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

Robinson spurns Carnegie Mellon, commits to Virginia Tech

One week after giving a silent commitment to Carnegie Mellon, three-star offensive tackle Darius Robinson (Laurel, Md.) has spurned the Tartans to give a full pledge to Virginia Tech, Tartan Tidbits has learned.

Robinson was in Blacksburg, Va. for his official visit with the #3 Hokies, a weekend that included a 27-7 defeat to #19 Miami (Fla.). Despite the upset loss to their rivals, Virginia Tech was able to secure the offensive tackle’s commitment for 2008.

“I loved my time at Carnegie Mellon and really thought that’s where I’d end up,” said Robinson over the phone. “But there’s something different about Blacksburg. It was electric and the team really embraced me. I’m excited to become a Hokie.”

Jackson to make official visit to CMU this weekend

Three-star outside linebacker Antoine Jackson (Garfield Heights, Ohio) will make his official visit to Carnegie Mellon this weekend, Tartan Tidbits understands.

Jackson, who has 78 tackles and 11 sacks for Garfield Heights High School this season, lists the Tartans behind Pittsburgh and Notre Dame in his top three.

Canadian offensive tackle has Tartans as leaders

Three-star offensive tackle Jason Baker (Regina, Saskatchewan) hasn’t trimmed his college list from five to three yet, but the Canadian product lists Carnegie Mellon as the favorite for his services, Tartan Tidbits has learned.

Baker, who hasn’t allowed a sack at Luther College this season, has the Tartans ahead of Michigan, Ohio State, Boston College, and Rutgers, in that order. He plans on scheduling official visits here in the next 1-2 weeks.

[Careless Whisper]

Season 2, Game 10: Hofstra at Carnegie Mellon

Tartans’ Win Streak Snapped in Rain-Soaked Defeat to Hofstra
Carnegie Mellon struggled throwing the ball once again and missed a pair of field goals in a 15-7 loss

by Alicia Brown, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Carnegie Mellon saw its three-game winning streak come to an end this afternoon, as an ineffective passing game and two missed field goals led to a 15-7 defeat to Hofstra from a rain-soaked Gesling Stadium.

Carnegie Mellon (4-6) received another strong performance from freshman tailback Jim Manning, who ran for 138 yards and a third-quarter touchdown on 26 carries. But fellow first-year Justin Keyes completed just 6-of-16 passes for 39 yards and lost a fumble, giving Hofstra (3-7) just enough opportunities to come away with the win.

“Definitely not our best game today,” said second-year head coach John Elliott. “We made too many mistakes and weren’t effective enough as a whole on offense. It’s disappointing to see our winning streak come to an end in this way, because this was definitely a winnable game.”

For the Pride, Kareem Huggins was the bellcow as he carried the ball 33 times for 187 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter. The Tartans managed to bring down Dennis Davis three times – two coming from freshman linebacker Matt Johnson – and Braylon Cunningham picked him off once, but Rob Zarrilli nailed all three of his field goal attempts compared to Justin Thompson’s 0-for-2 effort.

Manning’s 138 yards moved him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season with two games remaining. The first-year tailback didn’t receive his first start until the sixth game of the season against Southeast Missouri State.

Carnegie Mellon closes out the home slate of its schedule next Saturday, Nov. 17 against Towson.

Hofstra Pride at Carnegie Mellon Tartans
Nov 10, 2007	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Hofstra Pride (3-7)	3	9	3	0	15
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (4-6)	0	0	7	0	7

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		HOF	CMU
1:44	(HOF) Rob Zarrilli 35-yard field goal	3	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		HOF	CMU
10:04	(HOF) Rob Zarrilli 35-yard field goal	6	0
1:16	(HOF) Kareem Huggins 7-yard run (run failed)	12	0
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		HOF	CMU
9:07	(HOF) Rob Zarrilli 46-yard field goal	15	0
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		HOF	CMU
3:07	(CMU) Jim Manning 6-yard run (Justin Thompson kick)	15	7

Hofstra Pride

Carnegie Mellon Tartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Justin Keyes 6/16 39 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jim Manning 26 138 5.3 1 Justin Keyes 6 29 4.8 0 Tramon McCollum 3 22 7.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Pete Carlson 4 27 6.8 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Matt Johnson 8 2 0 0 Andrew Motte 7 1 0 0 Aaron Crosby 7 0 0 0 Andrew Miller 5 0 0 0 Braylon Cunningham 0 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Justin Thompson 0/2 1/1 1 --

[Tearz49ers]

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

Manning really has given you something to build around for this offense, that is an impressive tally considering what week he got going in.

[Careless Whisper]

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

Manning really has given you something to build around for this offense, that is an impressive tally considering what week he got going in.

Definitely. Glad one of my first in-season commits last season was him, because I knew I needed a skill position guy to make the focal point of my offense. He's in line for a fantastic career at CMU.

[Careless Whisper]

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

Around the NCAA – Week 11 Edition
#7 Virginia Tech drops its second straight game, falling to an unlikely Duke team, 27-13

BCS Rankings
1 | Texas (0.915, 10-0)
2 | Arizona State (0.901, 9-0)
3 | Ohio State (0.893, 10-0)
4 | Florida (0.814, 11-0)
5 | West Virginia (0.805, 10-0)
6 | Michigan (0.726, 9-1)
7 | LSU (0.660, 8-2)
8 | Utah (0.629, 9-1)
9 | Florida State (0.535, 9-2)
10 | Iowa (0.529, 9-1)
11 | USC (0.505, 7-2)
12 | Penn State (0.499, 7-2)
13 | Miami (Fla.) (0.476, 8-2)
14 | Wisconsin (0.387, 9-1)
15 | Oklahoma State (0.378, 8-2)

Heisman Watch
Tim Tebow, So., QB, Florida | 187.0 QB rtg., 224-318, 2,890 yards, 45 TD (2 rush), 7 INT
Jamaal Charles, Jr., HB, Texas | 166 carries, 1,231 yards, 11 TD; 28 catches, 470 yards, 8 TD
Pat White, R-Jr., QB, West Virginia | 151.5 QB rtg., 110-193, 1,418 yards, 21 TD, 3 INT; 149 carries, 976 yards, 13 TD
Percy Harvin, R-Fr., Florida | 70 catches, 1,021 yards, 12 TD
Bobby Reid, R-Jr., QB, Oklahoma State | 158.3 QB rtg., 181-281, 2,144 yards, 32 TD, 11 INT; 130 carries, 751 yards, 2 TD

NCAA Players of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola
Offensive: Trumaine Smith, R-Jr., WR, Toledo | 12 catches, 285 yards, 4 TD in 38-34 win at Miami (Ohio)
Defensive: Matt Panfil, R-Jr., MLB, TCU | 12 tackles, 2 INT, 1 FF, 1 TD in 35-25 win against UNLV

Injury Report
Colt McCoy, R-So., QB, Texas | Broken wrist (6 weeks)

Notable Top 25 Scores
#22 TCU 35, UNLV 25
#1 Texas 45, Texas Tech 3
#23 Texas A&M 44, Missouri 41 (OT)
Duke 27, #20 Virginia Tech 13
#6 Michigan 48, Northwestern 10
#12 Florida State 44, Clemson 3
#5 Florida 38, Vanderbilt 28
#11 USC 38, #17 Oregon State 31
#3 Arizona State 24, #24 Oregon 7
#7 Utah 42, New Mexico 24
#8 LSU 32, Alabama 24 (2OT)
#4 West Virginia 38, Pittsburgh 7
#2 Ohio State 37, Michigan State 0
#9 Penn State 24, Minnesota 17

Week 12 National Broadcasts
#6 Michigan (9-1) at #9 Penn State (7-2) | 11/17, 12:30 PM (Game of the Week)
#10 Iowa (9-1) at #14 Wisconsin (9-1) | 11/17, 12:30 PM
South Carolina (6-4) at #1 Texas (10-0) | 11/17, 12:30 PM
#25 Arkansas (8-2) at #23 Texas A&M (7-3) | 11/17, 1:00 PM
Clemson (4-6) at #19 Colorado (8-2) | 11/17, 3:30 PM
North Carolina State (8-3) at #15 Miami (Fla.) (8-2) | 11/17, 3:30 PM
Alabama (6-4) at Auburn (7-3) | 11/17, 8:00 PM
#11 USC (7-2) at California (5-5) | 11/17, 8:00 PM

------------------

Author's Note: Somehow forgot to the record the Week 10 update and didn't notice it until now.

[Careless Whisper]

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

by Joe Greenberg, Carnegie Mellon insider for Rivals.com

Baker makes CMU official visit this weekend

Three-star offensive tackle Jason Baker (Regina, Saskatchewan) will be on campus to see Carnegie Mellon play Towson this weekend, as he is set to make his official visit, Tartan Tidbits has learned.

Baker currently has the Tartans neck-and-neck with Michigan, who he is set to visit next weekend, with Ohio State trailing both. With the commitment to Virginia Tech by former target Darius Robinson (Laurel, Md.), Baker’s pledge becomes a top priority for the remainder of the in-season recruiting period.

Jackson enjoyed CMU official, set to make other visits

Three-star outside linebacker Antoine Jackson (Garfield Heights, Ohio) says that he enjoyed his official visit to Carnegie Mellon over the weekend, but will take his other visits in the coming weeks, Tartan Tidbits understands.

Jackson has the Tartans third in his top three as of now, with Pitt and Notre Dame ahead of them. The Buckeye State-born linebacker will visit the Fighting Irish this week and the Panthers next.

Riley to start on Senior Night

Senior tailback Robert Riley will move back into the starting lineup for Senior Night this Saturday against Towson, Tartan Tidbits has learned.

Riley, who ran for 1,034 yards last season, lost his starting job midseason to freshman sensation Jim Manning. The senior has run for 562 yards and six touchdowns on 146 carries, compared to Manning’s 1,082 yards and eight scores on 168 carries.

A total of 16 seniors are set to play their final game at Gesling Stadium on Saturday: Riley, wide receivers Ali Concepcion and Al Jackson, tight end Antwan Copeland, offensive tackle Darrell Satele, center Andrew Stanford, defensive end Justin Fisher, linebackers Curtis Willis, Andrew Motte, Brett Davidson, Bobby Smith, and Will Reid, cornerback Brent Matthews, safeties Sean Day and Eric Holloway, and kicker Justin Thompson.

[Careless Whisper]

Season 2, Game 11: Towson at Carnegie Mellon

Tartans Drop Home Finale to Towson, 35-14
Carnegie Mellon’s passing game struggled once again as it fell in its penultimate FCS contest

by Jayson Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- After rattling off three straight wins, Carnegie Mellon has now dropped two straight at home as it fell to a strong Towson team, 35-14, this evening from Gesling Stadium.

Carnegie Mellon (4-7) again struggled in the passing game, with freshman Justin Keyes completing just 6-of-22 passes for 62 yards. The first-year signal-caller threw two touchdowns – one being to Drew Mack of Towson (8-4) – and tossed a pair of interceptions in another addition to a frustratingly cold stretch for him.

“We’ve got to work on getting Justin (Keyes) more comfortable,” said second-year head coach John Elliott. “He was under pressure most of the night, and our receivers are having a hard time getting separation. I’d like for our offense to not be as one-dimensional in the future, even with how good our running game has been.”

Senior tailback Robert Riley was the catalyst to the Tartans’ strong rushing attack, leading the way with 117 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Usual freshman starter Jim Manning gained 14 yards on his lone carry, but pulled up limping and didn’t return with a pulled hamstring. Elliott said he will be fully healthy for next week’s season finale at Idaho State.

The Tigers focused on a methodical running game to chew clock and keep the CMU defense on the field. Rasheed McClaude (18 carries, 112 yards, 1 TD) and Nick Williams (17 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD) both went over the 100-yard mark, while quarterback Sean Schaeffer scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground. At 8-4, Towson hopes that its performance tonight sealed an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs.

Pete Carlson caught Keyes’ lone touchdown pass, a 23-yard strike in the first quarter. Matt Johnson paced the Tartans defensively with 10 tackles, while Calvin Burton and Devon Elliott both forced a fumble.

Carnegie Mellon’s season and FCS term concludes next Saturday, Nov. 24 at Idaho State.

Towson Tigers at Carnegie Mellon Tartans
Nov 17, 2007	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Towson Tigers (8-4)	7	14	7	7	35
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (4-7)	7	0	0	7	14

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		TOWS	CMU
10:04	(TOWS) Sean Schaeffer 1-yard run (Mark Bencivengo kick)	7	0
3:21	(CMU) Justin Keyes 23-yard pass to Pete Carlson (Justin Thompson kick)	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		TOWS	CMU
10:34	(TOWS) Nick Williams 7-yard run (Mark Bencivengo kick)	14	7
2:28	(TOWS) Rasheed McClaude 22-yard run (Mark Bencivengo kick)	21	7
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		TOWS	CMU
10:20	(TOWS) Drew Mack 23-yard interception return (Mark Bencivengo kick)	28	7
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		TOWS	CMU
12:40	(TOWS) Sean Schaeffer 1-yard run (Mark Bencivengo kick)	35	7
8:07	(CMU) Robert Riley 7-yard run (Justin Thompson kick)	35	14

Towson Tigers

Carnegie Mellon Tartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Justin Keyes 6/22 62 1 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Robert Riley 27 117 4.3 1 Justin Keyes 5 14 2.8 0 Jim Manning 1 14 14.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Ali Concepcion 3 27 9.0 0 Pete Carlson 1 23 23.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Matt Johnson 10 0 0 0 Aaron Crosby 9 0 0 0 Calvin Burton 4 0 0 0 Devon Elliott 3 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Justin Thompson 0/0 2/2 2 --

[moose141]

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

Tough finish to the home slate, but still a good season overall. Obviously, not playing an FBS schedule helps, but still good to see the improvements the initial recruiting class has played. Once you make it through 2-3 recruiting cycles I think you'll really have a full starting lineup of decent talent that can for sure make you competitive in FBS. Will be interesting to see where you go from there. Did NCAA 07 conference changes or are you locked in as an independent? I honestly haven't played that game in so long that I don't remember haha.

[Careless Whisper]

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

Tough finish to the home slate, but still a good season overall. Obviously, not playing an FBS schedule helps, but still good to see the improvements the initial recruiting class has played. Once you make it through 2-3 recruiting cycles I think you'll really have a full starting lineup of decent talent that can for sure make you competitive in FBS. Will be interesting to see where you go from there. Did NCAA 07 conference changes or are you locked in as an independent? I honestly haven't played that game in so long that I don't remember haha.

Next year will be pretty rough I feel like, but a couple of recruiting cycles to get these sub-50 overalls out of the rotation will be a tremendous help!

There are conference changes in these older games, but I can't make the changes myself. From what I remember, my team either has to be really good or really bad for an extended period, and there needs to be a team in a conference that is the opposite to make the switch. If I had my way I'd hold off on CMU being in a conference for a few years before moving to a non-BCS one, but we'll see where the game takes me.

[Nunyerbiz]

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

Canadian offensive tackle has Tartans as leaders

Three-star offensive tackle Jason Baker (Regina, Saskatchewan) hasn’t trimmed his college list from five to three yet, but the Canadian product lists Carnegie Mellon as the favorite for his services, Tartan Tidbits has learned.

Baker, who hasn’t allowed a sack at Luther College this season, has the Tartans ahead of Michigan, Ohio State, Boston College, and Rutgers, in that order. He plans on scheduling official visits here in the next 1-2 weeks.

Get that Canadian Pipeline open! It's an untapped gold mine of football talent!

[Careless Whisper]

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

Get that Canadian Pipeline open! It's an untapped gold mine of football talent!

It's funny you should say that...

[Careless Whisper]

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

Around the NCAA – Week 12 Edition
Texas, Ohio State, Arizona State, Florida, West Virginia, and Tulsa all remain unbeaten through 12 weeks of play

BCS Rankings
1 | Texas (0.916, 11-0)
2 | Ohio State (0.903, 11-0)
3 | Arizona State (0.895, 10-0)
4 | Florida (0.818, 11-0)
5 | West Virginia (0.787, 11-0)
6 | LSU (0.670, 9-2)
7 | Utah (0.663, 10-1)
8 | Penn State (0.611, 8-2)
9 | Florida State (0.547, 9-2)
10 | USC (0.525, 8-2)
11 | Miami (Fla.) (0.521, 9-2)
12 | Michigan (0.504, 9-2)
13 | Wisconsin (0.487, 10-1)
14 | Iowa (0.428, 9-2)
15 | Oklahoma State (0.406, 9-2)

Heisman Watch
Tim Tebow, So., QB, Florida | 187.0 QB rtg., 224-318, 2,890 yards, 45 TD (2 rush), 7 INT
Pat White, R-Jr., QB, West Virginia | 155.7 QB rtg., 125-215, 1,626 yards, 24 TD, 3 INT; 163 carries, 1,093 yards, 14 TD
Jamaal Charles, Jr., HB, Texas | 184 carries, 1,311 yards, 11 TD; 31 catches, 518 yards, 8 TD
Bobby Reid, R-Jr., QB, Oklahoma State | 159.3 QB rtg., 199-310, 2,398 yards, 35 TD, 11 INT; 139 carries, 815 yards, 2 TD
Jevan Snead, So., QB, Texas | 153.8 QB rtg., 201-333, 2,685 yards, 33 TD (1 rush), 10 INT

NCAA Players of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola
Offensive: Bobby Reid, R-Jr., QB, Oklahoma State | 30-44, 376 yards, 6 TD in 45-27 win against Wyoming
Defensive: Khayyam Burns, R-Sr., FS, Arkansas State | 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FR, 2 TD in 42-13 win against Troy

Injury Report
Brian Johnson, Sr., QB, Utah | Strained Achilles tendon (3 weeks)
JaMarcus Russell, R-Sr., QB, LSU | Strained back (7 weeks)
Tyrell Sutton, Jr., HB, Northwestern | Pinched nerve (2 weeks)
Todd Blythe, R-Sr., WR, Iowa State | Torn rotator cuff (season)

Notable Top 25 Scores
#7 Penn State 31, #11 Michigan 14
#10 Wisconsin 28, #16 Iowa 20
#15 Tulsa 26, Tulane 14
#1 Texas 20, South Carolina 10
#23 Arkansas 23, Texas A&M 20 (OT)
#19 Colorado 52, Clemson 21
#17 Oregon State 31, Washington 21
#6 Utah 38, BYU 3
#14 Miami (Fla.) 28, North Carolina State 16
#3 Arizona State 35, UCLA 21
#20 Virginia Tech 56, Virginia 7
#9 USC 30, California 20

Week 13 National Broadcasts
#1 Texas (11-0) at Texas A&M (7-4) | 11/23, 6:00 PM
Nebraska (8-3) at #19 Colorado (9-2) | 11/23, 6:00 PM
Duke (5-6) at #21 Notre Dame (7-3) | 11/24, 3:30 PM
#12 Florida State (9-2) at #5 Florida (11-0) | 11/24, 3:30 PM (Game of the Week)
#2 Ohio State (11-0) at #11 Michigan (9-2) | 11/24, 3:30 PM
#23 Arkansas (9-2) at #8 LSU (9-2) | 11/24, 6:00 PM
#6 Utah (10-1) at #22 TCU (10-1) | 11/24, 6:00 PM
#9 USC (8-2) at #3 Arizona State (10-0) | 11/24, 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

Baker commits to Carnegie Mellon

Carnegie Mellon landed its second commitment of the in-season recruiting period this week, as three-star offensive tackle Jason Baker (Regina, Saskatchewan) has pledge to sign with the Tartans in February, Tartan Tidbits has learned.

“Carnegie Mellon always seemed like the right fit,” said Baker over the phone. “I loved the campus, and the team really treated me well during my visit. I’m excited to go fight with those guys next season and help with this build.”

Baker, a six-foot-four, 313-pound lineman from Luther College, should be an immediate starter on the offensive line next season. He joins six-foot, 202-pound wide receiver Stephen Carter (Williamsport, Pa.) as CMU’s in-season commitments.

Jackson set to visit Pittsburgh

Three-star outside linebacker Antoine Jackson (Garfield Heights, Ohio) will visit Pitt this weekend in what has become a three-way race for his commitment, Tartan Tidbits understands.

Jackson, who visited Carnegie Mellon when it played Hofstra on Nov. 10, is the final target remaining on the Tartans’ in-season board. He is considering between the Panthers, CMU, and Notre Dame.

Patrick to miss season finale at Idaho State

Freshman offensive tackle Phil Patrick will miss Carnegie Mellon’s season finale at Idaho State this weekend with hip bursitis.

Patrick, who has started 10 of 11 games this season, will be replaced by junior David Jenkins. Jenkins started in place of the freshman after he missed the Nov. 10 loss to Hofstra with a pulled hamstring.

[Deuce2223]

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

Let's go out and get a win in the finale. I have been to many games at Holt Arena in Pocatello. In fact my high school won their first state championship in football inside Holt in 1993 (my senior year) They have won 4 since thing (2006,2010,2016 and 2017).

The 2010-2011 season was a special year for that class. As they won State Championships in Football, Basketball and Baseball.

Looking forward to seeing what conference you end up at next year and how Manning does against FBS competition.

[Careless Whisper]

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

Let's go out and get a win in the finale. I have been to many games at Holt Arena in Pocatello. In fact my high school won their first state championship in football inside Holt in 1993 (my senior year) They have won 4 since thing (2006,2010,2016 and 2017).

The 2010-2011 season was a special year for that class. As they won State Championships in Football, Basketball and Baseball.

Looking forward to seeing what conference you end up at next year and how Manning does against FBS competition.

That seems like a very successful school, could only imagine how that 2011 class felt with the three state titles! My high school class (2009) was pretty successful during my senior year, but nowhere near those heights.

Most of my FCS schedules were picked at random, but I specifically selected Idaho State to play because I wanted to play in a dome at Holt Arena. I'll probably have Idaho on a future FBS schedule in the coming seasons because of the Kibbie Dome.