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

[Careless Whisper]

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

Will be interesting to see if Texas can keep winning with Colt down for the next 3 weeks, especially against Oklahoma.

Looks like Dez Bryant is good no matter what school he is playing for as well,.

Good luck with Toledo they have played solid so far, 63 points against Delaware. Hope your defense is ready.

If they still had Jevan Snead, I'd say they could beat Oklahoma and navigate that stretch without Colt, but I'm not sure who their backup is now. And that Cam/Dez connection has been ridiculous, they definitely should be a favorite to make the title game at this point.

Toledo may be a tougher opponent than Ball State was, as you'll see in the next post, so I'll need to play my best game of the season to pull the upset.

[Careless Whisper]

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

at
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (2-3, 1-1 MAC) at Toledo Rockets (5-0, 1-0 MAC)
Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 6:00 PM (ET)
Toledo, Ohio – Glass Bowl | FSN Pittsburgh

Team Overview (B overall, B offense, B- defense)
Entering its fifth straight home game, Toledo has gotten off to a blistering 5-0 start to begin the 2009 campaign. The Rockets blew out Fresno State in their home opener, 55-21, and have won comfortably over the last two weeks against Western Michigan (46-21) and Delaware (63-13). Toledo also defeated Idaho on the road, 38-31, and held off Columbia at home, 35-28.

The Rockets’ offense is an explosive spread attack that features a heavy dose of the passing game. First-year starter Aaron Opelt (186.4 QB rtg., 108-161, 1,675 yards, 18 TD, 4 INT) has been incredible as a senior, and has a bevy of weapons to throw to in redshirt senior wide receiver Stephen Williams (30 catches, 402 yards, 4 TD), classmate Trumaine Smith (33 catches, 439 yards, 5 TD), redshirt sophomore David Lewis (11 catches, 162 yards, 2 TD), and fifth-year tight end John Allen (28 catches, 607 yards, 5 TD). The offensive line has only allowed five stacks on the season, and it has been great on the ground too, with redshirt DaJuane Collins (94 carries, 612 yards, 8 TD; 9 catches, 155 yards, 3 TD) excelling in his first year starting.

The defense is very senior-laden, with free safety Barry Church (6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 FR), strong safety Chris Faison (13 tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR), and linebacker Archie Donald (21 tackles, 1 sack) leading the way. Donald, who had 76 tackles, three sacks, three interceptions, and a touchdown last season, was a Preseason All-MAC selection, as was Church. The defensive line has a pair of juniors heading it in J.P. Bekasiak (17 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 FR) and Skylaar Constant (20 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 FR), and manning the middle of the 4-3 look is sophomore Josh Pitts (31 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF), who saw heavy playing time as a reserve last year.

Senior kicker Alex Steigerwald (4-5 FG, 31-31 XP) has been a mixed bag over his career, converting 66 percent (16-24) of his field goals in 2007 before dipping to 53 percent (15-28) last season. The three-year starter will also punt this weekend after the suspension of junior Cedric Hunt (10 punts, 428 yards, 42.8 avg., 3 inside 20). Williams (13 kick returns, 314 yards; 16 punt returns, 91 yards) returns kicks and punts for the Rockets.

Season Results
09/05 | at Idaho | W, 38-31
09/12 | FRESNO STATE | W, 55-21
09/19 | COLUMBIA | W, 35-28
09/26 | WESTERN MICHIGAN * | W, 46-21
10/03 | DELAWARE | W, 63-13

PFF Top Five
John Allen, R-Sr., TE (90)
Aaron Opelt, Sr., QB (90)
DaJuane Collins, R-Sr., HB (89)
Barry Church, Sr., FS (89)
Chris Faison, R-Sr., SS (86)

Injury Report
Carnegie Mellon: Elvis Washington, So., SS (dislocated elbow – 4 weeks)
Toledo: None

Suspensions
Carnegie Mellon: Luke Harvey, R-Fr., OLB (team rules – 1 game)
Toledo: Cedric Hunt, Jr., P (academics – 1 game); Bryan Garrett, R-Fr., TE (team rules – 1 game)

[Careless Whisper]

Season 4, Game 6: Carnegie Mellon at Toledo

Unbeaten Toledo Tramples Tartans, 54-32
Carnegie Mellon nearly made up an early 27-0 deficit, but seven turnovers swung the tide in favor of Toledo



Junior runningback Jim Manning hauls in this third-quarter touchdown pass over his shoulder. (Ronda Rodriguez / Getty Images)

by Alicia Brown, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter

TOLEDO, Ohio -- Facing its most daunting test of the remainder of the regular season, Carnegie Mellon fell in a 27-0 hole over the opening 15:12 and despite scoring 19 unanswered points at one point, the Tartans ultimately fell to an impressive Toledo squad, 54-32, this evening from the Glass Bowl.

Carnegie Mellon (2-4, 1-2 MAC) committed seven turnovers in the defeat, five coming off Justin Keyes’ interceptions. Keyes did throw for a career-high 303 yards on 20-of-33 passing, but it paled in comparison to the performance of Toledo (6-0, 2-0 MAC) quarterback Aaron Opelt, who started 10-of-10 and ended up with 269 yards and five touchdowns on 20-of-26 passing. He did, however, throw interceptions to Calvin Burton, Hayden Temple, and Todd Andriano.

“We knew that this was going to be a tough game going in,” said CMU fourth-year head coach John Elliott. “But I’m proud of the guys for fighting back from the 27-0 hole. I know that Ball State was picked as the conference favorite, but I really think Toledo is the class of the field – they have so much talent on both sides of the ball. We knew that we needed to make some big plays on offense to keep up, and with our run game struggling, I thought Justin (Keyes) was pretty good despite the turnovers. We’ll dust ourselves off after this and hopefully go on a run here.”

The Rockets dominated in the first quarter, scoring touchdowns on all three of their drives. They added a fourth to begin the second quarter when Stephen Williams broke off a 66-yard punt return, making it 27-0 after the extra point was aborted once Matt Johnson broke through the offensive line. The Tartans finally dented the scoreboard on their next drive with a Jim Manning four-yard plunge, and then forced an Opelt interception in the red zone when Andriano jumped in front of Williams. That momentum was short-lived, however, as Keyes was picked off shortly after and Opelt connected with David Lewis for a nine-yard score to make it 34-7.

A 27-point gap turned into an 11-point one over the span of 1:29, starting when CMU’s ensuing drive ended in a Jon Foster 25-yard field goal. Burton picked off Opelt shortly after, and Keyes needed less than a minute to find David Young for a 17-yard score to cut the gap to 34-16 following a failed two-point conversion. Zac Hood then sacked Opelt twice to force a punt right before halftime, and Jon Crowell ran it back 78 yards to set the score at 34-23 at the break.

The Tartans netted a first down immediately on their first drive and tried to take a deep shot right after, only to see Keyes overthrow Kevin Cousins and instead find a diving Chris Faison at the one-yard line. CMU did manage to get points on the drive though, as Matt Burnsides busted through the interior line to tackle DaJuane Collins for a safety, making it 34-25. Opelt tossed his fourth touchdown pass on Toledo’s next drive to push the lead to 40-25 after a blocked extra point by Johnson, but the Tartans answered with a Keyes-to-Manning connection on a 30-yard wheel route that made it an eight-point game in the late stages of the third quarter.

That would be as close as CMU would get however, as just three plays later Opelt found Williams on a 69-yard strike that featured three broken tackles to push the lead to 47-32. Keyes would throw two more interceptions – one being a pick six – while trying to chase the deficit, and Kevin Wilson briefly entered the game and threw for 60 yards on 2-of-4 passing before exiting with a bruised elbow.

Wilson wasn’t the only Tartan to leave the game early, as Hood and Temple also departed with injuries.

Manning finished with 116 yards (59 rushing, 57 receiving) and two touchdowns on 27 touches (22 carries, 5 catches).

Carnegie Mellon follows up its matchup with undefeated Toledo by facing a Western Michigan team next Saturday that is still searching for its first win of 2009.

Carnegie Mellon Tartans at Toledo Rockets
Oct 10, 2009	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (2-4, 1-2 MAC)	0	23	9	0	32
Toledo Rockets (6-0, 2-0 MAC)	21	13	13	7	54

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CMU	TOL
11:11	(TOL) Aaron Opelt 20-yard pass to Stephen Williams (Alex Steigerwald kick)	0	7
8:50	(TOL) DaJuane Collins 44-yard run (Alex Steigerwald kick)	0	14
1:41	(TOL) Aaron Opelt 9-yard pass to David Lewis (Alex Steigerwald kick)	0	21
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CMU	TOL
14:48	(TOL) Stephen Williams 66-yard punt return (run failed)	0	27
10:55	(CMU) Jim Manning 4-yard run (Jon Foster kick)	7	27
6:42	(TOL) Aaron Opelt 9-yard pass to David Lewis (Alex Steigerwald kick)	7	34
1:31	(CMU) Jon Foster 25-yard field goal	10	34
0:41	(CMU) Justin Keyes 17-yard pass to David Young (pass failed)	16	34
0:02	(CMU) Jon Crowell 78-yard punt return (Jon Foster kick)	23	34
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CMU	TOL
13:33	(CMU) Safety; Matt Burnsides tackles DaJuane Collins in end zone	25	34
5:47	(TOL) Aaron Opelt 6-yard pass to Trumaine Smith (XP blocked)	25	40
2:07	(CMU) Justin Keyes 30-yard pass to Jim Manning (Jon Foster kick)	32	40
1:56	(TOL) Aaron Opelt 69-yard pass to Stephen Williams (Alex Steigerwald kick)	32	47
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CMU	TOL
8:59	(TOL) Joe Shuler 41-yard interception return (Alex Steigerwald kick)	32	54

Carnegie Mellon Tartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Justin Keyes 20/33 302 2 5 Kevin Wilson 2/4 60 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jim Manning 22 59 2.6 1 Nate Satele 5 22 4.4 0 Justin Keyes 11 6 0.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Kevin Cousins 9 183 20.3 0 Jim Manning 5 57 11.3 1 Stephen Carter 4 84 21.0 0 David Young 2 24 12.0 1 Kurt Thompson 1 8 8.0 0 Issac Schroeder 1 6 6.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Matt Johnson 9 0 0 0 Zac Hood 5 2 0 0 Matt Burnsides 5 0 0 0 Hayden Temple 4 0 1 0 Todd Andriano 4 0 1 0 Calvin Burton 4 0 1 0 Mark Toth 4 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jon Foster 1/1 3/3 6 25 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Andy Fitzhugh 3 102 34.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Jon Crowell 5 100 20.0 0 Stephen Carter 5 80 16.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Jon Crowell 1 78 78.0 1

Toledo Rockets PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Aaron Opelt 20/26 269 5 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD DaJuane Collins 22 162 7.3 1 Brent McKinney 2 33 16.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Stephen Williams 9 185 20.5 2 John Allen 4 29 7.2 0 David Lewis 2 18 9.0 2 Trumaine Smith 2 17 8.5 1 DaJuane Collins 2 15 7.5 0 Dontae Jones 1 5 5.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Joe Shuler 11 0 1 1 Josh Pitts 10 1 0 0 Desmond Marrow 7 0 1 0 J.P. Bekasiak 6 1 0 0 Chris Faison 6 0 1 0 Derrick Summers 6 0 0 0 Tavares Harrell 3 1 1 0 Barry Church 3 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Alex Steigerwald 0/0 6/7 6 -- PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Alex Steigerwald 3 100 33.3 2 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Stephen Williams 4 78 19.5 0 DaJuane Collins 2 38 19.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Stephen Williams 3 87 29.0 1

[sgf83]

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

At least the team kept fighting. Still a little off from where you want to be but hey, you will look back at these games and laugh in a few years!

[young22]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 08)

7 turnovers... yikes. Never gonna win with that many, but to still put up a decent number of points is encouraging.

Sent from my SM-A102W using Operation Sports mobile app

[moose141]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 08)

Turnover numbers were rough today. That shame is that if you hide that interception column, it looks like Keyes actually had a pretty solid performance. Would you peg the INTs on just inability to make open throws by Keyes or more on bad decision making? Or maybe a combination of both, haha.

[joshuahuskers]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 08)

Yikes...another tough loss, and enough turnovers to start a bakery!

At least there’s a very photogenic sunset in the background of the game photo!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Deuce2223]

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

Wow. That Punt return really helped you close the gap just before half. Down by 11, would've been nice if you could've maybe fed Manning the ball more with Keyes struggling, but obviously they were doing a pretty good job shutting him down to with less then 3 yds a carry. Would've been nice to see Wilson get a little more PT in the loss, but then he get's hurt. How long is he out for.

[Careless Whisper]

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

At least the team kept fighting. Still a little off from where you want to be but hey, you will look back at these games and laugh in a few years!

Definitely proud of the team's fight! When they took that 27-0 lead and I'm staring at a full momentum bar in favor of Toledo, I was worried that this could have been some catasphrophic margin of defeat in all honesty. The fact that we pulled within eight despite all the turnovers has me pretty optimistic for the rest of the schedule, especially with the only tough game left being Maryland.

7 turnovers... yikes. Never gonna win with that many, but to still put up a decent number of points is encouraging.

Sent from my SM-A102W using Operation Sports mobile app

I have noticed this game being really turnover happy at times, and there's really no middle ground. Sometimes you get games like this where there's 10 between the two teams, others there's maybe 1 or 2. The sliders (which I'm actually happy with now after tweaking them for so long) still don't handle turnovers all that well, as I've knocked down the interceptions to 0 for CPU and User and also made DB Awareness low, yet we get games like this. Regardless though, I'm really having fun with this team - despite the record - and think there are big things ahead for the rest of the year.

Turnover numbers were rough today. That shame is that if you hide that interception column, it looks like Keyes actually had a pretty solid performance. Would you peg the INTs on just inability to make open throws by Keyes or more on bad decision making? Or maybe a combination of both, haha.

I sound like a Keyes apologist but I thought he was really good in this game. Bad decision making and frustration contributed to three of the interceptions, especially the last two when I was chasing the lead. One of them went off Carter's hands, and the one on the deep ball that led to a safety was just a product of his woeful downfield accuracy - he really tends to overthrow streaks and fades. The fact I couldn't do anything in the ground game put even more of an emphasis on my passing attack, and if you excuse user error, a 60-percent completion and 300-plus passing yards isn't too bad.

Yikes...another tough loss, and enough turnovers to start a bakery!

At least there’s a very photogenic sunset in the background of the game photo!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's definitely one of the better photos I've taken during my NCAA career! People had said before that the sunset is usually the nicest when you view it from the Glass Bowl.

Wow. That Punt return really helped you close the gap just before half. Down by 11, would've been nice if you could've maybe fed Manning the ball more with Keyes struggling, but obviously they were doing a pretty good job shutting him down to with less then 3 yds a carry. Would've been nice to see Wilson get a little more PT in the loss, but then he get's hurt. How long is he out for.

That punt return was definitely a bit of a shock! I like using non-starters in my returning roles when I have a good enough roster, and Crowell has been solid at both kicks and punts. Toledo's punter booted a low line drive and gave me plenty of time to find the open hole.

My run game had nothing going for it and even though Manning is a stud, it's hard to keep trying it when you're getting less than 3 yards a pop through 20 or so attempts. In an ideal world, Keyes doesn't throw 30+ times because we have that balance, but it was necessary because that was the only way I could extend drives. Once the game was out of reach, I figured to run Wilson out there and wish he could have stayed healthy for the duration because he was pretty solid in his limited time. He's not the most exciting quarterback, but he could probably manage me to a win should Keyes ever have to miss time. His injury was just a game-ender, so he'll be back for the next game.

Thanks for all the comments! Obviously would have liked to pull the upset in that one, but definitely thought it was one of my more exciting games in this report.

[Careless Whisper]

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

Around the NCAA – Week 6 Edition
#3 Texas doesn’t miss a beat without Colt McCoy, defeating #12 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, 42-28

USA Today Top 25 Coaches’ Poll
1 | Miami (Fla.) [41 first-place votes] (6-0)
2 | Ohio State [20] (6-0)
3 | Texas (5-0)
4 | Georgia (6-0)
5 | Penn State (6-0)
6 | West Virginia (6-0)
7 | Texas Tech (5-0)
8 | USC (4-1)
9 | Texas A&M (6-0)
10 | Iowa (4-1)
11 | Nebraska (5-1)
12 | Tennessee (4-1)
13 | California (5-0)
14 | Wisconsin (5-1)
15 | Florida (4-2)
16 | Florida State (5-1)
17 | Oklahoma (3-2)
18 | LSU (4-2)
19 | UCLA (4-1)
20 | Michigan (4-2)
21 | Rutgers (5-1)
22 | Virginia Tech (6-0)
23 | Clemson (4-2)
24 | Louisville (4-0)
25 | Missouri (4-2)

Heisman Watch
Jerrod Johnson, Sr., QB, Texas A&M | 200.8 QB rtg., 108-165, 1,804 yards, 26 TD, 7 INT; 50 carries, 303 yards, 7 TD
Jarrett Brown, R-Sr., QB, West Virginia | 174.4 QB rtg., 55-91, 771 yards, 13 TD, 2 INT; 85 carries, 607 yards, 10 TD
Andrew Luck, So., QB, Texas Tech | 174.0 QB rtg., 122-191, 1,712 yards, 27 TD (2 rush), 8 INT
Dominique Douglas, Sr., WR, Iowa | 40 catches, 637 yards, 9 TD
Dez Bryant, Jr., WR, Miami (Fla.) | 31 catches, 372 yards, 10 TD

NCAA Players of the Week
Offensive: Jerrod Johnson, Sr., QB, Texas A&M | 19-25, 455 yards, 6 TD; 8 carries, 34 yards, 1 TD in 49-3 win at Colorado
Defensive: Carl Taylor, R-Sr., SS, Rice | 6 tackles, 2 INT, 1 TD in 43-31 win at East Carolina

Injury Report
Jimmy Clausen, R-So., QB, Arizona State | Broken ribs (1 week)
E.J. Manuel, R-Fr., QB, Nebraska | Strained shoulder (1 week)
P.J. Hill, R-Sr., HB, Wisconsin | Broken tailbone (10 weeks)
Baron Batch, R-Jr., HB, BYU | Torn shoulder muscle (8 weeks)
Vondrell McGee, R-Jr., HB, Texas | Strained back (3 weeks)
Julio Jones, So., WR, Mississippi State | Broken elbow (season)
Michael Crabtree, R-Jr., WR, Texas Tech | ACL sprain (3 weeks)
Marcell Dareus, So., DT, Penn State | Sprained wrist (3 weeks)

Week 6 Notable Top 25 Scores
#21 Rutgers 31, Pittsburgh 21
#23 Clemson 31, Virginia 16
#3 Texas 42, #17 Oklahoma 28
#7 Texas Tech 48, #11 Nebraska 30
#2 Ohio State 52, Northwestern 10
#4 Georgia 55, #12 Tennessee 24
#16 Florida State 42, Wake Forest 17
#6 West Virginia 42, Syracuse 33
#9 Texas A&M 49, Colorado 3
#15 Florida 42, #18 LSU 14
#5 Penn State 28, #20 Michigan 14

Week 7 National Broadcasts
#12 Tennessee (4-1) at Ole Miss (5-1) | 10/17, 12:30 PM
#4 Georgia (6-0) at Vanderbilt (2-3) | 10/17, 12:30 PM
Virginia (4-2) at #1 Miami (Fla.) (6-0) | 10/17, 3:30 PM
#14 Wisconsin (5-1) at #2 Ohio State (6-0) | 10/17, 3:30 PM (Game of the Week)
#18 LSU (4-2) at Mississippi State (4-1) | 10/17, 6:00 PM
Notre Dame (4-1) at #22 Virginia Tech (6-0) | 10/17, 6:00 PM
Oklahoma State (4-2) at #9 Texas A&M (6-0) | 10/17, 8:00 PM
#10 Iowa (4-1) at Michigan State (4-1) | 10/17, 8:00 PM

[Careless Whisper]

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

Around the MAC – Week 6 Edition
Toledo sweeps the weekly awards following its 54-32 win over Carnegie Mellon

MAC East Standings
Ohio | 4-2, 2-0 MAC
Buffalo | 4-2, 1-1 MAC
Miami (Ohio) | 2-3, 1-1 MAC
Carnegie Mellon | 2-4, 1-2 MAC
Akron | 1-5, 1-2 MAC
Kent State | 2-4, 0-2 MAC
Bowling Green | 1-5, 0-2 MAC

MAC West Standings
Toledo | 6-0, 2-0 MAC
Central Michigan | 5-0, 2-0 MAC
Ball State | 4-1, 2-0 MAC
Eastern Michigan | 2-3, 1-0 MAC
Northern Illinois | 1-4, 1-1 MAC
Western Michigan | 0-6, 0-3 MAC

MAC Players of the Week
Offensive: Stephen Williams, R-Sr., WR, Toledo | 9 catches, 185 yards, 3 TD (1 PR) in 54-32 win against Carnegie Mellon
Defensive: Joe Shuler, Sr., CB, Toledo | 11 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD in 54-32 win against Carnegie Mellon

Week 6 Scores
Miami (Ohio) 28, Northern Illinois 23
Eastern Michigan 31, Connecticut 24
Akron 34, Buffalo 21
Ohio 27, Bowling Green 21
Ball State 39, Western Michigan 7
Mississippi State 21, Kent State 20
Toledo 54, Carnegie Mellon 32

Week 7 Matchups
Toledo (6-0, 2-0 MAC) at Ball State (4-1, 2-0 MAC) | 10/17, 12:30 PM
Akron (1-5, 1-2 MAC) at Miami (Ohio) (2-3, 1-1 MAC) | 10/17, 12:30 PM
Bowling Green (1-5, 0-2 MAC) at Buffalo (4-2, 1-1 MAC) | 10/17, 3:30 PM
Ohio (4-2, 2-0 MAC) at Central Michigan (5-0, 2-0 MAC) | 10/17, 6:00 PM
Carnegie Mellon (2-4, 1-2 MAC) at Western Michigan (0-6, 0-3 MAC) | 10/17, 8:00 PM
Eastern Michigan (2-3, 1-0 MAC) at Northern Illinois (1-4, 1-1 MAC) | 10/17, 8:00 PM

[Careless Whisper]

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

by Jeff Greenberg, Carnegie Mellon insider for Rivals.com

Temple to miss Western Michigan

Junior cornerback Hayden Temple will sit out this weekend’s tilt at Western Michigan after he slightly tore his pectoral near the end of Carnegie Mellon’s 54-32 loss at Toledo last weekend.

Temple has tallied 17 tackles, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery starting opposite of classmate Calvin Burton this season, and has 11 interceptions over his career. The injury isn’t believed to be serious and he should return on Oct. 31 against Eastern Michigan. Redshirt freshman Jon Crowell (17 tackles, 2 INT, 1 FR) will start in place of Temple against the Broncos.

Hood, Wilson both back at practice

First-year defensive end Zac Hood and quarterback Kevin Wilson returned to practice on Tuesday and are good to go for this weekend’s matchup at Western Michigan.

Hood (13 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 FR) collected the first two sacks of his career against Toledo and will return to his starting position opposite of sophomore David Brown. Wilson (5-10, 89 yards) has served as the primary backup to Justin Keyes this season, and will continue to hold that role after going 2-of-4 for 60 yards in limited time last weekend versus the Rockets.

Weaver, Rice remove CMU from consideration

Three-star targets Patrick Weaver (Booneville, Miss.) and Jon Rice (Santa Barbara, Calif.) have removed Carnegie Mellon from consideration over the weekend.

Weaver, a six-foot-two, 190-pound wide receiver from Booneville High School, is moving forward with Arkansas and Texas as co-favorites, with Oklahoma, Miami (Fla.), and Georgia trailing them. CMU never felt they were in the mix for Weaver and limited its interest in closing weeks with the presumption that it wouldn’t make his top five.

Rice, a six-foot-four, 231-pound tight end from Ventura High School, lists UCLA as the favorite for his services, followed by USC, San Diego State, California, and Boise State. The Tartans are looking to add to their tight end depth, but see David Jones (Louisville, Miss.) as a more likely target as he has put CMU in his top five already.

Carnegie Mellon In-Season Recruiting Targets
Jabari London, FS, *** (6’0”, 191 lbs.; South Laurel, Md. / Laurel) – Top 5
- Vanderbilt, Carnegie Mellon, Bowling Green, Indiana, Toledo
Chris Shaw, DT, *** (6’5”, 316 lbs.; Celina, Ohio / Celina) – Top 5
- Iowa, Carnegie Mellon, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati
Steven Ellis, DE, *** (6’6”, 225 lbs.; Shelby, Ohio / Shelby) – Top 5
- Michigan, Louisville, Iowa, Notre Dame, Carnegie Mellon
David Jones, TE, *** (6’4”, 252 lbs.; Louisville, Miss. / Louisville) – Top 5
- Carnegie Mellon, Texas A&M, Miami (Fla.), Georgia, Florida State
Jim Mikulec, OT, *** (6’2”, 290 lbs.; Plum, Pa. / Plum) – Top 5
- Michigan, Carnegie Mellon, Alabama, Western Michigan, Dartmouth
Jake McMillan, WR, *** (6’2”, 195 lbs.; Seven Oaks, S.C. / Irmo) – Top 5
- Georgia, Miami (Fla.), Carnegie Mellon, UAB, Ole Miss
Richard Bracey, CB, *** (5’11”, 175 lbs.; North Madison, Ohio / Madison) – Top 5
- Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Carnegie Mellon
Kevin Stanley, OT, *** (6’2”, 290 lbs.; Washington, D.C. / St. John’s) – Top 8
John Hughes, QB, *** (6’4”, 232 lbs.; Athens, Ohio / Athens) – Removed
Clay Blanco, WR, *** (6’4”, 190 lbs.; Holbrook, Ariz. / Holbrook) – Removed
Kaleb Harris, HB, *** (5’11”, 200 lbs.; Cheviot, Ohio / Colerain) – Removed
Orlando Johnson, OT, *** (6’2”, 273 lbs.; Landen, Ohio / Landen) – Removed
Hunter Williams, G, *** (6’2”, 286 lbs.; Cumberland, Md. / Fort Hill) – Removed
Patrick Weaver, WR, *** (6’2”, 190 lbs.; Booneville, Miss. / Booneville) – Removed
Jon Rice, TE, *** (6’4”, 231 lbs.; Santa Barbara, Calif. / Ventura) – Removed

[Careless Whisper]

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

at
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (2-4, 1-2 MAC) at Western Michigan Broncos (0-6, 0-3 MAC)
Saturday, October 17, 2009 | 8:00 PM (ET)
Kalamazoo, Mich. – Waldo Stadium | No television

Team Overview (C- overall, C offense, D+ defense)
Western Michigan will be playing its third consecutive home game this weekend against Carnegie Mellon, and is still searching for its first victory. The Broncos have only been within a score twice this season, at Wyoming (24-27) and against Buffalo (14-21) two weeks ago. Against the Bulls, a late touchdown broke a 14-14 deadlock to down WMU, whereas a garbage time score made it a three-point loss versus the Cowboys.

Redshirt senior quarterback Caleb Clark (76.5 QB rtg., 96-229, 1,072 yards, 7 TD, 17 INT) has struggled mightily in his first season starting, and is amongst the nation’s leaders in interceptions. Behind him are a pair of redshirt freshmen in Joe Matthews (0-2, 0 yards) and Aaron Scott (no stats) that could see some action. The Broncos feature a stable of talented runningbacks in seniors Brandon West (84 carries, 581 yards, 4 TD), Glenis Thompson (7 carries, 52 yards, 1 TD), and Kirk Elsworth (15 carries, 42 yards), though West gets the majority of the touches. Out wide, the top targets are redshirt junior receiver Jamelle Murray (27 catches, 340 yards, 3 TD) and fifth-year senior tight end Matt Stevens (5 catches, 69 yards).

The defense has also struggled, giving up an average of 34.3 points per game. Redshirt senior defensive end Justin Braska (25 tackles, 3 sacks) is the team’s top pass rushing threat, while classmate Cody Cielenski (25 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 FF) does a decent job at plugging up the middle. Fifth-year Dan Krasinski (27 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FR) had 65 tackles, one sack, and an interception last season as the starting middle linebacker. In the secondary, the Broncos will be without redshirt sophomore Mario Armstrong (15 tackles) due to a strained back, giving true freshman Jake Cary (no stats) his first career start.

Senior kicker Stan Skinner (4-7 FG, 11-11 XP) made 68 percent of his kicks last year in his first season transferring in from junior college. Sophomore punter Terry Jones (34 punts, 1,543 yards, 45.4 avg., 9 inside 20) missed the previous meeting with the Tartans due to suspension. West (15 kick returns, 246 yards; 9 punt returns, 70 yards) is the top returner for WMU.

Season Results
09/05 | at Cincinnati | L, 17-38
09/12 | AUBURN | L, 14-35
09/19 | at Wyoming | L, 24-27
09/26 | at Toledo * | L, 21-46
10/03 | BUFFALO * | L, 14-21
10/10 | BALL STATE * | L, 7-39

PFF Top Five
Matt Stevens, R-Sr., TE (85)
Brandon West, Sr., HB (85)
Andy Laue, R-Sr., OT (84)
Glenis Thompson, Sr., HB (84)
Kirk Elsworth, R-Sr., HB (82)

Injury Report
Carnegie Mellon: Elvis Washington, So., SS (dislocated elbow – 3 weeks); Hayden Temple, Jr., CB (torn pectoral – 1 week)
Western Michigan: Paul Wasikowski, R-Sr., C (dislocated elbow – 9 weeks); Mario Armstrong, R-So., SS (strained back – 1 week)

Suspensions
Carnegie Mellon: None
Western Michigan: None

[Deuce2223]

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

Based off their record I feel you should win this game, but know they will also be looking at you guy's for a opportunity to get their first win. Good luck.

[Careless Whisper]

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

Based off their record I feel you should win this game, but know they will also be looking at you guy's for a opportunity to get their first win. Good luck.

I feel pretty confident in coming out on top in this one, I feel the only team I've played that was worse than WMU was Yale. Their quarterback play is pretty awful and their defense is lousy, but their runningback is pretty good. I just need to get off to a good start and not shoot myself in the foot with mistakes early on, which is easier said than done.

Hoping to have the game up later today!