Smooth Pancakes' Coaching Carousel Career [Archive] - Page 3

SmoothPancakes

12-03-2012, 08:30 PM

Game One

:Tulsa: :@: :Akron:

Game Notes

--- The wait has ended. A new season has arrived. A new team storms to the field under the command of Coach Ramius. The 2014 season was all ready to get kicked off, as the Golden Hurricane invaded Akron, Ohio. The coin toss wouldn’t go in our favor, as a heads call turned up tails and Akron elected to kick. The positive out of that meant that our fans wouldn’t have to wait any longer to see the offense light up the field in a rainy evening game.

After a 29 yard kickoff return by Kiel Fletcher to start our first drive of the season at the 30 yard line, the Golden Hurricane offense wasted little time in showing they meant business, as Brandon Booth found Fletcher along the left hash for a 10 yard gain and a first down on the first play and pass of the 2014 season. The Zips defense showed they weren’t going down without a fight however, as an incomplete pass and a failed off-tackle rush for a loss of two yards left us with third and 12. But the Zips had no answer on third down with Booth found Chad Fisher for a 17 yard gain and a first down at the Akron 45 yard line. Fletcher picked up three yards on the ground on first down before a Booth pass to John Andrews for 6 yards left us with third and one. Fletcher would prove too much for the Akron defense as he plowed forward and across the line of scrimmage for a four yard gain and a first down at the 31 yard line. The next play caught the Zips defense off guard, when all three linebackers blitzed, leaving Sean Fox wide open cutting across the middle of the field, easily hauling in the pass before being tackled at the 14 yard line for a 17 yard gain. After a knocked down pass on first down, Fletcher was able to pick up 6 yards to set up third and four for the 8 yard line. The drive would end in a stall as the Zips defense blew through on the third down attempt and stuffed Fletcher for no gain, forcing us to settle for a 25 yard field goal. With 5:48 left to play in the first quarter, we had our first lead of the young season, 3-0 over Akron.

After the kickoff went out of bounds for a touchback, the Zips offense wasted little time in ripping our defense a new one. Shannon Morris found Ron Gibson for a 33 yard pickup, before connecting with Evan Young for 22 yards to get all the way to our 20 yard line in two plays. Our defense stiffened up after those two shocking plays and after three incomplete passes, Akron kicked a 37 yard field goal to tie up at 3-3 with 4:45 left in the quarter. The ensuing kickoff went for a touchback, starting our next drive at our 25 yard line. Coming out trying to make a statement nearly bit us in the ass, when Booth’s pass to Nicholas Roberts was woefully underthrown and nearly intercepted at our 35 yard line. Two more incomplete passes, and the punt team would make its first appearance of the game. Taking over at their 29 yard line following the 45 yard punt, Akron had some trouble passing as well, as Morris’ pass attempt to Young was well overthrown. A three yard rush by Will Whitmore left Akron with third and 7 before the Zips burned our pass defense yet again, completing a 26 yard pass down to our 42 yard line. Akron looked like little would stop them after a 5 yard pass and a 4 yard rush by Morris left the Zips with third and one. A holding penalty on third down however would cost Akron as an incomplete pass on third and 11 would end their drive with a punt instead of a field goal as the holding penalty pushed them out of field goal range. The Zips would get the last laugh however, as their 41 yard punt would go unreturned, leaving our offense starting on our own two yard line.

After a four yard rush by Fletcher to at least get breathing room, Booth found Brandon Price for a 12 yard gain and a first down. A three yard run by Fletcher set up Price for an 8 yard pickup and another first down at the 35 yard line. It was then that the Zips defense met a fired up Price, who proceeded to steamroll over three Akron defenders on the next play prior breaking loose for a 57 yard gain before being finally brought down at the Akron 7 yard line. The sweet smell of success was found on the next play with Booth hit Roberts on an out route in the end zone for the 7 yard touchdown pass. One extra point later by Alphonso Pratt and we had regained the lead, 10-3 with 1:12 left in the first quarter. Despite a 25 yard kickoff return out to their 27 yard line, the Zips found almost no success on their next drive, as Morris was promptly sacked for a 5 yard loss on first down, then tackled for a two yard loss on the next play, before managing only four yards on the ground on third and 18. A 43 yard punt returned 8 yards by Price set us up on our 42 yard line with only 15 seconds left in the quarter. After an incomplete pass, a 9 yard sack brought the quarter to an end, with our lead holding at 10-3 while facing third and 19. Even worse news came with that quarter ending play, when word was received that Fletcher suffered a mild concussion during the play and would be sidelined for the rest of the game, leaving our running game without its #1 weapon.

The second quarter didn’t welcome in any better news, as an incomplete pass left us with fourth and 19 and the punt unit trotting onto the field. Our defense at least continued its improved performance, sacking Morris for an 8 yard loss on first down from the Akron 26. Whitmore would manage 4 yards on second and 14, but the drive would end on the next play when Morris was forced to throw it was from his own 22. A fair catch on the 41 yard punt and our offense resumed possession on our 36 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth connected with Price out of the backfield for a 7 yard gain, setting up third and 3 at our 43 yard line, which Price promptly converted with an 8 yard rush up the gut to set up first down at the Akron 49 yard line. Catching the defense sleeping, Fox was able to pick up 9 yards on a stretch play before Price converted for the first down with a 4 yard off-tackle rush. The ground game went back to being buried in the playbook when a pitch play was blown up, resulting in Price being tackled for a loss of three yards. Booth would recover those yards and gain some extra with a 6 yard pass to Roberts, leaving us with third and 7 at the 33 yard line. The pass attempt was batted down at the line of scrimmage, and instead of attempting a 50 yard field goal, the punt team came out and booted it out for a touchback. The Akron offense would still find no success as three straight incomplete passes by Morris brought their drive to an immediate end.

A short punt kept our offense in good position, as we took over at our 45 yard line and hoped to finally expand on the lead our defense had been keeping safe for us. Unfortunately, our offense proved to be no better. After a quick 6 yard pass to Fox, Price was blown up for only a one yard gain on the ground, before a dropped pass, that would have converted a first down, left us with fourth and three and punting yet again. A booming punt left Akron buried at their 10 and that was the best they’d see on the drive. Two incomplete passes and a rush for a loss of two yards left Akron still stalled and struggling to stay afloat on offense as they punted on fourth and 12 from their 8 yard line. Naturally that would be too good to not spoil, and a 5 yard offside penalty on our defense gave Akron fourth and 7 from their 13. A 41 yard punt later and instead of starting in immaculate field position, we were back on our 45 yard line once again. After a 5 yard gain by Price, we were able to get a first down with a 7 yard catch by Roberts. A 6 yard rush by Price left us in great position, but our offensive line once again fouled up our drive, as the Akron defense blew through nearly untouched and Price was tackled for a loss of two. An incomplete pass left us facing fourth and 6 from the 39 yard line. A decision was made to go for it on fourth down, leaving the fate of this drive in the hands of Booth and our receiving corps. The pass fell incomplete as Price slipped and fell while making a cut, and the ball already in the air, flew by overhead and landed on the rain soaked grass without a hope of being caught. The defense kept the Akron offense still unable to move, as an incomplete pass, a tackle for a loss of four and a three yard picked up by Morris was all the Zips could manage, punting on fourth and 11. This time however, the Zips were punting from their own 39 yard line, leaving us with a full field to navigate and only two minutes left in the half in which to do so. Price gave us a gift with a 23 yard punt return as we opened up shop at the 46.

After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth found Price wide open in the flats, though it would only pick up three yards. A deep attempt on third and 7 and an answer for the impossible to defeat Akron secondary still could not be found. A batted down, nearly intercepted, pass brought the drive to an end with 1:15 to play. The saving grace was a 45 yard punt that went unreturned, leaving Akron to take over on their 5 yard line. Two incomplete passes and a rush for a loss of two yards left Akron punting on fourth and 12 from their 3 yard line, us with one time out left, and 56 seconds still on the clock. A 48 yard punt returned 5 yards by Price left just 46 yards between us and the end zone with 49 seconds to work with. After an incomplete pass on first down, Roberts was able to slip behind the secondary and haul in a pass from Booth, rumbling 37 yards down to the Akron 10 before finally being brought down. A lot of time was wasted after that play when our offense, after rushing to the line, was unable to make up their minds on whether to pass it, rush it, or spike the ball and stop the clock. Finally settling on a pass play, it was quickly broken up and left only 19 seconds to spare. A 7 yard pass on second down to Andrews and our final timeout was called. With only 13 seconds left in the half, this was most likely going to be the final play. The defense, cheating run with the ball on the three yard line, was caught defenseless when Conner Jefferson hauled in a pass at the two yard line and outraced his defender to the pylon to give us a 17-3 lead with 9 seconds left in the first half. The clock would expire on the kickoff and it was off to the locker rooms with a 14 point lead.

A 79 yard kickoff for a touchback gave Akron the ball on their 25 yard line to start the second half. This time they had found a way to beat our defense. After a 6 yard rush by Seth Scott and an incomplete pass to leave the Zips with third and 4, Jermaine Merrick finally got Akron a first down with a 5 yard rush. Despite our defense rising up and sacking Morris for a 6 yard loss on the next play, Merrick again burned the defense, hauling in a 34 yard pass to get the Zips first down at our 37. A 5 yard rush by Morris was followed with a 13 yard pass to Jansen, setting up first down at our 18 yard line. The defense then felt the need to help out, getting tagged with pass interference and giving the Zips 15 free yards and first and goal at our 3 yard line. The defense got a little breathing room, tackling Whitmore for a three yard loss, but Morris found Scott on the next play for a two yard gain, setting up third and goal from the four yard line. Whitmore would take care of business on the next play, rumbling ahead for a four yard touchdown rush to close the gap to 17-10 with 6:41 left in the third quarter. A touchback on the kickoff gave us possession on the 25.

After an incomplete pass to Roberts to open the drive, the offense caught fire, as Booth converted first down with a 12 yard pass to Fisher. After a pair of incomplete passes resulting in third and 10, Booth found Roberts over the middle for a 20 yard gain, giving us first down at the Akron 43. Booth then connected with Randy Newman for an 18 yard gain and another first down at the Akron 25. A pair of 12 yard gains to Roberts and Donny Jordan set up first and goal at the one yard line. Price would finish off the drive with a dive up the middle to make it 24-10 with 5:11 left in the third quarter. The Zips weren’t going to go quietly on offense. After a pass thrown away on first down, Morris found Young for a 10 yard gain and a first down. Whitmore picked up 5 yards on the ground before Morris hit Merrick for 15 yards and another first down, this time down to our 41 yard line. Another thrown away pass was followed with a 13 yard strike to Gibson and Akron was down to our 28. The defense would make a stand after that play, tackling Whitmore for consecutive three yard losses before an incomplete pass left Akron with fourth and 16 from our 34 yard line. Instead of trying the 51 yard field goal, the Zips elected to punt, the 47 yard bomb going out of the end zone for a touchback.

It was a poor start to our drive as a holding call on the first play negated what would have a been a first down securing rush by Price, and pushed us back to our 15 yard line. Roberts quickly gained back those yards, diving to catch an overthrown pass from Roberts for a 10 yard gain. Another catch by Roberts, this time for 9 yards, left us with third and one at the 29. Price picked up that one yard, and then some, rumbling ahead for a 6 yard gain, giving us first down at the 35. An attempt to catch the defense napping went nowhere when a pitch to the left was quickly stopped for only a two yard gain. An incomplete pass on the next play left us facing third and 8. Fox hauled in the third down pass, but was tackled for only a 5 yard gain, bringing out the punt team on fourth and three. Taking over on their own 22, the Zips quickly moved backwards courtesy of a false start penalty, but that was quickly erased when our defense gave them 9 free yards and a new first down on a penalty on the very next play. A 5 yard rush by Whitmore advanced the Zips out to their 30 yard line, but Whitmore was tackled for a two yard loss on the following play, after which an incomplete pass left Akron with fourth and 7 and another failed drive. A 6 yard return on the 44 yard punt set us up at the 33 yard line with only 5 seconds left in the quarter. A rush up the middle by Price was quickly stonewalled for a one yard loss, leaving us with second and 11 as the third quarter came to a close, a 24-10 lead over Akron.

The first play of the fourth quarter resulted in our best play of the game, as the cornerback slipped and fell on the rain soaked turf, allowing Fisher to jet up the left sideline completely uncovered, hauling in the rainbow pass from Booth and taking it 68 yards to the house untouched, giving us a 31-10 lead with 8:53 left in the game. Starting off their drive with yet another incomplete pass, Akron was able to finally move the ball a bit on offense, picking up 8 yards from Whitmore followed by a three yard rush from Morris for a first down at the 35. That was the best Akron would do as an incomplete pass, a sack for a loss of 8 yards and a dropped pass on third down left Akron punting for yet another time today on fourth and 18 from their 27. A 46 yard punt caught on a fair catch gave us possession on our 26. Trying to chew off some clock, we let our running game go to town on the Akron defense, as Price broke of a 5 yard rush, before Fox followed with a 6 yard gain and a first down. Another rush by Price, this time for 7 yards left us with second and three at the 48 yard line, when a play action fake caught the defense with their pants down, enabling Fisher to haul in a pass from Booth for a 21 yard gain and a first down at the Akron 31. Pulling out some of the pages from deeper in the playbook proved costly, as a HB screen failed, resulting in a loss of three yards, followed by Booth throwing his first interception of the season, directly into the hands of defender Jermaine Bush. Booth almost saved his error, as Bush was stripped and fumbled the ball during his 9 yard interception return, but the ball took an Akron bounce and Bush was able to fall on it before any of the three Tulsa players nearby could.

That interception gave Akron some of their best field position all game, starting on their own 40 yard line with 5:03 left to play. After a thrown away pass, Morris picked up 5 yards on the ground and then connected with Merrick for an 8 yard gain to get the first down at the Tulsa 46. A 3 yard rush by Whitmore was followed up by an incomplete pass, leaving Akron with third and 7. A 5 yard pass to Merrick was not enough, leaving the Zips with fourth and three from our 39 yard line. They would attempt the fourth down conversion, but Whitmore was tackled for a loss of three yards, giving us the ball on downs at our 42 with 4:02 left to play. Trying to run down the remaining clock as much as possible, it was all ground game this drive. Price got things started off with rushes of 5 and 4 yards, before Fox got the first down with a 2 yard gain. Rushes of 7, 9, 7 and 5 yards by Price gave us first down at the Akron 14 yard line. A one yard rush by Price was followed by no gain and a rush for a loss of two yards, leaving us with fourth and 11 at the Akron 15, no timeouts and unable to run off the remaining clock. In a play that is sure to send spectators, Akron fans, college football fans in general and football analysts into a frenzy for days, Booth found Fisher over the middle. A catch at the three yard line which would have been enough for a game ending first down, turned into controversy when Fisher turned his shoulder and dove for the end zone, putting Tulsa up 38-10 with only 13 seconds left in the game. After a touchback on the kickoff, a 5 yard run by Whitmore brought the game to a close. There’s no doubt Akron will be looking for payback on this one in 2015 when the Zips come to Tulsa.

And so we kick off the 2014 season with a win and improve to 1-0. Akron drops to 0-1. Next up, #4 Oklahoma. We get to be their warm-up game as the Sooners open their year in Tulsa. Time to stock up on some lube. :(

Final Score
:Tulsa: 38: :Akron: 10

Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – 525 yards of total offense, with a powerful running attack (even if it was without it’s star running back) and a beastly passing game. Now the only question is how to get both going full speed in the first half and not wait until the second half to break out. That crap won’t fly against Oklahoma. Brandon Booth meanwhile had an almost perfect day, going 27-49, 349 yards passing and 4 touchdowns, the only blemish being the one interception.

Tulsa Defense – Held the Zips to 235 yards of offense. While the passing game tore the defense apart of times, they were giants against the Akron run game, holding the Zips to only 49 yards rushing.

Tulsa Kicking – A perfect 1-1 field goals and 5-5 extra points.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Tulsa:
10
7
7
14
38

:Akron:
3
0
7
0
10

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

5:51
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 30 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 3-0

4:49
:Akron:
Field Goal
K. Robertson, 37 yard field goal
TIED 3-3

1:12
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
N. Roberts, 7 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 10-3

Second Quarter

0:09
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Jefferson, 3 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 17-3

Third Quarter

6:41
:Akron:
Touchdown
W. Whitmore, 3 yard run (K. Robertson kick)
:Tulsa: 17-10

5:11
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Price, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 24-10

Fourth Quarter

8:53
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Fisher, 68 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 31-10

0:13
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Fisher, 15 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 38-10

Game Stats

Tulsa
Stat
Akron

38
Score
10

23
First Downs
11

525
Total Offense
235

36 - 176 - 1
Rushes - Yards - TD
25 - 49 - 1

27 - 49 - 4
Comp - Att - TD
12 - 36 - 0

349
Passing Yards
186

1
Times Sacked
4

9 - 18 (50%)
3rd Down Conversion
5 - 17 (29%)

1 - 2 (50%)
4th Down Conversion
0 - 1 (0%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

8 - 4 - 1 (62%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
2 - 1 - 0 (50%)

1
Turnovers
0

0
Fumbles Lost
0

1
Intercepted
0

47
Punt Return Yards
5

29
Kick Return Yards
91

601
Total Yards
331

6 – 41.2
Punts - Average
10 - 42.1

5 - 44
Penalties
3 - 20

20:30
Time of Possession
15:30

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
1
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
4
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
38
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
1
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
525
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
525
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
1
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
525
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

44%

SmoothPancakes

12-03-2012, 08:32 PM

For our viewing audience, some games of interest from week one.

A disclaimer, shuffling around teams to set up conferences to reflect (as accurately as I could) what college football will look like in 2014 (created and set up before this latest round of "Conference Do-si-do") and shuffling some teams around schedule-wise so I could get the schedule that I wanted, clearly some dominoes fell this way and that along the way and there was a trickle down effect of "WTF" when it came to some schedules.

Some results on interest in the Top 25, Wake Forest takes the Buckeyes to triple overtime, before Ohio State finally escapes, scoring a touchdown in the third OT to win 51-48. The teams went in tied 35-35, they traded field goals in the first OT, traded touchdowns in the second OT, Wake Forest opened up the third OT with a field goal and Buckeyes countered with a 12 yard TD pass.

Also in the Top 25, Utah State knocks off #13 Kansas State in overtime (so much for K-State having national titles hopes in my dynasty), #25 Florida apparently REALLY sucks, because BYU took them behind the woodshed and bent them over to the tune of 48-14. :smh: Louisiana Tech held tough with #3 LSU, at one point only losing 42-31 at the end of the third quarter, but the Tigers end up winning 52-31. #11 South Carolina escapes Vanderbilt 17-15. It was a bad weekend for Florida, as Rutgers storms Tallahassee and knocks off #8 Florida State 22-10. #14 Clemson holds off #19 Nebraska 21-17.

In a potential showdown of the SEC Championship Game in a few months, #6 Georgia knocks off #1 Alabama 28-20. It was tied 14-14 at halftime, 'Bama took a 17-14 lead, Georgia went up 21-17, 'Bama made it 21-20 with another field goal, and then Georgia scores with 51 seconds left for the 8 point margin of victory.

In Conference USA, it was a rough week for the Big East. Florida International knocked off NC State 24-21 and Rice beats former C-USA foe Memphis 31-28, Rice scoring 2 fourth quarter TDs, the final one with 53 seconds to play, to claim the win. And souljahbill, you can rest easy now, USM will not repeat their 0-12 season in my dynasty. Southern Miss wallops Connecticut 41-17. The Big East did get one win, San Diego State smoked East Carolina 52-6. Elsewhere, Marshall knocked off Illinois 23-21, kicking the game winning field goal with 1:28 left to play.

The Big Ten also had a couple embarrassing games. To go along with Illinois losing to Marshall, Indiana got downed by Texas State 14-10.

Other conferences, maybe Kent State will be in the same position they were last week. Kent State knocks off Washington State 29-28. Same with the Huskies. Northern Illinois beats Duke 30-24 in OT. And while Louisiana-Monroe didn't get a chance to repeat it's upset of Auburn (Warhawks played Oregon State in this dynasty instead and got blown the hell out), Miami University almost pulled it off from them, losing to Auburn 22-19. Miami U had a 19-0 lead at halftime, Auburn scored in the third quarter to make it 19-7, scored with 5:07 left in the game to make it 19-14, and then scored again with 2:13 left to play and got a 2-pt conversion to win 22-19.

For everybody else, there was no action at all this week from Arkansas State, Arizona State or West Virginia.

And damn this Coaches Poll is fucked up. #6 Georgia knocks off #1 Alabama. Alabama tumbles all the way to #8 in week 2. Georgia only makes it to #3 and only receives one single first place vote. USC ascends from #2 to #1 and gets 33 first place votes, LSU rises from #3 to #2 and gets 27 first place votes. Knocking off the previous #1 gets Georgia one first place vote and #3 in the rankings.

SmoothPancakes

12-04-2012, 02:56 PM

Well, no point putting off the pain. Firing up the 360 now, gonna get week 2 recruiting knocked out and then go get bent over by #5 Oklahoma. :(

morsdraconis

12-04-2012, 03:53 PM

Glad to see that you're back doing this again Smooth. Always enjoy reading them. :up:

SmoothPancakes

12-04-2012, 04:39 PM

Glad to see that you're back doing this again Smooth. Always enjoy reading them. :up:

Yeah, I've been meaning to get this fired up for a while now, just never had the time with our Christmas campaigns on both stations at work. Most days, I was working 6am to 5 or 6pm, coming home at night and sleeping by 8pm. Some nights, I was so tired I never even bothered eating dinner, just came home and went right to sleep before repeating everything the next day. Thankfully, we're in our final week of one campaign and the final week of the other campaign is next week, so my hours are opening up a bit and I'm getting some more free time to actually play. I made damn certain I was going to get on yesterday and get that first game played, and not let the entire night slip away watching TV or deciding to play Halo 4 (since it would already be in the system) instead of switching out the discs.

A teaser, I just hit halftime of the Oklahoma game. I think I might have to work on my sliders. This is turning out to not be me bending over at all, but a damn track meet. With the way the first half went, at this rate, whoever wins is gonna have to score 50+.

morsdraconis

12-04-2012, 05:42 PM

Yeah, I've been meaning to get this fired up for a while now, just never had the time with our Christmas campaigns on both stations at work. Most days, I was working 6am to 5 or 6pm, coming home at night and sleeping by 8pm. Some nights, I was so tired I never even bothered eating dinner, just came home and went right to sleep before repeating everything the next day. Thankfully, we're in our final week of one campaign and the final week of the other campaign is next week, so my hours are opening up a bit and I'm getting some more free time to actually play. I made damn certain I was going to get on yesterday and get that first game played, and not let the entire night slip away watching TV or deciding to play Halo 4 (since it would already be in the system) instead of switching out the discs.

No doubt man. With work and other video games, it's hard to get motivated to play something that I've been playing for a while instead of playing something new.

A teaser, I just hit halftime of the Oklahoma game. I think I might have to work on my sliders. This is turning out to not be me bending over at all, but a damn track meet. With the way the first half went, at this rate, whoever wins is gonna have to score 50+.

Heh, sounds like a normal Big 12 defense to me. :fp:

SmoothPancakes

12-04-2012, 05:47 PM

Holy. Shit.

Details coming soon.

morsdraconis

12-04-2012, 05:49 PM

Ruh ro raggy!

http://bigkidsbeingfunny.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/scooby.jpg

SmoothPancakes

12-04-2012, 06:51 PM

Game Two

#5 :Oklahoma: :@: :Tulsa:

Game Notes

--- Here it was, the home opener of the 2014 season, against none other than the #5 Oklahoma Sooners. Not much to be said other than may Jobu be kind to us. Weather would have no effect as it was a perfectly sunny day. Oklahoma won the toss, elected to receive and the game was set to get underway.

Oklahoma immediately started the game wishing they had instead chosen to kick, as a pass from Lamarr Moore to Tony Moore had seemingly picked up 13 yards, before Moore fumbled the ball during contact. Keith Battle covered it up and our offense was scrambling onto the field to take over at the Oklahoma 31 yard line, only 15 seconds into the game. Kiel Fletcher got the offense started with a four yard run before Brandon Booth connected with Brandon Price for a 6 yard gain and a first down. Fletcher picked up another four yards on the ground, before another pass from Booth to Price gained 12 for first and goal at the Oklahoma four yard line. After a dive by Fletcher got blown up for no gain, and the second down pass was nearly intercepted in the end zone, Booth found Price for the third time of the drive, completing the 5 yard touchdown pass to take the lead over the Sooners 7-0 with 6:34 left in the quarter.

The Sooners wasted little time in ripping our defense a new one. After an incomplete pass on first down from their 26 yard line, Moore took off on a QB sneak and picked up 6 yards, before hitting Alfred Barnes for a 29 yard gain and a first down at our 39 yard line. Stanley Wilson took over for the Oklahoma offense, rushing for gains of three, 5 and 5 yards to get a first down at the 26. After a two yard pass to Wilson, Moore scrambled for a 6 yard gain on second down before connecting with Ed Harvey for 17 yards, giving Oklahoma first and goal at our 1 yard line. Moore would do the honors, diving up the middle on the QB sneak for the one yard touchdown rush, tying the game up at 7 apiece with 4:26 to play. Starting on our 25, the offense picked up right where it left off last drive, as Booth found Price out of the back field for a 13 yard pass and an immediate first down. Fletcher was blown up for a loss of two yards on the next play, before Booth connected on back to back 7 yard passes to Chad Fisher and John Andrews to convert third and 5 and pick up a first down at midfield. Fletcher took a pitch and rumbled ahead for a 10 yard gain on the next play, leaving second and inches. An attempted QB sneak by Booth proved fruitless as Booth was tackled for no gain and left us with third and inches. Fletcher would get us a new set of downs, busting through the line for a 7 yard rush. We would return to the end zone for a second time today as Booth found Sean Parks on a slant route, who then broke a tackle and outraced the rest of the secondary for a 33 yard touchdown. The extra point gave us a 14-7 lead with 1:49 remaining.

After a touch back, our defense seemingly was about to force a Sooner punt, after tackling Moore for a two yard loss and then swatting down a pass. But Moore found T. Moore for a 19 yard gain over the middle and the Sooners had a new set of downs at the 42 yard line. A 7 yard pass to Alfred Reid was followed by a 5 yard rush by Wilson, and the Sooners had another first down at our 46. Wilson kept it going on the ground with another 5 yard rush, followed by an 11 yard pass from Moore to T. Moore to give the Sooners first down at our 30 yard line with 22 seconds left. The first quarter would however end as disastrously for the Sooners as it had started, when a pass attempt by Moore was intercepted by Calvin Rogers, giving us possession at our 28 yard line with 11 seconds left in the first quarter. The quarter would however end with little fanfare, as two incomplete passes and a sack for a loss of 10 yards would force us to open the second quarter with a punt. 15 minutes complete, we still had a lead, 14-7.

After a 47 yard punt to start the second quarter, our defense once again seemed ready to force an Oklahoma punt, sacking Moore for a 5 yard loss and then knocking a pass incomplete. But the Moore Combination on the Sooners offense bit right back, as Moore connected with T. Moore for a 24 yard gain and a first down at our 47. After a 7 yard rush by Wilson, Moore hit Barnes for 10 yards and another first down. A 6 yard rush by Wilson left Oklahoma with second and four at our 25 yard line, but a holding penalty would set the Sooners back, leaving them with second and 14 at the 35. This time the defense would stand it’s ground, forcing two incomplete passes and a field goal attempt. The 52 yard attempt by Gary Weber was no good, sailing wide left and we regained possession at our 35. A pass to Price only gained three yards, setting us up with second and 7, before Booth found Parks for a 15 yard gain along the right hash, needling the ball in between two defenders. It was an immediate first down on the next play as a heavy blitz from the left allowed Fletcher to dash by out of the backfield uncovered for an easy lob pass from Booth, before racing the secondary toward the sideline for a 22 yard gain to give us a first down at the Oklahoma 25 yard line. The Sooner secondary got burned yet again on the next play, as a play action fake got the defense to bite, allowing Parks to get open for a 16 yard gain and first and goal at the Sooner 9 yard line. The Sooners were more than ready for our return to the ground game, as Fletcher was only able to manage one yard before being swarmed by defenders. Going right back to the air, Booth made the defense pay, as he found Andrews over the middle, who sprinted the last few yards to beat the safety to the goal line for the 8 yard touchdown pass, giving us a 21-7 lead with 5:42 to play in the half.

One good thing about the kickoff, our defense will be well rested next time they head out. A 63 yard kickoff found our kickoff team exposed, as Eric Green took the kickoff 94 yards to the house and got Oklahoma back within 7, making it 21-14 with 5:17 to play. After, for whatever reason, our return team brought the ball out of the end zone on the kickoff, we started our next offensive drive from our worst field position this game, our 16 yard line. That field position wouldn’t last long, as a failed assignment by the right corner allowed Fisher to get behind the coverage, hauling in a pass and racing the secondary for a 61 yard gain down to the Oklahoma 23. Nicholas Roberts got in on the action on the next play, hauling in a pass for 10 yards and a first down at the Sooners 10 yard line. An off-tackle rush by Fletcher only managed three yards, before Fletcher caught a dump pass from Booth and was tackled forward into the end zone for the 7 yard touchdown to extend our lead to 28-14 with 4:03 to play.

After a touch back on the kickoff, the Oklahoma offense wasted no time in moving the ball, as Moore found Reid for a 10 yard gain, before a two yard rush by Wilson gave the Sooners a new set of downs. Proving that our defense is still incompetent on third down, a one yard rush and an incomplete pass from Moore gave way to a third and 9 pass for 22 yards from Moore to Green and another first down. A three yard rush by Moore and a 6 yard gain from Wilson left Oklahoma with third and one from our 32 yard line, before Moore connected with T. Moore for a 25 yard gain and a first down at our 7. A 6 yard rush by Wilson set up second and goal at our one yard line, where the Sooners would surprisingly see their drive stall after two incomplete passes. However, opting not to kick the 18 yard field goal on fourth and goal, Moore hit Brian Bowen for a one yard touchdown pass to pull the Sooners back within 7 points, 28-21 with 1:43 left in the first half. A touch back on the kickoff left our offense with 75 yards to cover in only 1:35.

Going into a hurry up offense, Booth was able to connect on 10 yard passes to Roberts and Newman to quickly move us to the 45 yard line. An incomplete pass on second and inches set up Fletcher for a one yard gain and the first down at our 46. Rushing to the line, an incomplete pass from Booth to Fisher stopped the clock with 42 seconds left. Booth found Fisher on the next play, this time along the right sideline for a 36 yard gain, though Fisher was tackled just before being able to get out of bounds. After rushing to the line, Booth hit Andrews for a 12 yard gain to give us first and goal at the Oklahoma 6 yard line before we took our second timeout of the half with 28 seconds on the clock. Catching the defense cheating pass, Fletcher was able to gain four yards on the ground to set up second and goal at the two yard line. Rushing to the line and snapping the ball before the defense was able to even get organized, Fletcher ran it in off-tackle for the two yard touchdown rush to give us a 35-21 lead with 14 seconds left in the half. A two yard rush by Wilson would end the clock for the Sooners and the half, a 14 point lead intact.

Starting off the second half, we took over on our usual position of the 25 yard line after a touch back on the kickoff, giving our offense a chance to potentially drive the first stake into the coffin. It seemed to be going well on the ground as Fletcher busted a run for a 15 yard gain before taking a pitch to the left for 6 yards. But the attempt up the middle on second and four went down in flames, as Price was tackled for a loss of two yards. Price was able to haul in the pass from Booth on third and 6, but fell down after reaching to catch the pass, gaining only four and leaving us with fourth and two. Opting to go for it from the 48 yard line instead of punting, Price was able to get the first down this time, catching a pass for a 9 yard gain to get us to the Oklahoma 43 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth found Roberts for 9 yards before Fletcher managed to just get across the first down line, gaining two yards to get us to the OU 32. A play action pass attempt on first down ended in failure when Booth was hit as he was throwing, resulting in a wounded duck that only made it 5 yards before landing incomplete. Price kept the drive alive, hauling in a pass for 13 yards to get us to the 19 yard line. After a quick slant pass to Parks netted four yards, Booth found Anderson on the opposite side of the field, who shot a gap in the secondary to pick up 14 yards, setting us up with first and goal at the one yard line. A pass to Parks on a slant route resulted in the one yard touchdown and a 42-21 lead with 5:44 left in the third quarter.

After forcing Moore to throw away consecutive passes, our defense once again proved inept on third downs, as Moore hit Green for a 33 yard gain to keep the Sooners drive alive. He found Green again on the next play for 24 yards before passing to Wilson for a four yard gain and Reid for 7 yards to get first and goal at our three yard line. A three yard touchdown rush by Wilson closed the gap to 42-28 with 4:16 left. Our offense kept the momentum going as Booth hit Fisher for a quick 13 yard gain, before Andrews picked up 5 yards on a screen pass. After an incomplete pass left us with third and 5 from the 43 yard line, Booth hit Parks on a slant for a gain of 14 and first down at the OU 43. A deep curl by Parks on the next play went for a gain of 15 yards and moved the ball to the Sooners 28. Newman got involved the next play as he hauled in a 19 yard pass on a streak to set us up with first and goal at the Oklahoma 9 yard line. A holding penalty on the next play was a setback as we were bumped out to the 18 yard line. Roberts would negate that penalty and then some, hauling in a pass and fighting forward to the three yard line for a 16 yard gain. A two yard gain by Fletcher left us with third and goal at the one. With the defense stacking the line, we went back to the air as Booth hit Parks on another slant route, this time for the one yard touchdown to make it 49-28 with 1:24 left in the third quarter.

Oklahoma was far from going down quietly, as Moore hit Green for a 10 yard pass, before finding T. Moore through the air for a 27 yard gain to get to our 36. After a 7 yard rush by Wilson, Moore found Green again, this time for 18 yards to set up first down at our 11 with 21 seconds left. An incomplete pass left 9 seconds on the clock, and the third quarter would come to an end on the next play after an 8 yard rush by Wilson. With the clock showing all zeroes, it was off to the final stanza with an unbelievable and improbable 49-28 lead over the #5 Sooners.

The first play of the fourth quarter found the Sooners closing the gap once again, as Wilson rushed ahead for the three yard touchdown to make it 49-35 with 8:55 to play. Starting off on our 25 after the touch back, two incomplete passes seemed to have us destined to punt, before Booth was able to sling a pass just over the shoulder of a trailing safety and into the hands of Fisher for a 35 yard gain. After two more incomplete passes, Booth found Newman over the middle for a 10 yard gain to keep us alive. The next play would stop our drive dead in its tracks as Booth’s pass to Fisher was intercepted by Justin Smith, who returned it 11 yards to set Oklahoma’s offense up at their own 27. It was a rough start for the Sooners as a false start pushed them back to their 22, and would be the difference in bringing out the punt team. After a 9 yard pass to Green made it second and 6, two incomplete passes from Moore left the Sooners with fourth and 6 from their 31 and punting it away. The four yard return by Price set us up at our 28 yard line with 7:24 left to play. The next play would see Booth’s confidence shaken even further, as his pass on first down was picked off for the second time today, this time by Adam Fuller, who advanced it 12 yards up to our 27 yard line. After a dropped pass on first down, Moore found Barnes for a 16 yard gain down to our 11 yard line. Wilson then broke off a pair of four yard rushes to set up third and two from the three yard line, where Moore hit T. Moore with the three yard touchdown pass to make it 49-42 with 6:30 to play.

Starting on our 21 yard line with only a 7 point lead, our lead was in danger of crumbling completely after two straight interceptions on consecutive passes had shaken Booth’s confidence to its core. While Booth was able to complete a pass to the correct team on first down, it was still detrimental as the pass to Parks ended up going for a loss of one yard, leaving us with second and 11. A pass to Andrews for 7 yards left us with third and three, when Booth hit Anderson across the middle for a 15 yard gain and a first down, putting the faith of the coaching staff back into Booth. The drive quickly ended up back in the gutter. After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth was sacked for a loss of 8 yards to set up third and 18 from our 36. As if it couldn't get much worse, for the third consecutive drive, Booth was picked off, his third of the game, Smith’s second interception of the game, this time taking it all 48 yards to the house to tie the game up at 49-49 with 4:37 to play.

Taking over on our 25 yard line after the kickoff, the coaching staff was seriously considering benching Booth and giving redshirt Sophomore Casey Bishop a try at the helm, but with a tie game and less than 5 minutes to play, put their faith once more in Booth to find a way to pull back to his earlier form. After an incomplete pass on first down that once again was nearly intercepted, Booth finally started to settle down, hitting Price along the left sideline for a 10 yard gain, before throwing a pass along the right hash to Parks for 15 yards and a first down at midfield. Catching the defense snoozing, Fletcher lit up the Sooners D with an off-tackle rush for 16 yards before busting an 18 yard rush up the gut. After Price got blown up for only a one yard gain, back to back passes to Price for 3 and 9 yards gave us first and goal at the three yard line with 2:46 to play. After Fletcher was stopped for a one yard gain on first down, Price would score the go-ahead touchdown on a two yard rush, putting us up 56-49 with 2:11 remaining.

A 7 yard rush by Ryan Washington was set back as Moore was sacked for a two yard loss on second down. Our defense however, still gutless on third down, gave up a 24 yard pass to T. Moore to give the Sooners new life at our 45 yard line. After two straight incomplete passes, the Sooners converted yet another third down, as Moore hit Barnes for a 27 yard gain down to our 18 yard line with 1:21 to play. Wilson picked up 9 yards on the ground on the next play, before following it up with a 7 yard pickup, giving OU first and goal at our two yard line with 54 seconds remaining. A two yard touchdown pass from Moore to T. Moore would tie the game back up once again at 56-56 with 48 seconds to play. A 16 yard return by Price on the kickoff, once again coming out of the end zone, would leave us on our own 14 yard line with 38 seconds and three timeouts. After completing a pass to Roberts for 17 yards and rushing to the line to conserve clock, the drive would stall on our 31 as three straight incomplete passes forced the punt team out with 22 seconds on the clock. A fair catch on the 41 yard punt left Oklahoma starting on their 27 with 18 seconds to play. It would end with no hope of scoring as Moore was sacked for a four yard loss, pushing the Sooners back to their 23 yard line. A 9 yard rush by Wilson set up third and 5 with 9 seconds to play. After using a timeout, an incomplete pass from Moore ran out the remaining seconds and it was to overtime we go.

We would take over on offense first. Three straight incomplete passes, all broken up by the Sooners defense, and we were forced to settle for a 42 yard field goal and hope our defense would grow a spine. The defense would do exactly that, as the Oklahoma offense would choose the worse possible moment of the entire game to collapse, as Moore was intercepted by Jason Hall, who took it 83 yards all the way to the house to seal the win and give us a 65-56 overtime upset victory over #5 Oklahoma.

With the win, we improved to a surprising 2-0, while Oklahoma drops to 0-1. Up next, a bye week before heading back to my old stomping grounds of Miami to take on Florida International.

Final Score
:Tulsa: 65, #5 :Oklahoma: 56 - OT

Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – Other than the three interceptions that nearly boned us, an almost perfect day. New records were set by Booth for most passing yards and most passing TDs in a single game with 552 yards and 6 TDs. Fletcher had made it over the century mark during the game, but ended up with 97 yards rushing on 19 carries for his final tally. Two receivers made it into triple digit yards, as Fisher ended the day with 152 yards receiving on 5 catches, Parks had 113 yards on 10 catches for the day.

- Tulsa Defense – Other than the fact that damn near every third down, the defense rolled over on their backs and let Oklahoma convert with a 15+ yard pass, a nice defensive effort. 2 interceptions, a forced fumble and fumble recovery, and a 3 sacks are always a nice afternoon.

- Tulsa Kicking - Another perfect day, 1 for 1 on field goals, the 42 yarder in OT that gave us the lead (and would end up being more than enough for the win), and 8 for 8 on extra points, still perfect in both categories for the season. It's very nice and refreshing having a reliable kicker. And he's only a Freshman!

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Overtime
Final Score

#5 :Oklahoma:
7
14
7
28
0
56

:Tulsa:
14
21
14
7
9
65

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

6:34
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Price, 5 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-0

4:26
:Oklahoma:
Touchdown
L. Moore, 1 yard run (G. Weber kick)
TIED 7-7

1:49
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Parks, 33 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 14-7

Second Quarter

5:42
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
J. Andrews, 8 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 21-7

5:17
:Oklahoma:
Touchdown
E. Green, returned kickoff 93 yards (G. Weber kick)
:Tulsa: 21-14

4:03
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 7 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 28-14

1:43
:Oklahoma:
Touchdown
B. Bowen, 1 yard pass from L. Moore (G. Weber kick)
:Tulsa: 28-21

0:14
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 2 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 35-21

Third Quarter

5:44
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Parks, 1 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 42-21

4:16
:Oklahoma:
Touchdown
S. Wilson, 2 yard run (G. Weber kick)
:Tulsa: 42-28

1:24
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Parks, 1 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 49-28

Fourth Quarter

8:55
:Oklahoma:
Touchdown
S. Wilson, 2 yard run (G. Weber kick)
:Tulsa: 49-35

6:30
:Oklahoma:
Touchdown
T. Moore, 2 yard pass from L. Moore (G. Weber kick)
:Tulsa: 49-42

4:37
:Oklahoma:
Touchdown
J. Smith, returned interception 48 yards (G. Weber kick)
TIED 49-49

2:11
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Price, 2 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 56-49

0:48
:Oklahoma:
Touchdown
T. Moore, 2 yard pass from L. Moore (G. Weber kick)
TIED 56-56

Overtime

---
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 42 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 59-56

---
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
J. Hall, returned interception 83 yards
:Tulsa: 65-56

Game Stats

Oklahoma
Stat
Tulsa

56
Score
65

21
First Downs
32

522
Total Offense
632

27 - 128 - 3
Rushes - Yards - TD
25 - 80 - 2

26 - 45 - 3
Comp - Att - TD
43 - 66 - 6

394
Passing Yards
552

3
Times Sacked
2

12 - 16 (75%)
3rd Down Conversion
12 - 17 (70%)

1 - 1 (100%)
4th Down Conversion
1 - 1 (100%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

6 - 6 - 0 (100%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
7 - 7 - 0 (100%)

3
Turnovers
3

1
Fumbles Lost
0

2
Intercepted
3

0
Punt Return Yards
4

233
Kick Return Yards
54

755
Total Yards
690

1 – 44.0
Punts - Average
2 - 45.0

2 - 15
Penalties
2 - 25

16:33
Time of Possession
19:27

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
2
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
10
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
51
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
3
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
1157
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
1157
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
2
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
1157
:2greenarrow:

Bonus

Beat a higher ranked team

:4greenarrow:

Job Security Status

56%

SmoothPancakes

12-04-2012, 06:57 PM

What a rough week for the Top 25. Other than my 65-56 overtime upset of #5 Oklahoma, many a team fell. The biggest, even bigger than mine, Fresno State knocking off #4 Oregon in overtime, 41-38. Elsewhere, #9 West Virginia barely holds off a 4th quarter comeback by Colorado State (CSU outscored WVU 21-3 in the 4th) to beat the Rams 30-28, Washington upsets #10 South Carolina 17-14, Northern Illinois goes to 2-0 after they knock off #12 Clemson 24-17, Tennessee upset #13 Virginia Tech 35-32.

#16 Ohio State barely holds on to beat Miami University at home 28-24 (it was 21-21 after three quarters), North Carolina knocked off #17 Florida State (FSU is now 0-2) to the tune of 37-28. #20 Texas escaped with a 23-17 win at home over Florida International. #22 Nebraska, in double overtime, escapes Miami (FL) at home, 20-17. Virginia moved to 2-0 with a 59-21 whooping of #24 BYU, and #25 Auburn scored 21 fourth quarter points to beat Mississippi State 34-27.

8 upsets in the Top 25 this week, including the #4, #5, #10, #12 and #13 teams all falling.

Other games of interest, congratulations souljahbill, Southern Miss is now 2-0 after whooping UMass 35-7. In the C-USA, another upset by Tulane, this time beating Kentucky 20-17. Fear the Green Wave. Jaymo, Arizona State is off to 1-0 start in 2014, as Sparky beats Louisiana Tech 35-14. G, good news for you, Arkansas State beats UConn 31-17, starting off 1-0 and knocking down a Big East team along the way.

For the Top 25 going into week 3, some major shakeup. Arkansas is up 2 to #4, Michigan up 2 to #5, West Virginia up 3 to #6, Alabama went up 1 to #7, Michigan State jumped 3 to #8, Wisconsin jumped 5 to #9, TCU also jumped 5 to #10, Ohio State climbed 5 to #11, Rutgers with the largest jump, up 6 to #12.

South Carolina dropped a mere 3 to #13, Oklahoma dropped 9 to #14, Oregon dropped 12 to #16, Virginia Tech dropped 9 to #22, Clemson dropped 12 to #24, Florida State dropped 10 from #17 to #27, BYU dropped from #24 to not even receiving votes.

Brand new in the Top 25, Washington makes an appearance at #20 (2-0), and Virginia has climbed to #25 (2-0). Despite knocking off the #5 team in the nation, no love whatsoever for the Golden Hurricanes of Tulsa, as we climb to only #32 (thank god for the Championship Contenders addition to NCAA '13 to I could actually find out the rank).

morsdraconis

12-05-2012, 05:21 AM

Wow man. That's a HUGE win over a rival. Looks like you might have a special season on your hands.

SmoothPancakes

12-05-2012, 06:51 AM

Wow man. That's a HUGE win over a rival. Looks like you might have a special season on your hands.

That or the sliders I had when I last played '13 a couple months ago needs some big tweaks. :D

I thought I was done in the fourth quarter. After those three straight interceptions, including the pick six that tied it up, all I could see was me ending up losing 56-49 or 63-49 as Oklahoma was just steamrolling me at that point. Truly a battle there. That fumble by Oklahoma on the first drive set the tone for what was to come. That, and Oklahoma had a couple turnovers early on, while all of my turnovers came at the end of the game, allowing me to build a lead and fight to keep it.

morsdraconis

12-05-2012, 07:10 AM

That or the sliders I had when I last played '13 a couple months ago needs some big tweaks. :D

Well, this is your first game with Tulsa against a real opponent, and, interestingly enough, you also threw the ball QUITE a bit. I haven't actually played '13, but in '12, I was unstoppable with terrible teams because I could just throw the ball 60 times and keep it going against pretty much anyone that wasn't ridiculously good on defense (A or A+).

SmoothPancakes

12-05-2012, 10:33 AM

Well, this is your first game with Tulsa against a real opponent, and, interestingly enough, you also threw the ball QUITE a bit. I haven't actually played '13, but in '12, I was unstoppable with terrible teams because I could just throw the ball 60 times and keep it going against pretty much anyone that wasn't ridiculously good on defense (A or A+).

Yeah, while Tulsa has a beastly running corps (1st string HB is 90 ovr, 2nd string is 83 ovr, 3rd string is high-70s, 1st string FB is 89 ovr), the offensive line isn't exactly the greatest. While they do rate from mid-70s to mid-80s in ovr, they are constantly letting defenders blow through the line and blow up run plays, especially more so going up against Oklahoma's defense, so I had no choice but to go heavy on the passing game.

Hopefully as I get into the weaker teams on my schedule when I start C-USA play, I can start unleashing the running game on them.

As for my next game, I got my recruiting in week 3 done and advanced through bye week, and knocked out recruiting for week 4, so I am able to fire up and play FIU right away when I get on next. Only issue will be when I get on next. I was planning this afternoon, but I don't know if it's going to happen or not.

After a 6am start today, my day has lengthened from the unexpected 1pm finish, as I found out at 7am today that we had decided to add an entirely new, previously unmentioned and unscheduled remote for one of our campaigns from 2-4.

And then I found out 20 minutes ago that for the originally scheduled 2-4pm remote on our other station/campaign, the person who has been scheduled to run the board for the remote for weeks now, suddenly wants to go to the remote today, so now I'm stuck pulling double duty, running two remotes on two separate stations at the same time from 2-4pm. Well, more like 3:45pm because whether or not those fuckers are ready to wrap up their remotes, they're going on air for their last breaks at 3:40-3:45, as I have to be on the opposite side of town for a meeting at 4pm.

So after ALL of that is done, I might be able to jump on and knocko out the FIU game around 5pm. That'll be all though as I have to be up at 5am for a 6am remote tomorrow morning, so it's gonna be an early night.

And after that, it'll be Saturday night at least before I can play again. I'm busy at work from 6am to 4pm then have to run board for HS basketball from 6pm to 10pm, and then turn right around and repeat the exact same damn thing on Friday, and then turn around and get up at 2am on Saturday morning for my morning show. And then Saturday afternoon is Army-Navy, which there is no way in hell that I am missing that game.

So if I do get FIU played tonight, that will be the last game for me in here until at least Saturday night or Sunday.

jaymo76

12-07-2012, 07:24 PM

souljahbill

12-07-2012, 07:46 PM

Other games of interest, congratulations souljahbill, Southern Miss is now 2-0 after whooping UMass 35-7..
:smh:
EA is once again showing that their game is not sim!
:D

SmoothPancakes

12-07-2012, 08:14 PM

Great to see you are doing this again brother! I have always appreciated your committment to detail. The sliders in this version of the game are a real pandoras box. Just when you think you have them, you don't. Good to see ASU with a 1-0 start. Anything less than a bowl this season will be dissapointing.

And I am happy to be back! Got away from it for a while, in part due to regular hours at work and toy/food campaigns at work, but finally got back around to it. Yeah, I agree with Pandora's Box. Unfortunately a good portion of this season might end up being testing for tweaks to sliders as I try to find a happy medium.

And yeah, it was good to see ASU get that first win. I'll be keeping updates going each week for you regulars (yourself, mors, souljahbill, plus some community interests like Arkansas State), so hopefully we'll see some good news for everyone as the season goes on.

:smh:
EA is once again showing that their game is not sim!
:D

:D I can always sim and re-sim (or even play the games to guarantee a loss) unti USM loses every game if it'd make you feel better. ;) :D

jaymo76

12-09-2012, 02:26 PM

SmoothPancakes

12-09-2012, 03:55 PM

Smooth, out of curiosity have you checked who the worst team is right now? Usually it's Idaho, UMASS, etc but one season early in my dynasty the worst team was ... If you can believe it.... IOWA STATE!

I'll have to check. I may fire up my dynasty and try to play FIU real quick here in a bit. It'll depend on how up to it I'm feeling as I am already tired as hell and could probably fall asleep right now at 5pm if I closed my eyes for more than a minute or two.

SmoothPancakes

12-10-2012, 10:27 PM

Just a quick update, as I am online and about to start the FIU game. I never did an update for the bye week. I have no idea what happened in the Top 25 as I wasn't paying attention, but for our viewers.

Souljahbill, kiss that undefeated season goodbye. Week 3 wasn't pretty as Southern Miss got their asses handed to them by East Carolina, 40-10, dropping USM to 2-1 and 0-1 in C-USA. Southern Miss gets to try to recover on the road against a 2-1 Tennessee squad.

Mors, West Virginia was also on a bye week, so they are still 1-0, now ranked #6 and play 2-0 Maryland at home this week.

Jaymo, Arizona State is now 2-0, after kicking off Boise State's season with a 48-17 thrashing. Arizona State is at home this week with 2-0 Utah.

Community teams, Arkansas State is now 1-1 after losing to Louisville 24-20. The Red Wolves now host 1-1 Pittsburgh. Ohio State is now 3-0 and ranked #11 after beating Northern Illinois 35-7. The Buckeyes now head out west to play #18 Washington, who is 2-0 so far.

And on request, Iowa State is currently 1-1. The Cyclones got whooped by Iowa 24-3 in week 2, then beat Illinois 27-20 in week 3. It doesn't look too good though, as Iowa State this week hits the road to play #4 Alabama, entering the game at 2-1.

SmoothPancakes

12-11-2012, 01:09 AM

Game Three

:Tulsa: :@: :FIU:

Game Notes

--- What a game this was going to be for offensive coordinator Marco Ramius, as he made his return to his old stomping grounds, just months after leaving the beaches of Miami for Tulsa, Ramius was headed right back to take on the team he had coached to many thrilling victories, back to back Sun Belt titles and two bowl game wins. For three years expected to take FIU and its fans to new heights, it was now Ramius’ job to dash those hopes of the 2-1 Golden Panthers in a showdown to kickoff the C-USA schedules for both teams. We won the coin toss and elected to kick, putting our defense out in front.

After no return on the kickoff, the Golden Panthers took over on their own 30 yard line. After an incomplete pass from Chris Rankin, a 7 yard rush by Dominic Pittman left FIU with third and short. Our defense would refuse to budge, sacking Rankin for a four yard loss and forcing a FIU punt on fourth and 7. A fair catch on the 40 yard punt set our offense up for their first drive of the game on our 26 yard line. Kiel Fletcher got us started off with a four yard run followed by a gain of 9 yards to give us first down on the 39 yard line. On the next play, Fletcher got blown up on a toss play for a loss of three yards, forcing us to go to the air. Brandon Booth found John Andrews for a 10 yard gain to leave us with third and three from the 45 yard line, where Fletcher was only able to get two yards. Opting to go for it on fourth and one, Fletcher picked up three yards on the ground to get the conversion and a new set of downs at the 50 yard line. Brandon Price now got in on the action, breaking a 6 yard run, followed by a four yard gain from Fletcher to leave us with third and one at the FIU 40. After Fletcher converted for a first down with a three yard gain, it was backwards once again as Fletcher was swarmed for a loss of one. A pass to Sean Fox gained only four yards, leaving us with third and 7, before an incomplete pass forced us to punt from the 34 yard line. The punt sailed 45 yards for the touchback and the Golden Panthers were back on the field.

Florida International got some help to start their second drive, as the defense got flagged for offside, setting up first and 5 at the 25 yard line. After an incomplete pass, a 6 yard run by Pittman gave the Golden Panthers first down at the 31 yard line. Two more incomplete passes and a rush by Pittman for a loss of two yards and the Golden Panthers were forced to punt on fourth and 12 from their 29. The 49 yard punt was returned 8 yards by Price to give our offense the ball at our 30 with 3:14 to play. Getting us started, Fletcher picked up four yards on the ground before Booth connected with Fletcher along the left sideline for a 17 yard gain and a first down at the FIU 49. Booth scrambled for a 5 yard gain on the next play, followed by a one yard pick up from Fletcher. The drive would end after the next play as the option play on third and four was blown up, Fletcher being tackled for a loss of two, bringing out our punt team on fourth and 6 from the 45 yard line. The punt sailed 46 yards and went for a touchback. FIU’s third drive was much like their first two, going nowhere fast, as a two yard gain by Pittman was immediately erased as Rankin was sacked on second down for a loss of 6 yards. Pittman would gain four yards on the next play but it wasn't enough, the Golden Panthers forced to punt on fourth and 11 from their 19 yard line. A fair catch by Price gave us the ball on the 38 yard line with 1:20 left in the first quarter.

After an incomplete pass that was nearly intercepted on first down, Booth made the defense pay, as a blitz all by the defense was used against them, Booth finding Price out of the backfield, who broke one tackle before being tripped up for a 27 yard gain at the FIU 35 yard line. After another incomplete pass that was nearly picked off, Booth found Price along the left has hmark for a 10 yard gain and another first down. It was Carlos Anderson's turn on the next play, catching a pass for an 11 yard gain on a slant route to set up first down from the FIU 13 yard line. The next play, a play action fake caught the defense sleeping, allowing Price to haul in the pass and juke by the only defender with a hope of catching him, taking the pass 13 yards for the touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 33 seconds left in the quarter. After a touchback on the kickoff, Pittman took the ball on the ground for a pair of runs, picking up gains of 5 and three yards, as the clock expired on the first quarter, a 7-0 Tulsa lead.

Pittman kept the FIU drive alive on the first play of the second quarter, gaining 5 yards on third and two to give the Golden Panthers a new set of downs at their 38 yard line. The drive would quickly come to an end moments later after two incomplete passes and a one yard rush by Rankin, leaving FIU with fourth and 9 and another punt coming up. Starting on our 19 yard line after the 42 yard punt, the offense had all the momentum and looked ready to seize control of the game. Looks can be deceiving however, as after a four yard gain by Price, two incomplete passes left us punting on fourth and 6. Taking over on their 33 yard line, it appeared the Golden Panther offense had come to life, as an incomplete pass was followed by a 27 yard strike from Rankin to Andy Oliver to give FIU first down at our 40. Another quick strike to Martin Blanks went for 15 yards and first down at our 25. A two yard rush by Pittman was followed with a 5 yard pass to Donald Porter, leaving the Golden Panthers with third and three at our 18, when Pittman fumbled on a hit, the ball quickly being snatched up by defensive end Brian White and advanced 6 yards to the 26 yard line to give us back possession and avert a near defensive meltdown. After a three yard gain by Fletcher, a play action pass allowed Fox to get open along the right sideline and haul in a pass for a 15 yard gain and first down at the 44. After an incomplete pass on first down, Sean Parks hauled in a pass right on the left sideline, catching between two defenders and just getting his feet down before falling out of bounds for a 16 yard gain and first down at the FIU 40. The drive would screech to a halt on the next play as Booth was picked off as the linebacker jumped the pass, giving FIU possession on their 46.

This time the Golden Panthers wouldn’t be stopped, as Pittman got the drive started with a two yard rush, before Rankin hit Will O'Conner for a 13 yard gain. Another two yard rush was followed by passes of 13 yards to Oliver and 21 yards to Joe Haynes, giving FIU first and goal at our two yard line. After a one yard rush by Rankin, Pittman plunged into the end zone on second down for the one yard touchdown rush. The extra point successful, it was all tied up 7-7 with 3:42 left in the half. Three straight incomplete pass was bad enough, but even worse news was announced during the drive, that star back Fletcher had suffered a broken fibula and would be sidelined for 12 weeks, ending his regular season at that moment, with a very slight hope of him returning in time for a possible bowl game. Regardless, losing Fletcher for the season would be a massive, serious hit to our running game. Our defense at least was able to hold FIU to only one set of downs, as Pittman could only manage rushes of one and 5 yards, before an incomplete pass brought their drive to an end at their 43 yard line. Taking over on our 26 after the punt, time was short, only 2:31 left until halftime.

Price got our drive started off with a 7 yard gain on the ground, before the defense blew up the play on second and three, tackling Price for a loss of one. Booth kept the drive alive, finding Andrews for an 8 yard gain and first down ath te 41. After an incomplete pass, Booth hit Price for a 13 yard gain, advancing the ball to the FIU 46. Another incomplete pass was followed up with an 8 yard strike to Roy Smith, before Booth found Andrews again, this time for 9 yards and a first down at the 30 yard line. Keeping the momentum going, Booth hit Chad Fisher over the middle for 11 yards and a first down at the FIU 18. After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth found Anderson open on a slant route for an 11 yard gain and first and goal at the FIU 7 yard line with 51 seconds to play. We called our second timeout to stop the clock, catch a breather after going no-huddle most of the drive, and get organized. After a pass intended for Fox was knocked incomplete, Booth found Anderson over the middle on the next play for the 7 yard touchdown pass, giving us a 14-7 lead with 45 seconds left in the half. After a touchback on the kickoff, FIU wasted no time in moving the ball. Rankin hit Haynes for a 13 yard gain, followed by a 9 yard strike to O’Conner. An incomplete pass gave way to a 20 yard pass to Oliver and first down at our 34 yard line. An incomplete pass on first down left FIU with just three seconds left on the clock and a choice between chucking to the end zone or attempting a 51 yard field goal. The Golden Panthers opted to try the field goal, but it was no good, as the kick from Justin Moore sailed well wide left, preserving our 14-7 lead as we headed into the locker rooms, and a chance to build on the lead with first possession in the second half.

A touchback on the opening kickoff of the second half, and our offense was back to work starting on our 25. Price kicked off the drive with a gain of 5 yards off tackle, before Booth hit Fox for a three yard gain to set up third and two. A two yard rush by Price was just enough to give us a first down at the 35 yard line. Fox followed that up with a 6 yard gain, before Price gained three and 5 yards on separate rushes to give us first down at midfield. Catching the defense off guard, Nicholas Roberts broke loose along the right sideline on the play action fake and hauled in the pass for a 15 yard gain and another first down at the FIU 36. After an incomplete pass on first down, Fisher was able to haul in a pass between the safeties and fight forward to the FIU 10 yard line for a 26 yard gain and first and goal. Keeping in the air, it was an easy 10 yard touchdown pass to Fox as the defense rushed all three linebackers, leaving nothing but grass between Fox and the end zone, beating the safety to the chalk and a giving us a 21-7 lead with 6:12 to play in the third quarter. That touchdown seemed to knock the Golden Panthers out of their rhythm, as Pittman inexplicably brought the kickoff out of the end zone, only making it to the FIU 15 before being tackled. It was nowhere but backwards after that, as Pittman then was tackled for losses of three and one yards, before an incomplete pass by Rankin left FIU punting on fourth and 14 from their 11 yard line. A 46 yard punt was returned 6 yards by Price, setting us up in our best field position of the entire game, starting at our 48 yard line.

It was a quick first down to start the drive as Price broke consecutive runs of 6 yards to give us a new set of downs at the FIU 41, but a minor setback was suffered when Fox was overwhelmed in the backfield for a one yard rush on the next play. Fox made up for it on the next play, hauling in a pass from Booth for a 9 yard gain and setting up third and one from the 32. Price would convert the third down and then some, busting loose up the middle, breaking a pair of tackles before dragging a defender forward for another couple yards, ending with a gain of 13 yards on the ground and first down at the FIU 19. Price was able to gain another 6 yards on the next play, running a counter to the right and beating the end to the sideline. Fox would then pick up the first down, breaking off the left tackle for a 6 yard gain, giving us first and goal at the FIU 6 yard line. Price advanced the ball down to the FIU two yard line with a four yard run on first down, before being stood up for no gain on second down, leaving us with third and goal at the FIU 2. The offense would refuse to settle for a field goal, as it was back to the air on the next play. The defense missed Fox coming out of the backfield while trying to cover the other three receivers, and Fox was left wide open to haul in the pass and run the two yards to the corner of the end zone untouched. The extra point by Alphonso Pratt was no good, the snap going bad and the kick clanking off the left upright, leaving us with a 27-7 lead with 2:08 left in the third.

After a 20 yard kickoff return by Pittman, it seemed like another short drive was in order for the Golden Panthers, as two incomplete passes from Rankin left them with third and 10. The drive would not end so soon however, as Rankin found Haynes for a 29 yard gain and first down at our 47. After another incomplete pass on first down, Pittman hauled in a 13 yard pass and FIU had another first down at our 33. It was here that the drive would end up stalling out, Rankin throwing three straight incomplete passes. Trying once again for a 50+ yard field goal, the 50 yard attempt by Moore was once again no good, this time sailing wide right, and we took over at the 33 yard line with 55 seconds left in the quarter. Going right back to the ground game, Price picked up four yards on first down, before being tackled for a two yard loss. It wouldn’t stand for long however, as the dirty laundry came out, the refs flagging the defense for facemask as Price was drug down by his facemask and helmet, giving us a new first down at the FIU 49 yard line thanks to the gift from the defense instead of what would have been third and 8 at our 36. A pitch right on first down would only gain three yards, as the final seconds ticked off the clock, bring the third quarter to a close, holding on with a 27-7 lead.

The start of the fourth quarter it was back to the air, but the drive would stall, as two incomplete passes left us stranded at midfield. Starting on their 25 after the touchback, an immediate incomplete pass again cast doubts on the start of the drive, but a 5 yard rush by Rankin on second down was followed with an 8 yard pass to Blanks to get the Golden Panthers a first down. Another pass, this time to Pittman, went for 7 yards before an incomplete pass left FIU facing third and three. Pittman would convert the first down, gaining 6 on the ground to give the Golden Panthers first down at their 45 yard line. The offense would go backwards from there, as a holding penalty pushed FIU back to their 35 yard line and facing first and 20. The drive seemed in danger, as two incomplete passes left FIU with third and 20, but Rankin kept the drive alive, hitting O’Conner for 31 yards to get first down at our 33 yard line. This time the drive would come to an end, as Aaron McDonald picked off Rankin to give us possession at the 22 yard line with 7:05 left to play. The Golden Panthers, at that time with 7 minutes still to play, probably did not realize that they would not see th ball again until less than a minute remained.

Going with the ground game to try and chew up some clock, Price started us off with a 5 yard rush, before a one yard gain by Price left us with third and four. Fox would convert for the first down with a four yard pass to give us first down at our 33 yard line. After Price rushed for no gain on the following play, our drive started to seem in danger of ending early, as Booth’s pass intended for Anderson was knocked incomplete, leaving us with third and 10 at the 33. A 9 yard pass to Roberts left us with a tough decision of going for it or punting. Choosing to go for it, Booth found Randy Newman along the sideline, needling a pass past the head of the corner, for a 10 yard gain and a first down at the FIU 49. Price would give us another new set of downs, breaking runs of 6 and four yards, before Fox found a hole for a 6 yard gain, leaving us with second and four from the FIU 33 with 2:33 left to play. Price was tackled for no gain on the next play, before Booth hit Fox for a two yard gain to leave us with fourth and two at the FIU 31 and 1:17 left to play. With an insurmountable lead and no guarantee of converting the fourth down, we settled for a 48 yard field goal attempt. It never had a chance, as the kick fell easily 7 yards short of the goal post, just barely even making it into the end zone.

With the failed field goal attempt, FIU took over at their 31 yard line with only 50 seconds left to play. The Golden Panthers wanted to at least exit on a positive note, as Rankin hit Haynes for a 31 yard gain, but an incomplete pass and a sack for a loss of three yards left FIU with third and 13 at our 41 yard line and only 37 seconds left to go. A dropped pass would leave FIU with fourth and 13, but choosing to go for it, Ranking found Blanks for a 32 yard gain, giving the Golden Panthers first and goal at our 9 yard line with 23 seconds left. Haynes hauled in a 5 yard pass from Rankin on first down with 12 seconds left to play, before a dropped pass froze the clock at three second and gave FIU one last chance at the end zone on third and goal. Florida International would get their positive note to end the game on, as Pittman pounded the ball up the gut for the 5 yard touchdown rush, closing the final margin to 13 points, a 27-13 win for the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes.

With the win, we improve to 3-0 on the season and 1-0 in C-USA play. Florida International drops to 2-2 and 1-1 in C-USA action. Next up, our third road game of the season as we head west to take on Utah. The Utes enter the game 3-0, having beaten Kansas 38-3, won on the road at Utah State 55-14, and picked up a win at Arizona State, 49-25.

Final Score
:Tulsa: 27, :FIU: 14

Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – For the most part a stellar day by Booth, throwing for 283 yards and 4 touchdowns, his only blemish the one interception. The rushing game took a huge hit, as the loss of 90 OVR star Kiel Fletcher for at least the remainder of the regular season, if not until next year, will be difficult to overcome. There is still a positive future for the Golden Hurricanes though, as the passing attack is as strong as ever. 10 different players each caught at least one pass during today's game, all but one of them ending the game with at least 10 or more yards receiving. As long as we can still get some success from Price and Fox, we should be able to use the ground game to set up our passing attack and leave opponents playing catch up.

Tulsa Defense – An interception, a forced fumble and recovery of said fumble, three sacks and allowed only 42 yards rushing all game, an outstanding performance by the defense. Things look much brighter with this defense than the constant "bend but hope they don't break" defenses I had to put up with at FIU.

Tulsa Kicking – No longer perfect on the season, Pratt ends the game 3 for 4 in PATs and 0-1 in field goals. Still a good day, just hope I'm not seeing flasbacks of Griffin and Hagen.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Tulsa:
7
7
13
0
27

:FIU:
0
7
0
7
14

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

0:33
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Price, 13 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-0

Second Quarter

3:42
:FIU:
Touchdown
D. Pittman, 1 yard run (J. Moore kick)
TIED 7-7

0:45
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Anderson, 7 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 14-7

Third Quarter

6:12
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Fox, 10 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 21-7

2:08
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Fox, 2 yard pass from B. Booth (missed kick)
:Tulsa: 27-7

Fourth Quarter

0:00
:FIU:
Touchdown
D. Pittman, 4 yard run (J. Moore kick)
:Tulsa: 27-14

Game Stats

Tulsa
Stat
Florida International

27
Score
14

25
First Downs
16

414
Total Offense
346

39 - 131 - 0
Rushes - Yards - TD
22 - 54 - 2

27 - 45 - 4
Comp - Att - TD
17 - 42 - 0

283
Passing Yards
292

0
Times Sacked
3

8 - 16 (50%)
3rd Down Conversion
7 - 16 (43%)

2 - 2 (100%)
4th Down Conversion
1 - 1 (100%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

4 - 4 - 0 (100%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
5 - 2 - 0 (40%)

1
Turnovers
2

0
Fumbles Lost
1

1
Intercepted
1

24
Punt Return Yards
12

27
Kick Return Yards
35

465
Total Yards
393

5 – 43.4
Punts - Average
6 - 43.8

3 - 15
Penalties
2 - 25

24:31
Time of Possession
11:29

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
3
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
43
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
3
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
1571
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
1571
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
3
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
1571
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

61%

SmoothPancakes

12-11-2012, 01:15 AM

Alright, time for the look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, a rather quiet week this week compared to past weeks. #2 LSU handed #20 Auburn their first loss, 45-23, in the game of the week, #21 Notre Dame knocks off #5 Michigan, handing the Wolverines their first loss, 32-28, Notre Dame scoring the game winning touchdown with 1:08 left to play. #18 Washington knocked off the #11 Ohio State Buckeyes, 42-35, #14 Oklahoma dropped #25 Kansas State 27-20. Florida State knocked off #22 Clemson 29-17 (it was 26-7 after 3 quarters, never close for Clemson).

For our readers, good news Mors, #6 West Virginia smoked Maryland 52-14, and with Michigan losing, should move up to #5 next week. Souljahbill, sorry man, Southern Miss drops to 2-2, losing to Tennessee 19-7. Iowa State is now 1-2, getting bitchslapped by #4 Alabama 42-0. On a personal note, Navy is now 2-2 after beating San Jose State 21-14. Sorry Jaymo, Sparky just got knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten, getting whooped by Utah 49-25. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State drops to 1-2, losing 35-24 to Pitt.

morsdraconis

12-11-2012, 05:10 AM

JeffHCross

12-11-2012, 06:58 AM

Holy Game Reports, Batman! Nicely done, Smooth.

SmoothPancakes

12-11-2012, 10:37 AM

Woot! #5 baby! We might suck in real life, but in fantasy NCAA, we're still loved. :)

Good win against your old team. Finally got the running game going some, which is good to see. Game is boring when you have to throw the ball 60+ times.

Yep, you guys are in good position early in the season. We'll have to see if they can hold on.

As for our running game, Price and Fox are good backups and will do pretty decent on their own, but losing my 1st string HB, 90 OVR total beast Kiel Fletcher for 12 weeks because of a broken fibula are going to hurt. :( Three games into the season, and I've barely been able to enjoy Fletcher. He got injured in game one with a ? and got knocked out for the entire game, and then goes down midway through this game and lost for at least the regular season. At least he's only a junior so there is still next year. I just wish we had medical redshirts back in the game now.

Holy Game Reports, Batman! Nicely done, Smooth.

I appreciate it Jeff. More game reports to come as I try to knock these out over the next few weeks. :)

SmoothPancakes

12-11-2012, 06:58 PM

I'm gonna try a repeat of last night. I still hope to by home by 11pm, if not earlier (I was able to tear the hell out of here at 9:30 and home by 10:15 last night), and will attempt to get Utah played.

Only difference is I never had a chance to grab a quick hour or two of sleep this afternoon, and I was so tired by the time I posted the FIU game last night that I never bothered doing week 5 of recruiting, I just turned the 360 off and called it a night.

So I've still gotta get recruiting knocked out before playing Utah. How long that recruiting takes, and how tired I am when I get done with recruiting, will decide whether I play Utah tonight after I get home from work or sometime tomorrow afternoon.

jaymo76

12-11-2012, 08:55 PM

Smooth... take care of Utah! My SunDevils need payback :)

SmoothPancakes

12-11-2012, 09:55 PM

Smooth... take care of Utah! My SunDevils need payback :)

After seeing what happened to the Sun Devils, no promises. Oklahoma I still attribute to sliders that need working on, luck, and "just one of those games". Utah, after that whooping of ASU, as me going in without my star HB, it might not be pretty for me.

SmoothPancakes

12-12-2012, 03:03 PM

Who's got some lube? :(

I'm not even out of the damn first quarter yet. :(

morsdraconis

12-12-2012, 03:41 PM

Yikes!

SmoothPancakes

12-12-2012, 03:52 PM

It's not pretty when you give up almost 40 points in one half. :( Though, thanks to pulling every single trick play out of my ass that I can, with 5 minutes left in the third, I can say, for the moment at least, that I have somehow managed to fight back to within 13 points.

SmoothPancakes

12-12-2012, 03:54 PM

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y44BXehdCqg/UKHDCdILy_I/AAAAAAAABeE/clLl9SeND9M/s1600/3ps5zq.jpg

Ugh.

SmoothPancakes

12-12-2012, 06:08 PM

Game Four

:Tulsa: :@: :Utah:

Game Notes

--- With barely a chance to catch our breath and get ready for the next game, it was right back onto the road, this time visiting Salt Lake City and the Utes of Utah. Utah entered the game with a matching 3-0 record, fresh off a 49-25 shellacking of Arizona State. With margins of victory of 35, 41 and 24, our offense was going to have to come out crapping thunder if they were going to keep up with the Utah offense. The true test was going to be our passing game, as Utah entered with the #1 passing defense in the country, allowing only 75 yards per game through the air. Likewise, could our passing defense, ranked #116 in the nation slow down the #16 ranked Utah passing attack? We would soon find out. We won the coin toss and elected to kick, putting our defense out to face their first test.

After a 20 yard kickoff return out to the 18, it was clear our defense was going to be challenged the entire day. James Mills got the drive started with a 5 yard rush, before Todd Meeks hit Joseph Franklin for a 6 yard pass and a first down at the Utah 30. Mills took over again, breaking runs of 6 and 10 yards to get a first down at the Utah 46. The next play saw the first score of the game, as Mills broke loose on an end tackle rush and took it 54 yards to the house to give Utah a 7-0 lead with 7:37 left in the first quarter. Our first drive was starting from the 25 after a touchback on the kickoff. Brandon Price got us moving with rushes of 5 and 6 yards to get us out to our 37, before a pitch play on first down as blown up for a 5 yard loss. An incomplete pass left us with third and 15, before Brandon Booth hit Sean Parks for a 16 yard gain, needling the ball between three defenders to keep the drive alive at our 48. Price could only manage one yard on the first down rush, followed by a three yard pass to Roy Smith to leave us with third and 5. Booth’s third down pass hit Carlos Anderson in the hands but it was dropped, bringing out the punt team at the Utah 47.

Carlos Wilcox did a great job on the punt, kicking it 34 yards down to the Utah 12, where it went unreturned, putting the job back on the shoulders of our defense. Our defense was clearly outmatched, as Meeks hit Mills for a 14 yard gain and a first down at the 24. After an incomplete pass, Meeks hit Christian Snyder for a 9 yard gain, followed by a 22 yard pass to Clint Dixon to get the Utes to our 42 yard line. Meeks kept it going in the air, hitting Norris Penn for 14 yards and a first down at our 28. Mills picked up 6 yards on the ground on first down, before hauling in a 20 yard pass from Meeks to set up first and goal at our two yard line. Mills would do the honors for the second time today, taking it in for the two yard touchdown, giving Utah a 14-0 lead with 3:23 to play in the first quarter. Our second drive of the game got started with some promise, as Booth hit Chad Fisher for an 8 yard gain, leaving us with just two short yards for a first down. The next play would see the drive end however as a mis-run route by one of the receivers resulted in the ball being thrown directly into the waiting hands of Caleb Holmes, who was tackled for only a two yard gain on the INT return. With the interception, Utah was set up in great position for another strike, starting their drive on our 38 yard line. Meeks wasted little time, as he hit Snyder for a 18 yard gain, before connecting with Snyder again, this time for a 27 yard touchdown pass, giving Utah a 21-0 lead with 2:25 left in the quarter. Trying to find some life on offense, we went immediately to the air, though the first down pass was batted down at the line of scrimmage. On second down though, Fisher was able to beat his man up the left sideline and get behind the secondary, hauling in a perfect pass over his shoulder and just out of the reach of safety, for a 37 yard gain and first down at the Utah 31. We would finally find some success on the next play, as some screw-up by the defense left Price completely uncovered on the line, allowing him to haul in the pass and out race the nearest defender for the 31 yard touchdown, making it 21-7 with 1:45 to play in the quarter.

That clearly displeased Utah, as we still could not catch a break, as Snyder took the kickoff return 102 yards to the house with 1:18 left. One slight positive note out of it was that the extra point was no good, limiting Utah to only a 27-7 lead. Booth seemed to have finally found his rhythm on offense, hitting Fisher for a 33 yard gain on the first play of the drive, pushing us out to the Utah 42 yard line with 1:04 left. Keeping to the air, Booth connected with Anderson for a 16 yard gain and another first down, at the Utah 26. After an incomplete pass, Booth hit Andrews for a 3 yard gain, but an incomplete pass intended for Nicholas Roberts left us with fourth and 7. The 40 yard field goal attempt by Alphonso Pratt was no good, falling just short of the cross bar, giving Utah the ball back at their 23 with 5 seconds left in the quarter. A 6 yard rush by Mills would bring the quarter to an end, Utah leading 27-7.

After an incomplete pass to open the second quarter, Meeks hit Mills for an 8 yard gain, giving a first down at their 36. Meek threw another incomplete pass, before he found Franklin for a 15 yard gain and first down at our 48. Mills went to the ground the next play, managing only one yard, but followed it up with rushes of 7 and 9 yards to get the first down at our 31. Mills broke another run, this time for 8 yards, but two incomplete passes by Meeks would leave the Utes with fourth and two from our 23 yard line. The 40 yard field goal attempt by Dominic Smith was no good, and we regained possession still down by only 20 with 7:10 left in the half. Nothing would come of the drive however as three straight incomplete passes would leave us stranded at our 23 yard line and the punt team coming out. Starting at their 33 yard line, Meeks kept the ball on first down, gaining 5 yards on the ground, followed by a one yard rush from Mills, leaving Utah with third and four. Mills would get the first down on the next play, managing 5 yards on the ground to get the Utes to their 44 yard line. A three yard rush by Mills was followed with a 9 yard pass to Franklin and another first down at our 45. After throwing away the first down pass, Meeks hit Mills for a 24 yard gain to get to our 21, before our defense was flagged with a personal foul, the penalty going for 9 yards in net gain, giving Utah first down at our 12 yard line. The Utes suffered a momentary setback as Mills was tackled for a loss of four yards, but on the next play, Meeks would hit Snyder for a 16 yard touchdown pass and give Utah a 34-7 lead with 5:04 left in the first half.

Refusing to go quietly, Booth hit Anderson on an out route on first down, who then, thanks to some timely up-field blocking, raced his pursuers up the left sideline before finally being knocked out of bounds at the Utah 33 yard line, a 42 yard gain in all. After going so pass heavy, we were able to catch the Utah defense off-guard, as Price rumbled ahead on first down for a 9 yard gain. Attempting to go for the first down on the ground, the Utah defense came out stacking the box, forcing Booth to check off to a pass play. It was all for naught however as Booth was sacked for a 6 yard loss before he could get the ball out. Facing third and 7 from Utah 30, Booth was able to hit Price for a 29 yard gain, keeping the drive alive and setting us up with first and goal from the one yard line. Fox would do the honors on the next play, plunging in for the one yard touchdown rush, making it 34-14 with 3:29 left to go in the half. Starting on their 22 yard line, Meeks had some trouble on first down, being forced to throw the pass away, but came back on second down, hitting Markell Townes for a 27 yard gain and a first down at the Utah 49. Meeks hit Townes again, this time only for one yard, before Mills picked up 5 yards on the ground. Meeks was forced to throw away his pass on third and four, and for the first time today, Utah’s punt team was called to the field. The 44 yard punt went unreturned, leaving us starting on our 1 yard line with 2:22 to go before halftime.

Heading into the air on first down, Booth was able to hit Price, who broke loose from two tackles for a 31 yard gain, setting us up at our 32. After two incomplete passes left us in dire circumstances, Booth found Anderson on an out route, who managed to get just across the first down line before being tackled, officially going for an 11 yard gain and a first down at our 43. After another two incomplete passes, Booth found Fox along the right sideline on third down for a 38 yard gain, giving us first down at the Utah 18 with 1:37 to play. Booth found Andrews on first down for an 8 yard gain to the Utah 10 yard line, but two incomplete passes left us with fourth and two, and the field goal team coming out. Pratt finally was able to connect, drilling it through the middle for a 27 yard field goal and closing the gap to 34-17 with 58 seconds to go. Starting on their 25, Utah wasted no time in moving the ball, as Meeks hit Mills for a 21 yard gain before finding Matt Jolly for 12 yards and a first down at our 41. After an incomplete pass, Meeks hit Townes for 18 yards and a first down at our 23 yard line, throwing the ball away to stop the clock with 10 seconds. An incomplete pass on second down left Utah with just 5 seconds left to work. Opting for the safe points, Smith drilled the 40 yard field goal to give Utah a 37-17 lead with one second left. A touchback on the kickoff and that was the end of the half.

Starting off on our 17 yard line, after an incomplete pass on first down, Booth was able to find Price for a 29 yard gain, advancing our drive out to the 46 yard line. Continuing to abandon the run game, Booth threw another incomplete pass, throwing too far ahead of the receiver, before coming back on second down to hit Roberts over the middle for a 24 yard gain, giving us first down at the Utah 31. Booth kept the drive moving, finding Conner Jefferson for an 8 yard pickup, before, catching the defense sleeping, Price was able to gain 8 yards on the ground to give us first down at the Utah 15. A screen pass on first down only picked up three yards, but a play call by Utah to blitz the corner on the next play allowed Andrews to get open for an 8 yard gain and give us first and goal at the Utah four yard line. A three yard rush by Price got the ball to the one yard line, before a rush for no gain on the next play left us with third and goal at the one. Heading up to the line of scrimmage with another crack on the ground planned, Booth checked out to a pass play, getting the ball off just before being hit, finding Donny Jordan along the back edge of the end zone, who was able to jump and grab the pass and get his feet down just inches in bounds for the one yard touchdown pass, making it 37-24 with 5:39 to play in the third quarter.

Starting on their 26 yard line, the Utes offense picked right up where they left off in the first half, as Mills broke a 12 yard run to get to the 38 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Mills took over again, picking up gains of four and 9 yards to give Utah a first down at midfield. Our defense quickly aided with consecutive penalties, getting tagged for a 9 yard personal foul penalty, before then getting hit with a 15 yard pass interference penalty, giving Utah a fresh set of downs at our 21 yard line. Meeks was able to pick up three yards on a first down scramble, before getting a new set of downs with a 12 yard pass to Mills, setting up first and goal at our 5 yard line. The Utes would find the end zone again on the next play as Franklin hauled in the 5 yard touchdown pass, giving Utah a 44-24 lead with 3:48 left in the quarter. Starting on our 25, we decided to throw a curveball at Utah, hitting the ground running, as Price picked up gains of 6 and 7 yards for a first down at our 38, before Fox rushed for four more yards, setting up a play action pass to Fox, who gained 10 yards on the play, giving us first down at the Utah 48. A 5 yard rush by Price set up Smith with a 6 yard pass and another first down at the Utah 37. With the Utah defense completely disorganized, we rushed to the line no-huddle, taking advantage of the unsettled defense, where Booth found Price unguarded, who was able to beat the secondary and haul in a lob pass for a 37 yard touchdown, getting us back in the game. The extra point shrank Utah’s lead to 44-31 with 1:25 to play. It was suddenly looking up as the Utah offense failed to get moving. Mills was able to pick up 5 yards on first down, but two incomplete passes left the offense stranded with fourth and 5 at their 28 yard line.

The 46 yard punt was returned 11 yards by Price, setting up shop at our 36 yard line. After only a one yard gain by Price on first down, Andrews hauled in a 9 yard pass from Booth to keep our drive moving forward at our 46. The first down pass was nearly intercepted, but fell incomplete. Utah’s defense got the job done on the next play, as Holmes picked off Booth for the second time today, returning it 11 yards to our 47 yard line as the clock hit zero. The third quarter came to an end on an extremely sour note, Utah holding on to their lead, 44-31.

Utah wasted no time in going for the deathblow, as Mills broke a pair of 5 yard runs, before Meeks hit Snyder for 11 yards and another first down, up to our 26 yard line. After being tackled for a loss of four yards on first down, Meeks found Franklin for a 20 yard gain, giving Utah first and goal at our 10 yard line. The Utes would need only one more play, as Meeks hit Franklin again, the 10 yard touchdown pass making it 51-31 with 7:40 to play. Starting on our 28 yard line after the kickoff return, it was all Anderson on this drive, as he got us started with a 14 yard pass from Booth, giving us first down at the 42 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Anderson got behind the coverage, hauled in a pass from Booth, broke two tackles and took it 56 yards, all the way down to the Utah two yard line before being caught from behind and tackled. Parks would get the job done on the next play, hauling in the two yard touchdown pass from Booth on a slant route, closing the gap to 51-38 with 6:57 to play.

Starting on their 21 yard line, it was obvious that Utah was not going to allow us to get any closer than 13 points the remainder of the game. Mills broke a 7 yard run to start the drive, and after an incomplete pass, broke another run, this time for 6 yards to give Utah a first down at their 34. After a 12 yard personal foul penalty against our defense to give Utah the ball at their 46, Meeks hit Townes for 10 yards and then dropped a pass into Franklin’s hands for a 24 yard gain and a first down at our 21 yard line. Mills picked up gains on the ground of 9 and 5 yards to give Utah first and goal at our 7 yard line. Mills would do the honors on the next play, rumbling in from 7 yards out to put Utah up 58-38 with 5:02 left in the game. Starting on our 25, after an incomplete pass on first down, Booth was able to find Anderson for a 13 yard gain, before coming back the next play to Anderson for a 14 yard gain, moving our drive out to the Utah 48 yard line. Another incomplete pass on first down, and Booth was able to find Fisher for a 39 yard pass after Fisher beat his man off the line. That pass also put Booth into the record books, as he broke the Tulsa single game passing yards record, surpassing the old record of 552 yards, set by Billy Guy Anderson against Colorado State back in 1965. With that pass, we were left with first and goal at the Utah 9 yard line. Anderson would get the job done, as he broke through three defenders to get open over the middle, hauling in the pass from Booth in the middle of the end zone for the 9 yard touchdown, making it 58-44 with 4:05 left in the game.

Starting on their 19, Utah was trying to answer, while our defense was trying to keep some honor and hold the Utes under 60. Meeks immediately hit Jolly for a 12 yard gain, before keeping the ball himself and picking up three on the ground. A 5 yard run by Mills left Utah with third and two at their 38 yard line, before a pass intended for Jolly was broken up, forcing Utah to punt for the third time today. The 47 yard punt was returned 7 yards by Price, leaving us on our 21 yard line with 2:51 to play. After a pair of incomplete passes, Booth was able to hit Anderson for a 15 yard gain to keep our drive alive, moving us out to the 36 yard line. Two more incomplete passes, and it was Anderson our savior again, as a mix-up by the defense allowed him to get open along the right hash and haul in a pass for a 34 yard gain down to the 30. Another pass, this time to Thompson went for a 17 yard gain, and we had first down at the Utah 13 with 2:05 left to play. A rifled pass to Fox on first down and it was a 13 yard touchdown to pull us with 6 points, 58-52 with 1:52 left to play in the game. We went for the onside kick but Utah recovered, taking over at our 47 yard line. It was looking dire as Mills broke off runs of 6 and four yards, giving Utah a first down at our 37. Another 5 yard run by Mills was countered as Mills was tackled for a loss of one on second down. Meeks attempted to rush but could only gain two yards, leaving Utah with fourth and four and us with no timeouts remaining. Smith kicked a 41 yard field goal to give Utah a 61-52 lead, and with only 54 seconds left, that was pretty much the dagger to the heart.

A 21 yard kickoff return by Price got us out to the 18 yard line and left our offense with just 43 seconds to play. The drive started as poorly as possible, as Booth was sacked for a 9 yard loss, forcing us to the line with the clock ticking away. Less than 30 seconds remained by the time we were able to snap, but the pass wound up incomplete and left us with third and 19 with only 25 seconds to go. Another incomplete pass on third down left us facing fourth and 19 and 20 seconds remaining. Booth’s pass on the hail mary carried too long and well out of the reach for the closest receiver, falling harmlessly to the ground and turning the ball over on downs with 15 seconds to play. Taking over on our 9 yard line, Meeks kneeled the ball one time and that was the ballgame as the clock ran out. Despite a furious second half comeback and every attempt to close the gap that Utah kept extending, time ended up our biggest enemy today. Utah prevails, improving to 4-0 with a 61-52 win, while we drop to 3-1.

With the loss, we drop to 3-1 on the season, still 1-0 in C-USA play. Utah improves to 4-0 for the year, remain 1-0 in Pac-12 play. Next up, it's back home (finally) to take on Louisiana Tech. Louisiana Tech enters the game 2-3 for the year, 0-1 in C-USA play, and one a two game winning streak. They opened the season with a 53-21 loss at #1 LSU, lost at Arizona State 35-14, lost at Rice 31-10, before finally getting a home win over Northwestern, 35-25 and a road win at San Jose State, 37-13.

Final Score
:Utah: 61, :Tulsa: 52

Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – Another all pass day. Booth set a new school record for most passing yards in a game with 667. His 6 touchdowns came one shy of the school record. Our passing game was once again all-inclusive, as 11 different players caught at least one reception during the game. 8 receivers had at least double digit reception yards, and two players (Anderson and Price) reached 100+ receiving yards for the game.

- Tulsa Defense – Completely worthless today. Got ripped a new one both on the ground and in the air. Never once sacked the QB nor forced a single turnover. May as well have not been on the field at all.

- Tulsa Kicking – Only went 1-2 in field goals, missing a 40 yard attempt, but did at least go 7-7 in extra points.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Tulsa:
7
10
14
21
52

:Utah:
27
10
7
17
61

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

7:37
:Utah:
Touchdown
J. Mills, 54 yard run (D. Smith kick)
:Utah: 7-0

3:23
:Utah:
Touchdown
J. Mills, 1 yard run (D. Smith kick)
:Utah: 14-0

2:25
:Utah:
Touchdown
C. Snyder, 31 yard pass from T. Meeks (D. Smith kick)
:Utah: 21-0

1:45
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Price, 31 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Utah: 21-7

1:18
:Utah:
Touchdown
C. Snyder, returned kickoff 102 yards (missed kick)
:Utah: 27-7

Second Quarter

5:04
:Utah:
Touchdown
C. Snyder, 15 yard pass from T. Meeks (D. Smith kick)
:Utah: 34-7

3:29
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Fox, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Utah: 34-14

1:01
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 27 yard field goal
:Utah: 34-17

0:05
:Utah:
Field Goal
D. Smith, 40 yard field goal
:Utah: 37-17

Third Quarter

5:39
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
D. Jordan, 1 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Utah: 37-24

3:48
:Utah:
Touchdown
J. Franklin, 5 yard pass from T. Meeks (D. Smith kick)
:Utah: 44-24

1:25
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Price, 37 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Utah: 44-31

Fourth Quarter

7:40
:Utah:
Touchdown
J. Franklin, 9 yard pass from T. Meeks (D. Smith kick)
:Utah: 51-31

6:57
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Parks, 2 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Utah: 51-38

5:02
:Utah:
Touchdown
J. Mills, 6 yard run (D. Smith kick)
:Utah: 58-38

4:05
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Anderson, 9 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Utah: 58-45

1:52
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Fox, 13 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Utah: 58-52

0:59
:Utah:
Field Goal
D. Smith, 47 yard field goal
:Utah: 61-52

Game Stats

Tulsa
Stat
Utah

52
Score
61

26
First Downs
29

703
Total Offense
608

16 - 36 - 1
Rushes - Yards - TD
39 - 229 - 3

35 - 65 - 6
Comp - Att - TD
26 - 43 - 4

667
Passing Yards
379

2
Times Sacked
0

7 - 12 (58%)
3rd Down Conversion
6 - 11 (54%)

0 - 1 (0%)
4th Down Conversion
0 - 0 (0%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

7 - 5 - 1 (85%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
9 - 5 - 1 (66%)

2
Turnovers
0

0
Fumbles Lost
0

2
Intercepted
0

18
Punt Return Yards
3

108
Kick Return Yards
227

829
Total Yards
838

2 – 41.0
Punts - Average
3 - 46.0

8 - 73
Penalties
0 - 0

18:13
Time of Possession
17:47

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
3
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
45
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
4
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
2274
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
2274
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
3
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

64%

SmoothPancakes

12-12-2012, 06:15 PM

Well, taking a look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, after being tied 3-3 at halftime, #3 Georgia pulls out a 17-3 win over Tennessee. Mors, I'm sorry buddy. After being down 23-7 at halftime, the Mountaineers can't complete the comeback, as 3-1 Baylor knocks off #5 West Virginia 30-28, knocking WVU to 2-1. Still hope though as the season is young for WVU. Maybe they can manage to play their way back into the top 5. #6 Michigan State improves to 5-0 as they defeat #18 Ohio State (3-2), 28-12. #7 Wisconsin suffers it's first loss at the hands of #17 Nebraska, losing 30-24. #9 Arkansas knocks Texas A&M from the ranks of the unbeatens with a 41-28 win.

#15 Washington is now 4-0 after they beat #25 Stanford (who is a shocking 1-3), 31-17. #16 Texas is another unbeaten to suffer their first loss this week, as Oklahoma State picks up at 20-17 home win. #19 Notre Dame scores a touchdown with 50 seconds to play to pull a 39-34 win over BYU out of it's ass. Kansas State evens it's record at 2-2 as they beat #21 Virginia 34-24, knocking the Cavaliers to 3-1. And #22 Boise State just can't catch a break this year, dropping to 1-2 as they lose to 3-1 Temple, 16-13 in overtime.

So with #5 West Virginia, #7 Wisconsin, #16 Texas, #21 Virginia, Air Force, Houston, Louisville, Texas A&M, and Tulsa all losing this week, that drops our number of undefeated teams left to 11. #1 LSU (5-0), #3 Georgia (5-0) #6 Michigan State (5-0), #8 TCU (3-0), #10 Rutgers (5-0), #15 Washington (4-0), Fresno State (3-0), North Carolina (4-0), USC (4-0), Utah (4-0) and UTEP (5-0) are all that's left with an unblemished record at the end of week 5.

For our readers, Arizona State improves to 3-1 as they hold on to be Cal, 31-28. Southern Miss had the week off before heading to Central Florida next week. For community teams and requests, Iowa State falls to 1-3 as they lose to Texas Tech 40-21. Arkansas State gets whooped by Western Kentucky 41-21 to fall to 1-3 for the season.

With the new Top 25 polls, in the Coaches, LSU remains #1, USC #2, Georgia #3, Alabama #4, Michigan State moves up 1 to #5, TCU moves up two to #6, Arkasnas goes up two to #7, as does Rutgers to #8, Michigan to #9 and South Carolina to #10. Wisconsin dropped 6, falling from #7 to #13. West Virginia drops 10 from #5 to #15. With their win over previously #5 WVU, Baylor skyrockets from unranked to #18. Also new to the poll this week are Utah at #24 and Kansas State at #25. Virginia, Boise State and Stanford all fall out of the poll.

In the Media poll, it's USC who is #1, Georgia #2, LSU #3, Alabama #4, Michigan State up one to #5, Arkansas up three to #6, Washington up one to #7, TCU up two to #8, Nebraska up 11 to #9 (:confused:), and Michigan up two to #10. Wisconsin falls 7 from #7 to #14. West Virginia drops 11 from #5 to #16. Similar to the Coaches poll, Baylor leaps from unranked to #19. Only other new team this week in the Media poll is Utah at #25. Boise State and Virginia both fall out of the poll.

SmoothPancakes

12-12-2012, 10:15 PM

Game Five

:Louisiana_Tech: :@: :Tulsa:

Game Notes

--- Coming off our first loss of the season, it was time to get right back into it. It was back to the warm confines of home, but against a tough Louisiana Tech squad that was coming into the game 2-3, riding a two game winning streak. Already one game behind UTEP for first place in the C-USA West, we could not afford to lose now and fall behind even more. We won the coin toss and elected to kick, putting our defense out front to start the game.

Starting on their own 25, the Bulldogs immediately started making us regret that decision, as Jeremy Williams hit Derek Brewer for a 30 yard gain and a first down at our 45. After a thrown away pass, the offense was tagged for false start, but that was quickly neutralized when our defense got tagged right after for pass interference. With a new set of downs on our 36 yard line, Kelly’s pass attempt was knocked down, before Austin James was able to get 5 yards on the ground to set up third and 5. A dropped pass on third down left the Bulldogs with fourth and 5 from our 31. Stuck in no man’s land, the Bulldogs opted to go for it, but the pass was batted down and we gained possession on downs. Our drive started off promising as Brandon Price broke three straight runs of 6, 5 and 9 yards, to leave us with second and one at the LTU 48. But seeing heavy blitz, Brandon Booth checked off at the line to a pass, with the ensuing pass being picked off and returned 7 yards to the LTU 46 yard line, stopping our drive cold. The Bulldogs didn’t waste any time in moving the ball, as Williams hit Mark Thurman for a 9 yard gain. After an incomplete pass, a 9 yard throw to Michael Dixon has the Bulldogs with to our 37 yard line with a new set of downs. A 26 yard strike to Dixon and LTU was knocking on our door at our 11 yard line. After two failed runs by Williams, for losses of one and three yards, third and 15 would end in a success as Williams hit Brewer for the 15 yard touchdown pass and give Louisiana Tech a 7-0 with 5:33 left in the quarter.

After an incomplete pass on first down from our 25 yard line, Booth got some revenge for the prior interception, as he hit Price across the 40, who then broke three tackles and fought his way forward to the LTU 39 yard line for a 36 yard gain. After rushes of four yards by Fox and one yard by Price, we were left with third and 5, when Booth found John Andrews for an 8 yard gain and a first down at the 26. Sean Parks was able to get open on the next play and fought through a tackle for an 18 yard gain and first and goal at the 9 yard line, before coming back on the next play to rip a potential interception out of the hands of a defender and score the 9 yard touchdown pass, tying the game up at 7 points apiece. Starting at their 18 yard line, LTU went right back to the air, as Williams hit Dixon for 8 yards and then found Brewer for a 12 yard gain, getting first down at the 37 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Williams was twice forced to scramble, picking up gains of only four and 5 yards, leaving the Bulldogs with fourth and one from their 45 yard line. Price returned the 45 yard punt for only four yards and we took over on our 12 yard line. After a failed pitch play and an incomplete pass left us with third and 11, Booth was able to find Carlos Anderson for a 12 yard gain and a new set of downs. A four yard rush by Price was followed by a 6 yard rush by Fox, before Price broke another run for 5 yards to convert the third and inches play. On first down from our 38, another pitch play attempt ended in disaster, as Price was tackled for a four yard loss. The following incomplete pass left us facing third and 14 with only 11 seconds left in the quarter. Another incomplete pass that Booth just barely got rid of as he was being drilled, left us with fourth down and the punt team coming out with 8 seconds left. The 9 yard return on the 43 yard punt left Louisiana Tech starting on their 32 yard line, only one second on the clock. A holding penalty would end the quarter for the Bulldogs, pushing them back to their 22 yard line and first and 20, as the first quarter came to an end, still all tied up 7-7.

Williams would erase that penalty on the first play of the second quarter, as he hit Brewer for a 35 yard gain and first down at our 43 yard line. The next play would put Louisiana Tech back in the lead as Williams connected with Lamont Bellamy for a 43 yard touchdown pass, giving the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead with 8;27 left in the half. Starting on our 25 after the kickoff, Booth found Andrews on the first play for a 9 yard gain, setting up Price for a first down run. It was not meant to be however, as the Bulldogs stacked the box and caught Price for a one yard loss, leaving us with third and two from our 34. Fox kept the drive alive, hauling in an 8 yard pass from Booth, before Booth found Anderson along the left hash for a 19 yard gain, giving us first down at the LTU 39. An 8 yard pass to Anderson on first down was followed with an incomplete pass, leaving us facing yet another third down. Booth found Parks this time on a slant route, picking up 7 yards and a first down at the 24 yard line. A 9 yard pass to Fox advanced the ball to the LTU 14 and left us with second and one, when Fox was able to beat his defender on a turn and get open across the middle, hauling in the 14 yard touchdown pass to tie it back up at 14-all with 6:06 left in the half. The Bulldogs continued to enjoy first down success through the air, as Williams found Brewer for a 16 yard gain and a new set of downs at their 41 yard line. But three straight incomplete passes and the LTU would be forced to punt the ball away. The punt sailed 48 yards and was returned 12 yards by Price, setting our offense up to start at our 23 yard line.

We hit the ground running the drive, as Price reeled off runs of 8 and 12 yards to give us first down at the 43. An 11 yard rush by Fox gave us another first down at Louisiana Tech’s 45. Price gained another 6 yards on the ground, and then got two more to set up third and two from the LTU 37. The play action pass attempt was no good, as Booth got hit as he threw, leaving us with fourth and two. In essentially no man’s land where we were, coach elected to go for the fourth down conversion. Living and dying by the pass, Booth found Andrews for a 9 yard gain to get first down at the 28 yard line, and then hit Andrews once again, this time for 7 yards to leave us with second and three at the 22. We would return to the end zone on the next play, when Parks was able to beat the corner inside on the slant route. The corner went for the interception behind Parks’ back, but the completion was made, and Parks was able to run untouched into the end zone for the 22 yard touchdown pass thanks in part to the two errors made by the corner. The PAT extended our lead to 21-14 with 2:41 left in the first half. Starting on their 29 yard line, the Bulldogs seemed ready to march down the field once again, as Williams hit Thurman for a 7 yard gain. It was all downhill from there though, as Williams was sacked for a one yard loss on second down, followed by an incomplete pass, leaving the Bulldogs punting on fourth and four from their 35 yard line. The punt sailed 45 yards, Price calling fair catch at the end, leaving our offense starting on our 20 yard line with 1:56 left to play and all three timeouts.

After an 8 yard pass to Anderson left us with second and two, Booth was able to find Fox for 7 yards and a first down, stopping the clock at 1:10 left to play. Two straight incomplete passes left our drive in danger of stalling, but Price came through, hauling in a 26 yard pass over the head of a defender and a new set of downs at the LTU 39 yard line. The drive suffered a setback, as Booth was sacked for a 9 yard loss on the next play, pushing us out to the LTU 48 yard line and losing precious seconds. Two incomplete passes later, and we’d be forced to punt on fourth and 19 with 37 seconds left to play. The 44 yard punt went unreturned, and the Bulldogs were trapped on their own three yard line with 32 seconds remaining. Williams found Thurman for an 11 yard gain to get the drive started, but the clock would run out before the Bulldogs would run another play, and we’d head into halftime, holding a 21-14 lead over Louisiana Tech and getting the ball to start the second half.

Price brought the opening kickoff of the second half out 20 yards to the 26 yard line and we went back to work. Reestablishing our run game, Price ran amuck on the Bulldog defense for the first two plays, as he picked up gains of 15 and 11 yards, moving the ball to the LTU 48 yard line. An attempt at a play action pass was knocked incomplete and nearly intercepted. On the next play, a quick pass to Fox looked to be stopped for little if any yardage, but out came the dirty laundry, as Fox had been dragged down by his facemask. One accepted penalty and 15 yards later, we were looking at first down from the Bulldogs 29 yard line, instead of what would have likely been no better than third and 8. Keeping it going on the ground, Fox picked up 6 yards on first down, followed by a pair of two yard rushes by Price. The yardsticks did not come up in our favor, as we were left with fourth and short. Instead of kicking the points, coach told us to keep the offense on the field. Fox would convert the fourth down as he rushed ahead for three yards to the LTU 16. After Price was stopped at the line for no gain on first down, Booth found Parks through the air for a 12 yard gain and first and goal at the Bulldogs four yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Price was able to gain two yards on the ground, leaving us with third and goal from the two. Price could only manage one yard on third down, leaving us stuck on the one yard line and fourth down. Coach again said screw the field goal, he wanted seven, not three. This time we would punch it in, as Fox found a hole and drove through it for the one yard touchdown rush, extending our lead to 28-14 with 5:27 left in the third quarter.

Starting on their 26 and feeling the game slip away, the Bulldogs quickly moved down the field, as Williams hit Brewer for a 9 yard gain, then found Kevin Hall for 13 yards, and followed that up with a 19 yard pass to Bellamy, giving Louisiana Tech first down at our 33 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Williams found Bellamy again, for 5 yards, but the drive would stall out on the next play, as an incomplete pass left LTU with fourth and 5 from our 28 yard line. The Bulldogs walked away with at least some points, as Gene Mason drilled the 45 yard field goal to close the gap to 28-17 with 4 minutes remaining in the third. Coming out once again full speed ahead on the ground, Fox got us moving with rushes of 7 and 9 yards to give us first down on our 39. Price followed that up with a 13 yard rush and first down at the LTU 48. The Bulldogs defense finally keyed on our run game and stopped Price on the next play for only a one yard gain. Heading to the air on second and 9, Fox burned the defense with an 8 yard pass, leaving us third and two from the 40. Returning to the ground, Price was able to pick up three yards and a new set of downs at the 37. Continuing on the ground, Fox gained 6 yards on first down, before Price broke runs of three and 7 yards to get us a new set of downs at the 21 yard line. Heading back into the air turned out to be a mistake. While the defense was caught cheating run and Parks was able to haul in the pass and seemingly give us first and goal around the four yard line, Parks was lit up like a Christmas tree by the safety and lost control of the ball. Jerome Stewart recovered the fumble for the Bulldogs, managing one yard before being brought down. With the fumble, LTU took over on offense at their 6 yard line, 26 seconds left in the quarter. Williams got their offense moving, finding Dixon for a 13 yard gain, followed by a 15 yard pass to Brewer. The clock would run out before another snap and the third quarter would come to an end, stilling holding onto a 28-17 lead and the Bulldogs moving on offense, first down on their 34 yard line.

The fourth quarter would start atrociously for us, as what was started as a 12 yard pass, turned into 27 free yards for the Bulldogs thanks to a facemask penalty on our defense. An 18 yard pass from Williams to Chris Humphrey gave the ‘Dogs another first down at our 20. Williams gained one yard on the ground on first down, before he connected with Brewer for a 19 yard touchdown. A successful two point conversion pass from Williams to Thurman tightened the score to 28-25 with 8:21 left to play. We got the drive started quickly, as Booth was able to find Price, who juked away from a defender and gained 30 yards before being brought down, giving us first down at the LTU 45. After a pair of incomplete pass, both hurried by a hounding pass rush,, Booth was able to connect with Anderson, who beat his coverage with a well timed out route, and then thanks to up-field blocking from another receiver, was able to outrace the coverage untouched up the sideline all the way for the 45 yard touchdown. An extra point capped off the short drive and with 7:47 left in the game, we extended our lead to 35-25. Starting on their 28 yard line, the drive seemed to be gaining momentum, as Williams found Hall for a four yard pass before James gained 5 yards on the ground. The drive fell apart on the next play as Williams was sacked for an 8 yard loss, leaving the Bulldogs punting on fourth and 10.

A short punt, aided by a 15 yard personal foul on the Bulldogs, and we were taking over on our own 37. A loss of three yards by Fox left us in an early hole. Fox made up for those three yards and then some, hauling in a pass from Booth for an 11 yard gain, leaving us with third and two. Parks would get us the new set of downs, as he caught a pass for a 13 yard gain and got us to the LTU 42 yard line. Heading back to the ground to try and burn off some clock, Price kept us moving, reeling off runs of 6 and 7 yards to get us another first down at the 29 yard line with 5:25 left to play. After rushes of 5 and one yards by Fox left us with third and four from the 23, Roy Smith hauled in a pass for 6 yards for the first down to the LTU 17. We got some additional help on the play, as the defense was hit with an 8 yard facemask penalty, giving us first and goal at the 9 yard line. It was back to the end zone on the next play, as Booth hit Chad Fisher in the corner of the end zone for a 9 yard touchdown pass, opening our lead even further, to 41-25 with 3:47 to play in the game.

Starting on their 23 yard line, it went from bad to worse for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, as Brewer hauled in a 46 yard pass, but fumbled the ball as he turned to run up field, the fumbled recovered by Marcus Owens, giving us back possession of the ball at the 50 yard line, essentially all but ending any chance of a comeback for Louisiana Tech. Determined to either score a touchdown and put the game entirely out of reach, or keep LTU from touching the ball anymore this game, Price went to town on the Bulldogs defense, breaking rushes of 13 and 11 yards to give us first down at the 26 yard line. Another two rushes by Price of 8 and one yards left us with third and one on the 17 yard line. Price would keep us moving, as he broke up the middle for a 9 yard gain, giving us first and goal at the LTU 8 yard line with 1:08 left to play. A 7 yard rush by Fox, and we were left with second and goal at the one yard line, 40 seconds left to play. I must admit, I agonized for a few minutes over doing the honorable thing and letting the clock run out without snapping it again, or saying fuck it and punching it in from one yard out and run up the score. I ultimately did line up, Fox ready to bust up the gut for the touchdown, but in the end I let the final seconds tick off, the game clock a half of a second ahead of the play clock, and with that, we celebrated our hard fought 42-25 win over a tough Louisiana Tech squad.

With the win, we improve to 4-1 on the season, 2-0 in C-USA play. Louisiana Tech drops to 2-4, 0-2 in C-USA action. Up next, we enter the middle of our four game home swing with the first of two very tough games, as we entertain one of our rivals, 6-0 UTEP. The Miners enter the contest undefeated, but coming off a slew of wins of which they only faced three teams with winning records. They started off beating Army 45-14, then outlasted Marshall in overtime, 33-27. Next they beat a (at the time) winless New Mexico State team at home 27-13, before beating an also winless Akron squad in the confines of home, 20-10. Another home game, against a tougher East Carolina team saw a 38-17 UTEP win, before hitting the road and getting a 29-0 win at winless UNLV. Two currently winless teams, a 1-5 New Mexico State (just got their first win in week 6), a 3-2 Army, a 3-2 Marshall and 4-2 ECU make up 6-0 UTEP's schedule to date. Not only will next week's game decide bragging right in this rivalry, it will also decide the front runner for the West Division in Conference USA, as both UTEP and us are tied at the top at 2-0.

Final Score
:Tulsa: 42, :Louisiana_Tech: 25

Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – Another great day from Booth. I'm loving that this guy is only a Junior and already 90 OVR, to go along with my two 90 OVR beasts of Junior running backs, Kiel Fletcher (unfortunately injured until bowl season) and Brandon Booth. Even Sean Fox, my third string HB, 83 OVR has been tearing it up in Fletcher's absence. 388 yards and 5 TDs from Booth, 167 yards on 32 carries for Price, 62 yards and a TD on 13 carries for Fox. Receiving was more limited this time around, only 7 different people catching at least one pass. 5 people had double digit receiving yards for the game, all of them 33 yards or more. Parks was the leader, with 96 yards and 2 TDs on 7 receptions. There was a two way tie for second, as Anderson has 92 yards and a TD on 5 receptions and Price had 92 yards on four receptions.

- Tulsa Defense – A MUCH better job this game from the defense. Only 15 yards rushing allowed all game (though with only 7 rushes, LTU clearly could not have cared less about their running game) and while 375 yards passing is still a lot, after those first two touchdowns by the Bulldogs, limited LTU to only 8 points the rest of the game.

- Tulsa Kicking – Another good day for Pratt. No field goal attempts today, but 6-6 on PATs is always nice.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Louisiana_Tech:
7
7
3
8
25

:Tulsa:
7
14
7
14
42

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

5:33
:Louisiana_Tech:
Touchdown
D. Brewer, 14 yard pass from J. Williams (G. Mason kick)
:Louisiana_Tech: 7-0

3:34
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Parks, 9 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
TIED 7-7

Second Quarter

8:27
:Louisiana_Tech:
Touchdown
L. Bellamy, 33 yard pass from J. Williams (G. Mason kick)
:Louisiana_Tech: 14-7

6:06
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Fox, 14 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
TIED 14-14

2:41
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Parks, 22 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 21-14

Third Quarter

5:27
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Fox, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 28-14

4:03
:Louisiana_Tech:
Field Goal
G. Mason, 44 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 28-17

Fourth Quarter

8:21
:Louisiana_Tech:
Touchdown
D. Brewer, 19 yard pass from J. Williams (2-pt conversion good)
:Tulsa: 28-25

7:47
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Anderson, 45 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 35-25

3:47
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Fisher, 9 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 42-25

Game Stats

Louisiana Tech
Stat
Tulsa

25
Score
42

12
First Downs
30

390
Total Offense
608

7 - 15 - 0
Rushes - Yards - TD
46 - 220 - 1

23 - 36 - 3
Comp - Att - TD
28 - 43 - 5

375
Passing Yards
388

1
Times Sacked
2

2 - 8 (25%)
3rd Down Conversion
12 - 17 (70%)

0 - 1 (0%)
4th Down Conversion
3 - 3 (100%)

1 - 1 (100%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

6 - 2 - 0 (33%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
6 - 4 - 0 (66%)

1
Turnovers
2

1
Fumbles Lost
1

0
Intercepted
1

9
Punt Return Yards
16

116
Kick Return Yards
41

515
Total Yards
665

4 – 47.3
Punts - Average
2 - 44.0

6 - 65
Penalties
2 - 30

14:33
Time of Possession
21:27

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
4
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
44
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
5
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
1/2 Passed
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

78%

SmoothPancakes

12-12-2012, 10:16 PM

Time for another looks around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, a 13-0 1st quarter lead for #1 LSU ends up being enough to hold off the Florida Gators, as the Tigers win 26-17. I must say, for the first time in my life, thank you to #2 USC, who got some revenge for me, handing #24 Utah their first loss, 31-28. In the game of the week, #3 Georgia holds on to beat #10 South Carolina 24-12. #7 Arkansas easily handles #20 Auburn, 41-24. It's a rough season for #11 Oklahoma, who after losing to me in overtime, now falls to 2-2 after getting beat by Texas Tech 27-24 on a 40 yard field goal with 30 seconds to play.

Another unbeaten falls, as 15 fourth quarter points are not enough to help #16 Washington avoid falling to #12 Oregon 27-24. #13 Wisconsin needs overtime to pull a 37-31 win over 3-3 Illinois out of their ass. #14 Nebraska suffers it's second loss as they fall at #21 Ohio State, 27-7. It's all starting to go down the shitter now for West Virginia, as a 21-7 first quarter lead is enough for #22 Texas to knock off the #15 Mountaineers, 41-31, and one team still undefeated, surprisingly not in the Top 25, knocks off a Top 25 team, as North Carolina improves to 5-0, beating #19 Virginia Tech 24-9.

For our readers, souljahbill, it's not looking good. UCF reams Southern Miss a new one, 24-7 and Southern Miss drops their third straight to fall to 2-3 for the year. Jaymo, Arizona State had an off week, they hit the road in week 7 to take on 2-3 Colorado. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State improves to 2-3 as they beat San Diego State 21-16. Iowa State drops to 1-4 as they get walloped by TCU 49-21. On a personal note, Navy drops to 2-4 and is out of the running for the Commander-in-Chief's trophy is they lose at Air Force, 28-23.

Looking at undefeated teams left, with #15 Washington and Utah both losing this week, that drops our number of undefeated teams left to 9. #1 LSU (6-0), #2 USC (5-0), #3 Georgia (6-0) #5 Michigan State (6-0), #6 TCU (4-0), #8 Rutgers (6-0), Fresno State (3-0), North Carolina (5-0), and UTEP (6-0) are all that's left with an unblemished record at the end of week 6.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 13 teams still looking for their first win: Akron (0-5), Ball State (0-5), Central Michigan (0-6), Idaho (0-4), Kentucky (0-6), Memphis (0-5), Minnesota (0-5), San Jose State (0-5), Troy (0-5), UMass (0-6), UNLV (0-6), UTSA (0-5), and Washington State (0-5).

Teams getting their first wins this week were: New Mexico State (30-24 in OT over 0-4 Idaho), North Texas (26-17 over 0-5 UTSA), and UL Monroe (27-24 in OT over 1-5 MTSU).

Taking a look at the new Top 25 polls, starting in the Coaches Poll, LSU remains #1, Georgia jumps USC into #2, USC drops to #3, Michigan State and TCU both jump up one over Alabama, to #4 and #5. Alabama, on a bye week last week, tumbles two to #6. Rutgers moves up one to #7, Arkansas drops one to #8, Michigan stayed at #9 and Oregon jumps two to #10. Losing by 12 to Georgia did not hurt South Carolina on bit, the Gamecocks drop only two, from #10 to #12. Washington's close loss to Oregon dropped them only two, to #18. Nebraska dropped 5 to #19, Oklahoma tumbled the most, dropping 9 to #20. West Virginia dropped 6 to #21. Auburn fell 5 to #25. Two new teams entered this week. Fresh off their upset over previously #19 Virginia Tech, North Carolina leaps from unranked all the way to #17. Fresno State also enters this week at #24. Dropping out were Virginia Tech (from #19) and Utah (from #24).

In the Media Poll, the top three remain the same, USC #1, Georgia #2 and LSU #3. Michigan and TCU also both jump Alabama, Michigan State up one to #4, TCU up three to #5, Alabama drops two to #6 on their bye week. To accommodate TCU, Arkansas also dropped one to #7. Rutgers jumps 5 to #8, Oregon jumps 8 to #9 and Michigan stayed stuck at #10. Ohio State ties Oregon for biggest jump, moving up 8 to #12, as did North Carolina, going up 8 to #15. Washington dropped 7 to #14. South Carolina dropped four to #16, Nebraska fell 8 to #17. West Virginia fell 5 to #21 while Oklahoma dropped 7 to #22 and Virginia Tech tumbled 5 to #23. New to the poll this week are Kansas State at #24 and Clemson at #25. Falling out of the poll are Auburn (from #20) and Utah (from #24)

SmoothPancakes

12-12-2012, 11:18 PM

Damn, I've gotten into my rhythm and am on a roll. Already gotten through two games tonight, and am firing up the UTEP game right now. Where the hell was this back in August when I was trying to get going? I remember having the damn 360 freeze on my right in the middle of recruiting, and as I was over half way through (had something like 20 of 35 recruits done) when it froze, I had no desire to start over that day and went to something else. Other games (NHL, FIFA, AC3 and Halo 4) came out, work picked up, and here this baby laid dormant for over three months. I would have been golden to knock out a couple games back then, get to the middle of the season and want to keep going game after game to see how everything was going to play out over the final weeks.

SmoothPancakes

12-13-2012, 01:50 AM

Game Six

:UTEP: :@: :Tulsa:

Game Notes

--- And so here started our two week stretch that would all but decide the Western Division winner. UTEP (6-0, 2-0) this week, Rice (4-1, 2-1) next week, us being the only three teams with a realistic shot at winning the division. Also adding to the pressure, both UTEP and Rice being rivals to Tulsa, so playing back to back rivalry games will also be sure to drain us as we move forward. With 4-2 East Carolina waiting directly after UTEP and Rice, wins now would be desired before running into ECU in two weeks and a non-conference road trip to 4-2 Colorado State two weeks after that. UTEP won the coin toss and elected to kick, putting our offense to the test to start.

We started our first offensive drive from our 21 yard line after a 19 yard return by Sean Parks. Choosing to start our attack on the ground, Brandon Price got the dirty work done early, gaining 9 yards on his first carry, and then getting just enough to get the first down on second and one. A two yard rush by Price set up John Andrews to haul in an 11 yard pass from Brandon Booth to give us first down at the 43 yard line. Price picked up 10 yards on the next carry, being marked down just short, leaving us with second and inches. A blitz all by the Miners defense helped our offensive line open up a gaping hole, through which Price pounded it 47 yard yards to the house for the touchdown. The extra point put us up 7-0 with 7:15 left in the quarter. Starting on their 23 yard line, Doug Prater got four yards on the ground, before an incomplete pass left the Miners with third and 6. Proving that they could score long touchdowns just as easily as we could, Stephen Jones hit Derek Harvey for a 73 yard touchdown pass and just like that, it was 7-7 with 6:29 still left in the quarter. Parks got us well set up on the next drive as he brought the kickoff return out to the 33 yard line. Price got us moving again on the ground, with gains of 6 and two yards, before Booth converted the third down with a 13 yard pass to Roy Smith. Two more rushes by Price for 6 and four yards gave us first down at the UTEP 34. Sean Fox was able to get four yards on first down, before two incomplete passes left us with fourth and 6. The 47 yard field goal attempt by Alphonso Pratt was no good and UTEP took over on their 30, 4:18 left in the first.

Our defense got the job done this time around, as Jones hit Mike Griffin for a 5 yard gain, before the defense took down Prater for a two yard loss. Prater could only manage 5 yards on the pass from Jones before the Miners were forced to punt on fourth and two from their 39. A fair catch on the 50 yard punt left us stuck on our 11 yard line. One play would be all that would be needed, as the defense brought all the linebackers on a blitz, leaving Price wide open, hauling in the pass from Booth and outracing both safeties for the 89 yard touchdown. One extra point later, and it was 14-7 with 3:22 left. Despite a 25 yard kickoff return out to their 32 yard line, UTEP would go nowhere but backwards this drive as Prater was tackled for a three yard loss before the defense got to Jones, sacking him for a loss of 5 yards. A thrown away pass on third down left UTEP punting on fourth and 18 from their 25. A 46 yard punt was returned 10 yards by Price and we took over at our 38 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth hit Andrews for a 9 yard gain, leaving us with third and one. Price was just able to get the first down, carrying a defender on his back and he fell forward for a two yard gain to our 49 yard line. A 6 yard rush by Price on first down was followed up with a 16 yard pass to Smith, giving us a new set of downs on the UTEP 29. Parks got in on the action, hauling in a 20 yard pass and juking his way by a defender before being brought down for a 20 yard gain, giving us first and goal at the 9 yard line. A first down pass to Andrews gained three yards, before a pass intended for Parks fell incomplete, leaving us with third and goal at the UTEP 7. Anderson would get the job done, grabbing a Booth pass between two defenders just inside the end zone for the 7 yard touchdown, giving us a 21-7 lead with 38 seconds to play in the quarter.

UTEP begin to find signs of life again, starting on their 25 yard line. Prater got the drive started with a two yard gain, before Jones hit Spencer Alford for an 8 yard pickup. Prater would convert the third and inches with a 7 yard rush to the 41 yard line. Another rush by Prater went for 6 yards to leave UTEP with second and four as the final seconds of the quarter ticked off the clock, our lead secure for the time being at 21-7.

The start of the second quarter found UTEP picking up another first down as Prater continued pounding the ball, this time for a gain of 7 to our 45 yard line. Another rush by Prater went for 8 yards, then Jones converted for another first down, picking up three yards on the ground to get to our 34. Prater picked up another 7 yards, before our defense finally bit back, sacking Jones for a 6 yard loss and leaving UTEP with third and 9 at our 33. A pass from Jones to Prater only managed to pick up two yards, and UTEP was left with fourth and 7 at our 31. The 48 yard field goal attempt sailed wide left and we took over on our 31 yard line with 7:32 to play in the half. Price continued to punish an overmatched rushing defense, breaking through the line thanks to outstanding blocking, before breaking a tackle and racing the safety toward the sideline, finally being tackled for a 32 yard gain to the UTEP 37. A three yard rush by Price was followed with a gain of only two on a pass from Booth to Smith. An incomplete pass on third down, intended for Parks, left us with fourth and 5 at the UTEP 32. Pratt finally came through, hitting the 49 yard field goal to give us a 24-7 lead with 6:17 to play. UTEP once again got their legs back under them on offense, as Jones hit Danny Henley for a 13 yard gain to get to their 38 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, John Hansen picked up 7 yards on the ground, before hauling in a 21 yard pass from Jones to convert third down and advance to our 34 yard line. A two yard rush by Prater was followed by an incomplete pass and another Prater rush, this time only for a gain of three yards. UTEP was left with fourth and 5 from our 28 yard line. The offense got flagged for false start, pushing them out to our 33, and making their field goal attempt 50 yards instead of 45. That false start proved to be the difference, as the 50 yard kick came up just short, hitting the ground just in front of the crossbar. Our offense took over possession at our 33 with 4:45 to play in the half.

After a two yard gain on the ground by Price, Booth hit Andrews for 6 yards to leave us with third and two. An 11 yard strike to Chad Fisher gave us first down at the UTEP 48. Another rush by Price managed only one yard, before Anderson was able to haul in a pass over the corner’s head for a 14 yard gain and first down at the UTEP 34. Booth hit Smith for four yards on first down to get us to the 30. A pass intended for Fisher was caught around the UTEP 15 yard line, but Fisher dropped it as he was being tackled to the ground. Another incomplete pass, this time batted down at the line, left us with fourth and 6 at the 30 yard line. Pratt’s attempt from 47 yards this time ended up no good, and UTEP took over on their 30 with 2:38 to play. The Miners would find nothing going on offense as Jones threw three straight incomplete passes, bringing the punt team out. The 49 yard punt was caught on a fair catch, giving us possession at our 21 with 2:15 left before halftime. Anderson got us moving quickly, catching a 13 yard pass from Booth to give us first down at our 34 yard line. After two incomplete passes, Booth was able to find Anderson again, this time just barely making it across the first down line before being tackled at our 45. Fisher advanced us into UTEP territory as he hauled in a pass from Booth and then fought his way through the secondary before being tackled at the 31 yard line for a 24 yard gain. Price would do the honors on the next play, getting a pass from Booth, two great downfield blocks, and then beat the safety to the pylon, scoring the 31 yard touchdown to give us a 31-7 lead with 1:28 to play in the half.

Jones was able to complete a pass to Henley for 5 yards to start UTEP’s next drive, before throwing an incomplete pass to leave the Miners with third and 5. Paul Denman got open on the next play, hauling in a 20 yard pass from Jones to get to midfield with 1:06 left. A pass to Hansen for 17 yards was followed with a shot to Griffin for 26 and UTEP had first and goal at our 7 with 47 seconds to go. After an incomplete pass, Prater rushed the ball forward 7 yards to our one yard line, leaving UTEP with third and goal with 36 seconds remaining. Jones would hit Henley on the next play for the one yard touchdown. UTEP went for a two-point conversion attempt, but Prater was stopped for no gain, leaving the score 31-13 with 24 seconds to go. A 25 yard kickoff return by Price left us with 12 seconds on the clock at our 26 yard line. Moving quickly, Booth hit Fisher for a 34 yard gain over the middle after Fisher beat his man on an in route, getting us to the UTEP 40 and 7 seconds to go. A quick timeout and a regrouping, and Booth was able to find Anderson along the sideline for a 10 yard gain and a first down at the UTEP 30. Another timeout left three seconds to go and the field goal team coming out. The 47 yard field goal attempt was no good and we headed into halftime with a 31-13 lead.

Starting at their 28, UTEP got moving quickly on their drive to open the second half. Jones hit Hansen for an 11 yard gain to get to the 39. The next play was a minor setback as Jones was sacked for a three yard loss. A second down pass to Henley went for 5 yards, followed by another pass to Henley for a gain of 11 to get the first down at our 48. After a dropped pass on first down, Jones found Henley again, this time for 14 yards and the Miners had first down at our 34. Prater took the ball forward for three yards, followed by a 12 yard strike to Alford for another set of downs. An 11 yard pass to Hansen and UTEP had first and goal at our 8 yard line. The defense pushed UTEP back, sacking Jones for a 9 yard loss and leaving the Miners with second and goal at our 17. A rush attempt by Prater went nowhere, being tackled for a three yard loss, pushing the Miners even farther back, to third and goal at our 20. A pass attempt on third down was knocked incomplete and what looked like a sure touchdown turned into a 37 yard field goal attempt. The kick was botched, sailed wide right and 7 surefire points turned into zero as we took over on our 20 yard line, 6:12 left in the quarter. Price got us started with a 6 yard gain, before being tackled for a loss of one on second down. The news got worse as word was passed down that Anderson had suffered a dislocated shoulder and would be out for at least one quarter, leaving a hole in our receiving corps as one of our biggest yard gainers wouldn’t be back in. Facing third and 5, Booth found Fisher along the left sideline for a 20 yard gain to keep our drive alive. After a rush for no gain by Price, Booth hit Conner Jefferson for four yards to get us to the 49 yard line. A pass to Price on third down went for a loss of two yards and we were forced to punt on fourth and 8.

UTEP would have to earn points this drive after a 47 yard punt that went unreturned left the Miners on their own 6 yard line. Jones got UTEP moving with a 12 yard pass to Hansen to make it out to their 18. After a thrown away pass, Jones hit Hansen again, this time for 11 yards and UTEP had a first down at their 29. A dropped pass on first down would quickly bring the drive to an end as Jones would only manage a two yard rush on second down, before a pass to Victor Gibson went for only a gain of two, leaving UTEP punting on fourth and 6 from their 33. The 49 yard punt was returned for only a gain of 5 yards by Price and we took over at our 22 yard line. Price got us rolling with a 7 yard rush, before being stood up for a loss of one to leave us with third and four. Booth would convert the third down with a 15 yard pass to Parks, who grabbed the ball out of the air just inches ahead of the corner. Another 7 yard rush by Price was followed by a rush by Fox, who was swarmed for no gain. Another third down conversion was fail horribly, as Booth’s pass attempt was off the mark, getting intercepted by Deandre Bennett, who took it 22 yards down to our 30 yard line before finally being brought down. UTEP didn’t take long to capitalize, as Jones hit Griffin for a 13 yard gain to get to our 18. Rushes by Prater for 6 and four yard gains left UTEP with third and one at our 8 yard line, when Jones found Griffin again for the 8 yard touchdown pass, closing our lead to 31-20 with 28 seconds to play in the third quarter. A 24 yard kickoff return by Price set us up at our 31, 17 seconds left when our offense took the field. Price would pick-up 9 yards on the first down rush, leaving us with second and one as the clock hit zero and the third quarter came to an end, holding on to our 11 point lead.

Price got us a new set of downs with another 9 yard run to start the final quarter and we had a new set of downs at midfield. Keeping it going on the ground, Price picked up gains of four and 9 yards, giving us another first down at the UTEP 36. Fox gained four yards on first down, followed by a 5 yard gain from Price. Fox gained two yards on third down, but it was marked short, leaving us with fourth and inches at the UTEP 26. Putting the ball and the fate of our drive in the hands of Fox, he was able to break through a gap for 5 yards and another first down at the 21. Price picked up consecutive three yards gains, before only managing a two yard gain on third and four, leaving us stranded at the UTEP 13 yard line with fourth and one. The 30 yard field goal from Pratt pushed our lead out to 34-20 with 5:11 left in the game, chewing up over four minutes and change off the clock. Hansen got UTEP moving on their next drive, gaining 12 yards on the ground to get the Miners to their 37. An incomplete pass on first down was followed with a two yard rush by Jones and UTEP was left facing third and 8. A 5 yard rush by Jones wouldn’t be enough, and the Miners would be forced to punt.

Price called fair catch on the 47 yard punt, and we took over at our 10 yard line with 4:11 left in the game and a 14 point lead. Price got us an immediate new set of downs, gaining 11 yards on first down to get us out to the 21. A 7 yard rush by Price was followed with a three yard gain by Fox, who broke a tackle to avoid the loss, and we were left with third and inches with 2:52 left to play. The defense came out apparently thinking pass as Price took up a huge hole for a 6 yard gain and a first down. A 10 yard gain by Price on the next play, and UTEP called their first timeout with 2:08 left to play. Price was blown up in the backfield for a loss of one yard on the next play, and a second UTEP timeout froze the clock at 2:05. Fox hauled in a pass from Booth on the second down play and was able to gain 7 yards, leaving us with third and three when UTEP called their third and final timeout with 2:01 left to play. The third down pass intended for Parks was knocked incomplete and we were forced to punt from the UTEP 47 with 1:57 to play. The punt sailed 42 yards and went unreturned, trapping UTEP at their 5 yard line and 1:52 left on the clock.

Jones scrambled for a one yard gain on first down, before an incomplete pass stopped the clock and left UTEP with third and 9 from their 6. The Miners breathed new life on the next play as Hansen hauled in a 21 yard pass for a first down at the 26 with 1:35 remaining. The first down pass attempt fell incomplete, before Jones hit Griffin for a 13yard gain and first down at the 39 with 1:18 to go. UTEP’s hope crumbled on the next play as Jones was sacked for a one yard loss, causing many valuable seconds to be wasted. A 5 yard false start penalty on the offense further eroded their chances of a comeback. An incomplete pass on the next play left UTEP third and 16 from their 34 with 57 seconds on the clock. The defense sacked Jones for a two yard loss, leaving UTEP with fourth and 18 on their 32 and no way to stop the running clock. The Miners managed to keep they drive miraculously alive, as Jones hit Alford for a 25 yard gain, getting them to our 43 yard line. A spiked ball stopped the clock with 32 seconds left to go. The offense was pushed back once again as Jones was sacked for a 10 yard loss this time, knocking Jones out of the game with a bruised sternum, forcing icy cold backup, junior Reggie Robinson to come in the final 30 seconds. Robinson proved a bit of good luck, as he hit Griffin for 13 yards, but it still left UTEP with fourth and 7 at our 40 yard line and only 20 seconds to go. Robinson’s fourth down pass intended for Griffin fell incomplete and with 9 seconds left, our offense trotted out for victory formation. A kneel down by Booth and our 34-20 victory over the rival Miners was complete, and with it, sole possession of first place in the West division.

With the win, we improve to 5-1 on the season, 3-0 in C-USA play. UTEP drops to 6-1, 2-1 in C-USA action. We take over first place in the West Division. Next up, the Rice Owls. Rice enters the game coming off a shocking loss, losing to previously winless UTSA. With that result, Rice comes in at 4-2, 2-2 in C-USA play.

Final Score
:Tulsa: 34, :UTEP: 20

Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – Another great day from Booth. 374 yards and 3 touchdowns. Although UTEP did score off that interception, it ultimately did not hurt us. Another beastly day for Price as the running game took center stage today, ending the game with 230 yards and touchdown on 34 carries. Price also added 153 yards receiving and two more touchdowns on 6 receptions to that. Another day of sharing the rock, 8 different receivers all touching the ball at least once, 6 receivers getting into double digit yards, the lowest being 29. And Price the lone triple digit receiver.

- Tulsa Defense – Had some bang your head moments but ultimately played well today. Still pathetic when it comes to forcing turnovers, but thankfully the offense has limited their losses so it hasn't been as problematic.

- Tulsa Kicking – A rather poor day for Pratt, going 2-4 in field goals, hitting from 49 and 30 yards, but missing two kicks from 47 yards out. He did at least go 4-4 on extra points.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:UTEP:
7
6
7
0
20

:Tulsa:
21
10
0
3
34

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

7:15
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Price, 47 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-0

6:29
:UTEP:
Touchdown
D. Harvey, 82 yard pass from S. Jones (T. Johnson kick)
TIED 7-7

3:22
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Price, 89 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 14-7

0:38
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Anderson, 7 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 21-7

Second Quarter

6:20
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 49 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 24-7

1:28
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Price, 31 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 31-7

0:24
:UTEP:
Touchdown
D. Henley, 1 yard pass from S. Jones (2 pt conversion failed)
:Tulsa: 31-13

Third Quarter

0:28
:UTEP:
Touchdown
M. Griffin, 7 yard pass from S. Jones (T. Johnson kick)
:Tulsa: 31-20

Fourth Quarter

5:14
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 30 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 34-20

Game Stats

UTEP
Stat
Tulsa

20
Score
34

20
First Downs
23

467
Total Offense
620

23 - 90 - 0
Rushes - Yards - TD
41 - 246 - 1

27 - 46 - 3
Comp - Att - TD
24 - 35 - 3

377
Passing Yards
374

7
Times Sacked
0

8 - 18 (44%)
3rd Down Conversion
8 - 16 (50%)

1 - 2 50%)
4th Down Conversion
1 - 1 (100%)

0 - 1 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

6 - 2 - 0 (33%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
4 - 1 - 1 (50%)

0
Turnovers
1

0
Fumbles Lost
0

0
Intercepted
1

0
Punt Return Yards
15

66
Kick Return Yards
101

533
Total Yards
736

5 – 49.2
Punts - Average
2 - 44.5

2 - 10
Penalties
1 - 10

14:01
Time of Possession
21:59

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
5
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
43
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
6
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
1/2 Passed
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

78%

SmoothPancakes

12-13-2012, 01:59 AM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, the mighty have fallen! 4-2 Tennessee scores a touchdown with 1:31 left to play and the Volunteers knock off #1 LSU, 34-30 in Neyland Stadium. In a battle, #3 USC holds off #18 Washington 45-35. Following LSU, #4 Michigan State falls at the hands of Iowa, 30-27 and two spots in the top 5 are suddenly open for the grabbing. #5 TCU, leading 17-13 at halftime, pulls away from #15 Baylor in the second half to win 42-13.

#11 Wisconsin continues to pull games out of their ass, beating Purdue in overtime, 28-22. It took a 10 point fourth quarter, but #12 South Carolina holds on to beat Mississippi State 24-17. In the game of the week, #13 Notre Dame scores 14 points in the fourth quarter to beat a 2-4 Stanford squad, 31-20. It took the Buckeyes everything they had, but #14 Ohio State holds off 1-5 Indiana to win 20-14 over the Hoosiers.

The Red River Shootout is burnt orange this year, as #16 Texas drops #20 Oklahoma to a shocking 2-3, the Longhorns running roughshod over the Sooners 38-17 (it was 17-17 at halftime). #17 North Carolina holds off Miami 24-17. It took everything they could for #19 Nebraska to hold off upset-minded Navy, 31-28, and #21 West Virginia loses their third straight, getting asswhooped by Texas Tech 56-24 (sorry mors :().

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss finally breaks their three game losing streak, pulling even to .500 for the year (and 1-1 in conference) with a 31-23 win over Tulane. Jaymo, Arizona State drops to 3-2 (1-2 in Pac-12 play) with a 17-13 loss to Colorado. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State had a bye week. Iowa State drops to 1-5 as they lose to #23 Kansas State 28-14.

Looking at undefeated teams left, with #1 LSU, #4 Michigan State, and UTEP losing this week, that drops our number of undefeated teams left to 6. #2 USC (6-0), #3 Georgia (7-0), #6 TCU (5-0), #8 Rutgers (6-0), #17 North Carolina (6-0), #24 Fresno State (5-0), are all that's left with an unblemished record at the end of week 6.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 11 teams still looking for their first win: Akron (0-6), Ball State (0-6), Central Michigan (0-6), Idaho (0-5), Kentucky (0-7), Memphis (0-6), Minnesota (0-6), San Jose State (0-6), UMass (0-7), UNLV (0-7), and Washington State (0-6).

Teams getting their first wins this week were: Troy (21-14 over 1-5 Western Kentucky), UTSA (21-16 over 4-2 Rice).

Taking a look at the new Top 25 polls, starting in the Coaches Poll, Georgia becomes the #1, USC moves up one to #2, TCU jumps two to #3, Rutgers climbs three to #4, Alabama can only go up one to #5, Arkansas jumps two to #6, Michigan also rises two to #7, Oregon climbs two as well to #8. LSU drops 8 to #9 and Wisconsin climbs one to #10. North Carolina jumped four to #13, Michigan State dropped 11 to #15, Tennessee shoots from unranked to #18 fresh off their upset of #1 LSU. Fresno State climbs five to #19, Baylor drops five to #20, Washington drops four to #22 and Iowa enters the poll at #25. Dropping out were Oklahoma (from #20) and West Virginia (from #21).

In the Media Poll, the top three remain the same, USC and Georgia both remain #1 and #2, TCU climbs two to #3, Rutgers (while on a bye week) climbs four to #4, Alabama jumps one to #5, Arkansas goes up one to #6, Oregon up two to #7, Michigan and Notre Dame both also move up two to #8 and #9 and LSU drops 7 spots to #10. North Carolina jumped four to #11, Michigan State fell 10 to #14, Texas jumped three to #16, like the Coaches Poll, Tennessee jumps from unranked to #18 with their upset of #1 LSU, Washington drops five to #19, Fresno State enters the poll this week at #21, Baylor drops four to #22 and Iowa enters the poll at #25. Dropping out were West Virginia (from #21), Oklahoma (from #22), and Clemson (from #25).

SmoothPancakes

12-13-2012, 02:14 AM

As we are now to Week 8, over halfway through the season, lets take a glance at conference standings.

In the ACC, Florida State leads the Atlantic Division with a 4-1 record, but Clemson is right behind at 3-1 and NC State lagging back at 2-2. Coastal Division leader is North Carolina at 4-0, but Virginia Tech is right behind at 4-1. Next closest is Pitt and Duke at 2-2. The Big 12, it's a tie at 3-0 between TCU and Texas Tech, with Oklahoma State 2-0, Texas and Kansas State both 2-1 and Baylor 1-1. Big East, UCF holds the top spot in the American Division with a 4-0 mark, with Rutgers behind at 2-0 and Cincinnati trailing at 1-1. In the National Division, SMU leads the way with a 2-0 mark, and Louisville and USF both at 1-1.

Big Ten, Leaders Division is a tie between Ohio State and Wisconsin, both at 2-1, with Penn State right behind at 1-1. Legends Division, Michigan and Iowa are both tied at the top with 2-0 records, Michigan State and Northwestern both right behind at 2-1 and Nebraska trailing at 1-1. Conference USA, FIU holds the lead in the East Division with a 4-1 conference record, with ECU and Southern Miss both trailing at 1-1 and Marshall behind at 2-2. In the West Division, it's Tulsa out in front with a 3-0 record, UTEP one back at 2-1, Rice trailing at 2-2 and North Texas at 1-2. Independents, Notre Dame is top dog with a 6-1 record, next Army at 4-2, BYU and Navy both in the rear at 2-5. In the MAC, East Division leader is a tie between Bowling Green and Ohio at 3-0, with Miami U at 2-1. The Western Division is Northern Illinois' right now with a 3-0 mark, trailed by Toledo at 3-1 and Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan both at 2-1.

The Mountain West is currently lead by Nevada at 2-0 with Fresno State right behind at 1-0 and Colorado State at 3-1, Utah State at 2-1 and Air Force at 1-1. The Pac-12, North Division is headed up by Oregon at 3-0, with Oregon State behind at 2-1. South Division is gonna cause a war as USC and UCLA both are tied at 4-0, with Colorado behind at 2-1. The SEC, East Division is lead by Georgia at 5-0, with South Carolina behind at 5-1 and Florida trailing at 3-2. West Division finds Arkansas in the drivers seat with a 4-1 mark, LSU and Alabama both behind at 3-1. The Sun Belt, UL Lafayette and UL Monroe both share the lead at 2-0, Florida Atlantic back at 2-1, Troy and Western Kentucky both at 1-1 and Arkansas State at 0-1. And in the WAC, Wyoming and New Mexico both are 1-0, New Mexico State sitting at 1-1 and Idaho at 0-2.

morsdraconis

12-13-2012, 04:22 AM

Damn you fantasy WVU, you fuckin' suck just as much as real life WVU does.

Nice wins after the tough loss. Looks like you're finally getting the running game momentum going.

SmoothPancakes

12-13-2012, 03:37 PM

Damn you fantasy WVU, you fuckin' suck just as much as real life WVU does.

Nice wins after the tough loss. Looks like you're finally getting the running game momentum going.

Yeah, they were looking good, and have just completely faceplanted since their 2-0 start.

Thanks man. I've changed some things around, coming out pounding it down my opponent's throat on the first drive and make them respect the run, then throw in some passes to keep the defense guessing. Passing has also opened up over the last couple games. Utah was an abnormal game, since when you have 11 different receivers touch the ball at least one, you can probably expect to win. Utah did do one good thing for me. After getting down 34-7, they made me really go deep in my playbook to find something to beat their defense. For the first couple games, I had used, at most, the top third or half of my shotgun passing playbook and that was it. Utah forced me to go deep into the latter half of my shotgun playbook and pull out some plays that I had never used before (much less seen while in the middle of a game). So that really helped me against Louisiana Tech and UTEP, going through my entire shotgun playbook and really, truly opening up my passing game.

I don't know if I'm gonna play Rice tonight or not. I originally had to work tonight but someone made a mistake when they made the basketball schedules back in the summer, so I now have the night off. However, I just got back inside an hour ago from burying a pet that I had for somewhere around 15-18 years. So I'm not sure I really feel up to playing a game (NCAA or any other game for that matter) tonight. If I don't feel up for it tonight, it'll probably be Saturday afternoon/evening before I play again, with work all day tomorrow, basketball tomorrow night and my morning show Saturday morning.

morsdraconis

12-13-2012, 04:02 PM

Yeah, they were looking good, and have just completely faceplanted since their 2-0 start.

Thanks man. I've changed some things around, coming out pounding it down my opponent's throat on the first drive and make them respect the run, then throw in some passes to keep the defense guessing. Passing has also opened up over the last couple games. Utah was an abnormal game, since when you have 11 different receivers touch the ball at least one, you can probably expect to win. Utah did do one good thing for me. After getting down 34-7, they made me really go deep in my playbook to find something to beat their defense. For the first couple games, I had used, at most, the top third or half of my shotgun passing playbook and that was it. Utah forced me to go deep into the latter half of my shotgun playbook and pull out some plays that I had never used before (much less seen while in the middle of a game). So that really helped me against Louisiana Tech and UTEP, going through my entire shotgun playbook and really, truly opening up my passing game.

Yeah, that's something I really missed about '12. With the custom playbook, I was basically putting exactly what I wanted in my offense no matter where I went instead of forcing myself to use the playbook of the team that I went to and, because of that, forcing myself to use plays and formations that I didn't normally use.

jaymo76

12-15-2012, 01:26 PM

SmoothPancakes

12-16-2012, 07:06 PM

Alright, I hope to god I'll actually be able to get Rice played tonight.

Spent the last 5 hours dealing with getting Christmas decorations down from the attic, putting up the tree, going through every damn string of lights and changing out the dead bulbs (which of course had a different base than the baggie full of spare bulbs, which meant change out bases on every single dead bulb, 45 in all), get all the damn lights on the tree, only to plug them in and have the second string from the top not even fucking light up after checking it just 10 minute before. :fp: Another half hour and checking bulb by bulb along the entire string to finally find the goddamn bulb that was fucking up the whole string.

Rice better be ready to get bitchslapped, because I have a mountain of frustrations from those goddamn lights that I have ready to take out on the Owls and rip them a new asshole.

SmoothPancakes

12-16-2012, 08:37 PM

Firing up the 360 right now. Time to take out my fury from those damned Christmas lights on the Owls.

jaymo76

12-16-2012, 08:49 PM

:D:D
Rice better be ready to get bitchslapped, because I have a mountain of frustrations from those goddamn lights that I have ready to take out on the Owls and rip them a new asshole.

:D

SmoothPancakes

12-16-2012, 11:17 PM

Game Seven

:Rice: :@: :Tulsa:

Game Notes

--- Entering the home stretch of our four game stretch at home, it wasn't going to get any easier, as we welcomed one of our rivals, the Rice Owls to town. The Owls enter the game at 4-2 on the season, 2-2 in conference action. If the Owls had any hopes of winning the West Division, they had to win this game, as a loss would put them three back and all but eliminate them from the division title. We, meanwhile, were holding onto a one game lead over UTEP for first place in the division, as well, we had 16 recruits visiting today’s game, with hopes of signing at least a handful to a scholarship after today’s game. A win would certainly go a much farther way in making that happen than a loss would. Rice won the coin toss and elected to kick to start the game.

Starting on our 24 yard line, it was the running game that got us moving, as Brandon Price broke off a pair of rushes for 10 yards each, giving us first down at the 45. The defense would break through on the next play, taking down Price for a two yard loss and sending us into the air. Brandon Booth would find Sean Fox for a 7 yard gain to set up third and four at midfield, before a 15 yard pass to Sean Parks gave us first down at the Rice 34. Another failed run by Price, for a loss of one yard, would bring back the passing attack. Price was able to beat his guy off the line and haul in a pass from Booth, getting down inside the Rice 5 yard line, but Price would be stripped of the ball from behind, the fumble recovered by Jamaal Harper, who returned it 7 yards to give the Rice Owls their first takeaway of the day and possession on their 10 yard line with 6:37 to play in the first quarter. The first drive for Rice got started a bit rough, as Lamar Everett was tackled for a two yard loss, before recovering and picking up 5 yards on the ground on second down. The Owls would convert third and 7 with a 26 yard pass from Lamar Evans to Issac Hart, giving Rice first down at their 40 yard line. Evans would get wrapped up for a four yard loss while trying to scramble, and an incomplete pass would leave Rice with third and 14. Our defense would fail again, as Evans found Matt Newman for a 26 yard gain and first down at our 40. Two incomplete passes brought about another third down, and again, the Rice Owls kept their drive alive as Evans hit Jamaal Wilkinson for 14 yards and a new set of downs at our 26. Everett picked up 9 yards on the ground on first down, before two incomplete passes would finally bring about Rice’s first fourth down of the game. The Owls would choose to go for it instead of attempting a 34 yard field goal, but Evans’ pass intended for Wilkinson was knocked incomplete, and we took over on our 17 yard line.

After a 5 yard rush by Price, Fox hauled in a pass from Booth, and thanks to a fail attempt by the defender to intercept the pass, was able to continue down field for a 24 yard gain and first down at the 46. Passing on first down, Booth found Carlos Anderson along the left hash for a 16 yard gain and first down at the Rice 37. After a gain of only two yards by Price, Parks got us a new set of downs, hauling in a 12 yard pass from Booth to get us to the Rice 23. After a three yard pass to Fox, Booth found John Andrews for a 12 yard gain and first and goal at the Rice 8 yard line. Price never had a chance on first down, as the linebacker blitz left Price trapped in the backfield for a one yard loss. A pass on second and goal would see us get on the scoreboard, as Booth hit Chad Fisher crossing just behind a defender for the 9 yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 1:28 left in the quarter. After a touchback on the kickoff, Everett picked up 5 yards on the ground, before Evans hit Donald Thompson for a 14 yard gain and first down at the 41. An 18 yard pass to Everett on the next play gave the Owls first down at our 40. Everett would get taken down in the backfield for a three yard loss on the first down rush, before Evans would pick up 5 yards on a scramble, leaving Rice with third and 8 at our 39. An incomplete pass on third down would force Rice to punt. The punt sailed out of the end zone for a touchback, our offense taking over on the 20 with two seconds left in the first quarter. A pass attempt on first down was broken up, nearly intercepted, and that was the end of the first quarter, as we continued holding onto a 7-0 lead.

Two more incomplete passes to start the second quarter, and our drive ended exactly where it started. The 40 yard punt was caught on a fair catch and Rice took over at their 39. Everett started the Owls offense moving with rushes of 5 and 6 yards, but a holding penalty on first down from midfield pushed Rice back to almost where they started the drive. Evans hit Jon Dean for an 8 yard gain on first and 20, but Everett would be tackled for a four yard loss on the next play, leaving Rice with third and 16 from their 44. A dropped pass on the next play would force Rice to punt, officially gaining only 6 yards on the drive after the penalty. Price returned the 42 yard punt for 6 yards and our offense took over on our 19 yard line. One play would be all that was needed to find the end zone, as a blitz by the defense was exposed by our offensive line, who opened a massive gap for Price, and one juke was all that was needed for Price to take it 81 yards to the house, giving us a 14-0 lead with 7:24 left in the half. Starting on their 23, Everett picked up 5 yards on the ground for Rice, before Evans was able to get four on second down, leaving the Owls with third and one. A 9 yard rush by Everett would get the job done, giving the Owls a new set of downs at their 41. The drive would go downhill from there, as Evans was tackled for a three yard loss, followed by an incomplete pass, leaving Rice with third and 13 at their 38. The drive would crash on the next play, as Marcus Owens intercepted Evans, returning it 5 yards to our 41 yard line to set up our offense with great field position.

Going back to the ground game, Price picked up 8 yards on first down to get us the 49. A 5 yard rush by Price, and we had a first down at the Rice 46. Keeping it going on the ground, Price picked up 5 yards before Fox got 4 yards on the next play, leaving us with third and one at the Rice 36. Price would keep the drive going forward, finding the hole and getting a gain of 7 to give us first down at the 29 yard line. After a three yard gain by Price, Booth caught the defense snoozing, hitting Parks for a 13 yard gain on a slant route and a first down at the 13 yard line. Price was able to only gain two yards on the first down rush, before doing the honors himself, hauling in a 12 yard touchdown pass from Booth to give us a 21-0 lead with 2:54 left in the first half. Starting on their 27, Rice got moving quickly, as Evans hit Adam Ryan for a 12 yard gain. After a dropped pass on first down, Evans found Hart for 20 yards and a first down at our 41. Evans would pick up three yards on the ground before he found Ryan again, this time for 8 yards and a first down at our 30. After a thrown away pass, the offense was tagged with holding, pushing them back to our 40 yard line. An incomplete pass left the Owls stuck with third and 20, before Evans hit Newman for a 17 yard gain and fourth and three at our 23. Grant Mosley would get the Owls on the board, kicking the 40 yard field goal to make it 21-3.

After the 17 yard kickoff return by Parks, our offense headed out, starting on our 17 yard line with one minute to play in the half. Three straight incomplete passes, and we were forced to punt with 49 seconds left on the clock. The 48 yard punt was returned by Everett for 12 yards, leaving the Owls with 41 seconds to play and starting on their 47 yard line. Going to the air on first down, Evans hit Ryan for a 17 yard gain and first down at our 37. A timeout froze the clock with 35 seconds left. Three incomplete passes would leave Rice with 23 seconds on the clock. The fourth down pass attempt was batted down at the line and Rice turned the ball over on our 37 with 16 seconds to go. The offense went out and a kneel down by Booth would bring the second quarter to an end, our lead holding at 21-3 as we headed to the half.

After a touchback on the kickoff, Rice would immediately close the gap to start the second half, as Evans hit Ryan in stride, who then outran our secondary for a 75 yard touchdown to cut our lead to 21-10 with 8:35 left in the quarter. A 27 yard return by Parks gave our offense the ball at our 26. Keeping it on the ground, Price was able to only gain four yards before being brought down by the safety. After an incomplete pass on second down, Booth found Fox through the air, but it would only go for a gain of 5 yards, forcing us to punt on fourth and one from our 35. A fair catch on the 39 yard punt started Rice at their 25. Evans hit Ryan for an 8 yard gain on first down, before a three yard rush by Evans gave the Owls a new set of downs. The drive would stall out on the 35 yard line after two incomplete passes and a loss of one yard by Everett left Rice with fourth and 11. A four yard return by Price on the 48 yard punt gave our offense the ball on our 21 yard line. Trying to keep it going on the ground, the first down rush attempt went nowhere, as a late blitzing safety caught Price at the line for no gain. After an incomplete pass to leave us with third and 10, Price snuck out of the backfield and caught a pass from Booth, beating the nearest defender down the sideline before being knocked out of bounds for a 22 yard gain and first down at the 43. After an incomplete pass on first down, Anderson would keep the drive moving, hauling in a 15 yard pass from Booth for a first down at the Rice 42. The drive would screech to a halt on the next play, as a pass intended for Parks was intercepted by Roger Phillips, who was immediately brought down at the Rice 38 for only a one yard return. Everett was tackled for a loss of one yard on first down, before picking up three yards on the ground on the next play. Rice converted third and 8 as Evans hit Everett for a 10 yard gain and first down at the 49. An 11 yard pass to Hart put the Owls at our 39 yard line with another first down. After a 7 yard rush by Everett, Evans picked up the first down himself, taking it three yards on the ground down to our 29 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Evans hit Newman for an 18 yard gain and first down at our 11. Our defense would push the Owls back, as Evans was sacked on first down for a 7 yard loss, and an incomplete pass left Rice with third and 17 at our 18 yard line. A pass to Thompson would only gain 8 yards, down to our 10, and the Owls would be forced to kick the 27 yard field goal to make it 21-13 with 3:06 left in the third quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff gave us the ball at our 25. A 7 yard pass to Anderson left us with second and three, before Fox caught a pass for a four yard gain and first down at our 36. After an incomplete pass on first down, A mismatch would lead to the end zone as Price caught a pass from Booth in a two on one situation, got a block by Parks and took it 64 yards to the house for the 28-13 lead with 2:05 left. Starting on their 21 after the kickoff, a pass attempt by the Owls was knocked incomplete, before Evans found Dean for a 19 yard gain and first down at their 40. Everett would pick up 8 yards on the ground on the next play, before being tackled for a loss of two to leave Rice with third and four from the 45. A dropped pass would bring out the punt team. A 19 yard return by Price on the 43 yard punt gave our offense the ball at our 31 yard line. Starting the drive on the ground, Price picked up 6 yards on the first down rush, followed with a gain of 5 by Fox to give us another first at the 42. Continuing on the ground, Price picked up four yards. The final seconds of the quarter would tick off and the third quarter would come to an end, our lead standing at 28-13 with one quarter to go.

The second down rush by Price would only gain one yard, and our offense was left with third and 5 from our 47 yard line. Fox kept our driving going, catching a pass from Booth for a 12 yard gain and a first down at the Rice 41. Returning to the ground, Price never had a chance, being brought down by the linebacker for a one yard loss. We would gain 5 free yards, as the defense was flagged for encroachment on the next play, leaving us with second and 6. After an incomplete pass on the second down pass, Booth found Fox again, this time for 15 yards over the middle and a first down at the Rice 22. Trying our luck once again on the ground, Price picked up three yards on the first down rush, followed by a gain of 5 to leave us with third and two at the 14. Price would get us the first down, rumbling ahead for a 5 yard gain to give us first and goal at the Rice 8. A two yard rush by Fox was followed with a gain of two by Price, to set up third and goal at the four yard line. Parks would extend our lead, hauling in the four yard touchdown pass, the pass from Booth perfectly splitting two defenders bracketing Parks, and our lead opened up to 35-13 with 5:14 to play. Starting on their 22 yard line, Rice quickly went backwards, as the Owls got tagged for false start, pushing them back to their 17. Two incomplete passes was followed with a 5 yard rush by Everett and the Owls were forced to punt on fourth and 10 from their 22. A fair catch on the 49 yard punt gave us possession on our 28 yard line with 4:36 to play.

The first down rush attempt by Price was able to gain only one yard, before Booth found Anderson for a 21 gain to midfield with 3:59 to play. Price never had a chance on the next play, getting swarmed in the backfield for a two yard loss and second and 12 at our 48. Roy Smith hauled in a 7 yard pass from Booth on the following play, to give our offense third and 5 with 2:53 remaining. A 12 yard pass to Anderson gave us a new set of downs at the Rice 33 with 2:39 to go. A 15 yard rush by Price gave us first down at the Rice 18 yard line and hammered the final nail in Rice’s coffin with only 2:07 left to play. Price kept pounding it on the ground, picking up 8 yards to leave us with second and two at the 10 yard line and 1:24 to play. A new set of downs wouldn’t be necessary, as Price hit the hole sprinting and took it 10 yards untouched up the middle for the touchdown, the defense never having a chance to stop him. With the touchdown, it made our lead 42-13 with 1:04 left to play in the game. A 25 yard kickoff return left Rice on their 29 yard line to start their drive. After a 7 yard rush by Everett, Evans was tackled for a two yard loss, leaving Rice facing third and 5 at their 34 with 42 seconds remaining. Evans was sacked on the next play for a 9 yard loss and Rice was left facing fourth and 14 from their 25 with only 37 second to go. The Rice punt sailed 42 yards, Price calling fair catch, and our offense trotted out to our 33 yard line with 26 seconds left on the clock, Casey Bishop only needing to kneel the ball once to end the game.

With the win, we improve to 6-1 on the season, 4-0 in C-USA play and become bowl eligible. Rice drops to 4-3, 2-3 in C-USA action, the Owls all but eliminated from contention for the West Division title. Next up, it's the end of our four game home stretch, as we entertain East Carolina. The Pirates enter the game at 5-2, 2-1 in C-USA action. ECU started their season with a 52-6 loss at San Diego State, then handed Central Florida it's only loss of the season, 27-21. The Pirates then downed Southern Miss 40-10, before losing two straight to South Florida 38-13 and at UTEP 38-17. ECU rebounded with two wins, 28-16 against Hawaii and 20-6 against UAB leading into our game.

Final Score
:Tulsa: 42, :Rice: 13

Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – A successful day by Booth, throwing for 311 yards and 4 touchdowns. Brandon Price had another breakout day, rushing for 196 yards on 29 carries, his longest rush being the 81 yard touchdown in the second quarter, and ending the day with two rushing touchdowns. Another good day for the receiving corps, 7 different sets of hands hauling in at least one pass today, five different receivers ending the day with double digit yards, and three different people scoring touchdowns.

- Tulsa Defense – An outstanding day from the defense. There was cause for concern early on when Rice kept converting third down after third down, the defense settled down, held the Owls to only 13 points and held the #44 rushing offense in the nation to only 69 yards on the ground.

- Tulsa Kicking – Pratt had another easy day, attempting no field goals, while going 6-6 in PATs.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Rice:
0
3
10
0
13

:Tulsa:
7
14
7
14
42

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

1:28
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Fisher, 9 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-0

Second Quarter

7:24
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Price, 81 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 14-0

2:54
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Price, 12 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 21-0

1:14
:Rice:
Field Goal
G. Mosley, 39 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 21-3

Third Quarter

8:35
:Rice:
Touchdown
A. Ryan, 75 yard pass from L. Evans (G. Mosley kick)
:Tulsa: 21-10

3:09
:Rice:
Field Goal
G. Mosley, 26 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 21-13

2:05
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Price, 64 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 28-13

Fourth Quarter

5:14
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Parks, 4 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 35-13

1:04
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Price, 10 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 42-13

Game Stats

Rice
Stat
Tulsa

13
Score
42

17
First Downs
20

393
Total Offense
545

26 - 69 - 0
Rushes - Yards - TD
35 - 234 - 2

18 - 43 - 1
Comp - Att - TD
22 - 34 - 4

324
Passing Yards
311

2
Times Sacked
0

5 - 16 (31%)
3rd Down Conversion
8 - 11 (72%)

0 - 2 (0%)
4th Down Conversion
0 - 0 (0%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

5 - 0 - 1 (20%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
4 - 4 - 0 (100%)

1
Turnovers
2

0
Fumbles Lost
1

1
Intercepted
1

12
Punt Return Yards
29

108
Kick Return Yards
67

513
Total Yards
641

6 – 44.0
Punts - Average
3 - 43.0

4 - 30
Penalties
1 - 15

13:55
Time of Possession
22:05

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
6
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
42
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
1/2 Passed
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

86%

SmoothPancakes

12-16-2012, 11:21 PM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, it took a 13-0 second half advantage for #2 USC to comeback and outlast Colorado, 22-14. Goodbye TCU. Texas Tech knocks off the #3 Horned Frogs 38-28, knocking TCU from the ranks of the unbeaten. Leading only 17-14 at halftime, #5 Alabama pulls away in the second half, defeating #18 Tennessee 30-14. In the game of the week, #7 Michigan dismantles #15 Michigan State, 49-25. #8 Oregon has a field day with Sparky, as the Ducks down Arizona State, 38-3.

Florida takes down #11 South Carolina 24-14. It took a touchdown with 1:46 to play, but #13 North Carolina stays undefeated, holding on to beat Duke 23-20. A horrible week for Buckeye fans, as #14 Ohio State gets absolutely abused by 4-3 Purdue, 42-18. #16 Texas whips #20 Baylor 37-10. Miami pulls within one game of .500 as they upset #21 Florida State, 42-33. The Mountaineers made a game of it, but in the end #23 Kansas State prevails 41-30 to knock West Virginia to 2-4 after a 2-0 start. Overtime is unfriendly to #22 Washington, as Arizona knocks off the Huskies 34-31 in OT. Also in overtime, #25 Iowa holds off Penn State, 23-17.

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss falls back under .500, losing 42-28 to Marshall, dropping to 3-4 (1-2). Jaymo, as mentioned in the Top 25 recap, Arizona State drops to 3-3 (1-3 in Pac-12 play) with a 38-3 whooping at the hands of #8 Oregon. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State improves to 3-3 (1-1 in the Sun Belt) with a 38-10 win over Texas State. Iowa State improves to 2-5 (1-3) with a 21-14 win over Oklahoma State.

On a C-USA note, it looks like a potential rematch in the making for the CCG. Florida International improves to 6-2 (5-1) with a 44-14 shellacking of Louisiana Tech, though East Carolina still has a chance, sitting at 5-2 (2-1), though East Carolina plays me next week. And I now have breathing room at the top of the West Division, as Tulane picks up their first conference win, 24-14 over UTEP, knocking the Miners to 6-2 (2-2), giving me a two game lead over UTEP and a three game lead over Rice halfway through my conference schedule.

Looking at undefeated teams left, with #6 TCU losing this week, that drops our number of undefeated teams left to 5. #2 USC (7-0), #3 Georgia (8-0), #4 Rutgers (7-0), #13 North Carolina (7-0), #19 Fresno State (5-0), are all that's left with an unblemished record at the end of week 8.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 9 teams still looking for their first win: Akron (0-7), Central Michigan (0-7), Idaho (0-5), Kentucky (0-8), Memphis (0-7), Minnesota (0-7), San Jose State (0-7), UMass (0-8), and UNLV (0-7).

Teams getting their first wins this week were: Ball State (24-17 over 0-7 Central Michigan) and Washington State (20-13 over 0-7 San Jose State).

Taking a look at the new Top 25 polls, starting in the Coaches Poll, Georgia (getting 36 first place votes) and USC (22 votes) remain #1 and #2, Rutgers (2 votes) climbs one to #3, Alabama and Arkansas both climb one to #4 and #5, Michigan, Oregon and LSU all climb one to #6, #7 and #8. North Carolina is up four to #9 (and getting one first place vote), and Wisconsin remains #10. With their loss to Texas Tech, TCU drops eight to #11, Fresno State on a bye week jumps six to #13, despite their loss to Michigan, Michigan State only drops one to #16. Texas Tech, fresh off their upset of previously #3 TCU, enters the poll this week at #17. South Carolina, after losing to Florida, drops seven to #18. Kansas State jumps four to #19, Auburn, on a bye week, jumps four to #20. Iowa jumps four to #21, Tennessee drops four to #22, Ohio State drops nine to #23, Florida enters the poll this week at #24, and Baylor drops five to #25. Dropping out were Florida State (from #21) and Washington (from #22). On a side note, Tulsa is once again receiving votes, 36 votes to be precise, good enough for #31.

In the Media Poll, the top two remain the same, USC (receiving 39 first place votes) and Georgia (22 votes) both remain #1 and #2, Rutgers (3 votes) climbs one to #3, Alabama and Arkansas both up one to #4 and #5. Oregon and Michigan both go up one to #6 and #7. North Carolina jumps three to #8 (receiving one first place vote), LSU climbs one to #9 and Notre Dame, on a bye week, drops one to #10. TCU drops eight to #11. Texas climbs three to #13, Texas Tech make an incredible leap in the media poll, from unranked to #14. Fresno State, on a bye week, jumps six to #15. Michigan State drops three to #17. Kansas State climbs six to #18, Iowa goes up six to #19, South Carolina drops five to #20. Tennessee drops three to #21, Auburn enters the poll at #22, Ohio State plummets ten to #23. Florida and Oklahoma both also enter the poll this week, at #24 and #25. Dropping out were Baylor (from #20), Florida State (from #21), Washington (from #22), and Virginia Tech (from #24). As with the Coaches poll, Tulsa is receiving votes in the Media poll, getting 180 votes, good enough for #28.

SmoothPancakes

12-17-2012, 03:21 AM

Holy Upsets! I'm playing the East Carolina game right now, they just went to their first studio update for the game, HOLY CRAP! This was not a kind day to the Top 25.

SmoothPancakes

12-17-2012, 03:57 AM

Damn! I just audibly went "oh shit!" on a pass I just completed. This ECU game's gonna have some highlights being posted with it, at least sure as hell that video, regardless of whether I win or lose. That was the most beautiful pass I have thrown in my time with NCAA '13.

SmoothPancakes

12-17-2012, 06:08 AM

Game Eight

:East_Carolina: :@: :Tulsa:

Game Notes

--- The final game of our homestretch, our team was riding high, having taken care of business against our two of our main rivals. Thanks to UTEP’s loss the previous week, we had a two game lead for first place in the West Division. Now it was time to expand that lead, as we welcomed East Carolina to Tulsa. The Pirates came in with a 5-2 record, 2-1 in the conference, trying to chase FIU for the East Division lead. It would be a tough battle for ECU, who entered the game with the #87 offense, #123 rushing offense, #96 defense, #106 rushing defense and #63 passing defense. Only positives for the Pirates was their #15 passing offense, and the fact that our passing defense was worse than theirs, ranking #123 in the nation. After busting out our special all yellows for the Rice game (part due to it being a rivalry game, and part due to 16 recruits being in attendance, we chose to stick with our standard home uniforms for the Pirates. ECU won the coin toss and elected to kick.

A 19 yard return on the kickoff got our offense started at the 23 for our first drive of the day. Hitting the Pirates in the mouth with the running game, Price got us moving with runs of 5 and 8 yards, before being brought down for a loss of one yard. A pass from Brandon Booth to Sean Fox gained 7 yards, followed by another strike to Fox going for 9 yards and a first down at midfield. After Carlos Anderson hauled in a pass for an 8 yard pick up, Price got the first down with a 5 yard rush down to the ECU 37. After Fox was wrapped up for a loss of one yard, Booth found Sean Parks for a 13 yard gain along the right hash and a first down at the 25. Two more rushes by Price, for 8 and three yards, gave us a new set of downs at the ECU 14. After an incomplete pass, Booth was sacked for a loss of 8 yards, leaving us with third and 18 from the 22. Booth found Nicholas Roberts for a 17 yard gain, but we were forced to settle for the field goal on fourth and one at the ECU 5. The 22 yard kick from Alphonso Pratt was good and we had a 3-0 lead with 4:30 remaining in the first quarter.

Starting on their 27 after a 26 yard kickoff return, the Pirates moved up field quickly, as Jon Siegel found Amir Quinn for a 12 yard gain to get to their 39. A rush by Sam Williams was stopped for a two yard loss, before an incomplete pass left ECU with third and 12. The drive would end on the next play as Calvin Rogers intercepted a Siegel pass, giving us possession at the ECU 44 yard line. Price got our offense moving, breaking off rushes for gains of three, 6 and four yards to give us first down at the ECU 31. On the next play, our drive crashed to a halt as an apparently 6 yard gain by Price ended up as a fumble recovered by East Carolina. While ECU celebrating, the referees called for an official review, and after a lengthy wait, declared the call overturned, sparing us the turnover and returning possession to our offense, leaving us with second and four at the ECU 25. Tossing the fumble up as a fluke, we put the ball right back into the hands of Price. Another 6 yard gain and we had a first down at the 19 yard line. After a 6 yard rush by Fox, Price followed that up with yet another 6 yard rush, this time giving us first and goal at the ECU 7 yard line. Keeping the ungodly improbable string of 6 yard rushes going, Price set us up with second and goal at the one yard line. Fox would do the honors for us, taking it in from one yard out to extend our lead to 10-0 with 52 seconds left in the first quarter.

A 20 yard kickoff return found the Pirates starting on their 18. After a dropped pass on first down, Siegel hit Williams for a 24 yard gain and first down at the 42. Another pass, to Paul Hampton, was followed with a 6 yard rush by Williams and a first down at our 42 yard line, where the final seconds of the quarter would tick off the clock, our lead holding at 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The start of the second quarter was poor for ECU, as Siegel was tackled for a two yard loss, followed by a drop pass to leave the Pirates with third and 12. A second straight dropped pass, and the Pirates were forced to punt on fourth down at our 45 yard line. The 41 yard punt went unreturned and we were forced to begin our offensive drive at our own three yard line. Price would need just one play to give us plenty of breathing room, breaking a 12 yard run to give us first down at our 15. The defense started keying on our running game, as Price could only manage one yard on the next play before being swarmed by white jerseys. Going into the air on second down, Booth found John Andrews for an 11 yard gain and a first down at our 27. After a batted down pass on first down, Booth hit Anderson along the left sideline, who turned up field and managed a 13 yard gain before being brought down at the 40. Switching back to the run game, Price was able to find a hole and some up field blocking, to turn a potential loss of yards into a 7 yard gain. The next play, the Pirates would bring Price down for a loss of yards, as the nose tackle bust through the center and tackled Price for a loss of two yards to leave us with third and 5. Fox would keep our drive alive, hauling in a 7 yard pass from Booth and giving us first down at the ECU 48. After two incomplete passes, Anderson kept us alive, hauling in a pass from Booth and then steamrolling over the corner for a 17 yard gain before being tripped up at the ankles. Returning to the air, Chad Fisher would get us in the end zone on the next play, plucking the pass from Booth out of midair right behind the defender’s head and then jogging the final few yards for the 30 yard touchdown pass, opening our lead to 16-0, where it would stay after the extra point by Pratt was blocked, with 5:25 left in the first half.

Starting on their 26 after the kickoff, Siegel hit Jason Pickens for a 10 yard gain to set up second and inches, before finding Pickens for 8 yards to give ECU a first down at their 43 yard line. After a four yard rush by Williams, two dropped passes would bring the Pirates’ drive to an end at their 47, as the punt team came out on fourth and 6. The 49 yard punt went unreturned, and we once again found ourselves in the shadows of our goalposts, starting on our four yard line. The first down rush by Price only gained two yards, out to our 6. Going into the air, Booth found Parks over the middle for a 14 yard gain to give us first down at our 20 yard line and plenty of breathing room. After a three yard rush by Price, Fox picked up four yards to give us third and three. A 7 yard pass to Fisher gave us first down at the 35. A pass to Anderson on the out route went for 19 yards before being run out of bounds, advancing us down to the ECU 46. A 10 yard pass on the slant route to Fisher went for a gain of 10 and left us with second and inches, before Price picked up two on the ground to give us first down at the 34 yard line. A pair of three yard rushes by Fox and Price found us facing third and four, before a nearly completed pass to Andrews was jarred loose and incomplete, leaving us with fourth and 5 at the 29 yard line. The 46 yard field goal attempt by Pratt was no good, and ECU took over at their 29 with 51 seconds left in the first half.

After an incomplete pass, Siegel was sacked for a 10 yard loss, after which we called a timeout with 40 seconds left on the clock. A 6 yard rush by Williams would leave ECU with fourth and 14 on their 25 yard line with 37 seconds to play and the punt team coming out. The 45 yard punt went unreturned and we took over at our 30 yard line with 32 seconds to play and one timeout. After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth was sacked for a 10 yard loss, leaving us with third and 20 from our 20, and a East Carolina timeout froze the clock with 24 seconds. An incomplete pass on third down and it was our turn to punt with 20 seconds left to play. The 48 yard punt was caught on a fair catch, and the Pirates took over at their 31 yard line with 15 seconds left. A pass from Siegel to Alexander Grier went for a gain of 5 yards and ECU called their second timeout with 11 seconds to go. An incomplete pass left third and 5 and just 6 seconds to play. A final pass attempt was completed to Grier for a gain of 30 yards, but the clock expired during the play, and we headed to halftime up 16-0.

After a touchback on the kickoff, the Pirates started their drive with an incomplete pass, before being flagged for false start, pushing them back to their 20 and second and 15. ECU would get a first down on the next play when Siegel hit Grier for a 26 yard gain to get to their 46 yard line. Two dropped passes and a toss to Williams for a 9 yard gain left ECU facing fourth and one at our 45 yard line. The punt sailed 49 yards and went for a touchback, starting our drive on our 20 yard line. After two rushes for 7 and three yards by Price left us with third and inches, it was Fox converting for a first down, finding the hole by the right tackle and riding the asshole of his tight end who was blocking downfield, picking up an extra 10 yards before being tackled for a 13 yard gain and first down at the 43 yard line. After a two yard rush by Price, it was Parks getting us a first down, hauling in a pass along the right hash, right over the heads of four defenders, before turning up field for a 24 yard gain and a first down at the ECU 32 yard line. After an 8 yard off tackle rush, Price took the rock again, this time getting the first down with a 5 yard gain. It was a tense moment after that play, as Price was slow to get up, the trainers rushing out onto the field. Price would sit up on this own, but was pointing to his right arm, causing concern on the sideline. With Price out of action while be evaluated, that left Fox and redshirt freshman Roy Smith stepping into the top two slots in the running game. After a three yard rush by Fox, Booth dropped a pass in just over the outstretched arms of the middle linebacker and into the waiting hands of Smith, who picked up 12 yards and gave us first and goal at the four yard line. Fox would get three yards on the rush to set up second and goal from the one yard line. One play later, Fox would find the end zone, carrying it from one yard out behind the left tackle and giving us a 23-0 lead with 4:51 left in the third quarter. The ensuing kickoff went for a touchback. It was after the kickoff that the worst news so far this season came from the locker room. Brandon Price had suffered a torn shoulder muscle and would be done for the season. With Price permanently sidelined for the rest of the year and Kiel Fletcher out for another 7 weeks with a broken fibula, that was both of our 90 OVR running backs sitting on the sidelines for the remainder of the regular season, putting a massive dent into our running attack, leaving our third and fourth string running backs to lead the way for the rest of the season.

The Pirates offense came out firing, and firing accurately on this drive, as Siegel found Williams for a 14 yard gain, before hitting Quinn for a pickup of 27 yards to get a first down at our 35. A 5 yard pass to Grier, was followed with a gain of 11 yards on a pass to Hampton and the Pirates had first down at our 18. East Carolina would get on the scoreboard on the next play, as Siegel hit Grier for the 18 yard touchdown pass. The Pirates would go for a two-point conversion, but the pass to Williams was broken up, and the score would remain 23-6 with 3:35 left to go in the third quarter. It wouldn’t remain that for long however, as Fisher would receive the kickoff, and thanks to some timely blocking, take it 97 yards to the house of the touchdown, adding to our lead. A second missed extra point by Pratt, this time shanked wide left, would keep the score at 29-6 with 3:09 to play in the third. After the touchback on the kickoff, this time the Pirates would find no success at all on this drive, as two incomplete passes gave way to an 8 yard sack, and ECU was forced to punt on fourth and 18 from their 17 yard line. Parks called fair catch on the 41 yard punt and we began our drive at our 41 yard line. Realizing our much diminished running attack would not help in second and long, Booth went to the air, his pass to Fisher going for 11 yards to leave us with third and one at midfield. Taking our chances on the ground, Fox found a hole and was able to pick up 10 yards to give us a new set of downs at the ECU 40 yard line. Trying out luck once again on the ground, Fox didn’t let us down, gaining 14 yards on the rush, advancing our drive to the 27 yard line. Finding the hole blocked on the first down rush attempt, Smith bounced outside and was able to pick up 6 yards before being brought down nearly the right sideline. Fox gained one yard on the second down rush, leaving us with third and three, where we would let the final 10 seconds tick off, bringing the third quarter to an end, our lead holding at 29-6.

Remaining on the ground on third and three, Fox was just able to bounce off the left tackle and get across the line for a four yard gain before being swarmed at the 15 yard line. A play action pass on first down ended in disaster as the ECU line broke through untouched, and Booth was sacked for a 6 yard loss, pushing us out to the 22 yard line. After an incomplete pass left us with third and 16, it all went downhill for us, as Booth was picked off by Joel McDonald, who had nothing but green in front of him, taking it all the way for an 85 yard pick six, Anderson unable to catch up from behind. A successful two-point conversion on the rush by Siegel, and ECU closed the lead to 29-14 with 7:43 to play. An East Carolina holding penalty on the kickoff gave us improved field position, starting our drive at our 35 yard line. The Pirates suddenly having new life, Smith was swarmed in the backfield for a one yard loss on the first down rush attempt, never having a chance of getting back to the line of scrimmage. After a 19 yard pass to Anderson on the out route, we were knocked back yet again, as the defense broke through and sacked Booth before he could get the pass off, resulting in a 10 yard loss and second and 20 at our 42 yard line. Two incomplete passes later, and a drive that had lots of promise was suddenly ended with a 41 yard punt.

Starting on their 17 yard line, the Pirates would have a very short drive, as three straight incomplete passes, two of them dropped, would result in ECU punting without a single yard gained. A fair catch on the 49 yard punt gave us possession on our 34 yard line with 5:51 left in the game and a 15 point lead. After a 9 yard gain on the ground, Fox would get the first down with a three yard rush off the left tackle, and then some as Chaz Neal, right outside linebacker for the Pirates brought Fox down by his facemask. The 15 yard penalty gave us a first down at the ECU 39 yard line (as opposed to what would have been first down at our 46). Smith would keep us moving forward, picking up 10 yards and another first down on the ground to advance the ball to the ECU 28. A massive gap allowed for an 8 yard rush on first down by Fox, before being brought down for a loss of two yards on the second down rush attempt. We would not need the first down, as a heavy blitz by ECU allowed Ryan Strong to take the pass over the middle 23 yards to the house, not a single defender ever getting within 15 yards of him, to open up our lead to 36-14 with 3:20 left in the game. Starting on their 27 yard line, a dropped pass on first down gave way to a 5 yard pass to Hampton, leaving the Pirates with third and 5 at their 33. An incomplete pass would force the Pirates into a do or die fourth down conversion attempt. The pass intended for Hampton was knocked incomplete and we took over at the ECU 33 yard line with 2:41 left in the game.

A broken tackle and three failed ankle tackles by the secondary, and we would find the end zone in one play, as Fox took it straight up the middle on first down, toting the rock 33 yards to the house. A failed extra point by Pratt would keep our lead at 42-14 with 2:35 remaining. The Pirates next offensive drive was stuck at their 13 yard line after a 16 yard kickoff return out of the end zone by Grier. The drive looked similarly doomed to fail deep in their territory, as Siegel gained one yard on the ground, before an incomplete pass left the Pirates with third and 9. An 11 yard pass to Jon Walker would keep the Pirates moving at their 24 yard line. That would be all the farther they’d get, as three straight incomplete passes would bring out the punt team this time. The 47 yard punt was called for a fair catch by C. Jefferson and our offense came out for a victory lap at our 29 yard line with 1:45 to play. Three straight knees would leave us with fourth and 16, but it wouldn’t matter as the final 20 seconds would tick off without another snap taken, our 42-14 victory sealed.

With the win, we improve to 7-1 on the season, 5-0 in C-USA play, all but wrapping up the West Division title in Conference USA. With the loss, East Carolina drops to 5-3, 2-2 in C-USA action, the Pirates most likely knocked out of contention for the East Division title as FIU continues to run away with the division. Up next, we hit the road to North Texas. The Mean Green come in at 2-5, 2-3 in C-USA play. North Texas started the year with a 44-7 loss at Northwester, lost 39-33 in OT to Florida Atlantic, and 45-0 at Florida International. They won at UTSA 26-17, before losing 41-7 at Louisiana Tech and 24-20 to Louisiana-Lafayette. They got back in win column with a 31-28 win at Tulane, coming into their game with us.

Final Score
:Tulsa: 42, :East_Carolina: 14

Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – A great day by Booth. 270 yards passing and two touchdowns. He did have an interception, that was returned 85 yards for a touchdown, but we were well ahead by then and it was nothing more than some temporary, short lived motivation for the Pirates. Price was having a great day, with 118 yards on 26 carries before he got injured for the rest of the season in the third quarter. He will without a doubt be missed. Fox filled the hole as best he could, rushing for 112 yards on 19 carries and 3 rushing touchdowns, but he has a long way to go to consistently have the games that Price did. For receiving, 8 different receivers all touching the ball at least once, and for the first time, every single receiver who caught a pass ended the game with at least 11 yards or more.

- Tulsa Defense – A killer performance today. ECU already was entering with the second worst rushing offense in the country, our defense made them even worse, holding the Pirates to a measly 14 yards on 6 rushes. They still gave up huge passes, but actually managed to hold a team to under 300 yards passing, for quite possibly the first time all season.

- Tulsa Kicking – A piss poor job by Pratt today. 1-2 on field goal, hitting a 21 yard kick but missing from 46, and then going a pitiful 3-6 on PATs.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:East_Carolina:
0
0
6
8
14

:Tulsa:
10
6
13
13
42

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

4:32
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 21 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 3-0

0:52
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Fox, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 10-0

Second Quarter

5:25
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Fisher, 30 yard pass from B. Booth (blocked kick)
:Tulsa: 16-0

Third Quarter

4:51
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Fox, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 23-0

3:35
:East_Carolina:
Touchdown
A. Grier, 18 yard pass from J. Siegel (2-pt conversion failed)
:Tulsa: 23-6

3:09
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Fisher, returned kickoff 97 yards (missed kick)
:Tulsa: 29-6

Fourth Quarter

7:43
:East_Carolina:
Touchdown
J. McDonald, returned interception 95 yards (2-pt conversion good)
:Tulsa: 29-14

3:20
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Strong, 23 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 36-14

2:35
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Fox, 33 yard run (missed kick)
:Tulsa: 42-14

Game Stats

East Carolina
Stat
Tulsa

14
Score
42

10
First Downs
28

238
Total Offense
475

6 - 14 - 0
Rushes - Yards - TD
55 - 205 - 3

16 - 40 - 1
Comp - Att - TD
19 - 30 - 2

224
Passing Yards
270

2
Times Sacked
4

2 - 11 (18%)
3rd Down Conversion
10 - 16 (62%)

0 - 1 (0%)
4th Down Conversion
3 - 3 (100%)

1 - 2 (50%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

3 - 1 - 0 (33%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
5 - 2 - 1 (60%)

1
Turnovers
1

0
Fumbles Lost
0

1
Intercepted
1

0
Punt Return Yards
0

107
Kick Return Yards
135

345
Total Yards
610

7 – 45.6
Punts - Average
2 - 45.0

3 - 25
Penalties
0 - 0

15:46
Time of Possession
20:14

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
7
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
42
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
1/2 Passed
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

86%

SmoothPancakes

12-17-2012, 06:20 AM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, Holy Upsets! First off, #1 Georgia improved to 9-0, steamrolling #24 Florida 35-7. Now, onto business, Boise State, trying to get to a bowl game, improves their record to 3-4 as the Broncos knock off #3 Rutgers (and hand them their first loss), 35-14. #6 Michigan loses 23-18 at the hands of #15 Nebraska. Colorado outscores #7 Oregon 14-0 in the first quarter to upset the Ducks 35-31. #9 North Carolina suffers it's first loss, 30-27 at the hands of rival NC State in overtime. #16 Michigan State recovers from a pair of losses by knocking off #10 Wisconsin 27-12.

Oklahoma State hands #11 TCU it's second straight loss, 38-33. #12 Notre Dame survives a scare, outscoring West Virginia 24-10 in the second half, including the game winner with 1:05 left in the game, to hold on for the 38-34 win. It was a collapse by West Virginia, who led 21-0 after the first quarter. In double overtime, #17 Texas Tech outlasted #19 Kansas State 55-49. #18 South Carolina stuffed #22 Tennessee like a Thanksgiving turkey, 45-7. It was Texas A&M knocking off #20 Auburn 31-28. #23 Ohio State scores 21 fourth quarter points to hold off Penn State 38-24. And Iowa State knocks off #25 Baylor, 17-10 (ISU lead 17-0 going into the fourth quarter).

In all, 8 true upsets occurred today. The #3, #6, #7, #9, #10 and #11 teams all lost today, making it a very rough day for the Top 10 as half the teams go down in defeat.

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss falls is back to 4-4 (2-2 in C-USA), demolishing 1-7 UTSA, 48-10. Jaymo, it was a hell of a battle, but Arizona State drops to 3-4 (1-4 in Pac-12) with a 42-35 loss to UCLA. Mors, as mentioned in the Top 25 recap, West Virginia blows a 21-0 first quarter lead, losing to #12 Notre Dame 38-34 after an Irish touchdown with 1:05 left to play. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State improves to 4-3 (2-1 in the Sun Belt) with a 31-19 win over Louisiana-Lafayette. Iowa State, as mentioned, knocks off #25 Baylor to improve to 3-5 (2-3). On a personal note, Navy sucks ass this year and has been eliminated from bowl contention, falling to 2-7 on the year with a 31-28 loss at Utah State. In bizarro world, Army beats Ball State 24-20 to improve to 6-2.

On a C-USA note, it continues to look like a potential rematch in the making for the CCG. Florida International had a bye week to remain at 6-2 (5-1). With the loss, East Carolina drops to 5-3 (2-2) and both teams play each other in week 10. Marshall (sitting at 3-2) and Southern Miss (at 2-2) both still have chances to catch up, but it would be extremely difficult roads for both. FIU has already beat Marshall, they play Southern Miss in week 11. I now have even more breathing room at the top of the West Division. UTEP was on a bye week, but my win opens my lead in the division to 2 1/2 games with only three games left to play for me and four to play for UTEP. Rice, at 2-3, is pretty much eliminated from consideration, as they sit three back and I hold the head to head tiebreaker.

Looking at undefeated teams left, with #3 Rutgers and #9 North Carolina losing this week, that drops our number of undefeated teams left to 3. #1 Georgia (9-0), #2 USC (8-0), and #13 Fresno State (6-0), are all that's left with an unblemished record at the end of week 8.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 8 teams still looking for their first win: Central Michigan (0-8), Idaho (0-6), Kentucky (0-9), Memphis (0-8), Minnesota (0-8), San Jose State (0-8), UMass (0-8), and UNLV (0-8).

Teams getting their first wins this week were: Akron (20-17 over 0-8 Central Michigan, which is now Central Michigan's second straight loss to a likewise winless opponent).

Taking a look at the new Top 25 polls, starting in the Coaches Poll, Georgia (getting 41 first place votes) and USC (20 votes) remain #1 and #2, Alabama goes up one to #3, Arkansas up one to #4, and LSU up three to #5. Fresno State makes a seven spot jump to #6, Notre Dame rises five to #7, Nebraska jumps seven to #8, Michigan falls three to #9 and Michigan State jumps six to #10. Elsewhere, Texas climbs three to #11, Rutgers drops nine to #12, Texas Tech goes up four to #13, Wisconsin drops three to #13, South Carolina climbs three to #15, North Carolina drops seven to #16, Oregon falls ten to #17, TCU drops eight to #19, Ohio State climbs three to #20, Oklahoma enters the poll (while coming off a bye week) at #21, Purdue enters also at #22, Kansas State drops four to #23, Northern Illinois enters the poll this week at #24, and UCLA enters as well at #25. Dropping out were Auburn (from #20), Tennessee (from #22), Florida (from #24), and Baylor (from #25). And Tulsa is now up to #27 in the Coaches poll, receiving 148 votes.

In the Media Poll, the top two remain the same, USC (receiving 38 first place votes) and Georgia (24 votes) both remain #1 and #2, Alabama and Arkansas both climb one to #3 and #4, LSU jumps four to #5, Nebraska leaps ten to #6, Notre Dame rises three to #7, Fresno State climbs seven to #8, Texas is up four to #9 and Michigan drops three to #10. Elsewhere, Michigan State is up six to #11, Rutgers drops ten to #13, North Carolina falls six to #14, Oregon plummets nine to #15, Wisconsin drops four to #16, TCU free falls eight to #19. Ohio State is up three to #20, Oklahoma (on the bye week) is up four to #21, Kansas State drops four to #22, UCLA enters the poll this week at #23, Tulsa also enters the poll this week at #24, and Purdue makes their appearance in the poll this week at #25. Dropping out were Auburn (from #20), Tennessee (from #22) and Florida (from #24).

On a goddamnit note, I just looked at the Heisman Watch. Without realizing it, apparently Brandon Price had somehow worked his way onto the Heisman Watch list, getting up to third on the list, before going out with a season ending injury against ECU. So much for any chance he might have possibly had.

SmoothPancakes

12-17-2012, 06:32 AM

Here's two videos of the 30 yard TD pass to Fisher, that in real time, made me go "oh shit!" out loud. Different angles and versions of the replay in the two videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBqudQtgCa0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz6IsosKo9I

And a couple pictures of the catch itself.

http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx305/SmoothPancakes/422A0001_1_JPEG_SCREENSHOT_uKZ_zps36150e2e.jpg

http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx305/SmoothPancakes/422A0001_0_JPEG_SCREENSHOT_jJU_zpsec031721.jpg

And finally a picture of the 24 yard pass to Parks right before we went up 23-0 in the third quarter, when Booth dropped the pass in right in between four defenders all next to Parks. (good luck doing shit like that on NCAA '12).

http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx305/SmoothPancakes/422A0001_2_JPEG_SCREENSHOT_cGW_zps321537aa.jpg

SmoothPancakes

12-17-2012, 09:24 PM

So... I think it's safe to say that North Texas sucks at defending the run. I'm playing the NT game right now, I just hit the end of the first quarter, and I have yet to throw a single pass so far this game. My offense has been literally nothing but rushes so far. I'm half tempted to see how far I can willingly make it in the game before I'd be forced to actually have to start passing.

SmoothPancakes

12-17-2012, 09:42 PM

Damn. Couldn't get to halftime. I made it all the way to 1:04 left in the first half, 29 rushes for my first half offense, before I had to throw my first pass on a third and 6 at my own 28. Naturally, it ended up getting dropped. May as well have just taken my chances on the ground.

JeffHCross

12-17-2012, 10:00 PM

3rd and 6? That's rushing distance for me :D

SmoothPancakes

12-17-2012, 10:30 PM

3rd and 6? That's rushing distance for me :D

:D Yeah, but at my own 28, I didn't want to have be left punting deep in my territory. It was a three point game at the time, so I was going to do whatever it took to get that first down, which ended up not happening in the end.

Also, I'll have the game recap up in a bit, but for the love of god, what the hell is it with me and North Texas? Either I constantly play down to their level or they constantly play up to mine. This game had one of the most nerve-racking endings I have yet had in this dynasty.

SmoothPancakes

12-17-2012, 11:44 PM

Game Nine

:Tulsa: :@: :North_Texas:

Game Notes

--- Heading back onto the road for the first time since week 5, it was off to the south to take on the Mean Green of North Texas. Like Florida International, an old rivalry renewed in the Mean Green, as they followed me over from the Sun Belt. It is safe to say that North Texas is not very good, their only two wins coming by 9 points against a one win UTSA squad while being a three win Tulane team by only three. However, North Texas caused many a frustration during my time in Miami, and they are never to be taken for granted. We at least would have the statistically superior team, as the highest ranking for North Texas in any statistic is #90 in the nation for pass offense. #99 in rushing offense and #101 in total offense, with a #104 ranking in the country for points per game leaves a lot to be desire for the Mean Green offensive attack. The defense is even worse, ranking #108 in total defense, #101 in rush defense and #106 in pass defense. Taking into account the three games against the Mean Green while coaching at Miami, this game could go down to the wire, or with such disparity in the stats, it could be a 50 point blowout. Time would tell. Keeping our streak of futility alive, we lost the coin toss and North Texas elected to kick.

A touchback on the kickoff and we were off and running at our 25 yard line. Sean Fox got us started with a 7 yard rush on the ground, following it up with a four yard gain and our initial first down of the game. Fox kept the drive moving with a 9 yard rush on the next play to leave us with second and one at the 46 yard line. It’d be Roy Smith with the first huge play of the day, as a broken tackle from the middle linebacker at the line of scrimmage left the middle of the field wide open, Smith scampering for a 38 yard gain before being tripped up from behind, giving us first down at the North Texas 16 yard line. Smith would tote the rock again on the next play, picking up 10 yards to give us first and goal at the 5 yard line. Fox would find the end zone on the next play, carrying it in off the right tackle for the 6 yard touchdown rush and a 7-0 lead with 6:54 to go in the first quarter. The Mean Green did not take any pleasure in our stuffing it down their defense’s throat, as on the first play of their opening drive, James Mayfield found Mark Yates behind our secondary, who took it all the way untouched for the one play, 75 yard touchdown reception to tie the game up at 7-all with 6:29 to go. A 24 yard kickoff return by Parks got our next drive started at our 28. After a gain of only one yard on first down, Fox was able to break up the middle for an 8 yard gain to leave us with third and one at our 36. A one yard rush by Fox resulted in fourth and inches, coach Blankenship electing to go for it. Fox left no doubt on the conversion play as he busted through a tackle for a 10 yard gain and a first down at our 47. The next play would end in disaster as Fox would got stood up for what was only a one yard gain, but was then stripped while still fighting forward for yards. Derrick Powell recovered the fumble and the Mean Green had the ball at our 49 yard line.

North Texas went straight back to the air on first down, as Mayfield found Brian Crowder for a 36 yard gain and first down at our 13 yard line. Two incomplete passes was followed up with a three yard gain on a scramble by Mayfield, and our defense held tough, forcing North Texas to settle for a field goal attempt on fourth and 7 at our 10 yard line. The 27 yard field goal was good and North Texas took a 10-7 lead with 3:38 to go in the first quarter. A 24 yard return by Parks on the kickoff and we were back on the field at our 32 yard line. After a 7 yard rush on first down by Fox, he would manage to get us another first down, rolling off a tackle attempt and falling forward just across the marker for a three yard gain and a new set of downs at the 42 yard line. Continuing to stuff it down the throats of North Texas, forcing them to stop us on the ground, Fox picked up a pair of 5 yard gains to leave us with third and inches at the North Texas 48 yard line. A tackle that would have brought our drive to an end with a loss of one, instead turned into a three yard gain as Fox broke through the tackle attempt and got us the first down at the 45 yard line with 1:02 left in the quarter. A 10 yard rush by Smith and we were left with second and inches at the 35. The clock would end up running out before we could get the snap off, and the first quarter came to an end, North Texas leading 10-7, our offense consisting to this point entirely of the ground game, 17 rushes and not one single pass yet thrown.

The second quarter started with us regaining the lead. North Texas came out crowding the middle on the second and inches play. Fox took the handoff, bounced outside and had nothing but green in front of him all the way down the sideline for the 35 yard touchdown rush to give us a 14-10 lead with 8:54 left in the half. North Texas was left in a tricky spot, starting on their 12 yard line after the kickoff, but quickly moved the ball downfield. After a three yard rush by Yates, Mayfield found Paul Gray for a 5 yard pass and a four yard rush by Yates gave the Mean Green first down at their 24. A Mayfield pass to Tyrell Gorman went for 12 yards and another set of downs at their 36. Mayfield was sacked on the next play for a two yard loss, before picking up a gain of two on a second down scramble, to leave the Mean Green with third and 10. Mayfield would find Gray for a 24 yard pickup to convert the third down and advance to our 40 yard line. A four yard rush by Gray was followed with a 5 yard pass to Gorman to leave North Texas at our 31 with third and one. The defense would stop the drive on the next play, sacking Mayfield for an 8 yard loss to force a North Texas punt on fourth and 9 from our 39 yard line. The punt went 44 yards for a touchback and we were back in business on our 20 yard line.

Fox took the honors with rushes of four, 5 and three yards to give us a first down at the 33 yard line, before Smith was able to hit a wide open gap on the right side and haul ass for a 24 yard gain to the North Texas 43. A 10 yard rush by Fox, breaking three tackles along the way, gave us first down at the Mean Green 33 with 4:05 left in the half. North Texas seemingly stopped Fox for only a gain of three on the first down rush, by a facemask penalty against middle linebacker Darrell Harvey gave us 15 free yards and first down at the North Texas 15 yard line. Fox continued punishing North Texas, breaking two tackles in the backfield to avoid what would have been a loss of two yards, and picking up a gain of 11 yards to give us first and goal at the four yard line with 3:14 to play in the half. The first down rush by Smith went for only a one yard gain, before Fox punched it in for his third rushing touchdown of the game with the three yard rush, extending our lead to 21-10 with 2:12 left before halftime.

North Texas would find themselves punting in just three plays on their next drive, as a four yard rush by Yates was followed with two incomplete passes, and the Mean Green punted the ball away on fourth and 6 at their 29 yard line. A fair catch by Parks gave us possession at our 24 with 1:42 to play. A pair of two yard rushes by Fox would leave us facing third and 6 from our 28 and we would be forced to go to the air for the first time today. The pass from Brandon Booth was dropped by Parks as he tried to turn up field, bringing our drive to an end with 1:04 remaining. The 41 yard punt was returned 5 yards to the North Texas 35 with 58 seconds to play. The Mean Green went backwards on first down, tagged with a holding penalty. First and 20 resulted in an 8 yard pass from Mayfield to Gray to set up second and 12 at the 33 with 47 seconds to go. After a dropped pass, Mayfield found Gorman for a 22 yard gain and new life at our 45 yard line with 37 seconds remaining. Two incomplete passes would give way to a sack for a loss of 10 yards, and with fourth and 20 at their 45, North Texas would punt the ball away. A fair catch by Parks gave us possession at our 15 yard line with 17 seconds left to play. A kneel down by Booth would take us into halftime, holding on to our 21-10 lead.

Starting on the 25 yard line after the kick, Mayfield quickly got North Texas moving with a 13 yard pass to Perry Roberts, followed by rushes of 5 and three yards by Yates, before a three yard rush by Gray gave North Texas a first down at the 49 yard line. A 10 yard pass to Roberts left the Mean Green with second and inches, which Yates would convert with a 7 yard rush to our 34. After a four yard rush by Mayfield on first down, two incomplete passes would leave North Texas with fourth and 6 from our 30 yard line. The Mean Green would go for the fourth down conversion, but Mayfield would end up getting sacked for a 10 yard loss, turning the ball over on downs and starting our drive at our 40 yard line. This time North Texas was ready for our rushing game, as Fox was swarmed in the backfield on first down for a two yard loss. Going to the air on second down, Booth completed his first pass of the game, finding Smith over the middle, who fought his way forward for a gain of 22 and first down at the North Texas 39 yard line. A pass attempt to Carlos Anderson on the next play was picked off by Eric Miller, who returned it 25 yards to our 43 yard line, breaking three tackles along the way before finally being caught from behind by Parks to stop the potential, and likely, pick six. After an incomplete pass on first down, Mayfield hit Gorman for a 22 yard gain and first down at our 21. A 7 yard rush by Yates was followed with an 8 yard pass from Mayfield to Josh Waters and North Texas had first and goal at our 6 yard line. The Mean Green would score on the next play, as Mayfield hit Brandon Carroll with the 6 yard touchdown pass to make it 21-17 with 5:25 to play in the third quarter.

Starting on our 25 after the touchback, it was nothing but air this drive, as Booth hit Parks for a 16 yard gain to get to our 41. A three yard pass to Smith was followed by a pass in the flats to Fox, who would manage to pick up 30 yards thanks to downfield blocking from Parks, and a first down at the North Texas 26. That’s where our drive would end as three straight incomplete passes would bring out Alphonso Pratt to attempt the 43 yard field goal. The field goal attempt was no good and North Texas took over at their 26 with 4:09 left in the quarter. It would be a short drive for the Mean Green. After a three yard rush by Mayfield, he was able to hit Brian Joseph for a 5 yard gain. But an incomplete pass on third down would force a North Texas punt on fourth and one from the 35 yard line. A 13 yard return by Parks on the 40 yard punt gave us possession at our 38 yard line.

Going back to the ground game, Fox continued to razzle and dazzle on the ground, picking up 8 yards followed by a two yard rush to get the first down at midfield. Smith would tote the rock on the next carry, breaking it up between the right guard and tackle for a 19 yard gain to get us to the 31 yard line. After a one yard rush by Fox, a three yard rush by Smith left us with third and 6 at the North Texas 27. A 6 yard pass to Ryan Strong left us with fourth and inches at the 21 yard line. We would settle for the 38 yard field goal, which Pratt kicked straight down the middle, to give us a 24-17 lead with 1:20 left in the third quarter. A questionable kickoff return by Yates left North Texas beginning on their 14 yard line. After a two yard rush by Gray, Mayfield found Gorman for 16 yards over the middle and a first down at the 31 yard line. The offense would go backwards though, as a holding penalty on the next play left North Texas with first and 20 at their 21 yard line. An incomplete pass was followed with only a three yard gain on the scramble by Mayfield and North Texas found themselves facing third and 17. Our defense would get caught with their heads up their asses, as Mayfield connected with Crowder for a 25 yard pickup and first down at the 49 yard line. After a two yard pass to Joseph would see the final seconds expire and the third quarter come to an end, our lead sitting at 24-17.

Opening the fourth quarter, Mayfield found Gray along the right sideline for a 24 yard gain and another first down at our 25. The defense bit back, sacking Mayfield for a 6 yard loss on first down. An incomplete pass and a dropped pass would force fourth and 16 at our 31 yard line. The fourth down conversion would end up failing, as Mayfield’s pass to Roberts was completed, but Roberts was brought down by his defender for a gain of only 14 yards, turning the ball over on downs at our 17 yard line with 8:16 left in the game. After a gain of one yard by Fox, Booth would hit Anderson along the left sideline for an 8 yard gain to leave us with third and one at our 26. Fox would get caught at the line of scrimmage on the next play, only gaining one yard and we would be forced to punt on fourth and inches at our 27 yard line. A 7 yard return on the 47 yard punt gave North Texas possession at their 33 yard line. It was a poor start for the Mean Green, as Yates was tackled on first down for a loss of four yards, before gaining only three on the next play to set up third and 12 at the 31 yard line. A 5 yard pass from Mayfield to Gray would force North Texas to punt on fourth and 7 with 6:34 to go. The 49 yard punt was returned 9 yards by Parks and we resumed on offense at our 24 yard line. Another first down rush attempt by Fox once again went for only one yard, leaving us with second and 9. An 8 yard pass to Fisher on the slant route and we once again face third and one, this time from our 32 yard line. Putting our faith again in our run game, Fox would fail for a second straight drive to convert the third down, being hit from two directions for a one yard loss, leaving us punting on fourth and two at our 31 yard line with 5:08 remaining in the game.

The 40 yard punt ended in a fair catch and North Texas on the clock at their 27 yard line. This time Mayfield got the drive moving with a 13 yard pass to Roberts to get to their 40. A 6 yard rush by Yates as followed with a pass to Yates for no gain, leaving North Texas with third and four. Mayfield would get the first down himself, picking up four yards on the ground to get to midfield. Yates was tackled for a loss of two yards on first down, before a three yard gain by Mayfield left third and 9, which North Texas converted with a 32 yard pass from Mayfield to Crowder, setting up first down at our 16 yard line. A four yard rush by Yates gave way to a 10 yard pass from Mayfield to Gray, and the Mean Green had first and goal at our three yard line. A loss of two yards by Yates, and no gain by Mayfield, and the Mean Green were suddenly facing third and goal at our 5 yard line. A four yard rush by Andy Norman would set up fourth and goal just inches away from the goal line. Our defense would make the biggest stop of the entire game, tackling Yates for a loss of one yard, forcing the turnover on downs, giving our offense the ball at our 2 yard line with 2:20 left in the game.

Starting inside the end zone, Fox was able to pick up 8 yards on the first down rush to get out to our 10 yard line, North Texas calling their first timeout to freeze the clock at 2:16. A four yard rush by Fox gave us a new set of downs at our 14 yard line. A second timeout by North Texas stopped the clock with 2:13 remaining. Fox picked up 7 yards on first down and North Texas called their third and final timeout to halt time with 2:10 remaining in the game. A rush by Fox for no gain left us with third and three at our 21. Failing to get the defense to jump offside, Booth kept the drive alive with a ballsy pass to Anderson for 9 yards, giving us first down at the 30 yard line. A four yard rush by Fox would take us under a minute to play. Calling off the dogs, one kneel by Booth was all that was needed to run out the rest of the clock, and we held on for the extremely hard fought 24-17 win over the Mean Green.

With the win, we improve to 8-1 on the year, 6-0 in C-USA action, North Texas drops to 2-6, 2-3 in C-USA play. My win officially knocks Rice out of division contention, the Owls three games back with only two left for both of us. Up next, it's my final home game and non-conference game of the season, as we welcome in Colorado State, the Rams entering at 5-4, 3-2 in the Mountain West. The Rams opened their year with a 29-24 win against Colorado, before losing 30-28 to West Virginia. They then picked up a three streak, winning 27-9 at San Jose State, 35-23 at Utah State and 28-13 at Air Force, before losing 37-7 to #6 Fresno State. A 23-17 overtime win at Wake Forest was followed with a 38-7 loss against Hawaii and a 35-31 loss at Wyoming. The Rams enter the game 1-3 at home, but 4-1 on the road, their first road loss being to Wyoming the week before they fly to Tulsa. This could be one hell of a battle.

Final Score
:Tulsa: 24, :North_Texas: 17

Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – A quiet day by Booth, only 101 yards on 13 pass attempts, though that was a by-product of our offense we ran today. Our running backs, double trouble for North Texas. Fox ending the day with 186 yards on 37 carries and three touchdowns (all three of our touchdowns today), and Smith with 106 yards on 7 carries today. Receivers, also a quiet day, only 6 receivers touched the ball today, only four of them gaining double digit receiving yards, the highest being 30 yards.

Tulsa Defense – Gave up some big plays, but made the plays when it counted, including the HUGE fourth and goal stand at the one foot line, forcing the turnover on downs and preserving our victory with only minutes left to play. A round of beers is sure as hell being bought tonight for that defense.

Tulsa Kicking – 1-2 in field goals today, hitting a 38 yards, but missing from 43 yards. Pratt did go 3-3 in PATs this time.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Tulsa:
7
14
3
0
24

:North_Texas:
10
0
7
0
17

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

6:54
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Fox, 6 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-0

6:29
:North_Texas:
Touchdown
M. Yates, 75 yard pass from J. Mayfield (C. Thomas kick)
TIED 7-7

3:41
:North_Texas:
Field Goal
C. Thomas, 26 yard field goal
:North_Texas: 10-7

Second Quarter

8:54
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Fox, 35 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 14-10

2:12
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Fox, 3 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 21-10

Third Quarter

5:25
:North_Texas:
Touchdown
B. Carroll, 5 yard pass from J. Mayfield (C. Thomas kick)
:Tulsa: 21-17

1:24
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 38 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 24-17

Fourth Quarter

Game Stats

Tulsa
Stat
North Texas

24
Score
17

18
First Downs
17

389
Total Offense
465

46 - 288 - 3
Rushes - Yards - TD
26 - 73 - 0

8 - 13 - 0
Comp - Att - TD
24 - 38 - 2

101
Passing Yards
392

0
Times Sacked
5

3 - 9 (33%)
3rd Down Conversion
7 - 16 (43%)

1 - 1 (100%)
4th Down Conversion
0 - 3 (0%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

2 - 2 - 0 (100%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
6 - 1 - 1 (33%)

2
Turnovers
0

1
Fumbles Lost
0

1
Intercepted
0

22
Punt Return Yards
12

48
Kick Return Yards
29

459
Total Yards
506

3 – 43.3
Punts - Average
5 - 43.0

1 - 15
Penalties
3 - 35

22:43
Time of Possession
13:17

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
40
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
1/2 Passed
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

94%

SmoothPancakes

12-17-2012, 11:47 PM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, a much quieter week this time around. The Game of the Week goes to #5 LSU, who improves to 8-1 courtesy of a fourth quarter touchdown and a 20-13 win over #3 Alabama. The Tide drops to 7-2 and are eliminated from the national title picture with the loss. #2 USC withstands their toughest test, ripping #17 Oregon a new one, 49-14. The Upset of the Week goes to 3-7 Navy, who knocks off #4 Arkansas 21-20 to drop the Razorbacks to 7-2. #8 Nebraska holds off a comeback bid by #10 Michigan State to win 31-21. #9 Michigan has some trouble early on, but eventually pulls away to defeat winless Minnesota 38-21.

#13 Texas Tech upsets #11 Texas 24-10. #12 Rutgers needs 14 points in the fourth quarter to hold off winless Memphis 45-31. BYU scores 11 unanswered points in the fourth quarter (the game winning field goal with 5 seconds left) to knock off #16 North Carolina 31-28 and send the Tar Heels to their second straight defeat. #20 Ohio State scores 14 points in the fourth quarter to hold off a tough Illinois squad, 31-21. In a shocker, UMass breaks their 0-8 start and gets their first win of the year, 34-21 over #24 Northern Illinois. Arizona gets their third win with a 26-23 win in overtime over #25 UCLA, handing the Bruins their second loss of the year and first loss in the Pac-12.

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss drops below .500 again, losing to UAB 21-17 to drop to 4-5 (2-3 C-USA). Jaymo, the downslide continues, as Oregon State beat Arizona State 55-35, dropping the Sun Devils to 3-5 (1-5 in Pac-12 play). Mors, sorry buddy, West Virginia continues their free fall too, losing their 6th in a row and falling to 0-5 in the Big 12 in a 48-7 whooping from #19 TCU. For community teams and other teams of interest, Iowa State gets whooped by #21 Oklahoma 59-17 to drop to 3-6 (2-4), and Arkansas State wins #4 in a row, beating Florida Atlantic 31-14 to improve to 5-3 (3-1 in Sun Belt)

On a C-USA note, only UTEP has a chance now of catching me. Tulsa and Rice both won this week, so Rice remains three games back at 3-3, with both of us only having two conference games to go. So the Owls are knocked out of the division race. UTEP still technically has a chance, sitting at 7-2 (3-2), but the best they could do is tie for the division title, as I hold the head to head tiebreaker. So we will officially be the West Division representative in the C-USA Championship Game. And the Conference Championship Game will be a rematch, as Florida International improves to 7-2 (6-1) with a 27-17 win over East Carolina, who drops to 5-4 (2-3). With only one conference game left for FIU, The worse they can do is 6-2. Marshall, sitting at 5-4 (3-2) can still tie for the division title, but FIU beat Marshall head to head, 24-17, back in week 7, giving the Golden Panthers the tiebreaker over Marshall and officially making the Conference-USA Championship Game a rematch of the early season battle between Florida International and Tulsa, a win in Miami by the Golden Hurricanes, 27-14.

Looking at undefeated teams left, no new teams lost this week this week, keeping our number of undefeated teams left at 3. #1 Georgia (10-0), #2 USC (9-0), and #6 Fresno State (7-0), are all that's left with an unblemished record at the end of week 10.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 5 teams still looking for their first win: Central Michigan (0-9), Memphis (0-9), Minnesota (0-9), San Jose State (0-8), and UNLV (0-8).

Teams getting their first wins this week were: Idaho (37-21 over FCS MW), Kentucky (26-0 over 3-6 Vanderbilt) and UMass (34-21 over 7-3 #24 Northern Illinois).

Taking a look at the new Top 25 polls, starting in the Coaches Poll, Georgia (getting 33 first place votes) and USC (27 votes) remain #1 and #2, LSU goes up two to #3, Fresno State (1 vote) climbs two to #4, Nebraska moves up three to #5, Notre Dame up one to #6, Michigan up two to #7, Alabama drops five to #8, Texas Tech rises four to #9 and Rutgers jumps two to #10. Elsewhere, Wisconsin, on a bye week, climbs three to #11, South Carolina also moves up three to #12, Texas drops two to #13, Iowa jumps four to #14, Michigan State falls five to #15, TCU, Ohio State and Oklahoma all go up three to #16, #17 and #18. Arkansas plummets fifteen to #19, Oregon drops five to #22, Auburn enters the poll at #23, Tulsa enters the poll at #24, and Florida State enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were North Carolina (from #16), Northern Illinois (from #24) and UCLA (from #25).

In the Media Poll, the top two remain the same, USC (receiving 38 first place votes) and Georgia (22 votes) both remain #1 and #2, LSU climbs two to #3, Fresno State (5 votes) jumps four to #4, Nebraska and Notre Dame both go up one to #5 and #6. Texas Tech jumps five to #7, Alabama falls five to #8, Michigan climbs one to #9 and Rutgers goes up three to #10. Elsewhere, Wisconsin, on the bye week, climbs five to #11, Texas falls three to #12, South Carolina, Iowa and TCU all jump four to #13, #14 and #15. Michigan State falls five to #16, Ohio State and Oklahoma both jump three to #17 and #18. Arkansas plummets fifteen to #19. Oregon drops seven to #22, Tulsa climbs one to #23, Florida State enters the poll at #24 and Utah enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were North Carolina (from #16) and UCLA (from #25).

That's gotta hurt for North Carolina. Undefeated and ranked #9 (Coaches) and #8 (Media) two weeks ago, and now two straight losses and unranked in both polls two weeks later. Ouch.

The BCS rankings fall: #1 Georgia, #2 USC, #3 LSU, #4 Fresno State, #5 Nebraska, #6 Notre Dame, #7 Alabama, #8 Michigan, #9 Texas Tech and #10 Rutgers.

Apparently Week 11 is still too early to get bowl projections, so no idea where and who I might play.

SmoothPancakes

12-18-2012, 04:32 AM

Game Ten

:Colorado_State: :@: #24 :Tulsa:

Game Notes

--- How fast a season goes. Here it was already, our final non-conference game of the season and our final home game of the year as 5-4 Colorado State came to town. The last chance for the fans to say goodbye to our 19 seniors on their home field: HB Sean Fox, FB John Andrews, WR Sean Parks, WR Carlos Anderson, LT John Holt, RT Curt McDonald, C Everett Brantley, DT Clinton Davis, DT Chip Oliver, DT Terrell Smith, LE George Smith, RE Brian White, LOLB Cornelius Morgan, CB Calvin Rogers, CB Aaron McDonald, CB Jason Hall, CB Eric White, FS James Russ, and SS Marcus Owens. Our streak of coin toss futility continued as the Rams won the coin toss and elected to kick.

A 19 yard return by Sean Parks got our offense started at our 17 yard line. Sean Fox was only able to pick up on yard on the first down rush, as Colorado State brought the house, blitzing 9 players on the play. After an incomplete pass, Carlos Anderson kept our drive alive, hauling in a 14 yard pass from Brandon Booth to give us first down at the 33 yard line. A 14 yard pass to Parks was followed with an 11 yard gain on the ground by Fox (thanks to another jailhouse blitz by Colorado State) and we had first down at the Rams 42. After a four yard rush by Fox, Roy Smith was able to gain three yards to leave us with third and two from the 35. Fox would keep the drive moving, picking up a gain of 7 on the third down rush. The Colorado State defense got to Fox on the next play, bringing him down in the backfield for a loss of two yards. After an incomplete pass on second down, a pass from Booth to Chad Fisher went for only a 5 yard gain, and on fourth and 7 from the 25 yard line, we were forced to attempt a field goal. The 41 yard kick from Alphonso Pratt was good and we had a 3-0 lead with 5:28 left in the first quarter.

After a touchback on the kickoff, it was a rough start for the Rams, as they quickly found themselves facing third down after two incomplete passes. Jay Webb would keep the driving moving with a 23 yard pass to Chase Frazier for a first down at the 48 yard line. Another pass, 13 yards to Dustin Thompson, and the Rams had a first down at our 39. After an incomplete pass on first down, Matt Ingram picked up a gain of four on the ground, to set up third and 6. The Rams would not only convert the third down, but find themselves with first and goal at our 6 yard line after a 29 yard strike to Travis Walker. The defense fought back, tackling Ingram for losses of three and two yards, to leave Colorado State with third and goal from the 11 yard line. A 7 yard pass from Webb to Josh Thompson and the Rams were left with fourth and goal at our four. The 21 yard field goal from Dwight Jones was good and we were all knotted up at 3-3 with 3:32 to play in the quarter.

Taking over on our 25 yard line after the kickoff, it was back to the air to try and land the first blow of the game. A pair of 15 yard passes to Anderson, and we had a first down at the CSU 45 yard line. After coming out of the huddle planning run, Booth checked off at the line of scrimmage as Colorado State cheated forward and showed they were bringing the house again. The pass that Booth called an audible to proved ineffective, as Booth’s pass sailed well wide of the receiver’s reach and we were left with second and 10. A second down pass to Fisher picked up 8 yards and Fox would convert for the first down with a three yard rush to get us to the 35 yard line. A first down rush attempt by Fox was again disastrous, as Fox never had a chance, being brought down almost immediately after the handoff for a one yard loss. Anderson would just barely keep the driving going, hauling in a pass from Booth and turn up field just enough to get the first down with a 12 yard gain. A first down pass attempt sailed incomplete as the corner jammed Parks at the line, causing Booth’s pass to sail into nothing but empty grass. We’d find the end zone on the next play, as a smash play would find Fox wide open running towards the pylon, hauling in the pass and racing his coverage to the corner for the 23 yard touchdown pass, giving us a 10-3 lead with one minute left in the quarter. We received some bad news after the play, Anderson had suffered a back spasm. We decided to hold him out for a bit to avoid risk of re-injury.

After a touchback on the kickoff, Ingram picked up 7 yards on a first down rush for CSU, but that would be the only positive of the drive, as two incomplete passes brought out the punt team on fourth and three from the 32 yard line. Parks called for a fair catch on the 47 yard punt, and we began on our drive on our 20 yard line with 27 seconds to play in the quarter. The Rams defense again was more than ready for our run gain, as Fox was swarmed immediately after taking the handoff, being brought down for a one yard loss. We would let the final 13 seconds tick off and bring the first quarter to an end, our lead holding at 10-3.

Start of the second quarter, and a Booth pass intended for Parks was knocked incomplete, leaving us with third and 11 in the young moments of the quarter. Allowing Anderson to return to the field at the start of the second quarter paid off instantly, as he hauled in a pass from Booth for a 19 yard gain and a first down at the 38 yard line. After a three yard pass to Fisher, we came out in a five wide to spread out the defense. Fox was able to beat his defender off the line, getting a step ahead of him. Booth’s pass to Fox dropped perfectly in over the head of defender and hit Fox mid-stride right in the hands. Fox then raced his pursuers down the field before being caught from behind at the two yard line, a 57 yard gain. Parks would extend our lead on the next play, hauling in the two yard touchdown pass from Booth to make it 17-3 with 8:04 left in the half. Colorado State’s next drive started off its poorest yet, as Webb was sacked for a 7 yard loss, to leave CSU with second and 17. An 8 yard rush by Ingram made up the lost yards, but an incomplete pass on third down would force the Rams to punt on fourth and 9 from their 26 yard line. The 41 yard punt was returned 7 yards by Parks to start our drive at our 40 yard line. Trying our chances on the ground again, this time it paid off as Fox rode the holes as they opened up, all the way to the CSU 44 yard line for a 16 yard gain. The middle linebacker blitz through untouched on the next play, missing Fox on the tackle but managing to trip him up for only a two yard gain. Fox would get the first down on the next play, twisting and stumbling his way forward for a gain of 8 to give us first down at the 34 yard line. The middle linebacker again put our offensive line to shame, blitzing through untouched and tackling Fox for no gain. Booth attempted to hit Parks on a second down slant route, but the outside linebacker, Clint Martin, jumped in front of the play, intercepting it and gaining two yards before being brought down at the 31 yard line.

As had been the case, the Rams’ offensive drive started poorly, as the offense got tagged for holding on first down. A 7 yard rush by Ingram made it second and 13, before two incomplete passes would bring the drive to an end at the 27 yard line. A 46 yard punt was returned three yards by Parks, starting us at our 30 yard line for our next drive. Thanks to the fullback picking up the blitzing middle linebacker, and downfield block from the tight end, Fox broke the first down rush for 10 yards to get us to the 40. After a gain of 5 on first down, the middle linebacker made it through untouched yet again, and Fox was wrapped up for no gain, leaving us with third and 5 at the 45 yard line. A third down pass to Ryan Strong would go for 5 yards, leaving us with fourth and inches at midfield. Coach Blankenship told us to finish the job, and Fox would take it up the middle for a four yard gain and first down at the CSU 46 yard line. A first down rush by Smith was only able to gain one yard, as the defense again brought the house, clearly ready after what we had done against North Texas. After an incomplete pass, Booth hit Anderson along the right sideline on third and 9 for a 15 yard gain and first down at the 30 yard line. Fisher would put us back on the board on the next play, as Booth’s pass dropped in over the heads of both safeties, Fisher yanking the ball out from behind his body of the air and taking it 30 yards for the touchdown. The extra point made it 24-3 with 2:10 left in the half.

Colorado State continued to have failures on first down at the beginning of a new drive, as Webb was sacked for a 7 yard loss to leave the Rams with second and 17 at their 18 yard line. A three yard rush by Ingram left third and 14, but Webb would find Walker with the third down pass for a gain of 30 yards and first down at our 49 yard line. Another pass, 12 yards to Frazier was tacked on with an extra two yards after a penalty on the defense. After two incomplete passes, Webb found Ingram for an 18 yard gain and the Rams had first down at our 18 yard line. A 7 yard rush by Ingram got the Rams down to our 11, but the drive would come crashing down. On second and three, Ingram had fought down to our 7 yard line, enough for the first down, but the defense stripped the ball loose, Brian White falling on top of it to recover the fumble and give our offense the ball on our 6 yard line with 59 seconds left in the half. Three straight incomplete passes, and we were forced to punt with 47 seconds on the clock. Ingram called fair catch on the 47 yard punt and the Rams were left starting on their 47 yard line with 42 seconds left. A 5 yard pass to Frazier, and incomplete pass and a three yard rush by Webb left the Rams with fourth and one at our 45 yard line and 20 seconds to play. The Rams would decide to just let the clock run out and head to the locker room, our lead sitting at 24-3 at the half.

After a touchback on the kickoff to open the second half, it was a quick three and out for the Rams, as three straight incomplete passes would bring out the punt team yet again. A 43 yard punt was returned for 14 yards by Parks, and our offense took over at our 46 yard line. A total failure of blocking allowed two linebackers to come in untouched and bring down Fox for a two yard loss. An 8 yard pass to Fisher left us with third and three, which Fox would convert with an 8 yard rush to the CSU 38 yard line. The sideline and crowd suddenly grew concerned when Fox was slow getting up, grabbing his arm in pain.

Continuing the drive while waiting on word from the trainers, Smith was able to avoid a loss after breaking a tackle and gain four yards on the first down play. Smith kept it going, avoiding another loss as he rolled off of a tackle attempt and gained three yards to leave us with third and two at the 31 yard line. Smith would keep his streak going, breaking another tackle and managing to pick up three yards to get us a first down at the 27 yard line. Checking off of a first down run, Booth found Nicholas Roberts for 10 yards over the middle and a first down at the CSU 16 yard line. Smith would set us up with first and goal, after breaking runs of 6 and 7 yards to set us up at the two yard line. It was after the 7 yard rush that word came from the locker room. Our plague of injures at halfback had struck again. Fox was diagnosed with a dislocated elbow, putting him on the sideline for 10 weeks. That now made our first, second and third string halfbacks all on the injury list, as Kiel Fletcher was still sidelined for another 5 weeks with a broken fibula, and Brandon Price had been lost for the season two weeks ago with a torn shoulder muscle. Our new starter at halfback for the rest of the season, 66 OVR redshirt freshman Roy Smith.

Smith would take advantage of the situation, scoring his first touchdown of the season, taking it in off the left tackle for the two yard rush to open our lead to 31-3 with 5:11 left in the quarter. Colorado State would finally visit the end zone for the first time today, as Imgram took the ensuing kickoff 101 yards for the touchdown, closing the lead to 31-10 with 4:43 to play. A 19 yard kickoff return by Fisher and we were starting on our 25 yard line. A two yard gain by Smith and we had second and 8. Chucking up a pass intended for Parks, Booth ended up throwing his second interception of the day, with Martin pulling down his second INT for the game, returning it 6 yards to give Colorado State the ball at our 29 yard line. The Rams would find the end zone on the next play, as Webb hit Thompson for the 29 yard touchdown pass and suddenly our lead had shrunk to 31-17 in a minute and half, with 3:54 remaining in the quarter. A 21 yard kickoff return by Parks and we began our new drive on the 27. Going to the air to try and restore Booth’s confidence, the first down pass attempt was nearly intercepted, knocked away incomplete, before Booth hit Anderson up the left sideline for a 15 yard gain and first down at the 42 yard line. After a four yard run on first down, Smith was stood up for no gain and we found ourselves facing third and 6 at our 46 yard line. Going to the air, the pass intended for Parks was batted down as the defender dove between Parks and the ball and we were forced to punt. The 43 yard punt was returned 12 yards by Ingram and the Rams offense came on to start at their 22 yard line with 2:25 left in the third.

It would be a short lived drive, as Ingram was tackled for a three yard loss, followed by an incomplete pass, before Ingram would manage to gain 5 yards on third down, though it would not be enough, the Rams forced to punt on fourth and 8 form their 24 yard line. Parks called for a fair catch on the 50 yard punt and we took over on offense at our 25. Our offensive line continued to have no answer for the CSU linebackers, as Smith was quickly brought down for a two yard loss on the first down rush attempt. Anderson would keep the drive moving, hauling in a pass over the middle and fighting forward for a gain of 15 yards and a first down at the 38 yard line. Attempting to throw off the CSU defense, a first down WR screen went belly up, as Fisher was tackled for a three yard loss. The second down pass attempt would end up incomplete as Booth was hit as he threw. The third down pass was nearly picked off, but batted down incomplete, and our punt team came out on fourth and 13 with 5 seconds left in the quarter. Ingram called fair catch on the 41 yard punt, and that would bring the third quarter to a close, our lead sitting at 31-17.

Starting the fourth quarter on their 24 yard line, it was another three and out for Colorado State, as Ingram was brought down for a three yard loss, before a 6 yard gain by Ingram and an incomplete pass left the Rams stranded with fourth and 7 at their 27 yard line. Parks returned the 41 yard punt for a gain of 17 yards and we began our drive with our best field position yet, on our 48 yard line. After a 5 yard rush by Smith on first down, a completely blown block by our fullback resulted in Smith being brought down for a loss of 5 yards on the second down pitch play. Anderson was able to break loose from his defender on third down, breaking outside and hauling in a pass from Booth for a 13 yard gain and first down at the 39 yard line to keep our drive breathing. Another failure by the offensive line, and Smith was brought down for a loss of two yards. A second down pass attempt to Parks was nearly intercepted, and we were left with third and 12. Another nearly intercepted pass and we were forced to punt from the 41 yard line with 6:11 to play in the game. The punt sailed 47 yards, going out for a touchback and giving CSU the ball at the 20. Throwing out some trick plays from their playbook to start the drive, the Rams caught our defense sleeping, as a halfback pass from Ingram to Walker went for a gain of 15 yards and a first down at the 35 yard line. After two incomplete passes, Webb found Walker for a 10 yard gain to leave the Rams with fourth and inches at the 45 yard line. Ingram would keep the drive moving, converting fourth down with an 8 yard rush to our 48. Webb went back to the air on first down, finding D. Thompson for a gain of 15 and a first down at our 33 yard line. A three yard rush by Ingram was followed by a gain of 8 yards, and the Rams had first down at our 22 yard line. Webb would hit J. Thompson on first down for a 9 yard pickup, before finding D. Thompson over the middle for the 13 yard touchdown pass to make it 31-24 with 4:09 left in the game.

A 20 yard kickoff return by Fisher left us starting on our own 19, the clock now reading 3:58 to play. A pair of rushes by Smith went for gains of three and two yards to leave us facing third and 5. Strong would keep our drive alive, hauling in a pass over the blitzing defense and gaining 12 yards to give us first down at the 36 yard line, the clock down to 2:30 left to play. Smith would pick up a gain of 8 on the first down carry before a time out by Colorado State stopped the clock at 1:58 to play. Smith would gain one yard on the second down carry, as the Rams called their second timeout to stop the clock with 1:56 left. Living and dying by the run game, Smith was able to fight forward, gaining 6 yards to get us to the CSU 49 yard line with 1:52 to play, Colorado State calling their third and final timeout in desperation. The Rams were not about to give up, tackling Smith on first down for a loss of one yard, before a 7 yard gain made it third and three with 56 seconds to play. Running the clock down to 28 seconds before we snapped the ball, Smith would gain two yards to leave us with fourth and one at the 40. For some reason, Coach Blankenship chose to punt, the ball going out for a touchback and the Rams getting the ball at their 20 yard line with 5 seconds to play. The desperation heave on the final play of the game went to D. Thompson, who managed to gain 36 yards before being brought down by two defenders to end the game, our win preserved, 31-24.

With the win, we send out seniors out in style in their final home game, and improve our record on the year to 9-1, 6-0 in C-USA action. With the loss, Colorado State drops to 5-5, 3-2 in Mountain West play. Next up, it's on the road to UTSA, who enters the game 2-8 on the year, 2-5 in C-USA play. The Roadrunners opened the year 0-5, losing 37-10 at #13 Iowa, 46-22 at Marshall, 56-7 at Indiana, 20-13 at UAB and 26-17 against North Texas. UTSA finally got in the win column with a 21-16 win at Rice. Three more losses, 59-13 at Army, 48-10 to Southern Miss and 45-21 to UTEP set the Roadrunners up for win #2, 28-26 at Tulane heading into their game with us.

Final Score
#24 :Tulsa: 31, :Colorado_State: 24

Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – Another good day passing for Booth, throwing up 309 yards and two touchdown passes, though the two interceptions hurt us big time and nearly cost us the game. Talk about shit luck. We lose our star HB Fletcher early in the season, then we lose our new second string HB Price in our seventh game of the year, and now we lose our third string HB, Fox, in our ninth game. Price is done for the year, Fox is most likely done unless he somehow gets back before the bowl game. Fletcher will be back in time for our bowl game. Here's hoping our fourth string HB, Smith, can keep our run game afloat until then, as we have no one on the depth chart behind him. Only six receivers touched the ball today, all of them getting double digit receiving yards.

- Tulsa Defense – A tale of two halves for the defense. Absolutely dominated the Rams in the first half, allowing nothing, then started giving up some big plays in the second half. Booth through two interceptions surely did not help though.

- Tulsa Kicking – Pratt finally got back to perfection today, hitting his only field goal attempt, fom 41 yards out, and going 4-4 on PATs.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Colorado_State:
3
0
14
7
24

:Tulsa:
10
14
7
0
31

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

5:32
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 41 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 3-0

3:35
:Colorado_State:
Field Goal
D. Jones, 20 yard field goal
TIED 3-3

1:00
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Fox, 23 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 10-3

Second Quarter

8:04
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Parks, 2 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 17-3

2:10
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Fisher, 30 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 24-3

Third Quarter

5:11
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Smith, 2 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 31-3

4:43
:Colorado_State:
Touchdown
M. Ingram, returned kickoff 101 yards (D. Jones kick)
:Tulsa: 31-10

3:54
:Colorado_State:
Touchdown
D. Thompson, 29 yard pass from J. Webb (D. Jones kick)
:Tulsa: 31-17

Fourth Quarter

4:09
:Colorado_State:
Touchdown
D. Thompson, 13 yard pass from J. Webb (D. Jones kick)
:Tulsa: 31-24

Game Stats

Colorado State
Stat
Tulsa

24
Score
31

11
First Downs
24

326
Total Offense
442

17 - 62 - 0
Rushes - Yards - TD
41 - 133 - 1

15 - 33 - 2
Comp - Att - TD
22 - 40 - 3

264
Passing Yards
309

2
Times Sacked
0

4 - 13 (30%)
3rd Down Conversion
11 - 18 (61%)

1 - 1 (100%)
4th Down Conversion
1 - 1 (100%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

3 - 1 - 1 (66%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
3 - 2 - 0 (66%)

1
Turnovers
2

1
Fumbles Lost
0

0
Intercepted
2

12
Punt Return Yards
41

101
Kick Return Yards
79

439
Total Yards
562

6 – 45.3
Punts - Average
5 - 42.6

1 - 10
Penalties
1 - 2

13:38
Time of Possession
22:22

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
39
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
1/2 Passed
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

94%

SmoothPancakes

12-18-2012, 04:33 AM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, #1 Georgia steamrolls #23 Auburn 42-7. There will be a new #3 next week as Mississippi State rolls in and knocks off #3 LSU in Death Valley, 31-24, LSU's 14 point fourth quarter comeback coming up short. The battle for first place in the Mountain West goes to #4 Fresno State, who holds off Nevada 31-24. #8 Alabama fights back from down 20-6 at halftime and needs overtime to survive a scare from Texas A&M, 26-23. #10 Rutgers holds on for a 31-21 win over UCF in a showdown for positioning at the top of the Big East. #14 Iowa remains undefeated in the Big Ten with a 38-13 win over #20 Purdue, and #16 TCU takes down #21 Kansas State 24-13.

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss drops below even farther below .500, losing to Florida International 24-10 to drop to 4-6 (2-4 C-USA). Jaymo, the downslide continues still, as Arizona State falls to #2 USC 41-24, dropping the Sun Devils to 3-6 (1-6 in Pac-12 play). Mors, sorry buddy, West Virginia has been eliminated from bowl contention, losing their 7th straight game to Oklahoma State, 52-27 to drop to 2-7 (0-6 in the Big 12). For community teams and other teams of interest, Iowa State gets beat by #13 Texas, 34-10 to drop to 3-7 (2-5), and Arkansas State picks up their fifth win a row, beating Louisiana-Monroe 28-7 to improve to 6-3 (4-1 in Sun Belt)

On a C-USA note, the battle of my final two opponents goes to the Roadrunners, as UTSA improves to 2-8 for the year behind a 28-26 edging of 3-7 Tulane. And Rice gets an impressive 34-25 win over 4-5 Boise State to improve to 7-3. Florida International's 24-10 win over Southern Miss secures their spot in the C-USA Championship Game and wraps up the East Division title outright for the Golden Panthers. UTEP beat North Texas this week, 23-16 to improve to 8-2 (4-2), so UTEP still has a chance to sharing the West Division title, but due to our head to head win over the Miners, the C-USA CCG is still secured and all set between the Golden Hurricanes and the Golden Panthers.

Looking at undefeated teams left, no new teams lost this week this week, keeping our number of undefeated teams left at 3. #1 Georgia (11-0), #2 USC (10-0), and #4 Fresno State (8-0), are all that's left with an unblemished record at the end of week 11.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 3 teams still looking for their first win: Central Michigan (0-10), Memphis (0-10), and UNLV (0-9).

Teams getting their first wins this week were: Minnesota (22-21 over 4-6 Illinois, the Gophers outscoring the Illini 19-0 from the final seconds of the second quarter on) and San Jose State (24-9 over 3-6 Hawaii).

Taking a look at the new Top 25 polls, starting in the Coaches Poll, Georgia (getting 33 first place votes) and USC (27 votes) remain #1 and #2, Fresno State (1 vote) moves up one to #3. Nebraska and Notre Dame jump one to #4 and #5. Michigan, Alabama and Texas Tech all go up one to #6, #7 and #8. Rutgers climbs one to #9 and Wisconsin moves up one to #10. Also climbing one were South Carolina, Texas, Iowa and Michigan State to #11, #12, #13 and #14. LSU drops twelve spots to #15 after their loss to Mississippi State. Oregon jumps two to #20, Tulsa jumps three to #21, Florida State rises three to #25, Washington enters the poll at #23, Virginia Tech enters the poll at #24 and Clemson enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Purdue (from #20), Kansas State (from #21) and Auburn (from #23).

In the Media Poll, the top two remain the same, USC (receiving 37 first place votes) and Georgia (27 votes) both remain #1 and #2, Fresno State (1 vote) jumps one to #3, Nebraska and Notre Dame both climb one to #4 and #5. Alabama jumps two to #6, Texas Tech remains stuck at #7, Michigan, Rutgers and Wisconsin all climb one to #8, #9 and #10. Texas, South Carolina, Iowa and TCU all climb one to #11, #12, #13 and #14. LSU drops twelve to #15. Oregon jumps two to #20, Tulsa climbs two to #21, Florida State moves up two to #22. Virginia Tech enters the poll at #23, Washington enters the poll at #24 and Clemson enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Purdue (from #20), Kansas State (from #21) and Utah (from #25)

Poor North Carolina. Undefeated and ranked #9 (Coaches) and #8 (Media) three weeks ago, and now three straight losses to NC State, BYU and Georgia Tech to fall to 7-3 for the year.

The BCS rankings fall: #1 Georgia, #2 USC, #3 Fresno State, #4 Nebraska, #5 Notre Dame, #6 Alabama, #7 Michigan, #8 Texas Tech, #9 Rutgers and #10 South Carolina.

Apparently Week 12 is still too early to get bowl projections, as they refuse to show up, so I still have no idea where and who I might play.

souljahbill

12-18-2012, 04:57 AM

:Southern_Miss: sucks!
Guess the game is realistic after all.

SmoothPancakes

12-18-2012, 05:30 AM

:Southern_Miss: sucks!
Guess the game is realistic after all.

:D Yep, not a nice year for the readers. Southern Miss, Arizona State and West Virginia all having horrible years (after starting off the season good).

SmoothPancakes

12-18-2012, 08:27 PM

Game Eleven

#21 :Tulsa: :@: :UTSA:

Game Notes

--- Heading onto the road for our final two games of the season, first up was the Roadrunners from UTSA, sitting at 2-8 on the year. This had all the signs of a blowout, as UTSA had not had much success statistically. Ranking #108 in the nation in total offense, #75 in rush offense and #113 in pass offense, to go with 16.2 points per game, good enough for #111, it could be a long day for the Roadrunners on offense. An even worse defense could spell even worse doom, the Roadrunners ranking #120 in both total defense and rush defense, while ranking #114 in pass defense. Our coin toss failures continued, as we lost the coin toss, UTSA electing to kick.

Beginning the drive on our 22 yard line, Roy Smith got us moving quickly with a 13 yard rush to give us first down at the 35, the UTSA defense slow off the snap. A heavy blitz by the Roadrunners left them chasing Smith, as the blitzing linebackers and safety left nothing but green in front of the hole, allowing Smith to take it for a 35 yard gain before being brought down from behind at the UTSA 29 yard line. The Roadrunners would finally get a stop on the ground, as Smith was brought down on first down for a one yard loss. Turning to the air on second down, Brandon Booth found Sean Parks behind the middle linebacker for a 14 yard pickup and first down at the 16. A 5 yard rush by Smith and a 6 yard gain by Ryan Strong, and we had first and goal at the 6 yard line. After a one yard rush on first down, Smith would find the end zone on the next play, carrying it in off the right tackle from 5 yards out for the touchdown, as we hit the scoreboard first, a 7-0 lead with 6:03 left in the quarter.

After a touchback on the kickoff, our defense was caught with their pants down, as Bobby Davis hit Steve Bright for a 36 yard pass on first down, getting the Roadrunners to our 39 yard line. A pair of 5 yard rushes by Davis and Jarod Allen left UTSA with third and inches, before a two yard loss by Allen left the Roadrunners facing fourth and three at our 32 yard line. Allen would pick up three yards on the fourth down play, but the chains would stretch just a few inches in front of the ball, and we took over on downs at our 29 yard line. A 10 yard rush by Smith and we were left with second and inches. With UTSA jamming the middle, Smith bounced outside on the second down rush, finding a gap as the defensive end was pushed out of the play, and Smith was off to the races with the safety, being pushed out of bounds at the one yard line for a 60 yard gain. Strong would take it in from one yard out for our second touchdown of the day, increasing our lead to 14-0 with 3:48 to play in the first quarter. A 16 yard kickoff return found the Roadrunners on their 23 yard line. After an incomplete pass, the Roadrunners got 8 free yards and a first down after a penalty thrown against our defense. After another incomplete pass on first down, Davis found C.J. McCormick for a 7 yard gain, before Davis got the first down with a four yard rush to get to the 43 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Allen was brought down for a loss of three yards and UTSA was left with third and 13. They would convert the third down, as Davis hit Bright for a 14 yard gain and the Roadrunners were breathing again on our 47. After a three yard rush by Davis, an incomplete pass was followed by a false start penalty on the offense to leave UTSA with third and 12 at our 49. Davis’ pass would fall incomplete and the Roadrunners would be forced to punt. The 40 yard punt was returned 7 yards by Parks and we started our drive at the 16 yard line.

Our drive would only survive for three plays. Despite Smith picking up 8 yards on first down, both Smith and Strong were tackled for one yard losses and we were forced to punt on fourth and four from our 22. The 46 yard punt was returned three yards and UTSA was back in action at their 35. It would be over in a flash however, as Keith Battle intercepted a pass by Davis on the first down play, and our offense was back on the field at the UTSA 42 yard line. After a 9 yard gain to start the drive, Smith would get the first down this time around, picking up three yards on the next play to give us a new set of downs at the 30 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Booth went for the homerun on second down, hitting Chad Fisher at the back of the end zone for a 30 yard touchdown pass and a 21-0 lead with 9 seconds to play in the first quarter. Starting on their 25 after the touchback, UTSA would get out to the 38 yard line with a 13 yard pass from Davis to Stephen Alston, where the first quarter would come to an end.

After an incomplete pass to begin the second quarter, Davis picked up another first down, finding Alston again, this time for 16 yards to get to our 46. Yet another pass to Alston went for a gain of 8, before Davis was sacked for a one yard loss and the Roadrunners faced third and three at our 40 yard line. A 5 yard rush by Davis would keep the drive alive. A 16 yard pass to Lamont Tyler and the Roadrunners were looking at first down from our 19 yard line. A pair of rushes by Allen for gains of two and four yards and the Roadrunners had third and four. They would go backwards on the next play, as the left tackle got flagged for holding, pushing UTSA out to our 23 yard line and third and 14. An incomplete pass on third down and UTSA was left with fourth down. Refusing to settle for a field goal, the Roadrunners found the end zone instead, as Davis hit Bright up the left sideline for a 23 yard touchdown and it was suddenly 21-7 with 7:04 to play. A 19 yard kickoff return by Parks left us starting at our 17 yard line for the drive. A pair of rushes for 5 and two yards by Smith left us with third and three, when Booth found Andrews along the left hash, John Andrews dashing forward for extra yards, resulting in an 11 yard gain and first down at the 36 yard line. After a 5 yard pass to Parks, Booth found Carlos Anderson for a 21 yard gain and first down at the UTSA 37 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Fisher would haul in a pass over the middle and fight forward for a 10 yard gain to give us first down at the 27 yard line. Heading back to the ground, Smith picked up 6 yards on first down, before rushes of three and 6 yards by Strong gave us first down at the 13 yard line. After a three yard gain by Smith got us to the 10 yard line, it was Parks hauling in the 10 yard touchdown pass from Booth and our lead grew to 28-7 with 3:35 left in the first half.

After a 24 yard kickoff return out to the 30 yard line, the Roadrunners would move quickly downfield. Davis hit Allen on first down for a 25 yard gain to get to our 45. After an incomplete pass, Davis found Tyler for 20 yards and first down at our 24 yard line. A holding penalty would leave UTSA with first and 20 from our 34 yard line. A four yard rush by Davis was followed with a pass to Guy McCauley for 15 yards, leaving the Roadrunners with third and one at our 15. Davis would hit McCauley again for a 6 yard gain and UTSA had first and goal from our 9 yard line. A loss of four yards by Allen was followed with a 10 yard pass from Davis to Allen and the Roadrunners faced third and goal from our two yard line. Allen would punch it through on the next play with a two yard rush and the Roadrunners cut our lead to 28-14 with 1:42 to play. A 19 yard kickoff return got us started at our 23 yard line with 1:31 remaining. It would be a poor start, as Booth would get sacked for a 10 yard loss, leaving us with second and 20. The defense would push us back even more, as Booth was sacked for a loss of 9 and we were left with third and 29 at our own four yard line. A timeout by UTSA froze the clock with 1:05 to play. An incomplete pass, Booth being hit as he threw, and our punt team came out. The 43 yard punt was caught on a fair catch and the Roadrunners were starting at our 46 with 57 seconds to play. After an incomplete pass, Davis found Valentine for a gain of 14 and first down at our 32. Davis was sacked for a loss of two yards on the next play, forcing the Roadrunners to call their second timeout with 36 seconds to play. A rush by Allen for a loss of one yard and UTSA was left with third and 14 from our 35. Davis’ pass was dropped on third down, stopping the clock with 14 ticks left. UTSA would convert on fourth down, as Davis hit Valentine for a 24 yard gain and first down at our 11 yard line. The clock would hit all zeros during an incomplete pass on first down and UTSA would end up stranded at our 11. We headed into halftime with a 28-14 lead, but the UTSA offense picking up steam with each new drive.

A touchback on the kickoff to open the second half got UTSA started at their 25 yard line. The drive would never move an inch, as three straight incomplete passes brought out the punt team. Parks called for a fair catch on the 39 yard punt and we began our drive from the 36 yard line. Heading back to the air, Booth’s first down pass was nearly intercepted. Our pass blocking failing again, the defense once again clobbered Booth, sacking him for a 10 yard loss to leave us facing third and 20. The defense bringing the house on third down to try and push us back even further, blitzing both safeties ended up backfiring. Parks was able to beat his guy off the line, getting the step downfield on him, hauling in Booth’s pass in stride and racing his pursuer 67 yards downfield before being tackle at the UTSA 7 yard line. Two rushes by Strong gained only three and one yards, and we were left with third and goal from the three yard line. Strong would haul in the three yard pass from Booth for the touchdown, opening our lead up to 35-14 with 6:11 to play in the third quarter.

A 25 yard kickoff return and UTSA was starting on their 27. It would go from bad to worse for the Roadrunners, as Marcus Owens intercepted Davis on the first down pass, and our offense was back on the field with barely a breather, starting on the UTSA 40 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth hit Anderson on an out route, and thanks to a downfield block from Parks, was able to outrace the two defenders chasing him for the 40 yard touchdown and a 42-14 lead with 5:44 to go. Starting on their 25 after the touchback, Davis gained four yards on first down for the Roadrunners, before a pair of incomplete passes would leave UTSA punting on fourth and 6 from their 29, Parks called for a fair catch on the 48 yard punt and our offense was once again back on the field at our 23. Two rushes for 5 and three yards by Smith left us with third and two, which Strong would convert, fighting forward for a three yard gain and first down at our 34 yard line. Going into the air on first down proved fatal, as Booth was hit while he threw, knocking the ball in the air in front of four UTSA defenders. Left outside linebacker Derek Larson would snag it out of midair and return the interception 28 yards for a touchdown, closing the gap to 42-21 with 4:02 to play.

Starting on our 25 after the kickoff, it was right back to the air, to punish the UTSA defense and restore Booth’s confidence. It would take only a single play for that to happen, as the cornerback covering Fisher was left flat footed at the line of scrimmage, Fisher hauling in the pass from Booth and then running the remaining 50 yards to the end zone, never a defender within 10 yards of him, for the 75 yard touchdown pass. Alphonso Pratt would clank the PAT off the left upright and our lead was stuck at 48-21 with 3:46 to play. Starting on their 25, UTSA got a four yard rush by Davis, before he was sacked for a loss of 6 yards to leave the Roadrunners with third and 12 at their 23. An 8 yard pass to Alston wouldn’t be enough and UTSA was forced to punt on fourth and four. Parks returned the 46 yard punt for 5 yards and we began our drive on the 28 yard line. The defense broke through and stopped Smith for no gain on first down. Going back to the air, Booth found Parks on the slant route for an 18 yard gain and first down at our 46. A four yard rush by Smith was followed with a 6 yard gain by Strong and we had first down at the UTSA 44 yard line. Strong was brought down for a one yard loss on the first down rush, and it was back to the air. It was back to the end zone on the next play, as Parks got past the corner off the line, leaving the corner and safety chasing him, and hauled in the 45 yard touchdown pass from Booth to make it 55-21 with 1:10 left in the third quarter.

A 19 yard kickoff return started UTSA at their 17 yard line, as Davis hit Alston for a 5 yard gain, before connecting with Tyler for a pickup of 17 yards and first down at the 39 yard line. Davis would get sacked on first down for a 9 yard loss, but recover with a 22 yard strike to Allen and first down at our 48. The final seconds would tick off the clock and the third quarter would come to a close with a 34 point lead.

UTSA opened up the fourth quarter with another pass, as Davis hit Adrian Valentine for a 39 yard strike and the Roadrunners had first and goal at our 9 yard line. An 8 yard pass to Alston set up second and goal at the one. After an incomplete pass to go to third down, Allen would punch it in from one yard out to make it 55-28 with 8:24 to play in the game. Starting on the 25 after the touchback, Smith gained four yards on the first down rush, by some controversy entered the game. Smith had managed to fight forward for a 5 yard gain on second down, but the ball came loose during the play, UTSA recovering at our 37 yard line. After a booth review, it was declared that Smith’s knee was down before the fumble, and the play was overturned, under a chorus of boos from the UTSA faithful, and we were left with third and one at our 34 yard line. Strong would pick up the first down with a 6 yard rush and a first down at our 40 yard line. Strong was brought down quickly on the next play, tackled for no gain by the right outside linebacker. Going back into the air, Booth hit Parks for a 16 yard gain and a first down at the UTSA 44. Deciding to keep it in the air, Anderson hauled in a pass along the left sideline for a 17 yard gain and we had first down at the 27 yard line. Back to the ground game, Strong never had a chance as he was brought down instantly for a one yard loss. With the ground game suddenly stonewalled, it was back to the passing game, the second down pass was nearly intercepted. Another nearly intercepted pass on third down, and the field goal unit came out. The 45 yard field goal from Pratt was good and our lead extended to 30, 58-28 with 5:36 left in the game.

A 22 yard kickoff return by Bright gave UTSA the ball at their 27. After an incomplete pass, Davis found Allen for a gain of 12 yards and a first down at the 39. A 7 yard pass to Alston was followed by an incomplete pass and a loss of two yards by Allen, leaving UTSA with fourth and four from their 44 yard line. Parks would call for a fair catch on the 39 yard punt, and our second team offense would come onto the field at our 17 yard line with 4:29 to play. A pair of rushes by Smith for 6 and one yards left us with third and three from our 24. Going to the air, Casey Bishop found Anderson for a 7 yard pass and a first down at our 31 yard line as the clock dipped under and the UTSA fans started to exit the stadium in droves. A two yard rush by Jason Hall was followed with a gain of 6 and we were left with third and two at our 39 yard line, the clock down to 1:35 to play. Hall would bust it up the middle for an 11 yard gain, and with 1:15 to go, two kneels by Bishop was all it took to run out the clock on our 58-28 win.

With the win, we improve to 10-1 on the year, 7-0 in C-USA action, UTSA drops to 2-9, 2-6 in C-USA action. Up next, our regular season finale at Tulane. The Green Wave enter the game 3-8 on the year and a 1-6 mark in C-USA play. Tulane started the year with back to back wins, 31-21 against Wyoming and 20-17 vs. Kentucky, before losing four straight, 27-17 to FIU, 30-10 at Army, 34-10 at #5 Notre Dame, and 31-23 at Southern Miss. Tulane got back in the win column with a 24-14 victory at UTEP, before losing another four straight, 31-28 to North Texas, 31-17 at Rice, 28-26 against UTSA and 34-24 at East Carolina.

Final Score
#21 :Tulsa: 58, :UTSA: 28

Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – A great day by Booth. 382 yards and 6 touchdowns. The pick six that Booth never mattered for a moment. Smith, forced into the starting role at halfback this week, had a strong game against a severely over-matched UTSA defense, rushing for 193 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. For receiving, only 6 people touched the ball today, 5 of them getting double digit receiving yards. The stars of the receiving corps were Parks and Fisher. Thanks in part to them both hauling in long touchdown passes, Fisher ended the day with 115 yards receiving and two touchdown, Parks finishing with 108 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

Tulsa Defense – Had their moments where they stuck their heads up their asses, and continued have some failures on third and long situations, but overall a pretty good day. Held UTSA to only 21 points (the other touchdown coming on the pick six) and kept the Roadrunners at bay in the second half, allowing us to pull away in the second half.

Tulsa Kicking – Pratt made his only field goal, a 45 yard kick, but went 7-8 in PATs, clanking one off the left up right to screw up perfection for yet another game.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Tulsa:
21
7
27
3
58

:UTSA:
0
14
7
7
28

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

6:03
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Smith, 5 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-0

3:48
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Strong, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 14-0

0:09
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Fisher, 30 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 21-0

Second Quarter

7:04
:UTSA:
Touchdown
S. Bright, 22 yard pass from B. Davis (K. Ostrander kick)
:Tulsa: 21-7

3:35
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Parks, 10 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 28-7

1:42
:UTSA:
Touchdown
J. Allen, 2 yard run (K. Ostrander kick)
:Tulsa: 28-14

Third Quarter

6:11
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Strong, 3 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 35-14

5:44
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Anderson, 40 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 42-14

4:02
:UTSA:
Touchdown
D. Larson, returned interception 28 yards (K. Ostrander kick)
:Tulsa: 42-21

3:46
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Fisher, 75 yard pass from B. Booth (missed kick)
:Tulsa: 48-21

1:10
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Parks, 45 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 55-21

Fourth Quarter

8:24
:UTSA:
Touchdown
J. Allen, 1 yard run (K. Ostrander kick)
:Tulsa: 55-28

5:40
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 45 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 58-28

Game Stats

Tulsa
Stat
UTSA

58
Score
28

20
First Downs
16

599
Total Offense
399

45 - 210 - 2
Rushes - Yards - TD
18 - 34 - 2

16 - 24 - 6
Comp - Att - TD
23 - 44 - 1

389
Passing Yards
365

3
Times Sacked
4

8 - 11 (72%)
3rd Down Conversion
6 - 14 (42%)

0 - 0 (0%)
4th Down Conversion
2 - 3 (66%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

4 - 4 - 0 (100%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
6 - 3 - 0 (50%)

1
Turnovers
2

0
Fumbles Lost
0

1
Intercepted
2

12
Punt Return Yards
3

62
Kick Return Yards
106

673
Total Yards
508

2 – 44.0
Punts - Average
5 - 42.6

1 - 8
Penalties
3 - 25

23:58
Time of Possession
12:02

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
41
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
1/2 Passed
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

94%

SmoothPancakes

12-18-2012, 08:44 PM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, in the Rivalry Game of the Week, #2 USC holds off UCLA 36-20. #3 Fresno State starts slow, but eventually pulls away from Utah State 59-24. #4 Nebraska kicks a 26 yard field goal with 32 seconds to play to hold off Minnesota 38-35, spoiling a potential second win for the Gophers. #13 Iowa kicks a field goal in overtime to knock off #6 Michigan 23-20. #9 Rutgers holds off Cincinnati 38-32.

#10 Wisconsin takes over sole possession of first place in the Leaders Division with a 28-21 overtime win over #17 Ohio State. #11 South Carolina gets taken to the woodshed by Texas A&M, 48-31. A 17 point fourth quarter for Mississippi State is not enough, as #19 Arkansas kicks a 40 yard field goal with 8 seconds to play to give the Razorbacks a 27-24 win. #24 Virginia Tech escapes Boston College 31-24. #25 Clemson uses a 32 point second half rally to come back and beat NC State 45-31.

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss has been eliminated from bowl game chances, losing to UTEP 28-0 drop to 4-7 (2-5 in C-USA). Jaymo, Arizona State finally breaks their 5 game losing streak, beating Washington State 45-20 to improve to 4-6 (2-6 in Pac-12 play). Mors, sorry man, it continues, West Virginia loses 8 in a row, falling 44-28 to #18 Oklahoma to drop to 2-8 (0-7 in the Big 12). For community teams and other teams of interest, Iowa State gets beat by Kansas, 34-13 to drop to 3-8 (2-6 in Big 12), and Arkansas State picks up their sixth win a row, beating Troy 35-7 to improve to 7-3 (5-1 in Sun Belt). The Red Wolves have company as Louisiana-Lafayette stays hot on their ass, beating Western Kentucky 17-10 to improve to 7-4 (5-1).

On a C-USA note, we have now wrapped up outright possession of the C-USA West Division title. Even though UTEP beat Southern Miss to improve to 9-2 (5-2), our win over UTSA and our 7-0 conference record clinches the division title. Florida International is done with C-USA play, sitting at 9-2 (7-1) on the year, both of us winning our divisions outright, and officially setting the rematch in stone, the Golden Panthers vs. the Golden Hurricanes in the C-USA Championship Game.

Looking at undefeated teams left, no new teams lost this week this week, keeping our number of undefeated teams left at 3. #1 Georgia (11-0), #2 USC (11-0), and #4 Fresno State (9-0), are all that's left with an unblemished record at the end of week 11.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 2 teams still looking for their first win, and only one chance remaining for both: Central Michigan (0-11) and Memphis (0-11).

The only team getting their first win this week was: UNLV (28-23 over 1-9 San Jose State).

Taking a look at the new Top 25 polls, starting in the Coaches Poll, the top 5 remain the same, Georgia (getting 35 first place votes) and USC (25 votes) at #1 and #2, Fresno State (1 vote) at #3 and Nebraska and Notre Dame still sitting at #4 and #5. Alabama, Texas Tech, Rutgers and Wisconsin all climb one to #6, #7, #8 and #9. Iowa jumps three to #10. Michigan State climbs two to #2, Michigan drops seven to #13. Oklahoma, Arkansas and Oregon all jump two to #16, #17 and #18. Tulsa climbs two to #19. Florida State, Washington, Virginia Tech and Clemson all climb two to #20, #21, #22 and #23. Georgia Tech enters the poll at #24 and Purdue enters this week at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were South Carolina (from #11) and Ohio State (from #17).

In the Media Poll, the top seven remain the same, USC (receiving 36 first place votes) and Georgia (25 votes) both remain #1 and #2, Fresno State (4 votes) sits at #3. Nebraska and Notre Dame remain #4 and #5. Alabama and Texas Tech both stay at #6 and #7. Rutgers climbs one to #8, Iowa jumps four to #9 and Wisconsin remains frozen at #10. Elsewhere, LSU climbs three to #12, Michigan State jumps two to #14, Michigan falls seven at #15. Oklahoma, Arkansas and Oregon all jump two to #16, #17 and #19. Tulsa climbs two to #19. Florida State, Virginia Tech, Washington and Clemson all move up two to #20, #21, #22 and #23. Georgia Tech enters the poll at #24 and Kansas State enters into the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this were were South Carolina (from #11) and Ohio State (from #17).

The BCS rankings fall: #1 Georgia, #2 USC, #3 Fresno State, #4 Nebraska, #5 Notre Dame, #6 Alabama, #7 Texas Tech, #8 Rutgers, #9 Wisconsin and #10 Iowa.

Our initial bowl projections show the Golden Hurricane heading to Memphis, Tennessee and the AutoZone Liberty Bowl to take on 8-3 (5-2) Louisville on December 31st at 2pm.

Looking at BCS bowl projections, the national title game would be between #1 Georgia and #2 USC. #10 Iowa would face #5 Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl. The Suger Bowl would matc up #3 Fresno State with #4 Nebraska. The Orange Bowl would be a battle between #20 Florida State and #8 Rutgers. And the Fiesta Bowl would pit #7 Texas Tech against #6 Alabama.

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 12:31 AM

Game Twelve

#19 :Tulsa: :@: :Tulane:

Game Notes

--- And so here it was, our final game of the season, as we head on the road to take on Tulane. Much like the UTSA game, this had signs of being a blowout. Tulane entered with the #90 offense, ranking #102 in rushing and #65 in passing. They also had a weak defense, ranking #92 in the nation in defense, #78 in rushing defense and #98 in passing defense. While we would likely shut them down on the ground, our passing defense, ranked #123 in the nation, left a LOT to be desired. Potentially trouble for us, is Tulane’s ranking of #19 in turnover differential, entering the game at +6, while we enter at -3, good enough for #85 in the country. We finally broke our streak of ineptitude and won the coin toss, electing to kick and putting our defense out front first.

A 16 yard kickoff return and Tulane was underway on their 17 yard line. The Green Wave wouldn’t move from that spot, as three straight incomplete passes left Tulane punting just three plays into the game. Sean Parks caught the 40 yard punt on a fair catch and we began our first drive of the game from our 43. Roy Smith would manage only a three yards on back to back rushes and we were left with third and four at the 49 yard line. A blitz by Tulane helped us out, as Brandon Booth found Ryan Strong for a 9 yard pick up and first down at the Tulane 42. After a three yard rush, Smith busted up the middle, gaining 12 yards, before fumbling the ball. Our tight end was able to fall on the ball and recover it, though a booth review would end up overturning the play, declaring that Smith was down by contact before the ball came loose and negating the fumble. With the action reset, we had a first down at the 28 yard line. Two rushes for four and 12 yards by Smith and we were looking at first down from the Green Wave 12 yard line. Keeping it on the ground, Smith would break a tackle to avoid being tackled for a loss, bounce it outside the left tackle, break out of another tackle and take it for the 12 yard touchdown rush and a 7-0 lead with 6:09 left in the quarter.

Starting on their 23 yard line after the kickoff, Tulane would move the ball this time, though it would be backwards, as John Wright was tackled for a two yard loss on first down. Wright would recover and Tulane would gain their first positive yards of the day with a 6 yard gain to set up third and 6 from the 27. A three yard rush by Wright left Tulane punting on fourth and three. A four yard return on the 40 yard punt and we started our new drive at our 33 yard line. Smith would pick up three yards before being brought down to leave us with second and 7. A 6 yard gain, and we were left facing third and one from our 42. Strong avoided the blitz and was able to gain 8 yards to give us a first down at our 49 yard line. A huge hole opening up before him, Smith was able to turn on the speed and pick up 12 yards on the next play to set us up with first and 10 at the 39 yard line. Pulling out the play action, Booth found Chad Fisher along the right sideline on a stop and go for an 18 yard gain and first down at the Tulane 21. A first down pass to Parks went for a gain of 13 and we had first and goal at the 7. Smith never had a chance on the first down rush, getting wrapped up by the middle linebacker, managing to roll to his right and fall forward to be whistled down for only no gain. A pass to Fisher picked up four yards and we faced third and goal from the three. Sending it up the gut, Smith managed to gain three yards, but was stopped just shy of the goal line, setting up fourth and goal from less than a yard out. Getting this close, we refused to walk away with only a field goal, viewing that as a sign of surrender. We came out in goal line formation and Strong punched it in from one yard out to open our lead to 14-0 with 1:47 left in the first quarter.

After a touchback on the kickoff, Wright got the Green Wave moving with a 6 yard rush, but it was downhill from there, as a loss of two yards by Wright and an incomplete pass left Tulane again punting it away on fourth and 6 from their 29. An 8 yard return on the 41 yard punt and we resumed on offense at our 37 yard line. Smith was able to pick up only one yard, being quickly brought down by the defensive tackle. We came out firing on the next play, as Booth took advantage of a mismatch, Smith burning the secondary, catching the pass in stride and outracing the defense for a 62 yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead with 27 seconds to go in the quarter. A 23 yard kickoff return got the Green Wave out to their 29 yard line. After a dropped pass, Brandon Landry finally completed his first pass of the game, hitting Wright for a gain of 9 yards as the clock ran out on the quarter, our leading holding at 21-0.

Opening the second quarter, Tulane faced third and one from their 38 yard line. The drive would stall out with an incomplete pass, as Tulane remained in search of that elusive initial first down. A fair catch on the 47 yard punt left us starting on our 15. Taking advantage of a heavy blitz from the left, Smith was able to pick up 10 yards off the right tackle and a first down at our 25 yard line. Smith never had a chance on the next play, as the nose tackle broke through and brought him down for a loss of one yard. Going back to the air, Booth found Carlos Anderson uncovered on the left side for an 18 yard gain and a first down at the 42 yard line. Trying to pull a wrinkle out of our playbook, the first down option play was blown up as Booth was taken down for a loss of two yards. The second down play action pass was nearly intercepted as the corner got a jump on the comeback route, and we were left with third and 12. Parks pick up the first down and then some, catching a pass from Booth and spinning away from the corner, racing down the field before being brought down by the safety for a 38 yard gain and a first down at the 22 yard line. We’d find the end zone on the next play, as Fisher got behind the safety on a slant route, hauled in the pass from Booth and took it the rest of the way for the 22 yard touchdown and a 28-0 lead with 6:53 to go in the half.

Starting on their 25 after the kickoff, Tulane finally was able to get a first down, as Landry hit Mike Washington for a 13 yard gain to get to their 38 yard line. The drive would stall there as three more incomplete passes would bring the punt team back on. A 9 yard return on the 49 yard punt and we were off and running at our 22 yard line. Coming out firing on first down, the pass from Booth intended for Nicholas Roberts was nearly intercepted. Throwing up another pass, this time the defense would come through, as Kent Baker would pick off the pass intended for Parks, returning it 10 yards to our 19 yard line to set up Tulane inside our red zone. After a four yard rush by Wright and an incomplete pass, Tulane converted third and 6 with a 12 yard pass from Landry to Washington to get first and goal at our two yard line. A false start penalty pushed the Green Wave out to our 8, before a 5 yard rush by Wright put Tulane right back at our two yard line with second and goal. Landry would get Tulane on the scoreboard, rushing it in from two yards out to make it 28-7 with 5:14 to play in the half.

Starting on our 25 after the touchback, Booth was able to recover from the previous drive, hitting Parks for a 12 yard gain and a first down at our 37. Going back to the ground, Smith never had a chance, wrapped up in the backfield for a two yard loss. Going back to the air on the next play proved a mistake, as Booth threw his second interception of the game, Daniel Slaughter returning it 7 yards to our 41 yard line. After two incomplete passes, Landry hit Justin Martin for a 10 yard gain to leave the Green Wave with fourth and inches at our 31. A holding penalty on the conversion attempt would push Tulane back to fourth and 11 at our 41 yard line. Tulane came out in punt formation, and caught our return team sleeping with a fake punt. Punter Lance McIntyre threw hit Edward Fernandez for an 11 yard gain and Tulane had first down at our 30. After a dropped pass, Wright picked up 7 yards on the ground to leave third and three. Tulane breathed new life after our defense got tagged with pass interference, giving Tulane first and goal at our 7 yard line. A four yard rush by Landry left second and goal from the three. Two more yards by Wright got it down to our one yard line on third and goal. The defense struck back, tackling Wright for a loss of two yards to set up fourth and goal from our three yard line. The Green Wave would settle for the 20 yard field goal from Nicholas Slaughter and our lead was 28-10 with 2:29 left in the half.

A 25 yard return by Fisher got us started on our 26 yard line. Smith was able to gain 8 yards on first down, before being swarmed for only a one yard gain to leave us with third and one. Strong would carry it for the first down, picking up three yards to get us to the 39 yard line with 1:25 to play. After an incomplete pass on first down, Tulane nearly had their third interception of the day, but the corner was unable to hold onto the ball, leaving us with third and 10, 1:10 to go. Anderson was able to get separation on third down and haul in the pass from Booth. Getting some downfield blocking from Fisher, Anderson was able to gain 24 yards before being brought down by the linebacker at the Tulane 37 yard line. After a 13 yard pass to Fisher, Booth’s pass intended for Parks was nearly picked off, leaving us with second down at the 24 yard line, the clock stopped with 40 seconds to play. Booth was able to find John Andrews over the middle on second down, Andrews taking advantage of all three linebackers blitzing and picking up 16 yards on the pass. Looking at first and goal from the 8 yard line, we called out first timeout with 36 seconds left on the clock. Trying our luck on the ground, Smith was able to pick up 6 yards, leaving us second and goal from the two. Our second timeout stopped play with 31 seconds remaining. We would find the end zone again on the next play, as Smith took it in for the two yard touchdown. Pratt’s extra point was no good and our lead stood at 34-10 with 29 seconds remaining in the half.

An 18 yard kickoff return left Tulane on their 20 yard line and 19 seconds to play. Landry found Darren Walker for a 20 yard gain, out to their 41 yard line and their first timeout froze the clock with 15 seconds to go. Landry hit John Mitchell for a 15 yard pickup and Tulane’s second timeout stopped the clock with 8 ticks left, the Green Wave with first down at our 44 yard line. An incomplete pass on first down left just two seconds to go in the half. Landry’s final pass of the half went to Washington, who was able to gain 25 yards to our 20 yard line before being brought down, the clock reading all zeroes. Heading into the halftime, our lead still held at 34-10.

A touchback on the kickoff gave our offense possession at our 25 yard line to start the second half. Smith got us moving forward, picking up 12 yards on the first down carry to get us to our 37. A play action pass to Parks went for a gain of 19 yards and we had first down at the Tulane 45. Strong would get brought down for no gain on the first down rush, as the linebacker swam over our left guard and got instant pressure in the backfield. Returning to the air, Parks was able to haul in a 12 yard pass from Booth and our drive stayed alive, advancing to the 33. The Green Wave were once again ready on the ground, bring down Smith for a gain of only one yard. Booth found Smith on second down for a 5 yard gain to leave us with third and four at the 27. Booth’s pass for Anderson was knocked incomplete and we were left attempting a field goal. The 44 yard field goal attempt by Alphonso Pratt was no good and Tulane took over on their 27. A loss of two yards by Wright and an incomplete pass left the Green Wave facing third and 12, when Landry hit Wright for a 17 yard gain and first down at their 42. A 12 yard pass to Tavares Gutierrez gave Tulane first down at our 45. A 16 yard pass to Martin found the Green Wave at our 30 yard line. Wright picked up three yards on a first down rush, followed by an incomplete pass. Wright would convert the third and 7 with a 9 yard rush to get a first down at our 17. An 8 yard pass to Walker and Tulane faced second and two from our 9 yard line. A 7 yard pass to Mitchell and the Green Wave had first and goal at our two. Wright would punch it in on the next play from two yards out. Tulane went for a two-point conversion, but Landry was sacked on the play for a one yard loss, our leading siting at 34-16 with 4:22 left in the third quarter.

Starting on our 25 yard line after the touchback, our offense knew it had to do something this drive, Tulane now only trailing by 18. A pair of rushes for two and four yards by Smith left us with third and four, where Jason Hall caught a pass from Booth for a 6 yard gain and first down at our 37. Calling an audible out of run after reading a blitz, Booth connected with Parks down the right sideline, who had beaten his cover off the line of scrimmage and hauled in the pass, racing the safety for a 58 yard gain before being knocked out at the 5 yard line. Smith would punch it in from 5 yards out on first and goal, bouncing it outside the left tackle after Tulane clogged up the middle, to extend our lead to 41-16 with 2:51 left in the third quarter. Starting on their 25 yard line after the kickoff, Tulane looked likely punt, after two incomplete passes left the Green Wave with third and 10. But a pass interference penalty kept the drive alive, as Tulane got a new set of downs at their 40 yard line. An incomplete pass was followed with Landry being sacked for a loss of 7 yards, and Tulane’s drive again seemed doomed, facing third and 17. Leave it to our defense to again bail them out, as we were tagged with pass interference for the second time this drive, and Tulane had a first down at the 48 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Landry found Washington for a 12 yard gain and Tulane was sitting at our 40. A 5 yard rush by Wright and an incomplete pass left Tulane again with third down, this time Landry connecting with Martin for a gain of 13 and Tulane was knocking on our door at our 22 yard line. Three straight incomplete passes left Tulane facing fourth and 10, and the defense came through big, swatting down the pass intended for Washington to force the turnover on downs, our offense taking over at our 22 with 53 seconds left in the quarter.

Smith got us started with a 6 yard rush on first down, but was tackled for no gain on the next play, leaving us facing third and four. Booth kept the drive alive, needling a pass between the corner and the linebacker to Parks for a 12 yard gain, as the final 5 seconds ticked off the clock. The third quarter was at a close, our lead sitting at 41-16.

Starting the fourth quarter, Strong was able to avoid the blitzing linebacker, and busted up the middle, fighting for an 8 yard gain on the first down play. Strong would keep pounding the ball, picking up another 8 yard gain to give us a first down at the Tulane 43 yard line. Strong was living up to his name, breaking his third straight 8 yard run, before fighting forward for 5 yards and a first down at the 30. Fisher entered the backfield to give Strong a breather, picking up 7 yards on the first down carry. Despite a penetrating blitz, Strong was able to fight forward for a two yard gain on the next play, leaving us with third and one at the 21 yard line. Strong would convert the third down, managing to pick up two yards to give us a new set of downs at the 19 yard line. Fisher toting the rock this time, it was a 8 yard gain to leave us second and two at the 11. Strong would take the ball on second down, avoiding the blitz and picking up 6 yards, setting us up with first and goal from the four yard line. Booth’s pass on first down was nearly intercepted, but fell incomplete. The next play, Fisher would cut inside the corner and haul in the four yard touchdown pass from Booth, adding on to our lead, now 48-16 with 5:21 left in the game.

Starting on their 25 yard the touchback, it was a short drive for the Green Wave. Wright was able to pick up four yards on first down, before an incomplete pass and a three yard loss by Landry left Tulane with fourth and 9 on their 26 yard line. Our special teams would come through huge, as Parks took the 40 yard punt, returning it 66 yards for the touchdown, our first punt return TD of the season, making our lead now 55-16 with 4:26 remaining. After a 17 yard kickoff return, Tulane found themselves on their 21. Landry started the drive with a three yard rush, but an incomplete pass left them with third and 7. A gain of one yard by Landry and Tulane was left facing fourth and 6 from their 25 yard line. The 48 yard punt was returned for 10 yards by Parks and we took over on offense at our 37 yard line with 3:34 remaining in the game.

Our second team offense came out to close out the game at the start of the drive. Back in the game, Smith gained 7 yards on the first down carry, followed by a 5 yard pickup and first down at midfield, the Tulane fans that still remained in the crowd starting to head for the exits. Hall would keep us moving forward, gaining 6 yards on first down, followed by a two yard gain to give us third and two at the Tulane 43. Hall would get the first down, rushing for 5 yards to get us to the 38 with 2:02 remaining. Three more rushes from Hall, for gains of four, 5 and two yards, and we had a first down at the 28 yard line with 1:07 left to play. Choosing to keep it going on the ground, instead of taking a couple knees, to give our second team offense some much valuable playing time, Hall was able to pick up 5 yards on the first down rush, before being brought down for a loss of one. The final play of the game, on third and 6, brought out the boos from the entire stadium, as Anderson found a hole, got a pair of downfield blocks, and had nothing but green in front of him for a 23 yard touchdown rush as the clock showed all zeroes. The extra point made the final score 62-16, the controversy already erupting around the nation with our “piling on” touchdown from our second team offense as the final seconds ran out.

With the win, we improve to 11-1 on the year, a perfect 8-0 in C-USA action, Tulane falls to 3-9, 1-7 in C-USA action. Up next, it’s off to the C-USA Championship Game, were we meet the Golden Panthers of Florida International for the second time this season. We defeated FIU 27-14 back in week 4. Since then, FIU has been a team on fire, reeling off 8 straight wins, their record standing at 10-2, 7-1 in C-USA play. Recapping their year, the Golden Panthers started the season with 24-21 win at NC State, before losing 23-17 at #11 Texas. A 27-17 win at Tulane was followed with a 27-14 loss to Tulsa, before pitching two shutouts at home, 45-0 against North Texas and 31-0 against UAB. From there, FIU got a 24-17 win at Marshall and won at Louisiana Tech 44-14. After their bye week, the Golden Panthers beat East Carolina on the road 27-17, took down Southern Miss 24-10, destroyed Florida Atlantic on the road 34-3 and beat New Mexico State at home, 34-19. This C-USA Championship Game is shaping up to be a barn burner.

Final Score
#19 :Tulsa: 62, :Tulane: 16

Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – A one-two punch by our offense. 365 yards through the air, 252 yards on the ground, if Tulane managed to stop one, we were pretty much able to switch to the other and keep bending the Green Wave over. Booth had a good day with 365 yards and three touchdowns, though it was marred by those two interceptions, Tulane scoring 10 of their 16 points off of those interceptions. Another great day by Smith, ending the game with 124 yards and 3 touchdowns on 27 carries. In, 6 people carried the ball today. Turning to receiving, we had 7 different people catch a pass, Fisher and Smith both with touchdown receptions. 6 people had double digit receiving yards, Parks the leader, with 164 yards receiving (but surprisingly no touchdowns to go with those yards).

Tulsa Defense – Gave up some big plays, but made the plays when it counted, including the HUGE fourth and goal stand at the one foot line, forcing the turnover on downs and preserving our victory with only minutes left to play. A round of beers is sure as hell being bought tonight for that defense.

Tulsa Kicking – A so-so day. Missed his only field goal attempt from 44 yards out, and went 8-9 in PATs, shanking yet another one.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Tulsa:
21
13
7
21
62

:Tulane:
0
10
6
0
16

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

6:09
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Smith, 12 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-0

1:47
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Strong, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 14-0

0:27
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Smith, 62 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 21-0

Second Quarter

6:53
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Fisher, 22 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 28-0

5:14
:Tulane:
Touchdown
B. Landry, 2 yard run (N. Slaughter kick)
:Tulsa: 28-7

2:32
:Tulane:
Field Goal
N. Slaughter, 19 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 28-10

0:29
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Smith, 2 yard run (missed kick)
:Tulsa: 34-10

Third Quarter

4:22
:Tulane:
Touchdown
J. Wright, 2 yard run (2-pt conversion failed)
:Tulsa: 34-16

2:51
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Smith, 5 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 41-16

Fourth Quarter

5:21
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Fisher, 4 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 48-16

4:26
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Parks, returned punt 66 yards (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 55-16

0:00
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Anderson, 24 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 62-16

Game Stats

Tulsa
Stat
Tulane

62
Score
16

28
First Downs
15

617
Total Offense
257

52 - 252 - 5
Rushes - Yards - TD
22 - 57 - 2

19 - 28 - 3
Comp - Att - TD
15 - 42 - 0

365
Passing Yards
200

Times Sacked

11 - 13 (84%)
3rd Down Conversion
4 - 15 (26%)

1 - 1 (100%)
4th Down Conversion
1 - 2 (50%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 1 (0%)

5 - 5 - 0 (100%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
6 - 2 - 1 (50%)

2
Turnovers
0

0
Fumbles Lost
0

2
Intercepted
0

97
Punt Return Yards
0

25
Kick Return Yards
92

739
Total Yards
349

0 – 00.0
Punts - Average
7 - 44.1

3 - 45
Penalties
2 - 15

24:02
Time of Possession
11:58

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
43
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
1/2 Passed
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

94%

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 12:32 AM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, it was a battle, but #1 Georgia stays undefeated, being #24 Georgia Tech 30-21. The game of the week, rivalry game of the week and the Jeweled Shillelagh goes to #2 USC, who holds on for the 38-26 win over #5 Notre Dame (despite a 16 point fourth quarter by the Irish). #3 Fresno State barely holds on to beat Air Force 35-32 and stay undefeated. 8-4 Auburn takes down #6 Alabama (dropping the Tide to 9-3) with a 41-14 ass whooping. #8 Rutgers is gonna drop, losing 27-20 to Houston. #9 Wisconsin holds off Penn State, 23-16. #10 Iowa knocks off #4 Nebraska 21-19.

The battle of Texas goes to #15 TCU, as the Horned Frogs down #11 Texas, 27-10. The 8-4 Buckeyes get the last laugh, as Ohio State knocks off #13 Michigan 33-17 (all 17 of Michigan's points came in the fourth quarter, this was a bitch slapping by the Bucks, who led 30-0 at halftime). #17 Arkansas whoops ass agianst #14 LSU, upsetting the Tigers 41-21. #18 Oregon scores 10 points in the fourth quarter to hold off Oregon State 27-23. #20 Florida State scores 24 points in the fourth quarter to beat Florida 34-21. Washington State laughs last, improving to 2-10 with a 37-34 upset of #21 Washington, and Indiana gets their second win of the year, knocking off #25 Purdue 28-14.

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss ends their year with a 38-35 loss to Louisiana Tech (LTU outscored USM in the fourth quarter 21-0) to end the year at 4-8 (2-6 in C-USA). Jaymo, Arizona State picks up #2 on a row, winning the Territorial Cup from Arizona, 42-30, improving to 5-6 (3-6 in Pac-12 play) and keeping their bowl hopes alive. Though, I don't know if that will happen. Something's fucked up here, as Arizona State only has 11 games on their schedule (I noticed the same with Fresno State). I'm not sure if the game will allow Arizona State in at 5-6. Mors, West Virginia finally breaks their 8 game losing streak, beating Iowa State 31-28 to improve to 3-8 (1-7 in the Big 12). For community teams and other teams of interest, Iowa State's loss to West Virginia drops them to 3-9 (2-7 in Big 12), and Arkansas State stays at 7-3 (5-1 in Sun Belt) with no game this week, the Red Wolves are going to suffer the 11 game schedule fuck up as well. A general note, a shocker, Boise State is sitting home this year, as their 33-21 loss to UCF drops the Broncos to 4-7 (4-4 in the Big East).

On a C-USA note, we end the year with an 8-0 mark in C-USA action and the West Division title, UTEP ended up 6-2 in C-USA play. Florida International ends their season 10-2 (7-1), winning the East Division outright over Marshall (who ended 5-3 in C-USA action). The rematch is set, the Golden Panthers vs. the Golden Hurricanes in the C-USA Championship Game.

Looking at undefeated teams left, no new teams lost this week this week, keeping our number of undefeated teams left at 3. #1 Georgia (12-0), #2 USC (12-0), and #4 Fresno State (10-0), are all that's left with an unblemished record at the end of week 13.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 1 team that will end the season with a winless record: Memphis (0-12).

The only team getting their first win this week and avoiding a 0-12 fate was: Central Michigan (20-17 over 1-11 UMass).

Taking a look at the new Top 25 polls, starting in the Coaches Poll, USC (32 first place votes) overtakes the Bulldogs, jumping to #1 while Georgia (28) drops to #2. Fresno State (1) remains #3. Texas Tech climbs three to #4, Iowa jumps five to #5, Wisconsin goes up three to #6. Notre Dame falls two to #7, Michigan State jumps four to #8, Nebraska drops five to #9 and TCU climbs five to #10. Elsewhere, Arkansas leaps six to #11, Oklahoma jumps four to #12, Alabama falls seven to #13, Oregon climbs four to #14, Tulsa climbs four to #15, Rutgers plummets eight to #16. Texas falls six to #17, Florida State moves up two to #18, Virginia Tech jumps three to #19 and LSU falls six to #20. Auburn enters the poll at #21, Ohio State enters the poll at #22, Michigan plummets eleven to #24 and Kansas State enters the poll this week at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Washington (from #21), Georgia Tech (from #24) and Purdue (from #25). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, some familiar names. Utah sits at #27 (157 votes), UTEP at #28 (102) and FIU at #31 (30).

In the Media Poll, the top three remain the same, USC (receiving 36 first place votes), Georgia (25 votes), and Fresno State (4 votes) all remain at #1, #2 and #3. Iowa leaps five to #4, Texas Tech climbs two to #5, Wisconsin moves up four to #6, Notre Dame falls two to #7, TCU jumps five to #8, Nebraska falls five to #9 and Michigan State climbs four to #10. Elsewhere, Arkansas climbs six to #11, Oklahoma is up four to #12, Oregon rises five to #13, Alabama falls eight to #14, Tulsa climbs four to #15, Rutgers drops eight to #16. Texas falls six to #17, Florida State and Virginia Tech both climb two to #18 and #19. LSU falls eight to #20, Clemson climbs two to #21. Auburn enters the poll at #22, Ohio State also enters at #23, and Louisville enters at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Michigan (from #13), Washington (from #21) and Georgia Tech (from #24). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Utah sits at #27 (210 votes), UTEP at #28 (118) and FIU at #29 (85).

The BCS rankings fall: #1 USC, #2 Georgia, #3 Fresno State, #4 Texas Tech, #5 Iowa, #6 Wisconsin, #7 Notre Dame, #8 Michigan State, #9 Nebraska and #10 TCU. Tulsa is #15 in the BCS Rankings with a 0.912 score.

Our newest bowl projections show the Golden Hurricane still heading for Memphis, Tennessee and the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on December 31st at 2pm, our opponent still projected as Louisville, who would enter with a 9-3 (6-2 Big East) record.

Looking at the latest BCS bowl projections, the national title game would be between #1 USC and #2 Georgia. #5 Iowa would face #3 Fresno State in the Rose Bowl. The Sugar Bowl would match up #6 Wisconsin with #7 Notre Dame. The Orange Bowl would be a battle between unranked North Carolina (ACC rep) and #10 TCU. And the Fiesta Bowl would pit #4 Texas Tech against unranked SMU (Big East rep).

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 12:37 AM

Alright boys and girls! Place your bets! Make your predictions! The rematch, the Showdown in the Plains, the Battle for all the Gold, it's the #15 Tulsa Golden Hurricane talking on the Florida International Golden Panthers for the championship title and bragging rights in the C-USA Championship Game.

I'm holding off on this game until at least 4 or 5pm EST tonight, so get some predictions in if you want. Our first showdown, back in week 4 in Miami, was a 27-14 win for Tulsa. It was 7-0 Tulsa after the first, 14-7 Tulsa at halftime, 27-7 at the end of three and 27-14 your final.

Both teams are entering on an 8 game winning streak, FIU's streak starting after their loss to Tulsa, our streak starting after our week 5 loss to Utah. Both teams are coming in red hot. It's gonna be a wild one.

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 01:28 AM

My regular season is done, I had a bye week in week 14.

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, #3 Fresno State wraps up an undefeated season with a 48-7 win over 1-11 UNLV, and now hopes for either USC or Georgia (or both!) to lose in their conference championship games. The game of the week goes to #12 Oklahoma, who knocks off #10 TCU 38-24, and #25 Kansas State knocks off #17 Texas, 38-14.

For our readers, Mors, West Virginia makes it two in a row, beating 2-10 Kansas 37-21 to end their season at 4-8 (2-7 in the Big 12). For community teams and other teams of interest, Arkansas State ends the year at 8-3 (6-1 in Sun Belt) with a 37-21 win over MTSU. A general note, they haven't been able to do it for 11 years in real life, but in virtual life, Army beats Navy 38-17.

Looking at undefeated teams left, no new teams lost this week this week, keeping our number of undefeated teams left at 3. #1 Georgia (12-0), #2 USC (12-0), and #3 Fresno State (11-0), are all that's left with an unblemished record at the end of week 13.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 1 team that will end the season with a winless record: Memphis (0-12).

Taking a look at the new Top 25 polls, starting in the Coaches Poll, Georgia (35 first place votes) steals back #1, USC (22 votes) drops back to #2, Fresno State (4 votes) remains #3. Texas Tech, Iowa, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Nebraska all remain #4 through #9. Oklahoma moves up two to #10. Tulsa climbs one to #14. TCU drops six to #16, Kansas State climbs three to #22 and Louisville enters the poll at #25. Dropping out this week was Texas (from #17). Others Receiving Votes has Utah #26 (225 votes), UTEP #27 (197) and FIU #31 (100).

In the Media Poll, the top three remain the same, Georgia (receiving 36 first place votes) leaps USC to #1, USC (23 votes) falls to #2, Fresno State (6 votes) remains at #3. Iowa, Texas Tech, Wisconsin and Notre Dame all remain #4 through #7. Oklahoma jumps four to #8 and Nebraska and Michigan State both stay at #9 and #10. Tulsa climbs one to #14. TCU drops eight to #16, Kansas State jumps four to #20, and Michigan enters the poll at #25. Dropping out this week was Texas (from #17). Others Receiving Votes shows Utah #26 (243 votes), UTEP #27 (212) and FIU #28 (138).

The BCS rankings fall: #1 Georgia, #2 USC, #3 Fresno State, #4 Texas Tech, #5 Iowa, #6 Notre Dame, #7 Wisconsin, #8 Nebraska, #9 Oklahoma and #10 Michigan State. Tulsa is #14 in the BCS Rankings with a 0.922 score.

Our newest bowl projections continue to show the Golden Hurricane heading for Memphis, Tennessee and the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on December 31st at 2pm, our opponent still projected as Louisville, who would enter with a 9-3 (6-2 Big East) record.

Looking at the latest BCS bowl projections, the national title game would be between #1 Georgia and #2 USC. #5 Iowa would face #7 Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl. The Sugar Bowl would match up #3 Fresno State with #6 Wisconsin. The Orange Bowl would be a battle between unranked North Carolina (ACC rep) and #10 Oklahoma. And the Fiesta Bowl would pit #4 Texas Tech against unranked SMU (Big East rep).

EA fucked up this year, they left a bowl out (only 34 bowls in the game for 68 spots) and the TicketCity Bowl, Champ Sports Bowl and Insight Bowl all still exist in-game, their names not being updated.

Looking at bowl eligible teams, the ACC has 7, Big 12 only has 5, Big East only has 6, Big Ten has 7, C-USA has 7, Independents tally 2, MAC brings 6, Mountain West reps 4, Pac-12 has 6 make it, SEC has 9 eligible, Sun Belt only gets 2 and WAC has 1. All tallied up, only 62 teams made it to 6 or more wins, with 68 bowl slots to be filled. Looks like a few of those teams who got fucked with 11 game seasons and ended up 5-6 will make it in after all.

morsdraconis

12-19-2012, 04:44 AM

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 05:15 AM

Wow. You should be projected to be in a BCS bowl. You fit all the criteria for it. That's some serious bullshit that you're not projected to be in one and, instead, #10 Oklahoma is but I guess you're getting screwed out of it because Fresno State is in it. Hopefully Georgia or USC lose their conference championship games, bumping Fresno State up for the MNC (which just blows my mind that that is possible) and giving you a BCS birth.

As a side note, I can't believe fictional WVU did worse than real WVU. Wow.

Well, I think Fresno State actually would be in regardless. After my first season, when Boise State won the title, I gave the Mountain West an automatic BCS bid, unattached to a bowl. I kept it after TCU's championship in 2012 and even though the Mountain West sucked in 2013, I kept the MWC with an auto bid, on a two year "watch period", to decide if they'd lose it or not. I can't remember if I gave the Mountain West that auto-bid when I set this dynasty up on NCAA '13, but I want to believe I did. Either way Fresno State would have ended up in the BCS. With only two at-large spots currently in my virtual world (if I did indeed again give MWC the auto-bid in this season), it's Notre Dame and Oklahoma who bone me out of a BCS slot.

Looks like the Sooners get the last laugh after our OT upset of them back at the beginning of the year. The only hope we have of possibly breaking into the BCS, would be for Iowa to take down Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game.

But none of that matters at the moment as I still have to get through my rematch with Florida International in the C-USA CCG. With FIU on an 8 game win streak (with some 35/45-0 blowouts along the way), this is gonna be a hell of a battle the second time around. I am genuinely worried heading into the game.

morsdraconis

12-19-2012, 07:49 AM

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 08:44 AM

Ah, I had forgotten that you gave the MWC an auto-bid. Unfortunately, you might get screwed even if Iowa beats Wisconsin with Nebraska jumping in instead of you. Only 2 open bids definitely hurts your chances at a BCS bowl bid.

Yeah, I did too at first. :D You might be right about Nebraska. I'll end up finding out later tonight after I play the CCG. It might go back to 3 open bids after the repping by the Big East this year. I've always defended the Big East, but either an unranked 9-3 SMU squad or unranked 8-4 UCF squad playing in a BCS bowl, it's as bad as Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl this year. At least in Wisconsin's case, there are very unusual circumstances even allowing them to get that far, in the Big East in my dynasty, it was just a horrible year by all.

Even if I don't bust the BCS this year, I still have a chance next year. Looking at my roster going in, I knew this year and next year were going to be my sure chances to do something special with this team. I lose a lot of players this year, but next year I still have Booth, Price, I'll get back Fletcher (hopefully uninjured for the entire year), a somewhat decent receiving corps, so I'm still good on offense. Defense will be suspect, but they have had their moments of sucking this year anyways. Will we go 11-1 again next year? Highly unlikely. Especially not with games at Oklahoma and against Utah and with a weaker defense, but we should still be firmly in contention for the West Division title again and could end up with anywhere from 8 to 10 wins if the cards fall our way. But, going into this year, I was hoping for a 9-3 season at best. 11-1 was a pipe dream. 11-1 or 12-0 next year could be another pipe dream that comes true. I'll find out in due time.

It's gonna be 2015 where the roster starts to go downhill, our sophomores from this season's recruiting class having to start filling the holes and step into starting positions. The 2015 season is going to be where I find out for the first time if I did a good job with recruiting this year, or if I shat the bed and have screwed myself for future seasons at Tulsa. Hopefully I did good, as I am hoping to stick with Tulsa for a while. Leaving after only a 3 year stint at FIU, I'd love to stick around at Tulsa for at least 5-7 years, if not longer. I love Tulsa's offense, I love the competition I'm facing in Conference USA (a perfect mix of tough teams like UTEP, Rice, and FIU and cakewalk teams like UTSA and Tulane), Tulsa's future non-conference schedules are set up for some cupcake games, evened out with tough, challenging games at Fresno State, at Ohio State, at Oklahoma State, etc. So I'm hoping to turn Tulsa into a home for a while, leaving only if a one HELL of an offer were to come along that could lure me away from the plains (and I was allowed to accept it).

morsdraconis

12-19-2012, 09:46 AM

Yeah, I did too at first. :D You might be right about Nebraska. I'll end up finding out later tonight after I play the CCG. It might go back to 3 open bids after the repping by the Big East this year. I've always defended the Big East, but either an unranked 9-3 SMU squad or unranked 8-4 UCF squad playing in a BCS bowl, it's as bad as Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl this year. At least in Wisconsin's case, there are very unusual circumstances even allowing them to get that far, in the Big East in my dynasty, it was just a horrible year by all.

What the hell happened to Rutgers? Did they lose 3 conference games at the end or something to not be the Big East rep?

JeffHCross

12-19-2012, 04:45 PM

EA fucked up this year, they left a bowl out (only 34 bowls in the game for 68 spots) and the TicketCity Bowl, Champ Sports Bowl and Insight Bowl all still exist in-game, their names not being updated.How many of those changes were made after release? I know one or two were, at least.

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 04:54 PM

What the hell happened to Rutgers? Did they lose 3 conference games at the end or something to not be the Big East rep?

Actually, they only lost two, both losses were conference losses. They lost 35-14 to Boise State and in the final week of the season, they lost 27-20 to Houston. That loss to Houston fucked Rutgers. Rutgers finished 10-2 (6-2), which was not good enough to win the American Division. UCF went 8-4 (7-1 Big East), their only conference loss coming to Rutgers 31-21. Ultimately that loss would not matter, as Rutgers shitting the bed against Houston clinches the division outright for UCF.

Talk about a horrible situation for Rutgers. Ranked #15, 10-2 on the year, and you don't even get to play your conference championship game due to 2 conference losses compared to 1 conference loss for the team ahead of you (and you gave that team ahead of you their only conference loss). So Rutgers' season ending loss to Houston kills their Conference Championship Game plans.

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 04:59 PM

How many of those changes were made after release? I know one or two were, at least.

Were they? :D Whoops, my bad. :D I thought all the sponsor changes and name changes had happened at least in the spring. I guess I was mistaken. And now that I think about it, and go look through the bowl list, I remember now why we only have 34 bowl games, the Pinstripe Bowl not being included due it being played at Yankee Stadium. So alright, my mistake, EA gets some slack there. Though I still wish they would just add the Pinstripe Bowl, even if it has to be a generic bowl stadium, I don't care, just get it in the game.

JeffHCross

12-19-2012, 05:10 PM

I actually thought they were going to add the Pinstripe Bowl and make it a generic stadium. But maybe there was a licensing issue there.

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 06:07 PM

I actually thought they were going to add the Pinstripe Bowl and make it a generic stadium. But maybe there was a licensing issue there.

Yeah, at first I couldn't notice which game was missing, but then just thinking about it tonight, I realized the Pinstripe Bowl wasn't there. Hopefully they get something figured out for next year, I'd like to have all 35 bowls in.

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 06:07 PM

Alright, I'm firing up the CCG right now. Last chance to get predictions in!

morsdraconis

12-19-2012, 06:28 PM

You blow them out by 30.

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 06:58 PM

You blow them out by 30.

I wish. I just hit halftime. Holy hell have the defenses come out to play today. I won't reveal the score, but a look at the halftime stats, we had 190 yards of total offense on 36 plays, FIU had 111 yards of total offense on 30 plays. This is truly a slobberknocker going on here.

JeffHCross

12-19-2012, 07:16 PM

Pull out the playbook I sent you.

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 07:53 PM

Pull out the playbook I sent you.

Sorry Jeff, didn't get a chance to. I didn't even see your post until I was in the final seconds of the game. I'll have to pull that PM up going into my bowl game, keep that handy.

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 08:02 PM

Conference USA Conference Championship Game

:FIU: :@: #14 :Tulsa:

Game Notes

--- And so the rematch had arrived, 10-2 (7-1) Florida International at 11-1 (8-0) Tulsa for all the C-USA marbles. Despite already celebrating Senior Day three weeks ago, our seniors would get a second sendoff in front of the home fans, as our top conference record meant we were hosting FIU and the C-USA CCG on our home field. This was gonna be a hell of a battle, as FIU entered the game ranked #1 in the nation in total defense (giving up 266.4 yards a game), #3 in the nation in rush defense (giving up 112.4 yards/game) and #10 in the nation in pass defense (giving up only 154.0 yards/game). It was going to be a slugfest. Florida International won the coin toss and elected to kick.

The opening kickoff went for a touchback and we were underway from our 25 yard line. It was a huge start for our drive, as Roy Smith took the handoff up the middle, fighting forward for an 8 yard gain, before FIU committed their first mistake of the day, as middle linebacker Roy Hunter brought Smith down by his facemask. The 15 yard penalty tacked on to the end of the run, and we had a first down at our 48 yard line. Some great blocking by the o-line and Smith was able to fight for a 7 yard gain on the next play. Smith kept us moving forward, spinning off of a tackle attempt and falling forward for 6 yards and a first down at the FIU 39. Going to the play action on first down, Brandon Booth hit Sean Parks on a comeback route for a 19 yard gain and we had first down at the 20 yard line. Keeping through the air, Booth found Parks again for a 10 yard gain and we had first and goal at the 10 yard line. Bouncing outside on the rush, Smith was able to pick up 6 yards to get us down to the FIU 4. Ryan Strong would attempt to take it up the middle, but the linebackers blitzed through and took him down for a one yard loss, setting us up with third and goal at the 5 yard line. Booth’s third down pass to John Andrews was only good for three yards as Andrews was brought down by the safety, and with fourth and goal from the two, we were forced to settle for a 20 yard field goal with 5:35 remaining in the quarter.

A 24 yard kickoff return got FIU started at their 31. Chris Rankin went to the air on first down, hitting Joe Haynes for a 5 yard gain, followed by an incomplete pass. A 7 yard rush by Dominic Pittman and FIU had a first down at their 43. Rankin went back to the air and found Scott Murray for a gain of 16 and first down at our 41. After a four yard rush by Pittman, Rankin was brought down for a loss of two yards, leaving the Golden Panthers with third and 8. They would convert the first down as Rankin found Martin Blanks for a 14 yard strike and first down at our 25 yard line. Following an incomplete pass, Pittman rumbled ahead for a 5 yard gain, following that up with a 9 yard rush and first down at our 11. After an incomplete pass, Pittman fought forward for a four yard pickup and FIU had third and 6 from our 7 yard line. Pittman would get the Golden Panthers on the board on the next play, rushing in the touchdown from 7 yards out to give FIU a 7-3 lead with 2:56 remaining. A 26 yard kickoff return by Parks and we were starting from our 28. Smith got our drive moving forward, as two broken tackles allowed him to fight on, picking up 14 yards before finally being brought down at the 42. A huge hole up the middle, and Smith had another 8 yards to leave us second and two at midfield. Fighting through the mass of bodies, Smith was able to fall and roll forward, getting a gain of four yards and a first down at the FIU 46. After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth came back and found Carlos Anderson on the out route for a 13 yard gain and we had a first down at the FIU 33. Strong was able to bounce out to the right tackle, fighting forward for a four yard gain on the first down rush. A 5 yard rush by Smith, and we were facing third and one from the 24. Strong would pick up that one yard and then some thanks to great downfield blocking, rushing forward for a 12 yard gain and first down at the FIU 12. Smith took the rock on first down, picking up 6 yards before being brought down at the 7 yard line. The final seconds ticked off the clock and the first quarter came to an end, FIU leading 7-3.

Opening up the second quarter, facing second and four, we kept our fate in the hands of our halfbacks. It was the smart move, as Smith rushed up the middle, juking away from a tackle and scoring the 7 yard touchdown to retake the lead 10-7 with 8:58 to go in the half. After a 15 yard return out to the 22 yard line, FIU would be forced to punt for the first time today, as three straight incomplete passes would bring their drive to an early close. The 49 yard punt was called for a fair catch by Parks, and we returned to the field at our 29 yard line. An incomplete pass opened our drive, as Booth’s pass for Andrews was batted down. Coming out of the backfield on second down, Smith hauled in a pass along the left hash for a 9 yard gain to leave us third and one. The third down rush attempt failed as Smith was brought down for a loss of one yard and we were forced to punt from our 37. A fair catch on the 43 yard punt and FIU was back in action from their 19 yard line. It would be another short drive for the Golden Panthers. After two incomplete passes, Rankin finally hit Donald Porter, but it only went for a gain of 7 and FIU was left punting on fourth and three. A 13 yard return by Parks on the 48 yard punt got us started at our 39 yard line. Heading back to the ground game, a two yard run by Smith was followed with a gain of 6 and we faced third and two. Taking our chances once again on the ground, it was no go, as the defensive tackle broke through his block, pushing Smith off balance and allowing the defense end to break around the end and bring Smith down for no gain, leaving us with fourth and two from our 47 and punting away.

A bad snap on the punt left our defense screwed, as Carlos Wilcox was tackled for a two yard loss after scrambling on the failed punt, giving FIU the ball at our 45 yard line. Pittman got the Golden Panthers started with a 7 yard rush to our 37, but two incomplete passes from Rankin and FIU was left facing fourth down. A third straight incomplete pass and FIU turned it over on downs at the 37 yard line. Smith started the drive with a pair of rushes, going for gains of two and 5 yards to leave us with third and three from our 44. An incomplete pass intended for Chad Fisher and we were forced to punt with 3:58 left in the first half. Wilcox’s 46 yard punt went unreturned and FIU was buried on their 9 yard line. Pittman started the drive breaking a 9 yard run, followed by a gain of 6 and first down at the 25. Pittman took it in the ground again, but the defense got to him for a loss of two yards. A holding penalty only added to the pain and FIU was left with second and 22 from the 13 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Rankin found Andy Oliver for a 5 yard gain and FIU was left with fourth and 17 from their 18 yard line. The punt sailed 46 yards, Parks returning it for 10 yards to begin our drive at our 46.

After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth found Parks on the slant for a gain of 18 yards and we had first down at the FIU 28, 2:32 left to play. A first down rush by Smith went for only a gain of one yard. Strong hauled in a 6 yard pass from Booth and we were left with third and four at the 22. A quick pass to Anderson left the defense flat footed and went for an 11 yard gain, giving us first down at the 11 yard line. Our first timeout of the half stopped the clock with 44 seconds. After a three yard rush by Smith on first down, an incomplete pass in the end zone, intended for Donny Jordan, and we were left with third and 7 from the 9 yard line, 25 seconds left to play. The pass intended for Andrews was batted away, nearly intercepted, and we were forced to bring out the field goal unit. The 26 yard field goal was good and our lead was 13-7 with 19 seconds to play. A 20 yard kickoff return to the 23 yard line left FIU just 9 seconds to work with. Pittman would gain four yards on the ground and FIU would let the final four second run out. We headed into halftime, a battle of wills on defense, with a 13-7 lead over FIU. A look at the halftime stats, we had 190 yards of total offense on 36 plays, FIU had 111 yards of total offense on 30 plays.

A 62 yard kickoff got the second half underway, a 21 yard return by Pittman to set FIU up at their 29 yard line. A pair of rushes by Pittman for gains of 6 and 5 gave FIU first down at their 40 yard line. Another rush for four yards was followed with a 9 yard pass from Rankin to Porter for a first down at our 47. A two yard rush by Jason Thomas was followed with a 26 yard pass to Haynes for a first down at our 18 yard line. After a 5 yard rush by Thomas, Rankin found Will O’Conner for a gain of 8 yard and the Golden Panthers had first and goal at our 5. Rankin would pick up four yards on a first down rush, before finishing the job himself, diving across the goal line on the QB sneak for the one yard touchdown. An extra point later, and FIU had retaken the lead, 14-13 with 6:38 left in the third quarter. We began our drive on the 23 yard line after an 18 yard return by Fisher. The first down rush by Smith was doomed from the beginning, as three different defenders broke through, swarming Smith for a loss of one yard. After an incomplete pass, Booth found Anderson along the right sideline, who fought forward for a 17 yard gain and a first down at the 38. Going back to the air, a mismatch against the defense allowed Parks to get behind the corner, catching a pass from the Booth was needled between the corner and the right linebacker, before outracing the safety 62 yard for the touchdown. The PAT made it 20-14 with 5:22 left in the third quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff got FIU started at their 25. Pittman was brought down on first down for a loss of three yards, but recovered on the next play, picking up 8 yards to leave FIU with third and 5. An 11 yard pass from Rankin to Haynes and FIU had a first down at the 41. A pass interference penalty gave FIU a free set of downs at our 44 yard line. Rankin then hit Blanks for a 25 yard strike and FIU was down to our 19. A 7 yard rush by Pittman was followed by a rush for no gain, and FIU was left looking at third and three. The offense got hit with a penalty for 6 yards and a loss of down on the third down play, and left with fourth and 9 form 18 yard line, FIU settled for a 35 yard field goal to make it 20-17 with 3:40 left in the third quarter. A 32 yard return on the kickoff and we were on the field at our 33 yard line. Smith started us off with a 6 yard rush, followed by a gain of one to leave third and two. A 6 yard pass from Booth to Jason Hall and we were back in business at the 47 yard line. Smith proved himself a beast on the next play, as he broke a pair of tackles, rumbling, bumbling and stumbling ahead for a 25 yard gain to the FIU 28 yard line. A three yard gain by Strong was followed with a rush of 14 by Smith and we had a first down at the 11 yard line. A four yard rush by Smith would bring the third quarter to a close, our lead holding at 20-17 as we enter the final 9 minutes of the game.

Opening up the final quarter with second and 6 from the 7 yard line, these were the do or die plays for us with only a three point lead. Smith would pick up four yards on the rush and we were left with third and one from the three yard line. We would get the first down and then some, as Andrews took the ball up the middle for the three yard touchdown and we opened our lead to 27-17 with 8:33 to play. After a touchback on the kickoff, three straight incomplete passes spelled doom for FIU’s drive. A fair catch on the 49 yard punt and we were back on offense at our 25 yard line with 8:01 left in the game.

Despite spinning off of a tackle attempt, Smith was only able to pick up one yard on the first down rush. It was backwards on the next play, as the outside linebacker blitz through untouched to tackle Smith for a loss of one yard, leaving us third and 10. Booth would keep us alive through the air, hitting Parks for a 13 yard gain and a first down at the 38 yard line. A pair of rushes for 6 and 7 yards by Strong, and we had a new set of downs at midfield, 5:32 left on the clock. Two more rushes by Strong for gains of three and 6 yards and we were left facing third and one at the 41 yard line. Andrews fought forward for a three yard gain, and we kept the drive moving with a first down at the FIU 38, 3:44 left in the game. The Golden Panthers defense starting to tire out, Strong took it up the gut, busting a 10 yard rush to set up second and inches at the 28. Strong fought forward for a 5 yard pickup, and we had first down at the 23 yard line. Strong was able to get another 5 yards on the ground, and FIU called their first timeout to stop the clock with 2:04 to play. The second down rush went for no gain, FIU’s second timeout leaving 2:01 to play. The third down rush attempt by Strong only managed one yard, leaving us with fourth and four at the 17 yard line, FIU’s final timeout stopping the clock with 1:58 remaining. The 34 yard field goal was good, making our lead 30-17 with 1:54 left in the game. A 17 yard kickoff return left FIU starting on their 21 yard line. On first down, Rankin hit Haynes for a 20 yard gain to get FIU to the 41 yard line, 1:40 left. After an incomplete pass, Rankin found Oliver for a gain of 5 yards, 1:25 and ticking. An incomplete pass left FIU’s game on the line with fourth and 5 from their 46 yard line, 1:14 left to play. The fourth down pass from Rankin to James Weber, what would have been a 25 yard gain, was dropped, and the turnover on downs sealed the victory. With 1:09 left to go, our second team offense came out to kneel down twice and run out the clock. Two kneels later by Casey Bishop and the clock read all zeroes, our 30-17 win and the 2014 C-USA Championship secured.

With the win, we truly send out seniors out in style in their final home game, and improve our record on the year to 12-1, 9-0 in C-USA action. With the loss, Florida International drops to 10-3, 7-2 in C-USA play. Next up, who knows. Latest bowl projections show up playing Louisville (9-3, 6-2 Big East) in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. I guess we'll have to wait and see where the official bowl announcements place us.

Final Score
#14 :Tulsa: 30, :FIU: 17

Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – It was slow going as the first half was a full on defensive donnybrook. In the end, Booth managed 187 yards passing and a touchdown for the day. Rushing, it was Smith the star of the show, picking up 141 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. A solid 61 yard showing by Strong to compliment Smith. Receiving, not much to talk about. 6 receivers caught at least one pass, only Parks and Anderson made it into double digits. Parks ended the day with 122 yards and a touchdown on 5 receptions, aided by the 62 yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.

- Tulsa Defense – A killer performance today. Held FIU to only 111 yards in the first half, only gave us 248 yards in offense for the game, allowing our slow starting offense to stay in the game and then build a lead late. No fumbles or INTs, but that was fine as our offense didn't commit any turnovers either.

- Tulsa Kicking – A perfect day by Pratt. 3-3 in field goal, longest being 34 yards. 3-3 in PATs.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:FIU:
7
0
10
0
17

:Tulsa:
3
10
7
10
30

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

5:38
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 19 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 3-0

2:56
:FIU:
Touchdown
D. Pittman, 6 yard run (J. Moore kick)
:FIU: 7-3

Second Quarter

8:58
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Smith, 7 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 10-7

0:22
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
A. Pratt, 25 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 13-7

Third Quarter

6:38
:FIU:
Touchdown
C. Rankin, 1 yard run (J. Moore kick)
:FIU: 14-13

5:22
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
S. Parks, 62 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 20-14

3:43
:FIU:
Field Goal
J. Moore, 34 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 20-17

Fourth Quarter

8:33
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
J. Andrews, 3 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 27-17

1:54
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 34 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 30-17

Game Stats

FIU
Stat
Tulsa

17
Score
30

13
First Downs
19

248
Total Offense
389

23 - 97 - 2
Rushes - Yards - TD
45 - 202 - 2

12 - 31 - 0
Comp - Att - TD
12 - 19 - 1

151
Passing Yards
187

0
Times Sacked
0

5 - 12 (41%)
3rd Down Conversion
7 - 13 (53%)

0 - 2 (0%)
4th Down Conversion
0 - 1 (0%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

3 - 2 - 1 (100%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
7 - 2 - 3 (71%)

0
Turnovers
0

0
Fumbles Lost
0

0
Intercepted
0

0
Punt Return Yards
13

97
Kick Return Yards
76

345
Total Yards
478

4 – 47.5
Punts - Average
2 - 45.0

4 - 46
Penalties
1 - 15

12:42
Time of Possession
23:18

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
42
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
1/2 Passed
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

94%

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 08:22 PM

Conference Championship Week

Conference
Winning Team
Record
Score
Losing Team
Record

:ACC_Championship:
(17) :Florida_State:
10-3 (8-2)
35-21
:North_Carolina:
9-4 (7-3)

:Big_East:
:UCF:
9-4 (8-1)
45-10
:SMU:
9-4 (7-2)

:B1G_Championship:
(6) :Wisconsin:
11-2 (7-2)
24-20
(5) :Iowa:
10-3 (8-1)

:CUSA:
(14) :Tulsa:
12-1 (9-0)
30-17
:FIU:
10-3 (7-2)

:MAC_Championship:
:Toledo:
9-4 (7-2)
38-20
:Ohio:
8-5 (6-3)

:Pac_12:
(2) :USC:
13-0 (10-0)
31-14
(13) :Oregon:
9-4 (7-3)

:SEC_Championship:
(1) :Georgia:
13-0 (11-0)
38-35
(11) :Arkansas:
10-3 (8-2)

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 08:23 PM

Recapping the Conference Championship Week action, holy hell some close games. In the Big Ten Championship game, a TOTAL collapse by Iowa. Iowa had a 17-3 lead going into the fourth, before being outscored 21-3 by Wisconsin in the final quarter, the Badgers scoring the game winning touchdown on a one yard run with 33 seconds to play.

The Pac-12 game was actually close too. Oregon lead 7-3 at halftime, USC had a 13-7 lead after three quarter, but an 18-7 fourth quarter advantage for the Trojans and USC runs away with it. Oregon actually took the lead 14-13 early in the fourth, before two touchdowns, a field goal and a two-point conversion did the Ducks in.

The SEC game, this one was back and forth. Georgia lead 21-7 after the first quarter, then had their lead cut to 28-21 at halftime. No on scored in the third quarter. Georgia went up 38-21 in the fourth quarter, before two Arkansas touchdowns in the final 4:20 cut the final margin to 38-35.

The MAC CCG was actually close at first too. Toledo held a 14-7 first quarter lead and a 24-17 halftime advantage. But Toledo would outscore Ohio 14-3 in the second half to run away with it.

The Big East CCG, that was never close. UCF led 10-0 after the first, 24-3 at halftime, and 38-3 after the third quarter, with both teams scoring a TD in the fourth for your final score.

And the ACC CCG, another battle. 7-7 tie after the first quarter, 14-14 at halftime, Florida State finally grabbed the lead 28-21 after the third quarter, before a fourth quarter TD put the Seminoles up for the 14 point margin of victory.

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 09:57 PM

Pre-Bowl Games Update

Final BCS Standings

Rank
LW
Team
Wins
Losses
Points

1
1
Georgia
13
0
1.000

2
2
USC
13
0
.995

3
3
Fresno State
11
0
.989

4
7
Wisconsin
11
2
.984

5
4
Texas Tech
9
2
.978

6
6
Notre Dame
10
2
.973

7
8
Nebraska
9
3
.965

8
10
Michigan State
9
3
.962

9
9
Oklahoma
8
3
.959

10
11
Alabama
9
3
.943

11
14
Tulsa
12
1
.940

12
5
Iowa
10
3
.939

13
15
TCU
9
3
.919

14
16
Rutgers
10
2
.912

15
12
Arkansas
10
3
.903

16
17
Florida State
10
3
.898

17
19
Virginia Tech
9
3
.881

18
18
LSU
9
3
.880

19
20
Auburn
8
4
.880

20
21
Kansas State
8
4
.863

21
22
Ohio State
8
4
.862

22
23
Clemson
9
3
.860

23
13
Oregon
9
4
.850

24
24
Michigan
8
4
.846

25
25
Utah
9
3
.822

Conference Standings

* - Played in Conference Championship Game

ACC

Rank
Team
Record
Percentage
Conference Record
Points For
Points Against
Division Record

Atlantic Division

#1
(16) Florida State*
10-3
.760
8-2
444
302
6-0

#2
(22) Clemson
9-3
.750
7-2
336
248
5-1

#3
NC State
7-5
.580
6-3
373
326
4-2

#4
Syracuse
5-7
.410
3-6
268
284
2-4

#5
Wake Forest
3-9
.250
2-7
360
377
2-4

#6
Maryland
4-8
.330
2-7
287
332
1-5

#7
Boston College
3-9
.250
1-8
237
348
1-5

Coastal Division

#1
(17) Virginia Tech
9-3
.750
7-2
398
203
5-1

#2
North Carolina*
9-4
.690
7-3
387
287
5-1

#3
Georgia Tech
8-4
.660
6-3
362
231
4-2

#4
Miami (FL)
6-6
.500
4-5
279
286
2-4

#5
Duke
4-7
.360
4-5
238
330
2-4

#6
Pittsburgh
5-7
.410
4-5
274
318
1-5

#7
Virginia
5-7
.410
3-6
329
344
2-4

Big 12

Rank
Team
Record
Percentage
Conference Record
Points For
Points Against

#1
(5) Texas Tech
9-2
.810
9-0
408
301

#2
(9) Oklahoma
8-3
.720
7-2
426
281

#3
(13) TCU
9-3
.750
6-3
444
243

#4
(20) Kansas State
8-4
.660
6-3
404
271

#5
Texas
8-4
.660
5-4
323
221

#6
Oklahoma State
5-7
.410
4-5
351
346

#7
Baylor
5-7
.410
3-6
248
375

#8
West Virginia
4-8
.330
2-7
359
441

#9
Iowa State
3-9
.250
2-7
192
385

#10
Kansas
2-10
.160
1-8
205
404

Big East

Rank
Team
Record
Percentage
Conference Record
Points For
Points Against
Division Record

American Division

#1
UCF*
9-4
.690
8-1
407
289
4-1

#2
(14) Rutgers
10-2
.830
6-2
352
199
3-2

#3
Boise State
4-7
.360
4-4
274
302
2-3

#4
Houston
7-5
.580
3-5
333
287
2-3

#5
Cincinnati
7-5
.580
3-5
367
315
2-3

#6
Connecticut
4-7
.360
3-5
237
304
2-3

National Division

#1
SMU*
9-4
.690
7-2
377
257
4-1

#2
Louisville
9-3
.750
6-2
355
238
4-1

#3
San Diego State
5-6
.450
4-4
288
261
3-2

#4
USF
4-8
.330
3-5
294
357
3-2

#5
Temple
4-7
.360
2-6
231
256
1-4

#6
Memphis
0-12
.000
0-8
231
256
0-5

Big Ten

Rank
Team
Record
Percentage
Conference Record
Points For
Points Against
Division Record

Leaders Division

#1
(4) Wisconsin*
11-2
.840
7-2
369
214
5-0

#2
(21) Ohio State
8-4
.660
5-3
349
302
3-2

#3
Purdue
7-5
.580
4-4
368
289
3-2

#4
Illinois
4-8
.330
2-6
294
311
2-3

#5
Penn State
5-7
.410
2-6
285
294
1-4

#6
Indiana
2-10
.160
1-7
223
330
1-4

Legends Division

#1
(12) Iowa*
10-3
.760
8-1
360
244
5-0

#2
(7) Nebraska
9-3
.750
6-2
337
253
4-1

#3
(8) Michigan State
9-3
.750
5-3
389
248
2-3

#4
(24) Michigan
8-4
.660
5-3
406
244
3-2

#5
Northwestern
5-7
.410
3-5
284
349
1-4

#6
Minnesota
1-11
.080
1-7
241
388
0-5

Conference USA

Rank
Team
Record
Percentage
Conference Record
Points For
Points Against
Division Record

East Division

#1
Florida International*
10-3
.760
7-2
362
198
5-0

#2
Marshall
7-5
.580
5-3
342
366
3-2

#3
East Carolina
7-5
.580
4-4
302
320
3-2

#4
Louisiana Tech
6-6
.500
4-4
364
383
3-2

#5
UAB
5-7
.410
3-5
222
315
1-4

#6
Southern Miss
4-8
.330
2-6
269
293
0-5

West Division

#1
(11) Tulsa*
12-1
.920
9-0
547
315
5-0

#2
UTEP
10-2
.830
6-2
360
179
3-2

#3
Rice
8-4
.660
4-4
288
241
2-3

#4
North Texas
2-9
.180
2-6
186
328
2-3

#5
UTSA
2-10
.160
2-6
214
475
2-3

#6
Tulane
3-9
.250
1-7
246
360
1-4

Independents

Rank
Team
Record
Percentage
Conference Record
Points For
Points Against

#1
(6) Notre Dame
10-2
.830
---
394
245

#2
Army
8-3
.720
---
310
244

#3
Navy
4-8
.330
---
254
318

#4
BYU
4-8
.330
---
323
400

MAC

Rank
Team
Record
Percentage
Conference Record
Points For
Points Against
Division Record

East Division

#1
Ohio*
8-5
.610
6-3
366
292
5-1

#2
Kent State
6-5
.540
5-3
190
325
4-1

#3
Bowling Green
6-6
.500
5-3
275
263
4-2

#4
Buffalo
5-7
.410
4-5
303
309
3-2

#5
Miami University
4-8
.330
3-5
274
323
2-4

#6
Akron
3-9
.250
3-5
177
380
1-4

#7
Massachusetts
1-11
.080
1-7
197
373
0-5

West Division

#1
Toledo*
9-4
.690
7-2
415
298
5-0

#2
Northern Illinois
8-4
.660
6-2
297
299
4-1

#3
Western Michigan
7-5
.580
6-2
318
294
3-2

#4
Eastern Michigan
4-7
.360
4-4
291
305
2-3

#5
Ball State
3-9
.250
3-5
219
365
1-4

#6
Central Michigan
1-11
.080
1-8
161
367
0-5

Mountain West

Rank
Team
Record
Percentage
Conference Record
Points For
Points Against

#1
(3) Fresno State
11-0
1.000
7-0
457
217

#2
Nevada
8-4
.660
5-2
330
242

#3
Colorado State
7-5
.580
4-2
280
293

#4
Air Force
8-3
.720
4-3
330
212

#5
Hawaii
5-7
.410
3-4
280
267

#6
Utah State
5-7
.410
2-5
321
366

#7
UNLV
1-11
.080
1-5
71
444

#8
San Jose State
1-11
.080
1-6
149
328

Pac-12

Rank
Team
Record
Percentage
Conference Record
Points For
Points Against
Division Record

North Division

#1
(23) Oregon*
9-4
.690
7-3
417
290
5-0

#2
Washington
8-4
.660
5-4
405
278
3-2

#3
Stanford
6-6
.500
5-4
317
323
2-3

#4
Cal
5-7
.410
3-6
325
370
3-2

#5
Oregon State
5-7
.410
3-6
294
292
1-4

#6
Washington State
2-10
.160
1-8
263
444
1-4

South Division

#1
(2) USC*
13-0
1.000
10-0
499
244
5-0

#2
UCLA
8-4
.660
6-3
390
292
3-2

#3
(25) Utah
9-3
.750
6-3
502
274
3-2

#4
Colorado
5-7
.410
4-5
250
373
2-3

#5
Arizona State
5-6
.450
3-6
336
351
1-4

#6
Arizona
3-8
.270
2-7
261
322
1-4

SEC

Rank
Team
Record
Percentage
Conference Record
Points For
Points Against
Division Record

East Division

#1
(1) Georgia*
13-0
1.000
11-0
476
195
6-0

#2
South Carolina
7-5
.580
6-3
326
217
4-2

#3
Florida
4-7
.360
4-5
230
290
4-2

#4
Tennessee
7-5
.580
4-5
278
291
3-3

#5
Missouri
5-7
.410
3-6
333
377
3-3

#6
Kentucky
1-11
.080
1-8
234
360
1-5

#7
Vanderbilt
4-8
.330
1-8
229
342
0-6

West Division

#1
(15) Arkansas*
10-3
.760
8-2
515
279
5-1

#2
(10) Alabama
9-3
.750
7-3
328
206
4-2

#3
(18) LSU
9-3
.750
6-3
424
270
4-2

#4
(19) Auburn
8-4
.660
5-4
337
289
3-3

#5
Mississippi State
6-6
.500
4-5
287
309
3-3

#6
Texas A&M
6-6
.500
4-5
336
334
2-4

#7
Ole Miss
4-8
.330
1-8
249
371
0-6

Sun Belt

Rank
Team
Record
Percentage
Conference Record
Points For
Points Against

#1
Arkansas State
8-3
.720
6-1
317
211

#2
UL Lafayette
8-4
.660
6-1
334
259

#3
Western Kentucky
4-8
.330
4-3
245
292

#4
Florida Atlantic
4-8
.330
3-4
218
320

#5
Texas State
5-7
.410
3-4
232
292

#6
Troy
3-9
.250
3-4
160
350

#7
UL Monroe
2-10
.160
2-5
214
408

#8
Mid Tennessee State
2-10
.160
1-6
189
363

WAC

Rank
Team
Record
Percentage
Conference Record
Points For
Points Against

#1
Wyoming
9-3
.750
3-0
389
229

#2
Idaho
5-6
.450
1-2
220
280

#3
New Mexico
5-7
.410
1-2
246
348

#4
New Mexico State
4-8
.330
1-2
234
301

Heisman Memorial Trophy

:Heisman_Trophy:

Rank
Player
Position
Team
1st
2nd
3rd
Total

#1
Jeremy Nunez
QB
USC
624
136
19
2163

#2
Matt Blount
HB
Georgia
63
275
227
966

#3
D. Williams
QB
Kansas State
43
146
195
616

#4
G. Allen
QB
Michigan
23
131
194
525

#5
J. Mills
HB
Utah
20
62
74
258

Award Winners

Award
Player
Position
Team
Year

:Heisman_Trophy:
Jeremy Nunez
QB
USC
Senior

Maxwell
Matt Blount
HB
Georgia
Sophomore

Walter Camp
Matt Blount
HB
Georgia
Sophomore

Bednarik
Charlie Eaton
CB
Illinois
Senior

Nagurski
Brandon Carrington
DT
LSU
Junior (RS)

O'Brien
Brandon Booth
QB
Tulsa
Junior (RS)

Walker
Matt Blount
HB
Georgia
Sophomore

Biletnikoff
Kevin Davidson
WR
USC
Junior

Mackey
Joel Hart
TE
Kansas State
Senior

Outland
Jovon Wood
RT
USC
Junior (RS)

Rimington
Scott Smith
C
USC
Senior (RS)

Lombardi
Brandon Carrington
DT
LSU
Junior (RS)

Best LB
Albert Alfred
LOLB
LSU
Junior (RS)

Thorpe
Charlie Eaton
CB
Illinois
Senior

Groza
Robbie Cook
K
USC
Sophomore

Guy
Dennis Reese
P
Wisconsin
Freshman (RS)

Best Returner
Christian Snyder
WR
Utah
Senior (RS)

All Americans

All-NCAA

1st Team

Position
Player
Team
Year

Offense

QB
Brandon Booth
Tulsa
Junior (RS)

HB
Clint Stewart
Wisconsin
Senior

HB
Matt Blount
Georgia
Sophomore

WR
Pat Horton
SMU
Senior

WR
Kevin Davidson
USC
Junior

TE
Joel Hart
Kansas State
Senior

LT
Adam Temple
Wisconsin
Senior (RS)

LG
Phillip Morton
Georgia
Junior (RS)

C
Scott Smith
USC
Senior (RS)

RG
Dennis Ward
USC
Junior (RS)

RT
Jovon Wood
USC
Junior (RS)

Defense

RE
Eric Moore
Ohio State
Junior (RS)

RE
Bruce Brown
USC
Junior (RS)

DT
Clinton Davis
Tulsa
Senior (RS)

DT
Brandon Carrington
LSU
Junior (RS)

MLB
Joe Bolden
Virginia Tech
Senior (RS)

ROLB
Dave Garcia
Georgia
Junior (RS)

ROLB
Adam Fuller
Oklahoma
Junior

CB
Charlie Eaton
Illinois
Senior

CB
Matthew Grier
USC
Junior

FS
Nate Marshall
USC
Senior

SS
Caleb Holmes
Utah
Junior

K
Robbie Cook
USC
Sophomore

P
Dennis Reese
Wisconsin
Freshman (RS)

Returner
Christian Snyder
Utah
Senior (RS)

2nd Team

Position
Player
Team
Year

Offense

QB
Jeremy Nunez
USC
Senior

HB
James Mills
Utah
Senior

HB
Clifton Ewing
Oregon
Senior (RS)

WR
Mike Jackson
LSU
Senior

WR
Jimmy Weatherford
TCU
Junior (RS)

TE
Rob King
Rutgers
Senior (RS)

LT
Chris Brown
Georgia
Junior (RS)

LT
Jon Brown
Alabama
Senior (RS)

LG
Chad Goss
Oregon
Senior (RS)

C
Scott Logan
Wisconsin
Junior (RS)

RG
Ryan Landrum
Wisconsin
Junior (RS)

Defense

LE
Travis McKnight
Florida State
Junior

RE
Kevin Mackey
Wisconsin
Senior (RS)

DT
Leon Wallace
Nebraska
Sophomore (RS)

DT
Matt Rich
North Carolina
Senior

LOLB
Albert Alfred
LSU
Junior (RS)

MLB
Patrick Murphy
Georgia
Senior

ROLB
Will Maxwell
Mississippi State
Senior

CB
Brandon Swan
UL Lafayette
Sophomore (RS)

CB
Isaac Houston
Wisconsin
Senior (RS)

FS
Blake Clark
Georgia
Senior (RS)

SS
Dallas Gschwend
Oklahoma
Junior

K
Nick Williams
Florida State
Senior

P
Julian Clark
LSU
Sophomore (RS)

Returner
Willie Pearson
Tennessee
Junior

Freshman Team

Position
Player
Team
Year

Offense

QB
Mark Morrison
Iowa
Freshman (RS)

HB
Jay Smith
Virginia Tech
Freshman (RS)

HB
Jordan Lewis
USC
Freshman (RS)

WR
Demetrius Carlson
Texas Tech
Freshman (RS)

WR
Bobby Lloyd
Stanford
Freshman (RS)

TE
Ryan Lundy
West Virginia
Freshman (RS)

LT
Stephen Richardson
USC
Freshman

LG
Robert Meyer
Wisconsin
Freshman (RS)

C
Adam Lewis
USC
Freshman (RS)

RG
Joe Walker
Notre Dame
Freshman (RS)

RT
T. J. Hayden
Wisconsin
Freshman (RS)

Defense

LE
Anthony Walker
Iowa
Freshman (RS)

RE
Charles Scott
Iowa
Freshman (RS)

DT
John Stephens
Iowa
Freshman (RS)

DT
Paul Ralph
USC
Freshman (RS)

LOLB
Eric White
Utah
Freshman (RS)

MLB
Korey Estes
Alabama
Freshman

ROLB
Nathen Wesley
Nebraska
Freshman (RS)

CB
Charles Mansfield
USC
Freshman (RS)

CB
Nicholas Berry
NC State
Freshman (RS)

FS
David McAfee
Wisconsin
Freshman (RS)

SS
Edward Hardy
Washington
Freshman

K
Stephen Watkins
Georgia
Freshman (RS)

P
Dennis Reese
Wisconsin
Freshman (RS)

Returner
William Meadows
Virginia Tech
Freshman

All-Conference USA

1st Team

Position
Player
Team
Year

Offense

QB
Brandon Booth
Tulsa
Junior (RS)

HB
Brandon Price
Tulsa
Junior

HB
Dominic Pittman
Florida International
Junior (RS)

WR
Alexander Grier
East Carolina
Senior (RS)

WR
Derek Brewer
Louisiana Tech
Senior (RS)

TE
Dan Wright
UAB
Sophomore

LG
Courtney Harris
Florida International
Senior (RS)

C
Anthony Hubbard
Florida International
Senior

RG
Marcel Morris
Tulsa
Junior (RS)

RT
Travis Swain
Florida International
Senior

RT
Curt McDonald
Tulsa
Senior

Defense

LE
George Smith
Tulsa
Senior (RS)

RE
Brian White
Tulsa
Senior (RS)

DT
Charles Peterson
Florida International
Senior (RS)

DT
Clinton Davis
Tulsa
Senior (RS)

MLB
Mike Moore
UTEP
Sophomore (RS)

ROLB
Chaz Neal
East Carolina
Sophomore (RS)

ROLB
Jahmal Brown
Rice
Junior (RS)

CB
Kent Baker
Tulane
Senior

CB
Martin Haynes
UTEP
Senior (RS)

FS
Joel McDonald
East Carolina
Junior

SS
James Bryan
UTEP
Sophomore (RS)

K
Grant Mosley
Rice
Junior (RS)

P
Carlos Wilcox
Tulsa
Sophomore

Returner
Stephen Macklin
UAB
Junior

2nd Team

Position
Player
Team
Year

Offense

QB
Jeremy Williams
Louisiana Tech
Senior (RS)

HB
Sean Fox
Tulsa
Senior

HB
Lamar Everett
Rice
Senior (RS)

WR
Chad Fisher
Tulsa
Junior

WR
Sean Parks
Tulsa
Senior (RS)

TE
Kevin Hall
Louisiana Tech
Senior (RS)

LT
John Holt
Tulsa
Senior (RS)

LT
Eric McNeal
Florida International
Senior

C
Everett Brantley
Tulsa
Senior

RG
Matt East
Florida International
Sophomore (RS)

RG
Jason Smith
Tulsa
Junior

Defense

LE
Ryan Pearson
Rice
Senior (RS)

LE
Deon Hall
East Carolina
Junior

DT
Ricardo Carter
UTEP
Junior (RS)

DT
Jerrell Hampton
UTEP
Junior

LOLB
Joshua Phillips
Rice
Junior (RS)

MLB
Nathan Copeland
UAB
Junior (RS)

ROLB
David Walker
Tulsa
Junior

CB
Eric Pearson
Southern Miss
Sophomore (RS)

CB
Ty Ferguson
Marshall
Junior

FS
Shaun Robinson
Marshall
Sophomore

SS
Steve Dickens
Louisiana Tech
Senior

K
John Brown
East Carolina
Sophomore

P
Manny Townsend
UTEP
Senior

Returner
David Dodd
East Carolina
Senior

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 10:03 PM

2014 Conference Champions

Conference
Team
Record
Conference Record

CCG Loser
Record
Conference Record

:ACC:
:Florida_State:
10-3
8-2

:North_Carolina:
9-4
7-3

:Big_12:
:Texas_Tech:
9-2
9-0

:Big_East:
:UCF:
9-4
8-1

:SMU:
9-4
7-2

:Big_Ten:
:Wisconsin:
11-1
7-2

:Iowa:
10-3
8-1

:CUSA:
:Tulsa:
12-1
9-0

:FIU:
10-3
7-2

:MAC:
:Toledo:
9-4
7-2

:Ohio:
8-5
6-3

:Mountain_West:
:Fresno_State:
11-0
7-0

:Pac_12:
:USC:
13-0
10-0

:Oregon:
9-4
7-3

:SEC:
:Georgia:
13-0
11-0

:Arkansas:
10-3
8-2

:Sun_Belt:
:Arkansas_State:
8-3
6-1

:WAC:
:Wyoming:
9-3
3-0

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 10:05 PM

Gschwendt, my congratulations on your brother Dallas making it as a second team All-American. :D ;)

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 11:45 PM

2014 Bowl Season Rundown

Bowl Game
Conference
Record
Team

Team
Record
Conference

Date/Result

:New_Mexico_Bowl:
:Pac_12:
5-7 (3-6)
:Cal:
vs.
:BYU:
4-8 (0-0)
Independent

12/15 - 3:00PM

:Famous_Idaho_Bowl:
:MAC:
7-5 (6-2)
:Western_Michigan:
vs.
:Wyoming:
9-3 (3-0)
:WAC:

12/17 - 2:00PM

:New_Orleans_Bowl:
:CUSA:
7-5 (5-3)
:Marshall:
vs.
:Arkansas_State:
8-3 (6-1)
:Sun_Belt:

12/17 - 8:30PM

:Beef_O_Bradys_Bowl:
:CUSA:
10-2 (6-2)
:UTEP:
vs.
:Houston:
7-5 (3-5)
:Big_East:

12/20 - 8:00PM

:Poinsettia_Bowl:
:Pac_12:
5-6 (3-6)
:Arizona_State:
vs.
:Colorado_State:
7-5 (4-2)
:Mountain_West:

12/21 - 5:00PM

:Las_Vegas_Bowl:
:Pac_12:
8-4 (5-4)
:Washington:
vs.
:Nevada:
8-4 (5-2)
:Mountain_West:

12/22 - 8:00PM

:Hawaii_Bowl:
:CUSA:
8-4 (4-4)
:Rice:
vs.
:Penn_State:
5-7 (2-6)
:Big_Ten:

12/24 - 3:00PM

:Independence_Bowl:
:Mountain_West:
8-3 (4-3)
:Air_Force:
vs.
:Miami:
6-6 (4-5)
:ACC:

12/26 - 4:30PM

:LittleCaesars_Bowl:
:CUSA:
6-6 (4-4)
:Louisiana_Tech:
vs.
:Northern_Illinois:
8-4 (6-2)
:MAC:

12/27 - 2:00PM

:Belk_Bowl:
:ACC:
8-4 (6-3)
:Georgia_Tech:
vs.
(14) :Rutgers:
10-2 (6-2)
:Big_East:

12/27 - 4:30PM

:Military_Bowl:
:MAC:
8-5 (6-3)
:Ohio:
vs.
:Army:
8-3 (0-0)
Independent

12/28 - 4:30PM

:Holiday_Bowl:
:SEC:
5-7 (3-6)
:Missouri:
vs.
:UCLA:
8-4 (6-3)
:Pac_12:

12/28 - 5:00PM

:Alamo_Bowl:
:Big_12:
8-4 (6-3)
(20) :Kansas_State:
vs.
(23) :Oregon:
9-4 (7-3)
:Pac_12:

12/29 - 8:00PM

:Champs_Sports_Bowl:
:Big_East:
9-4 (7-2)
:SMU:
vs.
(17) :Virginia_Tech:
9-3 (7-2)
:ACC:

12/29 - 8:00PM

:Insight_Bowl:
:Big_12:
8-4 (5-4)
:Texas:
vs.
(24) :Michigan:
8-4 (5-3)
:Big_Ten:

12/30 - 6:00PM

:Music_City_Bowl:
:SEC:
6-6 (4-5)
:Mississippi_State:
vs.
:NC_State:
7-5 (6-3)
:ACC:

12/30 - 8:30PM

:Sun_Bowl:
:Pac_12:
9-3 (6-3)
(25) :Utah:
vs.
:North_Carolina:
9-4 (7-3)
:ACC:

12/31 - 12:00PM

:Armed_Forces_Bowl:
:CUSA:
7-5 (4-4)
:East_Carolina:
vs.
:Tennessee:
7-5 (4-5)
:SEC:

12/31 - 12:00PM

:Liberty_Bowl:
:Big_East:
9-3 (6-2)
:Louisville:
vs.
(11) :Tulsa:
12-1 (9-0)
:CUSA:

12/31 - 2:00PM

:Meineke_Texas_Bowl:
:Big_Ten:
7-5 (4-4)
:Purdue:
vs.
:Bowling_Green:
6-6 (5-3)
:MAC:

12/31 - 2:00PM

:Chick_fil_A_Bowl:
:SEC:
7-5 (6-3)
:South_Carolina:
vs.
(22) :Clemson:
9-3 (7-2)
:ACC:

12/31 - 7:30PM

:Fight_Hunger_Bowl:
:MAC:
6-5 (5-3)
:Kent_State:
vs.
:Stanford:
6-6 (5-4)
:Pac_12:

12/31 - 8:00PM

:Outback_Bowl:
:SEC:
9-3 (7-3)
(10) :Alabama:
vs.
(8) :Michigan_State:
9-3 (5-3)
:Big_Ten:

1/1 - 11:00AM

:Capital_One_Bowl:
:SEC:
10-3 (8-2)
(15) :Arkansas:
vs.
(12) :Iowa:
10-3 (8-1)
:Big_Ten:

1/1 - 1:00PM

:TaxSlayer_Gator:
:SEC:
8-4 (5-4)
(19) :Auburn:
vs.
(21) :Ohio_State:
8-4 (5-3)
:Big_Ten:

1/1 - 1:00PM

:TicketCity_Bowl:
:CUSA:
10-3 (7-2)
:FIU:
vs.
:San_Diego_State:
5-6 (4-4)
:Big_East:

1/1 - 3:30PM

:Cotton_Bowl:
:SEC:
9-3 (6-3)
(18) :LSU:
vs.
(13) :TCU:
9-3 (6-3)
:Big_12:

1/4 - 8:00PM

:BBVA_Compass_Bowl:
:Big_East:
7-5 (3-5)
:Cincinnati:
vs.
:Texas_A&M:
6-6 (4-5)
:Big_12:

1/6 - 2:00PM

:GoDaddycom_Bowl:
:MAC:
9-4 (7-2)
:Toledo:
vs.
:Louisiana:
8-4 (6-1)
:Sun_Belt:

1/6 - 6:00PM

2014 BCS Bowls

Bowl Game
Conference
Record
Team

Team
Record
Conference

Date/Result

:Rose_Bowl:
:Big_Ten:
11-2 (7-2)
(4) :Wisconsin:
vs.
(6) :Notre_Dame:
10-2 (0-0)
Independent

1/1 - 5:00PM

:Sugar_Bowl:
:Mountain_West:
11-0 (7-0)
(3) :Fresno_State:
vs.
(7) :Nebraska:
9-3 (6-2)
:Big_Ten:

1/2 - 8:00PM

:Orange_Bowl:
:ACC:
10-3 (8-2)
(16) :Florida_State:
vs.
(9) :Oklahoma:
8-3 (7-2)
:Big_12:

1/3 - 8:00PM

:Fiesta_Bowl:
:Big_12:
9-2 (9-0)
(5) :Texas_Tech:
vs.
:UCF:
9-4 (8-1)
:Big_East:

1/4 - 8:00PM

:BCS_Trophy:
:Pac_12:
13-0 (10-0)
(2) :USC:
vs.
(1) :Georgia:
13-0 (11-0)
:SEC:

1/7 - 8:00PM

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 11:51 PM

So there you have it. I am rolling to Memphis, Tennessee for the Liberty Bowl and a showdown with nemesis Louisville. I went 0-3 against Louisville while at Florida International, could never figure those fuckers out. Maybe now I'll actually pull off my first ever win against them with Tulsa.

Looking at the bowls, god, that New Mexico Bowl is just awful. I don't know how a 4-8 BYU got in over a 5-6 Idaho and a slew of 5-7 teams. That's gonna be the last bowl game I sim just because I don't care how it turns out other than to complete my Bowl Rundown post. Some intriguing match-ups this year. Washington vs. Nevada in the Las Vegas Bowl, Ohio vs. Army in the Military Bowl, the Battle for the Palmetto State between South Carolina and Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Toledo and Louisiana-Lafayette matching up in the GoDaddy.com Bowl, and then all of the BCS Bowls bringing some enticing showdowns.

SmoothPancakes

12-19-2012, 11:54 PM

Oh yeah, and something I noticed while looking back at last season's bowl rundown, I called (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?2857-Smooth-Pancakes-Coaching-Carousel-Career&p=149208&viewfull=1#post149208) Northern Illinois busting down the BCS. In my 2013 season, Northern Illinois crashes the party ranked #16 with a 12-1 record and goes to the Fiesta Bowl, losing 28-24 to Oklahoma State. This year in real life, crashing the party with a 12-1 record, ranked #15 and going to the Orange Bowl.

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 02:34 AM

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

:Louisville: VS #11 :Tulsa:

Game Notes

--- It seemed like so long ago we were sweating away in the hot, dog days of August, running two-a-days day after day. Now the season was upon its conclusion. What a wild ride it had been. Opening the year whooping Akron, that intense back and forth battle before we finally triumphed in overtime against the then #5 Oklahoma Sooners. The emotions surrounding Coach Ramius’ return to Miami to take on his former team, and the hard loss to Utah the next week. Then running the gamut in C-USA action, battling out close games with Louisiana Tech, UTEP and North Texas, while demolishing the likes of Rice, East Carolina, UTSA and Tulane. Then the rematch in the C-USA championship game, as Tulsa and Florida International ended their regular seasons exactly as they had begun, facing off with each other. Another back and forth slugfest, and another 13 point margin of victory for the Golden Hurricanes. An almost exact repeat of the first game. And now here it was, the finale for the 2014 campaign. A trip to Memphis, Tennessee, and a showdown with the Louisville Cardinals.

This was a concerning game for Coach Ramius. He knew well the failures he had suffered against Louisville. During his time at offensive coordinator at Florida International, Ramius was never able to defeat Louisville in three tries, losing 38-14, 49-23, and 35-16. Finally able to get away from those regular season games with Louisville with a change of scenery, the Cardinals had followed him to the plains of Oklahoma, refusing to go away or disappear. It was a successful year for the Louisville faithful, going 9-3 (6-2 Big East). Louisville got their season started with a 28-24 win against Kentucky, pulled out a 24-20 win over Arkansas State and won 54-14 at Eastern Michigan. The Cardinal would suffer their first losses of the season with back to back defeats, 27-3 at #14 Rutgers and 34-31 to Utah State. Louisville would recover with a 45-14 win at San Diego State, before falling at home to South Florida, 34-27. The Cardinal would then close out the year on a five game win streak, beating Cincinnati 31-14, winning at Temple 21-10 and at SMU 27-24. A 37-10 home win over Memphis was then followed up with a season ending 27-13 victory at Connecticut.

There was positive news heading into this game. Our star halfback, Kiel Fletcher, was finally healed up and back from a 10 week stint on the injury list. Sean Fox was also on the mend from a dislocated elbow he had suffered a month and a half earlier, and was now listed as questionable for the game. Though Brandon Price was still out for the season with a torn shoulder, having Fletcher back and Fox available if needed, our team got the extra boost it needed heading into the Liberty Bowl. Declared the home team on the scoreboard, we decided to leave our blue and golds at home, breaking out our yellow alternates for the bowl game. Louisville won the coin toss and elected to kick.

Sean Parks took the kickoff back for 23 yards and we were off and running from our 22 yard line. Tasting his first action since the early weeks of the season, Kiel Fletcher got us started on our drive with a 5 yard rush, followed by a gain of one. On third and four, Brandon Booth headed into the air and found Sean Parks for a gain of 7 and a first down at our 36. A quick 18 yard strike with Chad Fisher, and we were inside enemy territory at the Louisville 46. Turning the reigns back over our halfbacks, Fletcher picked up gains of two and 6 yards, before Roy Smith converted the third and one with an 8 yard rush to get to the 29 yard line. Fletcher broke two runs for gains of 7 and four and we had a first down at the 18. Two more runs by Fletcher for gains of three yards and 7 yards left us with third and inches at the 8 yard line. A four yard rush by Smith gave us first and goal from the four. Fletcher fought forward for gains of one and two yards, leaving us with third and goal from the one. Fletcher would add his first taste of the end zone to this drive, as he took the handoff and leap up and over the pile of bodies for the one yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 3:32 left in the first quarter.

A 23 yard kickoff return and the Cardinals offense came on the field for the first time today at their 30 yard line. A 6 yard rush by James Smith was followed with a gain of one by David Scott, leaving Louisville with third and four. The offense would end up going backwards, as a holding penalty left Louisville with third and 14 from their 26. Scott’s pass intended for Patrick Gonzalez was knocked incomplete and Louisville was forced to punt. A 7 yard return on the 47 yard punt and we were starting at our 33. Fletcher picked up 6 yards on a first down carry, but the Louisville defense was too much on the next play, bringing Fletcher down for a loss of one yard and we faced third and 5 from our 38. Booth’s pass intended for Parks was knocked away and our punt unit came out. A fair catch on the 45 yard punt left Louisville on their 17. Smith’s first down carry went nowhere, as he was brought down for a loss of three yards, followed by a 5 yard gain by Scott. On third and 8, Scott connected with Smith for a 13 yard pass and Louisville had a first down at the 31. A pair of rushes for 6 and 5 yard gains by Smith got the Cardinals out to their 41. An incomplete pass and a 7 yard rush left Louisville with third and three. Scott Bass would convert, picking up four yards on the ground to give Louisville a first down at our 48 yard line, as the final seconds ticked off the clock. The first quarter came to a close, our lead holding at 7-0.

Louisville came out bombing to start the second quarter, as Scott launched one to Anthony Hendrix for a 32 yard gain and Louisville had a first down at our 16 yard line. An 8 yard pass to Joe Hayford was followed with a four yard rush by Smith and Louisville had first and goal from our five yard line. Our defense pushed back, tackling Smith on first down for a loss of four yards, before an incomplete pass left Louisville with third and goal at our 9. The Cardinals would get on the board on third down, as Scott found Bass in the far corner for the 9 yard touchdown pass, the PAT tying things up 7-7 with 7:55 left in the first half. A touchback on the kickoff started us at our 25. Fletcher got the drive started off with a 7 yard rush, followed by a two yard gain to set up third and two at our 33. The defense would rise to the occasion, as Fletcher was met at the line for no gain and we were forced to punt on fourth and two. A fair catch on the 49 yard punt found Louisville again starting at their 17. The Cardinals wasted no time in moving, as Scott hit Hendrix for a 14 yard gain. A three yard rush by Smith was followed with another pass to Hendrix, this time for 16 yards and Louisville had a first down at midfield. Smith broke open an 8 yard rush to set up second and two form our 43. The defense would stop the drive dead in its tracks, tackling Scott for a pair of three yard losses and with fourth and 8, Louisville would punt away with 5:20 remaining in the half. The punt sailed 48 yards for a touchback.

Fletcher never had a chance on first down, as the right linebacker came through untouched and Fletcher was brought down for a loss of two yards. Bringing the house on second and 12 cost the Cardinals dearly, as Parks was able to haul in a pass from Booth and with no one in front of him except for the safeties 20 yard down field Parks was able to race up the field, eventually being brought down at the 27 yard line for a 55 yard gain. Fletcher would find the end zone for the second time today, bouncing a rush play outside the left tackling, and thanks to a pair of timely down field blocks, raced the safety to the corner of the end zone for a 27 yard touchdown rush and a 14-7 lead with 3:55 left in the half. Starting on their 25 after the touchback, Louisville picked up a quick first down as Scott connected with Smith for a gain of 17. After a dropped pass, our defense got tagged with a 12 yard penalty, giving Louisville a first down at our 46. Following a one yard rush by Gonzalez and a two yard gain by Smith, Scott would pick up the first down himself, scrambling for an 8 yard gain to our 35. A four yard rush by Smith and an incomplete pass left Louisville with third and 6, when Scott found Bass wide open for a pickup of 23 yards and first and goal at our 8 yard line. A two yard rush by Smith and an incomplete pass left Louisville with third and goal from the 6. The Cardinals would be forced to settle for a field goal as Smith was tackled for a loss of four yards on the third down rush attempt, Chris Bowen drilling the 27 yard kick to make it 14-10 with 1:27 remaining in the first half.

A 26 yard kickoff return by Parks left our offense the ball on our 27 yard line and 1:14 left to work with. Booth’s first down pass intended for Carlos Anderson was nearly picked off, but the corner was unable to hold on to it. Booth would find Fisher cutting across the middle on the next play for a 23 yard gain and a first down at our 49 yard line, our first timeout stopping the clock with 1:06 left. Booth was nearly picked off for the second time this drive, as he first down pass was dropped by the outside linebacker. A broken up pass on the next play left us with third down and one minute to go. Parks would keep our drive alive, hauling in a pass from Booth for a gain of 15 yards to the Louisville 35. Andrews would get us even deeper with a 19 yard catch on a hook and ladder and we had first down at the 17 with 49 seconds to go. Booth continued getting lucky, as his third nearly intercepted pass this drive was again dropped by the defense. A pass to Parks picked up 9 yards and we were left with third and one from the 8 yard line. Our second timeout froze the clock with 19 seconds and gave us a chance to regroup for the third down play. Fletcher would pick up two yards on the play and give us first and goal at the 6. A four yard gain by Fletcher would advance the ball to the two yard line, where we would be unable to get off another offensive snap, having to call timeout with three seconds to go. Alphonso Pratt kicked the 19 yard field goal through the uprights and we had a 17-10 lead going into the halftime.

A 21 yard kickoff return got Louisville out to their 28 yard line to start action in the second half. It would be a short drive, as Smith was wrapped up for a loss of three yards, followed by a loss of on by Bryan Roberts and an incomplete pass to leave Louisville punting on fourth and 14. Fletcher called for a fair catch on the 47 yard punt and our offense came out to start from our 28. The defense was ready for Fletcher on first down, tackling him for no gain. We’d get a first down through the air as Booth found Anderson on second down for an 11 yard gain out to the 40 yard line. A 10 yard rush by Fletcher and we had first down at midfield. A pair for carries by Fletcher only managed gains of two and one yards, leaving us with third and 7. A delay of game penalty would push us back to our 48 yard line, and an incomplete pass on third and 12 would bring our drive to an end. No return on the 46 yard punt by Carlos Wilcox left Louisville in the shadows of the goalposts, starting on their 5 yard line.

Smith picked up gains of two and four yards on the first two plays, before Scott converted third and four with a 5 yard rush. After a gain of 6 by Smith, Scott hit Hendrix up the left sideline for a gain of 22 yards and first down at the 44 yard line. Smith took the ball again on first down, picking up 6 yards, followed by an incomplete pass to leave third and four. A pass from Scott to Smith picked up only two yards. Electing to go for it on fourth down, Smith was able to convert fourth and two with a gain of 6 yards on the ground and the Cardinals had new life at our 42 yard line. After a 7 yard rush by Smith, a 14 yard pass from Scott to Gonzalez gave Louisville a new set of downs at our 22 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, the defense broke through and was able to tackle Scott for a four yard loss, before another incomplete pass left Louisville with fourth and 14 at our 25. Louisville took their chances again, Scott’s fourth down pass intended for Hayford batted down, and our offense took over at our 25 on the turnover on downs with 2:43 left in the third quarter.

Despite being tripped up, Fletcher was able to stumble his way forward for an 8 yard gain, before a stacked defense stopped him for only a gain of one. Leaving our fate on third and one in the hands of Fletcher, our drive would survive for another play with a 5 yard rush to the 40 yard line. A missed assignment by the defense left a huge gap up the middle, allowing Fletcher to gain 8 yards on the next play. Smith was brought down for a loss of one yard on the next play, and we were left with third and three. Going to the play action, Booth found Parks along the right sideline on a comeback route for a 20 yard gain and we had a new set of downs at the 33 yard line with 22 seconds left in the quarter. A four yard rush by Fletcher would bring the third quarter to an end, our lead standing at 17-10 with 9 minutes to play.

Starting the fourth quarter facing second and 6, Fletcher was brought down for a loss of one yard on the play, as the defense was already swarming while the handoff was still taking place. A pass to John Andrews went for a gain of only four, and we were left with fourth and three at the 26 yard line. Pratt’s 43 yard field goal attempt was no good, and Louisville took over at their 26 with 8:05 left in the game. A 9 yard rush by Bass set Louisville up with second and one from their 35. The offensive coordinator for the Cardinals was probably wishing he had kept it on the ground, as the second down pass from Scott was intercepted by Aaron McDonald to give us back possession at the Louisville 47 yard line. The defense was ready for our run game, as Fletcher was brought down for a loss of two yard on the first down carry. Trying to catch the defense off guard, we came out running option, Booth opting to keep the ball instead of pitching it, picking up 7 yards on the run and leaving us with third and 5. The third down pass intended for Parks was nearly picked off, which with nobody in front of him and all the action clear over on the far hash, surely would have been a pick six. But the ball was dropped and would punt away on fourth down. The punt sailed 46 yards, going out for a touchback with 6:36 remaining.

Louisville’s new drive was over almost instantly, as Scott was sacked on first down for a loss of three yards, followed by a loss of four yards on a rush by Scott and an incomplete pass to leave Louisville with fourth and 17 at their 13 yard line. A fair catch on the 47 yard punt gave our offense the ball at our 39 yard line. A pair of timely blocks by the fullback allowed Fletcher to bust the first down rush up the middle for a gain of 8 yards. Fletcher took the ball on second down, and despite breaking a tackle for what would have been a loss, the rest of the defense had broken through by then and the linebacker stopped Fletcher cold for no gain, leaving us with third and two from the 47. Fletcher was just barely able to get the first down, taking a toss from Booth and then racing the outside linebacker towards the sideline, just barely stepping ahead of the first down marker right before being run out of bounds to give us first down at midfield. Another experiment with the option on first down and Booth was able to turn the corner near the left hash and gain 14 yards before being chased down from behind by the linebacker. Fletcher never had a chance on the first down rush, as the fullback completely whiffed on his block, allowing the linebacker to come through and tackle Fletcher for a loss of two yards. A dump pass to Smith went for a gain of 10 yards and we were left with third and two at the 28. Booth’s pass intended for Smith was broken up and we were left attempting a field goal. Pratt finally was able to drill one through, as he 45 yard field goal cleared the uprights and we took a 20-10 lead.

A touchback on the kickoff left Louisville starting on their 25 with 3:22 left in the game. After a pair of dropped pass, Scott was finally able to complete one to Hendrix for a 12 yard gain to convert the third down. Three straight incomplete passes left Louisville’s chances hinging on fourth and 10. The Cardinals would convert with a 21 yard pass from Scott to Bass to give new life at our 42 yard line with 2:48 to play. A 19 yard pass to Gonzalez got Louisville down to our 23. A pair of rushes by Scott for gains of three and 6 yards was followed with a 5 yard pass to Hendrix, and Louisville was looking at first and goal from our 10 yard line, 2:07 left to play. Two incomplete passes later, Scott found Hendrix in the back of the end zone for the 10 yard touchdown pass. Bowen’s PAT made it 20-17 with 1:50 left to play. Louisville’s onside kick was recovered by Jason Hall and our offense took the field at our 44 yard line, 1:46 left to play, but Louisville still with all three timeouts. Fletcher picked up three yards up the middle, and Louisville’s first timeout stopped play with 1:43 to go. The defense broke through on the next play, tackling Fletcher for a loss of one yard, and Louisville’s second timeout stopped the clock with 1:41 to go, our offense facing third and 8 from the 43 yard line. Booth’s pass to Smith went backwards, losing two yards, leaving us with fourth and 11. Louisville’s final timeout stopped the clock with 1:38 left to play.

A BOOMING 55 yard punt left Louisville buried on their 4 yard line with 1:28 to go. Our defense got flagged for a facemask on first down and 14 yards later, Louisville had first down at their 18 yard line. After two incomplete passes, Scott hit Kelvin Adams for a gain of 13 yards and a first down at the 31 with 1:15 remaining. Another incomplete pass was followed with a 10 yard strike to Gonzalez and first down at the 42 with 1:01 left. Our defense would seal the victory for us, as Keith Battle intercepted Scott’s pass on first down, giving our offense the ball at our 45 yard line with 50 seconds to play. Booth kneeled the ball down twice and our victory was official, 20-17 over the Louisville Cardinals, Coach Ramius finally getting the monkey off his back in his fourth game against Louisville.

With the win, we end our 2014 season at 13-1, 9-0 in C-USA action. With the loss, Louisville’s year comes to an close at 9-4, 6-2 in Big East play.

Final Score
#11 :Tulsa: 20, :Louisville: 17

Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – A good day for Booth, throwing for 189 yards. We were subdued for the most part on offense so no touchdown passes today. A shame because Booth only needed one more touchdown pass to break the school record for most in a season. Maybe next year. Fletcher, a welcome back party indeed. 132 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 37 carries in his first game back since the first couple games of the year. To go along with our subdued passing, only 5 people caught a pass today. Four of them did get to double digit yards, and Parks had the most with 106 yards on 5 receptions, but still a quiet day when all is said and done.

- Tulsa Defense – A mostly great job by the defense. Held Louisville to only two touchdowns and a field goal, a very impressive performance in it's own right. Two interceptions and a key stop on a fourth down conversion attempt help us hold onto the lead.

- Tulsa Kicking – Despite his best efforts, Pratt couldn't make it a perfect 3-3 day, missing a 43 yard attempt but connecting on kicks of 19 and 45 yards, to go along with 2-2 in PATs.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Louisville:
0
10
0
7
17

:Tulsa:
7
10
0
3
20

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

3:32
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 2 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-0

Second Quarter

7:55
:Louisville:
Touchdown
S. Bass, 8 yard pass from D. Scott (C. Bowen kick)
TIED 7-7

3:55
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 27 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 14-7

1:29
:Louisville:
Field Goal
C. Bowen, 26 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 14-10

0:00
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 19 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 17-10

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter

3:33
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 45 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 20-10

1:50
:Louisville:
Touchdown
A. Hendrix, 9 yard pass from D. Scott (C. Bowen kick)
:Tulsa: 20-17

Game Stats

Louisville
Stat
Tulsa

17
Score
20

20
First Downs
16

351
Total Offense
349

34 - 91 - 0
Rushes - Yards - TD
44 - 160 - 2

18 - 42 - 2
Comp - Att - TD
12 - 20 - 0

260
Passing Yards
189

1
Times Sacked
0

10 - 18 (55%)
3rd Down Conversion
9 - 16 (56%)

2 - 3 (66%)
4th Down Conversion
0 - 0 (0%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

3 - 2 - 1 (100%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
6 - 1 - 1 (33%)

2
Turnovers
0

0
Fumbles Lost
0

2
Intercepted
0

0
Punt Return Yards
7

44
Kick Return Yards
49

395
Total Yards
405

4 – 47.5
Punts - Average
5 - 45.0

1 - 10
Penalties
3 - 31

16:22
Time of Possession
19:38

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
1/2 Passed
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
1/2 Passed
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

100%

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 02:39 AM

FINALLY!!! It took four tries and three embarrassing losses while at FIU, but FINALLY, I manage to defeat Louisville. I wanted this win so badly, having those horrible losses to the Cardinals during my three years at FIU. We finally won, but it wasn't much because of offense. If the defense doesn't intercept those two passes, I had a feeling it would have ended a 24-17 loss. Louisville was catching a rhythm on that last drive, and it was beginning to look like a second straight march down the field with some third and fourth down conversions along the way. If the defense doesn't intercept that pass with 50 seconds to go, I have no doubt in my mind we were either going to overtime knotted at 20 or would have lost 24-17. I could just feel it in my gut that Louisville would have gotten some points somehow that drive.

But, the defense bails out the offense, the monkey is FINALLY off the back, and now it's time to get ready for the off-season and the 2015 campaign.

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 03:28 AM

2014 Bowl Season Rundown

Bowl Game
Conference
Record
Team
Results
Team
Record
Conference

:New_Mexico_Bowl:
Independent
5-8 (0-0)
:BYU:
45-14
:Cal:
5-8 (3-6)
:Pac_12:

:Famous_Idaho_Bowl:
:WAC:
10-3 (3-0)
:Wyoming:
24-19
:Western_Michigan:
7-6 (6-2)
:MAC:

:New_Orleans_Bowl:
:Sun_Belt:
9-3 (6-1)
:Arkansas_State:
31-24
:Marshall:
7-6 (5-3)
:CUSA:

:Beef_O_Bradys_Bowl:
:CUSA:
11-2 (6-2)
:UTEP:
13-10
:Houston:
7-6 (3-5)
:Big_East:

:Poinsettia_Bowl:
:Pac_12:
6-6 (3-6)
:Arizona_State:
35-23
:Colorado_State:
7-6 (4-2)
:Mountain_West:

:Las_Vegas_Bowl:
:Pac_12:
9-4 (5-4)
:Washington:
48-31
:Nevada:
8-5 (5-2)
:Mountain_West:

:Hawaii_Bowl:
:Big_Ten:
6-7 (2-6)
:Penn_State:
37-3
:Rice:
8-5 (4-4)
:CUSA:

:Independence_Bowl:
:Mountain_West:
9-3 (4-3)
:Air_Force:
19-14
:Miami:
6-7 (4-5)
:ACC:

:LittleCaesars_Bowl:
:CUSA:
7-6 (4-4)
:Louisiana_Tech:
28-27
:Northern_Illinois:
8-5 (6-2)
:MAC:

:Belk_Bowl:
:ACC:
9-4 (6-3)
:Georgia_Tech:
35-19
(14) :Rutgers:
10-3 (6-2)
:Big_East:

:Military_Bowl:
Independent
9-3 (0-0)
:Army:
31-14
:Ohio:
8-6 (6-3)
:MAC:

:Holiday_Bowl:
:Pac_12:
9-4 (6-3)
:UCLA:
31-14
:Missouri:
5-8 (3-6)
:SEC:

:Alamo_Bowl:
:Big_12:
9-4 (6-3)
(20) :Kansas_State:
24-17
(23) :Oregon:
9-5 (7-3)
:Pac_12:

:Champs_Sports_Bowl:
:ACC:
10-3 (7-2)
(17) :Virginia_Tech:
27-24 OT
:SMU:
9-5 (7-2)
:Big_East:

:Insight_Bowl:
:Big_Ten:
9-4 (5-3)
(24) :Michigan:
17-10
:Texas:
8-5 (5-4)
:Big_12:

:Music_City_Bowl:
:SEC:
7-6 (4-5)
:Mississippi_State:
21-10
:NC_State:
7-6 (6-3)
:ACC:

:Sun_Bowl:
:Pac_12:
10-3 (6-3)
(25) :Utah:
49-17
:North_Carolina:
9-5 (7-3)
:ACC:

:Armed_Forces_Bowl:
:SEC:
8-5 (4-5)
:Tennessee:
33-17
:East_Carolina:
7-6 (4-4)
:CUSA:

:Liberty_Bowl:
:CUSA:
13-1 (9-0)
(11) :Tulsa:
20-17
:Louisville:
9-4 (6-2)
:Big_East:

:Meineke_Texas_Bowl:
:Big_Ten:
8-5 (4-4)
:Purdue:
28-7
:Bowling_Green:
6-7 (5-3)
:MAC:

:Chick_fil_A_Bowl:
:ACC:
10-3 (7-2)
(22) :Clemson:
33-21
:South_Carolina:
7-6 (6-3)
:SEC:

:Fight_Hunger_Bowl:
:Pac_12:
7-6 (5-4)
:Stanford:
30-21
:Kent_State:
6-6 (5-3)
:MAC:

:Outback_Bowl:
:Big_Ten:
10-3 (5-3)
(8) :Michigan_State:
38-17
(10) :Alabama:
9-4 (7-3)
:SEC:

:Capital_One_Bowl:
:Big_Ten:
11-3 (8-1)
(12) :Iowa:
37-17
(15) :Arkansas:
10-4 (8-2)
:SEC:

:TaxSlayer_Gator:
:SEC:
9-4 (5-4)
(19) :Auburn:
31-13
(21) :Ohio_State:
8-5 (5-3)
:Big_Ten:

:TicketCity_Bowl:
:CUSA:
11-3 (7-2)
:FIU:
21-12
:San_Diego_State:
5-7 (4-4)
:Big_East:

:Cotton_Bowl:
:Big_12:
10-3 (6-3)
(13) :TCU:
38-26
(18) :LSU:
9-4 (6-3)
:SEC:

:BBVA_Compass_Bowl:
:Big_12:
7-6 (4-5)
:Texas_A&M:
31-28
:Cincinnati:
7-6 (3-5)
:Big_East:

:GoDaddycom_Bowl:
:MAC:
10-4 (7-2)
:Toledo:
35-17
:Louisiana:
8-5 (6-1)
:Sun_Belt:

2014 BCS Bowls

Bowl Game
Conference
Record
Team
Results
Team
Record
Conference

:Rose_Bowl:
:Big_Ten:
12-2 (7-2)
(4) :Wisconsin:
41-13
(6) :Notre_Dame:
10-3 (0-0)
Independent

:Sugar_Bowl:
:Big_Ten:
10-3 (6-2)
(7) :Nebraska:
42-13
(3) :Fresno_State:
11-1 (7-0)
:Mountain_West:

:Orange_Bowl:
:Big_12:
9-3 (7-2)
(9) :Oklahoma:
33-14
(16) :Florida_State:
10-4 (8-2)
:ACC:

:Fiesta_Bowl:
:Big_12:
10-2 (9-0)
(5) :Texas_Tech:
45-35
:UCF:
9-5 (8-1)
:Big_East:

:BCS_Trophy:
:Pac_12:
14-0 (10-0)
(2) :USC:
28-14
(1) :Georgia:
13-1 (11-0)
:SEC:

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 03:43 AM

2014 Bowl Challenge Cup Standings

Rank
Conference
Bowl Teams
Bowl Record
Percentage
Teams in AP Poll

1
:WAC:*
1
1-0
1.000
0

2
:Big_Ten:
8
7-1
.875
5

3
:Big_12:
6
5-1
.833
4

4
:Pac_12:
8
6-2
.750
2

5
Independent
3
2-1
.667
1

6
:CUSA:
7
4-3
.571
2

7
:Sun_Belt:*
2
1-1
.500
0

8
:ACC:
7
3-4
.429
4

9
:SEC:
9
3-6
.333
5

10
:Mountain_West:
4
1-3
.250
1

11
:MAC:
6
1-5
.167
0

12
:Big_East:
7
0-7
.000
1

* - Ineligible for Bowl Challenge Cup

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 03:51 AM

And so there you go. USC is your 2014 National Champion, the Big Ten wins the 2014 Bowl Challenge Cup.

The Big East goes 0-7 and they lose their automatic bid to the BCS. The Big East went 1-4 in 2011, 2-2 in 2012, 2-4 in 2013 and 0-7 in 2014. If they had gone at least 2-5 or 3-4, I would have left them on watch status for another season. Going 0-7? That auto-bid is history. Maybe they'll earn it back in the future, but for now, it's gone.

The Mountain West is still on watch status. They went 4-2 in 2011, 2-3 in 2012, 2-2 in 2013 and 1-3 in 2014. The Mountain West has to finish at least .500 next year to avoid losing their auto-bid.

As for our rankings, Tulsa ends the season ranked #10 in both the Coaches and Media polls.

morsdraconis

12-20-2012, 04:48 AM

Congrats on the successful season man! Hopefully you can make this a springboard to busting into the BCS next year. :)

souljahbill

12-20-2012, 05:30 AM

Good stuff, Mr. Pancakes.

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 06:25 AM

2014 Coaching Carousel

Team
Position
Previous Coach
Reason Left

New Coach
Previous Team
Previous Position
O/D Style

:Akron:
Head Coach
Chad Glasgow
Fired

Ivin Jasper
:Louisiana_Tech:
Head Coach
Louisiana Tech (Air Raid)\4-3

:UTSA:
Head Coach
Larry Coker
Fired

Mike Johnson
:UCLA:
Offensive Coordinator
UCLA (Spread)\4-3

:Tulane:
Head Coach
Bob Toledo
Fired

Tim Landis
:Army:
Offensive Coordinator
Army (Option)\3-4

:Troy:
Head Coach
Neal Brown
Fired

Chad Glasgow
:Akron:
Head Coach
Akron (Spread)\4-3

:Baylor:
Offensive Coordinator
Grant Heard
Fired

Paul Petrino
:Western_Kentucky:
Head Coach
Western Kentucky (Pro)

:Louisiana_Tech:
Head Coach
Ivin Jasper
Contract expired, left for Akron HC job

Tommy Spangler
:Louisiana_Tech:
Defensive Coordinator
Louisiana Tech (Air Raid)\4-3

:Minnesota:
Head Coach
Jerry Kill
Fired

Neal Brown
:Troy:
Head Coach
Troy (Air Raid)\4-3

:Northwestern:
Defensive Coordinator
Jon Heacock
Fired

Lance Guidry
:Western_Kentucky:
Defensive Coordinator
4-3

:UMass:
Head Coach
Charley Molnar
Fired

Larry Coker
:UTSA:
Head Coach
UTSA (Multiple)\4-3

:Western_Kentucky:
Head Coach
Paul Petrino
Fired

Jerry Kill
:Minnesota:
Head Coach
Minnesota (Multiple)\4-3

:USF:
Defensive Coordinator
Jay Niemann
Fired

Clint Bowen
:North_Texas:
Defensive Coordinator
4-3

:Memphis:
Craig Bray
Head Coach
Fired

Charley Molnar
:UMass:
Head Coach
UMass (Spread)\4-3

:UCLA:
Mike Johnson
Offensive Coordinator
Left for UTSA HC job

Rob Ianello
:Idaho:
Offensive Coordinator
Idaho (One Back)

:Idaho:
Rob Ianello
Offensive Coordinator
Left for UCLA OC job

Grant Heard
:Baylor:
Offensive Coordinator
Baylor (Spread)

:Tulane:
Dan Dodd
Offensive Coordinator
Fired

Craig Bray
:Memphis:
Head Coach
Memphis (Spread)

:Army:
Tim Landis
Offensive Coordinator
Left for Tulane HC job

Bob Toledo
:Tulane:
Head Coach
Tulane (One Back)

:Louisiana_Tech:
Tommy Spangler
Defensive Coordinator
Left for Louisiana Tech HC job

Jon Heacock
:Northwestern:
Defensive Coordinator
4-3

:Western_Kentucky:
Lance Guidry
Defensive Coordinator
Left for Northwestern DC job

Jay Niemann
:USF:
Defensive Coordinator
4-3

:North_Texas:
Clint Bowen
Defensive Coordinator
Left for South Florida DC job

Paul Hunter
None
None
4-3

:UMass:
Mike Kruczek
Offensive Coordinator
Fired

Dan Dodd
:Tulane:
Offensive Coordinator
Tulane (One Back)

Jobs I Was in the Running For

Team
Position
Candidate Rank
Offered Job

:UTSA:
Head Coach
4th
No

:Tulane:
Head Coach
3rd
No

:Troy:
Head Coach
1st
Yes (Declined)

:Baylor:
Offensive Coordinator
4th
Yes (Declined)

:Louisiana_Tech:
Head Coach
2nd
Yes (Declined)

:Minnesota:
Head Coach
3rd
Yes (Declined)

:UMass:
Head Coach
2nd
Yes (Declined)

:Western_Kentucky:
Head Coach
4th
Yes (Declined)

:Memphis:
Head Coach
1st
Yes (Declined)

:UCLA:
Offensive Coordinator
3rd
Yes (Declined)

:Idaho:
Offensive Coordinator
3rd
Yes (Declined)

:Tulane:
Offensive Coordinator
1st
Yes (Declined)

:Army:
Offensive Coordinator
1st
Yes (Declined)

:UMass:
Offensive Coordinator
1st
Yes (Declined)

Teams Changing Offensive Styles

Team
Previous Offensive Style
New Offensive Style

:Akron:
Spread
Air Raid

:UTSA:
Multiple
Spread

:Tulane: (HC)
One Back
Option

:Troy:
Air Raid
Spread

:Baylor:
Spread
Pro

:Minnesota:
Multiple
Air Raid

:UMass: (HC)
Spread
Multiple

:Western_Kentucky:
Pro
Multiple

:UCLA:
Spread
One Back

:Idaho:
One Back
Spread

:Tulane: (OC)
Option
Spread

:Army:
Option
One Back

:UMass: (OC)
Multiple
One Back

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 06:27 AM

Congrats on the successful season man! Hopefully you can make this a springboard to busting into the BCS next year. :)

Good stuff, Mr. Pancakes.

I appreciate it fellas. I'm looking forward to see what 2015 brings. :)

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 06:39 AM

Well souljahbill, looks like Southern Miss and Tulsa just became protected rivals. With ECU and Tulane leaving for the Big East, I'm trying to piece together rivals for C-USA. I've got FIU and North Texas together, and FAU and MTSU together (keep all the Sun Belt teams involved with each other). Louisiana Tech is matched up with Rice.

The rest, I have UAB vs. UTSA, Marshall vs. UTEP and Southern Miss vs. Tulsa. I personally would rather play Southern Miss every year instead of Marshall or UAB.

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 06:44 AM

2014-2015 Off-Season

Players Leaving

Player
Position
Overall
Year
Reason
Overall of Next Player

Marcus Leonard
QB
64
Freshman
Transfer
90/70

Chaz Humphrey
WR
64
Freshman
Transfer
85

Eric Washington
MLB
64
Sophomore
Transfer
76

John Andrews
FB
89
Senior (RS)
Pro Draft
77

George Smith
LE
85
Senior (RS)
Pro Draft
72

Cornelius Morgan
LOLB
88
Senior (RS)
Graduation
74

Sean Parks
WR
87
Senior (RS)
Graduation
85

Marcus Owens
SS
86
Senior
Graduation
59

Curt McDonald
RT
85
Senior
Graduation
70

Sean Fox
HB
83
Senior
Graduation
90

Carlos Anderson
WR
80
Senior
Graduation
85

Calvin Rogers
CB
79
Senior (RS)
Graduation
66

Brian White
RE
78
Senior (RS)
Graduation
67

John Holt
LT
78
Senior (RS)
Graduation
63

Clinton Davis
DT
78
Senior (RS)
Graduation
69

Aaron McDonald
CB
77
Senior (RS)
Graduation
66

Jason Hall
CB
75
Senior
Graduation
66

Everett Brantley
C
75
Senior
Graduation
67

Chip Oliver
DT
72
Senior
Graduation
69

Eric White
CB
69
Senior
Graduation
66

Terrell Smith
DT
64
Senior (RS)
Graduation
69

James Russ
FS
60
Senior (RS)
Graduation
86

NFL Draft

Player
Position
Overall
Year
Projected Round
Drafted Round

John Andrews
FB
89
Senior (RS)
Round 5
Round 5

George Smith
LE
85
Senior (RS)
Round 7
Round 7

Sean Parks
WR
87
Senior (RS)
N/A
Round 7

Kiel Fletcher
HB
90
Junior
Round 2
N/A - Staying

Brandon Price
HB
90
Junior
Round 1
N/A - Staying

Brandon Booth
QB
90
Junior (RS)
Round 1
N/A - Staying

Transfer Requests

Player
Position
Transferring From
Transferring To
Year
Overall
Reason
Admitted/Denied

Marcus Leonard
QB
Tulsa
UTSA
Freshman
64
Playing Time
Admitted

Chaz Humphrey
WR
Tulsa
Louisiana Tech
Freshman
64
Playing Time
Admitted

Eric Washington
MLB
Tulsa
New Mexico
Sophomore
64
Playing Time
Admitted

2014 Tulsa Recruiting Class

Player
Position
Position Rank
Tendency
Star Ranking
:sparq:
Overall
+/-
Notes

Eric Hayden
WR
#25
Balanced
:4star:
76.00
78
+8
Gem

Tyler Fountain
CB
#131
Balanced
:3star:
67.00
77
+4
JUCO (JR)

Andy Malone
CB
#19
Coverage
:4star:
76.00
70
0

Darnell Turner
ATH
#27
Athlete
:4star:
76.00
69
0

Shaun Jackson
DT
#32
Balanced
:3star:
57.00
68
+3

Caleb Miller
CB
#9
Balanced
:4star:
76.00
68
-4

Jason Johnson
WR
#44
Speed
:3star:
76.00
68
0

Jason Williamson
DE
#49
Pass Rusher
:3star:
63.00
67
0

Miguel Ramsey
DE
#29
Balanced
:3star:
63.00
67
-1

Chad Butler
SS
#33
Balanced
:3star:
67.00
67
+4

Lamar Norton
CB
#34
Coverage
:3star:
67.00
66
-1

Devon Odom
DT
#21
Run Stopper
:3star:
57.00
66
-2

Mark Irvin
CB
#55
Balanced
:3star:
67.00
65
0

Eric Silva
HB
#28
Speed
:3star:
69.00
65
-2

Travis Stephens
HB
#35
Speed
:3star:
69.00
65
-1

Donald Robinson
WR
#43
Balanced
:3star:
76.00
64
-4

Dwayne Hardy
WR
#36
Balanced
:3star:
76.00
64
-3

Brian Johnson
WR
#51
Possession
:3star:
76.00
64
-3

Carl Meeks
T
#34
Pass Block
:3star:
57.00
63
-4

Lorenzo Payne
DT
#31
Balanced
:3star:
57.00
63
-2

Yusef Moore
QB
#29
Scrambler
:3star:
65.00
63
-4

Jason Stanley
DT
#58
Balanced
:3star:
57.00
63
+3

Leroy McCormick
CB
#126
Hard Hitter
:3star:
67.00
62
+3

Kyle Alford
G
#82
Pass Block
:3star:
57.00
61
+8
Gem

Brett Hampton
C
#16
Balanced
:3star:
57.00
61
+2

Recruiting Class Rank

Rank: 15

Position Changes

Player
Position
Overall
New Position
Overall

Darnell Turner
Athlete
69
SS
73

Training Results

Highest Overall Player - Brandon Booth - QB - 96 OVR (+6)
Largest Training Increase - Brandon Booth - QB - 96 OVR (+6) / Marcel Morris - RG - 87 OVR (+6)

Cut Players

Player
Position
Depth Chart Rank
Year
Overall

T.J. Perkins
TE
4th
Junior (RS)
62

Leroy McCormick
CB
4th
Freshman
62

Conference Changes

Team

Old Conference
New Conference

:Maryland:

:ACC:
:Big_Ten:

:Louisville:

:Big_East:
:ACC:

:East_Carolina:

:CUSA:
:Big_East:

:Tulane:

:CUSA:
:Big_East:

:Navy:

Independent
:Big_East:

:Rutgers:

:Big_East:
:Big_Ten:

:Wisconsin:

:Big_Ten: Leaders Division
:Big_Ten: Legends Division

:FAU:

:Sun_Belt:
:CUSA:

:MTSU:

:Sun_Belt:
:CUSA:

:BYU:

Independent
:Sun_Belt:

:Army:

Independent
:Sun_Belt:

BCS Bowl Tie Ins

Slots
Conference
Bowl

Automatic Qualifier
:ACC:
Orange Bowl

Automatic Qualifier
:Big_Ten:
Rose Bowl

Automatic Qualifier
:Big_12:
Fiesta Bowl

Automatic Qualifier
:Mountain_West:
Any Bowl

Automatic Qualifier
:Pac_12:
Rose Bowl

Automatic Qualifier
:SEC:
Sugar Bowl

Open Slot
At Large
Any Bowl

Open Slot
At Large
Any Bowl

JeffHCross

12-20-2012, 07:05 AM

Nicely done, Smooth!

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 07:18 AM

Nicely done, Smooth!

Thank you Jeff, I appreciate it. Looking forward to the 2015 season this weekend.

morsdraconis

12-20-2012, 07:32 AM

Wow. You have an absolute STUD at QB now in Booth. Damn! Defense is gonna be tough though. You lost a LOT of depth.

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 07:32 AM

2015 Tulsa Football Schedule

Week
Home/Away
Team
Result
Score
Record
Game Notes

1
Away
:New_Mexico:
Win
63-0 (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?2857-Smooth-Pancakes-Coaching-Carousel-Career&p=178659&viewfull=1#post178659)
1-0
Season Opener

2
Home
:Utah:
Win
48-14 (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?2857-Smooth-Pancakes-Coaching-Carousel-Career&p=178662&viewfull=1#post178662)
2-0
Home Opener

3
Away
(5) :Oklahoma:
Loss
17-24 (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?2857-Smooth-Pancakes-Coaching-Carousel-Career&p=178792&viewfull=1#post178792)
2-1

4
Home
:Akron:
Win
36-15 (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?2857-Smooth-Pancakes-Coaching-Carousel-Career&p=178809&viewfull=1#post178809)
3-1

5
Away
:Louisiana_Tech:
Win
38-0 (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?2857-Smooth-Pancakes-Coaching-Carousel-Career&p=178819&viewfull=1#post178819)
4-1 (1-0)
Conference Opener

6
Home
:FIU:
Win
38-31 OT (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?2857-Smooth-Pancakes-Coaching-Carousel-Career&p=178967&viewfull=1#post178967)
5-1 (2-0)
Homecoming

7
Away
:Southern_Miss:
Win
38-26 (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?2857-Smooth-Pancakes-Coaching-Carousel-Career&p=179022&viewfull=1#post179022)
6-1 (3-0)

8
Home
:MTSU:
Win
52-3 (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?2857-Smooth-Pancakes-Coaching-Carousel-Career&p=179057&viewfull=1#post179057)
7-1 (4-0)

9
Away
:North_Texas:
Win
51-7 (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?2857-Smooth-Pancakes-Coaching-Carousel-Career&p=179078&viewfull=1#post179078)
8-1 (5-0)

10
Home
:Rice:
Win
35-24 (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?2857-Smooth-Pancakes-Coaching-Carousel-Career&p=179164&viewfull=1#post179164)
9-1 (6-0)

11
---
Bye Week
---
---
---

12
Away
:UTSA:
Win
42-0 (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?2857-Smooth-Pancakes-Coaching-Carousel-Career&p=179398&viewfull=1#post179398)
10-1 (7-0)

13
Home
:UTEP:
Win
38-0 (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?2857-Smooth-Pancakes-Coaching-Carousel-Career&p=179524&viewfull=1#post179524)
11-1 (8-0)
Senior Night

14
---
Bye Week
---
---
---

CCG
:CUSA:
:Southern_Miss:
Win
24-22 (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?2857-Smooth-Pancakes-Coaching-Carousel-Career&p=179557&viewfull=1#post179557)
12-1 (9-0)
C-USA Championship Game

Bowl Game
:Rose_Bowl:
(4) :Nebraska:
Loss
48-51 (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?2857-Smooth-Pancakes-Coaching-Carousel-Career&p=179621&viewfull=1#post179621)
12-2 (9-0)
Rose Bowl

--- The scores are hyperlinks to the posted game report of that game. Just click on the score/link to be taken to that game's posted report.

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 07:36 AM

Wow. You have an absolute STUD at QB now in Booth. Damn! Defense is gonna be tough though. You lost a LOT of depth.

Yeah, this should be a huge year from Booth. Kiel Fletcher and Brandon Price both also improved nicely at HB. Fletcher improved to 94 OVR, Price to 95 OVR. While I probably could have gotten away with redshirting both this year, I decided to take advantage of one and save the other. So I'll be rolling with Fletcher as my starting HB this year. A year under redshirt and another year of training, and I could be looking at a 99 OVR Price come 2016. :drool:

And defense is what worries me. Hopefully with an improved offense, we'll be able to keep up with whatever scores our defense gives up.

And with my schedule set, damn this is gonna be a challenge. A nice little tuneup game in New Mexico, then #19 Utah and #4 Oklahoma in back to back weeks. This is gonna be a killer start.

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 07:39 AM

Tulsa Two Year OC Contract Goals - Year Two

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

100%

--- Contract goal numbers and job security updated through Season 5, Off-season.

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 07:41 AM

And with that, I am on break for at least the next 12-15 hours. I might take tonight off, I'll have to see what I feel like doing, but probably either tonight or tomorrow, I should have the Preseason rankings/ratings and my two deep roster posted, that way I can jump into the season by Sunday.

jaymo76

12-20-2012, 07:23 PM

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 08:55 PM

A Losing record; no bowl bid... I could live with that... but... but... USC as the National Champs! NO, NO! What kind of cruel fate is this!:fp::D

Great read smooth as per usual. You have done more on this site in the last two days than I have done at work in the last week. The amount of time, effort and detail is amazing. Thanks FOR THE EFFORT brother!

:D Yeah, I certainly wasn't rooting for USC. Georgia just plain got whipped. It was 28-0 before Georgia finally scored their first points. Never had a chance.

But at least you got some consolation with Arizona State picking up that Poinsettia Bowl victory over Colorado State. So it wasn't all bad for you.

I appreciate it! I love doing this stuff. It would be awesome if you could make a job out of doing something like this. :D For me, if I'm gonna take the time to do something like this, it absolutely needs the time, effort and detail. I want it to stand apart from other dynasties and I want it to look good. I want the visuals to jump out.

Additionally, I have am having a blast with this. That's the most important thing. If I'm not having fun, it just seems like chores and makes me not want to do it. If I'm having fun, I can sit here knocking out update after update, blowing through multiples weeks in a single day, blowing through an entire season in a week or two, etc. Tulsa was a great choice for my next job, they are really fun to play with and the C-USA as a whole is a different, more entertaining beast than the Sun Belt was. I'm hoping to knock out at least 5 seasons before I even begin to think about NCAA '14 and the eventual transfer to that edition, so there is still LOTS of football to come on NCAA '13 with Tulsa.

I'm already chomping at the bit to get my preseason stuff done and jump right into the New Mexico game tonight. :)

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 09:33 PM

2015 Preseason Top 25

Rank
Team
2014 Record
Overall
Offense
Defense
Special Teams

1
:Wisconsin:
12-2
A+ (99)
A+ (99)
A- (93)
A+

2
:USC:
14-0
A+ (99)
A+ (99)
B+ (91)
A+

3
:Georgia:
13-1
A+ (99)
A+ (99)
B+ (91)
B

4
:Oklahoma:
9-3
A+ (99)
A+ (97)
A (95)
A+

5
:Notre_Dame:
10-3
A+ (99)
A (95)
A (95)
A+

6
:Michigan_State:
10-3
A+ (97)
A (94)
A- (93)
B-

7
:Nebraska:
10-3
A- (93)
A (94)
B (86)
B

8
:TCU:
10-3
A+ (97)
A+ (99)
B (87)
B

9
:Michigan:
9-4
A (95)
A (94)
B+ (91)
A+

10
:Alabama:
9-4
A (95)
A (95)
B+ (89)
B

11
:Iowa:
11-3
A (95)
B+ (91)
A- (93)
A+

12
:LSU:
9-4
A+ (99)
A (94)
A+ (99)
A

13
:Auburn:
9-4
A- (93)
B+ (88)
A- (93)
B+

14
:Clemson:
10-3
A+ (97)
A+ (97)
B+ (89)
A+

15
:Virginia_Tech:
10-3
A- (93)
B- (83)
A+ (99)
A-

16
:Tulsa:
13-1
B (85)
B+ (89)
C+ (78)
B+

17
:Kansas_State:
9-4
B+ (89)
B+ (89)
B- (82)
A+

18
:Arkansas:
10-4
A- (93)
A (95)
B (84)
A

19
:Utah:
10-3
B+ (89)
B- (81)
B+ (91)
B-

20
:Texas_Tech:
10-2
B+ (89)
B+ (89)
B- (82)
B

21
:Florida_State:
10-4
A+ (99)
A (94)
A+ (97)
C

22
:Fresno_State:
11-1
B (85)
B (86)
C+ (78)
C

23
:Oregon:
9-5
A+ (99+)
A+ (97)
A- (93)
A+

24
:Texas:
8-5
A+ (99)
A (95)
A+ (99)
A+

25
:Washington:
9-4
A+ (97)
A+ (97)
B+ (89)
B

C-USA Teams and 2015 Opponents

Rank
Team
2013 Record
Overall
Offense
Defense
Special Teams

4
:Oklahoma:
9-3
A+ (99)
A+ (97)
A (95)
A+

16
:Tulsa:
13-1
B (85)
B+ 89)
C+ 78)
B+

19
:Utah:
10-3
B+ (89)
B- (81)
B+ (91)
B-

36
:FIU:
11-3
B (85)
B- (83)
B- (82)
D-

52
:UTEP:
11-2
C- (71)
C (74)
C- (71)
B-

59
:Louisiana_Tech:
7-6
C (73)
C (74)
C (73)
D-

79
:Rice:
8-5
C+ (77)
C+ (77)
C+ (78)
A

95
:Southern_Miss:
4-8
B (87)
B (84)
B (87)
B

105
:Akron:
3-9
C- (69)
C (72)
D+ (67)
C+

106
:New_Mexico:
5-7
D (63)
D (64)
D (65)
B

116
:North_Texas:
2-9
C (73)
C (72)
C+ (76)
B

117
:UTSA:
2-10
C- (69)
C (72)
D+ (67)
C

122
:MTSU:
2-10
C- (69)
C (72)
D+ (67)
B-

SmoothPancakes

12-20-2012, 09:48 PM

2015 Tulsa Two Deep Roster

Offense

Position
Rank
Name
Year
Overall

QB
1
Brandon Booth
Senior (RS)
96

QB
2
Casey Bishop
Junior (RS)
75

HB
1
Kiel Fletcher
Senior
94

HB
2
Roy Smith
Sophomore
71

FB
1
Ryan Strong
Senior
81

FB
2
Nicholas Roberts
Junior (RS)
57

WR
1
Conner Jefferson
Junior
82

WR
2
Eric Hayden
Freshman
78

WR
3
Max Thompson
Junior (RS)
78

WR
4
Antoine Banks
Sophomore (RS)
74

TE
1
Nicholas Roberts
Junior (RS)
78

TE
2
Randy Newman
Sophomore (RS)
74

LT
1
Marlon Smith
Sophmore (RS)
67

LT
2
Carl Meeks
Freshman
63

LG
1
Daniel Peters
Junior (RS)
79

LG
2
Dennis Moody
Sophomore (RS)
70

C
1
Travis Hearn
Sophomore (RS)
73

C
2
Brett Hampton
Freshman
61

RG
1
Marcel Morris
Senior (RS)
87

RG
2
Will Carter
Freshman (RS)
67

RT
1
Cameron Powers
Sophomore (RS)
73

RT
2
Kyle Davis
Junior (RS)
70

Defense

Position
Rank
Name
Year
Overall

LE
1
Greg Wilkerson
Sophomore (RS)
76

LE
2
Jason Williamson
Freshman
67

RE
1
Tyrone Haynes
Junior
72

RE
2
Miguel Ramsey
Freshman
67

DT
1
Chris Peoples
Sophomore (RS)
74

DT
2
Alex Collier
Senior (RS)
72

DT
3
Shaun Jackson
Freshman
68

DT
4
Devon Odom
Freshman
66

LOLB
1
Kennard Morton
Senior
80

LOLB
2
Spencer Jones
Junior (RS)
78

MLB
1
Marc Patterson
Junior (RS)
79

MLB
2
Jermaine Clark
Sophomore (RS)
74

ROLB
1
David Walker
Senior
92

ROLB
2
Marc Patterson
Junior (RS)
79

CB
1
Tyler Fountain
Junior
77

CB
2
Andy Malone
Freshman
70

CB
3
Caleb Miller
Freshman
68

CB
4
Trumaine Griffin
Junior
68

FS
1
Clay Weiss
Sophomore (RS)
79

FS
2
Erik Irvin
Junior (RS)
63

SS
1
Darnell Turner
Freshman
73

SS
2
Chad Butler
Freshman
67

K
1
Alphonso Pratt
Sophomore
85

K
2
N/A
---
---

P
1
Carlos Wilcox
Junior
84

P
2
N/A
---
---

SmoothPancakes

12-21-2012, 12:27 AM

Game One

#16 :Tulsa: :@: :New_Mexico:

Game Notes

--- The dog days of summer are over at least. August 31st has arrived at last, and the start of the 2015 season. It was a second straight year of starting the road, but like last year’s season opener at Akron, we had another cupcake on tap as we headed southwest to New Mexico to take on the very over matched Lobos. We won the coin toss and elected to kick.

A 23 yard kickoff return, and the game was underway with New Mexico starting at their 24 yard line. It was a poor start as the Lobos got flagged for false start, pushing them back to first and 15 without a single snap taken. A 14 yard pass on the next play from Mark Campbell to Brandon Johnson left the Lobos with third and inches. Dustin Johnson would gain 5 yards on the gain for the first down at the 38 yard line. After a three yard rush, Campbell found Andrew Davis for a gain of 8 and first down at the 49. After a pair of rushes for three and 7 yards by D. Johnson, an incomplete pass brought the drive to an end at our 41 yard line, the Lobos punting away on fourth and one. The punt sailed 50 yards for a touchback and our first drive of the season started at the 20. A 9 yard rush by Kiel Fletcher was followed up with a gain of one yard and we had a first down at our 30 yard line. Going into the air, Brandon Booth found Max Thompson for a 14 yard gain and we had first down at the 45 yard line. Booth showed the college football world what he was capable of this year, as he found Fletcher on the next play for a gain of 52 yards, giving us first and goal at the three yard line. Roy Smith gained two yards on the ground and we had second and goal at the one. Fletcher would punch it in on the next play from one yard out, and we had our first lead of the season, 7-0 with 5:28 left in the first quarter.

A 21 yard kickoff return and New Mexico was back on the field at their 19. A four yard rush by D. Johnson was negated on second down, when the defense broke through and sacked Campbell for a 6 yard loss, leaving the Lobos with third and 12 from their 17. New Mexico would convert however, as Campbell found B. Johnson for a 14 yard gain and first down at the 31. After a 7 yard rush by D. Johnson, Campbell tried to scramble but was brought down for a loss of three yards. A 5 yard gain by Campbell was not enough, and left with fourth and inches for the second time today, the Lobos punted away.

A fair catch on the 45 yard punt left us at our 13 yard line. Fighting forward through the tackle attempts, Fletcher was able to gain 10 yards on the ground to set up second and inches. A 5 yard rush and we had a new set of downs at our 28. Going outside the left tackle on the next play, Smith was able to fight against the flow for a 7 yard gain, followed by a rush of 8 from Fletcher for a first down at the 43. Going back to the air, Booth hit Eric Hayden for a 10 yard gain and we had first down at the Lobos 47. The first down pass from Booth to Smith gained three yards. Going back to Hayden, Booth connected with him for a gain of 23 yard gain. The defense made it an even bigger play as the safety brought Hayden down by the face mask. Moving half the distance to the goal for an extra 11 yards, we had a first down at the New Mexico 11 yard line. A pair of rushes by Fletcher for gains of 5 and four yards, left us with third and two from the two yard line. Fletcher picked up two yards on the play, and after bringing out the chains, we had first and goal at the one foot line. The very next play, Fletcher had his second touchdown the game, taking it in from one yard out and our lead grew to 14-0 with 28 seconds left in the quarter.

After a touchback on the kickoff, it was looking like a short drive for New Mexico, as they were left facing third and 10 after a pair of incomplete passes. The would convert however, as Campbell hit Brian Jones for a 30 yard strike and the Lobos had a first down at our 45 yard line as the final seconds ticked off. The first quarter came to an end, our lead at 14-0.

Starting the second quarter, D. Johnson rushed ahead for a four yard gain, followed by a gain of four yards from Campbell to set up third and two at our 38. D. Johnson would get brought down in the backfield for a loss of three yards, and left with fourth and 6 from our 41, the Lobos would be forced to punt once again. A touchback on the 44 yard punt got our drive started at our 20. After a two yard rush by Fletcher, an incomplete pass left us with third and 8. A 10 yard pass to Thompson gave us first down at the 32. Booth found Conner Jefferson for an 8 yard gain on first down, before a 7 yard dash by Fletcher gave us first down at the 47. A 5 yard rush by Fletcher was followed with a gain of three by Smith and we had third and two at the 46. Fletcher kept the drive moving as he fought ahead for a gain of 8 yards and the first down at the 38 yard line. Going for the play action on first down, it was a total failure as the defense swarmed through the line and Booth was brought down almost instantly for a 7 yard loss. Facing second and 17, Booth found Thompson along the right sideline for a gain of 21 yards and our drive kept moving on, first down at the 23 yard line. The offensive line never picked up the blitzing safety and Fletcher was brought down for a loss of one yard. We’d return to the end zone on the next play, as a rainbow pass from Booth fell right into the hands of Smith in the back of the end zone for the 25 yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead with 4:34 left in the half.

Starting on the 25 after the touchback, after an incomplete pass to begin, the Lobos gained a quick 15 yards thanks to a pass interference penalty and the New Mexico had first down at their 40 yard line. The drive would come to an end three plays later with three straight incomplete passes, including a dropped pass on third down, and the Lobos punt unit came out once again. A 7 yard return by Fletcher on the 49 yard punt got our offense back in action at our 18 yard line with 3:54 remaining in the half. It was a rough start for the New Mexico defense, as Jefferson beat his corner off the line and raced down the sideline, hauling in the lob pass from Booth for a 42 yard gain before being brought down by the linebacker at the New Mexico 40 yard line. The Lobos defense again broke down, as Hayden was able to beat his corner on the break inside and get behind the safety, hauling in a pass from Booth for a gain of 26 yards and a first down at the 14 yard line. Some big blocks opened up a pair of holes for Fletcher on the next play, and a 10 yard rush left us with second and inches from the 5 yard line. Finding the middle all jammed up, Fletcher bounced out towards the left sideline and raced the defense to the corner for the 5 yard touchdown, his third score of the day, and our lead grew to 28-0 with 3:02 left in the half.

Starting on their 21 yard line after the 15 yard kickoff return, it was a doomed drive for New Mexico. After an incomplete pass on first down, the defense blitzed hard and sacked Campbell for an 11 yard loss, pushing the Lobos back to their own 10 yard line with third and 21. New Mexico would get lucky, as a pass from Campbell to Jones went for a gain of 17 yards, and after a 5 yard penalty on the defense got tacked on, New Mexico had a first down at their 33 yard line. Two more incomplete passes, and our defense would get to Campbell for the second time this drive, sacking him for a 7 yard loss, forcing the New Mexico punt on fourth and 17 from their 26. A fair catch on the 44 yard punt left us on our 30 yard line with 2 minutes left in the half. After a pair of dropped passes, Booth was able to convert third and 10 with a 15 yard pass to Thompson and first down at the 45 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth found Thompson again, this time for 20 yards and we had a first down at the 35 yard line. Taking a shot deep, the first down pass to Jefferson was dropped in the end zone, before Booth found Thompson for the third time this drive, picking up 13 yards and a first down at the 22 yard line, 1:13 left on the clock. A pair of rushes by Fletcher for gains of 6 and 5 yards, and we had a first down at the 10 yard line. Our first timeout stopped the clock with 47 seconds to go. Fletcher tried to take it two more times on the ground, but a loss of one yard and no gain left us looking at third and 11 from the 11 yard line. Our second timeout stopped the clock with 30 ticks left as we regrouped for the third down play. We wouldn’t reach the end zone as Booth’s pass intended for Hayden was intercepted by Dustin Stone and New Mexico took over at their 5 yard line with 25 seconds to go.

After an incomplete pass on first down, our defense would come through for us, as D. Johnson was able to gain 5 yards initially before having the ball stripped. The fumble recovery by Alex Collier gave us possession at the 10 yard line with 10 seconds to go. We would only take one play this time, as Booth found Jefferson on a slant for the 10 yard touchdown and we increased our lead to 35-0 with 7 seconds left. A 17 yard kickoff return would run out the rest of the clock, and we’d head into halftime up by 35.

Fletcher got the second half opened up with a 20 yard kickoff return and we begin our first drive of the half from our 18 yard line. A pair of 7 yard rushes by Fletcher left us with first down at our 33 yard line. It’d be backwards on the next play, as the defense got to Booth and sacked him for a 9 yard loss. A pair of incomplete passes, and we were left punting on fourth and 19 from our 23. A fair catch on the 47 yard punt left New Mexico beginning on their 29 yard line. Campbell would find B. Johnson for an immediate gain of 13 yards and the Lobos had first down at the 42. Two incomplete passes were followed with an 8 yard pass from Campbell to Jones, leaving fourth and two at midfield. D. Johnson would keep the drive alive with a four yard rush. Another four yard rush was followed with a setback, as Campbell was sacked for a loss of 10 yards and the Lobos faced third and 16 from their 48. Campbell fought forward for a 5 yard rush on the scramble, and with fourth and 11 from our 47, the Lobos punt unit came out. The punt sailed 50 yards out of the end zone for a touchback.

After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth found Thompson along the right hash for a gain of 10 yards and first down at the 30 yard line. Jefferson got in on the action on the next play, losing his defender on the slant route, hauling in the pass from Booth, and then escaping from the linebacker on a missed diving tackle. Jefferson raced the safety down field before being chased out of bounds at the one yard line for a 69 yard reception. On first and goal from the one yard line, Smith was brought down at the goal line for no gain. Fletcher would pound it in from one yard out on the next play for his fourth touchdown of the game, increasing our lead now to 42-0 with 5:01 left in the third. New Mexico began their next drive from their 27 after a 22 yard kickoff return. The drive was over in a blink of an eye, as the defense sacked Campbell for a loss of four yards, before two incomplete passes left the Lobos punting from their 23 yard line on fourth and 14. A fair catch on the 40 yard left our offense starting from our 37 yard line.

We were off and moving quickly as Fletcher picked up 11 yards on the first down rush, before breaking another run for 8 yards to leave us second and two at the New Mexico 45. Bringing out the play action, Booth found Nicholas Roberts on an out route for an 18 yard gain and we had first down at the 27 yard line. Fletcher pounded it up the gut again, as the blitzing defense left a large hole and only after four guys jumped on him, did he go down for a gain of 14 yards and first down at the 13 yard line. Keeping the abuse going, Smith picked up gains of 5 and three yards to leave us with third and two from the 5 yard line. Fletcher would fight forward for the two yard gain and we had first and goal from the three yard line. Fletcher picked up a gain of two yards and we were left with second and goal from the one. Smith would do the honors on the next play, taking the hand off and diving up and over for the one yard touchdown and 49-0 lead with 1:59 left in the third quarter.

A 19 yard kickoff return found New Mexico beginning from their 16 yard line on the next drive. It was a one play drive for the Lobos as Caleb Miller intercepted a pass from Campbell and our offense was right back on the field at the New Mexico 23 yard line. Our second team offense got its first taste of action for the season on the drive. After no gain on the first down rush by Smith, Casey Bishop threw a pass to Eric Silva for a gain of 11 yards. A face mask penalty on the play moved the ball half the distance to the goal line and we had first and goal from the 6 yard line. Smith rumbled ahead for a gain of 5 yards to set up second and goal at the one. Silva was brought down at the line for no gain and we had third and goal at the one. Smith would get his second touchdown of the game on the next play, punching it in from one yard out and our lead grew to 56-0 with 13 seconds left in the third quarter. The Lobos began their offensive drive from their 18 yard line after the 19 yard kickoff return. A pass from Campbell to B. Johnson for a gain of 8 yards would bring the third quarter to an end, our lead at a dominating 56-0.

Starting the final quarter with second and two, an incomplete pass left New Mexico’s drive hinging on the third down play. A 5 yard rush by D. Johnson and the Lobos breathed new life at their 32 yard line. A 15 yard face mask penalty tacked on after the 7 yard rush and New Mexico was looking at first down from our 46 yard line. Three straight incomplete passes and the New Mexico punt unit would make another appearance. No return on the 40 yard punt left our offense starting at our 5 yard line. The first team defense for New Mexico going up against our second team offense, and Smith was barely able to gain a yard before being brought down on first down. Heading into the air, Bishop found Donny Jordan on an out route and a quick turn up the sideline went for a gain of 21 yards before being shoved out of bounds at the 28 yard line. Trying to take it on the ground again, Smith was quickly tackled for no gain. A 10 yard pass to Antoine Banks had an extra 15 yard tacked on with a face mask penalty, and we had a first down at the Lobos 47 yard line. The defense proved as tough as ever, as Smith was tackled for a loss of two yards. Even worse, Smith had to be helped off the field by the trainers as we waited word on the injury. Going back to the air, Bishop hit Jordan for a gain of 15 yards and we got a new set of downs at the 34 yard line. Trying to continue running against the first team defense was futile, so we remained attacking through the air, letting Bishop gain some snaps. Bishop found Banks over the middle on first down for an 18 yard gain, leaving us with first down at the 16 yard line. We got bad news after the play, as it was reported that Smith had suffered a broken collarbone and would be sidelined for 7 weeks. Trying to chew off a bit of clock, Silva took the first down handoff for a two yard gain. An incomplete pass left us with third and 8 from the 13. It was back to the end zone on the next play as Bishop passed to Jordan for the 13 yard touchdown and a 63-0 lead with 3:44 left in the game.

Starting on their 25 after the touchback, Campbell got the Lobos moving with an 11 yard pass to A.J. Long to get to the 36. The drive would stall out from there as three straight incomplete passes left the Lobos punting away once again. A 6 yard return by Fletcher on the 47 yard punt gave our offense the ball at our 23 yard line, 3:06 remaining in the game. Silva took the ball on first down, pounding ahead for a gain of 7 yards. The linebacker broke through unblocked on the next play and Silva was brought down for a loss of two yards, leaving us with third and 5 from our 27 yard line. Bishop’s third down pass was broken up, and we were forced to punt with 1:44 remaining in the game. A 9 yard return on the 48 yard punt left New Mexico starting at their 34 yard line. Eric Robinson picked up 10 yards on the ground and New Mexico was left with second and inches. After an incomplete pass, a four yard gain by Robinson have the Lobos a new set of downs at their 47. A 9 yard pass from Will Robbins to Roland Powell and the the Lobos had second and 1 at our 44. After an incomplete pass to go to third down, Robinson broke a 5 yard rush up the middle and New Mexico had first down at our 39 yard line with 39 seconds to go. Robinson was met by the entire linebacker corps almost immediately, managing a gain of only two yards to leave second and 8 at the 37 with 20 seconds left and ticking. Bryan Pearson took the misdirection hand off and fought ahead for a gain of 8 yards to give New Mexico a first down at our 28 yard line. The final seconds would tick off the clock for the 63-0 ass whipping.

With the win, we improve to 1-0 on the year. With the embarrassing loss, New Mexico falls to 0-1. Up next, it’s our home opener against Utah. The Utes enter the game 0-1, coming off a 31-10 upset loss to rival Utah State.

Final Score
#16 :Tulsa: 63, :New_Mexico: 0

Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – A huge passing for Booth. 389 yards passing, though only two touchdowns as the running backs were the stars of the show. Bishop got his first snaps of the year with the second team offense, throwing for 88 yards and a touchdown in just over a quarter of action. Fletcher was a B-E-A-S-T today. 142 yards rushing on 28 carries and four touchdowns to open the season. What a hell of a start. 9 different receivers caught at least ball today, every single one making it to double digit yards, the lowest being Silva with one reception for 11 yards. Two guys made it into triple digits, as Jefferson caught 4 balls for 129 yards and a touchdown and Thompson ended the day with 103 yards receiving on 7 catches.

Tulsa Defense – The best damn performance since taking over at Tulsa. Pitched a shutout and held New Mexico to only 229 yards of offense. Also ended the day with 5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble/fumble recovery.

Tulsa Kicking – Pratt never attempted a field goal today, but was perfect nonetheless, going 9-9 in PATs.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Tulsa:
14
21
21
7
63

:New_Mexico:
0
0
0
0
0

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

5:28
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-0

0:28
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 14-0

Second Quarter

4:34
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Smith, 25 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 21-0

3:02
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 5 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 28-0

0:07
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Jefferson, 10 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 35-0

Third Quarter

5:01
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 42-0

1:59
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Smith, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 49-0

0:13
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Smith, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 56-0

Fourth Quarter

3:44
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
D. Jordan, 13 yard pass from C. Bishop (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 63-0

Game Stats

Tulsa
Stat
New Mexico

63
Score
0

30
First Downs
14

640
Total Offense
229

48 - 163 - 6
Rushes - Yards - TD
22 - 96 - 0

24 - 35 - 3
Comp - Att - TD
10 - 36 - 0

477
Passing Yards
133

2
Times Sacked
5

7 - 10 (70%)
3rd Down Conversion
6 - 17 (35%)

0 - 0 (0%)
4th Down Conversion
1 - 1 (100%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

9 - 8 - 0 (88%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
4 - 0 - 0 (0%)

1
Turnovers
2

0
Fumbles Lost
1

1
Intercepted
1

13
Punt Return Yards
9

20
Kick Return Yards
136

673
Total Yards
374

2 – 47.5
Punts - Average
9 - 44.0

4 - 50
Penalties
4 - 37

24:57
Time of Possession
11:03

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
63
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
640
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

100%

SmoothPancakes

12-21-2012, 12:31 AM

So yeah, I think I need to extend that home-and-home contract with New Mexico and make it a yearly game for the next decade. :D :D :D

It's a shame I don't have my home game with New Mexico until 2017. :(

SmoothPancakes

12-21-2012, 01:10 AM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, in the game of the week, #1 Wisconsin proves it's mettle, beating #15 Virginia Tech 37-14. #2 USC got one hell of a wake-up call, as a touchdown with 1:30 left in the game helps the Trojans avoid an upset, beating Wake Forest 42-35. #6 Michigan State scores two fourth quarter TDs to pull away late from Louisiana-Lafayette, 30-19. The blowout of the week goes to #7 Nebraska, who demolishes Delaware State 70-0. Utah State knocks off their rivals, #19 Utah, 31-10. #21 Florida State survives a hell of a scare, scoring once in the fourth quarter to beat Florida Atlantic 24-17. #23 Oregon suffers a season opening loss, falling to Stanford 38-31.

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss starts the season 0-1, losing to Virginia 38-30. Southern Miss had a 17-14 halftime lead, but was losing 28-24 after three quarters and 35-30 in the fourth before a Virginia field goal with 1:42 put the game out of reach. Jaymo, Arizona State starts 1-0 with a 49-21 whipping of FCS Midwest. Mors, maybe this year will be better. West Virginia starts off 1-0 with a 33-24 win over Miami (FL). Other teams of interest, Arkansas State starts the year 1-0 with a 38-14 win over FCS West.

In the C-USA, UTEP appears to suck this year. They barely beat FCS NW 21-17, and the Miners were actually losing 17-14 before a touchdown with 5:18 left in the game pulled out the win. And FIU is gonna be another battle this year. The Golden Panthers open the season with a win, knocking off UCLA 21-10. It took at 35 yard touchdown pass with 4:04 left and a 28 yard returned fumble with 2:32 left, but all that matters is FIU pulled out the win.

Elsewhere, Miami University got a nice 34-20 win over Oregon State. Bowling Green downs Ole Miss 31-21, and Vanderbilt needed overtime to escaped UMass, 28-21. A rather impressive start to the season by the MAC.

Looking ahead to a future opponent, #4 Oklahoma opened the year by ripping Memphis a new one, 59-7. :(

Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches poll, the top 10 remain the same. Wisconsin (getting 40 first place votes) and USC (21 votes) stay at #1 and #2. Georgia, Oklahoma and Notre Dame stay still at #3, #4 and #5. Michigan State, Nebraska, TCU, Michigan and Alabama all stay stuck in place in #6 through #10. Iowa, LSU, Auburn and Clemson all remain where they were last week in #11 through #14. Tulsa moves up one to #15, Kansas State and Arkansas both climb one spot to #16 and #17. Texas Tech and Florida State both jump two spots to #18 and #19. Virginia Tech falls five ranks to #20. Fresno State moves up one to #21, and Texas and Washington both jump two ranks to #22 and #23. Stanford enters the poll this week at #24 and Ohio State enters the poll at #25. Dropping out were Utah (from #19) and Oregon (from #23). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, FIU is ranked #27 with 98 votes. Utah is not receiving any votes in the newest poll.

SmoothPancakes

12-21-2012, 03:36 AM

Game Two

:Utah: :@: #15 :Tulsa:

Game Notes

--- After taking a day to celebrate the 63-0 thumping of New Mexico, it was right back to work to prepare for our home opener. Our home opener against none other than the only team that stood between us and an undefeated season last year. The start of the season had not been kind to Utah. The Utes began the year ranked #19 in the nation, but after getting whooped 31-10 at the hands of their rivals, Utah State, Utah plummeted out of the polls, dropping to unranked and not even receiving a single vote in the latest coaches poll. But what would be a better way to rebound back into the polls than with a win over the #15 team in the nation? Hopefully our defense would come ready like they did against New Mexico so we wouldn’t have to find out how far Utah would jump with an upset. We won the coin toss and elected to kick.

A touchback got the game started and Utah’s offense began the game on their 25 yard line. Our defense struck first blood as C.J. Leierer was sacked for a loss of three yards. It was a temporary setback as a pass to Ken Ross went for a gain of 15 and Utah had a first down at their 37. Two incomplete passes and a pass of only two yards to Adam Bain and Utah was forced to punt on fourth and 8 from their 39. A fair catch on the 44 yard punt gave our offense the ball at our 16 yard line. Kiel Fletcher took the ball on first down, but was only able to pick up a yard before being swung down by the defensive end. Going to the air, Brandon Booth found Conner Jefferson for a gain of 13 yards and we had a first down at our 31. Going back to the ground, Fletcher was able to fight forward for a 7 yard gain, before being tackled forward on the next play for a gain of three to leave us with third and inches. Fletcher would pick up the first down and then some, busting a rush up the middle for a 7 yard gain to the 48 yard line. Going back into the air, Booth found Max Thompson along the left sideline for a 15 yard gain, knocked out of bounds at the Utah 37. Fletcher added to his running total with a gain of 9 yards, before Ryan Strong got the first down with a three yard rush to the 26. Breaking a pair of tackles, Fletcher was able to avoid a loss and pick up two yards to leave us second and 8. Booth found Jefferson through the air for a 12 yard gain, before hitting Fletcher in the end zone for the 12 yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 4:59 left in the first quarter.

A 16 yard return and Utah was back in action from their 18 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Norris Penn picked up 8 yards on the ground, leaving the Utes with third and two. The defense would stand their ground, as Penn was tackled for a loss of three yards to leave Utah with fourth and 5 from their 23 and the punt team coming out. An 8 yard return on the 48 yard punt and we were back in business from our 36. After an incomplete pass, Booth committed his first error of the game, as Eric White picked off a pass intended for Jefferson, returning it 15 yards to our 30 yard line. Utah got a free 6 yards to start the drive after a penalty on our defense. Following an incomplete pass, Leierer hit Harrison Brown for a gain of 14 yard and Utah had first and goal from our 10. Penn would gain 6 yards on the ground before punching it through the final four yards for the touchdown to make it a 7-7 tie with 3:15 left in the quarter. We picked back up on offense after the touchback.

After a three yard rush by Fletcher, it was time to give Booth the reigns again. Booth came back in fine style, slinging a pass just out of reach of the corner and into the hands of Eric Hayden for a 12 yard gain and first down at our 40. Tight roping a hole by the center, Fletcher took it up the middle on first down for a gain of 13 yards and a first down at the Utah 47. After an incomplete pass that was nearly intercepted, Booth hit Thompson for a gain of 11 yards to the Utah 36. A one yard rush by Fletcher brought about bad news, as Fletcher needed help getting up and over to the sideline. After an incomplete pass left us with third and 9, when Booth was able to hit Thompson on the sideline for a 13 yard gain, Thompson just getting his foot down in bounds before being pushed out. Words came from the trainers that Fletcher had suffered a foot stress fracture and would be out for the rest of the game. A pass to Eric Silva on first down went for a loss of four yards, before Booth went back to his favorite receiver, Thompson, for a gain of 20 yards and first and goal from the 6 yard line. Silva picked up four yards on the first down rush, by Strong punched it in from two yards out, giving us a 14-7 lead as the clock hit zero to bring the first quarter to a close.

The kickoff to start the second quarter went out for a touchback and Utah was starting from their 25. The Utes got moving quickly, as Leierer hit Ross for a gain of 21 yards. After an incomplete pass, our defense got tagged for pass interference, and Utah got a new set of downs at our 39 yard line. After a one yard rush by Penn and an incomplete pass, the Utes moved forward with a 10 yard pass to Penn and a first down at our 29. The drive would stall out as three straight incomplete passes left Utah lining up for a field goal. The 46 yard kick by William Lee was no good and we took over on offense from our 29. It was all running game to start the drive, as Strong rumbled ahead for gains of 9, 6, 6 and one yards, leaving us with third and three from midfield. We’d convert the third down as Booth hit Silva out of the backfield for a 6 yards gain and first down at the Utah 44. After a three yard rush by Strong, all linebackers blitzing allowed Hayden to get wide open on a slant route over the middle, picking up 23 yards before being brought down by the safeties at the Utah 18. After a 5 yard rush on first down, the blitzing defense took Strong down for a loss of one yard, and left with third and 6, it was into the air. Booth found Strong along the right hash at the 4 yard line. Pushing off the diving tackle attempt by the corner, Strong stumbled forward for the 14 yard touchdown and a 21-7 lead with 4:39 left in the half.

Utah got their next drive started from the 25 after the kickoff. It was an uneventful drive, as Leierer picked up 5 yards on first down, before an incomplete pass and Penn being tackled for a loss of two yards left Utah stranded on their 28 yard line with fourth and 7. A fair catch on the 43 yard punt gave us possession at our 29 yard line with 3:46 remaining. A score here and getting the ball back to start the second half, we could really blow this game wide open. The first down rush by Strong went for no gain. Utah brought the entire linebacker corps again, leaving the middle wide open, and Booth made them pay. Hayden beat his corner off of the line, catching a pass in stride from Booth. The safeties both dove at Hayden’s knees to stop him, but stumbling and breaking loose, Hayden was able to regain his footing and raced 70 yards down to the Utah two yard line before being caught from behind. Looking at first and goal from the two yard line, Strong rushed ahead for a gain of one yard. Strong would carry it in on the next play, following his blockers off the left tackle and jog in standing up for the one yard touchdown and a 28-7 lead with 2:33 left in the quarter.

An 18 yard kickoff return and Utah’s offense started their drive from their 23 yard line. It was another horrible drive for the Utes, as Leierer was sacked for a 10 yard loss on first down, followed by two incomplete passes to leave Utah punting on fourth and 20 from their 13 yard line. A fair catch on the 47 yard punt got our offense back in action on our 39 yard line and 1:54 to work with. Strong took the ball on first down and still found nothing going, picking up only one yard and the clock ticking. Going through the air, Booth hit Jefferson for a gain of 10 yards and a first down at midfield. Booth found Nicholas Roberts on the next play for a gain of 7 yards and we called our first time out, stopping the clock with 1:11 to go. A pass to Thompson went for a gain of 13 yards and we had a first down at the 29 yard line. A 5 yard pass to Jefferson was followed with a toss of four yards to Roberts and we were left with third and one at the 21 yard line, our second timeout stopping the clock with 28 seconds left. The defense was ready for us on the ground, as the middle linebacker blew through the line and tackled Strong for a loss of one yard. The 39 yard field goal by Alphonso Pratt made it 31-7 with 9 seconds left on the clock. A 17 yard kickoff return by Penn got Utah out to the 22 yard line, but the final seconds ticked off the clock and the first half came to a close, our lead at 24.

A touchback on the opening kickoff gave our offense the ball on the 25 to start the second half. Business as usual on the ground game, Strong was only able to manage one yard on the first down rush. A three yard gain by Strong on the next play and we had third and 6 from the 29. Taking a shot deep, Jefferson got off the blocks fast and past the corner, jumping up for a pass from Booth. The corner mistimed his dive at Jefferson’s feet, missing entirely, and it wasn't until the safety had caught up that Jefferson was knocked out of bounds at the 10 yard line, a 61 yard gain in all. A 6 yard rush by Strong got us down to the four yard line, leaving us second and four. We would only need one more play, as Strong took the hand off and bounced outside, avoiding the blitzing linebacker and rushing it in for the four yard touchdown and a 38-7 lead with 7:22 left in the quarter.

Starting their next drive on the 22 yard line, Utah was completely dead in energy and it showed. Three straight incomplete passes, two of them badly off target and one dropped, left Utah punting on fourth and 10. A fair catch on the 47 yard punt and our offense was back on the field at our 31 yard line. Utah’s defense was also showing signs of defeat, their linebackers no longer blitzing hard and fast at the snap, but just sort of listlessly moving back and forth on the first down rush by Strong. It was the defensive tackle that would take Strong down for only a gain of one and keep the gain small. A three yard rush by Booth on an option play and we were left with third and 7. The defense would help keep our drive alive, as all three linebackers blitzed, leaving the middle wide open, and both corners jamming our receivers at the line forced Hayden to break inside on his route, hauling in a wide open pass from Booth and picking up 15 yards before being brought down by the safety. Strong took over the on the ground, the running game finally starting to pick up steam, breaking runs for four and 6 yard gains, before converting third and inches with a one yard rush for a first down at the Utah 40. The defense bit back, tackling Silva for a loss of one yard, but Silva got the last laugh, catching a pass from Booth on the next play for a 14 yard gain and a first down at the 26 yard line. Picking up 6 yards on first down, Strong had nowhere to go on the next play, as the defense came heavy and he was met by four different defenders in the backfield, going down instantly for a loss of one yard. Booth took a chance living on the edge, snaking a pass in between four defenders to Hayden, who caught and while being tackled, was able to roll to his left and fall forward for a 7 yard gain. The chains were brought out, and tip of the ball just past the first down marker, giving us a fresh set of downs at the 16 yard line. Strong took the ball on first down, but he was again met in the backfield for a loss of one yard. Heading into the air, Booth found Jefferson all alone in the corner of the end zone for a 17 yard touchdown pass. Pratt’s PAT capped off the 13 play, 6 minute and two second drive to make it 45-7 with 47 seconds left in the third quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff left Utah starting on their 25 yard line with 39 seconds left in the quarter. Leierer got back on track this drive, hitting Ross for a gain of 13 yards, before launching a pass to Ryan Timmons for a gain of 25 yards and first down at our 38 yard line. Two incomplete passes left Utah with third and 8 seconds on the clock. The Utes would get back into the end zone for the first time since the first quarter, as Leierer hit Noah Brown with a 38 yard touchdown bomb. The PAT with no time remaining on the clock made it 45-14 as the third quarter came to a close.

A touchback on the kickoff opened up the fourth quarter, our offense starting at the 25 with a 31 point lead, just 8:53 away from victory. Our second team offense came out to start the quarter, Silva picking up gains of one yard and 10 yards to give us a first down at the 36 yard line, continuing to chew up the clock along the way. A 6 yard rush by Silva was followed with a gain of 6 yards by Travis Stephens to give us a first down at the 48 yard line. Silva took the rock on the next play, picking up three yards as the clock ticked up 6 minutes to play. Silva took the ball up the middle, picking up a gain of 5 yards, before the defense tacked on 15 free yards courtesy of a face mask penalty at the end of the run. Thanks to the penalty, we had first down at the 29 yard line, 5:46 remaining. A 10 yard rush by Silva gave us first down at the 19 yard line, the clock ticking underneath four minutes. Stephens picked up four yards on first down, followed by a gain of one from Silva, leaving us third and 5 from the 14 yard line. Silva would fight forward for one yard and we were left with fourth and four at the 13 yard line. Pratt’s kick from 31 yards out was good and our lead expanded to 48-14 with 3:17 to go.

A 20 yard kickoff return left Utah on their 24 yard line and 3:07 on the clock. An incomplete pass on first down was followed with a three yard rush by Penn to leave third and 7. Penn would drop the third down pass from Leierer and with 2:43 to go, Utah would punt away on fourth and 7 from their 27. Jefferson returned the 46 yard punt for three yards to our 29 and our offense was left 2:37 to run off. Silva started the drive with a rush of four yards, after which he was tackled for no gain. On third and 6 with 1:17 to go, Silva pounded it up the gut, falling forward under the weight of the defensive tackle for a 6 yard gain and a first down at the 39 yard line, 1:09 left to go. Snapping the ball with 39 seconds left, Casey Bishop only had to kneel the ball once to run out the clock on our 48-14 victory.

With the win, we improve our record to 2-0. Utah drops to 0-2 to start their season. Up next, it’s the biggest game on the schedule, the road trip to Norman and a game date with the #4 Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma enters the game at 2-0 on the season, opening with a 59-7 win at Memphis, then a 23-7 victory at San Jose State.

Final Score
#15 :Tulsa: 48, :Utah: 14

Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – It was another great day for Booth, throwing for 370 yards and three touchdowns. He did have one interception that led directly to a touchdown, but it wasn't enough to keep Utah from getting demolished. Ryan Strong ended up being the leading rusher on the day with 67 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. Silva ended the day with 49 yards on 14 carries, Fletcher had 45 yards on 8 carries before leaving for the rest of the game with an injury. Turning to receiving, 7 players caught a ball today, all of them getting double digit yards, the lowest being Roberts with 11 yards on two receptions. Hayden ended the day leading the pack with 127 yards receiving on 5 receptions, Jefferson also made it to triple digits with 118 yards and a touchdown on 6 receptions. Also adding receiving touchdowns were Fletcher and Strong. Strong the player of the game with 67 yards rushing and 3 rushing touchdowns along with 14 yards receiving and a receiving touchdown.

- Tulsa Defense – Another stellar day by the defense, holding Utah to only 160 yards of total offense. It remains to be seen if that will be a sign of the outstanding defense, or if it will be the norm for Utah, as the Utes were only able to manage 207 yards of total offense against Utah State the week before.

- Tulsa Kicking – A perfect day for Pratt. 2-2 in field goals, kicking from 39 and 31 yards out, and a perfect 6-6 in PATs.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Utah:
7
0
7
0
14

:Tulsa:
14
17
14
3
48

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

4:59
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 12 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-0

3:15
:Utah:
Touchdown
N. Penn, 4 yard run (W. Lee kick)
TIED 7-7

0:00
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Strong, 2 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 14-7

Second Quarter

4:39
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Strong, 14 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 21-7

2:33
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Strong, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 28-7

0:09
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 39 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 31-7

Third Quarter

7:22
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Strong, 4 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 38-7

0:47
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Jefferson, 17 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 45-7

0:00
:Utah:
Touchdown
N. Brown, 37 yard pass from C. Leierer (W. Lee kick)
:Tulsa: 45-14

Fourth Quarter

3:20
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 31 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 48-14

Game Stats

Utah
Stat
Tulsa

14
Score
48

7
First Downs
26

160
Total Offense
542

8 - 22 - 1
Rushes - Yards - TD
51 - 172 - 3

8 - 27 - 1
Comp - Att - TD
23 - 27 - 3

138
Passing Yards
370

2
Times Sacked
0

2 - 9 (22%)
3rd Down Conversion
9 - 11 (81%)

0 - 0 (0%)
4th Down Conversion
0 - 0 (0%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

2 - 1 - 0 (50%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
7 - 6 - 1 (100%)

0
Turnovers
1

0
Fumbles Lost
0

0
Intercepted
1

0
Punt Return Yards
11

89
Kick Return Yards
0

249
Total Yards
553

6 – 46.2
Punts - Average
0 - 0.0

1 - 15
Penalties
3 - 36

12:51
Time of Possession
23:09

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
55
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
1182
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

100%

SmoothPancakes

12-21-2012, 04:15 AM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, in the game of the week, #5 Notre Dame beats #9 Michigan 24-14. It really wasn't as close as it looks. Notre Dame had a 17-0 lead after the third quarter. Both teams traded touchdowns to put Notre Dame up 24-7 before a Michigan touchdown with 59 seconds left closed it to the 24-14 final.

The first major upset of the year goes to Temple, as the Owls beat #6 Michigan State 24-21. It was tied 7-7 after one, Temple led 14-7 at halftime. A pair of MSU touchdowns and a Temple safety gave the Spartans a 21-16 lead after the third quarter. A Temple touchdown and two-point conversion with 1:45 left in the game would seal with three point win for the Owls. Right on the heels of that upset, Miami University joins Temple as giant slayers, knocking off #8 TCU 31-22. Miami U. led every step of the way, 7-3 after one, 17-13 at halftime and 24-16 after the third. TCU scored a touchdown with 8 seconds to go, their two-point conversion no good to seal the Miami University victory.

#10 Alabama scores 14 straight to pull away from Kentucky 35-16. #11 Iowa downs Iowa State 34-24. #13 Auburn outscores Mississippi State 14-6 in the second half to break a halftime tie and win 28-20. #14 Clemson pulls out a tight one over Southern Miss, 17-6. #17 Arkansas had some trouble this week with Vanderbilt. Vandy led 21-14 after one quarter, before Arkansas took a 35-21 lead into halftime. It was 45-31 after three and a field goal and touchdown with a failed two point try left Vandy losing by five points.

#21 Fresno State keeps their win streak alive at 13 straight with a 45-28 win over SMU. #20 Virginia Tech got all it could handle from Louisiana-Monroe. It was 21-17 Virginia Tech after the third quarter, but the Hokies proved too much in the fourth. ULM scored with 5:45 left, but the failed two-point try would leave them down five and they wouldn't score again. #23 Washington outscores Toledo 14-3 in the fourth quarter to win 45-30.

For our readers, souljahbill, as mentioned in the Top 25 recap, Southern Miss drops to 0-2 with a 17-6 loss at #14 Clemson. The Tigers led 10-0 after one, two field goals made it 10-6 at halftime, and a Clemson touchdown in third quarter would end the scoring for the game. Jaymo, Arizona State falls to 1-1 (0-1 Pac-12) with a 27-14 loss to #24 Stanford. Mors, so much for undefeated. West Virginia drops to 1-1 (0-1 Big 12) with a 48-31 loss to Oklahoma State. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State improves to 2-0 with a dominating 47-21 win over Cincinnati, and Iowa State starts the year 0-1 with a 34-24 loss to #11 Iowa.

In the C-USA, UCLA must suck this year. One week after losing to Florida International, UCLA needs a touchdown with 13 seconds left in the game to escape 0-2 Mid Tennessee State. Florida Atlantic is looking to be tough this year. After scaring the hell out of #21 Florida State in a 24-17 loss, FAU fights to the end in a 23-17 loss to NC State. FAU had a 17-14 lead after three quarters. FIU is 2-0 with a 28-23 win over Minnesota, their second straight win over a FBS opponent.

Elsewhere, Bowling Green fought hard in a 38-26 loss to Penn State. Should be a promising year for the Falcons, knocking off Ole Miss and losing by 12 to Penn State. Western Michigan hounds Arizona all day before eventually falling 28-24. And Kent State bitch slaps Missouri, 45-14. The MAC is really impressing me this year between week 1 and now the results of week 2.

Looking ahead to next week's opponent, #4 Oklahoma had some trouble early on, but still won comfortably 23-7 over San Jose State.

Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches poll, the top 2 remain the same. Wisconsin (getting 40 first place votes) and USC (21 votes) stay at #1 and #2. Notre Dame leaps two to #3, Georgia and Oklahoma both drop one to #4 and #5. Nebraska climbs one to #6, Alabama jumps three to #7. Iowa, LSU and Auburn all jump three to #8, #9 and #10. Clemson climbs three to #11, Tulsa jumps three to #12, Michigan falls four to #13. Kansas State, Arkansas and Texas Tech all jump two to #14, #15 and #16. Michigan State free falls eleven to #17. Florida State, Virginia Tech, Fresno State, Texas and Washington all climb one to #18 through #22. TCU plummets fifteen spots to #23 and Stanford and Ohio State both remain stuck at #24 and #25. Nobody dropped out of the poll this week. Looking at Other Receiving Votes, Louisville is #26 (202 votes), FIU #27 (191) and Texas A&M, Temple and Oregon rounding out the top teams.

morsdraconis

12-21-2012, 04:52 AM

Man! #16 right out of the gate! MNC time baby!

SmoothPancakes

12-21-2012, 05:34 AM

Man! #16 right out of the gate! MNC time baby!

:D That thought did enter my mind for a half a second when I got to the preseason, but I don't even want to entertain the thought right now. This season is loaded with trouble. I still have to deal with #5 Oklahoma, who is absolutely stacked in every facet of the game.

Even if I were to win that game, I still have a ton of tough games. FIU is much, much improved this year and causes me a lot of concern, especially with how they've won their first two games. Southern Miss is new this year, and based on the first two weeks, at least semi-decent this year. Plus I've never played USM so I have no clue what to expect going into that game.

North Texas is always a game of concern. It doesn't matter how much better I am than the Mean Green, or how much worse they are than me, they ALWAYS play me tough as hell every game. And UTEP played me pretty tough last year. The Miners seem to have fallen off a bit this year, but I am still taking them very cautiously.

morsdraconis

12-21-2012, 07:34 AM

Ah, coach speak at it's best. ;)

JeffHCross

12-21-2012, 09:28 AM

SmoothPancakes

12-21-2012, 07:18 PM

Smooth, I don't know practically anything about Booth's ratings, but if he's fast you should definitely look at the plays I sent you. You can do some serious ball control with it. It might help mitigate your defensive depth woes if they start to suffer.

Yeah, I can't remember off the top of my head how fast Booth is. I know he's got some speed to him as I've been able to pull a couple triple options out of the playbook now and then. I'll make sure I add those plays to my custom playbook before the Oklahoma game. The Sooners being rated 99 overall, 97 on offense and 95 on defense, I think I'm gonna need every single bit of help I can get.

SmoothPancakes

12-23-2012, 12:16 PM

Alright, firing up Oklahoma right now. Gonna squeeze this game in before the Cleveland-Denver game at 4pm. After Cleveland-Denver wraps up, it's back into it with Akron later tonight.

SmoothPancakes

12-23-2012, 01:16 PM

My god, just getting to halftime, this Oklahoma game could not possibly be any more completely opposite of what it was last season. :D

morsdraconis

12-23-2012, 01:34 PM

My god, just getting to halftime, this Oklahoma game could not possibly be any more completely opposite of what it was last season. :D

Hopefully that means you're kicking the shit out of them instead of it being a ridiculous barnburner like it was last year. :)

SmoothPancakes

12-23-2012, 01:37 PM

Hopefully that means you're kicking the shit out of them instead of it being a ridiculous barnburner like it was last year. :)

No, we're not kicking the shit out of them, but it is sure as hell not a barn burner. Lets just say the defenses are having a career day today for both teams.

SmoothPancakes

12-23-2012, 02:37 PM

Game Three

#12 :Tulsa: :@: #5 :Oklahoma:

Game Notes

--- After finding little fight in what turned out to be an overmatched Utah squad, it was now time our first and biggest test of the season. The #5 Oklahoma Sooners. Going up against the #4 defense in college football was going to be a massive challenge for our young squad, and even tougher by being on the road. We were going to find out quickly how well prepared our boys were. We won the coin toss and elected to kick.

A 25 yard kickoff return, and the game was underway as Oklahoma began at their 23 yard line. It was quick moving for the Sooners, as Tony Moore picked up 5 yards on the ground, followed by an 11 yard pass from C.J. Cannon to Brian Bowen for a first down at the 39 yard line. Bowen was tackled on the next play for a loss of three yards, followed by a 7 yard rush by Ryan Washington to leave Oklahoma with third and 7. A 13 yard pass to Scott Tidwell and the Sooners had a new set of downs at our 45. An 8 yard rush by Cannon was followed with a pass to Alfred Barnes for a gain of 23 yards and first down at our 14 yard line. The defense would stiffen up and hold Oklahoma there, as three straight incomplete passes forced the Sooners to kick a 31 yard field goal, making it 3-0 with 6:59 left in the quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff and we were on the field at our 25 for our first drive of the game. Our offensive line was no match for the high rated Oklahoma defense, as Kiel Fletcher was quickly brought down for no gain on first down. Going into the air, Brandon Booth was able to sling a pass just past the outstretched arms of the defender and into the hands of Conner Jefferson for a 23 yard gain and first down at our 48 yard line. A first down pass to Eric Silva went for a gain of 8 yards. Going back to the ground, it was no go for Fletcher, as the defensive tackle fought through the block and tackled Fletcher for a loss of two yards. A blitz on third down left our offense no chance, as Booth was sacked for a 9 yard loss before having any chance to get rid of the ball. Left with fourth and 13 from our 45 yard, Carlos Wilcox’s punt sailed 41 yards, going unreturned to give Oklahoma the ball at their 14 yard line. It was into the air for the Sooners right out of the gate, as Cannon hit Jay Riley for a gain of 6 yards, followed by a 10 yard pass to Bowen for first down at the 30 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Washington gained 7 yards on the ground, leaving the Sooners with third and three from their 37. The defense would rise to the occasion once again, tackling Washington for a loss of one yard to bring about fourth down. A 52 yard punt was returned for 5 yards by Fletcher and our offense was back on the field at our 17 yard line, 3:53 left in the first quarter.

Thanks in part to an outside rush by the Sooners, Fletcher was left with a gap up the middle, picking up 9 yards to set up second and one. Despite what looked like a promising gain, the blitzing middle linebacker blew through on the opposite side of the center, diving at Fletcher’s legs and bringing him down for no gain, leaving us with third and one at the 26. Roy Strong would get the job done on the next play, busting it up the middle for a gain of 10 yards and first down at our 36 yard line. Trying to catch the defense sleeping with a speed option, Booth was able to pick up four yards on the first down play. Fletcher never had a chance on second down, as the defense broke through, tackling him for a loss of three yards to leave us with third and 9. Booth’s pass on third down to Jefferson went for a 10 yard gain over the middle, just getting the first down and keeping our drive breathing at the 47 yard line. The defense continued to have their way with Booth, sacking him for a loss of 10 yards on the first down pass attempt to leave us with second and 20. Just getting the pass off before being hit, Booth found Mark Thompson for a gain of 13 yards, leaving us third and 6 at the Oklahoma 49. Booth’s pass to Strong wasn't enough, only picking up four yards to leave us with fourth and two at the 45. The final seconds would tick off the clock and the first quarter would come to an end, Oklahoma leading 3-0.

Punting on fourth down to start the second quarter, it was an absolute shank by Wilcox, going only 15 yards before going out of bounds, giving Oklahoma the ball at their 30 yard line. The Sooners would come up short on the drive, as two incomplete passes and an 8 yard pass to Moore left Oklahoma with fourth and two. The 49 yard punt was returned for 8 yards by Fletcher and we were back on the field at our 22.

Fletcher got us moving on first down, finding a small hole up the middle and fighting forward for an 11 yard gain. Oklahoma seemed to suddenly forget how to defend the run, as Fletcher broke another run for a gain of 13 yards and a first down at our 45 yard line, nobody managing to touch Fletcher until the safety brought him down. A 5 yard rush by Fletcher was followed with a gain of four yards by Strong and we were left with third and inches at the Oklahoma 45 yard line. Despite the outside linebacker blitzing in late, Fletcher was able to just barely fall forward over the line of scrimmage for a one yard gain and a first down at the 44 yard line. Fletcher continued to pound it against the Sooners defense, picking up a gain of 9 yards on first down and exposing a weakness against the run game in that previously impenetrable armor of the Oklahoma defense. A gain of three yards by Fletcher gave us first down at the 32 yard line. Fighting off of a tackle attempt, Fletcher was able to continue pushing forward for a three yard gain before finally being brought down. Left with second and 7, Booth went into the air, his pass attempt off his back foot falling woefully incomplete, leaving us with third down and 3:42 left in the first half. The third down pass attempt to Thompson went for a big gain, as Thompson rolled his way out of two consecutive tackle attempts before being pushed out of bounds at the three yard line, a 25 yard gain in all to give us first and goal, our first real chance of the game to put points on the board. Fletcher would find the end zone on the next play, pushing off of a tackle attempt and racing the Oklahoma defense to the far corner for the three yard touchdown rush and a 7-3 lead with 3:03 left in the first half.

A touchback on the kickoff left Oklahoma starting on their 25 yard line, 2:55 left to work their magic. Our defense showed its might on first down, tackling Washington for a loss of four yards, before a 9 yard pass from Cannon to Eric Green left Oklahoma with third and four. Washington would return with a vengeance, picking up 6 yards on the ground and giving Oklahoma a first down at their 37. A pair of rushes by Cannon for no gain and a pickup of 6 yards, Oklahoma was left facing third and four. Cannon would go to the air on the next play, finding Barnes for a gain of 12 yard and first down at our 45 yard line, 1:45 left to go in the half. Another pass, this time to Moore for a 13 yard gain, Oklahoma had a first down at our 32. After a pass to Alfred Reid for 7 yards, an incomplete pass intended for Moore left Oklahoma with third and three from our 25 yard line. Cannon would pick up the first down himself, rushing for three yards to our 22 yard line with 1:18 left on the clock. A 16 yard pass to Washington gave Oklahoma first and goal at our 6 yard line. A gain of 5 yards on the ground by Washington, and Oklahoma had second and goal from our one yard line, 1:04 left to go. The Sooners would find the end zone on the next play as Cannon punched it in himself from one yard out, the PAT giving Oklahoma a 10-7 lead with 53 seconds left to play.

A 21 yard kickoff return by Jefferson left us starting on our 20 yard line with 42 seconds to go, all three timeouts still in the bag. Booth’s pass on first down, intended for Thompson fell incomplete, leaving us second down. A misalignment by the defense left Fletcher wide open on the next play, hauling it in for a 53 yard gain before being tripped up by the safety at the Oklahoma 27 yard line. A timeout stopped the clock with 32 seconds to go. A pass to Eric Hayden went for a gain of 11 yards to the Oklahoma 16. An incomplete pass on first down left us second down with 23 seconds to go in the half, still two timeouts to use. Booth’s second down pass to Hayden went for a gain of only four yards, leaving us third and 6 from the 12 yard line, our second timeout stopping play with 18 seconds to go. A pass from Booth to Strong on third down went for a gain of 6 yards, the chain measurement giving us the first down by just a couple inches, setting us up with first and goal at the 6 yard line, 13 seconds left on the clock. Rushing to the line, the first down pass intended for Jefferson was knocked incomplete, leaving us second and goal with 10 seconds to go. Another incomplete pass, intended for Hayden left us third and goal, just 6 seconds remaining. Calling quick slants, the pass from Booth to Jefferson was broken up and left with fourth and goal and three seconds to go, we were forced to settle for a 23 yard field goal. With the clock expired, we headed into halftime all tied up at 10-10.

Receiving the kickoff to open up the second half, Jefferson returned the ball for 24 yards, getting our offense started at the 28 yard line. The Oklahoma defense seemed ready for our run game to start the half, as Fletcher was quickly brought down for no gain on the first down rush. Another rush, Fletcher was able to gain only two yards, leaving us with third and 8 from our 30. Booth’s pass to Hayden was completed, but Hayden was tackled for a gain of only four yards, and left facing fourth and three, our punt team came out. A fair catch on the 46 yard punt gave Oklahoma the ball to start at their 19 yard line. It was a short drive also for Oklahoma, as the Sooners started with a pass for no gain from Cannon to Washington, before Washington was tackled for a loss of two yards, followed by an 8 yard rush to leave Oklahoma with fourth and four at their 25. The 43 yard punt was returned for 8 yards by Fletcher and we took over on our 39 yard line.

Fletcher got us moving to start our drive, picking up 6 yards on first down. A gain of only one yard by Fletcher on the next play, and we were left facing third and three. A third down pass play to Silva turned into a huge gain, as all three linebackers blitzed, leaving the middle wide open for Silva to catch the ball and pick up 23 yards before the safeties brought him down at the Oklahoma 31 yard line. Strong took the ball on the ground on the next play, managing only a gain of one yard to the 30. The first turnover of the game would take place on the next play, as Booth tried to thread the needle to Jefferson, but outside linebacker Sam Vogel grabbed the ball out of the air for the interception, being immediately tacked by the tight end at the Sooners 24 yard line, 3:51 left to go in the third quarter. The Sooners got moving quickly, as Washington picked up 5 yards on the ground, followed by a 12 yard pass to Green for a first down at the 42 yard line. The defense fought back on first down, sacking Cannon for a 5 yard loss. A dropped pass on second down was followed with a 13 yard strike to Green, leaving Oklahoma with fourth and two at midfield. The Sooners would go for it on fourth down, Washington picking up three yards on the ground to give Oklahoma first down at our 47 yard line. Three straight incomplete passes would bring Oklahoma’s drive to an end. The 41 yard punt went unreturned, leaving our offense to start its next drive from the 6 yard line, 2:16 left in the quarter.

We quickly got out of the shadows of our end zone, as Hayden took advantage of a blitzing defense, hauling in a quick pass from Booth for a gain of 25 yards and a first down at the 31 yard line. Our drive nearly turned calamitous on the next play, as Fletcher was quickly wrapped up, the ball being knocked loose. Fletcher would end up owning a big fat steak to left guard Daniel Peters, who jumped on the ball to recover the fumble, leaving us with second and 8. The booth would challenge the fumble, and after review, it was determined that Fletcher had been down by contact before the ball came out, resulting in second and 10 instead of second and 8. Fletcher took it off left tackle on the next play, gaining 5 yards to leave us third and 5. After being forced to take a timeout to avoid delay of game, Booth’s third down pass intended for Thompson went wide incomplete, and with 38 seconds left in the quarter, we were forced to punt away. A fair catch on the 50 yard punt gave Oklahoma the ball at their 14 yard line. Cannon picked up four yards on first down to get Oklahoma started, before the defense struck back, tackling Washington for a loss of three yards, leaving the Sooners with third and 9 from the 15. Cannon would hit Barnes for a 7 yard gain, leaving Oklahoma with fourth and two from their 22 yard line, where the final couple seconds would tick off and the third quarter would come to an end, still all tied up at 10-10.

Oklahoma got the fourth quarter started with a 49 yard punt, returned 7 yards by Fletcher to start our offense at our 35 yard line. Breaking off a tackle, Fletcher rushed ahead for a gain of 6 yards on first down. The defense was more than ready on second down, tackling Fletcher for a loss of one yard to leave us with third and 5 at our 40. Thompson would come through with a huge gain on third down, hauling in a pass from Booth for a gain of 22 yards and a first down at the Oklahoma 37 yard line. The defense refused to let our running game get going again, as the defense brought Fletcher down for a loss of one yard on the first down play, leaving us second and 11 from the 38. We continued going backwards, as Booth’s pass to Silva went for a loss of one yard as well, leaving us facing third and 12 at the 39. The third down pass intended for Jefferson was broken up by the safety, leaving us with fourth and 12. Coach Ludwig would take a chance at the long shot, but the 56 yard field goal attempt by Alphonso Pratt was no good, and Oklahoma took over at their 39 yard line, 5:35 left to go in the game.

Washington started the drive with a four yard rush, before a 15 yard strike from Cannon to Barnes gave Oklahoma a first down at our 42 yard line. An 11 yard rush by Washington set up a 16 yard pass from Cannon to Moore and Oklahoma had a first down at our 15 yard line. After a two yard rush by Cannon, Oklahoma would take the lead, as Washington broke a rush off the right tackle, taking it 12 yards to the house for the 17-10 lead with 4:15 left in the game. Only four minutes left to go, a 21 yard kickoff return by Fletcher got our drive starting at our 22 yard line. The first down pass to Hayden was dropped and we were left with second down. Thompson would get us a first down, hauling in a pass from Booth for a gain of 14 yard out to our 37 yard line. Booth’s first down pass fell incomplete, again leaving us second down, 3:31 left on the clock. The dagger would be plunged into our heart on the next play, as Booth was intercepted by Brett Flowers, who took it 43 yards to the house for the interception return, giving Oklahoma a 24-10 lead with 3:23 to go.

A touchback on the kickoff got us started at our 25, only 3:15 now remaining. A first down pass to Hayden went for a gain of 17 yards and a first down at the 42. Booth’s first down pass intended for Thompson sailed wide and we were left with second down. A pair of 7 yards passes to Hayden and Silva kept our drive alive, giving us first down at the Oklahoma 44 yard line, 2:39 left on the clock. Three straight incomplete passes left us facing fourth and 10. Fletcher would keep the drive alive, hauling In a 22 yard pass from Booth, giving us a first down at the 23 yard line, 2:16 to go in the game. A 15 yard pass to Antoine Banks on the next play gave us first and goal at the 8 yard line, 2:02 left. Jefferson would get us in the end zone on the next play, hauling in the 8 yard touchdown pass from Booth to make it 24-17 with 1:52 left on the clock.

Oklahoma would recover the onside kick, giving the Sooners the ball at our 40 yard line with 1:49 left to play, only two timeouts left for our defense to stop the clock. An 8 yard rush by Washington got Oklahoma to our 32 yard line, our timeout stopping play with 1:43 left. Washington would pick up 5 yards on the next play for the first down at our 27, 1:38 left to play after our final timeout. Washington would keep pounding it ahead, picking up 7 yards to set up second and three, 1:26 remaining. Washington would get brought down for a loss of one yard on the next play, leaving Oklahoma with third and four, 44 seconds left to play. A loss of one yard by Tidwell and Oklahoma had fourth and 6 at our 23 yard line with 30 seconds to remaining. Trying to make it look better on paper, Oklahoma attempted a 40 yard field goal with 10 seconds left, the kick bouncing off the left upright. Our offense took over at our 23 yard line with three seconds left. The Hail Mary would not be answered this time around, as Booth’s pass deep to Fletcher was batted incomplete, the Sooners prevailing 24-17.

With the loss, we drop to 2-1 on the year. With the win, #5 Oklahoma stays perfect at 3-0. Up next, it’s back home to take on Akron. Akron started their year with a 35-7 win over FCS Southeast, before losing two straight, 34-10 to South Florida and 37-21 to Temple, heading into their first road game of the season at our house.

Final Score
#5 :Oklahoma: 24, #12 :Tulsa: 17

Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – An alright day by Booth, 319 yards passing and one touchdown, but two interceptions pretty much cost us the game. The first interception killed a drive that had momentum, the second interception killed our chances at winning, as the pick six gave Oklahoma a 14 point lead, leaving us playing for a huge comeback instead of just trying to tie it back up. A so-so day by Fletcher, 73 yards rushing and a touchdown on 21 carries. 7 receivers caught a ball today, everyone getting at least 10 or more yards. Fletcher ended up leading the way with 100 yards receiving on 3 catches, thanks in part to that 53 yard catch early in the game. Jefferson had the only receiving touchdown for the game to go along with 41 yards receiving on 3 catches.

Tulsa Defense – An incredible job today. They did give up 17 points, but against a powerful offense like Oklahoma, that was a hell of a job just to hold them to that. The two touchdowns the defense gave up came on drives that Oklahoma just bent them over, but at other times, the defense stood strong and killed drives that the Sooners very well may have scored on. Held Oklahoma to only 293 yards of offense, and despite not forcing any turnovers, the defense pretty much singlehandedly kept us in the game.

Tulsa Kicking – Pratt ended the day 1-2 in field goals, hitting the 23 yard kick to end the first half, and then missing that 56 yard prayer kick in the fourth quarter. He did go 2-2 in PATs.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Tulsa:
0
10
0
7
17

:Oklahoma:
3
7
0
14
24

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

7:02
:Oklahoma:
Field Goal
G. Weber, 30 yard field goal
:Oklahoma: 3-0

Second Quarter

3:03
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 3 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-3

0:53
:Oklahoma:
Touchdown
C. Cannon, 1 yard run (G. Weber kick)
:Oklahoma: 10-7

0:01
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 23 yard field goal
TIED 10-10

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter

4:15
:Oklahoma:
Touchdown
R. Washington, 12 yard run (G. Weber kick)
:Oklahoma: 17-10

3:23
:Oklahoma:
Touchdown
B. Flowers, returned interception 43 yards (G. Weber kick)
:Oklahoma: 24-10

1:52
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Jefferson, 8 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Oklahoma: 24-17

Game Stats

Tulsa
Stat
Oklahoma

17
Score
24

19
First Downs
15

389
Total Offense
293

28 - 70 - 1
Rushes - Yards - TD
28 - 102 - 2

22 - 39 - 1
Comp - Att - TD
17 - 28 - 0

319
Passing Yards
191

2
Times Sacked
1

8 - 15 (53%)
3rd Down Conversion
4 - 12 (33%)

1 - 1 (100%)
4th Down Conversion
1 - 1 (100%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

6 - 2 - 1 (50%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
6 - 2 - 1 (50%)

2
Turnovers
0

0
Fumbles Lost
0

2
Intercepted
0

28
Punt Return Yards
0

66
Kick Return Yards
25

483
Total Yards
318

4 – 38.0
Punts - Average
5 - 47.2

0 - 0
Penalties
0 - 0

20:22
Time of Possession
15:44

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
42
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
1571
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

100%

SmoothPancakes

12-23-2012, 02:43 PM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, in the game of the week, #17 Michigan State pulls off the 31-13 upset of #3 Notre Dame. #25 Ohio State scored an upset over #6 Nebraska 35-19. #7 Alabama has an easy day with #15 Arkansas, 38-17. #23 TCU blew out #16 Texas Tech 56-27. Duke gets their first win of the year, knocking off #18 Florida state 24-21. #20 Fresno State keeps their win streak going at 14 straight with a 38-17 shellacking of winless Utah, and Florida International loses and falls to 2-1 on the year, but not before they put a scare into #22 Washington, 26-14.

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss gets their first win of the year, whipping Louisiana Tech 19-7 to improve to 1-2 (1-0 C-USA). Jaymo, Arizona State falls to 1-2 (0-1 Pac-12) with a 44-28 whooping at the hands of Minnesota. Mors, it took double overtime, but West Virginia improves to 2-1 (1-1 Big 12) with a 30-27 win over Baylor. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State is now 3-0 on the year with a 27-7 victory over Memphis, and Iowa State falls to 0-2, losing 42-35 to Illinois.

Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches poll, the top 2 remain the same. Wisconsin (getting 34 first place votes) and USC (23 votes) stay at #1 and #2. Georgia (2 votes) and Oklahoma (1 vote) both move up one to #3 and #4. Alabama (1 vote) jumps two to #5. Iowa, LSU, Auburn and Clemson all jump two to #6, #7, #8 and #9. Notre Dame drops seven spots to #10. Michigan and Kansas State both jump two to #11 and #12. Michigan State climbs four spots to #13. Nebraska falls eight ranks to #14, Tulsa falls three to #15. Virginia Tech and Fresno State both jump three to #16 and #17. TCU jump five to #18. Texas climbs two to #19 while Arkansas drops five to #20. Washington moves up one to #21, Ohio State jumps three to #22 and Stanford climbs one to #23. Texas Tech drops eight to #24 and Texas A&M enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week was Florida State (from #18). Looking at Other Receiving Votes, Temple is #26 (188 votes), followed by North Carolina, Tennessee, Penn State, and Florida State to round out the top 30. Two teams of interest receiving votes, FIU (69 votes) at #31 and Arkansas State (35 votes) at #32.

SmoothPancakes

12-23-2012, 05:16 PM

Tulsa adds home-and-home series with Oklahoma, Texas State and UNLV

TULSA — Following the latest battle between the Golden Hurricanes and the Oklahoma Sooners, it was announced by both athletic directors that an agreement had been reached to extend the series between Oklahoma and Tulsa that had produced two close, hard fought battles, including the 65-56 overtime game in 2014 that lit up highlight shows for weeks.

Following a two year absence from each other's schedules, Oklahoma will make the trip to Tulsa during the 2018 season, with Tulsa returning to Norman in 2019.

Director of Athletics Ross Parmley also announced the additions of Texas State and UNLV to the future schedule, with Texas State coming to town in 2016 and Tulsa making the return trip to San Marcos in 2018. Tulsa will host UNLV in 2017, heading on the road to Las Vegas in 2018.

The addition of Texas State rounds out the 2016 schedule, with road trips to Fresno State and Ohio State, to go along with a home contest against the Toledo Rockets. The UNLV addition completes the 2017 schedule along with road contests at Oklahoma State and Toledo, while Tulsa will host New Mexico.

The new series with Oklahoma extends the list of highly competitive non-conference opponents on the future schedules of the Golden Hurricanes, with games against Fresno State, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State coming up on the schedule in future seasons.

With the addition of Oklahoma, Texas State and UNLV, the Golden Hurricanes have filled out their 2016 and 2017 non-conference schedules and set the ground work for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Listed below are the upcoming and future non-conference schedules for Tulsa:

2016
at Fresno State
at Ohio State
Toledo
Texas State

2017
New Mexico
at Oklahoma State
at Toledo
UNLV

2018
Oklahoma
at Texas State
at UNLV

2019
at Oklahoma

SmoothPancakes

12-23-2012, 07:28 PM

Ah, coach speak at it's best. ;)

At halftime of the Akron game, there was a reason I didn't even want to think about national title games (not even taking my game against Oklahoma into consideration). :fp:

SmoothPancakes

12-23-2012, 08:37 PM

Game Four

:Akron: :@: #15 :Tulsa:

Game Notes

--- It was tough, but we had to bounce back from the disappointing loss to #5 Oklahoma and get ready for the Zips. Akron was a heavy underdog coming into the game, but we were not about to start taking anybody for granted, lest we end up with a second loss and risk dropping from the rankings. We won the head to head in every statistic except turnover differential, and all the analysts were picking us to win handedly. We just had to keep our team focused on the goal so there wouldn’t be any let downs. We won the coin toss and elected to kick.

It was a touchback to start the game and Akron began from their 25. It was a very quick three and out, as two incomplete passes and a rush for no gain by Will Whitmore left Akron punting right from the start. A fair catch on the 43 yard punt gave us the ball at our 31 yard line. Kiel Fletcher got us started on offense, breaking a 10 yard run on first down to get us out to the 41. Bringing out the option, Booth picked up gains of four and 8 yards to give us a first down at the Akron 47. After a dropped pass on first down, Booth committed the first miscue of the day, as his pass intended for Max Thompson was intercepted and returned 59 yards for the touchdown, giving Akron a 7-0 thanks to their defense. A 17 yard return on the kickoff found us starting at our 15 yard line this time.

A 6 yard run by Fletcher followed by a gain of four from Ryan Strong left us facing third and inches. Fletcher would avoid the blitzing safety and pick up 10 yards up the gut for the first down at the 36 yard line. Taking another chance through the air, this time Conner Jefferson held onto the ball for a gain of 13 yards and a first down at the 48. Following an incomplete pass, Booth was flushed out of the pocket, scrambling for a gain of 5 yards to leave us with third and 5. It was Strong getting the first down and then a whole lot of more, hauling in a pass from Booth right at the first down line, then thanks to a downfield block, a juke away from a defender and three broken tackles, the play turned into a gain of 43 yards when all was said and done, Strong finally being brought down by three players at the four yard line for first and goal. Fletcher would fight ahead for a gain of two yards on first down, before being wrapped up for a loss of one yard, leaving us third and goal from the three. Booth’s pass into the end zone would be dropped, in and out of Jefferson’s hands, and we were forced to disappointingly settle for a 20 yard field goal to make it 7-3 with 4:06 left in the quarter.

Following the touchback on the kickoff, Akron started quickly moving the ball, as Tim Brown hit Seth Scott for a gain of 12 yards to the 37 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Brown found Mario Logan for 12 yards and another first down at the 49. Following another incomplete pass, Brown hit Chad Jansen for 5 yards, before the third down pass fell incomplete, and Akron was forced to punt from our 47. The 42 yard punt went unreturned and we were left buried at our 4 yard line. Fletcher would manage only three yards on the first down rush. Booth was hit as he tried to throw on the next play, resulting in an incomplete pass and third down from our 7. Booth’s pass would sail long and we were forced to punt on fourth and 7. A fair catch on the 43 yard punt left Akron starting at midfield. Brown hit Jansen through the air on first down for an 18 yard gain to get down to our 32. After a two yard rush by Jermaine Merrick, Brown was sacked for a loss of 5 yards and Akron was left with third and 13 from our 36. An incomplete pass would leave Akron’s drive stranded, punting out of the end zone for a touchback.

A pair of rushes by Fletcher for three and 6 yards left us facing third and one from our 29. Strong would manage to fight across the line for a two yard gain to give us a first down at our 32 yard line. Trying our chances through the air, Jefferson dropped his third pass of the day, setting up second down with only two seconds to go in the quarter. Booth’s pass to Thompson went for an 8 yard gain and we ended the first quarter trailing 7-3.

Booth’s pass on third down sailed over Thompson’s head to start the second quarter, and left with fourth and two, we were forced to punt away. The 48 yard punt from Carlos Wilcox was returned for 10 yards and Akron was back on the field at their 21 yard line. A penalty against our defense gave the Zips 8 free yards and a first down. A pass from Brown to Whitmore for 5 yards was followed with an incomplete pass, leaving third and 5. Akron would keep their drive alive as Brown found Jansen for a gain of 5 yards and a first down at the 39 yard line. The drive would quickly stall out, as Whitmore was tackled for a two yard loss, followed by a one yard rush by Brown and an incomplete pass, leaving the Zips punting on fourth and 11. A fair catch on the 42 yard punt gave us possession at our 20 yard line. It was a one play drive for us, as Booth committed his second error of the game, his pass intended for Thompson being intercepted by Marcus James and Akron had the ball at our 25 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, our defense would answer back, Darnell Turner intercepting Brown to get our offense back on the field at our three yard line.

Fletcher picked up 5 yards on first down, before fighting forward for a gain of 8 yards and first down at the 16 yard line. In what was becoming a familiar scene, Fletcher was slow getting up after the play and went to the locker room to be evaluated. Taking over on first team, Strong pounded the rock ahead for a gain of 7 yards, followed by a gain of 5 yards. After the play, it was revealed that Fletcher had suffered a bruised knee and would be back a bit later in the game. It was a huge sigh of relief as our running back corps was starting to get a little thin with Roy Smith still sidelined for another four weeks from a broken collarbone. Fighting off a tackle in the backfield, Strong fought forward for a gain of three yards to leave second and 7. Going deep down the right sideline, Booth found Eric Hayden past his man, Hayden catching the ball and just getting his foot down before falling out of bounds for a 33 yard gain to the Akron 37 yard line. After a pair of rushes by Strong for gains of 5 and two yards left us with third and three. Eric Silva would see his first action of the day, catching a pass over the middle from Booth, before fighting off a tackle and running down the 11 yard line for a 19 yard reception and a first down. A 5 yard pass to Hayden left us with second and 5 from the 6 yard line. Booth found Hayden in the far corner of the end zone on the next play, and we finally got our first touchdown of the day on the 6 yard touchdown pass, making it 10-7 with 3:49 left in the first half.

Following the touchback on the kickoff, Brown got the Zips moving with a 14 yard first down pass to Whitmore to get out to the 39 yard line. After a four yard rush by Whitmore, Brown was sacked for a loss of one yard, before an incomplete pass on third down left Akron punting on fourth and 7 from their 42. A fair catch on the 44 yard punt left us with 2:48 on the clock and the ball on our 13 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth found Thompson along the left sideline for a gain of 19 yards and a first down at the 32 yard line. A 9 yard pass to Jefferson was followed with a 14 yard strike to Silva and we had first down at the Akron 46. Strong picked up four yards on the pass from Booth, before an incomplete pass that was nearly intercepted left us with third and 6. Thompson would keep the drive alive for us, hauling in a pass from Booth for a gain of 16 down to the Akron 26 with 1:20 left in the half. Hayden would keep us moving, hauling in a pass for a gain of 13 yards and a first down at the 13 yard line as the clock ticked under one minute. Booth’s first down pass was again nearly intercepted, falling incomplete. Strong would haul in a pass from Booth, tackled at the one yard line for a gain of 11 yards to set up first and goal. Our first timeout would stop the clock with 48 seconds. Back in action after being injured earlier, Fletcher would punch it in from one yard out on the next play, giving us a 17-7 lead with 46 seconds to go.

A 19 yard kickoff return left Akron starting on their 18 yard line and just 35 seconds to work with. After an incomplete pass on first down, Akron got flagged for holding and was left with second and 20 from their 8 yard line, 21 seconds left on the clock. A rush by Whitmore went for one yard, setting up third and 19, our second timeout stopping the clock at 16 seconds. Brown would get tackled for a loss of three yards, leaving Akron punting on fourth and 22 from their 6 yard line, our final timeout stopping play with 12 seconds. A 7 yard return on the 44 yard punt gave us the ball at the Akron 43 yard line and 5 seconds remaining. The stupidly decided 60 yard field goal attempt by Coach Ludwig was no good, the ball barely getting into the end zone before landing and Akron regain possession with one second still on the clock. The Hail Mary pass was intercepted by Clay Weiss at our 11 yard line to bring the half to a close, our lead holding at 17-7.

A touchback on the kickoff and we were underway to start the second half at our 25 yard line. Fletcher picked up 6 yards on first down, before an off-tackle rush went for a gain of 11 yards, a pair of blocks allowing Fletcher to get to the outside and take it up the sideline. Trying our luck with the speed option, it never had a chance, Booth being tackled in the backfield for a loss of four yards. Going into the air to try and get back the yards we lost, Booth winged a pass right over the head of the middle linebacker to Hayden, who managed to turn upfield and beat the safety, picking up 28 yards before finally being brought down at the Akron 35 yard line. Taking the deep shot, Booth’s pass to Jefferson was nearly intercepted, batted up in the air, and then was nearly completed, Jefferson diving for the batted ball, getting his hands on it but unable to control it as he fell to the ground. Catching the defense snoozing, Fletcher came out of the backfield on a wheel route on the next play, leaving the outside linebacker sprinting to chase him. Booth’s pass sailed over the linebacker’s head, Fletcher jumping up in the air to grab it and then taking it 28 yards down to the 7 yard line before being tackled by the safety, setting us up with first and goal. Strong would rumble forward, getting hit at the two yard line, but rolling over top of the defender and landing on his back across the goal line for the 7 yard touchdown rush. Pratt’s PAT was no good and our lead stood at 23-7 with 7:06 left in the third quarter.

Following a touchback on the kickoff, Akron’s spirits seemed to be breaking, as a pair of incomplete passes and a three yard rush by Scott was all the Zips would muster, punting away on fourth and 7 from their 28. The 49 yard punt was returned for 10 yards by Fletcher and we were back on the field at our 32 yard line, our offense gearing up for the kill shot. Fletcher would pick up four yards on first down, but while fighting forward for yards on the next play, our offense was tagged with holding, and we were left facing second and 15. Booth’s pass to Jefferson went for a gain of 12 yards to set up the third down play at the 39 yard line. Jefferson would haul in the pass from Booth on the deep curl for a gain of 27 yards and we had a first down at the Akron 34 yard line. Nicholas Roberts caught his first pass of the day, hauling on a pass from Booth for a gain of 32 yards on the hitch corner route and we had first and goal at the two yard line, our offense finally starting to find its rhythm. Fletcher was stood up for no gain on first down. We’d return to the end zone on the next play, Booth finding Randy Newman on the quick slant route for the two yard touchdown and a 30-7 lead with 4:35 left in the third quarter.

A 24 yard kickoff return left Akron starting on their 25 yard line and searching for answers. Our defense would help out on the next play, as pass interference gave Akron the ball at their 48 yard line and a new set of downs. After an incomplete pass, our defense got tagged for a facemask on a deep pass, tagging 15 yards on to the play for a total of 44 yards in net gain, and Akron found themselves with first and goal at our 8 yard line after the penalty was added on. The Zips would finally return to the end zone as Brown hit Evan Young for an 8 yard touchdown. Akron would attempt to go for the two-point conversion, but the Zips were flagged for holding and pushed back to the 13 yard line. Akron would still convert, Brown finding Jansen in the end zone and our lead was cut to 30-15 with 3:58 to go in the third quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff got us started at our 25 yard line. Breaking a tackle, Fletcher was able to turn a gain of one into a gain of 6 yards to start our drive. Fletcher never had a chance on the next play, the defensive tackle pushing through his block to bring Fletcher down for a loss of one yard to leave us with third and four. Booth would find Jefferson for a gain of 13 yard and we would keep the drive alive at our 44 yard line. Trying the option on first down as a lesson in futility as the linebacker broke through unblocked, tackling Booth for a loss of three yards. Booth would find Roberts on an out route from the tight end position for a gain of 10 yards to leave us with third and two at the Akron 48. Fletcher would convert the third down, rumbling, bumbling and stumbling forward for a 9 yard gain to the 39 yard line. Fletcher fought forward for a gain of 8 yards on the next play, but the tackle got flagged for holding, negating the gain. Fletcher would fight forward for a gain of around two yards, before fumbling the ball. The ball was picked up by right guard Marcel Morris for an additional two yards to leave us with second and 16 at the 45. The third quarter would end on that play, our lead standing at 30-15 with a final 9 minutes to play in the game.

After an incomplete pass to start the fourth quarter, Booth found Thompson on an out route, but it would only go for a gain of 10 yards, leaving our drive stuck at the 35 yard line on fourth and 6. Pratt would bomb a 53 yard field goal through the uprights, extending our lead to 33-15 with 8:36 left in the game. A 22 yard kickoff return and Akron was in action at their 27 yard line. Two straight incomplete passes left Akron looking deep. Brown’s pass didn’t find its intended target, instead landing in the hands of Andy Malone for the interception, giving our offense the ball at the Akron 48 yard line. Akron’s defense never had a chance on the first down pitch play, the quick pitch from Booth and some beautiful downfield blocking leaving Fletcher a massive running lane all the way down the right sideline, finally being run out of bounds by the safeties at the Akron 7 yard line for a 41 yard gain and first and goal. A two yard rush by Fletcher was followed by an incomplete pass to leave us with third and goal. The corner would swat the ball incomplete and we were forced to settle for a field goal. The 23 yard kick made our lead 36-15 with 6:52 left in the game.

A 17 yard kickoff return left Akron starting at their 19 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, it was backwards for the Zips as the center got flagged for holding, leaving Akron with second and 20 from their 9 yard line and our defense licking their chops. A three yard rush by Brown would be all Akron would manage, the third down pass falling incomplete and the Zips forced to punt on fourth and 17. A fair catch by Fletcher on the 46 yard punt got our offense started from our 40 yard line. Fletcher was able to pick up gains of three and four yards on a pair of rushes and we were left looking at third and three from the 48. Fletcher would fight forward through the middle linebacker, falling forward for a gain of 6 yards and a first down at the Akron 46. After getting stopped for only a gain of two yards, Fletcher was able to pick up four yards on the toss play, setting up third and four. Strong would end up being tackled for a loss of one yard on the jet sweep and we were forced to punt away on fourth and 5 with 2:56 remaining.

A touchback on the punt left Akron at their 20 yard line. It was nothing but backwards for the Zips, as Brown was sacked on first down for a loss of 6 yards, then sacked again on the next play, this time for an 11 yard loss, leaving Akron with third and 26 from their four yard line. A 5 yard facemask penalty on the end of the 11 yard pass play gave Akron a new set of downs at their 20 yard line. After rushing for a four yard gain, Brown went to the air, hitting Logan for 8 yards and a first down at their 33. A loss of two yards on the ground by Whitmore was quickly erased, as Whitmore hauled in a pass from Brown on second down for a 13 yard gain to get the first at the 43 yard line. The defense fought back on the next play, sacking Brown for a loss of 8 yards to leave Akron with second and 18 from their 36 with 1:23 to go. Two incomplete passes and Akron would bring on the punt unit. A fair catch by Fletcher on the 46 yard punt put the ball in our offense’s hands at our 18 yard line and only a minute on the clock. The second team offense would come out to close out the game, Casey Bishop kneeling the ball twice to run out the final 60 seconds.

With the win, we improve our record to 3-1 as our non-conference schedule comes to a close. With the loss, Akron drops to 1-3 on the season. Up next, it’s the start of our conference slate, as we head on the road to Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs enter the game at 2-2 on the season. They opened with a 27-14 win at Ken State, before losing two straight, 35-17 to Wyoming and 19-7 to Southern Miss. The Bulldogs finally got back on track with a 30-17 win over Eastern Michigan before their game with is.

Final Score
#15 :Tulsa: 36, :Akron: 15

Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – A so-so day for Booth. He did end the game with 375 yards passing and two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions, including a pick six for the second straight game. Fletcher had a monster day today, ending with 152 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Receiving, 8 different players caught a ball today, 7 of them ending the game with 28 yards or more. Hayden led the way today with 85 yard receiving and a touchdown on 5 receptions.

- Tulsa Defense – A damn good day, only being responsible for 8 points given up and holding the Zips to 159 yards of total offense, along with three interceptions.

- Tulsa Kicking – A pretty good day by Pratt. Went 3-4 in field goals, missing an absurd 60 yard kick, but hitting from 20, 23 and a career high 53. Went 3-4 on PATs.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Akron:
7
0
8
0
15

:Tulsa:
3
14
13
6
36

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

7:14
:Akron:
Touchdown
D. Sims, returned interception 59 yards (R. McClain kick)
:Akron: 7-0

4:08
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 20 yard field goal
:Akron: 7-3

Second Quarter

3:49
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
E. Hayden, 6 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 10-7

0:46
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 2 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 17-7

Third Quarter

7:06
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Strong, 7 yard run (missed kick)
:Tulsa: 23-7

4:35
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Newman, 2 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 30-7

4:06
:Akron:
Touchdown
E. Young, 7 yard pass from T. Brown (2-pt conversion good)
:Tulsa: 30-15

Fourth Quarter

8:40
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 53 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 33-15

6:55
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 23 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 36-15

Game Stats

Akron
Stat
Tulsa

15
Score
36

8
First Downs
24

159
Total Offense
567

11 - 11 - 0
Rushes - Yards - TD
41 - 192 - 2

13 - 36 - 1
Comp - Att - TD
23 - 40 - 2

148
Passing Yards
375

5
Times Sacked
0

1 - 12 (8%)
3rd Down Conversion
9 - 15 (60%)

0 - 0 (0%)
4th Down Conversion
0 - 0 (0%)

1 - 1 (100%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

5 - 1 - 0 (20%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
7 - 4 - 2 (85%)

3
Turnovers
2

0
Fumbles Lost
0

3
Intercepted
2

10
Punt Return Yards
17

82
Kick Return Yards
17

251
Total Yards
601

9 – 44.0
Punts - Average
3 - 44.3

2 - 20
Penalties
6 - 63

12:24
Time of Possession
23:36

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
41
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
2138
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

100%

SmoothPancakes

12-23-2012, 09:07 PM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, it was a very slow start for #1 Wisconsin, as they trailed Indiana 10-0 at halftime and 10-7 after the third quarter. A 21-0 fourth quarter advantage keeps Wisconsin on top of the college football world for at least one more week with a 28-10 victory. It took overtime, but #2 USC prevails, dropping Utah to a 0-4 start with a 41-34 win. Ball State put up one hell of a fight, including only trailing 27-21 at halftime, but in the end #5 Alabama proved too much, using a 20-0 third quarter advantage to pull out the 54-30 win.

One year after finishing in the top 20, Rutgers is now 0-4 on the season, losing 37-0 to #6 Iowa. #17 Fresno State's 14 game winning streak dating back to last season is no more. The Bulldogs suffer their first loss, 31-7, at the hands of #7 LSU. #9 Clemson had to use a 17-0 fourth quarter to pull away late and get the 37-21 win over Duke. Winless Troy nearly had the upset of the day, taking #11 Michigan down to the wire, but the Wolverines would hold on for the 27-24 victory thanks to a touchdown with 2:42 left to play.

Temple is now 4-0 after they score the shocker of the day, upsetting #12 Kansas State 31-17. #13 Michigan State hands #22 Ohio State their first loss, 34-31. #18 TCU wins a shootout with Oklahoma State 45-38. Bevo pulls one out, as #19 Texas hangs on for the 20-17 win over Oregon State. #23 Stanford barely stays undefeated, beating winless Washington State 34-31 courtesy of touchdown with 1:20 left in the game. #24 Texas Tech will be saying goodbye to their ranking, as Georgia Tech wins 30-14.

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss improves to 2-2 (1-0 C-USA) as they just utterly destroy 0-4 Baylor, 37-7. Jaymo, Arizona State falls to 1-3 (0-2 Pac-12) with a 49-21 loss to UCLA. Mors, West Virginia falls to 2-2 (1-1 Big 12) with a 55-13 whooping at the hands of Maryland. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State had a bye week, and Iowa State get their first win of the year with a 41-0 shutout of Idaho.

In the C-USA, UTEP fires the first shot in the division races, the Miners knocking off Florida International 24-14 and UTSA is a surprising 3-0 after a 14-13 win over 0-4 Florida Atlantic.

Elsewhere, in the laugher of the week, SMU improves to 3-1 with an 80-14 tidal wave of whoop ass on Big East foe Memphis, dropping to Tigers to 0-4.

Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches poll, the top 10 remained the same. Wisconsin (getting 37 first place votes) and USC (21 votes) stay at #1 and #2. Georgia (1 vote), Oklahoma (1 vote) and Alabama (1 vote) all remain #3, #4 and #5. Iowa, LSU, Auburn, Clemson and Notre Dame all remain #6 through #10. Michigan stayed at #11, Michigan State and Nebraska both climbed one to #12 and #13. Tulsa jumps one to #14, Virginia Tech moves up one to #15, TCU and Texas both jumped two to #16 and #17. Kansas State fell six slots while Arkansas and Washington both moved up one to #19 and #20. Stanford jumped two to #21, Fresno State fell five to #22, Temple enters the poll this week at #23, Texas A&M moved up one to #24 and North Carolina enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Ohio State (from #22) and Texas Tech (from #24). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Ohio State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Penn State and Air Force round out the top 30, Arkansas State is sitting #31.

Taking a look at the very first Media poll, Wisconsin (44 first place votes), USC (21 votes) and Oklahoma make up #1, #2 and #3. Georgia and Alabama round out the top 5 at #4 and #5. The rest of the top 10 consist of LSU, Iowa, Michigan State, Auburn and Clemson. Notre Dame is next at #11, followed by Michigan, Nebraska, Tulsa at #14, and Virginia Tech to close out the top 15. The final 10 spots on the poll are made up of TCU, Texas, Temple, Arkansas and Ohio State #16 through #20, and Kansas State, Stanford, Washington, Texas A&M and Fresno State #21 through #25. Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Penn State, Louisville and Texas Tech round out the top 30.

SmoothPancakes

12-23-2012, 10:29 PM

Smooth, I don't know practically anything about Booth's ratings, but if he's fast you should definitely look at the plays I sent you. You can do some serious ball control with it. It might help mitigate your defensive depth woes if they start to suffer.

Holy crap Jeff, I LOVE that QB Power play. I just ripped the Louisiana Tech defense a new one on the QB Power play I just ran with Booth. Booth does have some jets on him. He's not gonna set any speed records, but an 83 speed rating is more than enough to do some damage against a weaker or unprepared/sleeping defense.

SmoothPancakes

12-23-2012, 11:26 PM

Game Five

#14 :Tulsa: :@: :Louisiana_Tech:

Game Notes

--- After sleeping walking through the first half last week against Akron, our offense finally started to come alive in the second half. Hopefully that would be the only wakeup call our team would need as we left the non-conference schedule in the rear view mirror and entered the conference slate for the final 8 games of the season. One slipup along the way could cost us a shot at the C-USA Championship Game. We needed to keep our eyes on the prize and come out every game ready to hit someone and leave them laying the field blowing snot bubbles. First up on the conference schedule was Louisiana Tech, entering the game at 2-2, and while undermanned and outgunned by our squad on paper, no doubt a dangerous team. After taking Akron lightly, hopefully we would be able to bury the Bulldogs early and not let them get momentum and heart on their side and make a battle out of it. We lost the coin toss and Louisiana Tech elected to kick.

A touchback on the kickoff and we were off and running from our 25 yard line. Kiel Fletcher got us moving on the ground to start the drive, picking up 7 yards on the first down carry. Fletcher fought ahead for a four yard gain to give us first down at our 35. Getting some downfield blocks on the pitch, Fletcher was able to pound the ball ahead for a 12 yard gain to get us out to our 47. Fletcher fought forward on the next play, picking up three yards to leave second and 7. Brandon Booth went to the air for the first time today, finding Conner Jefferson for a gain of 11 yard to give us a first down at the Bulldogs 39 yard line. Keeping through the air, Booth found Eric Silva along the right sideline for a gain of 12 yards and a first down at the 27. Booth kept to the air game, hitting Ryan Strong for a gain of 15 yards and we had a first down at the Louisiana Tech 12 yard line. Going back to the ground, it was no going for Fletcher, who was tackled for a one yard loss on the play. A pitch left to Fletcher went for a gain of three yards and we were left with third and 8 at the 11. Max Thompson would get us in the end zone, hauling in a pass from Booth at the two yard line, before keeping the legs pumping and pushing through the middle of two defenders to fall into the end zone for the 11 yard touchdown reception and a 7-0 lead with 3:54 left in the first quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff and Louisiana Tech came out on offense for their first drive of the game. It was an incredibly poor start for the Bulldogs, as Paul Kelly went deep into the air on first down, Darnell Turner intercepting the pass and giving our offense the ball right back at our 48 yard line. Fletcher fought ahead for a gain of 5 yards. Bringing out the option pass from the depths of the playbook, Booth pulled out of the option when the blitz started coming, and instead found Nicholas Roberts over the middle for a 13 yard gain and a first down at the LTU 34. Another carry by Fletcher went for a 5 yard gain. Fletcher took it once again on the ground, fighting forward for two yards to leave third and three. Silva caught the pass from Booth just behind the first down line, fighting against the defender to get three yards and the just get the first down at the 24 yard line. The Bulldogs’ defense was more than ready for us on the ground, as Fletcher could only manage one yard on the carry. Booth was drilled on the next play as he tried to pass to Eric Hayden, the ball falling short and incomplete to leave third and 9. Booth’s next pass was long, sailing over the heads of Hayden and Fletcher and out of the back of the end zone.

Alphonso Pratt would kick a 39 yard field goal and we would extend our lead to 10-0 as the first quarter came to an end. It was a quarter of pure domination as our offense controlled the clock and ball the entire quarter, Louisiana Tech getting only a single offensive play the entire quarter, that play resulting in the interception.

A touchback on the kickoff started the second quarter, Louisiana Tech beginning their second drive, and about to snap the ball for only the second time today, from their 25 yard line. The start of this drive was just about as poor as the last one, as Kelly was sacked for an 8 yard loss and Louisiana Tech immediately found themselves facing second and very long. After an incomplete pass, the Bulldogs finally gained their first positive yards of the day, as Kelly hit Lorenzo Bolden for a gain of 6 yards, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Bulldogs were forced to punt on fourth and 11. A 10 yard return by Fletcher on the 40 yard punt and our offense was back in action on our 45 yard line.

Fletcher would get us moving quickly, picking up gains of 8 and three yards on the ground to give us a first down at the LTU 44. Fletcher continued to pound it down the defense’s throat, gaining 6 yards on the first down carry, following that up with a 10 yard gain and a first down at the 28. Keeping the ball himself and getting some big blocks at the line, Booth ran to left around the tackle and turned the corner for the sideline, taking it 19 yards all the way down to the 9 yard line before being pushed out of bounds by the only defender left between him and the end zone, giving us first and goal. The speed option play on first down went nowhere, Fletcher getting driven away from Booth and Booth, unable to pitch the ball, was quickly wrapped up for no gain. Going to the air on second and goal, it was Jefferson getting us into the end zone as he hauled in the 9 yard touchdown pass from Booth and our lead grew to 17-0 with 4:47 left to go in the second quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff left Louisiana Tech again on their 25 yard line to start their drive. This time the Bulldogs got positive yards right out of the gate, Kelly finding Austin James for an 8 yard gain. The Bulldogs would find a way to screw the drive up, as an incomplete pass and a loss of one yard on the carry by Bolden left Louisiana Tech again punting away on fourth and three from their 32. Fletcher returned the 44 yard punt for 9 yards to set our offense up at our 33 yard line. We wasted no time in moving the ball, as Booth hit Jefferson for an 11 yard gain and first down at the 44. Fletcher continued to punish the defense on the ground, bouncing outside on the carry, beating the blitzing linebacker, and thanks to a block from the fullback to close off the left side of the defensive line, Fletcher was able to race up the left sideline for a gain of 16 yards before being pushed out of bounds by the safety at the 41 yard line. After a three yard rush by Fletcher, Booth again called his own number, taking it off the right tackle, getting a block and beating the linebacker to turn it up field, then racing the safety the rest of the way for the 38 yard touchdown rush and a 24-0 lead with 2:24 left in the half.

Louisiana Tech got started on their 23 yard line following the 23 yard kickoff return. Kelly came out slinging, hitting Chris Humphrey for a gain of 5 yards. Two incomplete passes however would end the drive in a hurry, as the punt again came out for the Bulldogs on fourth and 5. The 38 yard punt was returned 9 yards by Fletcher and our offense was back in action on our 42 yard line with 1:45 left go and looking for the dagger to the heart before halftime. Not even trying to hide our intentions, it was straight and deep in the air on first down, Booth connecting with Hayden on a 39 yard bomb and we had a first down at the 19 yard line, 1:39 left and ticking. A first down rush by Fletcher managed only a single yard and it was back to the air as the clock dipped under a minute. Jefferson would get us into striking position, hauling in a pass from Booth for a 15 yard gain to set up first and goal from the three yard line with 48 seconds to go. Strong would fight and pound his way forward, finally falling forward while being tackled into the end zone for the three yard touchdown, opening our lead even wider to 31-0 with 27 seconds left to play.

After the touchback on the kickoff, Louisiana Tech seemed to signal surrender and try to hurry to the locker room, as Kelly rushed forward for a three yard gain with 17 seconds left. The clock would expire before another snap and we headed into halftime with a 31 point lead.

A touchback got the second half underway and Louisiana Tech was back on the clock, starting at their 25. This time the Bulldogs would come out striking, as Kelly rushed forward for a four yard gain on first down, before finding James through the air for a 13 yard gain and first down at the 42 yard line. Another 13 yard pass, this time to Humphrey and the Bulldogs were sitting at our 45 yard line. Kelly hit James for a gain of one yard, followed by a pass to Bolden for an 8 yard gain, leaving Louisiana Tech with third and one at our 36. Kelly’s third down pass would fall incomplete, bringing up fourth down. The Bulldogs attempted to go for a fake punt pass, but with everyone covered up, the punter Jesse Hickman was forced to throw it away and turn the ball over on downs at our 36.

Fletcher got us started, picking up 6 yards on first down, before pounding the rock up the middle for a gain of 12 yards and first down at the LTU 47 yard line. Fletcher took the handoff on first down, racing to the left towards the sideline and turning the corner, eventually being tripped up at the 37 yard line for a 10 yard gain to leave us second and inches. An 8 yard rush by Fletcher would convert the second down and we had a new set of downs at the 28. Booth called his own number again, this time managing only three yards before being brought down from behind. Fletcher picked up four yards on the second down rush and we were left facing third and three at the 22 yard line. Going into the air, it was Jefferson hauling in the pass over the middle from Booth for an 11 yard gain and we had first down at the 11 yard line. Louisiana Tech still had no answer to our running game, as Fletcher took the ball and rumbled straight up with nothing but green in front of him for the 11 yard touchdown and a 38-0 lead with 3:28 left to go in the third quarter.

Another touchback and the Bulldogs again found themselves starting at their 25. A pair of quick passes to Humphrey went for gain of 5 and 8 yards and the Bulldogs had a quick first down at their 38. This time Kelly went deep, hitting Jeremy Morse for a 29 yard gain and Louisiana Tech found itself clear down to our 32 yard line. A 12 yard pass to Humphrey gave LTU first down at our 20 yard line. James attempted to take it on the ground on the next play, but the defense took him down for a loss of three yards. Louisiana Tech would watch the drive die at the 23, as two incomplete passes left them facing fourth and 13. Instead of kicking a field goal, the Bulldogs attempted to convert fourth down, but Kelly was sacked for a 7 yard loss and the Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs at our 31 yard line.

Fletcher got the drive started with a three yard gain, before breaking a 10 yard run off the right tackle and a first down at the 44 yard line. Fletcher picked up gains of one and 5 yards to leave us with third and 4 from the 49 yard line as the final seconds ticked off the clock, our lead holding at 38-0 at the end of the third quarter.

Starting the fourth quarter, it was into the air to convert the third down. The pass from Booth to Silva went for a gain of 5 yards and we were left with fourth and inches. Going for it, Fletcher picked up 9 yards up the middle and we kept the drive moving and clock running down. Fletcher picked up 8 yards on first down, before being tackled for no gain to leave third and two at the 30 yard line. Fletcher picked up 9 yards on the third down conversion and we had a first down at the 21 yard line, the clock continuing to wind down towards 6 minutes. Our clock killing drive would come to an end, as Fletcher would fumble the ball on the next play, Steve Fry recovering it for Louisiana Tech and returning it 6 yards out to the 24 yard line before being brought down. Kelly hit Humphrey for 5 yards on the first down pass, before an incomplete pass left the Bulldogs facing third and 5. They would get the conversion, Kelly finding Tanner Clayton along the right sideline for a 14 yard gain and a first down at the 43 yard line. An 11 yard strike to Morse and the Bulldogs were sitting at our 46. Kelly found James on first down for a gain of only one yard, before two incomplete passes left fourth and 9. The Bulldogs would settle for the punt, the ball sailing 47 yards for the touchback and our offense was back on the field at our 20 yard line, 4:53 remaining in the game.

Our second team offense on the field to close out the game, Silva got us moving with a gain of 7 yards. A 5 yard rush by Silva would give us a first down at the 32 yard line as the clock ticked under four minutes left. Silva took the handoff around the left tackle, fighting forward to the first down marker for a 10 yard gain and first down at the 42 yard line. It was nothing going on first down, as the middle got completely clogged up, leaving Travis Stephens nowhere to go and being brought down for only a one yard gain. Most importantly, the clock was now less than three minutes remaining. Silva would pick up the first down with a 13 yard rush to the right side and we had a first down at the 44 yard line, only 2:31 left on the clock. A three yard rush by Silva left us second and three, before an 8 yard gain by Stephens around the left tackle secured the shutout, giving us a first down with only 1:17 left on the clock and only needing to kneel the ball twice. Casey Bishop kneeled the ball for a second time with only 8 seconds left and that was all she wrote, as we picked up our second shutout of the season, 38-0 over Louisiana Tech.

With the win, we improve to 4-1, 1-0 in C-USA action. With the loss, Louisiana Tech falls to 2-3 and 0-2 in C-USA play. Up next, it’s our conference home opener as the Florida International Golden Panthers come to town. FIU enters the game at 3-2 on the season, 0-1 in C-USA play. The Golden Panthers started the year with a 21-10 win over UCLA, following that up with a 28-23 victory at Minnesota. FIU would drop to 2-2 with a 26-14 loss to #20 Washington and a 24-14 loss to UTEP. The Golden Panthers would recover with a 24-19 win over Pittsburgh before their game in Tulsa.

Final Score
#14 :Tulsa: 38, :Louisiana_Tech: 0

Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – An almost perfect day today by Booth, ending the game 12-14 for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Booth also ran for 60 yards on four carries with a 38 yard touchdown run. Fletcher led the way on the ground, picking up 181 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries. 6 receivers touched the ball today, all them gaining at least 11 yards. Jefferson led the receiving corps this afternoon, gaining 57 yards and a touchdown on 5 receptions.

Tulsa Defense – A hell of a game by the defense. Pitched the shutout, never once let Louisiana Tech inside our red zone, and held the Bulldogs under 150 yards of total offense. The player of the game award might have gone to Fletcher, but game ball goes to the entire defense.

Tulsa Kicking – A perfect day today. Pratt made his only field goal kick from 39 yards out and went 5-5 on PATs.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Tulsa:
10
21
7
0
38

:Louisiana_Tech:
0
0
0
0
0

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

3:54
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
M. Thompson, 11 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-0

0:00
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 39 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 10-0

Second Quarter

4:47
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Jefferson, 9 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 17-0

2:24
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Booth, 38 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 24-0

0:27
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Strong, 3 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 31-0

Third Quarter

3:28
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 11 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 38-0

Fourth Quarter

Game Stats

Tulsa
Stat
Louisiana Tech

38
Score
0

24
First Downs
7

444
Total Offense
142

46 - 289 - 3
Rushes - Yards - TD
4 - 3 - 0

12 - 14 - 2
Comp - Att - TD
15 - 27 - 0

155
Passing Yards
139

0
Times Sacked
2

4 - 6 (66%)
3rd Down Conversion
1 - 7 (14%)

1 - 1 (100%)
4th Down Conversion
0 - 2 (0%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

5 - 4 - 0 (80%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
0 - 0 - 0 (0%)

1
Turnovers
1

1
Fumbles Lost
0

0
Intercepted
1

28
Punt Return Yards
0

0
Kick Return Yards
23

472
Total Yards
165

0 – 0.0
Punts - Average
4 - 42.3

0 - 0
Penalties
1 - 33

26:51
Time of Possession
9:07

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
40
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

100%

SmoothPancakes

12-23-2012, 11:59 PM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, it took a touchdown and two field goals in the second half, but #6 Iowa holds on to beat Illinois 20-13. #7 LSU pulls a win out of their ass, holding off 1-4 Missouri 33-24. After knocking off Texas Tech last week, Georgia Tech continues to play upset specialist, knocking off #9 Clemson this week, 33-20. #16 TCU needed 14 points in the fourth quarter, but they hold on to beat SMU 35-24.

Colorado State improves to 4-0 on the season, shocking #18 Kansas State 31-24. It was all Rams in this one, 28-10 at halftime, 31-10 after the third, Kansas State only making it close thanks to 14 points in the early fourth quarter. #24 Texas A&M wins the game of the week, knocking off #19 Arkansas 49-35 thanks to 21 points in the fourth quarter. After starting the season 0-4, Utah finally breaks into the win column with a 24-17 overtime victory over previously undefeated #21 Stanford.

One week after suffering their first loss in 15 games, #22 Fresno State just barely gets back on the winning track, edging out Florida 21-20 down in The Swamp. #23 Temple survives their first test since entering the rankings and improves to 5-0 with a 28-23 win over East Carolina. After just entering the polls, #25 North Carolina suffers their first loss to 4-1 Virginia, the Cavaliers using a 21-3 fourth quarter advantage to pull away for the 42-23 win.

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss improves remains 2-2 (1-0 C-USA) as they had a bye week this week. Jaymo, Arizona State improves to 2-3 (0-2 Pac-12) with a 24-17 win over Western Kentucky. Mors, sorry, West Virginia drops their second straight, falling to 2-3 (1-2 Big 12) with a 35-28 loss to 3-1 Kansas. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State had a second straight bye week, remaining at 3-0 on the season, and Iowa State took the week off as well.

In the C-USA, Florida Atlantic wins the battle of suck over Mid Tennessee State, the Owls improving to 1-4, MTSU dropping to 0-5. UTEP is now 4-1 (2-0) with a 20-16 win over winless Marshall, and UAB improves to 3-2 (2-0), handing UTSA (3-1, 1-1) their first loss, 31-28.

Elsewhere, on a note of epic suck, Memphis loses to 2-3 Vanderbilt this week, 45-17, dropping Memphis to 0-5 on the season, and 0-17 total over the last season and a half. Will Memphis get a win this season to avoid going 0-12 for two straight seasons? Well, in my opinion, the odds don't look too pretty.

Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches poll, the top 8 remained the same. Wisconsin (getting 40 first place votes) and USC (21 votes) stay at #1 and #2. Georgia, Oklahoma and Alabama all remain #3, #4 and #5. Iowa, LSU and Auburn all remain #6, #7 and #8. Notre Dame and Michigan both move up one to #9 and #10. Michigan State and Nebraska also moves up one to #11 and #12. Tulsa jumps one to #13, Virginia Tech, TCU and Texas all climb one to #14, #15 and #16. Clemson drops eight spots to #17, Washington jumps two to #18. Fresno State moves up three ranks to #19, Texas A&M jumps four to #20, and Temple moves up two to #21. Georgia Tech enters the poll this week at #23, Arkansas drops four to #23, Kansas State falls six to #24 and Louisville enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Stanford (from #21) and North Carolina (from #25). Taking a look at Others Receiving Votes, Air Force (106 votes) is #26, following by Colorado State (105), Arkansas State (76), Stanford (26) and Texas Tech (12) rounding out the top 30.

Taking a look at the new Media poll, the top 7 remain the same. Wisconsin (44 first place votes), USC (21 votes) and Oklahoma make up #1, #2 and #3. Georgia and Alabama round out the top 5 at #4 and #5 while LSU and Iowa remain #6 and #7. Auburn swaps places with Michigan State, the Tigers moving up one to #8, the Spartans dropping one to #9. Notre Dame climbs one to #10. Michigan and Nebraska both climb one spot to #11 and #12. Tulsa climbs one spot to #13. Virginia Tech, TCU and Texas all jump one to #14, #15 and #16. Clemson drops seven to #17. Georgia Tech enters the poll at #18. Temple drops one to #19, Texas A&M jumps four to #20, Washington climbs two to #21, Fresno State climbs three to #22. Arkansas falls four to #23, Louisville enters the poll at #24 and Kansas State falls four to #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Ohio State (from #20) and Stanford (from #22). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Air Force (82 votes) sits at #26, followed by Colorado State (71), Texas Tech (41), Tennessee (27) and Arkansas State (21) to round out the top 30.

JeffHCross

12-26-2012, 10:52 AM

Holy crap Jeff, I LOVE that QB Power play. I just ripped the Louisiana Tech defense a new one on the QB Power play I just ran with Booth. Booth does have some jets on him. He's not gonna set any speed records, but an 83 speed rating is more than enough to do some damage against a weaker or unprepared/sleeping defense.Yeppppppppppppppp.

My QB is currently the nation's leading rusher, through Week 5 of the Powerhouse OD, thanks to his 93 SPD and the Read Option and other plays I can run with him.

SmoothPancakes

12-26-2012, 11:24 AM

Yeppppppppppppppp.

My QB is currently the nation's leading rusher, through Week 5 of the Powerhouse OD, thanks to his 93 SPD and the Read Option and other plays I can run with him.

Oh yeah, those plays were great suggestions. They are definitely going to be getting used every now and then in every game from now on. That will help to really open up my running game and screw with the defenses. And with Florida International and Southern Miss the next two games on the schedule, I'm gonna need some plays to screw with the defenses.

SmoothPancakes

12-27-2012, 03:16 AM

Game Six

:FIU: :@: #13 :Tulsa:

Game Notes

--- As we entered the midway point of the season, it was time for our second game of the conference schedule. And who else to face in our second conference clash of the season than Florida International. The Golden Panthers were scrambling to get back on track, losing two of their last three games, but with 12 points be the largest margin of score in any of their previous five games, it was clear their defense was going to be coming out ready to play regardless of the situation or season record. FIU won the coin toss and elected to kick.

A touchback on the opening kickoff and our offense was off and running from the 25. It was all Kiel Fletcher getting us our initial first down, taking the ball to begin the game for a four yard gain, before pounding it up the middle for a gain of 10 and first down at the 39 yard line. Proving our dominance on the ground, Fletcher took the ball off the left tackle, fighting forward for an 11 yard gain, before Brandon Booth kept the ball himself on the next play, rushing it around the right end and up the sideline before finally being pushed out for a 22 yard gain, giving us first down at the FIU 28 yard line. Fletcher continued to shove it down the defense’s throats, breaking runs for 7 and 10 yards to give us a first down at the 11 yard line. It took nearly the entire drive, but FIU finally found an answer to the run game, as Fletcher was tripped up by the right linebacker for only a one yard gain on first down. A pass to Conner Jefferson went for a gain of 5 yards and we were left with third and four from the 5 yard line. Max Thompson would put us in the end zone, hauling in the 5 yard touchdown pass from Booth to give us a 7-0 lead with 4:27 to go in the first quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff and Florida International was on the field for the first time today at their 25. After throwing away the ball on first down, Chris Rankin found Scott Murray for a gain of 8 yards, before Dominic Pittman picked up 10 yards and a first down on the ground, out to the 43 yard line. The defense would get their first sack of the day, taking down Rankin for a loss of one yard, before a two yard scramble by Rankin left FIU with third and 9. A pass to James Weber went for a gain of 13 yards and FIU had a new set of downs at our 43 yard line. Following an incomplete pass intended for Pittman, Rankin hit Murray over the middle for a 20 yard gain and first down at our 23. After another incomplete pass, Pittman took the ball for a gain of 8 yards, leaving FIU with third and two. Rankin would try to pick up the yards himself, but was brought down for a loss of one yard to leave fourth and three at the 16. The 33 yard field goal by Jordan Vaughn was good and the score was 7-3 with 2:06 left in the quarter.

A 25 yard kickoff return on the 66 yard kick and we were back on the field at our 28 yard line. A 6 yard rush by Fletcher was followed by a gain of 7 yards and we had a first down at our 41. Another rush by Fletcher went for a gain of 6. An incomplete pass on the play action attempt and we were left with third and four. Eric Silva would get us a new set of down, hauling in a 13 yard pass from Booth for a first down at the FIU 40 yard line, as the final few seconds ticked off the clock, the first quarter coming to an end, the score 7-3.

Opening up the second quarter at the FIU 40 yard line, we took a home run chance, Booth throwing deep to Jefferson, but the play was broken up by the corner, denying us the touchdown chance. After the incomplete pass, an 8 yard pass to Jefferson left us with third and two. Fletcher would pick up the first down, fighting ahead for a gain of 5 yards to the 27 yard line. Continuing on the ground, Fletcher could only manage one yard. The second down pass, intended for Eric Hayden, was broken up and we were left with third and 9. The out pass to Fletcher was batted down and we were forced to kick the field goal. The 43 yard attempt by Alphonso Pratt was no good, the score remaining 7-3 with 6:58 left in the half.

Starting on their 26 yard line, an incomplete pass opened up the new drive for Florida International, before Pittman hauled in a pass for 8 yards from Rankin, leaving FIU with third and two. Our defense would give the Golden Panthers a free first down, getting flagged for pass interference, moving the ball out to the 49 yard line. A 17 yard pass from Rankin to Weber and FIU had a new set of downs at our 34. After being tackled for a loss of two yards, Rankin turned around and hit Martin Blanks for a 7 yard gain, before converting third and 5 with an 18 yard strike to Weber, getting a first down at our 12 yard line. A pair of rushes by Pittman for 6 and two yard gains left FIU with third and two from our four yard line. We would catch a break, as the offense was flagged for false start, pushing them back to the 9 yard line and left with third and 7. The drive would collapse on the next play, as Tyler Fountain intercepted a pass from Rankin, giving our offense back the ball at our one yard line.

Starting on our one yard line, Fletcher gave us breathing room and got us out of our end zone with a 7 yard rush, before getting three timely downfield blocks, allowing him to break it off the left tackle and sprint downfield for a 39 yard gain before being brought down by the safety at the 47 yard line. Calling his own number again, Booth was able to turn on the jets just in time and pick up 10 yards on the ground before being brought down by the defensive end, giving us a first down at the FIU 43 yard line. The defense was more than ready for us on first down, Fletcher brought down instantly for a gain of only one yard. Jefferson would haul in a pass from Booth for 8 yards and we were left with third and one at the 34. Fletcher would get the job done, rushing up the middle for a 7 yard gain and a first down at the 27 yard line. It was Jefferson coming through for us, getting past the corner and beating the safety on a cut inside to haul in an 18 yard pass from Booth, giving us first and goal from the 9 yard line. We got some bad news from the trainers. In what was becoming a weekly occurrence, Fletcher was being sideline for a while due to an injury, this time a strained shoulder, bringing in Ryan Strong to take over the rushing duties for the rest of the half. A one yard rush by Strong and an incomplete pass intended for Hayden and we were left with third and goal from the 8 yard line, 42 seconds left in the half. Taking our chances on a ballsy pass play, Thompson was able to yank the 8 yard pass out of the air above the corner’s head for the touchdown and extend our lead to 14-3 with 38 seconds left in the half.

FIU started on their 25 following the touchback, two incomplete passes leaving the Golden Panthers with third and 10. Rankin would finally connected with a receiving, hitting Blanks for a 39 yard gain and first down at our 36 yard line with 17 seconds to go. After a thrown away pass, Rankin found Pittman for a gain of 8 yards, FIU’s second timeout stopping the clock with 10 seconds. Another incomplete pass left FIU with fourth and two at our 28 yard line, only four seconds to go. Saying to hell with the field goal, Rankin launched up a pass, finding Blanks for the 28 yard touchdown as time expired, cutting our lead to 14-10 going into halftime.

A 21 yard return on the kickoff to open the second half and FIU was back in action on offense from their 25. Pittman was stood up for no gain, before Rankin hit Donald Porter for 11 yards and a first down at the 37. Following a loss of two yards by Pittman, Porter again kept the offense breathing, hauling in a 16 yard pass from Rankin to get out to our 49. Following a 5 yard rush by Rankin, it was all Pittman, embarrassing our defense on his way to a 44 yard touchdown rush, giving FIU a 17-14 lead with 7:28 left in the third quarter.

A penalty against the kickoff team gave our offense excellent field position, starting our drive at our 35. Taking the ball on first down, Fletcher seemed about ready to break up a hole, before it quickly closed and a diving linebacker jarred the ball loose. Multiple people diving for the ball caused it to go bouncing around along the left hash, before defensive end Curtis Franklin picked it up for FIU, and with no one around to grab him, he took it 33 yards for the touchdown, giving FIU a 24-14 lead in a sudden and shocking shift in momentum. A touchback on the kickoff and we were back on our 25 yard line to start. Choosing to go to the air this time, it was Jefferson hauling in a pass from Booth, managing a 16 yard gain to get us out to our 41 yard line. Taking our chances on the ground again, Fletcher was able to pick up 7 yards on first down, but on the next play Booth was swarmed in the backfield as he tried to pick up the first down himself, going down for a loss of two yards and leaving us with third and 5. Booth got extremely lucky on the next play, the linebacker breaking on his pass trying to go for the interception and what would have inevitably been a pick six down the right sideline, but Thompson was able to grab the ball before the linebacker could and with a block by Jefferson, was able to gain 19 yards and a first down at the 34. A pass over the middle of Nicholas Roberts went for a gain of 16 yard and we had a first down at the 18. We would find the end zone on the next play, Fletcher hauling in the 18 yard pass behind the linebacker’s back for the touchdown, cutting FIU’s lead to 24-21 with 4:16 left in the third quarter.

A 17 yard kickoff return, and FIU was back on the field at their 22. This time the Golden Panthers would find nothing going, as two incomplete passes and a loss of two yard by Pittman left FIU punting away on fourth and 12 from their 20 yard line, the very first punt by either team today. The 8 yard return by Fletcher on the 50 yard punt gave us the ball at our 38 yard line. Coming out firing on first down, Booth hit Thompson for a gain of 16 yards and we had a quick first down at the FIU 47 yard line. Fletcher fought forward on first down for a 6 yard gain, followed by a one yard pickup to leave us third and three. The dropped ball by Silva left us with fourth and three at the 40. Taking our chances on fourth down, Jefferson hauled in the pass from Booth for a gain of 15 yards and our offense had new life at the FIU 25 yard line. Breaking a pair of tackles, Fletcher fought and spun his way forward for a gain of 11 yards and we were left with first down at the 14 yard line. The middle linebacker would blitz through untouched and Fletcher was brought down on first down for no gain. A pair of incomplete passes and we were forced to settle for a field goal. The 31 yard kick by Pratt tied it all up at 24-24 with four seconds left in the third quarter. A touchback on the kickoff would bring the third quarter to an end, only 9 minutes remaining a team to make their move.

It was a poor start for FIU, as Pittman was tackled on first down for a two yard loss, but Rankin would make up those yards, hitting Porter for a gain of 18 and first down at the 42. A 13 yard pass to Blanks was followed with a 7 yard rush by Pittman, before Pittman was tackled for a loss of three yards and FIU was left with third and 6 from our 41. Rankin would again convert third down, hitting Weber for a gain of 9 and a first down at our 32. Following a 7 yard rush by Pittman, Rankin hit Dan Davidson for a 25 yard touchdown pass and a 31-24 lead with 7:08 left in the game. A 19 yard kickoff return got us started at our 24 yard line. A 12 yard pass to Hayden, his first reception of the game, and we were off and moving, a quick first down at our 35. After an incomplete pass intended for Hayden, Booth found Fletcher for a 14 yard gain and a first down at our 49 yard line. A failed assignment by the defense allowed Thompson to haul in a pass from Booth and then race up the left hash for a 28 yard gain before finally being run down from behind, but not before we had a first down at the 23 yard line. A pass to Silva went for a gain of 7 yards, before a 12 yard strike to Hayden gave us first and goal at the four yard line. Fletcher would get the job done on the next play, bouncing out towards the left tackle, before rolling forward during a tackle attempt for the four yard touchdown rush, tying the game up at 31 points-all with 5:32 left to go in the game.

A touchback got the Golden Panthers back in action at their 25. Ronald Thomas started the drive with a 6 yard rush. A loss of one yard by Davidson was followed with a four yard gain by Rankin to leave fourth and two at the 34 yard line. The Golden Panthers would rely on their defense to finish the job, punting away. A 6 yard return by Fletcher on the 44 yard punt gave our offense the ball at our 28 yard line, 4:33 left to go in the game. A one yard rush by Fletcher and an incomplete pass intended for Jefferson left us with third and 9. Thompson would keep us moving, hauling in a 21 yard pass from Booth to give us a first down at midfield, 3:46 remaining. Keeping it going through the air, a blitzing defense allowed Jefferson to get open cutting across the middle, hauling in a 14 yard pass from Booth for a first down at the 36 yard line. Strong would haul in a pass from Booth for a gain of 8 yards to leave us second and two at the 29. Fletcher would pick up 7 yards, giving us a first down at the 22 yard line as the clock dipped up two minutes remaining.

With such little time remaining, we changed up our offense. Fletcher took the ball on the next two plays for gain of three and 6 yards, leaving us with third and inches, and the clock continuing to run each play. Running off the entire play clock before snapping, there were only 45 seconds left on the clock after Fletcher’s second run. Keeping it in Fletcher’s hands on third and inches, we snapped the ball with 19 seconds left in the game. Fletcher rumbled ahead for a 6 yard gain and we had first and goal from the 7 yard line. Our first time out stopped the clock with 16 seconds to go. Keeping it going up the middle, Fletcher picked up four yards, leaving us with second and goal at the three yard line, our second timeout stopping the clock with 10 seconds remaining. If Fletcher couldn’t punch it in here, a very short field goal attempt from the one or two yard line would hopefully get the job done. Fletcher was nearly into the end zone on the second and goal play, but a quick diving tackle by the safety saved the defense. Our third and final timeout stopped the clock with two seconds left, our field goal unit coming out on third and goal for the game winning 18 yard attempt. Leave it to Pratt, the 18 yard field goal attempt went wide right and no good, and it was off to overtime we go.

Florida International won the coin toss and elected to go on defense first. Taking over at the 25 yard line, it was do or die for our offense. Thompson gained 5 yards on the first down pass from Booth, but the defense gave us a present, as right linebacker Kenny Burke was flagged for a facemask penalty. The penalty, the half the distance to the goal, gave us a first down at the FIU 10 yard line. We would find the end zone on the very next play, Fletcher hauling in the 10 yard pass from Booth to give us a 38-31 lead. The Golden Panthers wasted little time in moving the ball on first down, as Rankin hit Blanks for a 13 yard gain to give FIU a first down at our 12 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Rankin found Porter for 9 yards to leave third and one at the three yard line. An incomplete pass on the next play, and FIU’s hopes were left with a fourth and one play from our three yard line. The defense would come through huge, knocking down Rankin’s pass intended for Murray and sealing the overtime victory, 38-31.

With the extremely hard fought win, we improve our record to 5-1, 2-0 in C-USA action. With the loss, Florida International drops to 3-3 on the season, 0-2 in C-USA play. Up next, it’s off to face a new opponent, as we hit the road to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to play the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. Southern Miss enters the game 2-3, 1-0 in C-USA action. Southern Miss started their year with back to back losses, losing 38-30 at Virginia, before falling 17-6 at #17 Clemson. The Golden Eagles fought back to .500 with a 19-7 win at Louisiana Tech, followed by dishing out a 37-7 ass whooping at Baylor. Southern Miss would drop to 2-3 with a 30-27 overtime loss against Nevada in their home opener heading into our game.

Final Score
#13 :Tulsa: 38, :FIU: 31 - OT

Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – A great day for Booth. Only ten incomplete passes, ended with 295 yards passing and 4 touchdowns, as well as 30 yards rushing. A great day for Fletcher, 180 yards rushing and one touchdown on 29 carries, to go along with 42 yards receiving and two touchdowns on three receptions. Looking at the receiving corps, 7 receives caught a ball today, 6 of them getting at least double digit yards. Thompson led the way with 97 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions.

- Tulsa Defense – A rather poor day. Gave up a lot of yards and a lot of points. Only forced two punts throughout the game, the first one not even coming until well into the game. Thanks to that it was a back and forth slug-fest the entire game. The defense did get one interception at our one yard, which did kill a FIU drive and a potential (if not likely) touchdown, so there was at least that one positive.

- Tulsa Kicking – An absolute piss poor job today by Pratt. 1-3 in field goals, making a 31 yard kick, but then missing from 43 yards out and shanking the game winning 18 yard attempt at the very end. Last time I run down the final two minutes of a game, settling for killing off the remaining time and kicking a game winning field goal. I'm going for the touchdown from now on, since Pratt decided he wanted to be completely useless today. Only positive for Pratt was that he went 5-5 in PATs, thankfully not fucking any up (especially the PAT in overtime) as it would have cost us the game in the end.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Overtime
Final Score

:FIU:
3
7
14
7
0
31

:Tulsa:
7
7
10
7
7
38

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

4:27
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
M. Thompson, 5 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-0

2:10
:FIU:
Field Goal
J. Vaughn, 32 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 7-3

Second Quarter

0:38
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
M. Thompson, 8 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 14-3

0:00
:FIU:
Touchdown
M. Blanks, 27 yard pass from C. Rankin (J. Vaughn kick)
:Tulsa: 14-10

Third Quarter

7:28
:FIU:
Touchdown
D. Pittman, 44 yard run (J. Vaughn kick)
:FIU: 17-14

7:08
:FIU:
Touchdown
C. Franklin, returned fumble 33 yards (J. Vaughn kick)
:FIU: 24-14

4:16
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 18 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:FIU: 24-21

0:07
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 31 yard field goal
TIED 24-24

Fourth Quarter

7:08
:FIU:
Touchdown
D. Davidson, 25 yard pass from C. Rankin (J. Vaughn kick)
:FIU: 31-24

5:32
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 4 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
TIED 31-31

Overtime

---
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 10 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 38-31

Game Stats

Florida International
Stat
Tulsa

31
Score
38

13
First Downs
26

368
Total Offense
506

19 - 44 - 1
Rushes - Yards - TD
33 - 211 - 1

18 - 32 - 2
Comp - Att - TD
23 - 33 - 4

280
Passing Yards
295

1
Times Sacked
0

5 - 11 (45%)
3rd Down Conversion
8 - 11 (72%)

1 - 2 (50%)
4th Down Conversion
1 - 1 (100%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

2 - 0 - 1 (50%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
7 - 5 - 1 (85%)

1
Turnovers
1

0
Fumbles Lost
1

1
Intercepted
0

0
Punt Return Yards
14

38
Kick Return Yards
67

406
Total Yards
587

2 – 47.0
Punts - Average
0 - 0.0

3 - 20
Penalties
1 - 15

16:37
Time of Possession
19:23

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
40
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

100%

SmoothPancakes

12-27-2012, 03:51 AM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, the game of the week turned out to be the battle of the kickers, as #1 Wisconsin's kicker was better than #6 Iowa's kicker, the Badgers winning 12-3 on four field goals. #3 Georgia survives an upset bid, holding on to beat 3-3 Tennessee 38-33. #4 Oklahoma has a field day with #24 Kansas State, 38-10. It was a wild one, but a 31-13 second half advantage helps #7 LSU prevail 52-30 over Florida.

In this week's ass whooping of the week, #9 Notre Dame opens up a whole barrel of whoop ass on 0-6 New Mexico State, 63-7. #11 Michigan State has to score a touchdown with 3:02 left to hold off Illinois 28-24. #12 Nebraska ended up with stained underwear, outscoring Penn State 15-7 in the fourth quarter, including the game winning touchdown with 2:04 left to edge out Penn State 25-24. Wake Forest improves to 4-1, knocking off #14 Virginia Tech 28-12. Texas Tech, in overtime, knocks off #16 Texas 37-31. And #17 Clemson scores 18 points in the fourth quarter to come back for a 31-17 win over #25 Louisville.

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss falls to 2-3 (1-0 C-USA), losing 30-27 in overtime to Nevada. Southern Miss outscored the Wolfpack 21-3 in the second half to make the comeback. Southern Miss kicked a 42 yard field goal in OT, Nevada got a touchdown to win it. Jaymo, Arizona State improves to 3-3 (1-2 Pac-12) with a 34-23 win over Washington State. Mors, sorry, West Virginia drops their third straight straight, falling to 2-4 (1-3 Big 12) with a 38-17 loss to Iowa State. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State suffers their first loss of the year, dropping to 3-1 with a 38-31 loss to Missouri. It was all Arkansas State in the first half and a touchdown to start the third quarter making it 31-7 for the Red Wolves, but a 31-0 run the rest of the game by Missouri won the game for the Tigers.

Elsewhere, on a note of epic suck, Memphis loses to #21 Temple this week, 21-7, dropping Memphis to 0-6 on the season, and 0-18 total over the last season and a half.

Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches poll, some movement taking place. Wisconsin (40 first place votes) remained #1. The surprise moves, Georgia (21 votes), Oklahoma, and Alabama all moved up one to #2, #3 and #4. USC, despite beating Arizona 41-14 last week, DROPS three spots to #5. LSU and Auburn both moved up one to #6 and #7. Also moving up one spot were Notre Dame, Michigan and Michigan State to #8, #9 and #10. Iowa dropped five spots to #11, Nebraska stayed at #12. Tulsa remains unchanged at #13. Texas A&M jumped six spots to #14, Washington moved up three to #15. TCU dropped one to #16, Clemson stayed at #17, Temple moved up three to #18, Fresno State stayed at #19 and Georgia Tech moved up two to #20. Air Force enters the poll this week at #21, Texas dropped six to #22, Arkansas stayed at #23, Colorado State enters the poll at #24 and Texas Tech enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Virginia Tech (from #14), Kansas State (from #24) and Louisville (from #25). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Virginia Tech (252 votes) sits at #26, followed by Houston (134), Louisville (124), Kansas State (108) and Miami (86) rounding out the top 30.

Taking a look at the new Media poll, Wisconsin (41 first place votes) remains #1. Oklahoma (22 votes) jumps one to #2. Georgia (1 vote) and Alabama (1 vote) both jump one spot to #3 and #4. USC, despite the blowout win, drops three spots to #5. LSU stayed still at #6. Auburn and Michigan State both climb one to #7 and #8. Notre Dame and Michigan also both climb one to #9 and #10. Nebraska bumped up one to #11, Iowa dropped five to #12. Tulsa remains unchanged at #13. Texas A&M jumped six spots to #14. TCU remained #15, Timple jumped three to #16, Washington climbed four to #17. Clemson and Georgia Tech both dropped one to #18 and #19. Fresno State climbed two to #20, Air Force enters the poll at #21. Texas dropped six to #22, Arkansas remained at #23, Colorado State enters the poll at #24 and Texas Tech is new to the poll at #25. Dropping out this week were Virginia Tech (from #14), Kansas State (from #24) and Louisville (from #25). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Virginia Tech (270 votes) sits at #26, followed by Louisville (127), Houston (43) UCLA (41) and Kansas State (38) to round out the top 30.

SmoothPancakes

12-27-2012, 04:00 AM

Whew, got it done just in time. I gotta start getting dressed for work and head out to clean to snow off the car in the next 5-10 minutes, so just everything done. Wasn't sure I was gonna make it earlier as I still had to do recruiting for the week before I could play FIU.

What a hell of a game that was. I thought it was slipping away when that touchdown and the returned fumble to start the third quarter made the giant swing from a 14-10 lead to a 24-14 deficit. Still had a hell of a fight on my hands the rest of the way. When FIU got to our 12 with one play and then down to our three yard line, I thought sure as hell we were gonna end up in double overtime. But the defense held on for their life.

And with that, I gotta head out to work. Should be done for the day and back home by 10 or 10:30am, so hopefully I can get recruiting knocked out and be playing Southern Miss before noon.

morsdraconis

12-27-2012, 04:26 AM

SmoothPancakes

12-27-2012, 05:15 AM

Still in the hunt for the MNC, but it's gonna be tough. HELL of a game against FIU. Score definitely surprised me on that one. Looks like your defense is gonna be a serious liability for awhile, unfortunately.

Yeah, unless a bunch of top teams start falling like flies, I really don't have any expectations of crashing the title game, though I will take crashing the BCS as a substitute.

Yes, it was a hell of a game. :D When they made those three straight scores from the end of the second quarter through the beginning of the third to go up 24-14, I thought I was screwed. Thankfully our defense actually pulled their heads out of their asses for long enough to make a stop or two and let us come back. Still a tough 6 games to go. Southern Miss, North Texas and UTEP worry me the most.

souljahbill

12-27-2012, 09:56 AM

Note: This post is NOT a part of Smooth's dynasty. Do NOT get confused and mostly disregard this post.

With that being said, remember how I was supposed to incorporate community members coaches into my dynasty? That was before our desktop AND laptop went kaput making my iPhone my de facto computer? I had the names inputted but I wasn't about to type everything up on my iPhone so I had to scrap it until next year. Well, here is where you are now, Smooth...

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/12/27/yna6epam.jpg

Think this post will be Mors approved?

SmoothPancakes

12-27-2012, 10:21 AM

:D That's awesome! Maybe West Virginia will have better luck with Marko Ramius III at the OC position than they have had in these two seasons of my Tulsa dynasty with Bryan Stinespring leading the offense.

And nice timing on the post souljahbill, I am just minutes away from firing up and kicking off the Tulsa-Southern Miss game. Just finished recruiting for week 7 and am almost ready to go. :)

morsdraconis

12-27-2012, 11:59 AM

SmoothPancakes

12-27-2012, 12:48 PM

Game Seven

#13 :Tulsa: :@: :Southern_Miss:

Game Notes

--- As we hit the halfway point of the 2015 season and enter into the second half of our schedule, it was time for a brand opponent during the coaching tenure of Marko Ramius, the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss. Like us, sporting a Spread look and playbook, it had the makings of another potential shootout. Hopefully that near loss to Florida International last week would be enough to get our defense focused on the end goal and playing at 110% again, as opposed to the 10% they were playing at last week. A pouring rain and light fog in Hattiesburg, MS would make this an interesting one, with the potential for a turnover even more of a possibility on any given play. Southern Miss won the coin toss and elected to kick.

A touchback on the kickoff and our offense was out to start the game from our 25. It was looking to be a battle today, as Southern Miss was more than ready for Kiel Fletcher, tackling him for no gain on the first down rush. A rush attempt by Brandon Booth was also going nowhere, being tackled instantly for a loss of one yard. It was Max Thompson keeping our drive alive, hauling in a pass from Booth for a gain of 17 yards and a first down at the 41 yard line. With the defense blitzing and keying on the run every play, it looked like a potentially air heavy day. A first down pass to Conner Jefferson picked up 16 yards and we had a new set of downs at the 43 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth found Fletcher at the 29 yard line for a gain of 14 and another first down. Another catch by Jefferson, this time for 15 yards, and we had a first down at the Southern Miss 14 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, intended for Eric Hayden, Booth found Thompson on an out route, a downfield block by Hayden tying up the safety to allow Thompson to take it 14 yards for the touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 5:38 on the clock.

No return on the kickoff, and Southern Miss was on the field for their first drive at the 25. The Golden Eagles got started with a 9 yard pass from Xavier Jones to Joseph Pollard, but a loss of two yards by Chris Williams left USM facing third and three. Jones would pick up three yards on the third down rush, leaving fourth and inches at the 35. Still early in the game, Southern Miss elected to punt instead of risking turning it over deep in their territory, and a three yard return by Fletcher on the 41 yard punt gave us possession at our 27 yard line. Coming out firing on first down, the defense never knew what hit them, as a heavy blitz left Fletcher uncovered coming out of the backfield, hauling in the pass from Booth and racing downfield for a 50 yard gain before being brought down by the safety at the USM 24 yard line. A pass to Jefferson on the slant route went for a gain of 18 yards and we were left with first and goal at the 6 yard line. Going to the ground game for the first time this drive, Fletcher was able to break the defense, fighting ahead through a tackle and falling into the end zone for the 6 yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 3:48 left in the first quarter.

A 20 yard kickoff return left Southern Miss starting at their 20 yard line. Our defense was ready to stuff their run game, tackling Williams for a loss of one yard, before Jones lit us up through the air, hitting Reggie Adkins for 19 yards and a first down at the 38. After an incomplete pass on first down, Williams picked up 8 yards on the ground, followed by a 13 yard pass from Jones to Pollard for a new set of downs at our 42 yard line. A 6 yard rush by Corey Powers was followed with a loss of three yards by Williams as our defense brought the house, leaving the Golden Eagles with third and 7 at our 39. Pollard dropped the third down pass from Jones and the Golden Eagles faced fourth and 7. The fourth down punt sailed out of the back of the end zone for a touchback and we were starting on our 20 yard line.

Having finally broken the defense, Fletcher was able to finally get some yards on the ground, picking up 7 yards on the first down carry. A 10 yard rush by Fletcher on the next play and we had a first down at the 37. The defense wouldn’t be fooled another play, Fletcher being instantly brought down for no gain. Booth’s pass was incomplete and we were left with third and 10 from the 36. The safety would knock away the third down pass to Jefferson, nearly intercepting it, and with two seconds left, we were forced to punt on fourth down. A fair catch on the 44 yard punt gave Southern Miss the ball at their 19 yard line as the first quarter came to an end, our lead at 14-0.

It was a quick start for Southern Miss to open the second quarter, as Powers picked up 5 yards on the ground, before Jones hit Dustin Fritz for a 25 yard gain and first down at midfield. After throwing away the ball on first down, Jones recovered to connect with Pollard for 11 yards to get to our 39 yard line. After a one yard rush by Williams, Jones threw passes of four yards to Williams and 8 yards to Adkins and Southern Miss had a new set of downs at our 26. The Golden Eagles looked set to have another quick first down, as Williams broke a 9 yard run on the next play, but the defense would tackled Jones for a loss of four yards, leaving USM with third and 5. Williams would convert the third down on the ground, picking up 5 yards to get to our 16 yard line. After a thrown away pass on first down, Williams gained 8 to get USM down to our 8 yard line, facing third and two. The offense would move backwards, as a holding penalty pushed the Golden Eagles out to our 18 yard line and facing third and 12. Jones’ pass to Pollard was knocked incomplete, forcing Southern Miss to disappointingly settle for a field goal. The 35 yard kick by William Alston was good and our lead was cut to 14-3 with 6:28 to go in the half.

Fletcher returned the ensuing kickoff for 20 yards out to our 23 and the offense was back in action. After a dropped pass by Jefferson, Booth found Eric Silva for a 5 yard gain and we were left with third and 5. Thompson would keep our drive alive, catching an 11 yard pass from Booth to get us out to the 39. Going deep on first down, Jefferson was able to catch a rainbow from Booth, hauling it in just before stumbling out of bounds for a 30 yard gain and a first down at the USM 31 yard line. Going to the ground game, it was nothing but failure, as Fletcher was instantly hit for a one yard loss on the first down carry. Going back to the air attack, Booth hit Hayden over the middle, Hayden splitting the safeties and turning it up the field for a 32 yard gain before the safety finally brought him down by the ankles in a touchdown saving tackle at the one yard line. Fletcher would take the ball on first down and goal, getting tackled for nearly no gain. Fletcher would only need one more attempt, punching it in from one yard out to extend our lead to 21-3 with 2:51 left in the second quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff and Southern Miss was starting from their 25 yard line, just 2:43 left in the quarter. Jones wasted no time in going to the air, hitting Pollard for a gain of 13 to get to the 38 yard line. Two straight incomplete passes left the Golden Eagles facing third and 10, when Jones connected with Chuck Lee for 12 yard and a new set of downs at our 49 yard line. This time the Jones wouldn’t be able to save the drive, three straight incomplete passes, the final one dropped by Adkins, and the Golden Eagles were forced to punt from our 49 with 1:46 left in the half. The Golden Eagles came out in punt formation, but instead attempted a fake punt pass. Alston’s pass was batted incomplete and Southern Miss turned the ball over on downs, leaving our offense with 1:41 left to work with, starting at our 49 yard line and all three timeouts still in the bag.

Going to the air on first down, Booth hit Jefferson on an out route, Jefferson turning around and catching the ball while falling backwards out of bounds, just getting the foot down for the completion. Booth then went right back to Jefferson on the next play, a comeback pass gaining 11 yards and a first down at the 29 yard line. A third straight pass to Jefferson, this time on the opposite side of the field, went for a gain of 17 yards and a first down at the 12 yard line, 1:16 remaining. The defense still had no answer for Booth to Jefferson connection, as the fourth straight pass in his direction went for a gain of 6 yards, leaving us second and four at the 6 yard line. Fletcher would pound it forward up the middle, bouncing off a diving tackle attempt and stumbling forward the final couple yards for the 6 yard touchdown rush and a 28-3 lead with 39 seconds left.

A 20 yard kickoff return gave Southern Miss the ball at their 19 yard line and 28 seconds left to work with. Following an incomplete pass on first down, Jones hit Adkins for a 12 yard gain, USM’s first timeout stopping the clock with 19 seconds. After two incomplete passes, Jones connected with Fritz for a 7 yard gain, leaving fourth and three with just three seconds left, the final seconds ticking off the clock without a timeout or another snap, bringing the first half to a close, our lead standing at 28-3.

A touchback on the kickoff to open the third quarter, and Southern Miss was back on offense at their 25 yard line. It was beginning much the same way the second quarter ended, as two straight incomplete passes left the Golden Eagles with third down, but a 13 yard pass to Adkins would breathe new life into the drive at the 38 yard line. A 2 yard pass to Adkins, followed by an incomplete pass, left USM again facing third down. A 21 yard strike to Adkins on the third down play gave USM a new set of downs at our 39 yard line. After a dropped pass by Fritz, Williams got in on the action, taking the ball off the left tackle for a 12 yard gain on the ground and a first down at our 27 yard line. A 7 yard pass to Adkins was followed with a 6 yard rush by Williams at the Golden Eagles had a new set of downs at our 14 yard line. A pass to Fritz for a gain of one yard was followed by a 6 yard rush by Lee, leaving Southern Miss with third and three at our 7 yard line. Southern Miss would be forced to settle for another field goal, as the defense sacked Jones for a loss of four yards, leaving the Golden Eagles with fourth and 6 from our 10 yard line. The 27 yard kick by Alston was good, making the score 28-6 with 6:24 left in the third quarter.

A 24 yard kickoff return by Jefferson got our offense underway from our 23 yard line. Fletcher rumbled ahead for a gain of 5 yards on first down, before picking up the new set of downs with a 9 yard rush off the left tackle out to our 37 yard line. Continuing on the ground, Ryan Strong was only able to manage two yards. Booth would manage to pick up the first down himself, taking the snap and hauling ass toward the far sideline for a gain of 14 yards and a first down at the USM 47 yard line. Finally finding momentum on the ground, Fletcher pounded the ball up the middle for a 6 yard gain, before being tackled for no gain to leave us with third and four at the 42. A 16 yard pass to Hayden and we had a first down at the 25 yard line. Taking the ball back on the ground, Fletcher picked up 8 yards on the first down rush, before being tackled for a loss of one yard to set up third and three at the 18. Booth’s pass to Jefferson was batted down, forcing out the field goal unit. Alphonso Pratt’s 35 yard field goal attempt was no good, and a drive that held such promise ended with nothing to show for it, as the Southern Miss offense took over at their 18 yard line, just 49 seconds left in the third quarter.

Jones got the drive started for USM with a 5 yard pass to Fritz, but an incomplete pass on the next play left third and 5 for the Golden Eagles offense. A pass to Lee went for a gain of 7 yards and a first down at the 32. The third quarter would end disastrously for Southern Miss, as Adkins hauled in a deep pass from Jones, but before going down during the tackle attempt by the safety, the ball was jarred loose, Andy Malone recovering the ball to give our offense possession at our 35 yard line with 5 seconds left in the quarter. Going to the air on first down, Booth hit Thompson along the left hash, Thompson breaking the tackle attempt by the corner, and thanks to a downfield block on the linebacker by Hayden, was able to rumble 53 yards down the left sideline before being brought down at the Southern Miss 13 yard line by the safety. And that would bring the third quarter to an end, our lead at 28-6 with one final quarter to play.

Fletcher would open up the fourth quarter with a rush up the gut for a 7 yard gain, followed by a pickup of four yards to give us first and goal at the two yard line. Booth would take it in himself, breaking loose from a dive at his ankles before being tackled into the end zone from behind for the two yard touchdown rush and a 35-6 lead with 7:51 left in the game. No return on the kickoff left Southern Miss at their 25. After a dropped pass by Pollard, Jones found Williams over the middle for an 18 yard gain to the 43 yard line, as the Golden Eagles tried desperately to get something going and make an improbably comeback. Three straight incomplete passes would doom the drive, as the punt unit came out. A four yard return on the 47 yard punt gave our offense the ball at our 13 yard line.

Our second team offense came out on the drive to close out the game. Silva took the first down handoff up the middle for a 6 yard rush, before managing only one yard on the second down carry. Begrudgingly going to the air on third down, Casey Bishop’s pass intended for Thompson was broken up, and with fourth and three at our 20, we were forced to punt, 5:45 left in the game. A fair catch on the 42 yard punt got the Golden Eagles started at their 37. Still sporting their first team offense, Jones hit Fritz for a 21 yard gain on first down, followed by a 10 yard pass to Lee to leave second and inches at our 32. A three yard rush by Williams would get the new set of downs at our 28 yard line. Three straight incomplete passes would leave the drive teetering on a cliff. The Golden Eagles would convert the fourth down attempt however, as Jones hit Fritz for a 24 yard gain to set up first and goal at our four yard line. Southern Miss would find the end zone for the first time in the game, Jones hitting Eric Williams over the middle for the four yard touchdown, the extra point making it 35-13 with 4:18 left to go.

Southern Miss attempted the onside kick, our hands team recovering it at the USM 40 yard line. Our first team offense returning to the field this drive, it was no luck whatsoever on the ground, as Fletcher was taken down for a loss of one yard on first down, before managing only a single yard on the next play to leave third and 10. The third down pass to Jefferson went for a gain of only 6 yards, leaving us fourth and four with 2:46 left in the contest. We would attempt a 51 yard field goal, but Pratt’s kick went wide left and Southern Miss was back on offense at their 34, 2:34 remaining. It wasn’t looking promising for the Golden Eagles, as two incomplete passes and a four yard scramble by Jones left Southern Miss with fourth and 6 at their 38. They would manage to stay alive, converting fourth down with a 16 yard pass from Jones to Fritz and new life at our 46 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Jones hit Pollard for a 12 yard gain, getting USM to our 34 yard line with 1:54 to go. A 29 yard bomb to Lee, and Southern Miss was suddenly at our 5 yard line with first and goal. The Golden Eagles would return to the end zone on the next play, Jones hitting Pollard from 5 yard out. Southern Miss would go for the two point conversion this time, Jones trying to rush it in himself, but he would get tackled at the two yard line, leaving the score 35-19 with 1:27 remaining.

Our hands team would recover the onside kick, giving us the ball at the USM 43 yard line and 1:24 left, but Southern Miss still had all three timeouts and it wouldn’t take a brain surgeon to know they would use them all. Silva took the ball on first down, thrusting up the middle and fighting through a tackle attempt before breaking loose into the secondary for a 16 yard rush and a first down at the 28 yard line. USM’s first timeout stopped the clock with 1:19, but any hopes of a comeback looked bleak at best after that rush for an immediate new set of downs. Silva took the ball and spinning off of a tackle attempt, picked up two yards to leave second and 8, Southern Miss calling their second timeout to freeze the clock at 1:16. A loss of one yard would leave us with third and 9, the final timeout by Southern Miss stopping play with 1:13 to go. Clearly expecting a pass, our rush play caught them off guard, Silva rushing ahead for a gain of 8 yards to leave us with fourth and one at the 18 yard line, 1:03 left on the clock. Pratt would extend our lead with a 35 yard field goal, making the score 38-19 with 55 seconds left in the game.

A touchback on the kickoff left Southern Miss starting at their 25, trailing by 19, all hopes of a comeback dead and gone. Jones found Pollard on first down for a 12 yard gain, followed by a dropped pass by Powers. Jones would hit Fritz on the next play for a pickup of 17 yards and the Golden Eagles had first down at our 46 yard line, 27 seconds left in the game. A 10 yard pass to Fritz left second and inches, before an encroachment penalty on the defense gave the Golden Eagles a first down at our 31. With two seconds left on the clock, Jones would connect with Williams for a 31 yard touchdown, doing nothing more than to make the final score 38-26.

With the win, we improve to 6-1, 3-0 in C-USA action and become only the fourth team in the nation to become bowl eligible. With the loss, Southern Miss falls to 2-4 and 1-1 in C-USA play. Up next, it’s back to our home field to take on the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State. MTSU enters the game 2-5, 2-1 in C-USA action and on a two game winning streak. It was a rough start to the season for the Blue Raiders, with a 34-13 loss at #20 Georgia Tech, followed with a 28-24 loss to UCLA, a 26-14 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette, and then two more losses to Wyoming (42-20) and Florida Atlantic (20-17). They finally got into the win column this season with a 28-26 win over Louisiana Tech and a 38-33 victory at UAB heading into their game in Tulsa.

Final Score
#13 :Tulsa: 38, :Southern_Miss: 26

Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – A good day by Booth, ending with 341 yards and a touchdown through the air, to go with 15 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Fletcher was the player of the game, ending the day with 67 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 19 carries, along with 64 yards receiving. A very limited day for the receiving corps, only 5 people catching passing, four of them ending with double digit receiving yards, Jefferson the top guy, ending his day with 129 yards on 9 receptions.

Tulsa Defense – A great day by our first team defense. Let Southern Miss drive deep a couple times, but kept them out of the end zone. Southern Miss didn't start to really rack up yards and points until it was our second team defense out on the field.

Tulsa Kicking – Another poor day for Pratt, going 1-3 in field goals, but did at least go 5-5 in PATs.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Tulsa:
14
14
0
10
38

:Southern_Miss:
0
3
3
20
26

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

5:38
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
M. Thompson, 14 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-0

3:48
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 6 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 14-0

Second Quarter

6:31
:Southern_Miss:
Field Goal
W. Alston, 39 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 14-3

2:51
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 21-3

0:39
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 6 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 28-3

Third Quarter

6:27
:Southern_Miss:
Field Goal
W. Alston, 27 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 28-6

Fourth Quarter

7:51
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Booth, 2 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 35-6

4:18
:Southern_Miss:
Touchdown
E. Williams, 4 yard pass from X. Jones (W. Alston kick)
:Tulsa: 35-13

1:27
:Southern_Miss:
Touchdown
J. Pollard, 5 yard pass form X. Jones (2-pt failed)
:Tulsa: 35-19

0:55
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 35 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 38-19

0:00
:Southern_Miss:
Touchdown
C. Williams, 31 yard pass from X. Jones (W. Alston kick)
:Tulsa: 38-26

Game Stats

Tulsa
Stat
Southern Miss

38
Score
26

19
First Downs
23

457
Total Offense
498

29 - 116 - 4
Rushes - Yards - TD
17 - 66 - 0

18 - 25 - 1
Comp - Att - TD
32 - 62 - 3

341
Passing Yards
498

0
Times Sacked
1

3 - 8 (37%)
3rd Down Conversion
7 - 16 (43%)

0 - 0 (0%)
4th Down Conversion
2 - 3 (66%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 1 (0%)

8 - 5 - 1 (75%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
5 - 2 - 2 (80%)

0
Turnovers
1

0
Fumbles Lost
1

0
Intercepted
0

7
Punt Return Yards
0

44
Kick Return Yards
40

508
Total Yards
538

2 – 43.0
Punts - Average
3 - 43.0

2 - 10
Penalties
1 - 10

21:52
Time of Possession
14:08

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
39
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

100%

morsdraconis

12-27-2012, 12:58 PM

Man, you guys are having a hell of a time trying to stop the pass. Yikes. Gonna be tough to keep up the offensive output against the better teams.

SmoothPancakes

12-27-2012, 01:28 PM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, in the upset of the week, Wake Forest scores a touchdown with 2:22 left in the game to down #1 Wisconsin, 27-23. Tn the game of the week, #3 Oklahoma suffers their first loss of the season, losing the Red River Shootout 23-20 to #22 Texas (4-1). #6 LSU needed overtime to escape Kentucky 31-24. #7 Auburn holds on to be #23 Arkansas 35-25. #8 Notre Dame uses a 17-0 fourth quarter advantage to comeback from behind for the 28-21 win over Oklahoma State. #9 Michigan gets a touchdown with 2:02 left in the game to escape Maryland 20-17.

In overtime, #12 Nebraska kicks a field goal to knock off #10 Michigan State 27-24. #15 Washington stays perfect on the year with a 42-26 win over Oregon. #16 TCU avoids getting upset, holding on against Iowa State 49-35. #18 Temple suffered their first loss this week, losing 14-3 to 6-1 Houston. #20 Georgia Tech suffers their second loss, falling 28-24 to Virginia. Utah State knocks off #21 Air Force, handing the Falcons their first loss, 31-21. One week after entering the polls, it'll be right back out for Colorado State, as the Rams suffer their first defeat of the year, losing 42-35 to San Jose State. And #25 Texas Tech scores two unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter to hold off Kansas 42-34.

For our readers, souljahbill, obviously, Southern Miss drops to 2-4 (1-1 in C-USA) with Tulsa's 38-26 win over the Golden Eagles. Jaymo, Arizona State had the week off to stay at 3-3 (1-2 Pac-12). Mors, sorry, West Virginia drops their fourth straight game, falling to 2-5 (1-4 Big 12) with a 30-10 loss to Kansas State. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State loses their second game in a row, falling to Louisiana Monroe 35-21 to drop to 3-2 (0-1 Sun Belt).

On a C-USA note, FIU is finally in the win column in C-USA action, beating North Texas 41-17.

Looking at undefeated teams left, with #1 Wisconsin, #3 Oklahoma, #18 Temple, #21 Air Force and #24 Colorado State all losing this week this week, that drops our number of undefeated teams left to 7. #2 Georgia (6-0), #4 Alabama (6-0), #5 USC (6-0), #6 LSU (6-0), #7 Auburn (6-0), #14 Texas A&M (7-0) and #15 Washington (6-0) are all that's left with an unblemished record at the end of week 7. Of the 7 undefeated teams remaining, the SEC accounts for 5 of them.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 5 teams still looking for their first win: Baylor (0-5), Memphis (0-7), New Mexico State (0-6), UMass (0-7) and Washington State (0-7).

Teams getting their first wins this week were: Marshall (31-14 over 2-5 Florida Atlantic) and Tulane (24-21 over 3-4 UCF) and Troy (24-14 over 1-5 Army).

Elsewhere, on a note of epic suck, Memphis loses to Connecticut this week, 34-27, dropping Memphis to 0-7 on the season, and 0-19 total over the last season and a half.

Taking a look at the new Top 25 polls, starting in the Coaches Poll, Georgia (40 first place votes) climbs one to #1. Alabama (21 votes) jumps two to #2. LSU climbs three to #3. Auburn jumps four to #4. USC stays stuck at #5. Notre Dame goes up two to #6, Texas A&M leaps seven to #7. Michigan climbs one to #8, Nebraska goes up three to #9 and Oklahoma drops seven to #10. Wisconsin plummets ten to #11, Iowa falls one to #12, Washington jumps two to #13. Tulsa falls one to #14. TCU climbs one to #15, Michigan State falls six to #16, Clemson stays at #17. Wake Forest enters the poll this week at #18, Fresno State stays stuck at #19. Texas climbs two to #20, Houston enters the poll at #21, Temple falls four to #22. Texas Tech jumps two to #23, Virginia Tech enters the poll at #24 and Georgia Tech falls five to #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Air Force (from #21), Arkansas (from #23) and Colorado State (from #24). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Miami is #26 with 156 votes, followed by Kansas State (139), Virginia (136), Arkansas (130) and Air Force (120) to round out the top 30.

In the Media Poll, Georgia (44 first place votes) jumps two to #1, Alabama (21 votes) jumps two to #2, LSCU climbs three to #3, Auburn moves up four to #4, USC stays stuck at #5. Nebraska climbs five to #6, Texas A&M jumps seven to #7, Notre Dame climbs one to #8, Oklahoma falls seven to #9 and Michigan stays at #10. Wisconsin falls ten to #11, Texas leaps ten to #12, Iowa falls one to #13. Tulsa falls one to #14. Washington jumps two to #15, TCU falls one to #16, Michigan State drops nine to #17. Wake Forest enters the poll at #18, Clemson falls one to #19, Fresno State stays at #20. Houston enters the poll at #21, Temple falls six to #22, Texas Tech climbs two to #23, Virginia Tech enters the poll at #24 and Georgia Tech falls six to #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Air Force (from #21), Arkansas (from #23) and Colorado State (from #24). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, UCLA is #26 (74 votes), followed by Virginia (56), Arkansas (53), Air Force (47) and Kansas State (41) to round out the top 30.

SmoothPancakes

12-27-2012, 01:30 PM

Man, you guys are having a hell of a time trying to stop the pass. Yikes. Gonna be tough to keep up the offensive output against the better teams.

Yeah, we're just getting shredded through the air. Granted, a lot of the Southern Miss passing yards came in the fourth quarter when their first string offense was ripping our second string defense a new one, but our starters had their own troubles. UTEP and Rice are about the only true high power offenses that we'll face the rest of the way so we may be in luck. That is if I can actually manage to climb the polls after a win, instead of falling one spot due to get jumped by teams behind me like was the case this week.

SmoothPancakes

12-27-2012, 01:46 PM

As we are now halfway through the season, lets take a glance at conference standings.

In the ACC, in the Atlantic Division it's #18 Wake Forest on top with a 3-0 record, #17 Clemson (3-1) and Louisville (3-3) trailing behind. In the Coastal Division, it's Miami (4-0) on top, with #24 Virginia Tech (3-1) and Virginia (3-2) behind them. The Big 12, TCU leads the way at 4-0, with Texas Tech (2-1) behind them, then a clusterfuck behind that, as Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Oklahoma State all sit tied at 1-1 in the conference. Big East, the American Division is led by #21 Houston (4-0), trailed by Boise State and Connecticut, both at 2-1. The National Division is headed up by SMU (3-0), with Temple and Navy, both 2-1) trailing behind.

The Big Ten, a horribly weak Leaders Division is being led by Ohio State (2-2) with Maryland (2-3), Indiana (1-2) and Penn State (1-2) behind them. The Legends Division is a race between #11 Wisconsin (5-0) and #8 Michigan (3-0), with #9 Nebraska (3-1), #12 Iowa (3-1), #16 Michigan State (2-1) and Northwestern (2-1) all still in contention. Conference USA, the East Division is a dead heat between Florida Atlantic and UAB, both at 2-2. Southern Miss is behind that at 1-1, FIU trailing farther behind at 1-2. The West Division, it's #14 Tulsa on top at 3-0, with UTEP right behind on our asses at 2-0. MTSU trails behind them at 2-1 with North Texas and UTSA both lagging behind at 2-2. In the MAC, the East Division is led by Ohio (3-0), with Bowling Green (2-1) and Kent State (2-1) both behind and Buffalo (1-1) lagging farther back. The West Division, it's Western Michigan (2-0) on top, with Toledo (2-1), Eastern Michigan (2-1) and Ball State (1-1) all trailing.

The Mountain West, it's a three way tie at the top, with Hawaii, Nevada and San Jose State all sitting at 1-0. Colorado State is next in line at 1-1. The Pac-12, North Division finds #13 Washington (3-0) on top, followed by Oregon State (2-1) and Stanford (3-2). The South Division, it's #5 USC (4-0) and UCLA (3-0) battling it out, with Colorado (3-1) just behind them). In the SEC, the East Division is led by #1 Georgia (4-0) with South Carolina and Florida both behind at 2-2. The West is an absolute battleground, with #7 Texas A&M (7-0), #2 Alabama (4-0), #3 LSU (3-0) and #4 Auburn (3-0) all still battling it out among themselves. The Sun Belt, UL Monroe leads the way at 2-0, followed by Texas State, Troy and UL Lafayette all at 1-0. Arkansas State and BYU are both at 0-1, Western Kentucky still 0-0 in conference play. In the WAC, New Mexico is the leader at 1-0, Wyoming and Idaho still 0-0 in conference, New Mexico State trailing at 0-1.

morsdraconis

12-27-2012, 01:52 PM

Yeah, we're just getting shredded through the air. Granted, a lot of the Southern Miss passing yards came in the fourth quarter when their first string offense was ripping our second string defense a new one, but our starters had their own troubles. UTEP and Rice are about the only true high power offenses that we'll face the rest of the way so we may be in luck. That is if I can actually manage to climb the polls after a win, instead of falling one spot due to get jumped by teams behind me like was the case this week.

Well, you're gonna have a hard time moving up with that one loss, especially when other teams continue to be undefeated. Hopefully they lose a game or two down the road and you start to move up again. Just gotta look to the next game and not worry about it. Either way, you're virtually guaranteed a spot in the BCS if you win out.

SmoothPancakes

12-27-2012, 02:15 PM

Well, you're gonna have a hard time moving up with that one loss, especially when other teams continue to be undefeated. Hopefully they lose a game or two down the road and you start to move up again. Just gotta look to the next game and not worry about it. Either way, you're virtually guaranteed a spot in the BCS if you win out.

Well in this case, a bunch of undefeated teams did lose. And all the undefeated teams left are (and were with exception of Air Force, Colorado State and Temple before they all lost last week), it's just teams low in top 25 getting huge upsets over top 5 or top 10 teams (like #22 Texas over #3 Oklahoma) and skyrocketing up the polls. As teams start to rack up a second or third loss, hopefully that will open up slots for me. But, that's still down the road. I still have to fight my way past MTSU, North Texas, Rice, UTSA and UTEP before I can even really worry about or care where I'm ranked come season's end.

JeffHCross

12-27-2012, 03:28 PM

If anyone can turn that team around, it's Smooth at OC. :up:

You must not have noticed how much offensive advice Smooth is getting from me ;) Though he doesn't seem to be listening to it lately. :D

SmoothPancakes

12-27-2012, 03:31 PM

You must not have noticed how much offensive advice Smooth is getting from me ;) Though he doesn't seem to be listening to it lately. :D

Hey, I've been working the plays in a couple times a game. :D The QB Power play gets used at least once every or every other quarter. And I mix in the rest in here and there.

SmoothPancakes

12-27-2012, 03:51 PM

Game Eight

:MTSU: :@: #14 :Tulsa:

Game Notes

--- Beginning our trip into the homestretch of the season, up next were the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State. MTSU looked weak with a 2-5 record and ranked in the 90s or triple digits in every single category except for Pass Offense (#64), but with the battle we had seen against Akron and FIU when we enter a game asleep, we couldn’t afford to take MTSU lightly, especially not with them entering on a two game winning streak. Back in our dustbowl home, and far away from the rains of Miami, It was perfect weather today. We won the coin toss, electing to kickoff first.

No return on the opening kickoff and MTSU was in action on their 25. Our defense immediately got bent over, as Trevor Mendoza hit Barrett Washington for a 27 yard gain and in one play, the Blue Raiders had a first down at our 48. That would be all they would get however, as three straight incomplete passes would bring the drive to a sudden end. A touchback on the 49 yard punt gave our offense the ball at the 20. Kiel Fletcher got us moving with an 8 yard run, followed by a pickup of 11 yards for a first down at the 39 yard line. If MTSU had the #117 ranked rushing defense in the nation, we were going to take advantage of it. Fletcher picked up 6 yards on first down, before bouncing outside the left tackle, getting a block by the tight end, and racing down the sideline for a 55 yard touchdown rush and a 7-0 lead with 6:20 left in the first quarter. If the Blue Raiders couldn’t find a way to shut down the rush, it could end up being a long day for their defense.

A 21 yard return on the kickoff got MTSU started for their next drive from the 21. After an incomplete pass on first down, Mendoza rushed for a four yard gain, leaving MTSU with third and 6 at the 25. An incomplete pass would bring the drive to a short end, and the punt team coming out once again. The MTSU punt team screwed the pooch, letting the punt get blocked, Darnell Turner there to recover it for our defense, giving us the ball at the Blue Raiders two yard line. Fletcher was stood up for a one yard loss on first and goal. Fletcher would get into the end zone for the second time today on the next play, punching it in from three yards out to make it 14-0 with 4:59 left in the first quarter. A 16 yard kickoff return MTSU in familiar position at their 21 yard line. Three straight incomplete passes, and the punt team was again coming out, hoping for a better experience this time. The Blue Raiders would manage to get the punt off this time, a fair catch on the 50 yard boot giving our offense the ball at the 29.

Fletcher got the drive started with a 7 yard rush, followed by Brandon Booth keeping the ball and gaining 6 yards on the ground for the first down at the 42. Fletcher took the ball again, this time for a 6 yard gain to leave us second and four. Fletcher continued to pound the ball against the defense, picking up 5 yards and another first down at the MTSU 47. The MTSU defense finally managed to halt our running game, as the Blue Raiders tackled Fletcher for only a yard gain, and on second and 9, we went to the air for the first time this game. The second down pass to Jefferson went for a gain of three yards to leave us with third and 6. Booth would be hit as he threw by the blitzing defense, the ball plummeting to the ground 5 yards away and we were forced to punt on fourth and 6.

The 49 yard punt went out for a touchback to give MTSU the ball at their 20, 52 seconds left in the quarter. Our defense still refused to allow anything, as another three straight incomplete passes left the Blue Raiders once again punting away. A 12 yard return on the 44 yard punt gave our offense the ball at our 48 yard line, 31 seconds to go. The defense seemed more than ready for the pass this time, as both defensive ends blitzed through untouched, sacking Booth for an 8 yard loss to leave us with second and 18 at the 39 yard line as the final seconds ticked off. The first quarter had come to a close, our lead at 14-0.

Going into the air to start the second quarter, Fletcher would recover the lost yards, hauling in a pass from Booth for a gain of 20 yard to the MTSU 40 yard line. Keeping to the air, Booth found Max Thompson down the left sideline, breaking two tackles before stepping out of bounds at the 16 yard line for a 24 yard gain. Despite the defense bringing the house, Fletcher was able to pick up four yards on the ground. Fletcher would punch it in for the third time today, taking the handoff outside and around the right tackle, before a block by Jefferson allowed him to turn it up inside for the 12 yard touchdown rush and a 21-0 lead with 7:15 left in the second quarter.

A 21 yard kickoff return got MTSU out to their 19 yard line to start. This drive would end much the same as all the others, as two incomplete passes and a two yard rush by Mendoza left the Blue Raiders punting away once again, this time on fourth and 8 from the 21. A fair catch on the 41 yard punt got us started at our 38 yard line. After a 6 yard rush by Fletcher, Booth kept it on second down, getting outside the right tackle, turning the corner and rushing ahead for a 15 yard gain and a first down at the MTSU 42 yard line. Keeping the defense guessing, it was into the air on first down, as Booth hit Jefferson for a gain of 11 and first down at the 31 yard line. Going back to the ground, Fletcher picked up 8 yards on first down, before a 9 yard rush gave us a new set of downs at the 15 yard line. A three yard rush by Fletcher was followed with a three yard pass from Booth to Eric Silva to set up third and four at the 9 yard line. Booth would hit Jefferson in stride on a slant route for the 9 yard touchdown pass and our lead grew to 28-0 with 2:26 left in the second quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff left MTSU on their 25. After a dropped pass on first down, the Blue Raiders finally moved the ball, as Mendoza found Bill Patrick for a 20 yard gain and a first down at the 45 yard line. The drive would die there as three straight incomplete passes again brought out the punt team. A 6 yard return on the 44 yard punt gave our offense the ball at our 16 yard line with 1:36 remaining and all three timeouts. A pass to Eric Hayden went for a gain of 11 yards, followed by a deep pass to Hayden, this time on the opposite side of the field, for a 40 yard bomb and a first down at the MTSU 33 yard line. A 12 yard pass to Jefferson on the curl gave us a first down at the 21 yard line with 49 seconds to go. Going back to Jefferson, the pass from Booth went for a 10 yard gain and we had a first down at the 11 yard line, 37 seconds remaining. Booth hit Ryan Strong on the next play for a 9 yard gain to give us second and one at the two yard line, our first timeout stopping the clock with 22 seconds to go. Fletcher would punch it in for the two yard touchdown, his fourth of the day, extending our lead to 35-0 with 19 seconds left before halftime.

Starting on their 25 yard line after the touchback, Patrick picked up 5 yards on the ground, before a dropped pass would bring the third quarter to an end, our lead at 35-0 and receiving the kickoff after the break.

A 20 yard kickoff return by Fletcher got our offense starting at our 25 yard line to open up the third quarter. It was no going on the ground, as the defense wrapped up Fletcher for a loss of one yard on first down. Going into the air, Booth found Hayden for a 10 yard gain to leave us with third and one. Fletcher would get the conversion, rushing ahead for a gain of four yards and a first down at the 38. Keeping the ball himself, Booth was able to pick up 7 yards on the ground. The play action pass went wide out of bounds and we were left with third and three. Booth’s pass to Thompson was nearly intercepted, but knocked incomplete, and we were forced to punt away from our 44 yard line. No return on the 51 yard punt left the Blue Raiders buried at their four yard line to start their first drive of the second half. Two incomplete passes and a four yard rush by Patrick would leave MTSU in a precarious situation, punting on fourth and 6 from the 8 yard line and no room for error. They would get the punt off, the 49 yard kick being returned four yards by Fletcher to set our offense up at our 47 yard line.

The first down rush by Fletcher went for a gain of 8 yards, before being wrapped up for no gain on second down. Left facing third and two, we put our faith into the hands of our ground game, Fletcher rushing ahead for a gain of 9 yards to the 36 yard line, before a facemask penalty tacked on an extra 15 yards, giving us a first down at the MTSU 21 yard line. The Blue Raiders were ready for Strong on first down, tackling him for a loss of one yard. Fletcher would be benched for the remainder of the quarter, suffering from hip bursitis. Booth’s pass intended for Jefferson was batted away, and we were left with third and 11 at the 22. The cornerback would break on the pass to Thompson and we were forced to attempt a field goal on fourth down. The 39 yard kick from Alphonso Pratt was good and our lead grew to 38-0 with 3:07 left in the third quarter.

A touchback and MTSU was starting on their 25 yard line once more. This time the drive would see some movement, as Mendoza hit Melvin Justice for a gain of 13 yards to the 38 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Mendoza found Patrick over the middle for a gain of 11 and the Blue Raiders were out to their 49 yard line. After another incomplete pass, Mendoza hit Jeremy Gates for 15 yards and another first down at our 35. The drive would finally stall out at that point, three straight incomplete passes again left the Blue Raiders facing fourth down. Instead of punting or attempting the 52 yard field goal, Mendoza went to the air, finding Edward Walker for a gain of 17 yards and a first down at our 19 yard line. Two incomplete passes and a 6 yard pass to Patrick left MTSU with fourth and four at our 13 yard line. Matt Craig would kick a 30 yard field goal and the Blue Raiders had their first points of the game, making the score 38-3 with 1:09 left in the third quarter.

Fletcher was back in action after recovery from the minor injury, and a 26 yard kickoff return gave our offense the ball at our 27. Going to the ground, Fletcher never had a chance, being brought down for a loss of one yard. Going into the air, a damn near blitz all by the defense came back to bite them in the ass, as Hayden hauled in a pass from Booth near the 40 yard line, before racing toward the end zone with nothing but green ahead. The pass would end up going for a 70 yard gain, as Hayden was finally tripped up from behind at the four yard line to leave us with first and goal. The final 10 seconds of the quarter would tick off without another play, and we headed to the fourth quarter leading 38-3 and in scoring position.

Fletcher would open up the fourth quarter on the ground, punching it in from four yards out for his fifth rushing touchdown today, breaking the previous school record of four set back in 1991. The PAT made it 45-3 with 8:58 left in the game. No return on the kickoff left MTSU starting from their 25. It was back to the norm for the Blue Raiders, as three straight incomplete passes doomed the drive from the start, and the punt team coming out.

A fair catch on the 41 yard punt gave us possession at our 33 yard line, the second team offense taking over. Silva’s first down rush went for no gain, the second team offense appearing a bit overpowered against the first team defense of Middle Tennessee State. Silva would fight forward for a 7 yard gain and we were left with third and three. Going into the air on third down, Casey Bishop hit Travis Stephens for a gain of 8 yards and a first down at the 49 yard line. Going back to the ground, Silva was brought down for a loss of one yard, but a penalty flag on the play was against the defense, called for facemask. The 15 free yards erased the loss of yards and gave us a first down at the MTSU 37 yard line. Silva got a couple key blocks on the next play, rushing up the middle for a gain of 10 yards to leave second and inches at the 27. Silva would get the job done, rushing ahead for four yards and a first down at the 23 yard line, the clock down to 5:31 and ticking. Another rush by Silva went for 6 yards as the clock dipped under 5 minutes. Stephens took the ball on the next play, fighting ahead for a gain of three yards to leave third and one at the 14. Silva would convert the third down and then some, picking up 8 yards on the ground to set us up with first and goal at the 6 yard line, just over three minutes left in the game. Silva nearly had an open road all the way to the end zone, but a diving tackle by the linebacker spun him down at the one yard line for a 5 yard gain. Silva would find the end zone on the next play, taking the handoff and leaping over the pile for the one yard touchdown rush to make our lead 52-3 with 2:27 left to play.

No return on the kickoff left MTSU at their 25 yard line, searching for some sort of positive mark to take out of today’s game. They wouldn’t find one, as an incomplete pass on first down was followed with a holding penalty, leaving the Blue Raiders with second and 20 from their 15 yard line. A pair of 8 yard passes to Tom Richardson and the Blue Raiders were left staring at fourth and 5 from their 30 yard line. The Blue Raiders would punt away once more, the fair catch on the 45 yard punt giving our offense the ball at the 25 yard line with 1:35 to play, nothing but a couple of kneel downs to end the game. Bishop would take a knee three times and the final seconds ticked off, our 52-3 win going final.

With the win, we improve our record to 7-1, 4-0 in C-USA action and clinch a winning season. With the loss, Middle Tennessee State drops to 2-6 on the season, 2-2 in C-USA play. Up next, it’s back on the road to take on North Texas. The Mean Green enter the game with a record of 3-5, 2-2 in C-USA action. North Texas began their season with a 20-0 loss at Arizona, before picking up a 24-3 win over Tulane and a 35-20 victory at Marshall. Back to back losses, 38-24 to UAB and 20-17 in overtime to Connecticut was followed with a 58-31 thrashing of UTSA to get back to .500. The Mean Green would then loss two straight, getting slapped around 41-17 by Florida International and a 10-3 loss at Louisiana-Lafayette before heading into the game against us.

Final Score
#14 :Tulsa: 52, :MTSU: 3

Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – A good day Booth, though a quiet one. Ended the game with 232 yards passing and a touchdown. Fletcher was the player of the game, storming ahead against a very much over-matched MTSU defense for 169 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 24 carries. He also had one reception for a gain of 20 yards. 7 receivers caught a ball today, only four getting to double digit yards, Hayden the top guy with 130 yards receiving on four receptions thanks to that 70 yard bomb. All in all, it was the day of the ground game as Fletcher and our running backs ran wild on the MTSU defense and had a field day, including a broken rushing record.

- Tulsa Defense – A beast of a day. Hardly let MTSU have a thing, shutting them down drive after drive. The Blue Raiders did move the ball occasionally, but a field goal was all they could muster against our stout defense today.

- Tulsa Kicking – Finally a fully perfect day, going 1-1 in field goals with the 39 yard kick, and going 7-7 in PATs.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:MTSU:
0
0
3
0
3

:Tulsa:
14
21
3
14
52

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

6:20
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 55 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-0

4:59
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 3 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 14-0

Second Quarter

7:15
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 13 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 21-0

2:26
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Jefferson, 9 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 28-0

0:19
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 2 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 35-0

Third Quarter

3:10
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 39 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 38-0

1:13
:MTSU:
Field Goal
M. Craig, 29 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 38-3

Fourth Quarter

8:58
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 4 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 45-3

2:27
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
E. Silva, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 52-3

Game Stats

Middle Tennessee State
Stat
Tulsa

3
Score
52

6
First Downs
19

140
Total Offense
466

4 - 15 - 0
Rushes - Yards - TD
42 - 226 - 6

9 - 40 - 0
Comp - Att - TD
14 - 19 - 1

125
Passing Yards
240

0
Times Sacked
1

0 - 11 (0%)
3rd Down Conversion
5 - 9 (55%)

1 - 1 (100%)
4th Down Conversion
0 - 0 (0%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

2 - 0 - 1 (50%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
7 - 6 - 0 (85%)

1
Turnovers
0

1
Fumbles Lost
0

0
Intercepted
0

0
Punt Return Yards
22

58
Kick Return Yards
46

198
Total Yards
534

8 – 45.6
Punts - Average
2 - 47.0

3 - 40
Penalties
0 - 0

12:58
Time of Possession
23:02

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
41
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

100%

SmoothPancakes

12-27-2012, 04:36 PM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, #1 Georgia ended up with a fight on their hands, but held on to beat Missouri 42-30. In the upset of the week, 4-3 Tennessee knocks off #2 Alabama in a blowout, 44-20. #4 Auburn got a score but held on to beat 1-7 Ole Miss 30-20. 5-3 Louisville scores 24 unanswered second half points to shock #6 Notre Dame, 24-17. It took double overtime, but #7 Texas A&M pulls a rabbit out of their ass, holding off Florida 52-45. In the game of the week, it was #16 Michigan State prevailing in overtime, knocking off #8 Michigan 41-35 to win the Paul Bunyan Trophy.

In a game that was tied 14-14 in the middle of the second quarter, #9 Nebraska eventually pulls away from UTSA for the 49-24 win. As if it couldn't get any worse for the Badgers, #11 Wisconsin loses their second straight game, falling 24-14 to 6-1 Northwestern. 1-5 Kentucky scores the biggest upset of the week in terms of records of both teams, knocking off #12 Iowa (5-1) 23-17. #17 Clemson holds on for the 31-21 rivalry game win over NC State. Navy improves to 4-2 on the year, handing #22 Temple their second straight loss, 28-24. And #24 Virginia Tech scores a touchdown with 4:59 left to hold off North Carolina 24-21.

For our readers, souljahbill,Southern Miss recovers and snaps their two game losing streak, beating Rice 27-23 to improve to 3-4 (2-1 in C-USA). Jaymo, Arizona State lost to #5 USC this week, 41-10, dropping to 3-4 (1-3 Pac-12). Mors, West Virginia finally snaps their four game losing streak, beating 1-6 UNLV 17-13, improving to 3-5 (1-4 Big 12). Other teams of interest, Arkansas State loses their third game in a row, falling to Army 35-23 to drop to 3-3 (0-2 Sun Belt).

On a C-USA note, UTEP stays right on my ass, beating FAU 31-10 to improve to 5-2 (3-0). A 23-29 Marshall win over UAB shoots Southern Miss into first place in the East Division with a 2-1 record, with FIU second at 2-2 and a clusterfuck of FAU, Marshall and UAB all trailing at 2-3.

Looking at undefeated teams left, with #2 Alabama losing this week, that drops our number of undefeated teams left to 6. #1 Georgia (7-0), #3 LSU (7-0), #4 Auburn (7-0) #5 USC (7-0), #14 Texas A&M (8-0) and #13 Washington (7-0) are all that's left with an unblemished record at the end of week 8. Of the 6 undefeated teams remaining, the SEC accounts for 4 of them.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 5 teams still looking for their first win: Baylor (0-6), Memphis (0-8), New Mexico State (0-6), UMass (0-8) and Washington State (0-7).

No teams got their first win this week.

Elsewhere, on a note of epic suck, Memphis loses to #21 Houston this week, 37-3, dropping Memphis to 0-8 on the season, and 0-20 total over the last season and a half.

Taking a look at the new Top 25 polls, starting in the Coaches Poll, Georgia (41 first place votes) remains #1, LSU (21 votes) climbs one to #2, Auburn (1 vote) climbs one to #3. USC jumps one to #4 while Texas A&M bumps up two to #5. Nebraska climbs three to #6, Washington leaps six to #7, Oklahoma climbs two to #8, Alabama falls seven to #9 and Michigan State climbs six to #10. Tulsa jumps three to #11. TCU climbs three to #12, Michigan drops five to #13, Notre Dame falls eight to #14. Clemson moved up two to #15. Also jump two spots were Wake Forest to #16, Fresno State to #17, Texas to #18 and Houston to #19. Wisconsin dropped nine ranks to #20, Tennessee enters the poll this week at #21. Texas Tech, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech all climbed one rank to #22, #23 and #24. And Miami enters the poll this week at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Iowa (from #12) and Temple (from #22). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Louisville (216 votes) sits #26, following by Iowa (136), UCLA (70), Northwestern (33) and Stanford (17) to round out the top 30.

In the Media Poll, Georgia (36 first place votes) remains #1, LSU (23 votes) climbs one to #2, Auburn (5 votes) climbs one to #3, Texas A&M (1 vote) climbs three to #4 and USC remains stuck at #5. Nebraska remains at #6, Oklahoma climbed two to #7, Washington jumped seven to #8, Alabama fell seven to #9 and Michigan State leaped seven to #10. Tulsa jumped three spots to #11. Texas remained at #12, TCU climbed three to #13, Michigan fell four to #14, Wake Forest moved up three to #15. Notre Dame dropped eight to #16, Clemson and Fresno State both jump two spots to #17 and #18. Tennessee enters the poll this week at #19. Houston climbed one to #20, Wisconsin dropped ten spots to #21. Texas Tech, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech all climbed one rank to #22, #23 and #24. And UCLA enters the poll this week at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Iowa (from #12) and Temple (from #22). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Louisville (180 votes) sits #26, followed by Northwestern (166), Miami (136), Iowa (121) and Penn State (24) to round out the top 30.

Looking at the first BCS standings of the season, Georgia is #1, followed by LSU, Auburn, Texas A&M and USC in the top 5. The rest of the top 10 include Nebraska, Oklahoma, Washington, Michigan State and Alabama. Tulsa is #11 in the initial BCS rankings.

Other notes for the week, Kiel Fletcher was the NCAA Offensive Player of the Week for his 169 yard, 5 touchdown rushing performance against MTSU. That game also put him on the map, as he has leaped out of nowhere to become the #2 candidate on the Heisman Watch list, trailing only Georgia HB Matt Blount. It's a rusher's world this year, as four of the five players on the Heisman Watch list currently are halfbacks.

morsdraconis

12-27-2012, 05:01 PM

Woah! Up 3 spots to #11 and an early Heisman watch list member. Could Smooth get Tulsa their first BCS bowl/MNC win (;)) as well as their first ever Heisman winner?! No pressure or anything. ;)

SmoothPancakes

12-27-2012, 05:06 PM

Woah! Up 3 spots to #11 and an early Heisman watch list member. Could Smooth get Tulsa their first BCS bowl/MNC win (;)) as well as their first ever Heisman winner?! No pressure or anything. ;)

Gee thanks. I'm just about to kick off the North Texas game. Like I don't already shit the bed every single game I play against them. :D

SmoothPancakes

12-27-2012, 06:50 PM

Game Nine

#11 :Tulsa: :@: :North_Texas:

Game Notes

--- Well, this was certainly not going to be the cakewalk that MTSU had been. North Texas entered the game ranked #16 in the nation in pass defense, #60 in rush defense and #29 in total defense. We were going to have our work cut out for us on offense, as well as our defense trying to shut down the Mean Green’s #48 ranked passing offense. With UTEP just one win behind us in the division standings, we could not afford to lose this game. It was bound to be a battle regardless, hopefully one that our offense would prevail. North Texas won the coin toss and elected to kick.

No return on the kickoff and we were off and running at our 25 yard line to start the game. Kiel Fletcher got us moving with a 9 yard rush on first down to leave second and one. A rush up the middle by Fletcher for a 5 yard gain and we had a first down at the 39. Trying to catch the defense cheating, Brandon Booth’s pass to Conner Jefferson was knocked incomplete. Another incomplete pass, this one nearly picked off, and we were left with third and 10. Fletcher would keep our drive alive, hauling in a pass from Booth for a 30 yard gain and a first down at the NT 31 yard line. Returning to the running game, a three yard gain by Fletcher was negated with a holding penalty during the rush, leaving us with first and 17 from the 38 yard line. Going to the air, Booth hit Jefferson near the 25 yard line, before Jefferson fought forward for a gain of 19 yards down to the 19 yard line. Continuing through the air, Booth’s first down pass was nearly intercepted, leaving us with second and 10. Booth’s pass intended for Max Thompson was batted away and we faced third down. We would manage to convert the third down and then some, Booth hitting Jefferson on a slant route, Jefferson dashing the final 5 yards for the 19 yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 6:09 left in the first quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff and North Texas was out for their first drive at the 25. The Mean Green started off with a 5 yard pass from James Mayfield to Perry Roberts, followed by a three yard rush by Mayfield to set up third and two. But an incomplete pass would leave North Texas punting on their first drive after just three short plays. A fair catch called on the 48 yard punt got our offense back on the field at our 19 yard line. Going off the left tackle, Fletcher got a pair of blocks in the secondary and turned it into a huge 34 yard gain and a quick first down at the North Texas 48. Keeping it on the ground, Fletcher picked up four yards on the ground, before a blitzing middle linebacker broke up a designed run by Booth, tackling him for a loss of one yard to leave us with third and 7. The third down pass attempt would sail wide under the pressure from the pass rush, and we were forced to punt away. The 45 yard punt sailed out for a touchback and North Texas began their drive at the 20. A two yard rush by Mayfield and an incomplete pass left the Mean Green facing third and 8, before Mayfield hit Brandon Carroll for a 16 yard gain and a first down at the 38 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Mark Yates rushed ahead for a gain of 7, leaving third and three. A false start would push the offense back, leaving them with third and 8 form the 41 yard line. Mayfield would get the first down however, finding Jon Fogle over the middle for a gain of 23 yards and a first down at our 36 yard line. A 13 yard pass to Roberts was followed with a 23 yard strike to Roberts for the touchdown and it was all tied up 7-7 with 1:57 left in the first quarter.

A 25 yard kickoff return by Jefferson got our offense starting at our 30 yard line. Going immediately into the air, Booth found Jefferson for a gain of 15 yards and a first down at the 45. After a pair of incomplete passes, Booth converted third down with a 25 yard pass to Fletcher to the North Texas 30 yard line. A 12 yard pass to Eric Hayden was enhanced, as a facemask penalty moved the ball half the distance to the goal, giving us first and goal at the 9 yard line. Jefferson would haul in the pass at the very back of the end zone for the 9 yard touchdown and a 14-7 lead with 15 seconds remaining in the first quarter. A touchback on the kickoff started North Texas’ drive at their 25. A pass from Mayfield to Mike Clark for a gain of 15 yards would bring the first quarter to an end, our lead 14-7.

Starting the second quarter, Clark picked up four yards on the ground, followed by a 7 yard rush by Yates to get the first down at our 49 yard line. Another rush by Yates for 5 yards, was followed with a pass from Mayfield to Fogle for a two yard gain to leave third and three. The third down pass would fall incomplete, leaving North Texas facing fourth and three from our 42 yard line. The Mean Green would opt to punt it away, the punt sailing 48 yards for a touchback. After an incomplete pass on first down, Booth found Thompson for a gain of 19 yards and a first down at our 39 yard line. A pass to Eric Silva went for a gain of 15 yards, a juke helping to get across the first down line and gain a couple extra, giving us a first down at the 46 yard line of North Texas. Going back to our ground game, we caught the defense sleeping, as Fletcher broke a run for a gain of 22 yards down to the 24 yard line. Ryan Strong did the honors on the next play, picking up four yards to leave second and 6. Blitzing all three linebackers on the next play would cost the defense, as Silva came out of the backfield and caught a pass over the middle for Booth, before racing the safeties to the goal line for the 20 yard touchdown and a 21-7 lead with 5:33 left in the first half.

A 15 yard kickoff return got the Mean Green started at their 17 yard line on their next drive. It was a very short drive, as three straight incomplete passes, two of them dropped by Yates, would force the punt unit to come back out. A 5 yard return on the 46 yard punt gave our offense the ball at our 41 yard line. Going to the air on first down, Booth found Jefferson for a 7 yard gain. Going to the ground game, Fletcher would pick up the first down with a three yard rush to the North Texas 48 yard line. The first down rush by Fletcher resulted in a loss of one yard, leaving us second and 11. After an incomplete pass on second down, Booth found Thompson along the right sideline, the linebacker trying to jump the pass and pick it up, but missing, allowing Thompson to haul in the catch and turn up field for a 23 yard gain to the 26 yard line. Fletcher was able to pick up 8 yards on the first down carry, before being tackled for no gain to leave us with third and two. Strong would haul in a pass over the middle from Booth, running forward toward the goal line, mowing over a defender attempting a tackle and rolling over top of him and into the end zone for the 18 yard touchdown pass and a 28-7 lead with 1:25 left in the second quarter.

No return on the kickoff got North Texas starting at their 25. After two incomplete passes, Mayfield finally connected deep, finding Roberts for a gain of 26 yards and a first down at our 49 yard line with 1:01 remaining. After another incomplete pass, Mayfield hit Roberts again, this time for 21 yards and a first down at our 28 yard line, calling their first timeout to stop the clock with 45 seconds to go. After another incomplete pass, our defense bit back, sacking Mayfield for an 11 yard loss, leaving them with third and 21 from our 39 yard line, the second timeout by North Texas stopping the clock at 34 seconds. A pass to Fogle went for only 5 yards, leaving the Mean Green with fourth and 16 from the 34, 29 seconds on the clock. The clock would run out without another snap, as we headed into halftime up 28-7.

Getting the third quarter underway, our kickoff sailed out of the back of the end zone for a touchback and North Texas was starting at their 25. Our defense wasted little time in going after Mayfield, sacking him for a loss of 10 yards to leave the Mean Green with second and 20 at their 15. Two incomplete passes later and the punt team was coming out on fourth and 20. A 5 yard return on the 41 yard punt gave our offense the ball at our 48 yard line. The defense must have been thinking pass on first down, as Fletcher broke a run off the left tackle, breaking a tackle, juking his way past the linebacker and getting a block on the safety to pick up 36 yards before being run out of bounds at the 16 yard line. Booth took over the ball carrier duties on the next play, rushing around the right tackle and diving for the pylon for the 16 yard touchdown rush and a 35-7 lead with 7:49 left in the third quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff, and it was back to the 25 for North Texas. After an incomplete pass on first down, Mayfield hit Yates for a gain of 13 and the Mean Green had a first down at their 38. After two more incomplete passes, Mayfield found Fogle down the left sideline for a gain of 24 yards and a new set of downs at our 38 yard line. A pass to Fogle went for a gain of 5 yards, but two incomplete passes would strand the drive on fourth and 5 at our 33 yard line. The 50 yard field goal attempt by Chad Thomas was no good and our offense took over at our 33. A pair of rushes by Fletcher went for gains of two and 11 yards and we had a first down at our 46 yard line. Another 11 yard rush and we were out to the North Texas 44 yard line. Taking the ball on first down, Fletcher picked up four yards on the carry, before Booth scrambled for a gain of four to leave third and two. An incomplete pass on third down left us with fourth and two from the 35 yard line. Opting for the long field goal attempt, the 52 yard kick by Pratt split the uprights to extend our lead to 38-7 with 4:10 remaining in the quarter.

Starting on their 25 yard line after the touchback, Mayfield got North Texas moving with a 13 yard pass to Roberts out to their 38 yard line. The defense would hit back, sacking Mayfield for a loss of 5 yards on the next play. After making that loss up with a 6 yard pass to Roberts, the defense sacked Mayfield again, for another 5 yards, and the Mean Green were forced to punt on fourth and 14. A 10 yard return by Fletcher on the 43 yard punt got our offense in action at our 33 yard line. Fletcher never had a chance on first down, being tackled for a two yard loss, before fighting ahead for a gain of 7 to leave us with third and 5. Going to the air on third down, Jefferson made a diving catch to pick up 12 yards and the first down at the 49 yard line. After a one yard rush on first down, Fletcher would get us into North Texas territory, breaking a 10 yard rush up the middle for a first down at the 39 yard line. Fletcher would get 8 more yards on the ground as the third quarter came to end, our lead still 38-7 with 9 minutes left in the game.

Opening the fourth quarter, we had second and two at the 31 yard line. Fletcher fought forward for a 5 yard rush and a first down at the 27 yard line to keep the clock moving and the North Texas offense off the field. Two more rushes by Fletcher went for gains of three and one yards to leave us with third and 6 from the 23. Booth would go back to the air on third down, finding Thompson for a gain of 12 yards and first down at the 11 yard line. Fletcher pounded it up the gut on first down, picking up 7 yards to leave second and three at the four yard line. The defense would be ready for Fletcher on the next play, tackling him for a loss of one yard to leave third and four from 5 yards out. Going back into the air, Booth threw his fifth touchdown pass today, passing to Hayden for the 5 yard touchdown and a 45-7 lead with 5:26 left in the game.

A touchback on the kickoff gave North Texas the ball at the 25. It would only get worse the for the Mean Green, as Mayfield’s pass to Fogle was intercepted by Caleb Miller, returning it 31 yards for the pick six touchdown. Pratt would miss the PAT, leaving our lead at 51-7 with 5:08 to go. A 19 yard kickoff return got North Texas starting at their 22 this time. Completing a pass to the right team, Mayfield hit Roberts for a 12 yard gain and a first down out to the 33 yard line. Two incomplete passes would be followed with a three yard rush by Yates and North Texas was left facing fourth and 7 from their 36. Fletcher called for a fair catch on the 41 yard punt and our second team offense took over at our 23 yard line, 4:12 left in the game. Silva picked up 4 yards up the middle, followed by a 9 yard pickup and a first down out to the 36 yard line, the clock ticking under three minutes left. Travis Stephens picked up one yard on first down, before Silva was brought down for no gain, leaving us with third and 9, the clock now under two mintues to go. Going through the air, Casey Bishop’s pass to Thompson was batted incomplete and we were forced to punt with 1:32 left to play. The 45 yard punt was returned 8 yards and North Texas took over at their 27 yard line. It was nothing going for the Mean Green, an incomplete pass, a loss of two yards by Josh Waters, and our defense sacking Ryan George for a loss of one yard left NT with fourth and 14 at their 23 yard line and punting away. A fair catch on the 43 yard punt gave our offense the ball back at our 33 yard line with 49 seconds to play. Bishop took a knee twice and our victory was final, 51-7 over North Texas.

With the win, we improve to 8-1, 5-0 in C-USA action With the loss, North Texas falls to 2-6 and 2-3 in C-USA play. Up next, it’s back home to take on Rice. The Rice Owls enter the game at 4-4, 2-2 in C-USA action. The Owls opened the year with a 30-16 loss at Nevada, before beating UNLV 45-20. After a 35-16 loss at Louisiana-Monroe, the Owls got back to back wins, 31-10 over Marshall and 31-24 against New Mexico State. That was followed with back to back losses, 24-16 at UTSA and 27-23 at Southern Miss, before Rice picked up a 38-14 win over Louisiana Tech heading in their game at Tulsa.

Final Score
#11 :Tulsa: 51, :North_Texas: 7

Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – Player of the game, goes to Booth. 260 yards and 5 touchdowns through the air, to go with 19 yards and a touchdown on the ground, Booth personally involved on all 6 offensive touchdowns. A monster day by Fletcher, 188 yards rushing on 24 carries and 55 yards receiving on two receptions but not a single touchdown to show for it. Only 6 people caught a ball today, all got into double digits, Jefferson led the way with 81 yards and two touchdowns on 6 receptions.

Tulsa Defense – Another great day by the defense, for the most part shutting down North Texas after that initial drive for a touchdown, and then getting a pick six at the end just to rub it in their faces a little more.

Tulsa Kicking – A good day by Pratt, ending the day 1-1 in field goals with the 52 yard kick. He did go 6-7 in PATs, but the game was long over before he missed one.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Tulsa:
14
14
10
13
51

:North_Texas:
7
0
0
0
7

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

6:09
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Jefferson, 19 yard pass form B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 7-0

1:57
:North_Texas:
Touchdown
P. Roberts, 23 yard pass from J. Mayfield (C. Thomas kick)
TIED 7-7

0:15
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Jefferson, 9 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 14-7

Second Quarter

5:33
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
E. Silva, 20 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 21-7

1:25
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
R. Strong, 18 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 28-7

Third Quarter

7:49
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
B. Booth, 16 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 35-7

4:14
:Tulsa:
Field Goal
A. Pratt, 52 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 38-7

Fourth Quarter

5:26
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
E. Hayden, 5 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 45-7

5:08
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Miller, returned interception 31 yards (missed kick)
:Tulsa: 51-7

Game Stats

Tulsa
Stat
North Texas

51
Score
7

20
First Downs
11

481
Total Offense
250

34 - 221 - 1
Rushes - Yards - TD
8 - 29 - 0

16 - 27 - 5
Comp - Att - TD
16 - 38 - 1

260
Passing Yards
221

0
Times Sacked
5

8 - 11 (72%)
3rd Down Conversion
4 - 13 (30%)

0 - 0 (0%)
4th Down Conversion
0 - 0 (0%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

6 - 5 - 0 (83%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
2 - 1 - 0 (50%)

0
Turnovers
1

0
Fumbles Lost
0

0
Intercepted
1

20
Punt Return Yards
8

25
Kick Return Yards
34

526
Total Yards
292

2 – 45.0
Punts - Average
7 - 43.9

2 - 18
Penalties
2 - 14

23:37
Time of Possession
12:23

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
42
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

100%

morsdraconis

12-27-2012, 07:37 PM

SmoothPancakes

12-28-2012, 07:04 AM

See? MNC is within reach. :D Another bout of losses by teams ahead of you and you're easily within the top 10, looking like a shoe-in for a BCS bowl and an outside chance at the MNC appearance.

I've said this before and I'll say it again; reading these REALLY makes me want to play some football (watching NFL Films' A Football Life series has certainly added to it as well). Without a Xbox though (gave my old one to my brother since I never used it anymore), I can't, which is probably a good thing cause I'd be tempted like hell to buy NCAA '13 and I have FAR better things to spend my money on at the moment.

Guess I'll just have to settle for more A Football Life episodes instead.

:D Well, I've still got a long road. Still have to play Rice, UTSA and UTEP, plus it's looking like a guaranteed rematch in the C-USA Championship Game (if I hold on and make it there) against either Southern Miss or Florida International. So still a long road, which guaranteed movement around me as top 5, top 10 and top 15 teams play each other in conference battles. So I'm not counting my chickens yet.

:D Yeah, I seem to be getting pretty good at that, keeping you interested and wanting to play NCAA. 13 definitely has it's share of shortfalls, but I'm been managing pretty well and having fun with the game. if NCAA '14 ends up bombing and sucking it up, I think I'd be fine with keeping going on NCAA '13 if that decision had to be made.

morsdraconis

12-28-2012, 07:26 AM

:D Yeah, I seem to be getting pretty good at that, keeping you interested and wanting to play NCAA. 13 definitely has it's share of shortfalls, but I'm been managing pretty well and having fun with the game. if NCAA '14 ends up bombing and sucking it up, I think I'd be fine with keeping going on NCAA '13 if that decision had to be made.

What can I say? I'm a sucker for football and your reports make it sound SO much more fun than it actually is. Of course, being the OC instead of taking over both sides of the ball certainly makes it a bit better.

When it comes down to it, I hate playing defense against the CPU because I end up having to do silly defenses against it (Dime Man Cover 2 with bump and run pretty much ALL THE TIME) to prevent it from going batshit crazy on me. It becomes REALLY boring, especially since it basically doesn't matter how bad my team is defensively, it still freakin' works (I've had 15+ sacks with DEs with 60 speed and LBs with 70 speed; it's ridiculous how easy it is to get sacks against the CPU).

So, I end up blowing out pretty much every CPU team I play against because it's just too damn easy on both sides of the ball no matter what sliders I use. Unless, of course, I make it where the CPU basically cheats by never being fooled by PA, having offensive linemen block like all-pro NFL players ALL the time, having all CPU running backs act like playing against Jim Brown and Bo Jackson's illegitimate love child, and constantly playing against Peyton Manning at QB. Which, of course, makes me cheese the CPU that much more because that's what you have to do against higher difficulty sliders instead of playing the game legitimately and having fun with it.

SmoothPancakes

12-28-2012, 07:43 AM

What can I say? I'm a sucker for football and your reports make it sound SO much more fun than it actually is. Of course, being the OC instead of taking over both sides of the ball certainly makes it a bit better.

When it comes down to it, I hate playing defense against the CPU because I end up having to do silly defenses against it (Dime Man Cover 2 with bump and run pretty much ALL THE TIME) to prevent it from going batshit crazy on me. It becomes REALLY boring, especially since it basically doesn't matter how bad my team is defensively, it still freakin' works (I've had 15+ sacks with DEs with 60 speed and LBs with 70 speed; it's ridiculous how easy it is to get sacks against the CPU).

So, I end up blowing out pretty much every CPU team I play against because it's just too damn easy on both sides of the ball no matter what sliders I use. Unless, of course, I make it where the CPU basically cheats by never being fooled by PA, having offensive linemen block like all-pro NFL players ALL the time, having all CPU running backs act like playing against Jim Brown and Bo Jackson's illegitimate love child, and constantly playing against Peyton Manning at QB. Which, of course, makes me cheese the CPU that much more because that's what you have to do against higher difficulty sliders instead of playing the game legitimately and having fun with it.

Yeah, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do when I eventually become a head coach. I'm the same, I can usually shut down a team when calling the plays and running the defense. I might either just continue super simming the defensive plays or maybe rotate off and on, playing defense one quarter then super simming it the next quarter and so on. But I'll have plenty of time to think about it. I'm planning on re-upping with Tulsa when my contract expires after this season. Figuring on either a two or three year deal, it'll be 2017 or 2018 before I'll even need to consider what I'm gonna do.

SmoothPancakes

12-28-2012, 11:06 AM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, in the game of the week, it was #3 Auburn prevailing 37-35 over #2 LSU, the purple and gold Tigers scoring with 1:22 left to cut Auburn's lead to two, but the failed onside kick would clinch the win for Auburn. 5-3 Oregon State got the biggest upset this week, knocking off #4 USC 14-6 to knock the Trojans from the ranks of the unbeaten. #13 Michigan got back on the winning track, knocking off #6 Nebraska 38-33.

Louisville put up a fight, only trailing 28-21 at halftime, but #9 Alabama would pull away in the second half to win 52-21. #14 Notre Dame held on to beat Stanford, 31-28, with a field goal with 6 seconds left. 3-4 Kansas State knocked off #18 Texas 38-19. South Carolina improved to 5-3, knocking off #21 Tennessee 24-17. Baylor got their first win of the season, knocking off #22 Texas Tech 41-13 and 3-5 Boston College scored a 31-27 upset of #23 Virginia Tech.

For our readers, souljahbill,Southern Miss wins two in a row, beating UTSA 27-22 to improve to 4-4 (3-1 in C-USA). Jaymo, Arizona State picks up a 28-25 win at Utah, improving to 4-4 (2-3 Pac-12). Mors, West Virginia was on a bye week this week, remaining at 3-5 (1-4 Big 12). Other teams of interest, Arkansas State loses their fourth game in a row, falling to BYU 24-21 to drop to 3-4 (0-3 Sun Belt).

On a C-USA note, UTEP stays right on my ass, beating MTSU 44-10 to improve to 6-2 (4-0). And trying to keep up with Southern Miss, FIU beats UAB 24-14 to improve to 6-3 (3-2).

Looking at undefeated teams left, with #2 LSU and #4 USC losing this week, that drops our number of undefeated teams left to 4. #1 Georgia (8-0), #3 Auburn (8-0), #5 Texas A&M (9-0) and #7 Washington (8-0) are all that's left with an unblemished record at the end of week 8. Of the 4 undefeated teams remaining, the SEC accounts for 3 of them.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 3 teams still looking for their first win: Memphis (0-9), UMass (0-8) and Washington State (0-8).

Teams getting their first wins this week were: Baylor (41-13 over #22 Texas Tech) and New Mexico State (41-0 over FCS East).

Elsewhere, on a note of epic suck, Memphis loses to San Diego State this week, 38-17, dropping Memphis to 0-9 on the season, and 0-21 total over the last season and a half.

Taking a look at the new Top 25 polls, starting in the Coaches Poll, thanks to their win over previously #2 LSU, Auburn (34 first place votes) leaps up two spaces to #1. Georgia (26 votes) drops a slot to #2. Texas A&M (1 vote) climbs two to 33. Washington rises three to #4 and LSU drops three to #5. Oklahoma climbed two to #6, Alabama and Michigan State both also climbed two to #7 and #8. Michigan jumped four to #9. Tulsa climbed one to #10. TCU climbed one to #11, Nebraska fell six to #12, Notre Dame, Clemson and Wake Forest all climbed one to #13, #14 and #15. USC plummeted twelve spots to #16, Fresno State stayed in place at #17. Houston and Wisconsin both climbed one to #18 and #19. Georgia Tech and Miami both jumped four to #20 and #21. Texas fell four to #22. And three new teams entered the poll this week, Iowa at #23, UCLA at #24 and Kansas State at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Tennessee (from #21), Texas Tech (from #22) and Virginia Tech (from #23). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, UTEP (120 votes) leads the way at #26, followed by Wyoming (104), North Carolina (59), Nevada (55) and Northwestern (51) to round out the top 30. FIU is ranked #31 with 49 votes.

In the Media Poll, Auburn (41 first place votes) jumps two spots to become the new #1. Georgia (23 votes) falls one to #2. Texas A&M (1 vote) climbs one to #3. Washington jumps four to #4 and LSU falls three to #5. Oklahoma moved up one to #6, Michigan leaped seven to #7, Alabama rose one to #8, Michigan State climbed one to #9. Tulsa moved up one to #10. TCU climbed two to #11, Nebraska fell six to #12, Wake Forest and Notre Dame both moved up two to #13 and #14. USC fell ten to #15, Clemson and Fresno State both climbed one to #16 and #17. Houston and Wisconsin both jumped two spots to #18 and #19. Texas fell eight ranks to #20, Georgia Tech moves up three to #21 and UCLA climbs three to #22. Miami enters the poll at #23, Iowa is new to the poll at #24 and Kansas State climbs into the poll this week at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Tennessee (from #21), Texas Tech (from #22) and Virginia Tech (from #23). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Wyoming (174 votes) is #26, followed by FIU (132), North Carolina (124), Nevada (112) and UTEP (93) to round out the top 30.

Looking at the new BCS standings, Auburn is #1, Georgia #2, Texas A&M #3, Washington #4 and LSU #5. Oklahoma sits #6, Michigan #7, Michigan State #8, Alabama #9 and Tulsa #10.

Other notes for the week, despite 188 yards rushing, Kiel Fletcher falls to third on the Heisman Watch list, QB David Williams from Texas A&M jumping him for the #2 slot.

morsdraconis

12-28-2012, 11:14 AM

Well, at least you're on your way up instead of moving down like before. Hopefully a few of those undefeated SEC teams fall in the coming weeks.

SmoothPancakes

12-28-2012, 11:45 AM

Well, at least you're on your way up instead of moving down like before. Hopefully a few of those undefeated SEC teams fall in the coming weeks.

We'll end up finding out. I'm firing up Rice right now, hoping to get through Rice and UTSA at a minimum today, if not also getting UTEP in before calling it a night.

SmoothPancakes

12-28-2012, 12:32 PM

Holy shit. That #9 ranked passing defense that Rice has isn't a lie. At halftime of the Rice game, I have a whopping 93 yards passing, despite going 8 for 11 in passing attempts.

Add in 75 yards rushing to give me 168 yards of total offense at halftime. Rice has 148 yards total offense.

SmoothPancakes

12-28-2012, 01:40 PM

Game Ten

:Rice: :@: #10 :Tulsa:

Game Notes

--- Heading into our final three games of the season, it was time to take on the Rice Owls in the Battle for the Williams Trophy. Rice was a middling team, sitting 4-4 on the year and 2-2 in C-USA action, but despite looking like a run of the mill team, Rice had a secret, coming in sporting the #9 passing defense in the nation. We were going to find out today just how good our passing game really was going up against a top 10 passing defense. It was gonna be a wet one, as the rain poured down from the night sky. We won the coin toss and elected to kick.

No return on the opening kickoff and Rice was set to begin their opening drive from their 25. A four yard rush by Andrew Montgomery set the Owls up for the pass, as Lamar Evans hit Jon Dean for a 17 yard gain and a first down at the 46. After a 13 yard pass to Issac Hart to get to our 41, it was a huge gain for the Owls, as a 15 yard penalty on the tackle following a 6 yard rush gave the Rice a first down at our 20 yard line. A two yard rush by Montgomery was followed with a 9 yard pass to Donald Thompson and Rice had a first and goal from our 10 yard line. The Owls would find the end zone on the next play, Evans connecting with Dean for the 10 yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 Rice lead with 7:28 left in the first quarter.

We started our first drive from our 25 yard line after a 21 yard kickoff return. It was Kiel Fletcher getting us moving early, taking the handoff and running towards the left sideline, turning up field for a gain of 13 yards and a first down at the 38. Fletcher would manage three yards on first down to leave us with second and 7. Testing out the high rated passing defense of Rice, we went into the air on second down. Brandon Booth’s pass intended for Jefferson would sail incomplete as Jefferson slipped and fell down on the wet turf while trying to make a cut on his route, leaving us third and 7 at our 41. The linebacker would break up the pass intended for Max Thompson and we were forced to punt away. A 9 yard return on the 45 yard punt and Rice was back in action from their 22. After throwing the ball away on first down, Evans found Thompson for a gain of 21 yards and the Owls had a first down at the 43. After rushing for one yard on first down, Evans wasn’t able to avoid the defense on the next play, getting sacked for a 5 yard loss to leave Rice facing third and 14 from their 39. An incomplete pass would force Rice to punt for the first time today. A fair catch on the 48 yard boot left us starting our next drive from our 12 yard line.

Fletcher took the ball on first down for a 7 yard gain, before fighting ahead for a gain of four yards and a first down at our 23. A 5 yard rush by Fletcher was followed by an 8 yard pickup by Ryan Strong and we had a first down at the 37 yard line, our offense finally finding momentum. Keeping the ball himself, Booth managed three yards on the first down rush to the 39 yard line. Booth’s pass on the next play to Jefferson went for a gain 6 yards, leaving us with third and two. Booth’s pass on third down was batted incomplete and we were forced to punt away with 1:37 left in the quarter. A 6 yard return on the 46 yard punt left Rice starting at their 15. After a four yard rush by Montgomery, the defense got into the backfield again, sacking Evans for a four yard loss to leave the Owls facing third and 10. An incomplete pass intended for Thompson and Rice would be forced to punt once again, unable to find the rhythm of that opening drive. A fair catch on the 47 yard punt gave our offense the ball at the 37, 50 seconds to go in the first quarter. Booth’s first down pass to Eric Hayden was completed for a 10 yard gain to leave us second and inches. Fletcher would get the first down on the next play, breaking it up the middle for a 6 yard gain to the Rice 48 yard line as the final seconds ticked off the clock. The first quarter was in the bag, Rice leading 7-0.

Opening up the second quarter on the ground, Fletcher was able to turn it up field around the left tackle and pick up 17 yards to give us a first down at the 31 yard line, finally getting deep into Rice territory for the first time this game. Going back into the air, Booth found Thompson wide open on the blitz for a huge pickup of 30 yards, Thompson getting pushed out of bounds at the one yard line to leave us with first and goal. Fletcher would run it in standing up to tie the game up at 7-7 with 7:58 left in the second quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff, and Rice was starting from their 25 yard line, no longer playing with the lead. It would be a failed drive for the Owls as two incomplete passes and a four yard loss by Montgomery left them quickly punting away on fourth and 14. A 14 yard return by Fletcher on the 49 yard punt got our offense starting from our 44 yard line on the next drive. Fletcher could only manage one yard on the first down rush, Rice quickly smothering him. Going back into the air, Booth hit Eric Silva for a gain of 6 yards to leave third and three. Putting our trust in the ground game, Fletcher was able to just make it across the first down line, tackled for a 6 yard gain and a first down at the Rice 43 yard line. The off tackle rush on first down went nowhere, Fletcher only able to get one yard. Taking our shot through the air, Hayden was leveled by both safeties, but not before hauling in the pass from Booth for a gain of 9 yards and a first down at the 33 yard line. Working to confuse the defense with multiple crossing routes, Booth was able to find Jefferson over the middle on a failed transfer of cover for a four yard gain to leave us with second and 6. Continuing through the air, Booth stood up in the pocket in the face of the blitz and delivered a pass to Thompson for a 12 yard gain, giving us a first down at the 17 yard line. Booth kept the ball on first down, but a blitz by the safety left him with nowhere to go and was brought down for no gain. We get back to the end zone of the next play, as Booth hit Jefferson over the top at the two yard line, Jefferson getting tackled forward into the end zone for the 16 yard touchdown and a 14-7 lead with 2:36 left in the first half.

A 24 yard kickoff return got Rice starting at their 22 yard line and a limited amount of time on the clock. The Owls would find their footing this drive, as Evans hit Dean for a 12 yard gain, followed by a 25 yard strike to Thompson to get a very quick pair of first downs and get to our 41 yard line, still 2:03 on the clock. After two straight incomplete passes, Evans found Dean deep down the right sideline for a 28 yard gain and a first down at our 13 yard line, 1:37 left after the first timeout by Rice. The defense would fight back, sacking Evans for a four yard loss to leave Rice with second and 14 from our 17 yard line, the Owls using their second timeout to stop the clock with 1:32 to go. A 2 yard scramble by Evans was followed with another sack by our defense, this time for a 10 yard loss, and Rice was left with fourth and 22 from our 25 yard line, the clock still ticking with 1:19 left. Grant Mosley would kick the 42 yard field goal down the middle of the uprights and Rice cut our lead to 14-10 with 1:01 left.

We wouldn’t have to wait long to respond, as Jefferson took the kickoff, getting a couple blocks and breaking into the open, taking the kickoff back 98 yards for the touchdown and a 21-10 lead with 35 seconds to go in the half. An 18 yard kickoff return left Rice at their 17 yard line and only 24 seconds remaining. The Owls would call it a half, Montgomery getting tackled for a two yard loss and they would let the remaining 19 seconds tick off without another play. We headed into halftime, the huge kickoff return opening our lead up to 21-10 and our offense receiving the ball to start the second half.

A touchback on the kickoff to open the second half got our offense back out on the field starting at our 25 yard line. Fletcher took the handoff to get the drive started, managing a three yard gain before being brought down. Despite getting hit at the line of scrimmage, Fletcher would twist, turn and stumble ahead, falling forward for a gain of 9 yards and a first down at our 37 yard line. Taking it straight up the gut, Fletcher was able to power his way through three tackle attempts for a 20 yard rush and we had a first down at the Rice 43. Keeping it on the ground, Fletcher was only able to pick up two yards on the first down rush. Heading into the air, Booth’s pass to Jefferson was batted down and we were left with third and 8. Booth would commit our first error of the day, his pass intended for Thompson intercepted by right linebacker Bobby Christian, who returned it 26 yards to our 40 yard line, a diving tackle by right tackle Cameron Powers saving what looked to be a potential pick six.

Evans got the Owls started with a four yard rush, before an incomplete pass left Rice with third and 6. Evans would convert the third down, finding Montgomery along the right hash for an 11 yard gain and a first down at our 25 yard line. A three yard rush by Montgomery and an incomplete pass again left Rice looking at third and long, but Evans would connect with George Bailey for a 9 yard pickup and Rice had a new set of downs at our 12 yard line and looking destined for a score. After a pair of rushes by Montgomery for gains of two and four yards, the Owls would finally get back to the end zone, Evans hitting Thompson for the 6 yard touchdown pass to cut our lead to 21-17 with 4:48 left in the third quarter.

A 22 yard kickoff return and our offense was back on the field at our 27 yard line, hoping for a better drive this time around. Fletcher was barely able to pick up two yards on the first down rush, the defense clearly ready for our running game. Trying to get Booth back in the saddle, it was into the air on second down, Booth’s pass to Hayden sailing high over his head and incomplete, leaving us with third and 8 from our 29. Booth would finally get a completion on third down, finding an open Fletcher after a miscue by the defense, Fletcher fighting his way forward for a 29 yard gain and a first down at the Rice 42. A comeback route by Jefferson left the cornerback running in the wrong direction, and thanks to a block by Hayden, Jefferson was able to tightrope the sideline with multiple defenders diving in front of and behind him, picking up a 33 yard gain before finally stepping out of bounds at the 9 yard line to leave us first and goal. Fletcher would get the job done on the next play, rushing it off the left tackle, finding nothing but green grass in front of him thanks to a right side blitz by the defense, taking it the 9 yards for the touchdown and a 28-17 lead with 2:55 left in the third quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff left Rice to find an answer from their 25 yard line. It would be a poor start to the drive, as the left tackle got flagged for holding, pushing Rice back 10 yards to their 15 yard line. An 11 yard pass from Evans to Hart left the Owls with second and 9, Evans’ pass on the next play to Dean going for a gain of 9 yards and a first down at the 35. It was back to the air on the next play, Evans throwing a deep bomb to Thompson for a 31 yard gain, and Rice had a first down at our 34 yard line. A 27 yard pass to Dean and Rice was looking at first and goal from our 7 yard line thanks to four straight passing plays. Montgomery would switching things up on first down with a rush, but he was only able to manage one yard before the defense brought him down. A 5 yard rush by Montgomery would get the Owls down to our one yard line, facing third and goal. Montgomery would take the ball for the third straight play, and he would finish off the drive, punching it in for the touchdown from one yard out to make it 28-24 with 1:04 left in the third quarter. A touchback on the ensuing kickoff gave our offense the ball at our 25.

Fletcher would fight forward for a gain of 7 yards on the first down rush, before being tackled for a loss of one yard to leave us with third and four as the third quarter came to an end, our lead sitting at 28-24 with the final quarter to go.

Coming out pass to start the fourth quarter, Booth’s pass came slipping out of his hands in the rain, his pass to Silva going high and incomplete, and we were forced to punt away on fourth and four. A 9 yard return on the 47 yard punt gave Rice the ball to start from their 31. It would be a short and horrible drive the Owls, Montgomery fumbling the ball after being hit in the backfield,, Andy Malone jumping on the fumble to give our offense back the ball at the Rice 24 yard line and leave us immediately in scoring position. Three straight rushes by Fletcher for gains of 5, three and 7 yards gave us first and goal at the 9 yard line, the clock ticking under 7 minutes to play. A pair of rushes for gains of four and two yards left us with third and goal from the three yard line, before Fletcher took the handoff, bounced outside the right tackle, and despite being stood up at the goal line by the safety, kept the legs pumping to fall forward into the end zone for the three yard touchdown rush and a 35-24 lead with 5:22 left in the game.

A touchback left Rice starting at their 25, needing to find some magic on this drive and get back within one possession. The Owls would do that, as Montgomery picked up 9 yards on first down before Evans found Dean over the middle for a 30 yard gain and a first down at our 37 yard line. A 17 yard pass to Montgomery got the Owls down to our 19 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Montgomery picked up 6 yards on the ground to leave Rice with third and four from our 14 yard line. Evans would trying to find Dean along the right hash, but the play was broken up, leaving the Owls facing fourth down. Going for it on fourth down, Evans would throw into the end zone, but the pass was swatted down, and the turnover on downs gave our offense the ball at our 14 yard line, 3:57 left in the game.

Fletcher took it up the middle for a 6 yard gain, but some dirty laundry was thrown on the flag. Defensive tackle Tony Thornburg was flagged for a facemask and the extra 15 yards gave us a first down at our 35 yard line. Taking the ball again, Fletcher could only manage two yards on the ground, leaving us second and 8. Keeping the ball himself, Booth wasn’t able to find a hole anywhere, getting tackled for a loss of one yard, but the defense would again lend us a helping hand, as right outside linebacker Jahmal Brown was flagged for a facemask penalty and we found ourselves with a first down at the Rice 49 yard line, the clock down to 2:30 left to play. The defense was more than ready for Fletcher on first down, tackling him for no gain. Rice called their first timeout, stopping the clock with 2:16 to go. Fletcher would manage to push it up the middle, fighting forward for a gain of 11 yards and a first down at the 39 yard line, the second timeout by Rice stopping play with 2:12 on the clock. A three yard gain by Fletcher forced the Owls to use their third and final timeout, stopping the clock with 2:08 remaining. Despite blitzing on the next play, Fletcher was able to pound it up the middle for a 12 yard gain to give us a first down at the 23 yard line, the clock dipping under two minutes to play and Rice with no way to stop the clock. Strong would take the ball on first down, rushing ahead for a gain of 8 yards to leave us second and two with 1:24 to go. Another 8 yard rush by Strong gave us first and goal at the Rice 8 yard line with 53 seconds to play, Booth needing only kneel the ball once to run out of the rest of the clock for the 35-24 win.

With the win, we improve our record to 9-1, 6-0 in C-USA action. With the loss, Rice drops to 4-5 on the season, 2-3 in C-USA play. Up next, we get a bye week before hitting the road for the final time this season to take on UTSA.

Final Score
#10 :Tulsa: 35, :Rice: 24

Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – A mostly quiet day for Booth, as that #9 passing defense of Rice's held him to only 10 completions and 155 yards passing, along with one touchdown. Fletcher was our offensive star today, rushing for 173 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries and 29 yard receiving on one catch. Only 5 receivers caught a ball today, Jefferson leading the way with 59 yards and a touchdown on 4 receptions, to go along with his 98 yard kickoff return.

- Tulsa Defense – Held the Rice offense pretty quiet in the first half, but then let the Owls have their way on offense in the second half.

- Tulsa Kicking – No attempted field goals today by Pratt. He did go 5-5 in PATs.

Scoring Summary

Team
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
Final Score

:Rice:
7
3
14
0
24

:Tulsa:
0
21
7
7
35

Time
Team
Result
Play
Score

First Quarter

7:28
:Rice:
Touchdown
J. Dean, 10 yard pass from L. Evans (G. Mosley kick)
:Rice: 7-0

Second Quarter

7:58
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
TIED 7-7

2:36
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Jefferson, 16 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 14-7

1:05
:Rice:
Field Goal
G. Mosley, 42 yard field goal
:Tulsa: 14-10

0:35
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
C. Jefferson, returned kickoff 98 yards (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 21-10

Third Quarter

4:48
:Rice:
Touchdown
D. Thompson, 6 yard pass from L. Evans (G. Mosley kick)
:Tulsa: 21-17

2:55
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 9 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 28-17

1:04
:Rice:
Touchdown
A. Montgomery, 1 yard run (G. Mosley kick)
:Tulsa: 28-24

Fourth Quarter

5:22
:Tulsa:
Touchdown
K. Fletcher, 3 yard run (A. Pratt kick)
:Tulsa: 35-24

Game Stats

Rice
Stat
Tulsa

24
Score
35

15
First Downs
20

344
Total Offense
352

17 - 48 - 1
Rushes - Yards - TD
38 - 197 - 3

18 - 30 - 2
Comp - Att - TD
10 - 17 - 1

296
Passing Yards
155

4
Times Sacked
0

5 - 10 (50%)
3rd Down Conversion
4 - 8 (50%)

0 - 1 (0%)
4th Down Conversion
0 - 0 (0%)

0 - 0 (0%)
2-Point Conv
0 - 0 (0%)

6 - 3 - 1 (66%)
Red Zone - TD - FG
7 - 4 - 0 (57%)

1
Turnovers
1

1
Fumbles Lost
0

0
Intercepted
1

24
Punt Return Yards
14

42
Kick Return Yards
141

410
Total Yards
507

3 – 48.7
Punts - Average
3 - 46.0

5 - 65
Penalties
2 - 30

15:43
Time of Possession
20:17

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact
Goal
Progress
Pass Impact

Win 8 games in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
13+ passing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

14+ points per game in each season
41
:5greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
7+ rushing TD in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:5greenarrow:

:6redarrow:
2400+ total offensive yards in each season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:3redarrow:
Win 4 games in one season
:check:
:3greenarrow:

:5redarrow:
2000+ total offensive yards in one season
:check:
:2greenarrow:

Job Security Status

100%

SmoothPancakes

12-28-2012, 02:42 PM

Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, new #1 Auburn wins their second straight top 3 battle and defends their top rank, besting #3 Texas A&M 31-24 thanks to an 11 yard pick six. in the upset of the week, 6-3 South Carolina scores on a 8 yard touchdown pass to with 6:29 to go to knock off #2 Georgia, 35-31. #4 Washington had a hell of a battle on their hands, using a 25 yard returned interception to hold off 4-5 Arizona, 21-18. A battle of top tens went to #7 Alabama, who handed #5 LSU their second straight loss in a 42-17 ass whooping.

#9 Michigan has a cakewalk of a day, absolutely demolishing #19 Wisconsin 49-10. Navy did have a 17-14 lead at halftime, but #13 Notre Dame scores 28 points in the fourth quarter, 35 total in the second half to destroy the Midshipmen 49-17. #14 Clemson holds off Boston College 27-17. #15 Wake Forest suffers their second loss of the year, falling to 6-4 Louisville 24-17. #16 USC avoided a second straight loss, holding on against Stanford, 30-19. Nevada improves to 7-2, knocking off #17 Fresno State 49-37. #20 Georgia Tech picks up a 35-25 win over North Carolina. #21 Miami scores 17 unanswered to beat Virginia Tech 20-10. And Oregon becomes bowl eligible, knocking off #24 UCLA 51-31.

For our readers, souljahbill,Southern Miss wins their third in a row, whooping Florida Atlantic 42-7 to improve to 5-4 (4-1 in C-USA). Jaymo, Arizona State lost to Oregon State this week, 38-28, dropping to 4-5 (2-4 Pac-12), but to stay within 10 points of the team that had just knocked off previous #4 USC is a bit of win. Mors, West Virginia loses 37-7 to #6 Oklahoma, dropping to 3-6 (1-5 Big 12). Other teams of interest, Arkansas State finally breaks their four game losing streak, beating Texas State 44-7 to improve to 4-4 (1-3 Sun Belt).

On a C-USA note, we just got some major breathing room. North Texas comes back from their ass whooping by us, and dishes out their own ass whooping, beating UTEP 41-14 to drop the Miners to 6-3 (4-1) and give us a tighter grip on first place. Over the East division, it all comes down to week 11, when Southern Miss (5-4, 4-1) hosts FIU (7-3, 4-2) for first place in the division. With the next closest teams all at 2-4 in the conference, the FIU-Southern Miss battle will decide who gets outright first place in the division and most likely who will win the division in the end. Regardless of who wins, unless we collapse in our last two games, it's gonna be a rematch either way in the C-USA Championship Game against either FIU or Southern Miss.

In other news, Army improves to 4-5 on the year with a 28-14 win over Air Force. A win over Navy will give Army the C-I-C trophy. Also from this game, Air Force has gone on an epic slide. Air Force was 4-0 and ranked #24 a couple weeks ago, they have now lost four straight to end up 4-4 and having to fight to become bowl eligible.

And in the Nelson's "HA HA" game of the week, New Mexico drops to 2-5 on the year with a 30-24 overtime loss to FCS Midwest.

Looking at undefeated teams left, with #2 Georgia and #3 Texas A&M losing this week, that drops our number of undefeated teams left to 2. #1 Auburn (9-0) and #4 Washington (9-0) are all that's left with an unblemished record at the end of week 10.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 2 teams still looking for their first win: Memphis (0-10) and UMass (0-9).

Teams getting their first wins this week were: Washington State (34-27 over 3-7 Cal).

Elsewhere, on a note of epic suck, Memphis loses to South Florida this week, 42-21, dropping Memphis to 0-10 on the season, and 0-22 total over the last two seasons.

Taking a look at the new Top 25 polls, starting in the Coaches Poll, Auburn (32 first place votes) remains #1. Washington (29 votes) jumps two to #2. Alabama leaps four to #3, Oklahoma climbs two to #4 and Texas A&M falls two to #5. Michigan moves up three to #6, Michigan State climbs one to #7. Tulsa moves up two to #8, TCU climbs two to #9 and Georgia falls eight to #10. LSU drops six to #11, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Clemson all stay stuck at #12, #13 and #14. USC climbs one to #15, Houston jumps two to #16, Georgia Tech and Miami both climb three to #17 and #18. Texas jumps three to #19, Iowa moves up three #20, Wake Forest falls six to #21. Fresno State tumbles five to #22, Nevada enters the poll at #23, Kansas State moves up one to #24 and Wyoming enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Wisconsin (from #19) and UCLA (from #24). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Wisconsin (239 votes) is #26, followed by South Carolina (209), Louisville (196), Oregon (100) and FIU (77) to round out the top 30.

In the Media Poll, Auburn (39 first place votes) remains #1. Washington (26 votes) climbs two to #2, Alabama leaps five to #3, Oklahoma moves up two to #4 and Texas A&M falls two to #5. Michigan moves up one to #6, Michigan State rises two to #7. Tulsa jumps two to #8. TCU climbs two to #9 and Georgia falls eight to #10. Nebraska climbs one to #11, LSU drops seven to #12, Notre Dame, USC and Clemson all climb one to #13, #14 and #15. Houston jumps two to #16, Georgia Tech rises four to #17, Texas climbs two to #18 and Wake Forest falls six to #19. Miami jumps three to #20, Iowa climbs three to #21, Fresno State drops five to #22, Nevada enters the poll at #23, Kansas State climbs one to #24 and Wyoming enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Wisconsin (from #19) and UCLA (from #24). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, South Carolina (335 votes) is #26, followed by Wisconsin (291), FIU (286), Louisville (267) and Oregon (209) to round out the top 30.

Looking at the new BCS standings, Auburn is #1, Washington #2, Alabama #3, Oklahoma #4 and Texas A&M #5. Michigan sits #6, Michigan State #7, Tulsa #8, TCU #9 and Nebraska #10.

Other notes for the week, his 173 yard, three touchdown performance helps Kiel Fletcher move back to #2 on the Heisman Watch list, helped also by David Williams dropping down to #4 following a 6-8, 46 yards passing performance in Texas A&M's 31-24 loss to Auburn.