Alright, that's the end for tonight, time to call it a night. It'll be a bit before any updates. I have an extremely busy next two days, and then after I drag my ass through Saturday, I'm not sure what exactly I'll do on Sunday. I may just spend the day another game, maybe even more than one day, give me a chance to do a mini-recharge before diving right back into it.
Based on overall projections, you should have a great season on your hands. Hopefully injuries don't plague you again. Looks like next year is gonna be a tough year for you though. Offensive line is pretty much all gonna be leaving after this year and your backups don't look like they'll be able to step in efficiently.
We'll find out. I'm definitely not gonna count my chickens before they hatch. Regardless of projections, Oklahoma State will be a bitch, Toledo's back on the schedule again, FIU and Marshall are two of my cross-division opponents, and I now have to deal with both Louisiana Tech and North Texas every year in-division. And UTEP, despite their ratings, could also be a surprise this year.Originally Posted by morsdraconis
So I honestly could see this season going anywhere from 6-6 to 10-2.
They're not in your conferenceWell Jeff, I don't think you have to worry about another shutout.
Curious ... did this change at all since the last poll before the bowls? Seems to me that it does not.
Re: Urban Meyer: The FUCK?!
Last edited by JeffHCross; 01-28-2013 at 08:47 PM.
Twitter: @3YardsandACloud
Just saying, it wasn't another shutout.They're not in your conference
Curious ... did this change at all since the last poll before the bowls? Seems to me that it does not.
Re: Urban Meyer: The FUCK?!
Yeah, it changed some. Nebraska for instance dropped from #3 to #6. Some other changes here and there. Teams definitely didn't move very much, but there was some changes.
Yeah, that surprised the HELL out of me. Urban Meyer, Les Miles, David Shaw, etc. The big name coaches who got canned shocked me. When I get a chance, I'll jump on and check out what Urban's contract was before he got canned. I've taken to making a new save file every season at the end of the bowl games and at the end of the CC, so I can go back and look stuff up like contracts or stats from the previous seasons if needed.
Interesting. This last year in Powerhouse the teams didn't change at all post-bowl. Not sure what caused that.
That'd be cool about Urban's contract. I did a similar thing with saving my offline dynasties periodically (the last time I played one).
Twitter: @3YardsandACloud
Yeah, there was a year back during the time I was at FIU, someone had asked about the contract of a fired coach, and I had already advanced past the CC period and couldn't look it up. So I've made sure to keep a end of bowl season and end of CC file saved for each season, specifically for any special requests about contracts, stats, or bowl games.Interesting. This last year in Powerhouse the teams didn't change at all post-bowl. Not sure what caused that.
That'd be cool about Urban's contract. I did a similar thing with saving my offline dynasties periodically (the last time I played one
An ugly contract for Urban. He had 22% job security at the end of the 2016 season, the third and final year of his contractInteresting. This last year in Powerhouse the teams didn't change at all post-bowl. Not sure what caused that.
That'd be cool about Urban's contract. I did a similar thing with saving my offline dynasties periodically (the last time I played one
Fail Impact Goal Progress Pass Impact Finish a season ranked in the BCS Top 25 Finish 5th or better in the conference each season Win 75% of your conference games in one season Win 50% of your games vs the Top 25 in one season Finish a season ranked in the BCS Top 10 Beat a rival opponent each season Win 10 games in one season Win 100% of your games vs Top 25 in one season Win a BCS bowl game Win 12 games in one season Sign 10 4-star prospect(s) in one regular season Win 8 games in every season Win 100% of your rivalry games in one season Make it to a bowl game each season Sign 1 Top 100 prospect(s) each regular season
Ugly, yes, but if we went three years without a Top 25 finish, that would probably be the result.
Twitter: @3YardsandACloud
Good point.
Alright, time to get back into this. I had a nice two week break, during which I bought The Godfather Collection: The Coppola Restoration on blu-ray, and after watching parts 1 and 2 back to back one night, it made me want to play The Godfather and Godfather II games, so pulled those out of my collection and spent the last two weeks playing the storyline of those games. So with those two games completed, it was either jump into Halo 4 or AC3, or come back and start knocking out this new season. So, time to knock out the season, see if I can be done by March 1st, take another week or two break, try to have the next season done by early to mid-April, take another short break, and then try to have the final season of my contract played and done by mid to late-May, giving me a good solid month and a half to two months to rejuvenate ahead of the NCAA '14 release.
Had a bye week in week 1, so short and simple.
Taking a look around the nation, a very short and sweet one this week. In the lone top 25 game of the week, #8 USC walloped Utah 38-17. Elsewhere, Louisville beat North Carolina 38-24, and Kentucky took down Auburn 30-25.
Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll, with only three games, no movement at all. Texas (32 first place votes) remains #1, Georgia (24 votes) #2, TCU (3 votes) #3, Notre Dame (1 vote) #4 and Nebraska (1 vote) #5. Michigan State is #6, Clemson #7, USC #8, Oklahoma #9 and Rutgers #10. Wisconsin is #11, Miami #12, Iowa #13, Oregon #14, Alabama #15, Stanford #16, Florida State #17, South Carolina #18, LSU #19 and NC State #20. The rest of the top 25, Michigan #21, Boise State #22, Ole Miss #23, Texas A&M #24 and Northwestern #25. Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Virginia Tech (170 votes) is #26, followed by Louisville (97), Virginia (78), Georgia Tech (24) and Baylor (12) to round out the Top 30.
Any early season look at the post-Matt Blount Heisman era, Notre Dame QB Jordan Cooke is #1 on the watch list, followed by Georgia HB Joel Nolan at #2, TCU HB Clark Richardson #3, Notre Dame HB Larue Barnes #4 and Oklahoma State QB Nathan Gordon #5.
I just got an update for MTSU at #2 Georgia with 10 minutes left in the second quarter. No way in hell the score holds, but
Game One
Game Notes
--- The opening of the 2017 season was here at last, a home date with the UNLV Rebels. We would find out if all those starts that Brad Stephens made under center last year would pay off, or if he would stink up the joint. UNLV won the coin toss and elected to kick, putting our offense to the test right away.
A 21 yard kickoff return by Eric Hayden got us started at the 21 for our first drive of the new season. Taking his first handoff of his collegiate career, halfback Will Oliver, a redshirt freshman, took the ball up the middle for a 7 yard gain. Oliver was able to shake off a tackle and drive forward for four yards on the next play to pick up the first down at the 32. After another four yard run by Oliver, it was time to test the air game, as Brad Stephens hit Connor Jefferson for a 6 yard gain and a first down at the 43. A first down pass intended for Hayden was nearly intercepted, followed by Oliver getting stood up in the backfield for a two yard loss to leave third and 12. Antoine Banks would keep the drive alive, managing to get enough separation to haul in a 15 yard pass and a first down at the UNLV 44. A quick pass over the middle to Jefferson went for a gain of 6, followed by a 7 yard dump pass to Roy Smith to get us down to the 31 yard line. A flag at the end of the play went against UNLV safety Mike Blankenship, called for facemask, and the 15 extra yards set us up with a first down at the 16 yard line. Oliver took the ball off the right tackle on the next play, only able to pick up one yard before being brought down. With UNLV stacking the box, Stephens checked off of the run, instead lobbing up a pass Into the corner of the end zone to Hayden, who had beaten his man off the line, for the 15 yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 3:43 left in the first quarter.
After no return on the kickoff, the Rebels were on the field to start their offensive drive at their 25 yard line. Aaron Manning got things started with a two yard rush, before Julius Bell connected with Chris Walker for a 10 yard gain and a first down at the 37. After Bell threw the ball away on first down, Manning was able to pick up 5 yards up the middle to leave third and 5. A 7 yard pass from Bell to Derek Riley would keep the Rebels running with a first down at midfield. Another 5 yard rush by Manning was followed with a dropped ball by Alex Lee to leave third and 5. Manning would attempt to get the new set of downs himself, but a one yard gain would leave the punt team coming out on fourth and four. No return on the 40 yard punt left our offense buried at our four yard line with 1:51 left to go in the quarter.
Oliver took the ball on first down, busting through a hole outside the left guard for a 10 yard gain to get us a first down at the 14 yard line and away from the shadow of our end zone. Stephens kept the ball himself on first down, but found nowhere to go, only managing two yards around the right tackle before being swarmed by defenders. Receiving a toss to the left, Oliver was able to make his way toward the sideline and turn up field for a 5 yard gain to leave third and three at the 21. Going off tackle on the next play, Oliver was able to get outside, but a glancing tackle attempt by the cornerback pushed Oliver off balance and backwards, allowing the safety to close in before he could fully recover his footing, being tackled for only a two yard gain to leave fourth and one and the punt team coming out.
A shanked 32 yard punt gave UNLV the ball at their 45 yard line with only four seconds left in the quarter. A dropped pass by Charles Jackson would end the first quarter with our lead 7-0.
Opening up the second quarter, UNLV faced second down after the dropped pass. That would quickly turn into a first down as Bell threw deep to Riley for a 24 yard gain and a first down at our 31 yard line. Bell followed that up with a 21 yard pass to Jackson and the Rebels had first and goal at our 10 yard line. UNLV would see their drive decimated as safety Darnell Turner intercepted a pass from Bell at our two yard line, returning it 17 yards out to our 19 yard line to set up the offense. It would be a poor start to the drive as tight end Marcus Mullins was flagged for holding, leaving us with first and 19 at our 10 yard line. Oliver was only able to gain two yards on the first down rush, leaving second and 17. Hayden was able to get open over the middle, hauling in a pass from Stephens for a 12 yard gain to set up third and 5 at the 23. Forced to scramble, Stephens was able to get to the first down line, tackled for a 6 yard gain to move the chains at the 30 yard line. Smith took the handoff on first down, bouncing outside for a two yard gain, followed by a three yard pickup by Oliver to leave third and 5. Forced to scramble once again as the pocket collapse, Stephens was only able to get two yards before being tripped up, leaving fourth and three and the punt team coming out. A 6 yard return on a 49 yard punt gave UNLV the ball at their 20 yard line with 5:23 to go.
Manning got the drive started with gains of 5 and 7 yards out to the 32. After a dropped pass on first down, a 15 yard facemask penalty by our defense was tacked on to the end of a 7 yard run by Manning to give the Rebels a first down at our 46. Another rush by Manning picked up 5 yards, before Lee hauled in an 8 yard pass from Bell to get the first down at the 33. The Rebels got back inside our red zone with a 17 yard strike to Jackson down to our 16 yard line. A 7 yard rush by Manning and an incomplete pass left third and three at our 9 yard line. A dropped pass by Josh Henderson would stall the drive out, the 26 yard field goal by Tim Simon good to cut our lead to 7-3 with 3:27 left in the half.
A 25 yard kickoff return by Jefferson got our offense started at our 31 yard line. A dropped pass by Oliver left us with second down. Hayden hauled in a pass from Stephens for a 6 yard gain to leave third and four. The third down pass intended for Jefferson was batted incomplete, and we were forced to punt. A 9 yard return on the 44 yard punt set UNLV up at their 28 yard line with 2:31 to go. A 7 yard pass to Jackson was followed up with a one yard rush by Bell to leave third and two. The Rebels would pick up the new first down with a 14 yard pass to Riley out to midfield. After a dropped pass by Lee, a pass interference penalty gave UNLV 15 free yards and a new set of downs at our 35. Two incomplete passes left the drive looking in danger, but a 14 yard strike to Marshall Briggs moved the chains to our 21 yard line with 1:29 left to go. The drive again appeared to be at a conclusion as two dropped passes by Riley and an incomplete pass intended for Jackson left the Rebels with fourth down at the 21. Instead of kicking the field goal, UNLV went for it on fourth down, Bell connecting with Jackson for a 11 yard gain to our 9 yard line, before finding Jackson gain for a 9 yard touchdown strike. A failed extra point left UNLV with a 9-7 lead with 51 seconds left in the half.
Jefferson returned the kickoff 18 yards out to our 15 yard line with 40 seconds to go. With all three timeouts still in our pocket, we opted to take a chance. Stephens connected with Banks for a 17 yard gain to the 32 yard line, getting out of bounds with 36 seconds to go. After an incomplete pass on first down, Stephens launched up a prayer down the left sideline, Hayden just managing to get in front of the corner to bring down the pass for a 41 yard gain and a first down at the UNLV 27 yard line, our first timeout stopping the clock with 26 seconds. A quick pass to Jefferson to avoid the blitz went for 8 yards, leaving second and two, our second timeout stopping the clock with 22 seconds. A pass on secnd down to Hayden on an out route was complete for a 17 yard gain before being pushed out of bounds at the two yard line, leaving first and goal with 17 seconds to go. Oliver was tackled for a loss of one yard on first down, our final timeout stopping the clock with 12 seconds to go. The second down pass from Stephens intended for Smith was jumped and intercepted by outside linebacker Trey Clancy in the end zone, who instead of trying to run it back with mostly nothing but green in front of him, opted to take a knee for the touchback with 7 seconds to go. A one yard rush by Manning brought the first half to an end, UNLV leading 9-7.
No return on the kickoff got the third quarter started, UNLV beginning from their 25 yard line. Manning started the drive with a pair of four yard rushes to set up third and two at the 33. An incomplete pass would doom the drive, as the Rebels punted away. A 7 yard return by Jefferson on the 41 yard punt got us started at our 32. Oliver started the drive with a four yard rush, before being tackled for a loss of one yard to leave third and 7. Stephens was able to keep the drive moving, avoiding the blitz and throwing up a pass to Bobby Smith for a gain of 17 yards and a first down at the UNLV 49. Oliver was able to pick up one yard on first down, before a 10 yard pass to Randy Newman got the first down at the 38 yard line. We would find the end zone for the second time today, as Hayden was able to beat the cornerback off the line and get behind both the corner and the safety, leaping up in the end zone for the 38 yard touchdown pass to put us back in front, 14-9, with 5:51 left in the third quarter.
No return on the kickoff left UNLV to start at their 25. Two incomplete passes left the Rebels looking at third down, before Bell found Briggs for a 12 yard gain and a first down at the 37. After a two yard rush by Bell and a dropped pass, Bell connected with Lee for a 12 yard gain to convert the third down and move the chains to our 49. A pair of 6 yard rushes by Manning was followed with a 7 yard pass from Bell to Henderson and a 7 yard pass to Briggs to get another first down at our 22 yard line. Manning took the ball on the next play, rushing ahead for a 10 yard gain to leave second and inches, before picking up one yard on the ground to get the first down at our 12 yard line. A two yard rush by Manning was followed with a loss of two yards by Bell to leave third and 10. Our defense would make its first strike of the day, sacking Bell for a four yard loss to leave the Rebels facing fourth and 14. The 33 yard field goal by Simon was good, cutting our lead to 14-12 with 2:36 to go in the third quarter.
Jefferson returned the following kickoff 23 yards out to our 25 yard line to start. A 9 yard pass to Smith got the drive started, before Oliver broke loose for a 10 yard rush and a first down at the 44 yard line. Stephens would make his second error of the day, as cornerback Kevin Fields jumped the pass intended for Jefferson, intercepting it and returning it 6 yards to set UNLV up at our 42 yard line. Our defense wasn’t about to go down without a fight, sacking Bell for an 8 yard loss on first down. A dropped pass and a 5 yard completion to Henderson would leave the Rebels punting on fourth and 13. A touchback on the punt gave us back possession at our 20 yard line with 1:11 left in the quarter. Oliver picked up four yard on the first down carry, before a pitch right picked up 9 yards and the first down at the 33. Trying to get back into the saddle, the first down pass intended for Hayden was nearly intercepted by the outside linebacker, leaving second down. The pass on the next play intended for Newman was broken up by the cornerback, leaving third and 10. Hayden would save the drive, breaking loose over the middle, shaking off a tackle while a second tackle attempt failed as the defender overshot, allowing Hayden to turn up the field into even more green space, fighting ahead for a 33 yard gain before being brought down at the UNLV 34 yard line. That would bring the third quarter to an end as the final 8 seconds ticked off, our lead a meager 14-12.
Opening the fourth quarter at the UNLV 34 yard line, Oliver was only able to get one yard on the ground, as the defense wasn’t allowing anything moving. Coming out in play action, the pass failed miserably, as Stephens was intercepted for the third time today, safety Nick Allen cutting off Hayden to steal the ball and returning the interception 33 yards out to midfield before Stephens was able to cut off his angle and take him down. It was a poor start to the drive for UNLV, as they were flagged for delay of game, but Manning quickly erased the lost yards with a 5 yard rush to leave second and 10. A four yard rush by Manning was followed up with a 9 yard pass to Jackson to get the first down at our 37. An 11 yard pass to Jackson advanced the ball again, setting up first down at our 26. Bell was tackled for a two yard loss on a first down carry, before Manning gained 7 yards on the ground to leave third and 5. The defense would rise to the occasion, sacking Bell for an 8 yard loss to leave the Rebels with fourth and 13 at our 29. Instead of attempting the field goal, UNLV instead threw deep, as Bell found Riley for the 29 yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion was no good, and UNLV’s lead remained 18-14 with 6:30 to play in the game.
Jefferson returned the following kickoff 19 yards out to our 19 yard line. A field goal would no longer do any good, a touchdown was now mandatory. The first down pass to Jefferson sailed high and long, falling incomplete out of bounds. Banks would get us moving on the next play, hauling in a pass from Stephens for a gain of 15 yards to the 34 yard line. Jefferson was able to get the ball in his hands on the next play, but a hard hit by the safety jarred the ball loose and incomplete. Leaving the right outside linebacker confused and trying to choose between two people to cover, Smith was able to get wide open in the flats for a 16 yard gain and a first down at midfield. Another pass to Smith picked up 11 yards and a new set of downs at the UNLV 39. Oliver was finally able to find some more success on the ground, picking up 8 yards on first down, followed by a 6 yard rush to move the chains to the 25 yard line. A false start penalty moved us back 5 yards, of which Oliver was able to gain back one yard, leaving second and 14. Smith would save the drive once again, hauling in a 15 yard pass over the middle from Stephens to get a first down at the 15 yard line, the clock now under four minutes to play. Oliver was able to fight his way ahead for an 8 yard gain, followed by a two yard pickup by Smith to leave third and inches at the 5 yard line. Oliver was able to fall forward for a three yard gain to set up first and goal at the UNLV two yard line, the clock down to 2:28 and ticking. Oliver was only able to get one yard on the first down rush, as the blitz slowed him down enough to keep him from crossing the goal line. Oliver would finally punch it in on the next play, running in standing up for the one yard touchdown and a 21-18 lead with 1:16 left in the game. The gamble to run down the clock on the last two or three plays appeared as though it was going to pay off.
No return on the following kickoff left UNLV starting at their 25 yard line, 1:08 left to go. After an incomplete pass, Bell connected with Lee for an 11 yard gain, the Rebels using their first timeout with 58 seconds to go. The defense would punch back, sacking Bell for a three yard loss, the second UNLV timeout stopping play with 54 seconds left. After an incomplete pass, Bell connected with Walker for an 8 yard gain, leaving UNLV’s hopes riding on a fourth and 5 play from their 41 yard line. The pass rush would get to Bell, his desperation pass only sailing 5 yards before falling harmlessly to the ground, and our offense took over on downs to close out the final 35 seconds with a single kneel by Stephens. UNLV would use their final timeout, requiring a second kneel down by Stephens, but that would be all that was needed, as we clinched the hard fought 21-18 win over UNLV.
With the win, we open the 2017 season at 1-0. With the loss, UNLV starts their year 0-1. Up next, it's on the road to seek revenge against the Toledo Rockets. The Rockets enter the game 0-1, coming off a 48-17 loss to #6 Michigan State.
Final Score
21,
Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – A rough day for Stevens. Did go 20-31 for 314 yards and two touchdowns, but three interceptions pretty much ruined the day for his stats. An alright first game for Oliver, but not great, only 84 yards on 24 carries and one touchdown. Hayden was the beast of the game in receiving, ending with 162 yards on 7 receptions and two touchdowns. 6 receivers ended up catching a pass today.
- Tulsa Defense – Pretty poor defense today. Two of the three interceptions didn't help the defense too much, but they were being driven on pretty steadily all day but a much inferior UNLV offense. This could spell disaster against teams with even better offenses than UNLV.
- Tulsa Kicking – A perfect day to the start of David Glover's kicking career, ending 3-3 in PATs, no field goal attempts though.
Scoring Summary
Team 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Final Score 0 9 3 6 18 7 0 7 7 21
Time Team Result Play Score First Quarter 3:43 Touchdown E. Hayden, 15 yard pass from B. Stephens (D. Glover kick) Second Quarter 3:30 Field Goal T. Simon, 26 yard field goal 0:51 Touchdown C. Jackson, 8 yard pass from J. Bell (missed kick) Third Quarter 5:51 Touchdown E. Hayden, 38 yard pass from B. Stephens (D. Glover kick) 2:39 Field Goal T. Simon, 33 yard field goal Fourth Quarter 6:30 Touchdown D. Riley, 28 yard pass from J. Bell (2-pt conversion failed) 1:16 Touchdown W. Oliver, 1 yard run (D. Glover kick)
Game Stats
UNLV Stat Tulsa 18 Score 21 21 First Downs 20 334 Total Offense 414 23 - 85 - 0 Rushes - Yards - TD 32 - 100 - 1 21 - 42 - 2 Comp - Att - TD 20 - 31 - 2 249 Passing Yards 314 4 Times Sacked 0 6 - 14 (42%) 3rd Down Conversion 5 - 8 (62%) 1 - 2 (50%) 4th Down Conversion 0 - 0 (0%) 0 - 1 (0%) 2-Point Conv 0 - 0 (0%) 5 - 1 - 2 (60%) Red Zone - TD - FG 5 - 2 - 0 (40%) 1 Turnovers 3 0 Fumbles Lost 0 1 Intercepted 3 18 Punt Return Yards 7 0 Kick Return Yards 106 352 Total Yards 527 3 – 42.7 Punts - Average 3 - 48.0 2 - 20 Penalties 7 - 79 14.:53 Time of Possession 21:07
Tulsa Contract Goals Update
Fail Impact Goal Progress Pass Impact 21+ points per game in each season 21 Win 10 games in one season 1 3300+ passing yards each season 65% pass completions over the entire contract 61% Win 6 games in one season 15+ rushing TD in each season 1 3200+ total offensive yards each season 414 3400+ total offensive yards each season 414
Job Security Status
48%
Last edited by SmoothPancakes; 02-12-2013 at 06:42 PM.
This could be a long season.
Wow. Won by the skin of your teeth. Yikes.
Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, in the upset shocker of the week, Middle Tennessee State goes down to #2 Georgia and SHOCKS the Bulldogs 28-24. MTSU had a 14-6 halftime lead, still led 21-14 after three, and scored the game winning touchdown with 2:41 left in the game to leave the college football world stunned. Right on the heels of MTSU's upset, Arizona pulls an upset of their own, chopping down #3 TCU 35-24, scoring 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to complete the upset.
#10 Rutgers falls down and goes boom to start the season, losing 28-7 to Virginia. #11 Wisconsin took #18 South Carolina behind the woodshed to the tune of 47-27. Oregon State scored a 38-35 upset of #16 Stanford. #17 Florida State had some trouble early on, but eventually pulled away from Marshall 40-28. #21 Michigan escaped upset this week, scoring twice in the fourth quarter to comeback from behind and beat Army 35-28. #25 Northwestern needed a touchdown with 1:12 left in the game to comeback from behind and escape Florida International 31-27.
For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss opens up the season 1-0 with a 22-17 win over Miami University. Jaymo, Arizona State opens up 1-0 with a 58-14 dismantling of FCS Midwest. Mors, West Virginia starts 1-0 with a 38-14 win over Central Michigan. Jeff, Ohio State jumps out 1-0 with a 31-9 win over FCS East. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State had a bye week.
In C-USA action, MTSU shocks #2 Georgia 28-24 (thank god MTSU isn't on my schedule this year), UAB falls short against Washington 28-19, Florida International can't pull off the upset, losing 31-27 to #25 Northwestern. UTSA smokes Memphis 42-10, Rice downs Duke 20-17, #8 USC shellacs North Texas 44-21, and the rest were against FCS teams.
Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll, Texas (38 first place votes) remains #1, Notre Dame (22 votes), jumps two to #2, Nebraska (1 vote) jumps two to #3, Michigan State jumps two to #4 and Clemson jumps two to #5. USC and Oklahoma both climb two to #6 and #7, Wisconsin leaps three to #8, Miami and Iowa also jump three to #9 and #10. Oregon and Alabama both jump three to #11 and #12, TCU falls ten to #13, Florida State moves up three #14 and Georgia plummets thirteen spots to #15. LSU climbs three to #16, Rutgers falls seven to #17, NC State jumps two to #18, Arizona enters the poll at #19, Michigan jumps one to #20. Boise State and Ole Miss both jump one to #21 and #22, Virginia enters the poll at #23, Texas A&M remains stuck at #24 and South Carolina falls seven to #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Stanford (from #16) and Northwestern (from #25). Looking at Others Receiving Votes: Northwestern (275 votes) is #26, followed by Virginia Tech (220), Louisville (190), Stanford (146) and Georgia Tech (109) to round out the Top 30. SMU (21 votes) and Mississippi State (19 votes) are also getting votes this week.
Looking at the new Heisman watch, Notre Dame QB Jordan Cooke remains #1, followed by Georgia HB Joel Nolan at #2, TCU HB Clark Richardson at #3, USC HB Jordan Lewis at #4 and Notre Dame HB Larue Barnes at #5.
Yeah, it was not a pretty game at all.
Game Two
Game Notes
--- Coming off a very difficult win over UNLV, it was on the road we headed to take on the Toledo Rockets, looking for revenge after losing to them at home last year. Toledo fared much worse than us in their first game, getting destroyed by #6 Michigan State 48-17. However, we couldn’t allow that to let our guard down, after last year’s game against the Rockets. We won the coin toss and elected to kick.
A touchback on the opening kickoff got the game started, as Toledo began at their 25 yard line. Eric Lester took the ball on first down, but found nowhere to go, as the defense broke through and tackled him for a three yard loss. After a dropped pass by Lester, the third down pass by Randall Wallace fell incomplete and the Rockets were forced to punt very early on. A fair catch by Conner Jefferson got our offense lined up at our 35 yard line for our opening drive.
Will Oliver took the ball on first down, rushing for a 6 yard gain, followed by a 5 yard pickup to get the first down. Testing Toledo with the pass ended poorly, as the middle linebacker blew through the line and sacked Brad Stephens for a 9 yard loss, leaving second and 19 at the 37, nearly back where we started. The pass to Eric Hayden on second down went for an 8 yard gain, leaving third and 11. A failed assignment pickup by the safety allowed Hayden to get open along the left sideline on the third down play, hauling in the pass from Stephens for a 16 yard gain and a fresh set of downs at the Toledo 39 yard line. Conner Jefferson made the biggest play of the drive, breaking past the corner and into open space down the right sideline to haul in a 28 yard pass from Stephens, setting up first down at the 11 yard line. A pair of rushes by Oliver picked up 6 yards to leave us looking at third and four from the 5 yard line. Trying to catch the defense sleeping, a pitch left to Oliver failed horribly, ending in a loss of two yards. The 24 yard field goal by David Glover was good and we took a 3-0 lead with 3:30 left in the first quarter.
Lester took the kickoff back 20 yards for Toledo, giving the Rockets the ball at their 22 yard line for their next drive. After a dropped pass by Abraham Johnson, Lester ran for a 5 yard gain up the middle to leave third and 5. A two yard rush by Wallace would end up short, and the Rockets would be forced to punt away once again. A 9 yard return by Jefferson got us up and running at our 33 yard line for our next drive. Keeping the ball on the ground on first down, Oliver was able to pick up 5 yards, before being wrapped up for no gain on the following play, leaving us looking at third and 5. A quick pass from Stephens to Randy Newman picked up 5 yards, just enough for the first down at the 44 yard line. A pass over the middle to Hayden picked up 7 yards, followed by a rush for no gain by Oliver to leave third and three and leaving Oliver banged up after the play. The final ten seconds of the quarter would tick off, bringing the first quarter to an end, our lead 3-0.
Opening up the second quarter, the third down pass intended for Jefferson was batted down by the outside linebacker, leaving us punting away. A touchback on the punt gave Toledo the ball at their 20 yard line for their next possession. Lester started the drive breaking loose for a 9 yard rush, before an incomplete pass left the Rockets looking at third and one. A three yard rush by Lester was enough to get the first down, moving the chains to the 32 yard line. The Rockets finally started to find a groove, as Wallace connected with David Matthews for a 12 yard gain and a first down at the 43. A pair of rushes by Larry Johnson and Lester each went for a loss of two yards, leaving Toledo in the hole with third and 14. A drive that showed promise would come to an end as the third down pass by Wallace sailed incomplete, leaving the Rockets punting on fourth down.
A fair catch by Jefferson gave us the ball at our 19 yard line. Breaking up the middle, Roy Smith was able to gain 7 yards, as it was learned that Oliver would be sidelined for the remainder of the game with a mild concussion. Smith took the handoff on second down, but was unable to gain any yards, as the blitzing outside linebacker tripped him up at the line of scrimmage. Keeping the ball himself on third down, Stephens was able to turn the corner around the right tackle, and thanks to some timely blocks, break out into the open for a 17 yard rush and a first down at the 43 yard line. Going with a play action pass on first down, it would be the end of our drive as the pass intended for Newman was intercepted by cornerback Eric King, returned for one yard to the Toledo 49 yard line.
Leroy Wright started the Rockets with a 5 yard rush on first down, followed by a one yard gain from Lester to leave third and four. Despite the great field position, it would be another wasted drive by the Rockets as an incomplete pass on third down would once again doom a drive. A touchback on the punt gave us the ball back at our 20 yard line. Calling a screen play on first down, Jefferson hauled in the pass and with some downfield blocking, turned the screen pass into a 22 yard gain to set up first down at the 42. After an incomplete pass on first down, Hayden was able to haul in a pass from Stephens for a 10 yard gain, leaving us looking at third and inches from the Toledo 49 yard line. Smith would be unable to get the job done, as the middle linebacker stood him up at the line, and the outside linebacker came in to finish him off for no gain to leave fourth and one. The punt sailed into the end zone for a touchback, leaving the Rockets to start from their 20 yard line with 3:00 left in the quarter.
The defense wasn’t about to give the Rockets anything on offense, sacking Wallace for a one yard loss, then following that up with tackling Lester for a two yard loss, leaving Toledo facing third and 13. A two yard gain on a scramble would be all Wallace could muster, the Rockets punting away on fourth and 11. A fair catch by Jefferson on the 42 yard punt set our offense up at our 38 yard line with 2:17 remaining. The first down pass was nearly intercepted by the outside linebacker, leaving second down. The second down pass intended for Antonio Banks was broken up by the safety, leaving us with third down. When our offense seemed all but inept, Bobby Smith saved our drive, hauling in a prayer of a pass over the cornerback’s head and tight roping the sideline for a 35 yard gain before being pushed out at the Toledo 27 yard line. A pass to Carl Barnes was completed for a 22 yard gain along the right sideline, setting up first and goal at the 5 yard line with 1:38 to go. Smith was able to pick up two yards on the ground after bouncing outside the left tackle, leaving second and goal from the three. Smith had no hope of positive gain, as he was quickly stood up by two defenders, tackled for a loss of one yard to leave third and goal from the four yard line. Eric Silva would come in on third down, finding a small gap to penetrate and punch through into the end zone to finish off the drive and open our lead up to 10-0 with 13 seconds to go before halftime.
An 18 yard kickoff return by Lester gave Toledo the ball at their 22 yard line with three seconds left on the clock, a 5 yard rush by Lester running out the clock and taking us into halftime with a 10-0 lead and receiving the ball to start the second half.
Opening up the third quarter, the kickoff went into the end zone for a touchback, and we began our drive from the 25 yard line. A pair of rushes by Smith to start the drive went for gains of three and 5 yards, leaving us with third and two from the 33. The defense wasn’t about to just roll over, as Smith was tackled for no gain on the third down play, leaving us punting away on fourth and two. A 9 yard return by L. Johnson on the 48 yard punt started Toledo from their 28. Johnson quickly turned around after the punt return and hauled in a first down pass from Wallace for a 12 yard gain to get the Rockets moving down the field. After an incomplete pass on first down, Lester was able to pick up three yards on the ground to leave Toledo looking at third and 7. Wallace would be forced to scramble on third down to avoid the pressure, picking up only two yards and leaving the Toledo punt team coming out on fourth and 5. Jefferson called for a fair catch on the 46 yard punt, leaving our offense to start from our 9 yard line.
The Rockets were more than focused on shutting down our run game, as Smith was only able to get one yard, if that, before being quickly swarmed by blue jerseys. Taking another chance with the play action pass, Jefferson got the job done this time, getting separation from the cornerback and hauling in the pass from Stephens for a 27 yard gain and a first down at the 36 yard line. Smith took the ball on first down, picking up 5 yards up the middle, before managing to get only a single yard to leave us looking at third and four. Jefferson was able to get his hands on the third down pass from Stephens, for what would have been at least a 15 yard gain, but an instantaneous hit by the safety was able to jar the ball loose and incomplete, leaving us punting away on fourth down. We would get further bad news from that play, as Smith suffered a bruised shoulder on the play, leaving him sidelined for a while. A fair catch on the 44 yard punt left Toledo started from their 14 yard line. Toledo was still unable to rediscover their rhythm on offense, as two incomplete passes and a loss of four yards by Lester left yet another drive squandered and the punt team coming out on fourth and 14. It would only get worse for the Rockets as the punt was blocked in the end zone, recovered by middle linebacker Jared Keyes for a touchdown, extending our lead to 17-0 with 3:07 left in the third quarter.
Toledo was left really looking down the barrel after the touchdown by our special teams, and that seemingly triggered something in the offense, who started from their 18 yard line after a 16 yard kickoff return by Lester. The offense wasted no time whatsoever in moving the ball, as A. Johnson quickly hauled in a deep pass over the middle for a 32 yard gain and a first down at midfield. Matthews followed that up with a 13 yard catch and a new set of downs at our 36 yard line. Continuing through the air, A. Johnson caught a pass from Wallace for a 13 yard gain, followed by an 11 yard reception by L. Johnson to leave the Rockets with a first down at our 12 yard line. After a two yard rush by Lester, Wallace’s pass intended for Wright in the back corner of the end zone was swatted out of bounds and incomplete, leaving Toledo with third and 8. The Rockets would come up short on their drive, as Wallace’s third down pass was batted away, Toledo settling for a 27 yard field goal from Heath Black, cutting our lead to 17-3 with 1:57 to go in the quarter.
A 20 yard kickoff return by Jefferson got us started at our 23 yard line. Smith took the first down handoff for a 6 yard gain, before breaking a 10 yard rush up the middle to get the first down at the 39 yard line. Another rush by Smith went for 7 yards, which would bring the third quarter to an end, our lead 17-3.
Opening up the fourth quarter, a pitch to the right failed miserably, as Smith was tackled for a two yard loss, leaving us with third and 5. A pass intended for Banks was broken up by the middle linebacker and the punt team came out. No return on the 50 yard punt left the Rockets buried deep at their four yard line, still alive, but a long climb to make in the final 8 minutes of the game. That climb would end up buried under an avalanche, as Lester took the ball on first down, picking up four yards up the middle before fumbling the ball, cornerback Tyler Fountain recovering the ball to set our offense up with possession and first and goal from the Toledo 8 yard line. Smith took the ball up the middle on first down, picking up 5 yards to leave second and goal from the three. Smith was able to gain two yards on the next carry, leaving us with third and goal from the one yard line. Smith would punch it in on the next play for the one yard touchdown, increasing our lead to 24-3 with 6:42 left in the game.
A 15 yard kickoff return got Toledo set up at their 15 yard line, looking just to save some face at this point. After an incomplete pass on first down, the Rockets finally started to find some movement, as Matthews hauled in a pass from Wallace for a 10 yard gain to leave third and inches, upon which L. Johnson caught a pass along the right sideline for a 13 yard gain and a first down at the 37 yard line. After another pass to Matthews for a 9 yard gain, Wallace would make his first miscue of the day, as his pass intended for Matthews was intercepted by middle linebacker Jermaine Clark, giving us back possession of the ball at the Toledo 48 yard line with 5:31 to play.
A pair of rushes by Smith ended with little fanfare, with a gain of two yards and a loss of one yard leaving us looking at third and 9, the clock down to 4:33 and ticking. The third down pass intended for Jefferson was batted down at the line by the defensive tackle, leaving us punting away on fourth and 9. No return on the 44 yard punt left Toledo buried at their three yard line with exactly 4:00 left on the clock. As if it couldn’t get any worse for Toledo, it inevitably did, as Lester took the handoff on first down, wrapped up at the two yard line, and before being tackled down, had the ball stripped loose, promptly being picked up by Fountain, returning the fumble the two yards to the end zone for a touchdown to make our lead 31-3 with 3:55 to go in the game.
A 22 yard kickoff return after the extra point gave Toledo the ball back to start at their 23 yard line and still trying to somehow save some tiny bit of face. After an incomplete pass on first down, Wallace was able to find A. Johnson open over the middle for a 13 yard gain to get a first down at the 36 yard line. Another 13 yard pass, this time to L. Johnson, gave the Rockets another first down at the 49 yard line, and seemingly on their way. Taking a prayer, Wallace heaved up a pass deep down the left sideline, but put too much air under it, as it sailed long and well out of bounds. Wright would keep the drive moving however as he caught an 11 yard pass from Wallace on second down to move the chains to our 40 yard line. After a loss of three yards on a carry by Wallace, Lester took the ball around the right tackle for a 7 yard gain to leave Toledo looking at third and 6. Lester would get the job done and then some, turning the corner around the right tackle and busting into the open, racing the safety for a 28 yard gain all the way down to our 8 yard line. The Rockets would finally find the end zone on the next play, as Wallace connected with Matthews for the 8 yard touchdown pass to cut the score to 31-10 with 2:25 left in the game.
Toledo, still holding on to the slimmest of slim hopes of a comeback, attempted an onside kick, but it was promptly recovered by our hands team, giving us the ball at the Toledo 45 yard line with 2:21 to go. A pair of two yard rushes by Smith left us with third and 6 at the 41 yard line, the clock nearing one minute to play. Taking over on third down, Silva took the third down handoff, breaking loose up the middle for a 14 yard gain and a first down at the 26 yard line with 52 seconds left to play. A three yard rush by Smith would be the final play of the game, as the last 21 seconds ticked off the clock, sealing our 31-10 victory.
With the win, we improve to 2-0. With the loss, Toledo drops to 0-2. Up next, we head back home to take on New Mexico. The Lobos enter the game 0-2, opening the season with a 38-31 loss at Illinois, before losing 31-19 at Fresno State.
Final Score
10
Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – A decent day for Stephens, ended the day 10-18 for 180 yards, though he had no touchdowns and threw one interception. With Oliver going out early on with a mild concussion, it was Smith who led the way rushing, ending with 65 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries. Five receivers caught a ball today, Jefferson the go to guy, ending with 77 yards on three receptions. Next up was Hayden, who ended the day with 41 yards and four receptions.
Tulsa Defense – Had their ups and downs. Pretty much kept Toledo stuck in mud the first half. The second half, still slowed Toledo down and kept them out of the end zone until the very end, but the Rockets were able to put together a number of large drives against us.
Tulsa Kicking – A perfect day by Glover, ending 1-1 in field goals with the 24 yard kick in the first quarter, and ending 4-4 in PATs.
Scoring Summary
Team 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Final Score 3 7 7 14 31 0 0 3 7 10
Time Team Result Play Score First Quarter 3:34 Field Goal D. Glover, 24 yard field goal Second Quarter 0:13 Touchdown E. Silva, 4 yard run (D. Glover kick) Third Quarter 3:12 Touchdown J. Keyes, fumble recovery in endzone (D. Glover kick) 2:00 Field Goal H. Black, 26 yard field goal Fourth Quarter 6:42 Touchdown R. Smith, 1 yard run (D. Glover kick) 3:55 Touchdown T. Fountain, returned fumble 2 yards (D. Glover kick) 2:25 Touchdown D. Matthews, 8 yard pass from R. Wallace (H. Black kick)
Game Stats
Tulsa Stat Toledo 31 Score 10 11 First Downs 12 292 Total Offense 230 36 - 112 - 2 Rushes - Yards - TD 21 - 60 - 0 10 - 18 - 0 Comp - Att - TD 13 - 28 - 1 180 Passing Yards 170 1 Times Sacked 1 7 - 14 (50%) 3rd Down Conversion 3 - 11 (27%) 0 - 0 (0%) 4th Down Conversion 0 - 0 (0%) 0 - 0 (0%) 2-Point Conv 0 - 0 (0%) 8 - 2 - 1 (37%) Red Zone - TD - FG 4 - 1 - 1 (50%) 1 Turnovers 4 0 Fumbles Lost 3 1 Intercepted 1 9 Punt Return Yards 9 20 Kick Return Yards 91 321 Total Yards 330 6 – 47.5 Punts - Average 6 - 44.0 0 - 0 Penalties 0 - 0 20:40 Time of Possession 15:20
Tulsa Contract Goals Update
Fail Impact Goal Progress Pass Impact 21+ points per game in each season 26 Win 10 games in one season 2 3300+ passing yards each season 65% pass completions over the entire contract 61% Win 6 games in one season 15+ rushing TD in each season 3 3200+ total offensive yards each season 706 3400+ total offensive yards each season 706
Job Security Status
48%
Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, in the upset shocker of the week, Navy starts their season off 1-0, shocking The Lone Star State with a 34-27 win over #1 Texas. In the game of the week, #2 Notre Dame steamrolled #20 Michigan to the tune of 52-14. #3 Nebraska defends their ranking, handing #17 Rutgers it's second straight loss, 31-21. #4 Michigan State had trouble early on, tied with Central Michigan 21-21 at halftime, but the Spartans turned it on in the second half on their way to a 49-28 win over the Chippewas. Maryland keeps the upsets rolling, improving to 2-0 with a 34-31 win over #8 Wisconsin.
#10 Iowa scores the game-winning touchdown with 1:52 to play to hold off rival Iowa State, 30-27. #11 Oregon scores 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to comeback against Stanford, 17-13. #13 TCU uses a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to escape Arizona State with a 48-38 win. Virginia Tech scores an upset over the Seminoles with a 45-20 win over #14 Florida State. #15 Georgia had their work cut out for them, holding off Arkansas for a 38-31 win. #16 LSU scores twice in the fourth quarter to get a 42-31 win over #25 South Carolina. #22 Ole Miss edged out Missouri 31-28. And #24 Texas A&M scores 21 straight in the fourth quarter to pull away from Illinois and avoid the upset, 49-35.
For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss improves to 2-0 with a 34-28 win over Penn State. Jaymo, Arizona State drops to 1-1, losing 48-38 to #13 TCU. Mors, West Virginia drops to 1-1 (0-1 Big 12) with a 30-20 loss to Oklahoma State. Jeff, Ohio State improves to 2-0, pulling out a 21-14 win over Western Kentucky. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State opens their year 1-0 with a 34-14 win over Tulane.
In C-USA action, Southern Miss knocks off Penn State 34-28, Idaho shocks Marshall 13-12, NC State takes down North Texas 27-7, Florida International falls to Washington State 35-28, Indiana whoops UAB 38-17, UCF has their way with Louisiana Tech 45-28, Louisville escapes UTSA 38-35, Florida Atlantic loses to Miami University 42-35, Minnesota pulls it out against Rice 41-34, Wake Forest bitchslaps UTEP 48-14, and Texas State takes down MTSU 35-21. With all 12 C-USA teams in action, we went 2-10 as a conference this week.
Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll, Notre Dame (32 first place votes) moves up one to #1, Nebraska (23 votes) climbs one to #2, Michigan State (3 votes) moves up one to #3, Clemson (2 votes) jumps one to #4 and USC (1 vote) jumps one to #5. Oklahoma climbs one to #6, Miami jumps two to #7, Iowa, Oregon and Alabama all jump two #8, #9 and #10. TCu climbs two to #11, Georgia and LSU both jump three to #12 and #13, Texas falls thirteen spots to #14 and NC State climbs three to #15. Wisconsin falls eight to #16, Arizona jumps two to #17, Maryland enters the poll at #18, Boise State jumps two to #19 and Ole Miss climbs two to #20. Florida State drops seven spots to #21, Virginia moves up one to #22, Virginia Tech enters the poll at #23, Rutgers falls seven to #24 and Texas A&M drops one to #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were: Michigan (from #20) and South Carolina (from #25). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Michigan (244 votes) is #26, followed by Northwestern (235), Louisville (163), Georgia Tech (94) and Mississippi State (64) to round out the Top 30. Other teams getting votes include: Arkansas State (55), South Carolina (36) and San Diego State (19).
Looking at the new Heisman watch, Notre Dame QB Jordan Cooke remains #1, followed by Georgia HB Joel Nolan at #2, USC HB Jordan Lewis at #3, TCU HB Clark Richardson at #4 and Louisville HB Reggie Morse at #5.
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