLA (3-1) | 10/13, 12:30 PM
#10 Florida (6-0) at South Carolina (4-1) | 10/13, 12:30 PM
#1 Miami (Fla.) (6-0) at #11 Florida State (5-1) | 10/13, 12:30 PM (Game of the Week)
Georgia (3-2) at Tennessee (3-2) | 10/13, 3:30 PM
#7 Penn State (4-0) at #13 Iowa (5-0) | 10/13, 3:30 PM
Clemson (3-2) at #18 North Carolina State (5-1) | 10/13, 3:30 PM
#20 Oklahoma State (4-1) at #14 Nebraska (6-0) | 10/13, 3:30 PM
Missouri (4-2) at #12 Oklahoma (3-2) | 10/13, 6:00 PM

[Careless Whisper]

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

by Joe Greenberg, Carnegie Mellon insider for Rivals.com

Elliott on the hot seat

Second-year head coach John Elliott could be let go after the season if results trend towards last Saturday’s loss to Southeast Missouri State, Tartan Tidbits has learned.

Elliott, who previously served as the defensive coordinator at Gannon University for five years before taking the CMU job, was given a three-year contract by athletic director Daniel Corrigan prior to the 2006 season. Win-loss expectations aren’t particularly high and won’t factor into Elliott’s initial job performance, but the matter that the Tartans lost to the Redhawks at home has Corrigan evaluating his head coach.

A native of Erie, Pa., Elliott, 65, has been coaching for 30 years across 10 different stops.

Manning ready for McNeese State

A week after being named the starting tailback prior to Carnegie Mellon’s home contest against Southeast Missouri State, Jim Manning will return to that role this week at McNeese State after leaving last Saturday’s contest due to an injury.

Manning suffered an ankle injury after four carries, but is fully healthy for the Cowboys this Saturday. The freshman has rushed for 310 yards and three touchdowns on 52 carries this season.

Jackson keeps Tartans in running

Three-star linebacker Antoine Jackson (Garfield Heights, Ohio) has trimmed his college list to five schools and Carnegie Mellon remains in the running, Tartan Tidbits understands.

Jackson lists CMU as co-favorites with Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, and also has North Carolina State and Virginia Tech in his top five. He has accumulated 67 tackles and 10 sacks for Garfield Heights High School this season.

Haynes, Sisk leave CMU off top fives

Three-star guard Greg Haynes (Carbondale, Pa.) and offensive tackle Joe Sisk (Amherst, Ohio) have left Carnegie Mellon off of their respective top five lists, Tartan Tidbits has learned.

Haynes “had to move forward” with his list, and sees Pittsburgh as the favorite for his services. Sisk “felt like other schools had more to offer” and reportedly has Michigan and Notre Dame as his co-favorites.

[Careless Whisper]

Season 2, Game 7: Carnegie Mellon at McNeese State

Timely Stops Give Carnegie Mellon First Road FCS Win
Devon Elliott sacked Mark Fontenot with 1:19 remaining to give the Tartans their first road triumph in Division I

by Jayson Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter

LAKE CHARLES, La. -- It was a gut-check week for Carnegie Mellon in practice leading into its matchup at McNeese State, and it’s safe to say the Tartans passed the test. A dominant defensive performance with some timely sacks helped guide CMU to its first Division I road victory, knocking off the Cowboys this afternoon, 13-10.

Carnegie Mellon (2-5) got to McNeese State (3-4) quarterback Mark Fontenot five times, forced a pair of fumbles, and picked off the home signal-caller once. Andrew Miller collected three of those sacks, and Devon Elliott’s knockdown on fourth-and-five with 1:19 remaining sealed an emotional win for second-year head coach John Elliott and his young squad.

“It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you rise to a challenge,” said Elliott. “We had a really tough week of practice and needed to get the bad taste of last week out of our mouth. These guys really stepped it up and made winning plays throughout the day, and they absolutely deserved to win this game.”

Offensively, the Tartans leaned on their freshman duo of Justin Keyes and Jim Manning. Manning ran for a career-high 162 yards on 31 carries in easily the best performance of his young career, while Keyes netted 137 yards on 14-of-26 passing and scored on a two-yard plunge midway through the first quarter.

The Cowboys had their chances late, but Fontenot was picked off by Sean Day with 3:37 to go and then suffered the aforementioned game-ending sack on the following drive.

Carnegie Mellon caps a two-game road trip next Saturday at Dartmouth.

Carnegie Mellon Tartans at McNeese State Cowboys
Oct 14, 2007	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (2-5)	7	3	3	0	13
McNeese State Cowboys (3-4)	0	0	3	7	10

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CMU	MCNS
9:21	(MCNS) Justin Keyes 2-yard run (Justin Thompson kick)	7	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CMU	MCNS
0:45	(MCNS) Justin Thompson 27-yard field goal	10	0
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CMU	MCNS
8:15	(CMU) Blake Bercegeay 24-yard field goal	10	3
5:31	(MCNS) Justin Thompson 36-yard field goal	13	3
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CMU	MCNS
5:25	(CMU) Mark Fontenot 25-yard pass to Neely Hubbard (Blake Bercegeay kick)	13	10

Carnegie Mellon Tartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Justin Keyes 14/26 137 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jim Manning 31 162 5.2 0 Tramon McCollum 3 14 4.7 0 Justin Keyes 4 -10 -2.5 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Pete Carlson 8 93 11.6 0 Ali Concepcion 4 25 6.3 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Matt Johnson 8 1 0 0 Andrew Miller 7 3 0 0 Devon Elliott 3 1 0 0 Sean Day 0 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Justin Thompson 2/3 1/1 7 36

McNeese State Cowboys

[Nunyerbiz]

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

31 attempts! I like the old-school feature back or bust gameplan shown today from the Tartans!

Also, I really am loving the small school vibe... every game it's like I'm watching some 16th seed Cinderella team that made the NCAA Basketball tourney... McNeese State (Joe Dumars) and Indiana State (Larry Bird) are some obscure classics from my childhood.

[Careless Whisper]

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

31 attempts! I like the old-school feature back or bust gameplan shown today from the Tartans!

Also, I really am loving the small school vibe... every game it's like I'm watching some 16th seed Cinderella team that made the NCAA Basketball tourney... McNeese State (Joe Dumars) and Indiana State (Larry Bird) are some obscure classics from my childhood.

I think you might have mentioned it in your dynasty thread, but I'm also a guy who has liked to run more of a traditional I-formation rushing attack in NCAA - particularly in these older games. My dream offenses in this game would always have a feature back with 1,500-something yards, a 1,000-yard primary receiver, and a quarterback who'd throw for 3,000-something yards - with those numbers varying based on where I'm stronger at.

Manning is the perfect guy to use as my feature back and give him 30+ touches each game, because my passing game is inconsistent, my defense still lacks talent in some spots, and his ratings are better than most of the FCS schools that I face. Unless he gets a nice ratings boost in the offseason though, next year will probably be a rougher one for him and the rest of the offense since I'll play a full FBS schedule.

[Careless Whisper]

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

Around the NCAA – Week 7 Edition
Tulsa enters the USA Today Coaches' Top 25 at #22 after starting the season 7-0

USA Today Top 25 Coaches’ Poll
1 | Texas [33 first-place votes] (6-0)
2 | Virginia Tech [24] (7-0)
3 | Ohio State [3] (6-0)
4 | West Virginia [1] (7-0)
5 | USC (5-1)
6 | Arizona State [1] (6-0)
7 | Miami (Fla.) (6-1)
8 | Florida State (6-1)
9 | Michigan (6-1)
10 | Florida (7-0)
11 | Iowa (6-0)
12 | Oklahoma (4-2)
13 | Penn State (4-1)
14 | Auburn (7-0)
15 | Utah (6-1)
16 | LSU (5-2)
17 | Oklahoma State (5-1)
18 | North Carolina State (6-1)
19 | Oregon State (4-1)
20 | Nebraska (6-1)
21 | Wisconsin (5-1)
22 | Tulsa (7-0)
23 | Alabama (5-1)
24 | TCU (7-0)
25 | Texas A&M (4-2)

Heisman Watch
Tim Tebow, So., QB, Florida | 172.9 QB rtg., 148-220, 1,864 yards, 28 TD (2 rush), 5 INT
Pat White, R-Jr., QB, West Virginia | 155.3 QB rtg., 83-137, 964 yards, 16 TD, 2 INT; 109 carries, 794 yards, 9 TD
Elan Lewis, R-So., HB, Virginia Tech | 166 carries, 1,130 yards, 18 TD; 8 catches, 79 yards, 1 TD
Kyle Wright, R-Sr., QB, Miami (Fla.) | 175.9 QB rtg., 120-196, 2,040 yards, 21 TD, 8 INT
Percy Harvin, R-Fr., WR, Florida | 50 catches, 760 yards, 9 TD

NCAA Players of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola
Offensive: Stephen Garcia, Fr., QB, Arizona State | 27-40, 464 yards, 6 TD in 49-10 win at Washington State
Defensive: Elbert Mack, R-Sr., FS, Troy | 5 tackles, 2 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR in 28-7 win against Florida International

Injury Report
Keegan Herring, Jr., HB, Arizona State | Forearm fracture (10 weeks)
Barrington Edwards, Sr., HB, North Carolina | Broken elbow (season)
Robert Meachem, R-Sr., WR, Tennessee | Torn shoulder muscle (8 weeks)

Notable Top 25 Scores
#10 Florida 59, South Carolina 21
#8 Florida State 42, #7 Miami (Fla.) 38
#6 Arizona State 49, Washington State 10
#11 Iowa 40, #13 Penn State 17
#18 North Carolina State 24, Clemson 10
#17 Oklahoma State 45, #20 Nebraska 38 (2OT)
#12 Oklahoma 38, Missouri 7
#14 Auburn 31, Vanderbilt 28
#25 Texas A&M 24, Texas Tech 13
#21 Wisconsin 35, Minnesota 17
#9 Michigan 42, Michigan State 17

Week 8 National Broadcasts
Louisville (5-2) at #4 West Virginia (7-0) | 10/20, 3:30 PM
#25 Texas A&M (4-2) at #20 Nebraska (6-1) | 10/20, 3:30 PM
#3 Ohio State (6-0) at #13 Penn State (4-1) | 10/20, 3:30 PM (Game of the Week)
#2 Virginia Tech (7-0) at Clemson (3-3) | 10/20, 3:30 PM
#14 Auburn (7-0) at #16 LSU (5-2) | 10/20, 6:00 PM
Tennessee (4-2) at #23 Alabama (5-1) | 10/20, 6:00 PM
Georgia (3-3) at #10 Florida (7-0) | 10/20, 8:00 PM
#15 Utah (6-1) at UNLV (6-1) | 10/20, 8:00 PM

[Careless Whisper]

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

by Joe Greenberg, Carnegie Mellon insider for Rivals.com

Location big sticking point for Carter

Three-star wide receiver Stephen Carter (Williamsport, Pa.) has Carnegie Mellon as co-favorites for his services, and location is the primary factor, Tartan Tidbits has learned.

Carter, who has Virginia Tech as the other co-favorite and is also considering Ohio State, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia, has caught 49 passes for 715 yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior season.

“I love the Carnegie Mellon campus,” said Carter over the phone. “There’s a great vibe I get walking around there, and I definitely can see making an official visit soon.”

CMU big favorite for Robinson

Three-star offensive tackle Darius Robinson (Laurel, Md.) has listed Carnegie Mellon as the favorite for his commitment, Tartan Tidbits understands.

“I watched last week’s game and liked what I saw,” said Robinson over the phone. “They have a good running attack and really focus on that offensively. I could see myself playing a big part on that offensive line in the coming years.”

Robinson has the Tartans ahead of Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech at the moment.