Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica
Sports Quote of the Day:
"Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have." ~ Author Unknown
Bostic gets chance at middle linebacker.
AP Sports
Jonathan Bostic hopes to make the most of his opportunity.
The Chicago Bears have been known for middle linebackers from Bill George to Dick Butkus to Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher.
The Chicago Bears have been known for middle linebackers from Bill George to Dick Butkus to Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher.
Now Bostic, a rookie from Florida with a reputation for big plays and big hits, makes his first NFL start Sunday against the Washington Redskins in place of D.J. Williams, who is out for the season with a ruptured pectoral tendon.
''Every week I'm preparing like I'm the starter, anyway,'' Bostic said Monday. ''It's just really the fact of how it kind of happened.
''You always hear 'next man up, anything can happen,' but the situation that happened, it's kind of like, man, these things really do happen.''
Williams went out against the New York Giants in the third quarter after trying to make a tackle. Bostic, a second-round pick, had started every preseason game because Williams suffered a pulled calf muscle early in training camp.
''He hasn't spent a lot of time out there but he has played,'' Bears coach Marc Trestman said.
''He's in the next-man-up situation, he doesn't have the experience certainly that D.J. has, but he has speed and he's an explosive young man.''
Bostic made an immediate impression in the preseason opener with an interception and TD return against Carolina.
''He's been with us a long time,'' Trestman said. ''He's been with us in the minicamps and training camp and he had a lot of playing time in the preseason.
''So having been with us and understanding what the NFL is about, six weeks will be a benefit to him.''
Bostic has had to make an adjustment to playing mostly zone pass defense with the Bears.
''Florida we were a big man-to-man team,'' he said. ''We just do more things differently than what we did at Florida.''
Bostic's education in the NFL involved more than a new system. He's had to curb the way he plays after drawing a $21,000 fine in preseason for a hit on San Diego wide receiver Mike Willie.
It was another example of Bostic trying for the big play, and he's learning the adjustment.
''You've got to let the big plays come to you,'' Bostic said. ''You can't try to go out there and try to force a big play because that's when mistakes happen.''
Bears cornerback Tim Jennings said the loss of Williams is difficult to overcome.
''He's played some good ball for us, but I'm excited about Bostic,'' Jennings said. ''I know he put on a show this preseason.
''I know a lot of guys are excited about Bostic, to see what he's going to be doing.''
The Bears' defense did receive some good news Monday when nose tackle Stephen Paea was able to practice for the first time since suffering a toe injury in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions.
''He worked out here today so we're optimistic,'' Trestman said. ''He'll have the rest of the day off and tomorrow and be ready to go.''
Defensive tackle remains the biggest Bears depth concern after losing Henry Melton and Nate Collins for the season to torn anterior cruciate ligaments.
In a roster move Monday, the Bears added defensive end Tracy Robertson to their practice squad, a spot that came open when defensive tackle Christian Tupou was moved to the 53-man roster.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Sharp, Blackhawks beat Carolina 3-2 in shootout.
By JOEDY McCREARY (AP Sports Writer)
(Note: CS&T/AA will post this flag for the rest of the season each time the Blackhawks win.)
Patrick Sharp always seems to leave Raleigh with some souvenirs for his family.
Sharp scored in the shootout after scoring his 200th career goal, helping the Chicago Blackhawks claim the 2,500th regular-season victory in club history with a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.
In one of his last visits here, he earned a car for being selected as MVP of the 2011 All-Star game and gave it to his brother.
His parents get the puck from the milestone goal. The stick and puck from the shootout are gifts for his new daughter, Sadie, who was born Sunday night.
''It's been a good building,'' Sharp quipped.
For Sharp, sure. But not for the Blackhawks - they hadn't won at PNC Arena until this one.
The defending Stanley Cup champions sure looked well on their way to an easy win early when Sharp and Marian Hossa scored 2:22 apart in the first period. But that 2-0 lead slipped away in the third before their third straight victory came in the tiebreaker.
''I'll take a win on the road any day of the week,'' coach Joel Quenneville said.
Corey Crawford finished with 32 saves, then stopped three Carolina shooters in the shootout.
After Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews came up empty, Sharp skated in slow on Cam Ward before beating him with a slick forehand in the third round.
''I haven't been very good in the shootout the last couple of years, and kind of looked at that over the summer and thought of possible moves - talked to Kaner a little bit,'' Sharp said. ''I don't have hands like Kaner, so the slower I go, the better mine get.''
Crawford then stuffed Jeff Skinner with his pads to end it, making the Blackhawks - who have won the Cup twice since 2010 - the last of the Original Six to reach the 2,500-win mark.
''With all the success we've had recently, it's fun to be a part of it,'' Quenneville said. ''It's been a special 5-6 years here, but when you look at the history, it's been a pretty special place to be.''
Alexander Semin and Ron Hainsey scored during Carolina's third-period rally.
Ward stopped 34 shots for Carolina, which wrapped up a winless three-game homestand against Western Conference teams but managed to earn two points for shootout losses during that stretch.
''I really like the way our leaders took charge tonight and kept everyone composed, and we went out and had a good second and third period, climbed back into it and tied the game,'' coach Kirk Muller said.
The Blackhawks appeared well on their way to an easy victory when they took that two-goal lead into the third.
Semin started Carolina's comeback with 16:06 left when he whipped in a rebound of Eric Staal's shot. Hainsey then tied it with 7:27 left when his blast from the blue line went through traffic - and between defenseman Michal Roszival's legs - on its way past Crawford.
But that was the last puck to get past the Chicago goalie.
''This was a heck of a hockey game,'' Muller said. ''The chances were there, we tried it and he came up with some big saves.''
The Blackhawks, who entered having scored more than two goals only once since the opener, scored twice in the opening minutes.
Sharp struck first with 12:04 left. He beat defenseman Brett Bellemore to the puck to create a breakaway chance, then beat Ward to his weak spot - high to his glove side - for his first goal.
Hossa made it 2-0 with 9:42 left, 3 seconds after a holding penalty to Staal expired. The Hurricanes whiffed on a clearing attempt and Hossa backhanded the puck past Ward's stick from between the circles.
But that was it for the Blackhawks until the shootout, although their lead could have been even bigger had Ward not stopped a pair of shooters from point-blank range just before time expired in the second.
''That might have made things a lot more comfortable,'' Quenneville said.
NOTES: Three of Carolina's five home games have been tied at the end of regulation. ... The Hurricanes are 0-2 in shootouts while Chicago improved to 1-1. ... Hainsey's goal was his first since March 12, 2011, when he was with Atlanta. ... Carolina fell to 7-2-1 against defending Cup champions since the start of the 2009-10 season. ... The teams met for the first time since Oct. 28, 2011.
In one of his last visits here, he earned a car for being selected as MVP of the 2011 All-Star game and gave it to his brother.
His parents get the puck from the milestone goal. The stick and puck from the shootout are gifts for his new daughter, Sadie, who was born Sunday night.
''It's been a good building,'' Sharp quipped.
For Sharp, sure. But not for the Blackhawks - they hadn't won at PNC Arena until this one.
''I'll take a win on the road any day of the week,'' coach Joel Quenneville said.
Corey Crawford finished with 32 saves, then stopped three Carolina shooters in the shootout.
After Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews came up empty, Sharp skated in slow on Cam Ward before beating him with a slick forehand in the third round.
''I haven't been very good in the shootout the last couple of years, and kind of looked at that over the summer and thought of possible moves - talked to Kaner a little bit,'' Sharp said. ''I don't have hands like Kaner, so the slower I go, the better mine get.''
''With all the success we've had recently, it's fun to be a part of it,'' Quenneville said. ''It's been a special 5-6 years here, but when you look at the history, it's been a pretty special place to be.''
Alexander Semin and Ron Hainsey scored during Carolina's third-period rally.
Ward stopped 34 shots for Carolina, which wrapped up a winless three-game homestand against Western Conference teams but managed to earn two points for shootout losses during that stretch.
''I really like the way our leaders took charge tonight and kept everyone composed, and we went out and had a good second and third period, climbed back into it and tied the game,'' coach Kirk Muller said.
The Blackhawks appeared well on their way to an easy victory when they took that two-goal lead into the third.
Semin started Carolina's comeback with 16:06 left when he whipped in a rebound of Eric Staal's shot. Hainsey then tied it with 7:27 left when his blast from the blue line went through traffic - and between defenseman Michal Roszival's legs - on its way past Crawford.
But that was the last puck to get past the Chicago goalie.
''This was a heck of a hockey game,'' Muller said. ''The chances were there, we tried it and he came up with some big saves.''
The Blackhawks, who entered having scored more than two goals only once since the opener, scored twice in the opening minutes.
Sharp struck first with 12:04 left. He beat defenseman Brett Bellemore to the puck to create a breakaway chance, then beat Ward to his weak spot - high to his glove side - for his first goal.
Hossa made it 2-0 with 9:42 left, 3 seconds after a holding penalty to Staal expired. The Hurricanes whiffed on a clearing attempt and Hossa backhanded the puck past Ward's stick from between the circles.
But that was it for the Blackhawks until the shootout, although their lead could have been even bigger had Ward not stopped a pair of shooters from point-blank range just before time expired in the second.
''That might have made things a lot more comfortable,'' Quenneville said.
NOTES: Three of Carolina's five home games have been tied at the end of regulation. ... The Hurricanes are 0-2 in shootouts while Chicago improved to 1-1. ... Hainsey's goal was his first since March 12, 2011, when he was with Atlanta. ... Carolina fell to 7-2-1 against defending Cup champions since the start of the 2009-10 season. ... The teams met for the first time since Oct. 28, 2011.
Just another Chicago Bulls Session... LeBron: 'Without MJ, there's no me'.
By Nick Wilder
Without Michael Jordan, there would never have been a LeBron James.
ESPN’s Chris Broussard interviewed James for his ESPN The Magazine article, and the four-time MVP discussed his thoughts on Jordan and his relationship with the former Bulls superstar.
When asked if he needed to win five or six championship rings to be compared to the likes of Kobe Bryant and Jordan, the Miami Heat star shared his opinion.
“I don't think about that,” James said to Broussard. “That really doesn't mean much to me. I don't play the catching game. I'm not trying to catch Magic (Johnson) or catch (Larry) Bird or catch Kobe. I'm into maximizing what I have while I have the opportunity to do it. I've played my first 10 years at a high level, and I'm trying to play my next 10 at a high level or as high as I can be.”
ESPN’s Chris Broussard interviewed James for his ESPN The Magazine article, and the four-time MVP discussed his thoughts on Jordan and his relationship with the former Bulls superstar.
When asked if he needed to win five or six championship rings to be compared to the likes of Kobe Bryant and Jordan, the Miami Heat star shared his opinion.
“I don't think about that,” James said to Broussard. “That really doesn't mean much to me. I don't play the catching game. I'm not trying to catch Magic (Johnson) or catch (Larry) Bird or catch Kobe. I'm into maximizing what I have while I have the opportunity to do it. I've played my first 10 years at a high level, and I'm trying to play my next 10 at a high level or as high as I can be.”
James also answered the question of whether Jordan is the greatest of all-time and if he can pass him.
“Yeah, that's who everyone puts as the best,” James said to Broussard. “But you're always going to have arguments, no matter what. People are going to like Jordan, people are going to like LeBron, people are going to like Kobe and so on, Magic, Bird ... But I don't really think about it too much and say, 'OK, I want to catch MJ.' I'm saying I want to be the greatest, and I think I have an opportunity to do it just because of my skill set and because I feel like I've got a lot of room to improve.
“But I definitely look at MJ as the greatest. Without MJ, there's no me. He gave me hope. He gave me inspiration as a kid. I still watch MJ tapes to this day. I was watching 'Come Fly With Me' and 'Jordan's Playground' and 'His Airness' on vacation earlier this summer. So I'm watching him all the time, trying to learn from him. I even watched a clip ... It was funny. I watched a clip last night when he had 51 while playing for Washington, the game after he scored in single digits. He put up 51 on the Hornets.”
In addition, James stated that he watches tape of former players frequently.
“A lot. A lot. I watch Jordan more than anybody, for sure,” James said to Broussard.
“But I'll watch tapes of (Allen Iverson) too. I don't take anything from AI. Well, I do — his will. They say he was six feet, but AI was like 5-foot-10 1/2. Do we even want to say 160? 170? Do we even want to give him that much weight? And he played like a 6-foot-8 two-guard. He was one of the greatest finishers we've ever seen. You could never question his heart. Ever. He gave it his all. AI was like my second favorite player growing up, after MJ.”
The two-time defending champion admits he wishes he and Jordan had more of a relationship.
“Ahhh, I mean, I don't know. That's a trick question. I do. I do at times,” James said to Broussard. “You know, he's somebody who I looked up to, and I've never had a conversation with him about the game. I would love to sit down with him and just know exactly what he was going through and know what was his mind frame throughout all his special years. Throughout his pains — you know, not being able to get past Detroit, then overcoming Detroit. Or asking him, ‘Why did you retire? What made you come back? What made you come back again?’ You know, everything that we all think we know. Just kind of having a sit-down conversation.
“And then also to hear him talk about me. I would like to know what he thinks about my game and ways I can get better. He probably thinks he can beat me 1-on-1 right now. I know he probably thinks that. I know MJ definitely thinks he can beat me 1-on-1 right now.”
James also shared his thoughts on why they haven’t developed a relationship.
“I think it's just being busy. Obviously, I'm busy. MJ has a lot going on,” James said to Broussard. “I don't know the reasons, but it's never been sparked. I've seen him at times. Of course, I've met him a few times. I went to his 50th birthday party at All-Star weekend. I went to his party to show respect and pay homage to the greatest. I had a conversation with him there. Obviously, there were a lot of people there. But I don't know. I don't know.”
Sox continue to grind out improbable wins vs. Tigers.
By Sean McAdam
They've yet to get a hit before the fifth inning. They've struck out 42 times in three games. At times, getting the ball out of the infield has represented a moral victory of sorts.
And yet, somehow, someway, the Red Sox lead the American League Championship Series two games to one.
How is that possible? It's certainly not probable.
For innings at a time, their bats seem allergic to the baseball, avoiding contact at all costs.
Until the seventh inning Tuesday, when Mike Napoli drove a pitch from Justin Verlander out to left-center, they hadn't led for the entire series (excepting the win in Game 2, which came in the bottom of the ninth).
If this were a fight, the Red Sox would have lost nearly every round on the judges' scorecards, but managed to find themselves unanimous winners after the final bell. The Sox keep absorbing the body blows, but avoiding the knockouts.
The boxing metaphor is more apt than you think. They're fighters, alright, and tough ones at that.
"I would think, at this point in time," said Jake Peavy, who goes Wednesday in Game 4, "if you're a Boston Red Sox fan, or even if you're not, you understand this team is tough and this team is going to grind it out. We're going to play 27 outs and we're going to play them as hard as we can play them."
The Sox knew that they'd have to contend with Detroit's elite starting rotation, which, if anything, has exceeded expectations. As good as they as they were expected to be, they've been better than advertised.
But it hasn't been enough to help the Tigers.
Justin Verlander, who came into Game 3 having not allowed a run in two previous post-season starts and who last was scored upon on Sept. 18, retired 18 of the first 21 hitters he faced. Of the two hits he allowed, only one left the infield. Only one runner reached scoring position in the those first six
innings.
"The game was unfolding as the first two had," said John Farrell. "We're up against very good pitching every day we walk to the plate."
But John Lackey was better. He had to pitch out of a first-and-third jam in the first -- and did. He had to deal with a leadoff double by Alex Avila, which gave the Tigers a runner in scoring position with no outs -- and did.
And when Lackey left, to his great consternation and not without a fair bit of profanity, he had outpitched Verlander. Not in the strikeout totals and not on the radar guns, but rather, where it counted: on the scoreboard.
Red Sox 1, Tigers 0.
Which is how it looked at the end, after the Red Sox bullpen navigated through some extremely choppy waters in the eighth inning.
On paper, none of this makes sense. John Lackey outpitching Justin Verlander? That shouldn't happen. Mike Napoli, benched in the previous game, with 10 strikeouts in 17 at-bats, shouldn't take Verlander out of the ballpark. Junichi Tazawa, who not long ago represented everything Red Sox fans found worrisome about the team's set-up relief corps, shouldn't overpower Miguel Cabrera with the tying-run 90 feet away and the go ahead run on base.
But all of that happened.
"We're going to find a way to touch the plate anyway possible," said Jonny Gomes, "and we did that tonight."
Just once, mind you. But thanks to a heroic effort by Lackey and some relief work that defied logic, that was all that was necessary.
It's easy to forget how close the Red Sox came to coming to Detroit halfway to the off-season, their year on the brink. But having rallied to win Game 2, they now stand in firm control of the ALCS.
Put yourself on the Tigers' shoes: They were four outs away from being up two games to none, and now, they are instead trailing two games to one.
Their starters have been near perfect, allowing two runs in 21 innings and yet they trail. They've held the Red Sox to a .133 batting average.
"You can't pitch any better than they have," said David Ortiz with admiration.
Not that it's done them much good.
"There wasn't anyone in here who didn't think the game was going to go in our favor today," said Peavy. "That's just the way it is. This team is confident and we'll do anything we can do and win, lose or draw, we're going to walk away knowing that we're going to empty the tank.
"But we believe we're going to win. That's just the way it is and that's the way it should be."
And yet, somehow, someway, the Red Sox lead the American League Championship Series two games to one.
How is that possible? It's certainly not probable.
For innings at a time, their bats seem allergic to the baseball, avoiding contact at all costs.
Until the seventh inning Tuesday, when Mike Napoli drove a pitch from Justin Verlander out to left-center, they hadn't led for the entire series (excepting the win in Game 2, which came in the bottom of the ninth).
If this were a fight, the Red Sox would have lost nearly every round on the judges' scorecards, but managed to find themselves unanimous winners after the final bell. The Sox keep absorbing the body blows, but avoiding the knockouts.
The boxing metaphor is more apt than you think. They're fighters, alright, and tough ones at that.
"I would think, at this point in time," said Jake Peavy, who goes Wednesday in Game 4, "if you're a Boston Red Sox fan, or even if you're not, you understand this team is tough and this team is going to grind it out. We're going to play 27 outs and we're going to play them as hard as we can play them."
The Sox knew that they'd have to contend with Detroit's elite starting rotation, which, if anything, has exceeded expectations. As good as they as they were expected to be, they've been better than advertised.
But it hasn't been enough to help the Tigers.
Justin Verlander, who came into Game 3 having not allowed a run in two previous post-season starts and who last was scored upon on Sept. 18, retired 18 of the first 21 hitters he faced. Of the two hits he allowed, only one left the infield. Only one runner reached scoring position in the those first six
innings.
"The game was unfolding as the first two had," said John Farrell. "We're up against very good pitching every day we walk to the plate."
But John Lackey was better. He had to pitch out of a first-and-third jam in the first -- and did. He had to deal with a leadoff double by Alex Avila, which gave the Tigers a runner in scoring position with no outs -- and did.
And when Lackey left, to his great consternation and not without a fair bit of profanity, he had outpitched Verlander. Not in the strikeout totals and not on the radar guns, but rather, where it counted: on the scoreboard.
Red Sox 1, Tigers 0.
Which is how it looked at the end, after the Red Sox bullpen navigated through some extremely choppy waters in the eighth inning.
On paper, none of this makes sense. John Lackey outpitching Justin Verlander? That shouldn't happen. Mike Napoli, benched in the previous game, with 10 strikeouts in 17 at-bats, shouldn't take Verlander out of the ballpark. Junichi Tazawa, who not long ago represented everything Red Sox fans found worrisome about the team's set-up relief corps, shouldn't overpower Miguel Cabrera with the tying-run 90 feet away and the go ahead run on base.
But all of that happened.
"We're going to find a way to touch the plate anyway possible," said Jonny Gomes, "and we did that tonight."
Just once, mind you. But thanks to a heroic effort by Lackey and some relief work that defied logic, that was all that was necessary.
It's easy to forget how close the Red Sox came to coming to Detroit halfway to the off-season, their year on the brink. But having rallied to win Game 2, they now stand in firm control of the ALCS.
Put yourself on the Tigers' shoes: They were four outs away from being up two games to none, and now, they are instead trailing two games to one.
Their starters have been near perfect, allowing two runs in 21 innings and yet they trail. They've held the Red Sox to a .133 batting average.
"You can't pitch any better than they have," said David Ortiz with admiration.
Not that it's done them much good.
"There wasn't anyone in here who didn't think the game was going to go in our favor today," said Peavy. "That's just the way it is. This team is confident and we'll do anything we can do and win, lose or draw, we're going to walk away knowing that we're going to empty the tank.
"But we believe we're going to win. That's just the way it is and that's the way it should be."
Cardinals defeat Dodgers for 3-1 lead.
AFP
Matt Holliday blasted a 403-foot homer and Shane Robinson hit a pinch-hit solo shot as the St. Louis Cardinals beat Los Angeles 4-2 in game four of the NLCS.
Holliday's monster shot into left field in the third inning was the first home run of the series for the Cardinals who now lead 3-1 as they try to reach their second World Series in three years.
The National League Central Division champion Cardinals can advance with a victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday afternoon.
Holliday's homer scored Matt Carpenter to make it 3-0 in front of a crowd of 53,992 at Dodger Stadium. It followed Carpenter's double earlier in the inning that plated Daniel Descalso to open the scoring.
St. Louis picked an opportune time to break out of their home run slump as they batted an anemic .134 through the first three games of the series.
Holliday was two-of-four with two RBIs for the Cardinals who finished with six hits in the contest.
The winner of this series will play the winner of the other Major League Baseball semi-final between Boston and Detroit. Boston edged the Tigers 1-0 earlier Tuesday to take a 2-1 series lead.
Yasiel Puig got the Dodgers on the board with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth off Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn.
Later in the Dodgers' half of the fourth, Mark Ellis singled to center field to score Andre Ethier and cut the Cardinals lead to 3-2.
Cuban rookie Puig clubbed his single up the middle after being brushed back by a Lynn pitch during the same at bat.
The brush back was in retaliation for Puig's over-the-top celebration after hitting a triple the night before against St. Louis.
This time there was no celebration as Puig stopped at first base. Puig was terrific on Tuesday as he finished two-of-three at the plate with one RBI and one walk.
Holliday's monster shot into left field in the third inning was the first home run of the series for the Cardinals who now lead 3-1 as they try to reach their second World Series in three years.
The National League Central Division champion Cardinals can advance with a victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday afternoon.
Holliday's homer scored Matt Carpenter to make it 3-0 in front of a crowd of 53,992 at Dodger Stadium. It followed Carpenter's double earlier in the inning that plated Daniel Descalso to open the scoring.
St. Louis picked an opportune time to break out of their home run slump as they batted an anemic .134 through the first three games of the series.
Holliday was two-of-four with two RBIs for the Cardinals who finished with six hits in the contest.
The winner of this series will play the winner of the other Major League Baseball semi-final between Boston and Detroit. Boston edged the Tigers 1-0 earlier Tuesday to take a 2-1 series lead.
Yasiel Puig got the Dodgers on the board with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth off Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn.
Later in the Dodgers' half of the fourth, Mark Ellis singled to center field to score Andre Ethier and cut the Cardinals lead to 3-2.
Cuban rookie Puig clubbed his single up the middle after being brushed back by a Lynn pitch during the same at bat.
The brush back was in retaliation for Puig's over-the-top celebration after hitting a triple the night before against St. Louis.
This time there was no celebration as Puig stopped at first base. Puig was terrific on Tuesday as he finished two-of-three at the plate with one RBI and one walk.
Wraparound season doesn't keep stars from Sherwood.
By DOUG FERGUSON (AP Golf Writer
Even with the PGA Tour starting a new season in October, and big golf being played around the world, Tiger Woods said he was pleasantly surprised to draw another big cast of stars to his holiday tournament in California.
''It's our deepest and strongest field that we've had, possibly ever,'' Woods said Tuesday.
The World Challenge has not announced its two sponsor exemptions from among the top 50 in the world ranking to fill out the 18-man field. The tournament, which was in jeopardy this summer until Northwestern Mutual stepped in as a title sponsor, will be held Dec. 5-8 at Sherwood Country Club.
It includes defending champion Graeme McDowell, along with three other Europeans who will be competing in Asia for the Race to Dubai in the weeks leading up to Woods' event. Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are expected to play.
Ernie Els is playing the World Challenge for the first time. Jason Day returns, though the Australian is making a rare trip Down Under this year to compete in World Cup at Royal Melbourne just two weeks before Woods' tournament.
The other Americans besides Woods are PGA champion Jason Dufner, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Brandt Snedeker, Zach Johnson, Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Keegan Bradley and Steve Stricker.
''I think we're all very surprised that we've got as many international players playing this year,'' Woods said during a conference call. ''The American players have supported our event throughout the years. Obviously, it's easier travel if you're based in the States. The guys who are playing in the Race to Dubai, it's a bit more of a challenge to get them to play. But for some reason, this year we've had guys wanting to play and we have probably the best field we've had.''
The tournament will be played for the 15th time, and it means so much to Woods that last year he invested his own money - believed to be about $4 million - to help cover operating expenses and to make sure there would be enough proceeds to benefit his foundation.
One challenge this year was the new wraparound season on the PGA Tour, starting in October and ending with the Tour Championship next September. There are six tournaments the rest of this fall - two in Asia - that offer full FedEx Cup points and official money.
Woods' tournament is not official. It counts only toward the world ranking. And the total purse ($3.5 million) is smaller than any tournament on the PGA Tour or European Tour for the rest of 2013. That didn't seem to matter.
''I think word has spread,'' Woods said. ''We've always treated players well there. They've had a great time. It's close enough to the following year where some of the guys want to try and experiment with a few things equipmentwise, club deal. They want to get a tournament in before they play Kapalua, the Hawaiian Open. Some of the guys have done that in the past.
''Otherwise, we've had great American support,'' Woods said. ''But it's pretty incredible to get the international support we've gotten this year.''
Woods has only two tournaments remaining in 2013 - Turkey and the World Challenge.
Since the FedEx Cup began in 2007, the only domestic event he has played after September was the Frys.com Open in 2011, the year he missed the FedEx Cup playoffs because of injury.
Woods still hasn't adjusted to the notion that a new season already is underway.
''Some of the players were talking about that at the Presidents Cup,'' he said. ''It's hard to believe the very next week is a tour event. We felt like we were still playing our season because we were still playing The Presidents Cup. I think it's going to take a little bit of time to get accustomed to it.''
Power Rankings: We need someone to shake it like a saltshaker.
The World Challenge has not announced its two sponsor exemptions from among the top 50 in the world ranking to fill out the 18-man field. The tournament, which was in jeopardy this summer until Northwestern Mutual stepped in as a title sponsor, will be held Dec. 5-8 at Sherwood Country Club.
It includes defending champion Graeme McDowell, along with three other Europeans who will be competing in Asia for the Race to Dubai in the weeks leading up to Woods' event. Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are expected to play.
Ernie Els is playing the World Challenge for the first time. Jason Day returns, though the Australian is making a rare trip Down Under this year to compete in World Cup at Royal Melbourne just two weeks before Woods' tournament.
The other Americans besides Woods are PGA champion Jason Dufner, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Brandt Snedeker, Zach Johnson, Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Keegan Bradley and Steve Stricker.
''I think we're all very surprised that we've got as many international players playing this year,'' Woods said during a conference call. ''The American players have supported our event throughout the years. Obviously, it's easier travel if you're based in the States. The guys who are playing in the Race to Dubai, it's a bit more of a challenge to get them to play. But for some reason, this year we've had guys wanting to play and we have probably the best field we've had.''
The tournament will be played for the 15th time, and it means so much to Woods that last year he invested his own money - believed to be about $4 million - to help cover operating expenses and to make sure there would be enough proceeds to benefit his foundation.
One challenge this year was the new wraparound season on the PGA Tour, starting in October and ending with the Tour Championship next September. There are six tournaments the rest of this fall - two in Asia - that offer full FedEx Cup points and official money.
Woods' tournament is not official. It counts only toward the world ranking. And the total purse ($3.5 million) is smaller than any tournament on the PGA Tour or European Tour for the rest of 2013. That didn't seem to matter.
''I think word has spread,'' Woods said. ''We've always treated players well there. They've had a great time. It's close enough to the following year where some of the guys want to try and experiment with a few things equipmentwise, club deal. They want to get a tournament in before they play Kapalua, the Hawaiian Open. Some of the guys have done that in the past.
''Otherwise, we've had great American support,'' Woods said. ''But it's pretty incredible to get the international support we've gotten this year.''
Woods has only two tournaments remaining in 2013 - Turkey and the World Challenge.
Since the FedEx Cup began in 2007, the only domestic event he has played after September was the Frys.com Open in 2011, the year he missed the FedEx Cup playoffs because of injury.
Woods still hasn't adjusted to the notion that a new season already is underway.
''Some of the players were talking about that at the Presidents Cup,'' he said. ''It's hard to believe the very next week is a tour event. We felt like we were still playing our season because we were still playing The Presidents Cup. I think it's going to take a little bit of time to get accustomed to it.''
Power Rankings: We need someone to shake it like a saltshaker.
By Nick Bromberg
1. Matt Kenseth (LW: 1): No, we're not asking Kenseth to blow an engine or for Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus to start a feud that ends with Chad driving the No. 48 hauler out of Talladega and leaving Johnson without a car. But someone do something to give us some variety. Speaking of non-variety. Kenseth finished in the top five again at Charlotte. Away we go to number two.
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 2): Chad Knaus's Reddit AMA was fun if you missed it. And because of it, we now know why he is an emotionless human being who thinks about car setups every waking moment of his day. But you know what? Even if Chad drove Jimmie's hauler out of Talladega and Johnson was without a car, Johnson would just go get Junior's backup and win, paint scheme and everything intact. Can we make this happen?
3. Kevin Harvick (LW: 3): The Harvick is going to drive in 12 races for JR Motorsports next year in the Nationwide Series. That has absolutely nothing to do with the Chase right now but it was announced on Monday. If you're a Harvick fan you better get this camo shirt while it's hot and on sale so that everyone can't see and know you were a fan of his when he was at RCR.
4. Jeff Gordon (LW: 4): While looking for that sweet Harvick shirt linked above, I was really hoping this shirt still only had 12 drivers. Alas, it has 13. But you can see they added Gordon's number to the middle row off to the right like "yeah, OK, he's here too." Does anyone have a Chase t-shirt like this without Gordon on it? Hit us up. Guess is that there are a ton of them in eastern Europe right now.
5. Kyle Busch: (LW: 5): Mr. Busch was not happy after Saturday night's race. He finished fifth, and words in his post-race transcript included "pretty frustrating," "it certainly stinks" and "we need wins and we can't win." Yeah, it's easy to say that Busch is acting spoiled here, but he's understandably seething. He's running well, but not well enough. It's one thing to mess up and get your butt kicked. But it's another to perform well and have it happen.
6. Brad Keselowski (LW: NR): This is the closest we can get to a shakeup without randomly ranking the 12 best start and parks of all time. (Future Power Rankings idea?) And it's fun to have Brad right behind Kyle because we can metaphorically make Power Rankings Kyle look behind his back and see Brad right there. Random thought: Keselowski restarted right behind Busch late in the race. If he wasn't going for his first win of the year, would revenge have been a serious thought?
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 7): Anyone listen to the new Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. album? Pretty good. It's a shame that they're not the type of music that's popular at Talladega, or otherwise they'd be a great idea for a pre-race concert. Hell, any track should get them to do a concert. Think of the "best homemade Junior items" contest they could have. I want royalties when this idea is executed, ISC and SMI.
8. Kurt Busch (LW: 6): This Busch was disappointed too because after finishing second at Kansas, he was 14th at Charlotte. But hey, he's driving a Wonder Bread car this week. Can we get a kickstarter going to fund Busch re-enacting the invisible fire scene from Talladega Nights? Please? You know you want in.
9. Carl Edwards (LW: 10): Edwards' 10th place finish is good enough for a spot higher in Power Rankings. And is there really anything else to say right here? Does anyone else wonder if Carl will get a Talladega win as some karmic retribution for flying into the catchfence? Not that we're blaming Keselowski for that -- that wasn't intentional, it just seems that a crash like that would get you a win down the line from the Talladega spirits.
10. Clint Bowyer (LW: 11): The biggest team penalties keep getting bigger with the announcement that MWR is going to be down to two full-time cars next year. Bowyer's one of them and while it may be natural to think that he's the one who deserves to be out instead of Martin Truex Jr., don't think that way. Bowyer (and Brian Vickers) was doing what his bosses told him to do.
11. Ryan Newman (LW: NR): Here's something interesting. Remember when Ryan Newman dissed his pit crew after Richmond when he initially thought he missed the Chase? Well, he hasn't apologized to them. Why? Because they haven't apologized to him for the slow stop. Yeesh. Yeah, he laughed as he said it, but that wouldn't be happening if Newman wasn't leaving the team at the end of the year.
12. David Ragan (LW: NR): Want to get ready for Talladega? Let's relive the last couple laps of the May race. That was one hell of a charge by Ragan and his teammate David Gilliland and how fun would it be if they did it again in October? Two non-Chaser wins in two weeks? What would our NASCAR world be coming to?
Lucky Dog: Denny Hamlin finished ninth. That was his first top 10 since Pocono in June. Think about that for a second.
The DNF: JJ Yeley. Yeah it's October and all that, but pink and camo? That car might have crashed out of sheer ugliness.
Dropped Out: Greg Biffle, Paul Menard.
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 2): Chad Knaus's Reddit AMA was fun if you missed it. And because of it, we now know why he is an emotionless human being who thinks about car setups every waking moment of his day. But you know what? Even if Chad drove Jimmie's hauler out of Talladega and Johnson was without a car, Johnson would just go get Junior's backup and win, paint scheme and everything intact. Can we make this happen?3. Kevin Harvick (LW: 3): The Harvick is going to drive in 12 races for JR Motorsports next year in the Nationwide Series. That has absolutely nothing to do with the Chase right now but it was announced on Monday. If you're a Harvick fan you better get this camo shirt while it's hot and on sale so that everyone can't see and know you were a fan of his when he was at RCR.4. Jeff Gordon (LW: 4): While looking for that sweet Harvick shirt linked above, I was really hoping this shirt still only had 12 drivers. Alas, it has 13. But you can see they added Gordon's number to the middle row off to the right like "yeah, OK, he's here too." Does anyone have a Chase t-shirt like this without Gordon on it? Hit us up. Guess is that there are a ton of them in eastern Europe right now.5. Kyle Busch: (LW: 5): Mr. Busch was not happy after Saturday night's race. He finished fifth, and words in his post-race transcript included "pretty frustrating," "it certainly stinks" and "we need wins and we can't win." Yeah, it's easy to say that Busch is acting spoiled here, but he's understandably seething. He's running well, but not well enough. It's one thing to mess up and get your butt kicked. But it's another to perform well and have it happen.6. Brad Keselowski (LW: NR): This is the closest we can get to a shakeup without randomly ranking the 12 best start and parks of all time. (Future Power Rankings idea?) And it's fun to have Brad right behind Kyle because we can metaphorically make Power Rankings Kyle look behind his back and see Brad right there. Random thought: Keselowski restarted right behind Busch late in the race. If he wasn't going for his first win of the year, would revenge have been a serious thought?7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 7): Anyone listen to the new Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. album? Pretty good. It's a shame that they're not the type of music that's popular at Talladega, or otherwise they'd be a great idea for a pre-race concert. Hell, any track should get them to do a concert. Think of the "best homemade Junior items" contest they could have. I want royalties when this idea is executed, ISC and SMI.8. Kurt Busch (LW: 6): This Busch was disappointed too because after finishing second at Kansas, he was 14th at Charlotte. But hey, he's driving a Wonder Bread car this week. Can we get a kickstarter going to fund Busch re-enacting the invisible fire scene from Talladega Nights? Please? You know you want in.9. Carl Edwards (LW: 10): Edwards' 10th place finish is good enough for a spot higher in Power Rankings. And is there really anything else to say right here? Does anyone else wonder if Carl will get a Talladega win as some karmic retribution for flying into the catchfence? Not that we're blaming Keselowski for that -- that wasn't intentional, it just seems that a crash like that would get you a win down the line from the Talladega spirits.10. Clint Bowyer (LW: 11): The biggest team penalties keep getting bigger with the announcement that MWR is going to be down to two full-time cars next year. Bowyer's one of them and while it may be natural to think that he's the one who deserves to be out instead of Martin Truex Jr., don't think that way. Bowyer (and Brian Vickers) was doing what his bosses told him to do.11. Ryan Newman (LW: NR): Here's something interesting. Remember when Ryan Newman dissed his pit crew after Richmond when he initially thought he missed the Chase? Well, he hasn't apologized to them. Why? Because they haven't apologized to him for the slow stop. Yeesh. Yeah, he laughed as he said it, but that wouldn't be happening if Newman wasn't leaving the team at the end of the year.12. David Ragan (LW: NR): Want to get ready for Talladega? Let's relive the last couple laps of the May race. That was one hell of a charge by Ragan and his teammate David Gilliland and how fun would it be if they did it again in October? Two non-Chaser wins in two weeks? What would our NASCAR world be coming to?Lucky Dog: Denny Hamlin finished ninth. That was his first top 10 since Pocono in June. Think about that for a second.
The DNF: JJ Yeley. Yeah it's October and all that, but pink and camo? That car might have crashed out of sheer ugliness.
Dropped Out: Greg Biffle, Paul Menard.
U.S. stage unbelievable late comeback to beat Panama and save Mexico’s World Cup hopes.
By Brooks Peck
The U.S. came from behind in Panama with not one but two stoppage time goals to end the home side's dreams of reaching the World Cup in cruel fashion while also keeping Mexico's alive. Sometimes your biggest rival can be your best friend.
The cosmos aligned for an incredibly intense finish when Mexico fell behind 2-1 in the 64th minute to Costa Rica and Panama took a 2-1 lead over the U.S. at nearly the exact same time. With those scorelines, Panama was in position to overtake Mexico for fourth place in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying table and fill the spot in a playoff against New Zealand that comes with it. Panama, who have never qualified for the World Cup, tried to contain their jubilation as they were faced with the task of defending against the U.S., who already sealed their place atop the group on Friday.
With Mexico unable to find a second goal as the 90th minute approached, Panama's trip to Brazil seemed increasingly certain. Then, in the second minute of injury time, U.S. midfielder Graham Zusi equalized against Panama, stunning the home side with an emphatic header. And before they could even begin to do the math in their heads, new U.S. striker Aron Johansson scored his first international goal a minute later.
Shock turned to inconsolable grief for the 40,000 Panamanians at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez. Players collapsed on the pitch. Tears flooded the stadium. And when the final whistle blew, the U.S. won 3-2, bringing a magnificent end to their already impressive qualifying campaign.
The cosmos aligned for an incredibly intense finish when Mexico fell behind 2-1 in the 64th minute to Costa Rica and Panama took a 2-1 lead over the U.S. at nearly the exact same time. With those scorelines, Panama was in position to overtake Mexico for fourth place in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying table and fill the spot in a playoff against New Zealand that comes with it. Panama, who have never qualified for the World Cup, tried to contain their jubilation as they were faced with the task of defending against the U.S., who already sealed their place atop the group on Friday.
With Mexico unable to find a second goal as the 90th minute approached, Panama's trip to Brazil seemed increasingly certain. Then, in the second minute of injury time, U.S. midfielder Graham Zusi equalized against Panama, stunning the home side with an emphatic header. And before they could even begin to do the math in their heads, new U.S. striker Aron Johansson scored his first international goal a minute later.
Shock turned to inconsolable grief for the 40,000 Panamanians at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez. Players collapsed on the pitch. Tears flooded the stadium. And when the final whistle blew, the U.S. won 3-2, bringing a magnificent end to their already impressive qualifying campaign.
Meanwhile, in Costa Rica, Mexico lost 2-1, but since Panama couldn't close the gap and push them down the table, Mexico will continue on to play New Zealand...thanks to the United States and Mexico's new national hero: Graham Zusi.
The rivalry between the U.S. and Mexico has been long been a loveless one. As the U.S. have grown more competitive, Mexico's treatment of visiting fans has included more and more bags of flying human waste. But after this incalculably important gift, there will be a few silent "thank yous" being said with each excrement sack thrown.
UPDATE: An hour after the matches ended, both "#YoureWelcomeMexico" and "Gracias Estados Unidos" (Thank you United States) were trending topics on Twitter.
Everyone is is so polite!
Forde-Yard Dash: Black QBs are busting up stereotypes in college football, too.
By Pat Forde
BLACK QUARTERBACKS: FROM NOVELTY TO NORM
On Saturday in Death Valley, Florida State and Clemson will meet in one of the most anticipated games of the season. The winner will put a stranglehold on the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Atlantic Division, and remain prominently in the running to play for the national championship.
But there also is a compelling subplot to the game: it will match a pair of African-American quarterbacks who rank among the very best players in the nation at their position, and not simply because of raw athleticism and running ability. They’re brilliant passers, strong leaders and big-time winners.
In a world many want to label post-racial, black quarterbacks are still a talking point. They are not a new phenomenon, but there have never been so many good ones.
Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead wrote last month about this being a potential golden era of black QBs, citing the record nine black starters on the NFL’s opening weekend.
Part of his reasoning: athletic quarterbacks who can run the read-option and elude fast pass rushers will survive and thrive in the modern NFL. A few weeks later, William Rhoden of The New York Times said not so fast: Blacks and other “athletic” QBs (like Tim Tebow) are still considered with skepticism in the pro establishment, he wrote.
But here in college, black quarterbacks are flourishing at an unprecedented rate.
They are making a huge impact on the Heisman Trophy race, the national title race and 2014 NFL draft speculation. Following on the heels of Heisman Trophy winners Cam Newton (2010) and Robert Griffin III (2011), here comes the next generation of college stars ticketed to become high NFL draft picks – and not because they can run really fast.
Florida State freshman Jameis Winston (1) ranks second nationally in pass efficiency.
Not coach of the midyear: Lane Kiffin (22), formerly of USC. Belatedly fired five games into the year. Trojans missed him so much, they promptly went out and blitzed Arizona in their first game post-Kiffy. Even former coach Pete Carroll piled on at that point, sending a Twitter shout-out to interim coach Ed Orgeron that sounded an awful lot like a shot at the departed coach. The tweet, which accompanied a picture of Orgeron celebrating with a player coming off the field: “It couldn't be more obvious how one man could elevate a program! Nice ups @CoachOUSC!”
Southeastern Conference coach of the midyear: Gary Pinkel (23), Missouri. Some impatient and short-sighted Tigers fans wanted Pinkel gone after a 5-7 debut in the SEC last year. Given a healthier team and a year of experience in the new league, Pinkel has proven the folly of that knee-jerk reaction by getting Mizzou off to a startling 6-0 start. With Florida and South Carolina visiting the next two Saturdays, the road to the SEC East title literally and figuratively (and shockingly) runs through Columbia, Mo. Of course, this being Missouri, the news is never completely positive: they’ll have to go at least three weeks without starting QB Franklin after he separated his shoulder in the big win at Georgia.
Not coach of the midyear: Bret Bielema (24), Arkansas. The magnitude of the embarrassment inflicted on the Razorbacks on Saturday in a 52-7 home loss to South Carolina is stunning: Arkansas ran just 37 plays to the Gamecocks’ 89, and had just seven first downs to the Gamecocks’ 32. It was a complete curb stomping. And the fact that it was the Hogs’ fourth straight loss since Bielema’s wife tauntingly tweeted “#karma” after former school Wisconsin lost in agonizing fashion to Arizona State has not been lost on Badger fans.
Sun Belt coach of the midyear: Bobby Petrino (25), Western Kentucky. Hard to say any coach has been dazzling so far in the beaten-down Belt, but Petrino gets the narrow nod for having engineered victories over an SEC team (Kentucky) and a likely bowl team (Navy). Now about that loss to South Alabama…
Not coach of the midyear: Trent Miles (26), Georgia State. Took over a team that went 1-10 in 2012 with the task of preparing for the program’s first full FBS schedule, and the results have been predictable. The Panthers are winless and possibly hopeless for the rest of 2013.
HEISMAN MATCH RACE: A CONTRAST IN STYLES AND STRENGTHS
Things can change, and the better quarterback Saturday night in Clemson may have a big say in how much they change. But until then, the midseason Heisman outlook boils down to two very different quarterbacks.
Oh, there are some similarities. They’re both redshirt sophomores who arrived at college with good-but-not-great credentials. They both took over the starting job as redshirt freshmen and shined immediately. They both operate hurry-up, no-huddle offenses. They both can beat teams with their arms or legs.
Johnny Manziel (27). The brash party boy was a one-man Twitter tornado in the offseason, making headlines for all kinds of rock-star experiences and unwise utterances. The guy with nearly 600,000 Twitter followers loved the spotlight until he got burned by it, then survived a preseason NCAA investigation that threatened his eligibility. But back in uniform for the season, he’s been even more dramatic and daring than during his Heisman season of 2012. Manziel rose to the considerable occasion with a spectacular game in a losing cause against Alabama, then displayed his clutchitude with a scintillating comeback victory Saturday at Mississippi. Of course, one of the biggest reasons A&M needed to come back in that game was the interception and fumble by Manziel in the second half, putting the Aggies in a hole.
But nobody is better at manufacturing something out of nothing, usually by scrambling his way out of a collapsing pocket or the arms of a tackler.
Marcus Mariota (28). He is an absolute bore off the field. If he has a Twitter account, it’s not publicized as his own. If he has a wild side, it’s also hidden from view. If he has a look-at-me streak, he buries it beneath deferential comments about his teammates and coaches. And although Mariota possesses considerable athleticism and running ability, he’s more a technician at quarterback than a Manzielian improviser. He has zero interceptions or fumbles on the season, and has only been sacked five times. He hasn’t been in many pressure situations – largely because he’s been so good and so error-free that Oregon gets way ahead and stays way ahead.
But the one time he was in a produce-or-lose situation in the second half, it didn’t go so well – Oregon was shocked at home last year by Stanford, 17-14, as Mariota turned in a pedestrian performance.
Both have a lot to like. If The Dash had to vote today, Mariota would be the choice. But nobody is casting a Heisman vote today, so play on and enjoy the disparate shows.
BUCKEYES AND OTHERS IN BAD LEAGUES OF THEIR OWN
Make no mistake, the upset losses by Michigan and Oklahoma on Saturday hurt their leagues’ chances of putting a team in the BCS title game. Not the Wolverines or Sooners themselves, but the teams that needed them to be good to acquire a quality win against them and boost their own cause.
The losers from those losses:
Thus a schedule that looked pleasantly manageable without cross-division games against Nebraska or Michigan State now looks disturbingly threadbare. The Buckeyes may play one of those two in the Big Ten title game, but that may not be enough to make up for the SOS hole they dug with the computers up to that point. According to the Sagarin Ratings, the toughest team Ohio State has played is No. 13 Wisconsin, and the toughest team remaining is No. 34 Michigan.
Baylor (30). The Bears, who are new to this national contention stuff, were hoping their Nov. 7 home game against the unbeaten Sooners would be a matchup of Top 10 teams, with the winner vaulting into the BCS title game conversation. Now it’s just another game against a pretty good Big 12 opponent. There are four of those (Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Texas) and five that are pretty bad (TCU, Kansas State, Iowa State, West Virginia, Kansas). That may not be good enough without a lot of outside help.
And then there is Louisville (31), which is unaffected by Michigan or Oklahoma but deeply affected by the lousiness of the AAC. The Cardinals have an outside chance of making history as the only team to go 12-0 and drop from its preseason ranking.
Voters think so little of the Cards’ schedule that even after winning every game by a minimum of 13 points, they have moved up just one rung in the AP poll from August to now, from No. 9 to No. 8. With a glass voting ceiling firmly established and a maximum of two semi-quality opponents still on the schedule (UCF on Friday and Houston on Nov. 16), Louisville has virtually no hope of playing for the big prize.
The big takeaway? Play someone in your non-conference schedule. If your league falls apart, you need something to back you up. Ohio State did itself no favors scheduling Florida A&M, Baylor didn’t either with Wofford, and Louisville also erred in having Eastern Kentucky on the slate.
SEC EAST’S ALARMING ATTRITION RATE
Winner of the Eastern division might come down to which contender is healthiest. Right now, that’s none of these three teams:
Georgia (32). The good news is that the Bulldogs are likely to get stud running back Todd Gurley back from an ankle sprain this week against Vanderbilt. The bad news is that it’s a week too late for Georgia’s national title hopes, which were flushed in the home loss to Missouri. That came after season-ending knee injuries to running back Keith Marshall and receivers Justin Scott-Wesley and Malcolm Mitchell, and a knee injury to receiver Michael Bennett. The team surgeon is overworked, and quarterback Aaron Murray is throwing to virtual strangers. Brutal break for a good team that played the hardest opening schedule in the country.
They’re averaging just 15.3 points per game on the road and have not scored a touchdown in their last six quarters outside The Swamp.
Missouri (34). The Tigers endured an injury plague last year. This year the major injury count is just one, but it’s a huge one in QB Franklin. (Actually, starting defensive back E.J. Gaines is questionable for the Florida game with a strained quad.) Mizzou will turn over the offense to redshirt freshman Maty Mauk, a dual-threat QB who had scholarship offers from Michigan and Notre Dame coming out of high school. Mauk was given the chance to compete for the starting job in the spring and August with Franklin, and Pinkel said the offense will remain largely the same with Franklin out.
Consider all that and there is one conclusion: advantage South Carolina.
WEIRD SCHEDULING TWIST OF THE YEAR
When Colorado was flooded out of its Sept. 14 home game against Fresno State, there was no available makeup date with the Bulldogs. So the Buffaloes went looking for a new opponent.
They came up with FCS Charleston Southern (35). And traded one unbeaten for another.
Beyond the “0” in the loss column, there isn’t much in common between Fresno State and Charleston Southern. The 7-0 Buccaneers play in the Big South Conference and, aside from beating Appalachian State, they haven’t faced much of anyone this season. Last year they lost 44-0 to an Illinois team that went on to go 2-10.
But the fact that they took on the game is interesting enough – and hopefully not injurious to their players’ health. This is an added game, the Buccaneers’ 13th of the season and eighth straight without a bye week. They will go 13 straight weeks with no bye after accepting the game, and eight will be on the road. This is the sixth road game in the first eight.
It should mark the end of Charleston Southern’s unbeaten run. If not, Colorado will feel a little foolish about scheduling the game.
LAST INTERCEPTION POOL
After picks thrown by Oklahoma’s Blake Bell, Texas’ Case McCoy and UNLV’s Caleb Herring, the prestigious and highly coveted LIP has been whittled to a final two. Let the least error-prone quarterback win:
COACH WHO EARNED HIS COMP CAR THIS WEEK
Mack Brown (38), Texas. If this is Brown’s last year – and who says it has to be if the Longhorns go 10-2 and win the Big 12? – then at least he had one glorious final day in the Longhorns’ last remaining major rivalry game. After three straight losses to Oklahoma – two of them embarrassing blowouts – Brown undressed Bob Stoops (see below) in an upset romp over the previously unbeaten Sooners. This was everything Texas 2013 was supposed to be: physical running the ball and stopping the run; getting timely plays from quarterback Case McCoy; and scoring both on defense and special teams. And if it continues, Brown could charm his way into a league title and another BCS bid, then ask his critics, “How ya like me now?”
COACH WHO SHOULD RIDE THE BUS TO WORK
Bob Stoops (39), Oklahoma. Another year, another massive flop as a major favorite. The Sooners were favored by 14 and lost by 16, and tell The Dash if this represents a trend. Oklahoma was favored by 12 against Notre Dame last year and lost by 17; favored by 16 against Kansas State and lost by five. In 2011, Oklahoma was favored by 15 ½ against Baylor and lost by seven; and favored by 28 ½ against Texas Tech and lost by three. In 2010, Oklahoma was favored by three against Missouri and lost by nine; favored by three against Texas A&M and lost by 14. In 2009, there were four losses as a favorite.
In summary: Stoops’ program is overtaking Florida State as the biggest underachiever in recent times.
POINT AFTER
When thirsty and in need of multiple televisions for college football viewing in the excellent city of Seattle, The Dash recommends hitting the World Sports Grille. Have a Fremont Interurban IPA (40) and a bowl of sound chowder – a tasty Pacific Northwest version of clam chowder – and thank The Dash later.
On Saturday in Death Valley, Florida State and Clemson will meet in one of the most anticipated games of the season. The winner will put a stranglehold on the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Atlantic Division, and remain prominently in the running to play for the national championship.
But there also is a compelling subplot to the game: it will match a pair of African-American quarterbacks who rank among the very best players in the nation at their position, and not simply because of raw athleticism and running ability. They’re brilliant passers, strong leaders and big-time winners.
In a world many want to label post-racial, black quarterbacks are still a talking point. They are not a new phenomenon, but there have never been so many good ones.
Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead wrote last month about this being a potential golden era of black QBs, citing the record nine black starters on the NFL’s opening weekend.
Part of his reasoning: athletic quarterbacks who can run the read-option and elude fast pass rushers will survive and thrive in the modern NFL. A few weeks later, William Rhoden of The New York Times said not so fast: Blacks and other “athletic” QBs (like Tim Tebow) are still considered with skepticism in the pro establishment, he wrote.
But here in college, black quarterbacks are flourishing at an unprecedented rate.
They are making a huge impact on the Heisman Trophy race, the national title race and 2014 NFL draft speculation. Following on the heels of Heisman Trophy winners Cam Newton (2010) and Robert Griffin III (2011), here comes the next generation of college stars ticketed to become high NFL draft picks – and not because they can run really fast.
Florida State freshman Jameis Winston (1) ranks second nationally in pass efficiency.
Clemson senior Tajh Boyd (2) ranks eighth. Winston’s Seminoles are ranked fifth in the Associated Press Top 25. Boyd’s Tigers are ranked third. Both are among the leading contenders for the Heisman.
And they have a lot of company at the elite end of the sport. Six of the top 10 teams in the AP poll have black quarterbacks: Ohio State’s Braxton Miller (3), Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater (4), UCLA’s Brett Hundley (5) and Miami’s Stephen Morris (6) join Winston and Boyd.
All six lead undefeated teams. A seventh, Missouri’s James Franklin, also has the Tigers unbeaten but will miss several weeks after separating his throwing shoulder at Georgia on Saturday.
Of that group, only Miller is a dual-threat QB in the traditional college sense – his pass-to-run ratio this season in Urban Meyer’s spread offense is 57-to-43 percent, which is similar to Tebow’s 62-38 career ratio playing for Meyer at Florida. The rest all are throwing the ball at least 72 percent of the time. Bridgewater (89 percent pass) and Morris (94 percent) are right out of the pocket-passing prototype.
At this rate it would not be a surprise to see three of the top five Heisman vote-getters coming from the above group. Last year was the first time a black QB had finished in the Heisman top five for a third straight year (Newton, Griffin III and Miller), and it seems a lock that streak will extend to four years. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota and Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel probably lead the pack (more below on that), but then come these guys.
If 60 percent of the Heisman top five is black QBs, it would be historically noteworthy. The only other time it has happened was 1989, when four of the top five were black signal-callers: winner Andre Ware of Houston; third-place Major Harris of West Virginia; fourth-place Tony Rice of Notre Dame; and fifth-place Darian Hagan of Colorado.
And they have a lot of company at the elite end of the sport. Six of the top 10 teams in the AP poll have black quarterbacks: Ohio State’s Braxton Miller (3), Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater (4), UCLA’s Brett Hundley (5) and Miami’s Stephen Morris (6) join Winston and Boyd.
All six lead undefeated teams. A seventh, Missouri’s James Franklin, also has the Tigers unbeaten but will miss several weeks after separating his throwing shoulder at Georgia on Saturday.
Of that group, only Miller is a dual-threat QB in the traditional college sense – his pass-to-run ratio this season in Urban Meyer’s spread offense is 57-to-43 percent, which is similar to Tebow’s 62-38 career ratio playing for Meyer at Florida. The rest all are throwing the ball at least 72 percent of the time. Bridgewater (89 percent pass) and Morris (94 percent) are right out of the pocket-passing prototype.
At this rate it would not be a surprise to see three of the top five Heisman vote-getters coming from the above group. Last year was the first time a black QB had finished in the Heisman top five for a third straight year (Newton, Griffin III and Miller), and it seems a lock that streak will extend to four years. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota and Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel probably lead the pack (more below on that), but then come these guys.
If 60 percent of the Heisman top five is black QBs, it would be historically noteworthy. The only other time it has happened was 1989, when four of the top five were black signal-callers: winner Andre Ware of Houston; third-place Major Harris of West Virginia; fourth-place Tony Rice of Notre Dame; and fifth-place Darian Hagan of Colorado.
The big difference between that group and this one? Only Ware was a passer, and even he wound up not having an NFL-ready game. The rest were option runners or scramblers with no hope of an NFL future at the QB position.
That’s not the case with this group. They have plenty of NFL potential, and those who enter the draft after this season should hear their names in the first or second round.
But first, there is a Heisman and a national title to chase. The matchup at Clemson on Saturday will have a major impact on both.
MIDSEASON COACHING BON MOTS AND CHEAP SHOTS
The first half of the season closed with an overdue burst of chaos, as three Top 10 teams were upset. While mid-October is no time for ironclad pronouncements – last year at this time the Heisman front-runner was Geno Smith – we do at least have enough evidence to throw some darts and laurels to the coaches.
American Athletic Conference coach of the midyear: Tony Levine (7), Houston. He set the bar suitably low last year, going 5-7 in his debut season following the highly successful Kevin Sumlin. But the most impressive part of the Cougars’ 5-0 start is the fact that they’re doing it without star running back Charles Sims, who unexpectedly transferred to West Virginia during the summer. Levine has gotten solid defense from new coordinator David Gibbs and good play out of true freshman QB John O’Korn, who is 34th nationally in pass efficiency and ranks behind only Winston among freshmen. Caveat: the schedule gets a lot harder the rest of the way, so this may be Charlie Strong’s award by December.
Not coach of the midyear: Paul Pasqualoni (8), formerly of Connecticut. An 0-4 start that included a 15-point loss to FCS Towson and a 29-point loss to Buffalo forced the UConn brass to admit the massive mistake made in giving the job to the retread Pasqualoni. He was 10-18 in 2 ½ tortured seasons, and it will be someone else’s job to get the Huskies program back on the rails in 2014.
Atlantic Coast Conference coach of the midyear: Al Golden (9), Miami. He’s spent 2 ½ seasons laboring under the looming cloud of an NCAA investigation – always an enjoyable way to work. But the reward for stoic perseverance is this potential breakthrough season. The Hurricanes are 5-0 for the first time since 2004 heading into a Thursday night game at North Carolina, and could be headed for a momentous two weekends in November: at Florida State on Nov. 2 and hosting Virginia Tech on Nov. 9. The long ACC wait for an impact season from the 'Canes may finally be at hand.
Not coach of the midyear: Larry Fedora (10), North Carolina. The schedule has not been easy, but squeezing a 24-point home loss to East Carolina into the mix was most unwelcome to Tar Heels fans. If North Carolina loses to Miami on Thursday and drops to 1-5, its five-year streak of winning records will be in grave jeopardy – even with a manageable back half of the season.
Big 12 coach of the midyear: Art Briles (11), Baylor. For the first time ever, the undefeated Bears are the highest-ranked team in their conference. And even after scoring a mere 35 points at Kansas State on Saturday, they still lead the nation in scoring (63.4 per game) by a touchdown over No. 2 Oregon. Briles has built an offensive monster, and Baylor controls its own destiny in search of its first BCS bowl bid.
Not coach of the midyear: Bill Snyder (12), Kansas State. He was the toast of the league last year, but at 2-4 it’s been a stark comeuppance for the Manhattan legend.
The Wildcats are a un-Snyder-like minus-9 in turnovers this season and could wind up with their first losing record since the regrettable Ron Prince Era.Big Ten coach of the midyear: Urban Meyer (13), Ohio State. You pretty much have to go with the guy who is 18-0 in his current job, right? The Buckeyes have been less than spectacular at times this year but still appear to be easily the best in the league as they head into a low-stress back half of the schedule. (Honorable mention to first-year Wisconsin boss Gary Andersen, whose team is an officiating snafu in the desert away from a Top 15 ranking.)
Not coach of the midyear: Brady Hoke (14), Michigan. His Wolverines were a wildly unimpressive 5-0 before giving away the game at Penn State on Saturday. Hoke coached hyper-conservative late in that game and paid for it – he punted from the Penn State 35 instead of going for a clinching field goal near the end of regulation, and repeatedly played for field goals instead of touchdowns during four incompetent overtimes. The result was the first of what could be several losses in the coming weeks for error-prone Michigan, which is just 4-5 in Big Ten road games under Hoke.
Conference USA coach of the midyear: Curtis Johnson (15), Tulane. When you’re 5-2 here, they should make you king of Mardi Gras. The Green Wave hasn’t won five games in an entire season since pre-Katrina, and hasn’t been 5-2 or better since the undefeated miracle year of 1998. Tulane has more than tripled its per-game rushing average from last year’s horrendous 40 to this year’s respectable 126.6. Johnson undoubtedly won over the locker room when he told his team it could have this entire bye week off if the Wave beat East Carolina. Tulane did it – Johnson ordered a first-down field goal in overtime from clutch kicker Cairo Santos for the win – and the second-year coach kept his word. No practice at Tulane this week.
Not coach of the midyear: Todd Monken (16), Southern Mississippi. The first-year coach walked into a bad situation, taking over an 0-12 team, and it hasn’t gotten any better. The Golden Eagles are 0-5, including dispiriting home losses to Florida International and Texas State. They’re last in the nation in turnover margin. They’re not good. “We obviously don’t have the market cornered on doing things well right now,” Monken said. No disagreement from The Dash.
Mid-American coach of the midyear: Jeff Quinn (17), Buffalo. There is a pretty clear separation in the MAC this year between the Haves and Have-Nots, and Buffalo is a new addition to the Haves. The Bulls are 4-2 and on a four-game winning streak, with the second bowl-eligible season in school history within their reach. Quinn has nudged the program from two wins his first year to three his second and four his third, and now at least six seems attainable in his fourth year.
Not coach of the midyear: Don Treadwell (18), formerly of Miami (Ohio). He was canned earlier this month after an 0-5 start dropped his record to 8-21 with the previously proud program. It got worse without him Saturday, when the Redhawks were beaten by previously winless Massachusetts. Their last chance at a victory could be Saturday, when 1-6 Akron visits for the latest MAC Pillow Fight of the Week.
Mountain West coach of the midyear: Tim DeRuyter (19), Fresno State. The unbeaten Bulldogs have been as lucky as good so far, with three of their five wins coming by a total of seven points. But DeRuyter has a team that could be favored in the remaining seven games and be a BCS buster. (Honorable mention to UNLV’s Bobby Hauck.
Have to give credit to the frequent Dash target – after losing 34 of his first 40 games at the school, he has overseen the Rebels’ first four-game winning streak in 13 years. Yes, it’s against easy competition, but UNLV has been so bad for so long that any victories are good victories.)
Not coach of the midyear: Troy Calhoun (20), Air Force. The wings are falling off an admirably competitive, overachieving program. The 1-6 Falcons’ only win is over FCS Colgate, and going back to last season they have lost 10 of their last 12 games – including three straight to their service academy rivals. For the first time since 2006, it appears Air Force will not go bowling.
Pac-12 coach of the midyear: Mark Helfrich (21), Oregon. Anyone worried that the Ducks would lose their uptempo, win-the-day mojo without Chip Kelly can stand down. Helfrich’s first Oregon team may be the best Oregon team ever.
Not coach of the midyear: Lane Kiffin (22), formerly of USC. Belatedly fired five games into the year. Trojans missed him so much, they promptly went out and blitzed Arizona in their first game post-Kiffy. Even former coach Pete Carroll piled on at that point, sending a Twitter shout-out to interim coach Ed Orgeron that sounded an awful lot like a shot at the departed coach. The tweet, which accompanied a picture of Orgeron celebrating with a player coming off the field: “It couldn't be more obvious how one man could elevate a program! Nice ups @CoachOUSC!”
Southeastern Conference coach of the midyear: Gary Pinkel (23), Missouri. Some impatient and short-sighted Tigers fans wanted Pinkel gone after a 5-7 debut in the SEC last year. Given a healthier team and a year of experience in the new league, Pinkel has proven the folly of that knee-jerk reaction by getting Mizzou off to a startling 6-0 start. With Florida and South Carolina visiting the next two Saturdays, the road to the SEC East title literally and figuratively (and shockingly) runs through Columbia, Mo. Of course, this being Missouri, the news is never completely positive: they’ll have to go at least three weeks without starting QB Franklin after he separated his shoulder in the big win at Georgia.
Not coach of the midyear: Bret Bielema (24), Arkansas. The magnitude of the embarrassment inflicted on the Razorbacks on Saturday in a 52-7 home loss to South Carolina is stunning: Arkansas ran just 37 plays to the Gamecocks’ 89, and had just seven first downs to the Gamecocks’ 32. It was a complete curb stomping. And the fact that it was the Hogs’ fourth straight loss since Bielema’s wife tauntingly tweeted “#karma” after former school Wisconsin lost in agonizing fashion to Arizona State has not been lost on Badger fans.
Sun Belt coach of the midyear: Bobby Petrino (25), Western Kentucky. Hard to say any coach has been dazzling so far in the beaten-down Belt, but Petrino gets the narrow nod for having engineered victories over an SEC team (Kentucky) and a likely bowl team (Navy). Now about that loss to South Alabama…
Not coach of the midyear: Trent Miles (26), Georgia State. Took over a team that went 1-10 in 2012 with the task of preparing for the program’s first full FBS schedule, and the results have been predictable. The Panthers are winless and possibly hopeless for the rest of 2013.
HEISMAN MATCH RACE: A CONTRAST IN STYLES AND STRENGTHS
Things can change, and the better quarterback Saturday night in Clemson may have a big say in how much they change. But until then, the midseason Heisman outlook boils down to two very different quarterbacks.
Oh, there are some similarities. They’re both redshirt sophomores who arrived at college with good-but-not-great credentials. They both took over the starting job as redshirt freshmen and shined immediately. They both operate hurry-up, no-huddle offenses. They both can beat teams with their arms or legs.
But when it comes to personality and playing style, they don’t have much in common. The leading men:
Johnny Manziel (27). The brash party boy was a one-man Twitter tornado in the offseason, making headlines for all kinds of rock-star experiences and unwise utterances. The guy with nearly 600,000 Twitter followers loved the spotlight until he got burned by it, then survived a preseason NCAA investigation that threatened his eligibility. But back in uniform for the season, he’s been even more dramatic and daring than during his Heisman season of 2012. Manziel rose to the considerable occasion with a spectacular game in a losing cause against Alabama, then displayed his clutchitude with a scintillating comeback victory Saturday at Mississippi. Of course, one of the biggest reasons A&M needed to come back in that game was the interception and fumble by Manziel in the second half, putting the Aggies in a hole.
But nobody is better at manufacturing something out of nothing, usually by scrambling his way out of a collapsing pocket or the arms of a tackler.
Marcus Mariota (28). He is an absolute bore off the field. If he has a Twitter account, it’s not publicized as his own. If he has a wild side, it’s also hidden from view. If he has a look-at-me streak, he buries it beneath deferential comments about his teammates and coaches. And although Mariota possesses considerable athleticism and running ability, he’s more a technician at quarterback than a Manzielian improviser. He has zero interceptions or fumbles on the season, and has only been sacked five times. He hasn’t been in many pressure situations – largely because he’s been so good and so error-free that Oregon gets way ahead and stays way ahead.
But the one time he was in a produce-or-lose situation in the second half, it didn’t go so well – Oregon was shocked at home last year by Stanford, 17-14, as Mariota turned in a pedestrian performance.
Both have a lot to like. If The Dash had to vote today, Mariota would be the choice. But nobody is casting a Heisman vote today, so play on and enjoy the disparate shows.
BUCKEYES AND OTHERS IN BAD LEAGUES OF THEIR OWN
Make no mistake, the upset losses by Michigan and Oklahoma on Saturday hurt their leagues’ chances of putting a team in the BCS title game. Not the Wolverines or Sooners themselves, but the teams that needed them to be good to acquire a quality win against them and boost their own cause.
The losers from those losses:
Ohio State (29). After a rather leisurely 6-0 start, the Buckeyes continue their soft-food diet from now until Nov. 30: Iowa at home Saturday (the Buckeyes are favored by 16 ½); Penn State at home (potential spread of roughly 14); at Purdue (potential spread of about 26); at Illinois (potential spread of 12-14); Indiana at home (potential spread of about 16). That is prelude to the annual huge rivalry showdown with Michigan, which was supposed to be the strength-of-schedule enhancing game that would put Ohio State into the championship discussion with teams from the much tougher SEC and Pac-12. But after spitting the bit at Penn State, and with other potential losses still to come, Michigan could be a touchdown or more underdogs against the Buckeyes.
Thus a schedule that looked pleasantly manageable without cross-division games against Nebraska or Michigan State now looks disturbingly threadbare. The Buckeyes may play one of those two in the Big Ten title game, but that may not be enough to make up for the SOS hole they dug with the computers up to that point. According to the Sagarin Ratings, the toughest team Ohio State has played is No. 13 Wisconsin, and the toughest team remaining is No. 34 Michigan.
Baylor (30). The Bears, who are new to this national contention stuff, were hoping their Nov. 7 home game against the unbeaten Sooners would be a matchup of Top 10 teams, with the winner vaulting into the BCS title game conversation. Now it’s just another game against a pretty good Big 12 opponent. There are four of those (Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Texas) and five that are pretty bad (TCU, Kansas State, Iowa State, West Virginia, Kansas). That may not be good enough without a lot of outside help.
And then there is Louisville (31), which is unaffected by Michigan or Oklahoma but deeply affected by the lousiness of the AAC. The Cardinals have an outside chance of making history as the only team to go 12-0 and drop from its preseason ranking.
Voters think so little of the Cards’ schedule that even after winning every game by a minimum of 13 points, they have moved up just one rung in the AP poll from August to now, from No. 9 to No. 8. With a glass voting ceiling firmly established and a maximum of two semi-quality opponents still on the schedule (UCF on Friday and Houston on Nov. 16), Louisville has virtually no hope of playing for the big prize.
The big takeaway? Play someone in your non-conference schedule. If your league falls apart, you need something to back you up. Ohio State did itself no favors scheduling Florida A&M, Baylor didn’t either with Wofford, and Louisville also erred in having Eastern Kentucky on the slate.
SEC EAST’S ALARMING ATTRITION RATE
Winner of the Eastern division might come down to which contender is healthiest. Right now, that’s none of these three teams:
Georgia (32). The good news is that the Bulldogs are likely to get stud running back Todd Gurley back from an ankle sprain this week against Vanderbilt. The bad news is that it’s a week too late for Georgia’s national title hopes, which were flushed in the home loss to Missouri. That came after season-ending knee injuries to running back Keith Marshall and receivers Justin Scott-Wesley and Malcolm Mitchell, and a knee injury to receiver Michael Bennett. The team surgeon is overworked, and quarterback Aaron Murray is throwing to virtual strangers. Brutal break for a good team that played the hardest opening schedule in the country.
Florida (33). The Gators head to Columbia this week without starting quarterback Jeff Driskel (broken leg), star pass rusher Dominique Easley (blown knee), starting running back Matt Jones (torn meniscus) and starting right tackle Chaz Green (labrum). Even when healthy, this was a team struggling to move the ball and score.
They’re averaging just 15.3 points per game on the road and have not scored a touchdown in their last six quarters outside The Swamp.
Missouri (34). The Tigers endured an injury plague last year. This year the major injury count is just one, but it’s a huge one in QB Franklin. (Actually, starting defensive back E.J. Gaines is questionable for the Florida game with a strained quad.) Mizzou will turn over the offense to redshirt freshman Maty Mauk, a dual-threat QB who had scholarship offers from Michigan and Notre Dame coming out of high school. Mauk was given the chance to compete for the starting job in the spring and August with Franklin, and Pinkel said the offense will remain largely the same with Franklin out.
Consider all that and there is one conclusion: advantage South Carolina.
WEIRD SCHEDULING TWIST OF THE YEAR
When Colorado was flooded out of its Sept. 14 home game against Fresno State, there was no available makeup date with the Bulldogs. So the Buffaloes went looking for a new opponent.
They came up with FCS Charleston Southern (35). And traded one unbeaten for another.
Beyond the “0” in the loss column, there isn’t much in common between Fresno State and Charleston Southern. The 7-0 Buccaneers play in the Big South Conference and, aside from beating Appalachian State, they haven’t faced much of anyone this season. Last year they lost 44-0 to an Illinois team that went on to go 2-10.
But the fact that they took on the game is interesting enough – and hopefully not injurious to their players’ health. This is an added game, the Buccaneers’ 13th of the season and eighth straight without a bye week. They will go 13 straight weeks with no bye after accepting the game, and eight will be on the road. This is the sixth road game in the first eight.
It should mark the end of Charleston Southern’s unbeaten run. If not, Colorado will feel a little foolish about scheduling the game.
LAST INTERCEPTION POOL
After picks thrown by Oklahoma’s Blake Bell, Texas’ Case McCoy and UNLV’s Caleb Herring, the prestigious and highly coveted LIP has been whittled to a final two. Let the least error-prone quarterback win:
Marcus Mariota, Oregon. He’s now thrown 165 passes without an interception on the season after his extraordinary performance at Washington. Next up: Washington State in Eugene. The Cougars have been pretty accomplished thieves this year, intercepting 11 of opponents’ 240 passes (4.6 percent).
Connor Shaw (36), South Carolina. He’s up to 124 passes without an oskie after efficiently strafing Arkansas on Saturday. Next up: a trip to Tennessee to face a Volunteers defense that has been even more opportunistic than Washington State, intercepting 11 of opponents' 203 passes (5.4 percent).
After consultation with Dashette Rebecca Romijn (37), we have installed Mariota as a solid favorite to take home the LIP, and all the adulation that comes along with it.
COACH WHO EARNED HIS COMP CAR THIS WEEK
Mack Brown (38), Texas. If this is Brown’s last year – and who says it has to be if the Longhorns go 10-2 and win the Big 12? – then at least he had one glorious final day in the Longhorns’ last remaining major rivalry game. After three straight losses to Oklahoma – two of them embarrassing blowouts – Brown undressed Bob Stoops (see below) in an upset romp over the previously unbeaten Sooners. This was everything Texas 2013 was supposed to be: physical running the ball and stopping the run; getting timely plays from quarterback Case McCoy; and scoring both on defense and special teams. And if it continues, Brown could charm his way into a league title and another BCS bid, then ask his critics, “How ya like me now?”
COACH WHO SHOULD RIDE THE BUS TO WORK
Bob Stoops (39), Oklahoma. Another year, another massive flop as a major favorite. The Sooners were favored by 14 and lost by 16, and tell The Dash if this represents a trend. Oklahoma was favored by 12 against Notre Dame last year and lost by 17; favored by 16 against Kansas State and lost by five. In 2011, Oklahoma was favored by 15 ½ against Baylor and lost by seven; and favored by 28 ½ against Texas Tech and lost by three. In 2010, Oklahoma was favored by three against Missouri and lost by nine; favored by three against Texas A&M and lost by 14. In 2009, there were four losses as a favorite.
In summary: Stoops’ program is overtaking Florida State as the biggest underachiever in recent times.
POINT AFTER
When thirsty and in need of multiple televisions for college football viewing in the excellent city of Seattle, The Dash recommends hitting the World Sports Grille. Have a Fremont Interurban IPA (40) and a bowl of sound chowder – a tasty Pacific Northwest version of clam chowder – and thank The Dash later.
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