BC eyes Holtz
East Carolina football coach Skip Holtz could be a candidate for Boston College's vacant head coaching position, a Boston newspaper reported Saturday.
The Boston Globe, citing unnamed sources close to the Eagles' program, reported that Florida offensive coordinator Steve Addazio, Holtz and Richmond coach Mike London were among candidates outside the Eagles' program that BC athletic director Gene DeFilippo was interested in contacting.
The report listed Addazio as DeFilippo's main focus among outside candidates.
Holtz, in the middle of a busy recruiting weekend for the Pirates, could not be reached for comment on Saturday.
The Globe also stated that current BC defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani remains the favorite internal candidate to replace Jeff Jagodzinski, who was fired Wednesday.
Former East Carolina head coach and current BC offensive coordinator Steve Logan, BC offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. and BC associate athletic director for football operations Barry Gallup were the other internal candidates under consideration.
The Globe also reported that DeFilippo could make a selection as soon as Monday or Tuesday.
Holtz is 29-22 in four seasons at ECU and has taken the team to three straight bowl games. He rebuffed overtures to take over as head coach at Syracuse last month.
Logan, the Pirates' all-time winningest coach, has been the Eagles' offensive coordinator for two seasons.
Jagodzinski, who was an assistant under Logan at ECU, was fired by DeFilippo on Wednesday after the second-year head coach met with NY Jets officials to discuss their vacant head coaching position. DeFilippo had warned Jagodzinski in the days prior that doing so would cost him his job.
Copyright 2009 The Daily Reflector
Thumbs up on Farmer hiring
Nothing but positive thoughts bubbled to the surface Friday regarding former Redbird player Steve Farmer returning to ISU as new coach Brock Spack's offensive coordinator.
Farmer arrived at ISU in 1997 as an unassuming junior college transfer and developed into an all-conference center. He has been involved with the Redbird program as a player and coach through the most successful two-year stint (98-99) in school history.
He knows what it takes to succeed both individually and as a team in the Missouri Valley. That will be important as Spack and his staff tries to turn around the losing culture established by a 7-15 record the past two seasons.
It wasn't that long ago (2006) that ISU was a playoff team. But by the time the 2009 season begins, very few of the key players from that team will still be in uniform. Along with Spack's considerable Big Ten Conference credentials from his days as Purdue's defensive coordinator, Farmer brings the instant credibility of a former Redbird who was successful at ISU.
Farmer holds a deep affection for ISU. Current Redbird players and potential recruits will sense that quickly. Even his wife, Amy, is an alum.
Got the chance to speak with Steve on Friday evening, and this is not just another job for him. Farmer is coming home. He was amazed at the facilities progress made at ISU since his days as a Redbird. (Hancock is next, right Sheahon?).
And Farmer has offensive coordinator experience. Holding the position at Louisiana-Monroe the past two seasons, Farmer will be ready to roll as soon as he steps back into the Kaufman Football Building.
Farmer also spoke glowingly of Spack, remarking he was looking forward to Spack's first meeting with ISU players on Jan. 11 with great anticipation.
Farmer is the perfect combination of a genuinely nice person who has the competitive fire to be successful as a coach.
Spack keeping Jim Williams on staff also is a positive move. There needs to be some continuity from the previous staff even as Spack plots striking changes.
Copyright (c) 2009, Pantagraph Publishing Co. and Lee Enterprises
Huskies face Montana Sunday
The 7-3 Washington Huskies face the University of Montana Grizzlies at noon Sunday at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. The Huskies play Morgan State on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and then begin Pac-10 games a week from today at Washington State.
The 7-3 record isn't bad but Romar figured the team would have been at least 8-2 at this point. The loss to Portland to open the season was a surprise. A last second loss to Florida seemed to be the turning point for the young squad after being outclassed by Kansas the previous evening.
For the Huskies to do well in the Pac Ten they are going to have to keep improving out on the perimeter. They seem to have done that every game but one facet of the game is still missing and that is three point shooting. The Huskies need to get Thomas as comfortable in games as he is in practice from that range.
Overall the Huskies are one of the best rebounding teams in college basketball led by Jon Brockman but they need to improve their overall shooting percentage to be dancing in March.
Notes
The Lehigh game probably won't be rescheduled.
Montana junior guard Ryan Staudacher is one of the nation's leading 3-point shooters and shooting 57.7 percent overall . Staudacher played at Lake Washington HS.
Anthony Johnson from Stadium HS in Tacoma is the Grizzlies leading scorer.
The Huskies lead the series 40-9, including 27-4, but have lost five of previous seven meetings.
(c)2008 Copyright Examiner.com. All Rights Reserved
E. Michigan hires Ron English as football coach
YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) -- Eastern Michigan has introduced Ron English as football coach, making him the fifth black head coach in major college football.
The 40-year-old English replaces Jeff Genyk, who was fired last month after going 16-42 in five seasons.
English was Louisville's defensive coordinator this season after spending five years at Michigan on Lloyd Carr's staff. His final two seasons in Ann Arbor were as the team's defensive coordinator.
Copyright (c) 2008 The Associated Press
New MSU football coach will be working with young pack of Dogs who'll have to learn new systems
If he hasn't done so already, when new Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen studies the rough draft of his 2009 roster, he'll notice how top-heavy it is with young and promising - but largely unproven - talent.
The Bulldogs will have their share of juniors and seniors, but Mullen will often find himself turning to second-year players, sophomores and redshirt freshmen who are going to be pushed into duty as Mullen tries to duplicate the kind of rebuilding job he helped Urban Meyer pull off at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida.
Each position on the field will be populated by the youngsters. And many of them will have some experience - eight of State's rising sophomores drew at least one start this past season, and four of those were true freshmen.
The 2008 recruiting class was highly touted, and 14 of them were redshirted.
So exactly how will all these greenhorns fit into Mullen's new schemes?
Offense
Adjusting to Mullen's schemes might not be as big a deal as one would think. Former coach Sylvester Croom ran the West Coast offense, and Mullen's version of the spread option has West Coast elements, such as short, quick passes.
Mullen summarized the goal of his approach: "The philosophy of the spread offense is to make the defense defend the entire field sideline to sideline, and find a way to create one-on-one matchups, to put your athletes onto weaker athletes from the defense."
Does that mean you must have a Percy Harvin, the explosive utility player at Florida?
Not necessarily. Mullen said he can tailor the scheme to the personnel.
"If that requires the tight ends and fullbacks - because we have some good tight ends and fullbacks here - we're going to do those things," Mullen said.
So who's to run this show, which ranked 113th in the nation in total offense this season? Tyson Lee, a rising senior, is the incumbent quarterback. While he's proved mobile in the pocket, Lee's never been considered much of a runner.
Incoming freshman Tyler Russell, of Meridian, is a pocket passer. Chris Relf is the most athletic of the group, but he saw little playing time as a freshman.
Mullen probably won't lean on his QBs much in the running game anyway, not with senior tailback Anthony Dixon returning. He's also got senior Christian Ducre and the shifty Wade Bonner, who'll be a sophomore, at his disposal.
This offense favors versatile athletes. While there is no Harvin on MSU's roster, there are guys like Bonner, sophomore Delmon Robinson and sophomore running back-turned-tight end Marcus Green who can do damage running or catching.
And picking up Tupelo's Chad Bumphis, who was leaning toward Florida before Mullen, his recruiter, came to State, would give the offense one of the SEC's most dangerous freshmen.
All those weapons won't be very potent, however, without improved offensive line play. MSU allowed the third-most sacks in the SEC this past season (36) and ranked 11th in rushing offense (101.7 yards per game).
Four offensive linemen with significant starting experience return up front, including junior center J.C. Brignone and the unit's most talented player, junior left tackle Derek Sherrod.
Defense
While Meyer and Florida are well-known for offense, the Gators also play a pretty strong brand of defense. That unit ranks ninth in the country in total defense and fifth in scoring defense.
And Mullen said more than once during Saturday's introductory press conference that his program will be built on defense.
What Mullen wants out of that unit is to keep offenses off-balance at all times and to adopt his intense personality.
"That's our top priority," he said. "We will play great defense."
Defense was State's strength this season, although it showed great vulnerability against unconventional offenses - like Georgia Tech's triple option - and got demolished by Ole Miss.
The Bulldogs lose three starting defensive linemen from the 2008 team, and the other spot - left end - saw three different players start there. So once again, youth factors in.
Look for sophomores Sean Ferguson and Joshua Jackson to step in, as well as redshirt freshmen Devin Jones and Shane McCardell.
The best news for State is the return of senior linebacker Jamar Chaney, who took a redshirt after breaking his leg in the season opener. Croom was intending to move Chaney from the middle back to the weakside slot, his natural position.
Junior college transfer Chris White is expected to play in the middle. Junior K.J. Wright returns at strongside linebacker.
There's youth here, too, as sophomores Terrell Johnson and Jamie Jones both logged significant minutes.
Senior cornerback Marcus Washington is the lone returning starter to the secondary, but sophomore Charles Mitchell had a solid debut.
Special teams
This was a great source of woe at times this fall. Missed field goals, shanked punts, and a punchless return game were typical weekly fare. But Mullen said this is where his non-administrative focus will lie.
It will be a fresh start here in another sense, as State will have to find a new punter, new kicker and new return man. Juco transfer Heath Hutchins was an All-American punter at ICC, but only untested sophomore Zac Warden returns at kicker.
It will be hard to replace Derek Pegues in the return game, but Robinson and Bonner, among others, will give it a shot. Or perhaps, if the Bulldogs get him, Bumphis.
Mullen can't be afraid to turn to the youth of his program, after all.
Because the future is now.
(c)2001-2008 Journal Publishing Company, Inc.
TU win streak ends on controversial 'no-touchdown' call
TUSKEGEE, Alabama (STPNS) -- A late Tuskegee (10-1, 9-0 SIAC) touchdown was denied when officials ruled Johnathan Lessa's catch out of bounds, giving Alabama State a 17-13 victory in the Turkey Day Football Classic on Thanksgiving Day (November 27) at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery.
The loss ended Tuskegee's season at 10-1 overall, but the Golden Tigers still claimed the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) title at 9-0.
The Golden Tigers' high-powered offense more than made up for an inefficient kicking game as they beat opponents by an average of 20.8 while fashioning a 10-0 record and tying the school record with 26 consecutive victories, which was the longest in the nation going into the Turkey Day Classic.
They weren't as fortunate against Alabama State in the 85th Turkey Day Classic.
Alabama State blocked Christopher Khan's extra point attempt that would have tied the score at 14-all, and the Hornets escaped with a 17-13 victory that ended the Golden Tigers' four-game winning streak in the series in addition to denying them the school record for consecutive wins.
"We didn't have a kicker. That was the problem,'' Coach Willie Slater said. "We were able to escape it all year. The bottom line is it got us in this game. Blame nobody but me. I'm the only person to blame.''
Penalties also were a problem for the Golden Tigers, who were heavy favorites against Alabama State, which finished the year 3-8. They committed 14 penalties for 118 yards. They were slapped with a five-yard delay of game penalty on the extra point attempt that would have tied the game.
"It was a very disappointing loss,'' Slater said. "We didn't play very well. I didn't get them ready to play. That's the bottom line. Of course the penalties hurt. We had a lot of mistakes. Every time we made a big play, we had a penalty. It was a combination of things. Anytime you play like that, you're going to lose. But we had a chance to win at the end.''
Quarterback Jacary Atkinson, one of 15 seniors playing their final game for Tuskegee, marched the Golden Tigers from midfield to Alabama State's 16-yard line in the final 1:32 despite having no timeouts remaining. From the 16, Atkinson threw four passes into the end zone in a failed comeback attempt.
Jonathan Lessa appeared to have scored the go ahead touchdown on a leaping catch at the back of the end zone, but he was ruled out of bounds.
"I thought he was in bounds,'' Slater said. "Looking at the replay, I know he was in bounds. But at this level, we don't have instant replay.''
Atkinson's fourth down pass was intercepted in the end zone.
Atkinson completed 21-of-38 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown, a 23-yard strike to Jason English in the first quarter that gave the Golden Tigers a 7-0 lead. Atkinson scored the Golden Tigers' second touchdown on a one-yard quarterback sneak with 3:48 left in the game.
However, the Hornets prevented Atkinson from making big plays running as they held him to zero yards rushing.
Atkinson finished the season with 2,642 yards passing--the fourth-highest single season total in school history--and 24 touchdowns. He also rushed for 724 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Golden Tigers' point total was their lowest since they dropped a 10-6 decision to Clark Atlanta Oct. 28, 2006, which had been their last defeat. They generated a season-low 230 yards total offense. On the other hand, the Tuskegee defense held Alabama State to just 169 yards of total offense, also a season-low.
"Hats off to ASU,'' Slater said. "They had a great plan and they wanted it more than we did.''
The Golden Tigers were playing for the first time since their Nov. 8 55-21 Homecoming victory against Lane College and seemed to lose their sharpness during the long layoff.
"That hurt us bad,'' Slater said. "We had some guys beat up, and we were trying to get them back healthy. We weren't physical enough especially in the first half defensively. We shut them down in the second half, but we just couldn't get it done."
Sophomore quarterback Brandon Dowdell, making the second start of his career for Alabama State, threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Nicholas Andrews for the Hornets' first score after the Golden Tigers went ahead 7-0.
Alabama State drove 61 yards in 16 plays and took a 14-7 lead on Rahmod Traylor's three-yard run in the second quarter. The Golden Tigers helped the Hornets with four penalties for 39 yards. Alabama State's final points came on Andrew Lyons' 38-yard field goal with 1:38 left in the game.
The loss was just the third in 35 games for the Golden Tigers in Slater's three years as coach and the first for Atkinson in 23 games as their starting quarterback.
Despite the loss, the Golden Tigers, who are the reigning Black College National Champions and the No. 1 team in the most recent HBCU polls, have the best winning percentage this season in black college football. The final black college football rankings will be released in mid-December.
That's of little consolation to Slater.
"We had a good year,'' he said. "We didn't have a great year because of what happened today. We will start looking ahead to next season. We'll hit the recruiting trail and find some players to help us in the future.''
Copyright (c) 2008 SmallTownPapers, Inc
It's Wildcats' turn to play spoiler vs. Sun Devils
Arizona State is a win away from going to its fifth straight bowl game.
Arizona stands in the way.
Sound like a familiar story line? That was the case the last two years, but it was ASU playing the spoiler, denying UA postseason bids in 2006 (28-14) and 2007 (20-17).
The Wildcats have wrapped up their first bowl berth since 1998 as the Duel in the Desert looms at Arizona Stadium at 6 p.m. Saturday.
UA (6-5, 4-4 Pac-10) can deny ASU a bowl bid after the Sun Devils (5-6, 4-4) beat UCLA 34-9 on Saturday to stay alive.
"They're going to get our best shot. Why not leave it all out on the field?" UA receiver Mike Thomas asked. "It would be a good feeling to ruin their chances at a bowl like they've done to us, but we're not going to look at it as revenge.
"We're going to look at it as another game. We're going to try to put it on them."
A trip to the Las Vegas Bowl is likely at stake, with the winner possibly going to the Dec. 20 game. Playing in the Emerald or Hawaii bowls are other scenarios.
Arizona's had an extra week to get ready. ASU might wish it had more time to prepare, at least offensively, after gaining 122 total yards in the victory over the Bruins.
The Sun Devils are struggling to run, pass and block. Points have not been a problem, however. The defense has made sure of that by scoring a touchdown in four straight games.
ASU scored three TDs on interception returns and another off a fumble against the Bruins.
The feat tied ASU with Houston as the only teams to score four defensive TDs in NCAA Football Bowl Series history in a game. Houston did so against Texas on Nov. 7, 1987.
"I've never seen anything like it in my many years of coaching . . . four touchdowns scored on defense and such total control of the game," ASU coach Dennis Erickson said. "It's unbelievable."
The Sun Devils have not allowed a TD in 10 quarters.
On offense, ASU ranks 76th nationally in scoring average (24 points), 91st in total yards (323) and 113th in rushing (93.7 yards) after throwing for 101 and rushing for 21 against UCLA.
"You have to build a program around your defense," Erickson said. "I said that when I first took the job here. We're not there yet, believe me, and we're playing a really good offensive team at Arizona."
Copyright (c) 2008 TucsonCitizen.com. All rights reserved
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