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opponent previews
2013 Opponent Preview: Michigan State
The season so far in terms of defensive tackle size:
- Aug. 31: 5-11, 290 lbs (Travonte Boles); 5-11, 284 lbs (Jabari Bothwell)
- Sept. 7: 6-3, 326 lbs (Louis Nix)
- Sept. 14: 6-2, 266 lbs (Nico Caponi); 5-11, 293 lbs (Cody Grice)
- Sept. 21: 6-5, 323 lbs (Shamar Stephen); 6-3, 297 lbs (Angelo Pruitt)
- Sept. 28: BYE
- Oct. 5: 6-6, 311 lbs (Rashede Hageman); 6-5, 290 lbs (Cameron Botticelli)
- Oct. 12: 6-3, 330 lbs (DaQuan Jones); 6-4, 310 lbs (Austin Johnson)
- Oct. 17: 6-5, 312 lbs (Ralphael Green); 6-2, 300 lbs (Adarius Rayner)
- Oct. 24: BYE
Michigan STÄE
Highly metaphorical plot synopsis of Thor 1
Thor and Loki are brothers. Thor, the elder of the two, has been groomed to ascend to the throne of Asgard, while Loki has lived his life in the back seat. This state of affairs engenders bitterness and jealousy in Loki. To make matters worse Loki discovers he was adopted. He hatches a plot to banish his brother, kill his father, and do all sorts of bad things on his way to power.
Thor eventually figures out what's going on, overcomes Loki's plot, and fights Loki in a CGI-tastic battle sequence that may or may not actually be a Skittles commercial. That's when Loki has a moment of candor: "I never wanted the throne. I only ever wanted to be your equal!" Moments later, he loses the fight and falls into a wormhole.
Whereupon Thor exclaims, "Loki, NOOOOOOO!"
The season of infinite Schadenfreude*
2012 was a great season to watch Michigan State football. Between LeVeon Bell's disinterest in requiring an offensive line and the receivers' disinterest in catching footballs, the Spartans offense was a season-long etude in one-man football. Throw in Andrew Maxwell's live YPA stats and you had a pretty great drinking game.
On the other side of the ball, Michigan State's defense probably found a lot of personal meaning in the tale of Sisyphus from Greek mythology. I'm totally kidding. Most of them are like, "I don't know what you're talking about / I got rid of mine with penicillin."
Highlights of their season include trailing Eastern Michigan for three quarters, trailing Indiana for three quarters, blowing a fourth-quarter lead against Iowa, and blowing a fourth-quarter lead against Nebraska.
Michigan fans will remember that last part as the day it momentarily stopped being funny.
At season's end, all fingers pointed to the offense, so offensive coordinator Dan Roushar got fired. I'm not sure if that was warranted. I didn't watch them that closely, but I don't think you can fault the OC too much when the offensive line is a lemon and Nike is coating their Pro-Combat receiver gloves with teflon. Add in the QB transition and losing most of their previous playmakers to the NFL … Whatever. A witch was required. They burned her.
This is where it gets hilarious. The results of a diligent coaching search turned up Dave Warner (MSU QB coach) and Jim Bollman (YTJB). Warner got promoted, maybe by mistake, so then Bollman got hired a few weeks later because -- who the hell knows. Synergy. Cross-platform initiatives. Verisimilitude.
The two are still figuring out how to split OC duties, since one guy alone couldn't handle the neural load of the Spartans offensive Jaeger. They will enter a Drift this fall and become one, which means Warner will emerge at some point from the coordinator box shaking uncontrollably, with blown pupils, a bloody nose, and images of Joe Bauserman seared indelibly into his mind. This is a great and totally convincing premise for plot and character development.
Michael Bay Guillermo del Toro is the best.
*Except for the Nebraska game, where choking away the game to spite Michigan's chances for a division title was the Spartiest thing ever. I bet the most common cause of diabetes in East Lansing is "UM fan wanted to borrow sugar."
Nobody deserves a second chance like QB Andrew Maxwell. Poor guy put it on the money more often than not only to see the ball clang off his receivers' facemasks. Maybe that arm strength thing really is overrated, because clearly Michigan State's receivers much preferred the softness of Kirk Cousins's balls.
Of course, after suffering through a season of awful receiving and crappy pass protection, nothing says "thanks for taking things in stride" like a good old-fashioned QB controversy. Maxwell (52.5%, 2606 yards, 5.8 ypa, 13 TD, 9 INT) has to fend off Connor Cook, a dual-threat guy who makes up with size and spunk what he lacks in arm. In the spring game Cook went 10-26 for a little over 200 yards and a score. Yeah, had the receivers not been wearing their Teflon-coated gloves, Cook's completion rate would have been higher. Had the DBs not borrowed gloves from the receivers, though, his INT rate would also have been higher, too.
I think Maxwell holds onto his job, but it's not going to be easy. Bollman loves him some noodle-armed scramblers, so it's likely that Cook will be auditioned as a "change-of-pace" player until Bollman gives up on reincarnating Troy Smith.
On the receiving end, WR Aaron Burbridge is the primary argument for having a QB who can actually throw. A late-emerging star last season, Burbridge is a guy you may remember as the borderline five-star recruit Michigan was after in a bad way until academics became an issue. As a Spartan, he lived up to his billing, making a bunch of highlight-reel catches over a three-game stretch in October. His production waned in November for some reason, but he came back strong in the spring game with five catches for 113 yards. He's the preseason favorite to be MSU's offensive MVP.
If Maxwell loses his job, however, Burbridge will probably be relegated to blocking duties, where he will join fellow returning starters Keith Mumphery, Tony Lippett, and Bennie Fowler. Their lead hands will.
Michigan State's run game will go from firing depleted uranium shells (Bell) from a BB gun (2012 OL) to shooting frozen chickens (whoever the RB is this year) from a cannon (2013 OL). Yeah, I rocked the SAT analogies back when the SAT had analogies. The injured offensive linemen, RT Fou Fonoti and C Travis Jackson, are doing dandy these days, so things are looking good up front. In the backfield, not so much. As of the last time I read about MSU's running backs, I'm pretty sure the guy getting the most hype was a RS freshman linebacker (Riley Bullough). Nothing has happened since spring ball, so I'm guessing that's still accurate.
There's a lot of suck written all over the Spartans offense, which is ironic because all Michigan State is asking from that side of the ball is to not suck. It's a very reasonable request. Like, don't go three and out every drive. Find the end zone every once in a while. Try to cross the 50 yard line.
Because if they can improve even a tiny bit, the team will be in good shape. After all, last year they lost five games by a combined 13 points thanks to their murderous
Spartan Pride -- operationally defined by flexing when you're down 49-7 to Alabama.
Things sure look a lot different over here. Where did all the suck go? Is this a different team?
It definitely deserves to be on a different team, and I bet Pat Narduzzi has been quietly fomenting ideas of secession within his ranks last September. When civil war breaks out, his defense would win easily (Narduzzi vs. Bollman, is there even a question?), and then they could join Northwestern and rule the B1G as a dual hegemony comprised exclusively of two-star recruits, scouting services be damned.
Back to reality, which is clearly not as cool as the alternate one in my head, I think what we're going to see from Michigan State's defense is more of the same. Since 2010, Narduzzi has proven his success to be completely sustainable. For Michigan fans, this is all very unfortunate. If he is interested I would be happy to write him a letter of recommendation for whichever head coach position opens up next. Likely Illinois.
The Spartans return everyone on defense except for DE Will Gholston and CB Johnny Adams. I know, right? OMG, 10 starters returning from a top-10 defense! It gets worse. Although Adams was a really good player -- three-time All B1G -- and will probably be missed to an extent, Michigan State has no lack for corners, and the other guy, Darqueze Dennard (52 tackles, 7 PBUs, 3 INTs), was better anyway. Meanwhile Gholston had the pass rush ability of Jordan Kovacs. That almost sounds like a knock on Kovacs. Five bucks says whoever Narduzzi finds as the new WDE will be more productive than Gholston.
Anyway, let's just get the horrible part of the preview over with. A-gap extraordinaire LB Max Bullough (111 tackles, 12.5 TFLs) will continue to hang out in opponent backfields and make blocking schemes look silly; he is everything we hope Joe Bolden will be someday. Surface-to-Air Missile Denicos Allen (79 tackles, 10 TFLs, 3 sacks) will latch onto anything with a heat signal, which means on any given play he'll either blow a guy up or run himself out of the play. WLB Taiwan Jones, who won the job from incumbent Chris Norman (38 tackles, 5.5 TFLs) halfway through last season, will be there to mop up the remains.
I'm watching these guys against Wisconsin, and it's like Wisconsin's offensive line forgets how to block properly:
The other thing to take away from the Wisconsin video is that the defensive line doesn't necessarily do a whole lot on its own, but it does a good job of occupying blockers long enough for the linebackers to make plays. I think ever since Jerel Worthy left, the line's production has lost the snap-jumping edge that made them elite.
They are still pretty good. With the return of strongside end Marcus Rush (38 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 2 sacks) and tackles James Kittredge (14 tackles, 4.5 TFL) and Tyler Hoover (missed a chunk of 2012 with an injury), holding steady, last year's production should be the bottom line. Ramping up the pass rush will be the item No. 1 in a short bucket list of things to improve. Otherwise, it ain't broke. There's no need to fix anything, not with the linebackers they have and Narduzzi's penchant for blitzing them until your backfield is broken.
Even if QB pressure doesn't always hit home, the coverage should hold up. Opposite Dennard will likely be newcomer Trae Waynes, another member of the two-star mafia likely to end up on an all-conference list somewhere just to spite everyone. At safety, Michigan State will feature multi-year starters Isaiah Lewis (80 tackles, 6 PBUs, 2 INTs) and Kurtis Drummond (53 tackles, 4 PBUs, 2 INTs).
Happy little ray of hope: their offense.
This team is kind of like: Sisyphus and his rock.
Vs. Michigan: The game is in East Lansing this year, which is the opposite of ideal for everyone involved except for Dantonio and Narduzzi, who figure a home game is when they can tell their players to do whatever they want, like so:
State had about 56 or 57 yards per game to penalties last year, a [Ed-H: Hey Seth, did you have a stroke?]
Extracurriculars aside, gameplanning against Michigan State's defense should involve a lot of heavy sighing with regard to the ground game. Running between the tackles will be a lot like buying a lottery ticket the day after someone hits the jackpot: it should be done only to remind ourselves that downs are valuable and we are stupid. I know, I know, "the winner in this rivalry game always has more yards on the ground. Hurr durrr." Did I mention that MSU's best tailback is a linebacker?
Where Michigan can succeed is through the air. The OL should be pretty good at keeping the pocket clean, and Devin seems poised to pick apart defenses provided that he's not scrambling for his life. As good as the Spartans DBs are, I think they're lacking a touch of athleticism, and they don't seem to stick to receivers as well as they should.
Defensively, coverage will be key. The passing game has a lot of potential, and as much as the receivers hate catching passes most of the time, I'm pretty sure they caught every single one last year against Michigan. Giving up big plays in road games can be devastating, and in the absence of Kovacs, the Wolverines will have to do everything they can to ensure that Burbridge and co. don't get the crowd going.
- Western Michigan
- South Florida
- Youngstown State
- @Notre Dame
- Iowa
- Indiana
- Purdue
- @Illinois
- Michigan
- @Nebraska
- @Northwestern
- Minnesota
Outlook: 9-3 overall, 6-2 B1G
- Wins: WMU, USF, YSU, Iowa, Indiana, Purdue, @Illinois, Minnesota
- Losses: @Notre Dame
- Random Number Generator: Michigan, @Nebraska, @Northwestern
2013 Opponent Preview: Indiana
The season so far, if it were a series of movies:
- Aug. 31: Back to School
- Sept. 7: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
- Sept. 14: The Expendables
- Sept. 21: Chariots of Fire
- Sept. 28: The Princess Bride
- Oct. 5: Any Chuck Norris movie
- Oct. 12: Shaun of the Dead
Nie wieder
The last couple times we saw Indiana, unstoppable throw-god Ben Chappell took all the points from Tony Gibson and Bill Lynch took bubble gum out of his mouth. Jordan Kovacs was chasing Darius Willis from behind and everyone else was chasing Denard Robinson.
My goodness, how time flies. Gibson has since run out of points and Lynch has run out of gum. Kovacs stopped having to chase people, although people continued to chase Denard. Sometime at the end of 2010, everything collapsed momentarily and then exploded.
What we have now is a sort of post-apocalyptic situation where the folks in Bloomington are trying to remember how society, civilization, and football are supposed to work. The good news is that nearly everyone from last year is returning, ostensibly in an effort to learn from their mistakes and try to do better. Progress so far has been minimal but sustainable, and the earnest spirit is nice to see. The Hoosiers have learned how to advance themselves from the line of scrimmage, although they are still struggling with the concept of opposing defenses. To make matters worse, they are constantly ravaged by marauding running backs and wideouts.
Head coach Kevin Wilson seems intent on rebuilding the program from the ashes, though, and good on him for trying. Will Indiana finally make the leap in year three? Are they doomed to an endless cycle of promise and disappointment? Would the program be better suited for the MAC? Is this the real life? Are we actually living in the Matrix?
Unstoppable throw-god lies low.
Indiana's starting QB Tre Roberson broke his leg during the second game of 2012. Naturally, backup Cameron Coffman filled in and posted the Big Ten's best passing yardage in 2012. Wait, what?
Yeah. These things happen sometimes. Even to Indiana! Which has had one winning season (2007) in the last 20 years!
Before anyone jumps to the conclusion that Indiana's quarterback might be good this year, I should point out the passing competency is a little exaggerated. Coffman completed 60.7% of his passes for 2734 yards at a 6.7 ypa clip. In any other conference that would be unremarkable (Big Ten!). The 15:11 TD:INT ratio is pretty pedestrian, too. The only thing Coffman's stats tell us is that he threw a lot of passes – like 60 vs. Penn State a lot – not all of which were aimed downfield.
I'm not saying he's not actually a decent player. The Big Ten just sucks. (Or prefers a nice running game as opposed to wussy throw-ball. However you want to spin that.)
Anyway, as a first-year starter Coffman was pretty streaky. There were plenty of moments of awesomeness (like throwing 3 TDs, 0 INTs against Michigan State) intermingled with general mediocrity. For example, here is awesomeness:
And here is not awesomness:
Over the course of the season he had really great performances against MSU, Ball State, and Iowa, and he tanked against Northwestern, Navy, and Purdue, of all teams.
If he gets the consistency thing down, the Hoosiers passing offense might actually be kind of good. The receivers will certainly be talented enough: Cody Latimer (51 rec, 805 yards, 6 TD), Shane Wynn (68 rec, 660 yards, 6 TD), and Kofi Hughes (43 rec, 639 yard, 3 TD) were first, second, and third on the team in yardage last season, and they all return. At 6-3, Latimer and Hughes are the bigger downfield targets; Wynn is the 5-7 smurf trying to juke guys. I'd expect at least one of them to crack 1,000 yards this season.
If Indiana wants win games, one of them will pretty much have to. That's because the ground game is pretty stinky. RB Stephen Houston will be a senior this fall, and he has his own consistency issues to work out. Last season he was more cold than hot, although he did manage to end up with 749 yards, 12 touchdowns and a 4.7 ypc average. His 10-ish carries a game as the team's top rusher suggests that he got his yards mostly by surprising opponents with the ball. As far as ability goes, he's the type of player that lives and dies by his offensive line, which is bad news for him because his offensive line is crap. Against the competent defenses of MSU, Wisconsin, and Penn State, Houston barely averaged 2.0 ypc.
To put the ground game in perspective, Indiana finished at the bottom of the conference in rushing attempts. That's a pretty solid vote of no-confidence. But hey, they all return! One year older, one year better, hoorah.
Speaking of guys returning, the whole Coffman-led offense thing could go entirely out the window if Roberson gets his job back.
This photo would be way cooler if they were playing futbol.
Well this looks pretty GERGian. Indiana gave up 35.3 points per game in 2012, and they're not even a little bit ashamed because they beat Iowa.
So what's there to look forward to in 2013? Lots and lots of points.
The Hoosiers defensive coordinator is Doug Mallory. He's the son of former Indiana head coach Bill Mallory and older brother of current Michigan DB coach Curt Mallory' older brother. Like Curt, Doug also played DB for Michigan under Bo. At the moment, the data on his ability to DC are incomplete. Mallory inherited Tony Gibson's negative infinity points (literally, since Gibson actually went to Indiana for a little while [ED: Actually that was Greg Frey and Rod Smith; Gibson went to Pitt. Uh, let's pretend his spirit was at Indiana, though.]) two seasons ago and has probably been popping antidepressants ever since. In his moments of clarity he's done well enough to improve total defense by two points per game up from the 37.3 they gave up in 2011. And here's a nice little stat I guess: in 2012 the Hoosiers led the Big Ten in sacks and tackles for loss. That's progress, and progress is happiness.
While the defense returns 10 starters this season, it loses its two relatively talented players in DT Adam Replogle and DT Larry Black, Jr. Even with those guys, however, Indiana gave up 5.3 ypc, good for 8th worst in all of college football. How will the Hoosiers replace them? I don't know. I feel bad naming anyone because publicly associating individuals with the Indiana defense has to be a HIPAA violation of some sort.
But I suppose I should. This is why we're here after all.
So. Senior S Greg Heban will be the main guy trying to chase people down from behind. He had 68 solo tackles last year, so it looks like he was pretty good at catching them at least. Good for him. He also had 7 tackles for loss and a sack, so it looks like he has some blitzing ability. For comparison's sake let's call him Hoosier Kovacs.
Hoosier Kovacs will be assisted in running-after-people-and-occasionally-blitzing by fellow safety Mark Murphy (70 tackles, 3 TFLs, 1 sack), and sophomore LB David Cooper (86 tackles, 9 TFLs, 3 sacks). Together those three will serve as the entire defense while others stand around having intense internal struggles about spots and getting to them.
This team is kind of like: Northwestern's dystopian alternate reality.
Vs. Michigan: Michigan's defense will probably play a nickel the entire game, which means we should see a lot of Dymonte Thomas. Seven games into the season seems like a pretty good time for a true freshman to blow up.
Other than that I think the only other thing to pay attention to in this game is when to do the wave. I always miss the first go-around.
Anyway, here is some fun stuff from 2010:
- Aug. 29, Indiana State
- Sept. 7, Navy
- Sept. 14, Bowling Green
- Sept. 21, Missouri
- Sept. 28, BYE
- Oct. 5, Penn State
- Oct. 12, @Michigan State
- Oct. 19, @Michigan
- Oct. 26, BYE
- Nov. 2, Minnesota
- Nov. 9, Illinois
- Nov. 16, @Wisconsin
- Nov. 23, @Ohio State
- Nov. 30, Purdue
Outlook: 5-7 overall, 2-6 B1G
- Wins: Indiana State, Bowling Green, Illinois, Purdue
- Too close to call: Navy, Minnesota
- Losses: Missouri, Penn State, @Michigan State, @Michigan, @Wisconsin, @Ohio State
2013 Opponent Preview: Penn State
The narrative so far:
- Aug. 31: Moments prior to kickoff, Brian Cook tweets. I predict he uses the words "student" and "section."
- Sept. 7: A million years from now, astronomers will observe the sudden appearance of a football in a void. They will have only milliseconds to identify it as the one last seen leaving Tommy Rees's hands in the year 2013 before it explodes.
- Sept. 14: I am strongly reminded of my lab work, the part where I rip testicles out of fruit flies.
- Sept. 21: Michigan's steady run offense wins the game in the same manner that a steady drip of water wears through rock.
- Sept. 28: BYE.
- Oct. 5: Michigan debuts the pistol formation and wastes the surprise on Minnesota.
Penn State
Last year
Raise your hand if you thought Penn State was going to miss their bowl game after starting the 2012 season 0-2, losing to Ohio and Virginia.
Do you see what I did there?
Sorry. Horrible, horrible, I know. For real, though, raise your hand if you thought Penn State was going to recover from those losses and end up 8-4 with an OT victory over Wisconsin. Yeah, that's nobody. The Nittany Lions' quick turnaround was pretty impressive considering all the negativity from the Worst Offseason Ever. And they did it the old-fashioned way, by playing smart and efficient football and by developing and motivating players to replace the ones who jumped ship.
Unfortunately, while a winning season and a degree of recruiting success marked a promising start to the Bill O'Brien era, nothing will change the fact that Winter Is Coming.
That actually makes Penn State a really intriguing team to follow over the next few years. No major college team has been struck down this heavily by sanctions while still being allowed to play football. What's the protocol for recruiting, developing players, and game planning when figuratively you're going to be short a pint of blood at every phase compared with your competition? I'm kind of curious to see whether this kind of stress will force that staff to invent new strategies that could potentially revolutionize how a college football program is run.
Either way, if Bill O'Brien sticks out his tenure in Happy Valley -- not a given, since he interviewed with NFL teams after last season and declined their offers only because he didn't want to be "one-and-done" kind of guy -- and has decent success, i.e. a winning record in conference games, Penn State will be back by the end of the decade and in much better shape than it was before the "penn state awful thing" tag was ever created.
O'Brien / Brady.
If you want to know how much better Penn State's passing offense was after O'Brien started coaching, you only need to take a look at Matt McGloin's 2012 stat line:
That's a former walk-on going ham after his team got scuttled by mass transfers following the NCAA penalties.
Compare that to how Tom Brady did in 2011 when O'Brien was New England's offensive coordinator:
Great. Given the admittedly short but nonetheless impressive track record of turning a so-so passer into one performing on the level of a three-time Superbowl-winning QB (okay maybe not that dramatic, but still pretty good), I think it's pretty safe to expect that whoever takes the reins of the Nittany Lions offense this season will do pretty well. Eventually, at least.
That guy will probably be incoming freshman Christian Hackenberg, who was ranked the top pro-style passer in his class above Michigan's Shane Morris. If he doesn't win the job immediately, he'll at least be seeing the field by the end of season and fighting for playing time with JUCO transfer Tyler Ferguson, who has gotten only lukewarm reviews so far.
The QB battle will be interesting to watch, but I don't think Michigan needs to worry much. The Mathlete has already reassured us that true freshmen generally suck, and it won't help that O'Brien's system is reportedly so complex a caveman couldn't do it. Ferguson has been on campus for a semester and is still struggling, so I wouldn't expect either to dazzle anyone until late in the season, if at all.
Let's hope I'm right, because aside from the QB the rest of the offense is pretty loaded. WR Allen Robinson, who led the Big Ten in receiving yards last year (77 rec, 1013 yards, 11 TDs), will be a nice, experienced target to throw to. At 6-3, 200-lbs with decent speed, he's a guy Borges would want wearing a winged helmet.
And he's not the only downfield weapon Penn State has in the passing game, nor the most terrifying. While the other wideouts are pretty so-so, the tight ends will be a unit to watch out for, particularly with O'Brien, famous for the two-TE monstrosity he perfected at New England, calling plays. Sophomore TE Jesse James exploded towards the end of his freshman campaign with 15 catches for 276 yards and five touchdowns. The former 19th century train robber is a lot like Devin Funchess, except two inches taller (6-7) and 30 pounds heavier (260 lbs). Okay so he's nothing like Funchess. Let's call him "Gronk."
To complement him, the Lions have a slightly smaller guy in Junior TE Kyle "Aaron Hernandez minus the murder" Carter, who was the team's second-leading pass catcher with 36 receptions for 453 yards and 2 TDs before missing the last four games of the season with a wrist injury.
I'm a scurred, but not because the guy I compared you to has been killing dudes, allegedly.
The passing game has a lot of potential, but realizing it will depend on how quickly the QB can learn the system. That guy will probably have plenty of time to take chances, get messy, and make mistakes without too much detriment, though, because hey, look, a running game.
If you ignore the shuffling, the offensive line basically returns everyone except for center. They weren't great last year (not that I watched them a whole lot, but there were grumblings about their run blocking ability), but continuity is never a bad thing.
So we can probably expect a lot of production from their running backs. Junior Zach Zwinak was a nice surprise after the Silas Redd transfer -- he averaged 4.9 yards a carry and broke 1000 yards, ain't no thang -- and makes me wonder why Michigan can't have nice things when teams that shouldn't be able to have nice things have them. At 6-1, 240 pounds, Zwinak makes Brady Hoke wonder the same thing.
As a bigger dude, Zwinak is fairly similar to Iowa's Mark Weisman, who converted from fullback, was really hard to bring down -- just ask James Ross -- and had surprising speed. Unlike Iowa, however, Penn State also has a couple smaller, shiftier backs that may see signifcant playing time this year. No, they are not like Danny Woodhead.
Outrunning Penn State linebackers is probably the better way to go.
Coaching-wise, I don't know. John Butler was promoted to defensive coordinator over the offseason after Ted Roof left for Georgia Tech. Previously he coached DBs, and before that he was doing a lot of special teams all over the place.
Butler doesn't have many laurels to rest on, so consider this season to be somewhat of an extended job interview for him. It won't help that all the stars from last year are gone: LBs Michael Mauti and Gerald Hodges, and DT Jordan Hill. They led the team emotionally and in tackles. Hill in particular was instrumental (12 tackles, 2 sacks) in their OT win against Wisconsin to end the season.
That's not to say the cupboard is bare, though. Plenty of starters return, and the recruiting implosion from the sanctions is only just beginning to nip at the Lions' depth. If Butler can coach, the Penn State defense shouldn't backslide too dramatically. If he can't … kerplunk.
The guy who will anchor the defensive effort and be a huge pain in the backfield will probably be LB Glenn Carson. At 6-3, 235 lbs, he played SAM next to Mauti and Hodges last year. This year he'll probably slide inside. He was an active presence (85 tackles, 3 TFLs, 1 sack) last year and is relatively unknown only because he was overshadowed by his more decorated cohorts.
At the WILL, the Nittany Lions will probably go with 6-0, 225-lb Mike Hull (58 tackles, 5 TFLs, 4 sacks), who got a lot playing time back up Mauti and getting some starts after Mauti's injury. A redshirt freshman and a sophomore, both undersized, will probably duke it out for SAM. I'm guessing that's going to be a soft spot for Linebacker U.
The defensive line will be comprised mostly new starters, and none that you'll recognize unless you've been actively following Penn State football, in which case good for you. Wait -- here's a name you might recognize, and not in the good way: Anthony Zettel. Remember him? Well, he's not starting, but he'll be backing up fellow sophomore DE Deion Barnes, who for all intents and purposes has that spot locked down with a 2012 stat line of 25 tackles, 10 TFLs, and 6 sacks. Zettel collected 15 tackles and 4 sacks of his own last season as a situational guy, but is on the outside looking in and probably will stay that way unless he switches positions. Penn Shtaaate.
On the interior, The Nittany Lions have converted DaQuan Jones, a 6-3, 330-lb former offensive lineman, to play tackle (probably nose) and Austin Johnson, a 6-4 310-lb former offensive lineman, to play the other tackle position. Sweet. C.J. Olaniyan (15 tackles, 1 sack) is the other defensive end. Nothing to see here. Move along.
The secondary returns three starters. They were okay last year and look to continue to be okay this year. Behind them are a bunch of guys that decommitted and went to Ohio State or Michigan instead. Secondarymaggedon, man. Never forget.
This team is kind of like: A blinking fuel light 100 miles from the nearest gas station.
Vs. Michigan: Well. A lot of things can happen between now and Oct. 12. I know that's a stupid thing to say, but here's what I mean: both teams are evenly matched now, but it's a very unstable equilibrium.
While both teams meet at roughly the same place in terms of overall talent and depth, Michigan is on the upswing from its own tumultuous coaching changes. Penn State is dropping. Michigan has a lot more potential to develop in its young, inexperienced players. We're waiting to see if any of the rookies or players returning from injury can exceed expectations: Derrick Green, the sophomore receivers, the interior O-line, Blake Countess, Jake Ryan's replacement, Jake Ryan when he returns … Penn State needs to milk every last ounce of production from its veterans because Winter Is Coming and won't be bringing in a whole lot of warm bodies. My feeling is that they aren't waiting for guys to blow up so much as just praying that they're viable.
Yes, that's just a circuitous way to say I'm going to punt on any sort of prediction.
Due to conflicting allegiances, I don't know how to feel about this photo.
What will be exciting about this game is the O'Brien vs. Mattison matchup. As you may know, O'Brien was hired by the Patriots around the same time Mattison went to Baltimore. While O'Brien wasn't officially New England's offensive coordinator until 2011, after Mattison came to Michigan, he was Tom Brady's QB coach as well as official "play-caller," whatever that means.
Over the three year stretch that both were at their respective NFL teams, the Patriots and Ravens split pretty evenly in the win-loss category. Interestingly, the box scores suggest that the New England O vs. Baltimore D battle usually ended in Baltimore's favor. Specifically, the Pats were nowhere near as prolific as they were against other teams and often struggled horrifically on third down.
I'm sure that's usually what happens when Ray Lewis is on your team, but it's a promising sign.
- Aug. 31, Syracuse
- Sept. 7, EMU
- Sept. 14, UCF
- Sept. 21, Kent State
- Sept. 28, BYE
- Oct. 5, @ Indiana
- Oct. 12, Michigan
- Oct. 19, BYE
- Oct. 26, @OSU
- Nov. 2, Illinois
- Nov. 9, @Minnesota
- Nov. 16, Purdue
- Nov. 23, Nebraska
- Nov. 30, @Wisconsin
Outlook: 9-3
Wins: Syracuse, EMU, UCF, Kent State, @Indiana, Illinois, @Minnesota, Purdue
Losses: @OSU
Flip of a biased coin: Michigan, Nebraska, @Wisconsin
2013 Opponent Preview: Minnesota
The narrative so far:
- Aug. 31: Devin Gardner is still really good! High five.
- Sept. 7: If Michigan wins, I would be totally okay with listening to Pop Evil.
- Sept. 14: Oh hey, DeAnthony Hardison. What's up.
- Sept. 21: Still predicting 14-6. U mad, bros?
- Sept. 28: Bye.
Nobody puts Jerry Kill in a corner.
Last season
Minnesota went 6-7 overall and won just two games in the B1G. For a team that inspired GopherQuest: Worst Big Ten Team Ever the year previous, that was pretty good. Even the way they lost was much better. You saw glimpses of promise -- like maybe in three years they'll be a Purdue when Purdue was decent or a Northwestern. They fell to Texas Tech 33-31 in the Texas Bowl, which was still a pretty impressive overachievement, if only for the fact that they made it to a bowl game in the first place.
Please be complete please be complete
Minnesota has clarity and reason for optimism at nearly every position on offense except for maybe quarterback. There is a lot of potential, though, and as rebuilding processes go, that's a pretty good place to be. Kill and offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover have a golden opportunity to build some momentum for the program if they can take the offense to the proverbial next level. It might be worth keeping an eye on the Gophers; this season will probably determine whether they become the next Northwestern or if their shadows force them back into hidey holes for 6 more weeks of Winter. However that analogy is supposed to work.
Sophomore QB Philip Nelson will be the guy under the microscope. He's coming off a true freshman campaign in which he beat out MarQueis Gray midseason for the starting job. While his stats through seven games aren't that shiny (49%, 873 yards, 8 TDs, 8 INTs), he performed well enough to beat Purdue and Illinois and clinch bowl eligibility. That's something, I guess, and there's not a lot of shame in playing poorly against Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.
So we'll see if he makes the sophomore leap. Nelson has a nice veteran supporting cast around him, so chances are he will. I mean, he gets all five offensive linemen back. From left to right: Ed Olson, Tommy Olson (Ed's brother), Zac Epping, Caleb Bak, and Josh Campion. In more useful terms: 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3, 6-5, all 300+ lbs. #B1G! Ed, the elder Olson, is the only senior in this group, which means their O-line continuity will span another season. Plus the fact that O-line seems to be Limegrover's thing … Be afraid, B1G West Division. Be very afraid.
The running game should be much improved with RB Donnell Kirkwood returning. The 5-10, 230-lb bowling ball almost eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing last year with a 4.2 ypc average. Smart money says he breaks the barrier this season. RB Rodrick Williams, another bowling-ball sized object (5-11, 230 lbs), will be a solid backup. He didn't get too many carries last season, but he made them count, averaging 4.6 ypc on 51 carries.
Of note to Michigan fans, Braylon's little brother Berkley joins the Gophers roster as a freshman and will be pushing to be their version of Dennis Norfleet, excepted more utilized.
As far as receiver goes, well. This appears to be a touchy subject. Late last season the team's No. 1 wideout A. J. Barker called it quits and blasted the coaching staff via the internet on his way out. That was not ideal, I guess. And Jerry Kill seems like such a nice guy.
Whether Minnesota's passing game truly took a hit after that, no one knows because no one was really paying attention. But more to the point, playing Nebraska and Michigan State to close out the season can make any passing offense look bad. The Gophers didn't have the best day through the air against Texas Tech, either -- not that they needed to with their running game that gained over 200 yards -- but it looked like there was a lot of reason for optimism. Well, there was one reason for optimism: Senior wideout Derrick Engel had himself a 4 catch, 108 yard day. He's now a bona fide deep threat.
Regardless, the wideouts should be just fine in 2013. Veteran contributor Isaac Freuchte (19 rec, 256 yards, 2 TDs) saw his production fall over the course of the season but is still an able body with a sweet name. The rest of the bunch has a lot of size, speed, and potential -- their development should be on the upswing with a more experienced, non-Freshman quarterback.
Let's block this guy next time.
They have one! Kind of? Sort of. They have Ra'Shede Hageman, and he's probably the only name to know. Hageman is a 6-6, 310 lb nose tackle who came up with 6 sacks and 7.5 TFLs last season. Hageman probably should be playing either 3-tech or 5-tech, but when you're Minnesota I guess you can't afford to be so particular. Anyway, he's very active and very good, not just by Gophers standards.
DT Cameron Botticelli returns on the interior next to Hageman. You won't recognize his name (or anyone else's) because he doesn't do a whole lot other than exist. Having 21 tackles as a starting defensive tackle without any for a loss usually means that opposing running backs ran into him 21 times by accident.
The defensive ends will be dudes who have taken occasional snaps here and there, but unless one of them blows up at the beginning of the season, they're not really worth keeping an eye on. I mean, really, the strategy here is clear: successfully block Hageman, earn $$$.
Minnesota can probably get by with a one-man show on the D-line if the linebackers are competent. That's hard to predict at this point. The only returning linebacker is senior OLB Aaron Hill (74 tackles, 4 TFLs, 2 INTs). They've got a converted running back and a pair of JUCO transfers competing for the interior spots. Word on the internet is that the JUCOs are good.
The secondary should theoretically be able to hold their coverage long enough for Hageman to do something. There's plenty of experience. CB Derrick Wells (74 tackles, 10 PBUs, 2 INTs) will move from safety to replace departed star CB Troy Stoudermire. CB Martez Shabazz (6 tackles, 3 PBUs, 1 INT) was a backup last year but made clearly made some nice plays with limited opportunities. Brock Vereen (64 tackles, 9 PBUs, 2 INTs), and Cedric Thompson (43 tackles, 2 INTs) will form a nice safety blanket. The secondary overall was pretty good at limiting big plays against crappy Big Ten quarterbacks, so it's reasonable to expect them to maintain status quo.
You know, Minnesota could actually field a pretty decent defensive unit. Player development will be key as always, but already the Gophers are in much better shape than the other B1G bottom feeders.
This team is kind of like: Remember the girl you never noticed in high school? Her name is Minnesota, and she drives a Kia.
Vs. Michigan: Over the last two years, Michigan has had a habit of destroying opponents in their B1G opener. Minnesota fell victim in 2011, and it's hard not to see that being the case again. Not that I'm predicting a 58-0 blow-out, but anything less than a multiple touchdown win margin would be kind of disappointing.
This is primarily because of that quarterback issue: the Gophers can grind it out all they want with the running game, but it's going to be a tall order for their offense to try to keep up with what an experienced Devin Gardner is going to do against their defense. A mediocre non-mobile sophomore QB probably won't cut it against Mattison's defense in Ann Arbor.
Unless Philip Nelson plays out of his mind. We'll have an idea of whether he has that ability when Minnesota plays Iowa the week before; not that Iowa is any good these days, but it'll be their first competitive game all season (Way to go scheduling the Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks.) We'll also get a good look at their receivers when they play Iowa. There's a lot of unproven talent in that group, and they may given Michigan's secondary some trouble with their size.
Either way, the Wolverines should have a field day on offense. Minnesota doesn't have the athleticism to match up well against Michigan's skill players, and questionable defensive line play will not last 60 minutes against two of the best tackles in the conference. The interior line just needs to keep Hageman blocked, and we'll have a good idea of whether they can do that after the Notre Dame game.
Outlook: 6-6 overall, 2-6 B1G.
- Wins: Entire non-conference schedule, Iowa, Indiana.
- Losses: Michigan, Northwestern, Nebraska, Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State.
2013 Opponent Preview: UConn
The narrative so far:
- Week 1 - Michigan plays an easy breezy beautiful home opener against Central Michigan. We find out whether Shane Morris will lose his redshirt. Prediction: he does.
- Week 2 - Notre Dame comes to town, chaos ensues under the lights, we awake Sunday morning in a stranger's backyard and discover that we are missing a shoe.
- Week 3 - Fitz Toussaint and Derrick Green each rush for 100+ yards.
Last year
Since this is part 2 of a home-and-home, I think we should go back a few years to get the proper context.
Michigan and UConn agreed to play a short series with each other in 2009. At the time the matchup was intriguing because of three things: Rich Rod's ties to the Big East (and undefeated record against Randy Edsall), UConn's apparent emergence in being okay at football (8-5 in 2008), and the basketball team's own series with the Huskies. In addition to the fact that the 2010 game would be a home opener in a freshly renovated Big House, the anticipation for part 1 of the home-and-home was significant because none of us really thought the Wolverines, still smarting from a 5-7 season, would do all that well.
That was until Brock Mealer, Denard, and 60 minutes of domination happened. You can relive the best moments here:
The pure awesomeness on display (and the awesomeness the following week) is the sort of thing that makes you think Michigan would play in the Rose Bowl, Denard would win the Heisman, and Rich Rod would be our coach forever and ever.
By the time we realized none of those things would come true, UConn and 2013 seemed a million years away. When your fandom devolves into stalking Dave Brandon while listening to songs by the Smiths on repeat, you're not in a place to properly consider other people, or the future.
Did you know that the Huskies actually went on to win the Big East that year?
They did (or at least a share of it) and had a better resume than anyone else in that conference, so they got the auto-bid to the Fiesta Bowl, where they were summarily executed by No. 9 Oklahoma. Edsall bolted for Maryland pretty much the next day, and he has since been spending a lot of time there designing uniformz and losing. See you next year I guess.
So UConn hired Paul Pasqualoni, a former Syracuse head coach who lost his edge in the early '00s, left Syracuse, and floated around the NFL for a couple years. After taking over the Huskies, he's led them to back-to-back 5-7 seasons. Rebuilding, yes, but the outlook does not appear to be bright.
Had Edsall stayed in Storrs, the rematch with Michigan would have been a lot more intriguing, and the game would probably be a lot more competitive. Now it's just kind of sad.
Last year
Okay, the real recap part. Let's keep this brief: last season the Huskies were an unpredictable outfit that beat Maryland, Louisville, and Pittsburg, but lost to nearly everyone else, including Western Michigan. Defensively they were okay, limiting opponents to under 20 ppg. Offensively they were horrible, scoring 17.8 ppg. If the Big East were the Big Ten, UConn would be Michigan State.
Being horrible on offense is what usually happens when you break in a new quarterback. Whether he's sufficiently broken in or just broken, he's likely to be the guy Michigan will see on Sept. 21.
A/S/L: Chandler Whitmer, junior QB. Not much of a runner, not much of a passer. Last season he completed 57.6% of his passes for 2664 yards, 9 TDs, and 16 INTs. This year he'll have back his leading receiver, junior Geremy Davis (44 rec, 613 yards, 1 TD). Junior Deshon Foxx is another name to be on the lookout for. Reports from their spring game say that he caught a bunch of 70-yard bombs and was the only player to score in a 6-0 affair.
The run game was also pretty disappointing last season. Lyle McCombs, the team's top running back, will return as a junior and try to make things better. McCombs is a durable but limited guy. He's small -- listed at 5-8, 169 lbs -- and not all that quick or speedy, which kind of defeats the point of being small. Regardless, he's got good enough vision and takes the bulk of the handoffs, which has earned him the "workhorse" monikor. In fact, he's one of a small collection of FBS players to combine for more than 500 carries over the last two years. Last season he got 243 carries for 860 yards, which comes out to about 3.5 yards a carry. Not bad but not great, considering he broke the 1,000-yard mark as a freshman.
The offense will probably improve. Most of the line is returning, and UConn picked up a new offensive coordinator in T.J. Weist from Cincinnati. Weist had been with the Bearcats since 2010, and his pass-happy offense there led the conference in a bunch of categories. I doubt they'll find their rhythm by the time Michigan rolls into town, however. Either way it'll be interesting to see what Mattison thinks of Weist's offense.
Free hugs.
The narrative here is kind of opposite that of the offense: really good last season but not returning a whole lot of guys. Of UConn's top 10 tacklers in 2012, more than half of them were seniors.
At least the top tackler is coming back. The name to know here is Yawin Smallwood, a 6-3, 244-lb middle linebacker who was named the Defensive Scout Player of the Week as a redshirting freshman right before the 2010 Michigan game. Smallwood had 120 tackles, 15 TFLs, and 3.5 sacks last year. He's pretty high up on draft boards, so his production is likely not just a byproduct of "plays in the Big East."
The Huskies' defensive line is fairly experienced in the interior, less so on the outside. DT Shamar Stephen was a solid contributor last year with 26 tackles, 2 for loss, and Angelo Pruitt looks like he'll probably slide inside (he played end last year). For what it's worth, these guys aren't small. Stephen is 6-5, 320 lbs, and Pruitt is 6-3, 300. That could be a problem for Jack Miller and whoever the two new guards are. At end, UConn is getting a sixth-year rush end back from injury, and they have another guy on the strongside who is 6-5, 301. Again, not small. At least their athleticism won't be nearly as terrifying like Notre Dame's line is, so Lewan and Schofield should be able to handle them without too much trouble.
Things are a little fuzzier in the secondary. From what I can tell it looks like UConn is set at safety, at least. They bring back three guys with varying degrees of experience and a hefty collection of career tackles. The cornerback situation is not good though (when is it ever? I mean, seriously). I think at this point they still have no idea who's going to start, so they're move their most experienced safety, junior Byron Jones (87 tackles, 1 INT), to corner while the other guys figure themselves out. Best 11, I say.
The Huskies' defense will probably be pretty competent even with six new starters, but they'll be imminently beatable. In 2012 they put five of their guys on the all-conference roster, and when a defense produces multiple honorees that usually means the coaching staff is doing something right. Will they simply reload in 2013, or must they rebuild? I guess we'll find out!
This team is kind of like: A rock.
Is it too early to bring out the rock? Maybe, but I glanced at Michigan's B1G schedule and no one else fits the bill.
Vs. Michigan: Michigan's non-conference slate is awfully reminiscent of the one they played in 2011. If so, UConn is this year's version of San Diego State, with major differences being only that the game is away and Hoke didn't coach any of these guys.
The Wolverines shouldn't have much trouble stopping the Huskies offense. Whitmer, if coached properly, will probably top out around where Ryan Lindley ended up. That kind of development takes a while though. When Michigan visits he'll probably struggle with Mattison's nefarious schemes, and once the Wolverines pass rushers break through it'll be game over. The Heininger Certainty Principle says that Frank Clark and/or Taco Charlton will have a good game.
Offensively Michigan will probably struggle with Smallwood. Hoke and Borges seem to prefer a safe, run-heavy approach on the road, and against that defensive line I can't see any of the Wolverines interior offensive linemen getting to the second level on a consistent basis. If Michigan's defense plays well, it won't matter. Borges can keep running his new toys up the middle until the game ends at 14-6.
2013 Opponent Preview: Notre Dame
The time has come for the annual offseason series in which I provide a semi-analytical preview of Michigan's opponents. Because of the relatively late start, I don't think I'll get around to writing up every team. So for those of you interested in Central Michigan and Akron, here is a super condensed version:
Central Michigan
- 2012: 7-6 overall, 4-4 MAC; beat Iowa.
- Offense: QB-by-committee as of spring; senior tailback is 1,000-yard rusher; top wideout averages 20 yards per, which is Hemingway-like. O-line lost primo tackle Eric Fisher to the draft.
- Defense: Injured d-line, solid linebackers, meh secondary.
- Kind of like: A stiff punching bag.
- vs. Michigan: Would be a good opportunity for M to practice running power with new RBs. If the coaches anticipate needing Shane Morris this season (hint: they probably do), his redshirt should be burned here.
- 2012: 1-11 overall, 0-8 MAC; saved UMass from winless season.
- Offense: Crap.
- Defense: Crap.
- Kind of like: Crap.
- vs. Michigan: Assuming Morris loses his redshirt against CMU, this should be treated like a second spring game, i.e. give the starters a series or two, then bring in the backups.
Notre Dame
My tears are real. You're not.
I know what you're thinking.
You're thinking you've probably done something wrong if you're coming off a 12-1 season and the only things people talk about are fake girlfriends, "poor academic judgement," and flighty defensive tackles. Not to mention those rumors about your head coach possibly ditching you to be with someone else at some point.
Well. Let me assure you that it's not you. You've done nothing wrong. It's not your fault love letters are most effective when written in 140 characters or less. It's not your fault you're not allowed to "retweet" someone else's homework. It's not your fault Eddie Vanderdoes thinks @BruinBoobs is a way better follow than @NotreDameBoobs.
And speculation about Brian Kelly's imminent departure to the NFL is just hurtful gossip perpetuated by rumormongers who think that anything they say on the internet can be deleted before they get in trouble.
You see, a pattern emerges: Twitter is sabotaging your way of life en route to bringing down Western society.
Damn it all to hell.
Notre Dame's 12-1 season was made possible by luck, good defense, a positive turnover margin, and absurdly bad refereeing. They lost to Alabama at the end of the season because, incidentally, they didn't have any of those things.
Conventional wisdom says that Notre Dame can't replicate that level of success this year because the things within their control won't be any better, and the things outside of their control will most likely be worse.
The defense will be great once again, but when you were No. 2 in the nation in points allowed there's not a whole lot of room for improvement. Offensively, the Irish under Kelly have never been anything special. With question marks at nearly every position -- including QB now that Golson has been suspended -- it's hard to see them doing much better in terms of yardage, and it's even harder to see them hang on to that low turnover rate.
The schedule is relatively similar to the one they had last year. They host Michigan State, USC, and Oklahoma, and significant road opponents include Michigan, Pitt, and Stanford. As college schedules go, that's pretty rough, and they don't get any real body-bag games to take a breather.
Their defense will keep them in every game they play. Their offense will need a lot of luck, however, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like they used up the entirety of their five-year allowance last season.
This potato is really hot.
Golson is out. That leaves Rees, Hendrix, and incoming freshman Malik Zaire to jockey for the starting spot. Reports indicate that Rees has won the job already, which makes sense, but a lot can happen between now and September.
Rees, in case you've forgotten (how dare you!), is the prolific passer who started two years ago in Under the Lights. In fact he was so prolific he outshined Denard in the "throwing to the other team" category. I guess it's kind of his thing -- his first career pass against Michigan was a flea flicker interception to Jonas Mouton.
On the other hand, he scored the only touchdown of last year's game against the Wolverines on a QB run, of all things.
If Rees starts, Michigan's secondary will get a stiff but manageable early season test. Stiff because all things considered Rees is pretty decent. Manageable because the matchup nightmares that Notre Dame usually seems to have -- Golden Tate, Michael Floyd, Tyler Eifert -- are no more. Davaris Daniels (31 rec, 490 yards, 15.8 ypc) is the only potential weapon they have. We don't know much about him because he wasn't given too many opportunities last year. That'll change with Rees at QB, and then we'll see whether he'll blow up like Jeremy Gallon or get beaned in the helmet like any Michigan State receiver not named Aaron Burbridge.
Formationally we'll probably see a lot of shotgun and one-back with receivers spread all over the field. When Rees started in 2011, the run-pass split was slightly in favor of pass (33:36 attempts per game), but that was with guys like Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray. Expect that ratio to be biased more towards pass this year; I don't think they can afford otherwise.
That's because the Irish run game will be thin. The starting O-line is solid, returning both tackles and a guard, but their depth beyond that is as dire as last year's Michigan line. Any injury could spell the end of positive yardage on the ground, especially considering that there is really only one experienced running back on the roster, George Atkinson III (51 carries, 361 yards, 7.1 ypc, 5 TDs). No one seems to know whether he's durable enough to last more than 10-15 carries a game. He could be 2011 Toussaint, or he could be a 2012 Toussaint. Either way, he's their only guy as of now.
At least having a competent and somewhat experienced pocket passer plays to Kelly's strengths as a playcaller, so Notre Dame should be fun to watch regardless. Drives will end quickly and spectacularly, and Kelly will have plenty of opportunity to practice his Grimace impersonation.
Irish D-line
What would an Irish defense be without Tragic Hero/Victim Manti Te'O? A lot less annoying/entertaining to hear about, and still very good. Expect to see them hanging out in opponent backfields on a regular basis.
Notre Dame defensive cordinator Bob Diaco runs a 3-4, which looks a lot like Greg Mattison's 4-3 under but with slightly different names and concepts. The nose tackle in the 3-4 lines up directly over the center and is a monument to the law of inertia. The defensive ends are a lot like Michigan's 5-tech and 3-tech; OLBs are like SAM and WDE; ILBs are like Morgan and Ross.
Responsibilities are interchangeable between a lot of positions because the front seven is built for a variety of zone blitzes. The secondary is the same.
So who should we worry about? All of the defensive linemen, to start. There's DE Stephon Tuitt -- you know, shredder facemask -- who is a 6-6, 300-lb monster who had 12 sacks last season. There's 6-3, 340 lb DT Louis Nix who has orbiting satellites. And there's DE Sheldon Day who is kind of like Brandon Graham. Five offensive linemen are probably not enough to block these guys.
Then you kind of have to deal with the linebackers, a unit that returns everyone but Te'O. OLB Prince Shembo (51 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 7.5 sacks) is the guy to watch out for, but no one is really a slouch. Most of them are seniors. Most of them are very good. This is depressing to write about.
The secondary is really the only group with exploitable potential. Last year they were a freshman, a converted running back, and a converted receiver; this year they will be a sophomore, a converted running back, and a converted receiver. They held up just fine in 2012, however -- few opposing QBs had much time to do much of anything before eating turf -- and there's no reason they shouldn't be able to shore up the coverage thing should the front seven fail to generate pressure, if ever.
This team is kind of like: Roger Federer after a strenuous biceps work-out. Wimpy forehand, wicked backhand.
Vs. Michigan: One thing Michigan failed to do last year was sufficiently test the fragile Irish secondary. The Wolverines are much better equipped to do that this year, with the only problem being that secondary will probably be a lot less fragile. Still, it's probably better than running into 300-pound defensive ends, am I right?
The way the two teams match up against each other gives every indication that this will be a very low scoring game, but crazy things tend to happen under the lights.
Outlook: 9-3.
- Wins: Temple, @Purdue, Arizona State, @Air Force, Navy, @Pittsburgh, BYU
- Tossups: @Michigan, Michigan State, USC, Oklahoma, @Stanford


text:
When a retired law-enforcement professional returns to his hometown of Brooklyn, New York, he finds himself in hot pursuit, but it's not a lead-footed traffic offender he's chasing; it's the ultimate custom Corvette Z06.
"I've owned Corvettes for decades, starting with the C3s I raced when I got out of the Marine Corp," Lou Crisafi tells VETTE. "I competed against Porsches in the parking area at Jack Murphy Stadium, where the San Diego Padres played."
Crisafi owned six third-gen Vettes (ranging from a '71 to a '81), followed by four C4s, and two C5s. In December 2006, he took his supercharged '99 Victory Red coupe to Paramus Chevrolet in Paramus, New Jersey, to have its service department install C6 Z06-style chrome wheels.
"My wheels were still in shipping boxes when I arrived at the dealership to check them out," he says. "That's when Service Manager Tom McLaughlin 'fessed up. 'They just put out a new Z06 in the Corvette showroom upstairs,' he told me.
"That's like telling a cop where the suspect is," Crisafi continues. "I went upstairs, and right where he said--smack dab in the middle of the showroom--was an '07 Velocity Yellow Z06 with a big red bow on it. As soon as I saw it, I fell in love with it, and I bought it right then and there."
The car was equipped with the Z06's mandatory 7.0L LS7 mill rated at 505 hp, as well as the optional 2LZ Equipment Group (seat-mounted side-impact air bags, power-telescopic steering, auto-dimming mirrors, heated seats, and more) and Q44 Competition Gray Aluminum Wheels. Crisafi says he was in ecstasy, except for one thing--the wheels. "I rushed back to the service department and told them, 'Don't put the wheels on the '99, because I just bought the Z in the showroom. We'll have to return them and get the correct fitment.'"
That was going to be the extent of his mods. "Who's going to modify an $80,000 Corvette?" he asks. "I honestly had my mind set on keeping the Z factory stock, except for the wheels. I even told my buddies in the Brooklyn Vettes car club, 'I'm not touching this car with mods.'"
In April 2007, he swapped out his wheels again--this time for a set of West Coast Corvette's 946 EXT Forged Series. "I was so happy with its new look that I took it to a Corvette-only car show in Long Island and won Third Place," he recalls.
When he returned home from the event, however, he felt different about his Z. As he looked it over--front to rear, engine bay, and interior--he began to imagine all the ways he could customize it. "I was bitten by the mod bug at the car show…bitten good," he says.
To inspire his imagination, he bought a 1?18-scale model C6 and used it as a canvas, drawing stripes on it until he found the look. "I loved the hash marks on the '07 Ron Fellows ALMS GT1 Edition Z, and the black hood stripe on the '08 Limited Edition Z," he explains. "In early 2008, I had a local shop paint both of them on my car. I earned a First Place soon after."
The better the Corvette looked to him, however, the more he felt it demanded more power. Before long he enlisted the experts at Cartek Performance Engineering in Garwood, New Jersey, who installed the company's signature LS7X cam and a set of its LS7X heads. "They were hand-ported and polished by my buddies Paulie Salerno, Jimmy McQuade, and Phil Melzack at Brooklyn Vettes," he says.
Then it was time for the Vette to make the journey to American Racing Headers in Long Island, where it got a set of 1-7/8-inch long-tube headers and an X-style crossover with integrated high-flow catalytic converters (mated to an existing Corsa Sport 3-inch after-cat exhaust). Afterwards, it was back to Cartek for custom tuning and dyno testing, which confirmed the Z was putting out 550-plus horsepower at the rear wheels.
Over the course of the next two show seasons, Crisafi racked up 30-plus First Place awards in Tri-State–area car shows, but that merely whetted his appetite for even more mods. In 2009, he color-coordinated the Z's cabin with Velocity Yellow custom seat and interior trim and a DS Vettes custom steering wheel, which were sewn and installed by Automat in Hicksville, New York.
Was he finished?
"Not even close," he says.
As a prelude to the 2010 show season, Crisafi took the Vette to Checkers Auto Appearance Center in Egg Harbor, New Jersey, for a host of exterior and engine-bay appearance upgrades. "I was already earning First Places at every show I entered," he says. "I wanted to [take] my car to the next level--a real show stopper," he says.
Checkers owner Steve Amadio suggested backlit Z06 emblems, which he made by cutting the outlines of the factory Z06 cloisonné badges from the Corvette's carbon-fiber fenders, installing flush-mount acrylic inserts, airbrushing them with the Z06 logo, and illuminating them with LED bars. Crisafi controls the light show with programmable switches mounted inside the glovebox. "Not only can I light the Z06 emblems with a flick of the switch, but I can flash them fast or slow, and fade them in or out," he says.
Checkers then turned up the heat on the Z's engine-bay aesthetics, including ceramic-coating the long-tubes to match the red color of the silicone hoses that Crisafi had previously installed, painting the fuel rails Velocity Yellow (complete with Corvette and 427 callouts, and a carbon-fiber-style center band), airbrushing checkered-flag designs on the Callaway Honker CAI airbox and radiator cover, installing stainless-steel covers, and more. When they were done, the underhood area was ready to take on all comers.
Amadio and his team then added one-off details to the Corvette's exterior: airbrushing Z06 logos onto the headlight assemblies' inserts, applying carbon-fiber-style hydrographics to the headlight pods, and painting the wheel drums black, with a contrasting Corvette logo on each in Velocity Yellow.
Final touches were performed by a local craftsman who goes by the moniker "J.T." He applied hand-pinstriping on the door coves and a "Skream'n Bee" logo on the rear-bumper cover.
To date, Crisafi's Z has tallied more than 40 First Place show awards--and he's proven his Z has as much go as show by storming the (Englishtown, New Jersey) Raceway Park quarter-mile strip in 11.1 seconds.
What does the future hold for this zippy Z? "I've taken many First Places and Best of Shows, and I really feel I've transformed my Corvette into a rolling work of art," Crisafi concludes. "Beyond that, I've been blessed with the best honor a Corvette owner can ever wish for--I'm in VETTE magazine!"
What can we say to top that except, "Never argue with a cop"?
Lou Crisafi thanks Ed Gentile from TKO Performance in Long Island, who helped him with parts and advice.
Spec Sheet
|Lou Crisafi; Brooklyn, NY
|Stock cast aluminum with pressed-in cylinder sleeves and six-bolt, forged-steel main bearing caps
|427 ci
|Compression Ratio
|Cartek LS7X aluminum with Comp 921 valvesprings, titanium retainers, steel locators, and new valve seals; hand porting and polishing by Brooklyn Vettes
|2.20 titanium/1.61 sodium-filled
|Cartek LS7X cam (227/242-deg duration, 0.608/0.610-in lift, 116-deg LSA)
|Rocker Arms
|1.8-ratio, offset (intake only)
|Stock hypereutectic aluminum
|Stock forged steel
|Stock forged titanium
|Intake Manifold
|Stock composite
|Throttle Body
|Ported stock 90mm
|Fuel Pump
|Stock coil-near-plug, GM Performance Parts high-performance wires, NGK TR55 plugs
|Engine Management
|Stock ECU with Cartek race-performance tune
|Exhaust System
|American Racing long-tube headers (ceramic coated by Checker Auto) with 1.875-in primaries, X-style crossover with integrated high-flow catalytic converters, Corsa Sport Exhaust
|Stock TR-6060 six-speed manual
|Stock replacement
|Front Suspension
|Rear Suspension
|Front Brakes
|Stock six-piston calipers with cross-drilled rotors
|Rear Brakes
|Stock four-piston calipers with cross-drilled rotors
|West Coast Corvette 946 chrome, 18x9.5/19x12 (front/rear)
|Front Tires
|Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar Extended Mobility, 285/35ZR18
|Rear Tires
|Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar Extended Mobility, 325/30ZR19
|Fuel Octane
|3,175 lbs
|Best ET/MPH
|Current Mileage
|Miles Driven Weekly
|Approximately 30

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Norman Burton
Lieu de naissance : North Sydney
Date de décès : 21 janvier 2013
With heartfelt sadness we announce the passing of our father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother and uncle on Monday, Jan. 21, 2013, at the Northside General Hospital, surrounded by his family.
Born in North Sydney, he was the son of the late William and Catherine Burton.
He was employed for 46 years at Angel Manufacturing in North Sydney.
He enjoyed fishing, hunting and long walks in the woods. He had a love of woodworking and enjoyed yearly family camping vacations.
Norm is survived by his children, Judy (Herb) Watters, Jack (Darlene) Burton, Betty Mansfield, Pauline Burton, Brenda (Russie) Gordon; grandchildren, Lea-ann (Sheldon) Stone, Jim, Kelly (Marc) MacDougal, Mark (Sienna) Watters, Danielle (Josh) Burton, Ryan Mansfield, Rob (Caelin) Gordon and Jen (Adam) Gordon; his great-grandchildren, Kayla, Haley, Luke, Lily and Jack. He is also survived by his sisters, Ruth and Carol; brother-in-law, Fraser (Red) Way; as well as several nieces and nephews.
Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his wife, Elva (Way) Burton, son, Jimmy, grandson, Kyle Burton in infancy, son-in-law Lawrence Mansfield, four sisters, Clara, Edna, Dorothy and Marjorie, two brothers, Bill and Gord.
Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Memorial donations made be made to St. John the Baptist Anglican Church.
He will live on in our hearts forever.
Online condolences may be sent to our web page at www.chantfuneralhome.com.


text:
The John Murray Show Tuesday 17 September 2013
A lively mix of entertainment, human interest and lifestyle features with Miriam O'Callaghan.
Miriam's first guests this morning are four fine guitar players, Brian Bolger, Pat Brunnock, Tomás Ó Durcáin & John O'Shea, also known as the Dublin Guitar Quartet. www.dublinguitarquartet.com
Upcoming tour dates.....
Month of September 13th Headfort House, Kells / 14th Chapter House, St.Mary's Cathedral Kilkenny / 19th Riverbank Theatre, Newbridge / 20th Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray /21st Nenagh Arts Centre, Tipperary / 22nd Spiritstore, Dundalk / 28th Triskel Christchurch, Cork
October 5th South Studios, Dublin / 6th The Model, Sligo
With over 70 cookery books to her name, one selling over a million copies, Mary Berry has been a familiar presence in Magazine & on TV for decades. Also a judge on the Great British Bake Off, Mary joins Miriam this morning to talk about her autobioghraphy, 'Recipe for Life'.
Joining Miriam on the line this morning are crime writer, Ian Rankin & Donal Gallagher, brother of Rory, to tell us about the very interesting project 'Kickback City' they have collaborated on.
Kickback City is a CD, a live CD, Ian Rankin's novella, Graphics by Timothy Truman & an audio CD with a recording of Aidan Quinn reading the story. It will be released in October.
Who could refuse the chance to star with the world's favourite mammy, Agnes Brown, as she makes her debut at the movies! Among her chosen boys will be Joe Duffy, Shane Byrne, Simon Delaney & of course, Eamonn Holmes who joins Miriam on the line this morning.
Alex Ferguson will be in Dublin, Friday 8th November, for a public interview with TV presenter & Manchester United fan, Eamonn Holmes. It is a ticket only evening event starting at 19.30 at the National Convention Centre, Dublin. Tickets on sale Sept 17th from www.easons.com
Call: 01-2083257, 01-2083971, 01-2082339
Text: 51551
Presenter: Dave Fanning


text:
Melbourne to Paris Business Class Flights
Cheap business class flights from Melbourne to Paris, France. Compare first class flights from Melbourne to Paris. Prices are a guide not quotes and are subject to availability. Information on this destination - Visit the Paris Holidays Guide
Melbourne to Paris Air Travel
Information on airlines (and their partners) that fly to Paris, France.
Deals Listed on this page are current cheap airfares to Paris, France. These may be the cheapest flights and discount airfares to Paris . Prices may vary according to your desired departure date. Prices should be assumed to exclude taxes unless otherwise stated. Find cheap flights to Paris from other Australian cities. Cheap Flights from Melbourne to Paris on Qantas and more - browse all discounts and specials.


text:
Sea conditions have not been the best over the past week
Sea conditions have not been the best over the past week but the few fishable days did produce black bass, false albacore, African pompano, cobia, amberjack, blackfin tuna, king mackerel and wahoo offshore. Surf fishing has started to see some sea mullet and black drum.
Terry Smith reports that speckled trout and red drum are being caught on the sound side. Surf fishing is producing puffers and some sea mullet as well. Black drum are being caught at the south end. Source: East Coast Sports.
Tex Grissom reports that inshore fishing is producing speckled trout up to 3.6 pounds. Some red drum are being caught in the creeks and in the river. Some sea mullet are being caught in the surf. Amberjacks are being caught offshore. Source: Tex's Tackle.
Capt. Dennis Barbour reports that speckled trout and red drum are being caught in the creeks and in the river. Source: Island Tackle and Hardware.
Capt. Rick Croson reports that seas continue to be rough but they have produced a couple of tough but fishable days. Wahoo and blackfin tuna are being caught trolling at the Steeples area, while wahoo and king mackerel are being caught north around the Same Ole. Jigging is producing amberjacks, lots of false albacore, African pompano and some cobia. The water temps are pretty cold all the way to the break, but warms to 70-71.5 degrees once you cross the 30 fathom line. Source: Living Waters Guide Service.
Captain Brant McMullan reports that sea bass and dog sharks are being caught out to 100 feet of water. Wahoo and blackfin tuna are being caught along the break. Source: Ocean Isle Fishing Center.


text:
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Nate Robinson gave the Golden State Warriors a boost when Stephen Curry left the game after aggravating an injury.
David Lee scored 25 points, Robinson added 21 and the Warriors beat the road-weary Dallas Mavericks 111-87 on Saturday night.
"I fed off the crowd and my teammates," Robinson said. "It just made it easy and it's fun. Basketball is fun. I try to win for my teammates and to get everybody involved, run the show and fill in for Steph or Monta."
Monta Ellis added 20 points and eight assists for the Warriors, who won their second straight from Dallas following a six-game losing streak. Klay Thompson had 13 points in the Warriors largest margin of victory this season.
"Nate is a great spark plug for us," Lee said. "He brings a lot of energy, and he did a great job. A couple of the biggest plays he made were on loose balls when we were up 10 or 12, and he was able to come up with the ball that lead to a fast break."
Dirk Nowitzki scored 22 points to lead the Mavericks, who lost their seventh straight on the road, including three in the past three nights. Jason Terry added 15 points and Rodrigue Beaubois had 12 as Dallas suffered its worst loss of the season.
"We're just not playing well enough to win games," Mavericks' forward Lamar Odom said. "The chemistry is not there right now. We'll pick it up, this is a veteran team. Sometimes you have to take your lumps. We can bounce back."
Curry, making his first start since returning from a tendon sprain in his right foot, added 10 points before leaving the game with 6:59 remaining to play in the third quarter with a mild sprain in his right ankle.
Curry limped to the end of the bench and slammed his right hand into a chair, more out of frustration than pain, before taking a seat. His foot was re-taped and he remained on the bench.
"I just had a reaction because it's frustrating being the same ankle," Curry said. "I probably could have gone in and played but we had the game under control at that point, and knowing we have a game tomorrow in L.A., I had to keep that in mind."
The Warriors never trailed in the game, taking a 20-point lead when Robinson made a pair of foul shots early in the final period.
Ellis and Robinson combined for 25 points in the third quarter to help the Warriors carry an 83-66 advantage into the fourth.
"It was tough but I'm not going to make any excuses about the schedule," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "We were 8 for 25 shooting in the paint in the first half. Those were great opportunities and we didn't cash in. Ellis made some unbelievable shots in the third quarter. It was a bad combination."
The Warriors got off to a much better start against the Mavericks than they did three days earlier against Memphis, when they fell behind by 17 points in the first quarter.
Lee was 6 of 10 from the field and scored 13 of his points in the opening period to help the Warriors open an 11-point advantage.
"He was aggressive, setting screens, posting up, forcing one of the best players in the world to play defense," Warriors' coach Mark Jackson said of Lee. "He really set the tone early for us, which was big."
NOTES: The Mavericks finished a stretch of nine games in 12 days. … Terry appeared in his 1,000th game, becoming the 17th active player to do so. … Mavs C Brendan Haywood missed his fourth game with a sprained ankle. … The Mavericks completed their first back-to-back-to-back games since April 20-22, 1999. … Mavs G Jason Kidd was given the night off and was not in uniform. "It was the right move to sit him," Carlisle said. "It's tough to play without him but we have to look at it on a big picture basis."… The Warriors recorded their ninth sellout of the season. … Curry recorded a steal before leaving in the third quarter for career No. 300.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


text:
ISLE ROYALE, Mich. (AP) — A 55-year-old man has died while scuba diving to a shipwreck at Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior.
Park officials say Lloyd W. Krohn of Wyoming, Minn., was among three divers planning to explore a Canadian cargo vessel called the Kamloops, which sank in 1927. Shortly after reaching their target depth of about 200 feet, the other divers noticed that Krohn was having trouble.
They sent Krohn to the surface, where he was spotted by crew members with the charter boat they had taken. He was not breathing when pulled aboard.
Park superintendent Phyllis Green says the Kamloops is considered a dive for experts because it's so far down. The shipwreck has been closed temporarily while Krohn's death is investigated. Green says an autopsy was planned.
(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


text:
CARY – Six buildings at the former Camp Algonquin site are to be demolished, the McHenry County Conservation District's board has decided.
The conservation district is in the midst of developing a final master plan for the site and the Fox Bluff Conservation Area, in which it is located.
Six of the 12 buildings at the Camp Algonquin site have been considered for possible preservation, but the other six are in poor condition and haven't been used for many years, according to the district staff's recommendation to the board.
The Historic Preservation Commission also verified that the buildings are not of historical value, the recommendation said.
Some of the other six buildings – the recreation hall, dining hall, dairy barn and three dormitories – also eventually may be demolished.
Four preliminary plans were presented to the board and the public in late February. Each of the plans proposes keeping one of the buildings.
The "preferred plan" and one of the other options recommend keeping the recreation hall and demolishing the other buildings.
Another option proposes keeping the dairy barn as a "visual feature of the past agrarian landscape," and the other proposes saving the dining hall.
The staff is in the process of preparing a final master plan based on the input to present to the board at its June 20 meeting for approval.
Because the district doesn't have the funding to implement the master plan, the proposed budget for the coming fiscal year includes money to maintain the six buildings not set for demolition.
Camp Algonquin, an 116-acre campground and nature area, was established in 1907. In 2004, the land was sold to the McHenry County Conservation District and was leased by the YMCA from 2005 until it closed in 2011.


text:
Snadno spravujte portfolio produktů Citrix z cloudu. Zjednodušte řízení aplikací, desktopů, obsahu, zařízení a sítě.
Together, Google and Citrix are uniquely positioned to offer today's enterprise a set of innovative solutions that enable the realization of the new mobile workspace. There are millions of organizations running Google Apps, over one billion Android-based devices and hundreds of millions of Chrome browser users. As a result, Google's market presence is unmatched. And Citrix brings its own strengths including strong enterprise customer reach, a large reseller channel network, and market leadership across enterprise mobility management, app and desktop virtualization and networking and cloud orchestration. This partnership builds on a natural alignment on enabling people to both work better and live better.
Webinar: Chrome OS & Citrix: Simplify Endpoint Management and VDI Strategy
Learn how Citrix and Chrome combines the security, productivity, and controls of Chrome Enterprise with an industry-leading application virtualization solution from Citrix.
Google and Citrix empower organizations to provide secure, scalable, app-centric, mobile workspace solutions that deliver an exceptional user experience. This allows IT to future proof its investment and deployment strategy.
Citrix Receiver for Chrome enables organizations to easily provision, centrally manage and deliver enterprise apps and data with the highest security over any network on any Chrome-based device. This provides users with a high-performance experience to maximize personal productivity from any location.
XenMobile delivers a complete Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solution to the world's leading mobile platform by offering complete support for Android-based tablets, smartphones and desktops. XenMobile delivers end-to-end security with FIPS compliant solutions for mobile environments supporting Android devices. XenMobile is unique in the ability to offer consistent security and policies across all mobile device platforms including Android.
With complementary visions and strategies, Google and Citrix will continue to partner and innovate across app virtualization, mobility and cloud to redefine the future of end user computing.
Overall the combination of Google Apps, Citrix and Chrome devices delivers on the Woolworths technology strategy, providing our staff with the right tools, available on the right device, accessible from the right location.


text:
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington
IU Bloomington
Your cover letter is the first writing sample a prospective employer will see. Learn the essentials of this marketing piece which introduces your resume. It's so important to customize your letters since templates are counter productive and off putting to employers. This workshop will provide you with the tools to craft effective cover letters that get noticed. Lunch will be provided to those who RSVP on Symplicity.
Please try refreshing your browser window.
If problems persist, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
The Kentucky WIldcats are back in the top ten in this week's Associated Press College Poll. The Cats are ranked 8th by AP, a jump of nine spots from last week, but only 13th in the USA Today Coaches Poll also released Sunday.
Ohio State has risen - all the way to No 1.
A day after the top two teams in the AP Top 25 lost, the
Buckeyes jumped two spots Sunday in the media poll and became the
third school this season to hold the No. 1 ranking.
"We've improved each week but we understand that the only poll
that counts is the last one," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said in
a statement.
The Buckeyes (7-0) beat Kent State 48-3 Saturday and have played
only one team that's been in the rankings at any point this season.
In a season in which 10 ranked teams have been beaten by unranked
teams, just avoiding the upset bug has been enough for Ohio State.
Ohio State was No. 1 last season from preseason until the final
poll, when the Buckeyes dropped to No. 2 after losing the BCS
national championship game to Florida.
An unpredictable season took a new twist Saturday when LSU, in
its second week as No. 1, was upset 43-37 in triple overtime by
Kentucky. A few hours later, California, poised to move up one spot
to No. 1 with a victory, lost at home 31-28 to Oregon State.
It was the first time in 11 years the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the
AP poll lost on the same day.
The Buckeyes received 50 of a possible 65 first-place votes, and
were not the only team to advance. South Florida, which had never
been ranked before this season, moved up three spots to No. 2,
leapfrogging No. 3 Boston College.
The Bulls received 11 first-place votes after a 64-12 victory
over Central Florida. BC's workmanlike 27-14 victory over Notre
Dame helped get the Eagles one first-place votes. No. 4 Oklahoma
and No. 5 LSU each received one first-place vote, as did No. 12
Arizona State.
The last time six teams received first-place votes after the
first month of the season was Nov. 25, 1990.
The rest of the top 10 was No. 6 South Carolina, followed by
Oregon, Kentucky, West Virginia and Cal, which slipped eight spots
to No. 10.
Virginia Tech was No. 11, followed by Arizona State and Southern
California, which fell another three spots to No. 13.
USC was the preseason No. 1, but lost the top ranking three
weeks ago after a lackluster victory at Washington. The Trojans
slipped to No. 10 last week after being upset by Stanford.
Florida was No. 14, followed by Kansas and Missouri, which were
tied at No. 15. Hawaii, Auburn, Texas and Tennessee rounded out the
top 20.
Georgia, Texas Tech, Cincinnati, Michigan and Kansas State were
the final five.
Michigan started the season at No. 5 and fell all the way out
after an opening loss to Appalachian State. The Wolverines have won
five straight after starting the season 0-2.
Texas Tech is making its first appearance in the poll this
season. Dropping out this week were Wisconsin, Illinois and Florida
UK Ranked 8th AP, 13th USA Today
The Kentucky WIldcats are back in the top ten in this week's Associated Press College Poll. The Cats are ranked 8th by AP, a jump of nine spots from last week, but only 13th in the USA Today Coaches Poll also released Sunday.


text:
Celtic8 - Clip Art
SKU: Celtic8 Clip Art
Our International clip art gallery features this Celtic decoration graphic for use on any of our custom products or engraved gift items. Personalize a plaque for your church or religious association, or use these emblems for wedding or party favors. We have a variety of memorials, plaques, awards, trophies, keepsakes and more that are ready to customize for anyone on your gift list. Remember, all custom items ship for free.
Our Celtic8 clip art will look beautiful on:
Our Celtic8 clip art will look beautiful on:
Memorial Granite Stone
Plastic Sign
Bamboo Sign


text: Looking for a year-end donation? A group of longtime supporters of the Medfield Animal Shelter has once again offered to match every dollar that is donated to the nonprofit facility through Jan. 15, up to a cap of $20,000. The tax-deductible donation can be sent to the Medfield Animal Shelter, PO Box 271, Medfield, MA 02052, and should include a note that it is in conjunction with the Matching Challenge Grant. Donations can also be made online at www.medfieldshelter.com, where visitors can see the pets waiting for homes in the New Year. The donations cover the cost of spaying or neutering every dog, cat, and rabbit placed by the shelter, and allow the facility to bring in pets, on a space-available basis, from other shelters across the state that would otherwise have euthanized the animals. The shelter is off of West Street at 101 Old Bridge St. If you plan to visit, call first, because holiday hours vary. The phone number is 508-359-8989.


text:
And then there's....YOU!
That's right, where would we be without our awe-inspiring participants. Whether you have been with Chana and I since the JDE challenge days or you just moved into our neighborhood, we truly appreciate every one of you who plays in our neighborhood! You really are extremely talented artists as evidenced by the struggle to choose just one weekly winner! Your thoughtful and kindhearted comments every week keep us motivated and make us feel oh so appreciated! So with all of that said let's see who won last weeks challenge!
Please contact us at email@example.com to claim your prize.
Challenge #51 Winner
Please contact us at email@example.com to claim your prize.
Top 3
(in no particular order)
(in no particular order)
Honorable Mentions
Our Sponsor this week is the ever generous
This week's challenge is Anything Goes
and the twist is to use
BLACK and your favorite color.
and the twist is to use
BLACK and your favorite color.
using Old Snow Star
using Stocking Santa ornament
using Happy New Year to Ewe
using Happy Birthday to Ewe
using Dotty's Birthday
using Laugh sentiment
using Cupcake Word Block
using SCM January
using Right Beside You


text: Brainstorming as a method requires a lot of activity. One��s creativity is fueled by the ideas of other participants and a "storm of thoughts" is triggered. But like in any other creative process, one hits certain plateaus when the flow of ideas just ceases. Here are some ideas, how a brainstorming session can be put back on track:


text:
This year's sponsor Caddy, had a commercial that talked about re-inventing the blue blooded look. I'm not sure if Dallas IFF 2011 did that, but it sure was a wild ride. Take a peak at Dallas IFF 2011 with PSD's photographer Derrick Williams and his adventure along the Red Carpet.
Dallas IFF 2011 – A Photographer's Showcase19 04 2011
Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: 8, A Seizure By Nathan Jones, Arthur, Bret Curry, Cadillac, Candice Reisser, Cannes Film Festival, Chris Gardner, Composer Theodore Shapiro, DALLAS IFF 2011, Daniel Laabs, Derrick T. Williams, Derrick Williams, Director Blake Calhoun, Director Blake Rowan, Director Charles Son, Director Clay Jeter, Director Dave Boyle, Director Ian Power, Director Tanner Beard, Director Ya'Ke Smith, George Wada, Glenn Morshower, Goh Nakamura, James Faust, Jess + Moss, Julie Gould, Katrina's Son, Laurie McNair, Lee Clay, Logan Gould, Mallory Carrick, Michael Armbruster, Narcissism and Me, Nathan Jones, Photographer, Producer Brendan McDonald, Producer Farah White, Producer Macdara Kelleher, Protect the Nation, Russell Brand, Ryan Lee, Sarah Hagan, Shawn Ku, Spilt Milk, Summer Glau, Surrogate Valentine, The Legend of Hell's Gate: An American Conspiracy, The Runway, Wolf, Writer Dan Bower
Categories : Dallas, DIFF 2011, Film
DIFF 2011 – Exclusive Interview with Director Julie Gould and Actress Logan Gould of "8"8 04 2011
Gadi Elkon with Pearl Snap Discount.com interviews writer/director Julie Gould about her short film, "8" . Gadi also talks to Julie's daughter, Logan, who is the star of the movie. Video Interview after the Jump.
Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: 8, Bret Curry, DALLAS IFF 2011, Daniel Laabs, Julie Gould, Logan Gould, Short Film, Shorts Program 1, Texas Short Film Competition
Categories : Dallas, DIFF 2011, Film, Interview, Pearl Snap Friday
Dallas IFF Opening Night – Videos with GHOSTBREAKERS and TRAVELING1 04 2011
Video with the Team behind Ghostbreakers and The Director and Producer of Traveling. Enjoy…
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: Arianne Martin, Benjamin Wilbanks, Bret Curry, Bryan Massey, Farah White, Gabriel Horn, GhostBreakers, Justin Hilliard, Melissa Odom, Michael Weis, Nate Rubin, Rachel Shepherd, Reece Rios, Tom Huckabee, TRAVELING
Categories : Dallas, DIFF 2011, Film, Interview, Pearl Snap Friday, Television
Dallas IFF 2011 Short Film Programs30 03 2011
Still shot from "8" Short Film Directed by Julie Gould and Daniel Laabs.
The Short Film categories at the DALLAS IFF spread across numerous genres and styles. In this post we'll take a look at the 2 Short film programs as well as the Documentary Shorts and Animation Shorts section.
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: 39-A: A Travel Tale of Interminable, 8, A Seizure By Nathan Jones, Alois Di Leo, Ariel Kleiman, Bad Dads, Blair Rowan, Bret Curry, C.R. Reisser, Charles Son, Chihiro Amemiya, Chinatown, Chris Gardner, Closed for Storm: Six Flags New Orleans, Crazy Beats Strong Every Time, DALLAS IFF 2011, Damian Nenow, Daniel Laabs, David Lowery, Deeper Than Yesterday, Derek Westerman, Emily Carmichael, Evan Mather, Ex-Sex, Facebook, Friday Night Lights, Gilles Cuvelier, Grandpa's Wet Dream, Green Crayons, Jacob Womack, Jason Kovacsev, Jonas Odell, Julie Gould, Jupiter Elicius, Just About Famous, Kazik Radwanski, Kelly Richardt, Kelly Sears, Kristen Riley, Lake Bell, Leon Chambers, Lipsett Diaries, Logan Gould, Love Patate, Matt Mamula, Michael Cera, Michael Mohan, Moon Molson, Myles Brooks, Narcissism & Me, Paths of Hate, Pioneer, Protect the Nation, Robert Machoian, Robert Towne, Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck, Ru Kuwahata, Something Left Something Taken, Sonny's BBQ, South Africa, St. Nick, Stanley Pickle, Teddy Smith, Texas Filmmaker Award, The Boy Who Wanted to Be A Lion, The High Level Bridge, The Hunter and The Swan Discuss Their Meeting, The Long Lonely Walk, Theodore Ushev, Tony Coelho, Trevor Anderson, Tussilago, Vicky Mather, Waiting Room, Will Oldham, Worst Enemy, Xenophobic
Categories : Dallas, DIFF 2011, Film


text:
If you read my column that ran in today's paper and is on the website, you would see how coach Tony Sparano believes he has three receivers on the roster whose roles are well defined. Beyond that, Sparano said, "the waters start to get muddy."
How muddy?
Well, today Ernest Wilford and Derek Hagan are both inactive for this game against Houston.
Anyway, we'll be blogging live starting in the comments section here. We'll move to a new post at the start of every quarter and jump to the comments section there.


text:
Criminal charges were dropped against a man doctors say admitted to fatally stabbing his grandfather and attacking his grandmother in April 2010.
All criminal charges were dropped against a man doctors say admitted to fatally stabbing his grandfather and attacking his grandmother in Sapphire in April 2010. Transylvania County Superior Court Judge Mark Powell ruled Thursday that the defendant did not know that what he was doing was wrong at the time of the crime.
Connor Smith was 22 when police say he went on a rampage that ended in his grandfather's death, grandmother's hospitalization and his arrest. He was charged with first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill while inflicting serious injury, attempted first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping.
His lawyer says Smith will "never be tried on his criminal charges." Two doctors testified that Smith was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic months before the attack.
The judge used the M'Naghten Rule — a litmus test for criminal insanity cases in North Carolina — to find that Smith was insane at the time of the offense and, therefore, could not be held criminally responsible for the wrongdoing.
With the help of medication, Smith was found competent to attend a motion hearing Thursday, according to his attorney, Tony Dalton.
Smith's charges were "dismissed with prejudice," Dalton said, meaning that Smith "cannot be tried criminally for any of those actions."
Smith was committed to a hospital for further treatment and assessment. He is expected to remain in the hospital until a judge finds that Smith is no longer a threat to himself or others.
"But his criminal case is over," Dalton added.
Smith's charges stemmed from what police have said was an attack on his grandfather, 80-year-old Talbert Smith, and his grandmother, Bettye Smith, at their Laurel Wood Court residence in Sapphire on April 19, 2010.
Smith's grandmother told the Times-News in 2010 that her grandson was off of his medications and "just went crazy" that night.
"What he did to us was not Connor," she said, adding that she attributed the crime to her grandson's mental illness.
Dr. George Corvin, a psychiatrist in Raleigh, and Dr. Pete Sansbury, a psychologist in Asheville, testified that Connor Smith was insane at the time of the offense, according to Dalton.
"At the time of the alleged offense... they said Mr. Smith was a paranoid schizophrenic," Dalton said, adding that Smith had been hospitalized in institutions in California and Georgia.
Dalton said Corvin testified that Smith admitted to the attacks, but said he was "doing what he thought God wanted him to do."
Signs and symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia typically hit people in their late adolescence to mid-30s, according to the Mayo Clinic, which defines paranoid schizophrenia as "one of several types of schizophrenia, a chronic mental illness in which a person... (starts) having delusions and hearing things that aren't real."
Night of the attack
Connor Smith called his grandparents after he returned to the United States from London on a study program through college about a week before the attack. Bettye Smith told the Times-News in 2010 that he seemed normal that week. The three attended church that Sunday morning.
Around 5 p.m. Monday, Connor Smith hit her in the head with a two-by-four in the kitchen of Bettye Smith's home. He attempted to suffocate her after she fell on the floor, she said, adding that she forced herself to relax, thinking that she was in her last moments on Earth.
Bettye Smith was tied up with a rope and packing tape. She said Connor Smith went into the den and watched TV. She was able to loosen her restraints and pulled a knife from a kitchen drawer to sever her bonds.
She said she ran out of the house and drove their golf cart to a parking lot outside of the gated community. She saw a car window open, reached in and blew the horn several times until a security guard arrived.
Deputies of the Transylvania County Sheriff's Office found her husband's body outside of the home. He suffered at least eight stab wounds to his chest, abdomen and back, an autopsy revealed.
The couple, who had a home in Florida, had been coming to the Sapphire home as a seasonal retreat for the past 20 years.
Dalton said Bettye Smith was in court Thursday and testified for the defense, saying she'd forgiven Connor Smith and thought a hospital would be the best thing for him.
"This is a tragedy," Dalton said. "His grandmother and his mother were both in court. It's a very sad occasion when you've lost a father or a husband and you have a son who seemed to have a very bright future... who develops a mental illness."
"This is one of the more classic cases of insanity that I've ever been exposed to," added Dalton, a Henderson County native who has practiced law since 1981.
He said Connor Smith is lucky because he has a family who loves him and supports him. His family visited him regularly during his detention at the Transylvania County jail.
Connor Smith was enrolled in college at the time of the attacks.
"He had a bright future and who knows what his future will bring, but at least he won't have a murder charge on him," Dalton said.
Reach Weaver at email@example.com or 828-694-7867.


text:
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Transit officials say a man has been struck and killed by a train on a Philadelphia subway line.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority says the man was hit by a northbound train on the Broad Street line around 9 a.m. Friday. SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch says it wasn't immediately clear why the man was on the tracks.
SEPTA ran shuttle buses between two stations in north Philadelphia for about two hours while police investigated. Normal service has resumed, but there have been some delays.
Philadelphia police and SEPTA are investigating the accident. The name of the 38-year-old victim has not been released.


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Now that basically all playoff spots are known, here are my picks. This is assuming the Yankees win the AL east, and Texas wins the AL west.
NL Wild Card Play In: STL over ATL (STL with better hitting)
AL Wild Card Play In: A's over Orioles ( A's with better starting pitching)
NLDS: STL over WSH (STL with better hitting, experience)
NLDS: SF over CIN (CIN with no offense)
ALDS: NYY over DET (NYY better offense, DET pitching weak, offense weak)
ALDS: A's over TEX (TEX pitching weak)
NLCS: SF over STL
ALCS: NYY over A's
World Series: NYY over SF
Not what I want to see, but what I think will happen.