Smooth Pancakes' Coaching Carousel Career

[SmoothPancakes]

Frozen game, beat Oklahoma 41-27. Unfrozen game, lose to Oklahoma 35-28 after failing to punch it in four straight tries from inside the three yard line.

Also, god the polls are horrible this year.

In the game of the week, #4 Georgia picked up a 28-9 win over #2 Clemson.
...
Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll...Clemson drops seven to #9

#2 Clemson gets abused by #4 team, falls to 0-1, drops from #2 to #9.

Arizona shocks #9 Clemson 31-17.
...
Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll...Clemson drops six to #15.

#9 Clemson loses to unranked Arizona by 14, falls to 0-2, drops from #9 to #15.

Bye week.
...
Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll...Clemson climbs four to #11
...
Looking at the first Top 25 Media Poll...Clemson is #11

#15 Clemson has a bye week, remains 0-2, climbs from #15 to #11 in the Coaches, starts #11 in the Media.

#9 Miami picks up a 45-26 win over #11 Clemson
...
Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll...Clemson (despite being 0-3) falls only five to #16
...
Looking at the new Top 25 Media Poll...Clemson (despite being 0-3) falls only five to #16

#11 Clemson gets rolled in a 19 point loss to the #9 team, falls to 0-3, drops from #11 to only #16 in both Coaches and Media polls.

#3 Virginia Tech stays perfect with a 45-22 win over #16 Clemson, dropping the Tigers to 0-4.
...
Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll...Dropping out of the poll this week were Clemson (from #16)...Looking at Others Receiving Votes...Clemson (115) (0-4 on the season and still getting 115 points in the polls )
...
Looking at the new Top 25 Media Poll...Dropping out of the poll this week were Clemson (from #16)...Looking at Others Receiving Votes...and Clemson (4) (0-4 on the season and still getting 4 points in the polls ) to round out the Top 30.

#16 Clemson gets whacked in a 23 point loss to the #3 team, falls to 0-4, finally drops out of the Top 25 polls, but is still picking up 145 points in the Coaches and 4 points in the Media polls.

Now I understand that losing to the then-#4, then-#9 and then-#3 teams will give you some leeway, but starting the year 0-4 with 19, 14, 19 and 23 point losses, and it takes until week 6 for them to finally drop out of the polls, but while they do drop out, in the coaches poll, they're still getting 145 freaking points. I don't care if they lost to four different #1 teams, an 0-4 team has no business even receiving a single vote in any of the polls.

[texacotea]

just seeing all those losses for that team makes me smile

oh....and good stuff here smooth. Nice to see you stick with it

[SCClassof93]

Frozen game, beat Oklahoma 41-27. Unfrozen game, lose to Oklahoma 35-28 after failing to punch it in four straight tries from inside the three yard line.

Also, god the polls are horrible this year.



#2 Clemson gets abused by #4 team, falls to 0-1, drops from #2 to #9.



#9 Clemson loses to unranked Arizona by 14, falls to 0-2, drops from #9 to #15.



#15 Clemson has a bye week, remains 0-2, climbs from #15 to #11 in the Coaches, starts #11 in the Media.



#11 Clemson gets rolled in a 19 point loss to the #9 team, falls to 0-3, drops from #11 to only #16 in both Coaches and Media polls.



#16 Clemson gets whacked in a 23 point loss to the #3 team, falls to 0-4, finally drops out of the Top 25 polls, but is still picking up 145 points in the Coaches and 4 points in the Media polls.

Now I understand that losing to the then-#4, then-#9 and then-#3 teams will give you some leeway, but starting the year 0-4 with 19, 14, 19 and 23 point losses, and it takes until week 6 for them to finally drop out of the polls, but while they do drop out, in the coaches poll, they're still getting 145 freaking points. I don't care if they lost to four different #1 teams, an 0-4 team has no business even receiving a single vote in any of the polls.

Good read!

[SmoothPancakes]

just seeing all those losses for that team makes me smile

oh....and good stuff here smooth. Nice to see you stick with it

Yeah, it's been a rough year for them so far.

And appreciate it tex. It's been a lot of fun with the addition of coaching carousel. In the past, before the addition of coaching carousel, I'd just stay with one team the entire time or always play with Navy and playing for the team, making it difficult to keep going and stay interested after a while. But with coaching carousel now, I'm playing for the career of my coach, and while I try to do my best with each team, I'm not as tied to the wins and losses with them as I was in the past when playing with Navy.

So I've got the future of my coach, the unknown of what teams I'll end up at in the future seasons, and the fact that I know I'll be moving on to a new team after at least three or four seasons, it keeps me rolling, keeps me going playing.

Also the additions they've made to the game to make it more fun and with the right sliders, makes it more even and more of a challenge, and with the changes they've made to recruiting, while making it longer (at least in NCAA '13), also making it a bit more engaging and more fun, it keeps me going week after week, season after season.

So I have no plans of ending this dynasty for a long while. I may not get 5, 6, 10 seasons in with each edition of the game like I have with Tulsa, but even with work and life, I can still fit in at least three seasons a year/edition and plan on doing so for as long as I can keep myself coming back and firing up NCAA. And if a future edition of NCAA sucks, I'll just stick with the last good edition. If NCAA '15 blows because of the transition to next-gen (so next-gen ends up a bit bare and current gen ends up very untouched), then I'll just keep rolling with NCAA '14 and be good to go for another year.

What I'll probably do over the next year of NCAA, I'll play a season but then take a break (maybe a week, maybe two weeks, maybe a month) before starting up the next season, give myself a bit of time away from the game, recharge the batteries before diving into another 12-14 game season, get some time in with my other games, keep NCAA feeling fresh, and then come back after a little bit and jump right into the next full season. That's been my issue in the past, I'll play nothing but NCAA for a month or two straight, going from season right into the next season, only to end up burnt out and not come back to it for a month or two (or more). So gonna keep a pace this year so I don't end up burnt out at some point, and also so I can actually put some time in with other games.

[SmoothPancakes]

Good read!

*pic 1*
*pic 2*

Very nice pulls on the pictures.

[SmoothPancakes]

And needless to say, UConn is gonna have to wait until maybe overnight tonight. It's 11am, I'm hitting the sack since I have to head into work for a couple hours tonight sometime around 6pm, so I'm getting some sleep.

[SCClassof93]

And needless to say, UConn is gonna have to wait until maybe overnight tonight. It's 11am, I'm hitting the sack since I have to head into work for a couple hours tonight sometime around 6pm, so I'm getting some sleep.

Your lack of commitment to the cause is stunning

[SmoothPancakes]

Your lack of commitment to the cause is stunning

My desire to get some sleep (having been awake since 5pm yesterday evening) before heading into work tonight sometime around 6pm overrules the cause.

[SCClassof93]

My desire to get some sleep (having been awake since 5pm yesterday evening) before heading into work tonight sometime around 6pm overrules the cause.

[SmoothPancakes]

Yeah, that was pretty much how I was at the time.

UConn should be up sometime in the morning. I was gonna head back into work around 5am for a couple hours, but if I start a game now, between the time playing the game, typing up the post game stats, and compiling/posting the national stuff, showering and getting gas on the way in, it'd be a push to make it in by 5. So instead, I think I'm gonna shower in a little bit here, head out the door around 1:30-2am, by the time I get gas, get into work and get done what I need to get done, I should be home before 6am and can get UConn fired up then.

[SmoothPancakes]

Game Six





Game Notes

--- Trying to get back on the winning path after our heart breaking defeat to Oklahoma, we wrapped up our three game road trip with a visit to Connecticut. Despite a 1-4 record, the Huskies were not to be taken lightly, as they surprisingly entered as the #1 team in the nation for passing offense, putting up 389.6 yards a game through the air. Their passing numbers were so good, that despite their horrendous ranking when it comes to rushing (117 yards/game, good for #116 in the country), UConn still sits as the #7 team in the nation for total offense with 506.6 yards/game average. With our defense already extremely susceptible against the pass, it could end up being a long day, and a shootout, for us.

On the flip side, UConn’s passing defense was on the complete opposite side of the scale, ranked #120 nationally, giving up over 306.4 yards/game. They did have one ace up their sleeve in being strong against the run, only giving up 152.2 yards rushing/game, good enough to come in at #33 in the nation. All signs pointed strongly to an all-aerial battle and a full-fledged shootout to determine the winner of this one. Connecticut won the coin toss and elected to receive.

A 24 yard kickoff return got the Huskies underway from their 22 yard line to begin the game. It was a poor start to the game for the UConn offense, as an incomplete pass from Donnie Wright to Eric Todd was batted incomplete, followed by a false start penalty to leave the offense facing second and 15. It looked like it was an be an early appearance by the punt unit, as an incomplete pass brought about third and very long. Instead, the Huskies showed why they’re ranked #1 in passing, as Wright connected with Todd for a 22 yard pickup and a first down at the 39 yard line. Unfortunately for UConn, their offense had to deal with our defense, and our defense came ready to play, as middle linebacker Anthony Clement intercepted Wright on first down, tackled immediately to give us the ball at the 50 yard line.

Taking over at midfield after the interception, we came out looking to put UConn’s rush defense to the test. Will Oliver received the first down handoff, managing to pick up 6 yards on the play, followed by a 7 yard gain to record an early first down at the 37. Two more carries by Oliver went for gains of 6 and two yards, leaving us facing third and two. Taking advantage of a cheating defense, Brad Stephens dropped back from under center, finding Eric Hayden open along the right sideline for a 16 yard gain, giving us a first down at the 14 yard line. We would need only one more play to cover the remaining distance, an all out blitz by the linebackers allowing Carl Barnes to cut across the middle of the field from the tight end position and be surrounded by nothing but grass, receiving the dump pass from Stephens and barreling his way into the end zone for a 14 yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 6:10 remaining in the first quarter.

A 15 yard facemask penalty on the end of a 22 yard kickoff return left our defense with their backs against the wall, as UConn got their second drive underway from their 44 yard line. Luckily for us, the Huskies were still trying to get their offense in gear, as three straight incomplete passes to Erik Washington and Craig Rollins led to a three and out and a punt. A 7 yard return by Hayden on the 46 yard punt set us up from our 17 yard line.

Returning to the ground game, Oliver had a tough time on first down, only able to get three yards on the play, followed by a four yard rush to bring up third and four. Taking our chances on the ground on third down, Oliver was able to get the first down and then some, rushing for a gain of 8 yards to move the chains to the 31 yard line. With the defense again cheating towards the run, Kyle Jones was able to make it out of the backfield and into the flats on a play action pass, hauling in the ball for a 16 yard gain and a new set of downs at the 47. We tried to throw a little finesse into our offense on first down, throwing a bubble pass to Ryan Lewis, but the outside linebacker was anything but fooled, immediately crashing down and tackling Lewis for a one yard loss. Stephens was able to briefly connect with Jason Johnson on second down, but an immediate hit by the safety knocked the ball loose and incomplete to bring up third and 11. Lewis would get his revenge on third down, managing to get separation on an out route and catch the pass from Stephens for a 14 yard gain and a first down at the UConn 40 yard line. Continuing to swing at the defense, Joe Vaughn was able to snag in a pass for 11 yards, moving the ball to the 29. Returning to the run game on first down, Oliver was able to fight his way forward for 7 yards, before boogying his way to a four yard gain and a new set of downs at the 17. Another handoff to Oliver led to a pickup of 5 yards, before Eric Silva could only manage two yards during his shift to leave us with third and three. Dumping off the ball over the middle, Robert Harper was there to pull down the pass, fighting his way to the goal line before being tackled short for a 10 yard gain, setting up first and goal from inside the one yard line. Nearly bringing back memories of Oklahoma, the middle linebacker blitzed through the line virtually untouched and nearly blew the play up, but Oliver was able to shake off the tackle attempt and found a hole into the end zone for a one yard touchdown, increasing our lead to 14-0 with 42 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

A 21 yard kickoff return got UConn back in action from their 23 yard line, the Huskies already in a hole in the early goings. Turning to their ground game for the first time today, Justin Mathis received the handoff on first down, but could only pick up four yards on the play, which was followed by another incomplete pass by Wright, leaving UConn with third and 6. Wright was forced to scramble on the third down play, and almost succeeded on his own, but he was brought down short for a four yard gain, leaving the punt unit coming back out on fourth and two. A 5 yard return by Hayden on a 49 yard punt give us the ball at our 24 yard line as the first quarter came to a close, our lead 14-0.

Opening up the second quarter from our 24 yard line, Oliver had no chance on the first down carry, quickly swarmed for a one yard loss to bring up second and 11. Going into the air on second down, it took just one pass to light a torch on the UConn defense, the entire linebacker corps blitzing during the play, allowing Vaughn to cut across the middle of the field on a slant route without a soul near him. After making the catch, Vaughn was able split a large gap between both safeties, outrunning both despite their desperation dives, and take it all the way to the house for a 76 yard touchdown to expand our lead to 21-0 with 8:09 left in the second quarter.

No return on the kickoff gave UConn the ball at their 25 yard line, the hole getting deeper by the minute. The Huskies offense at least found a groove this time around, as Wright connected with Rollins on consecutive plays for gains of 5 and 12 yards to pick up a quick first down at the 42 yard line. Then the momentum was lost as a dropped pass by Rollins was followed with a holding penalty and an incomplete pass intended for Todd, leaving the Huskies suddenly facing third and 20. It would end just as poorly as Wright was sacked for a one yard loss, bringing up another punt on fourth and 21. A four yard return by Hayden on the 44 yard punt got us back on the field at our 30 yard line.

Returning to the ground on first down, Oliver was able to shake off a tackle on his way to a four yard gain, followed by a pickup of 8 yards to move the chains to the 42. Oliver kept trying to pound away on the ground, but was held up for a gain of only two yards. Lining up under center on second down, Stephens was able to keep the defense cheating towards run, allowing Barnes to get open on an out route for a 14 yard reception and a first down at the UConn 42. Looking to light up some fireworks, Stephens came out in the shotgun, firing off to a pass to Vaughn, who was running a comeback route, the pass complete for a 19 yard gain and a new set of downs at the 23 yard line as we kept marching downfield. Vaughn would bite the defense a second time, breaking free from the coverage on a slant route to pull in a 17 yard reception to give us first and goal at the 6 yard line. Handing the ball off on first down, Oliver was barely able to pick up one yard, leaving second and goal at the 5. Second time would prove a charm for Oliver, as he was able to follow the cheeks of the left tackle straight into the end zone for a 5 yard touchdown. A missed extra point by Derek Glover would end our drive on a sour note, our lead only 27-0 with 3:08 left until halftime.

A 19 yard kickoff return on the ensuing kickoff gave Connecticut the ball at their 19 yard line, the Huskies looking for any good news to end the first half with. The drive started off right where the other one left off, as the first down pass intended for Todd was incomplete, but Wright would go right back to Todd on second down, able to complete the pass for a 6 yard gain to leave third and four. It would all be for naught however as an incomplete pass intended for Washington left UConn punting the ball away yet again. A fair catch by Hayden on the 43 yard punt got us underway at our 32 yard line with 2:29 remaining.

With limited clock, we came out passing on first down, the throw to Hayden complete for a 7 yard gain, followed by an 8 yard completion to Silva in the flats to give us a first down at the 46. Throwing to the left sideline, Lewis was able to pull in the pass from Stephens for a gain of 11 yard gain, moving the chains to the UConn 43 with 1:42 to go. A deep pass down the right hash to Hayden kept us moving methodically down the field with a 20 yard pickup and a first down at the 23. Trying to thread the needle to Lewis on first down, the pass was broken up to bring up second and 10, just 1:13 to go until halftime. Lewis would get us back into the end zone on second down, breaking free up the middle of the field, hauling in the pass at the 5 yard line and then beating the safety into the end zone for a 23 yard touchdown to give us a 34-0 lead with 1:09 to go in the quarter.

A 17 yard kickoff return left UConn starting at their 23 yard line, just one minute to go. It looked like more of the same after two incomplete passes intended for Craig Rogers, but a facemask penalty at the end of a 6 yard rush by Wright gave the Huskies new life at their 44 yard line, just 43 seconds remaining. Mathis took the ball on the ground for one yard, the Huskies using their first timeout with 39 seconds. Wright followed that up with a 10 yard completion to Rogers to our 44 yard line, Connecticut using their second timeout with 33 seconds to go. A 5 yard pass to Todd was followed with a 6 yard completion to Rollins, UConn with a new set of downs at our 33 yard line, but only 17 seconds on the clock. The Huskies wasted too much time without using their final timeout, an incomplete pass on first down, intended for Washington, left just four seconds on the clock. It wasn’t a touchdown, but Connecticut was finally able to get on the board, a 50 yard field goal by Ryan McDuffie as time expired putting points on the board and sending us into halftime with a 34-3 lead.

Opening up the second half, a 19 yard kickoff return by Johnson gave us ball at our 22 yard line to begin the third quarter. Oliver got us started on the ground, rushing for an 11 yard gain and quick first down at the 33, getting our drive started off on the right foot. A first down carry by Silva netted only two yards, followed by a one yard gain by Oliver, forcing us into the air on third and 7. Lewis would keep our drive alive, pulling down a pass from Stephens for a gain of 13 yards to move the chains to the 48. Returning to the ground, Oliver was quickly stuffed for no gain, the Huskies more than ready for our rushing attack. A pass to Vaughn on an out route ended up being a huge play, as Vaughn tight roped his way down the sideline, fighting way out of a tackle by the cornerback before finally being forced out of bounds by the safety at the UConn 13 yard line, the play resulting in a gain of 39 yards. A quickly fired pass to Hayden on first down caught the defense with their pants down, Hayden catching the pass at the two yard line and running into the end zone for a 13 yard touchdown and a 41-3 lead with 5:20 remaining in the third quarter.

A 15 yard return on the kickoff gave UConn the ball at their 15 yard line, the Huskies pretty much playing for pride now with a 38 point comeback midway through the third quarter all but impossible. Connecticut would finally manage to find a rhythm on offense, as Wright found Rollins for a 5 yard gain, before connecting with Rogers for a 25 yard strike to move the ball to the 44 yard line. A pass to Todd went for 11 yards and a new set of downs at our 45. Continuing the sudden hot streak, Wright hit Rollins over the middle for 5 yards, before a dropped pass by Mathis ruined the momentum. An incomplete pass intended for Washington leaving UConn facing fourth and 5 at our 40 yard line, but the Huskies would go for it on fourth down, Wright completing a pass to Mathis for 14 yards and a first down at our 26. A 5 yard completion to Rogers was followed with a 10 yard rush by Mathis, and Connecticut was knocking on our doorstep with a first down from our 11 yard line. The Huskies would waste little time in taking advantage of the situation, Wright throwing up a pass to Rollins in the end zone for an 11 yard touchdown, cutting our lead to 41-10 with 3:17 remaining in the third quarter.

A touchback on the following kickoff got us underway from our 25 yard line, looking to put the finishing touches on win number 5. Oliver tried to pick up some yardage on first down, but could only manage a gain of three as the defense brought the house. With the defense playing with a renewed vigor, we headed into the air on second down, Stephens connecting with Barnes for a gain of 15 yards and a first down at the 43. Stephens tried to hook up with Harper on first down, but a swat by the outside linebacker resulted in an incomplete pass. Stephens was able to thread the needle to Vaughn on second down, for what would have been at least a 12 yard gain, but Vaughn dropped the ball as he turned up the field, bringing up third and long. A third down pass to Lewis was initially caught, but a double hit by the safety and cornerback resulted in an incomplete pass, and we were forced to punt on fourth down. A 12 yard return on the 47 yard punt gave UConn the ball at their 21 yard line with 1:40 to go in the third quarter.

The Huskies likewise ended up stalling out on defense. After an incomplete pass intended for Washington on first down, Mathis ran for four yards to leave third and 6, but a third down pass to Mathis netted only a single yard, leaving Connecticut punting the ball right back on fourth and 5. A 7 yard return by Hayden on the 43 yard punt got us lined up at our 37 yard line with 1:03 to go in the third quarter, our second team offense coming in to close out the last quarter and change with a 31 point lead.

With Erik Wallace lining up under center, he handed the ball off to Silva, who was able to fight his way to a 9 yard gain, before being stood up for no gain, leaving third and one at the 46. The final 10 seconds would run off without another snap, bringing the third quarter to an end, our lead 41-10 with the second team offense trying to close things out.

Opening up the fourth quarter, the third try would be the money for Silva, busting through a hole for a gain of 8 yards and a first down at the UConn 46 yard line. Silva would end up putting the icing on the cake on first down, rushing straight up the middle while the linebackers blitzed the outside gaps, hitting the hole and getting a pair of downfield blocks to take the safeties out of the play, allowing him to weave his way through the defense and down the field for a 46 yard touchdown rush. Glover would again end the drive on a sour note with a second missed PAT, leaving us with a 47-10 lead with 8:25 remaining in the game.

A 16 yard return on the kickoff got UConn back on the field from their 23 yard line, the Huskies at this point just trying to save some face. They would fail in that endeavor as two dropped passes by Todd and Rollins was followed up with an incomplete pass over the middle intended for Todd, leaving UConn punting after a three and out. A 15 yard return by Hayden on the 42 yard punt gave us excellent field position, starting our next drive from midfield.

Silva had a chance to break another long run on first down as the linebackers and safeties blitzed outside, but a timely move by the nose tackle held Silva up long enough for reinforcements to bring him down after only a two yard gain. That didn’t mean Silva wasn’t going to keep trying, busting into the secondary and nearly bowling over the safety for a 16 yard gain and first down at the UConn 32. Another rush by Silva netted 5 yards, followed by a 6 yard carry to move the chains to the 22 with 5:59 remaining. Despite shaking off a tackle in the backfield, Silva could only manage a lone yard on the first down rush, leaving us with second and 9. Jones came in on second down to give Silva a breather, trying to make the most of his play time with a 6 yard rush to set up third and three from the 15. Silva would retake possession on third down, picking up 6 yards up the middle to get the first down, setting up first and goal from the 9 yard line, 4:04 remaining. Despite shaking off two tackles in the backfield, Silva again was stopped short for only a one yard gain to the 8 yard line. Silva would finish off the drive on the second down play, fighting his way through the tightest of holes before finally finding the goal line for an 8 yard touchdown and a 54-10 lead with 2:50 remaining in the game.

A 19 yard kickoff return gave UConn the ball at their 18 yard line, the Huskies now just trying to stop the hemorrhaging. They would be unable to do so. Kyle Jackson came in to take over at quarterback for the Huskies, his first pass of the game an incomplete throw intended for Washington. Jackson then tried to do the work himself on the ground, but only managed four yards on the rush, before another incomplete pass intended for Washington brought the drive to an uneventful end on fourth and 6. A 5 yard return by Johnson on the 44 yard punt gave us the ball at our 38 yard line, just 2:11 away from victory.

Silva took the ball on first down, only picking up one yard on the play as we got the clock running down. Silva was again stopped for a one yard gain, bringing up third and 8, just over a minute remaining. Calling a timeout at the last second, we stopped the clock with 46 seconds left, trying to run off as much time in our final two downs. A 6 yard run up the middle left us in prime position to close things out on offense, facing fourth and one from the 48 yard line, just a three second difference between the play clock and the game clock. Snapping the ball at the final second on the play clock, Silva was able to pick up the one yard needed with a two yard rush, but it mattered little as the clock hit all zeroes before the end of the play, sealing our 54-10 victory over Connecticut.

With the win, we improve to 5-1, 2-0 in Big East action. With the loss, Connecticut falls to 1-5, 0-2 in Big East play. Up next, it’s our mid-season bye week before our homecoming showdown with Cincinnati. The Bearcats will enter the game 5-1, 1-1 in Big East action. Cincinnati opened their year with a 38-35 upset victory over then-#11 Wisconsin, a 21-14 overtime win against Army and a 37-0 drubbing of Akron before getting knocked off by South Florida 24-10. The Bearcats then recovered with a 53-34 win over Miami University and a 28-21 win over Temple.

Final Score
54, 10




Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense - An almost perfect day for Stephens, going 20-25 for 355 yards and four touchdowns in just three quarters of action. Rushing, Silva ended up the big man of the day, ending with 121 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, partially due to his 47 yard touchdown run. Oliver ended up with 84 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, Jones, in brief action had 6 yards on one rush. Receiving, it was a huge day for Vaughn, ending with 162 yards and one touchdown on five receptions. In total, seven receivers caught a pass today, six ended with double digits yards, Vaughn was the only one to reach triple digits. Vaughn, Lewis, Hayden and Barnes all scored one touchdown through the air today.

Tulsa Defense – An almost immaculate game. Going up against the #1 passing offense in the nation, the first team defense held them in check for almost all of three quarters, just a field goal and a brief successful drive resulting in a touchdown giving UConn some points. The second team defense then came in in the final quarter and shut the lid of the Huskies.

Tulsa Kicking – Glover never attempted a single field goal today, but in the end he couldn't even claim a perfect day today, going a rather sad 6-8 in PATs.




Scoring Summary

Team	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter	4th Quarter	Final Score
	14	20	7	13	54
	0	3	7	0	10

Time	Team	Result	Play	Score
First Quarter
6:10		Touchdown	C. Barnes, 14 yard pass from B. Stephens (D. Glover kick)	7-0
0:42		Touchdown	W. Oliver, 1 yard run (D. Glover kick)	14-0
Second Quarter
8:09		Touchdown	J. Vaughn, 76 yard pass from B. Stephens (D. Glover kick)	21-0
3:08		Touchdown	W. Oliver, 5 yard run (missed kick)	27-0
1:09		Touchdown	R. Lewis, 23 yard pass from B. Stephens (D. Glover kick)	34-0
0:00		Field Goal	R. McDuffie, 50 yard field goal	34-3
Third Quarter
5:20		Touchdown	E. Hayden, 13 yard pass from B. Stephens (D. Glover kick)	41-3
3:17		Touchdown	C. Rollins, 11 yard pass from D. Wright (R. McDuffie kick)	41-10
Fourth Quarter
8:25		Touchdown	E. Silva, 47 yard run (missed kick)	47-10
2:50		Touchdown	E. Silva, 8 yard run (D. Glover kick)	54-10

Game Stats

Tulsa	Stat	Connecticut
54	Score	10
24	First Downs	9
566	Total Offense	176
40 - 211 - 4	Rushes - Yards - TD	7 - 33 - 0
20 - 25 - 4	Comp - Att - TD	15 - 37 - 1
355	Passing Yards	143
0	Times Sacked	1
7 - 9 (77%)	3rd Down Conversion	1 - 10 (10%)
1 - 1 (100%)	4th Down Conversion	1 - 1 (100%)
0 - 0 (0%)	2-Point Conv	0 - 0 (0%)
6 - 5 - 0 (83%)	Red Zone - TD - FG	3 - 1 - 0 (33%)
0	Turnovers	1
0	Fumbles Lost	0
0	Intercepted	1
43	Punt Return Yards	12
19	Kick Return Yards	154
628	Total Yards	342
1 – 48.0	Punts - Average	7 - 44.7
2 - 29	Penalties	2 - 15
23:29	Time of Possession	12:31

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact	Goal	Progress	Pass Impact
	21+ points per game in each season	41
	Win 10 games in one season	5
	3300+ passing yards each season
	65% pass completions over the entire contract	59%
	Win 6 games in one season
	15+ rushing TD in each season
	3200+ total offensive yards each season	2914
	3400+ total offensive yards each season	2914

Job Security Status

71%

[SmoothPancakes]

Taking a look around the nation, in the Top 25, new #1 Penn State defended their ranking with a 55-28 win over Maryland. #2 Virginia Tech got all they could handle against Pittsburgh, needing three fourth quarter touchdowns to finally edge out the Panthers 45-35. #3 Auburn picked up an easy win over Arkansas State, 45-24. #4 Notre Dame needed 18 unanswered points to beat Mississippi State 38-24. #5 Arkansas used a big fourth quarter to pull away late and beat Northwestern 48-31. Virginia walloped #6 Miami to the tune of 52-17.

#12 Tennessee scored an upset over #7 Georgia 38-31. #8 Nebraska recovered from their loss last week by violating Indiana to the tune of 59-17. #9 Texas beat #25 Texas Tech 34-13. #10 LSU needed overtime to edge out Florida 27-24. #11 Iowa scored two unanswered fourth quarter touchdowns to comeback and ultimately edge out #23 Wisconsin 28-21. #18 Ohio State scored a third straight upset of a higher ranked opponent, beating #13 Rutgers 33-21 to ruin the Scarlet Knights' perfect season.

#14 Oregon fought off a very determined Arizona State squad to win 23-16. #15 NC State beat Syracuse 34-19. #16 Oklahoma State rolled Illinois 42-12. #17 Alabama fought off Missouri 34-28. #19 West Virginia beats Iowa State 28-7. #20 USC beat Colorado 49-26. #21 Cincinnati picked up a 53-34 win over Miami University. Clemson finally busts into the win column (after falling out of the top 25) by knocking off #22 Georgia Tech 44-38 in overtime. Stanford knocks off #24 Utah 38-33.

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss improves to 4-1 (1-0 C-USA) after edging out UTEP 34-30, Southern Miss scoring the game-winning touchdown with 28 seconds left. Jaymo, Arizona State drops to 2-4 (1-2 Pac-12), with a 23-16 loss to #14 Oregon. Mors, #19 West Virginia improves to 4-2 (3-1 Big 12) with a 28-7 win over Iowa State. Jeff, #18 Ohio State improves to 4-2 (3-0 Big Ten) with their third straight top 15 upset, this time 33-21 over #13 Rutgers. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State falls to 2-3 (0-0 Sun Belt) with a 45-24 loss to #3 Auburn.

In Big East action, Tulsa whooped Connecticut 54-10, Houston edged out South Florida 27-24, Temple got a 49-28 win over Tulane, SMU kept their undefeated record intact with a 21-17 victory over East Carolina, #21 Cincinnati beat Miami University 53-34, Central Florida picked up a 35-18 win over Marshall and Air Force beat Navy 38-14.

With those results, looking at the current standings, in the East Division, Temple (1-0) sits on top, followed by Navy (2-1) and East Carolina and South Florida (both 1-1). After that sits Central Florida (1-3) and Connecticut (0-2). In the West Division, Houston (3-0) holds a slim lead over both SMU and Tulsa (both 2-0). After that is Cincinnati (0-1) and Memphis and Tulane (both 0-2).

Looking at undefeated teams left, #13 Rutgers, #22 Georgia Tech and UNLV lost this week, dropping our number of undefeated teams to 11. #1 Penn State (5-0), #2 Virginia Tech (5-0), #3 Auburn (6-0), #4 Notre Dame (6-0), #5 Arkansas (6-0), #20 USC (4-0), Eastern Michigan (5-0), Houston (6-0), SMU (6-0), Troy (5-0) and Washington (5-0) all remain with an unblemished record this season.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 4 teams still looking for their first win: Akron (0-5), Buffalo (0-5), Louisiana-Monroe (0-5) and Utah State (0-5).

Teams getting their first win this week were: Clemson (44-38 OT over 4-1 #22 Georgia Tech), Kentucky (31-24 over 2-4 South Carolina) and Vanderbilt (39-17 over 1-4 Ole Miss).

Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll, Penn State (34 first place votes) remains #1, Virginia Tech (21 votes) remains #2, Auburn (5 votes) remains #3, Notre Dame (1 vote) remains #4 and Arkansas remains #5. Nebraska jumps two to #6, Texas climbs two to #7, Tennessee leaps four to #8, LSU moves up one to #9 and Iowa climbs one to #10. Oregon jumps three to #11, Georgia falls five to #12, NC State moves up two to #13, Ohio State climbs four to #14 and Oklahoma State moves up one to #15. USC leaped four to #16, Alabama remains #17, Miami dropped twelve to #18, West Virginia remains #19 and Rutgers fell seven to #20. Cincinnati remains #21, Virginia enters the poll at #22, San Diego State enters the poll at #23, SMU enters the poll at #24 and Eastern Michigan (250 points) enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Georgia Tech (from #22), Wisconsin (from #23), Utah (from #24) and Texas Tech (from #25). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Clemson (243 points) is #26 (despite a 1-4 record), followed by Oklahoma (229), Georgia Tech (205), Texas Tech (136) and Troy (96) to round out the Top 30. Other teams getting votes this week includes Louisville (89), Washington (27) and Wisconsin (3).

Looking at the new Top 25 Media Poll, Penn State (38 first place votes) remains #1, Virginia Tech (25 votes) remains #2, Notre Dame (1 votes) remains #3, Auburn (1 vote) remains #4 and Arkansas remains #5. Tennessee leaps eight spots to #6, Nebraska climbs two to #7, LSU remains #8, Texas moves up one to #9 and Iowa jumps two to #10. Oregon climbs two to #11, Ohio State falls one to #12, Georgia drops seven to #13, Oklahoma State climbs one to #14 and NC State moves up one to #15. USC jumps four to #16, Alabama remains #17, Miami drops eleven to #18, West Virginia climbs three to #19 and Rutgers drops one to #20. Virginia enters the poll at #21, Cincinnati climbs one to #22, Oklahoma falls two to #23, Texas Tech drops six to #24 and San Diego State (251 points) enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Utah (from #24) and Wisconsin (from #25). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, SMU (223 points) is #26, followed by Clemson (149), Georgia Tech (106), Eastern Michigan (78) and Louisville (56) to round out the Top 30. One other team getting votes this week was Pittsburgh (7).

Taking a look at the Heisman race, Auburn QB J.J. Thomas is #1 (LW: #3), Iowa QB Drew Frederick is #2 (LW: #1), Notre Dame QB J.R. White is #3 (LW: #2), Georgia HB Justin Jones is #4 (LW: NR) and Arkansas QB John Rivera is #5 (LW: #5). Dropping off of the Heisman Watch list this week was Georgia Tech HB Brandon Terrell (LW: #4).

[SmoothPancakes]

On a bye week so lets jump right into it. Taking a look around the nation, in the Top 25, #1 Penn State scored three times in the fourth quarter to fight off Michigan State 35-21. #2 Virginia Tech thrashed Duke 49-14. In the game of the week, #5 Arkansas trashes #3 Auburn's perfect record, beating the Tigers 48-27. In a slow start, #4 Notre Dame manages to pull away for a 21-7 win over Kentucky. #6 Nebraska beats down Purdue to the tune of 49-17. Oklahoma stunned #7 Texas in the Red River Shootout, beating the Longhorns 49-28. #8 Tennessee scores midway through the fourth quarter to edge out #9 LSU 35-28.

#10 Iowa rolled to a 42-10 win over #20 Rutgers. Washington pulls off the 32-16 upset of #11 Oregon to remain perfect on the year. #14 Ohio State blanks FCS East 56-0. Wisconsin knocked off #15 Oklahoma State 42-28. Cal stuns #16 USC 42-35. #17 Alabama picks up a 45-21 win over Florida. #18 Miami edges out Florida State 24-21. #19 West Virginia steamrolls Kansas State 49-14. #22 Virginia pulls out a 35-21 win over Georgia Tech. #25 Eastern Michigan saw their perfect record and top 25 ranking go down in flames with a 35-28 loss to rival Western Michigan.

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss improves to 5-1 (2-0 C-USA) with a 41-24 win over Western Kentucky. Jaymo, Arizona State remains 2-4 (1-2 Pac-12) with a bye week. Mors, #19 West Virginia improves to 5-2 (4-1 Big 12) with a 49-14 dismantling of Kansas State. Jeff, #14 Ohio State improves to 5-2 (3-0 Big Ten) with a 56-0 thrashing of FCS East. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State improves to 3-3 (1-0 Sun Belt) with a 49-20 win over Louisiana-Monroe.

In Big East action, Cincinnati beat Temple 28-21, Tulane topped South Florida 27-24, Connecticut whooped Navy 41-14, Central Florida picked up a 33-17 win over East Carolina, Houston upset Stanford 49-17 and Pittsburgh beat Memphis 36-31.

With those results, looking at the current standings, in the East Division, Navy (2-2) holds the lead, with Temple (1-1) and Central Florida (2-3) right behind them, followed by Connecticut, East Carolina and South Florida (all 1-2). In the West Division, Houston (3-0) continues to reign supreme, with SMU and Tulsa (both 2-0) right behind. After that sits Cincinnati (1-1), Tulane (1-2) and Memphis (0-2). Houston and SMU have a huge showdown next week to set the front runner for the division lead for the remainder of the season.

Looking at undefeated teams left, #3 Auburn, #16 USC and #25 Eastern Michigan lost this week, dropping our number of undefeated teams to 8. #1 Penn State (6-0), #2 Virginia Tech (6-0), #4 Notre Dame (7-0), #5 Arkansas (7-0), Houston (7-0), SMU (6-0), Troy (6-0) and Washington (6-0) all remain with an unblemished record this season.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 4 teams still looking for their first win: Akron (0-6), Buffalo (0-6), Louisiana-Monroe (0-6) and Utah State (0-6).

Teams getting their first win this week were: None.

Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll, Penn State (33 first place votes) remains #1, Virginia Tech (23 votes) remains #2, Arkansas (4 votes) jumps two to #3, Notre Dame (1 vote) remains #4 and Tennessee climbs three to #5. Nebraska remains #6, Auburn falls four to #7, Iowa climbs two to #8, Georgia moves up three to #9 and NC State jumps three to #10. Ohio State climbs three to #11, LSU falls three to #12, Texas drops six to #13, Alabama moves up three to #14 and Miami climbs three to #15. West Virginia jumps up three to #16, SMU climbs seven to #17, Oregon drops seven to #18, Cincinnati climbs two to #19 and Washington enters the poll at #20. Virginia moves up one to #21, Oklahoma enters the poll at #22, San Diego State remains #23, Oklahoma State drops nine to #24 and Rutgers (268 points) falls five to #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were USC (from #16) and Eastern Michigan (from #25). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Clemson (252 points) is #26 (despite being 2-4), followed by Wisconsin (229), USC (209), Troy (187) and Texas Tech (163) to round out the Top 30. Other teams getting votes this week includes Houston (86), Colorado State (69) and Georgia Tech (13).

Looking at the new Top 25 Media Poll, Arkansas (39 first place votes) rockets up four to become the new #1, Penn State (24 votes) drops one to #2, Virginia Tech (1 vote) drops one to #3, Notre Dame (1 vote) falls one to #4 and Tennessee climbs one to #5. Nebraska moves up one to #6, Iowa climbs three to #7, Auburn drops four to #8, Georgia jumps four to #9 and Ohio State climbs two to #10. LSU falls three to #11, NC State moves up three to #12, Oklahoma leaps ten to #13, Alabama climbs three to #14 and Texas drops six to #15. Miami climbed two to #16, West Virginia moves up two to #17, Oregon falls six to #18, Virginia climbs two to #19 and SMU enters the poll at #20. Washington enters the poll at #21, Cincinnati remains #22, Oklahoma State falls nine to #23, San Diego State climbs one to #24 and Texas Tech (321 points) falls one to #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were USC (from #16) and Rutgers (from #20). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Rutgers (259 points) is #26, followed by Wisconsin (237), Clemson (213), USC (208) and Houston (172) to round out the Top 30. One other team getting votes this week is Troy (97).

In the first BCS rankings of the year: #1 Penn State (0.997), #2 Arkansas (0.995), #3 Virginia Tech (0.992), #4 Notre Dame (0.984, #5 Tennessee (0.978), #6 Nebraska (0.966), #7 Auburn (0.965), #8 Iowa (0.958), #9 Georgia (0.955) and #10 Ohio State (0.949).

Taking a look at the Heisman race, Auburn QB J.J. Thomas is #1 (LW: #1), Iowa QB Drew Frederick is #2 (LW: #2), Notre Dame QB J.R. White is #3 (LW: #3), Arkansas QB John Rivera is #4 (LW: #5) and Nebraska HB Ronnie Mayfield is #5 (LW: NR). Dropping off of the Heisman Watch list this week was Georgia HB Justin Jones (LW: #4).

[SmoothPancakes]

Game Seven

#19



Game Notes

--- Fresh off a dominating victory over the Connecticut Huskies and a three game road trip, it was back home to face our second toughest opponent of the season, the #19 Cincinnati Bearcats. The Bearcats entered with an equal 5-1 record on the season, and with an even across the board team. Their worst rating was Rush Defense, coming in at #52 in the nation, giving up 168.8 yards/game. Every other statistical category the Bearcats were no worse than the mid-30s, making for a dangerous opponent in every aspect of the game. Cincinnati won the coin toss and elected to kick.

An 18 yard return by Eric Hayden on the kickoff gave us the ball at our 15 yard line to begin the game. Will Oliver got us started on the ground with a 5 yard rush, followed by a gain of 6 yards to get a first down at the 26. Continuing to pound it on the ground, after a four yard rush by Oliver, the Cincinnati defense gave us a helping hand, as outside linebacker Jermaine Brown was flagged for a facemask penalty on the tackle, turning second and 6 at the 30 into first and 10 at the 45 yard line. Throwing up a play action pass to Eric Silva on first down, he was able to haul in the pass from Brad Stephens, picking up 15 yards on the play and a first down at the Cincinnati 40 yard line. After an incomplete pass intended for Hayden on first down, Stephens was able to hit Joe Vaughn over the top for a 10 yard gain to keep us moving at the 30. Returning to the ground, Oliver was able to pick up four yards on the carry. Silva came in on second down, but was quickly brought down at the line of scrimmage for no gain, leaving us with third and 6. An out route pass to Hayden would end up being striking first blood, as the cornerback turned towards the end zone before the cut outside and took himself out of position, allowing the pinpoint pass to be completed to Hayden who then raced at an angle toward the sideline, was able to turn the corner around the 10 yard line and dive towards the pylon for a 26 yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 6:05 left in the first quarter.

An 18 yard kickoff return got Cincinnati underway from their 26 yard line. It was the Jermaine Davidson show as he took the ball on six straight plays to begin the drive. After opening with a one yard rush, Davidson broke off two straight 7 yard gains to get a first down at the 41 yard line. Consecutive 6 yard gains after that gave the Bearcats another first down our 48 yard line, followed by an 8 yard carry around the right tackle to leave second and two from the 40 yard line. It was then that Cincinnati decided to go into the air, the second and short pass from Jack Brown to Stephen Sims completed for a 20 yard gain and a new set of downs at our 20 yard line. It was then that things completely unraveled for the Bearcats, as outside linebacker Nick Harrison intercepted Brown, returning it 70 yards before being tripped up from behind at the Cincinnati 15 yard line.

Taking over after the interception sitting on Cincinnati’s doorstep, Stephens dropped back to pass on first down trying to connect with Oliver, but the middle linebacker was able to break the pass up, leaving second and long. Throwing up a pass on second down, the throw to Carl Barnes was complete for a 5 yard gain, leaving third and 5 from the 10. Stephens was able to connect with Robert Harper on third down, but Harper got stood up just short of the first down line, leaving fourth and inches at the 5 yard line. Taking a gamble on fourth down, Oliver was able to get across the line of scrimmage for a one yard gain to set up first and goal at the four yard line. Oliver would only need one more play to finish off the drive, weaving his way up the middle for a four yard touchdown, increasing our lead to 14-0 with 2:13 remaining in the first quarter.

A 21 yard kickoff return got Cincinnati back in action at their 20 yard line. A 12 yard rush by Davidson got the Bearcats a quick first down at the 32 yard line. Two more rushes by Davidson picked up gains of 5 and 6 yards to move the chains to the 43. After an incomplete pass intended for Steve Raymond, Davidson was stuff for a two yard loss, leaving Cincinnati facing third and 12. Another incomplete pass, again intended for Raymond, was batted incomplete, leaving Cincinnati punting on fourth and 12. A fair catch by Hayden on the 49 yard punt got us lined up from our 10 yard line.

Oliver got us started with a 7 yard rush, followed by a gain of 8 yards to move the ball to the 25 yard line. Trying to rush it up the middle on first down, Oliver was quickly brought down for a one yard loss to leave second and 11. That would be the last play as the clock ran out, bringing the first quarter to an end with our lead 14-0.

Opening up the second quarter, we came out passing on second down, Stephens connecting with Silva in the flats for a 14 yard gain and a first down at the 39 yard line, getting the quarter off to a positive start. Returning to the ground, Oliver was able to get 8 yards on the ground, followed by an 11 yard rush to get a first down at the Cincinnati 42 yard line. Firing into traffic over the middle, Stephens was able to connect with Barnes around the left hash, Barnes proceeding to break three tackles while plowing over defenders, finally brought down by both safeties for a 27 yard gain and a first down at the 15 yard line. Oliver took the first down handoff straight up the middle, hitting the hole on his way to a 9 yard gain to leave second and one from the 6. Another rush by Oliver gained 5 yards to set up first and goal from the one yard line. Coming in to finish off the drive, Silva took the handoff on first down and rushed straight into the end zone untouched for a one yard touchdown, giving us a 21-0 lead with 6:46 remaining.

A touchback on the kickoff got Cincinnati back in action from their 25 yard line, the Bearcats trying to claw their way out of the ever-deepening hole. It would only get worse for the Bearcats as safety Darnell Turner intercepted Brown on the first down pass attempt, giving us possession at the Cincinnati 43 yard line.

Taking over after the interception, we tried to go for the deathblow on first down, as Hayden was able to slip past the cornerback off the line of scrimmage, but the pass deep into the end zone was too long and just out of reach of Hayden, bringing up second down. Forced to get rid of the ball to avoid a sack, the pass intended for Ryan Lewis was nearly intercepted by the outside linebacker, leaving third and 10. Trying to hit Hayden over the middle, the pass from Stephens was batted up into the air at the line of scrimmage, ultimately landing incomplete to leave us punting on fourth down. A touchback on the 47 yard punt gave Cincinnati the ball once more at their 20 yard line.

While the Bearcats would keep their drive going for longer than one play, it was still ultimately a fruitless drive as two dropped passes by Luke Bass and an incomplete pass intended for John Palmer led to a quick three and out. It would only get worse as false start penalty resulted in the Bearcats moving back 5 yards to punt on fourth and 15 from the 15. A 15 yard return by Hayden on the 48 yard punt got us back in action from the Cincinnati 49 yard line, looking to break this one wide open. A first down pass to Barnes was completed for a gain of 15 yards and a first down at the 34 yard line, getting us off to a quick start. Threading the needle between the cornerback and the safety, Stephens hit Vaughn mid-stride right in the number, allowing Vaughn to slip past the secondary and race all the way to the end zone for a 34 yard touchdown and a 28-0 lead with 5:28 to play until halftime.

No return on the kickoff gave Cincinnati the ball at their 25 yard line. Two incomplete passes and a 5 yard rush by Davidson again led to the Bearcats bringing out their punt team, as their potent offense from their opening drive of the game, went full face plant. A four yard return on the 42 yard punt got us lined up at our 32 yard line.

A pair of rushes by Oliver to start the drive went for gains of four and two yards, leaving us with third and four. A quick pass down the left sideline to Vaughn picked up 13 yards and moved the chains to the Cincinnati 49 yard line. A deep throw down the right sideline to Hayden was nearly intercepted by the cornerback, bringing up second down. Firing a pass over the middle, Stephens found Barnes for a 7 yard gain to leave third and three. A third down completion to Harper gained 7 yards, but a facemask penalty on the outside linebacker Robert White gave us 15 free yards, setting us up with first and 10 from the 20 yard line. Going back to the ground game, Oliver never had a chance, quickly brought down for no gain to leave second and long. Trying to connect with Hayden on second down, Stephens was again nearly intercepted, leaving third and long. A third down pass to Vaughn was again nearly intercepted to bring up fourth down. The 37 yard field goal by Derek Glover was good though, still increasing our lead, now to 31-0 with 1:49 left in the first half.

A 20 yard kickoff return gave Cincinnati the ball at their 19 yard line. The Bearcats were finally able to break out of their offensive slump, as Brown connected with Bass on first down for a 21 yard gain and a new set of downs at the 41. Another pass to Palmer went for 14 yards and another first down from our 46 yard line, our defense suddenly unable to slow them down. After a dropped ball by Bass, he came back on second down and hauled in a pass from Brown for 16 yards, moving the chains to our 30 yard line. Two incomplete passes intended for Bass and Davidson left Cincinnati facing another third down, but the passing game was able to overcome as Brown hit Chad Hawk over the middle for a 24 yard strike, setting up first and goal at our 6 yard line, the Bearcats taking their first timeout with 48 seconds to go. Sims tried to get the job done on the ground, but was quickly brought down for a one yard loss, leaving second and goal from the 7 yard, Cincinnati calling their second timeout with 45 seconds remaining. The air game would finish the drive off, Brown rifling a pass into the corner to Palmer for a 7 yard touchdown, cutting our lead to 31-7 with 39 seconds until halftime.

A 23 yard kickoff return by Jason Johnson set us up at our 22 yard line with just 28 seconds to go, but with three timeouts to use, we decided to take a shot. The decision would quickly blow up in our faces, as the ball intended for Johnson was promptly intercepted by cornerback John Smith, returned 12 yards to give Cincinnati the ball at our 27 yard line with 22 seconds to go.

Going into the air right from the start, Brown was able to connect with Hawk for an 8 yard pass, but our defense would respond back as cornerback Allen Moore intercepted Brown in the end zone, returning it 22 yards out to our 20 yard line with 8 seconds to go. Oliver took the handoff on first down for a 13 yard gain, bringing the first half to an end, our lead 31-7.

Opening up the second half, a 24 yard return on the kickoff gave Cincinnati the ball at their 25 yard line to start the third quarter. Brown got the drive started with a three yard rush, before dropping back to firing a pass to Bass for 18 yards and a first down at the 46 yard line. A 10 yard penalty on our defense only aided the Bearcats as they were set up with a first down at our 44 yard line. Keeping in the air, Brown found Hawk for an 8 yard gain, before hitting Bass over the middle for 20 yards to move the chains to our 17. A 7 yard rush by Davidson got the ball down to our 10 yard line, followed by an 8 yard rush to set up first and goal from our two yard line. Cincinnati would try to get in the end zone through the air on first down, but it would only blow up in their faces as our defense sacked Brown for a 9 yard loss, leaving the Bearcats with second and goal from the 11. An incomplete pass intended for Sims turned that into third and goal and left the drive in danger of stalling. Brown would come through in the clutch moment, finding Hawk along the back of the end zone on third down for an 11 yard touchdown. The Bearcats took a chance at a two point conversion, but the pass intended for Davidson was knocked incomplete. However, the touchdown still further cut our lead down to 31-13 with 7:02 left in the third quarter.

A 22 yard kickoff return by Hayden got us started from our 21 yard line, trying to get our lead built back up. Oliver got us started with a three yard rush, followed by a gain of 9 yards to get the first down at the 33. Trying to go for a third play, Oliver never had a chance of getting out of the backfield as two defenders broke through and tackled him for a one yard loss. Hit as he threw, the pass from Stephens intended for Vaughn overshot Vaughn and landed incomplete, bringing up third and 11. A pass along the right hash to Lewis went for a gain of 16 yards and a first down at the 49 yard line, keeping our drive alive. A deep pass to Vaughn on first down sailed long and incomplete, bringing up second down. Throwing off his back foot, Stephens threw the second down pass intended for Harper into the dirt at his feet, leaving third and long. Threading a pass between the cornerback, safety and outside linebacker and into the hands of Vaughn, the throw from Stephens was complete for a 21 yard gain, keeping us breathing and moving the chains to the Cincy 30 yard line. An incomplete pass to Barnes over the middle left second and long. Dropping back from under center, Stephens chucked up a pass to Hayden, who was wide open in between the safety and cornerback, able to cover the final 12 yards and dive into the corner of the end zone for a 30 yard touchdown, increasing our lead to 38-13 with 4:28 to go in the third quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff gave Cincinnati the ball at their 25 yard line, the Bearcats once again back in a deep hole. Davidson started the drive with a three yard rush, followed by a 5 yard pass to Hawk to leave the Bearcats with third and two, but an incomplete pass on third down brought the drive screeching to a halt and Cincinnati was forced to punt away once more. A 9 yard return by Hayden on the 47 yard punt gave us the ball at our 28 yard line.

While the Cincinnati offense was hot and cold, the Cincinnati defense was more than ready for us, as Oliver was flattened for a one yard loss on first down. A quick pass over the middle to Barnes picked up 6 yards, leaving third and 5. Forced to roll out to avoid a sack, Stephens was able to plant his feet and fire off a pass in time, connecting with Hayden for a 15 yard gain and a first down at the 48 yard line. Another pass to Hayden gained us 15 yards and moved the chains to the Cincinnati 37. Hayden kept punishing the defense, hauling in his third straight reception for 11 yards and a first down at the 26. A pass to Oliver in the flats was nearly intercepted by the outside linebacker, leaving second down. Cutting across on a slant route, the pass to Hayden was initially bobbled and nearly dropped, but Hayden was able to somehow get his hands underneath the ball before it hit the ground, hanging on for an 11 yard completion and a first down at the 15 yard line. Changing it up and returning to the ground, Oliver gained four yards on the first down carry, followed by a one yard gain to leave third and three. Looking to catch the defense cheating, Stephens did a three step drop back from under center and fired off a pass to Barnes, who had to leap up to catch the high pass. That leap cost us a touchdown on that play, as the defense was able to recover and tackle Barnes just inches from the goal line for a 7 yard gain, leaving first and goal inside the one. Oliver would finish off the drive in one play, fighting his way through a tackle attempt at the line of scrimmage to fall forward into the end zone for a one yard touchdown, increasing our lead to a dominating 45-13 with 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

A touchback on the kickoff gave Cincinnati the ball at their 25 yard line, just two seconds left on the clock. An incomplete pass intended for Hawk would bring the third quarter to an end, our lead a commanding 45-13.

Opening up the fourth quarter, an incomplete pass intended for Sims brought up third down once more. This time however, the Bearcats would convert as Brown connected with Hawk for a 13 yard strike and a first down at the 38. After an incomplete pass on first down, Brown scrambled for a four yard gain, leaving third and 6, where Brown again came through with a 12 yard completion to Raymond to move the chains to our 47. A 5 yard pass to Hawk was followed with a 26 yard bomb to Bass, moving the ball clear down to our 16 yard line. A pair of four yard rushes by Davidson left third and two from the 8 yard line, when the defense was able to bring Davidson down for a three yard loss, leaving Cincinnati facing fourth and 5 from the 11 yard line. The Bearcats would go for it on fourth down and would convert, Brown finding Davidson out of the backfield for an 8 yard gain to set up first and goal at the two yard line. Davidson would finish the drive off on the ground for a two yard touchdown, cutting our lead to 45-20 with 6:38 left in the game.

A 15 yard return by Hayden on the kickoff gave us the ball at our 18 yard line, just over 6 minutes away from victory. The first down play was blown up almost instantly as Oliver was forced to push outside to avoid a tackle, straight into the path of the blitzing outside linebacker. The hit by the outside linebacker knocked the ball loose, left tackle Jimmy Pope managing to beat three Cincinnati defenders to the fumble, recovering it for us for a four yard loss to avoid disaster and leave second and 14. A pass to Lewis was nearly intercepted as the safety jumped the ball, leaving third and 14, the defense playing aggressively and with renewed vigor. The drive would end with negative results every play, as Stephens was sacked on third down for a 7 yard loss, leaving us punting on fourth and 21 from our 7 yard line, our offense not even able to get the slightest rhythm built up. A fair catch on the 45 yard punt gave Cincinnati the ball at their 48 yard line, 5:23 left in the game.

After an incomplete pass on first down, our defense would bite us in the ass, a 15 yard facemask penalty tacked onto the end of a 16 yard completion to Davidson, giving Cincinnati a net total of 31 yards on the play and a first down at our 21 yard line, putting the Bearcats right back on our doorstep. A one yard rush by Davidson was followed with an incomplete pass to leave third and 9. Brown would again prove his mettle on third down, completing a pass to Spencer Chambers for a 12 yard gain to give the Bearcats first and goal at our 8 yard line. A first down pass to Raymond went for 6 yards to move the ball to our two yard line, where Brown completed a quick throw to Sims for a two yard touchdown, further cutting our lead down to 45-27 with 4:25 left in the game.

Cincinnati attempted the onside kick, but we were able to recover the ball, giving us possession starting at the Cincinnati 41 yard line. Looking to kill some clock, Oliver took the first down handoff, picking up four yards on the play, followed by a 5 yard gain to leave third and one. Oliver was able to shed a tackle in the backfield and let his momentum carry him across the line of scrimmage for a 5 yard gain, giving us a first down at the 27 yard line, the clock down to three minutes and ticking. Oliver was tripped up for no gain on first down, before Silva was able to break free for a 9 yard gain to set up third and one. Silva was unable to get the job done, tackled for a two yard loss to leave fourth and three. Glover at least got us points on the board, kicking the 38 yard field goal through the uprights to extend our lead to 48-27 with 1:22 left to play.

A 19 yard kickoff return gave Cincinnati the ball at their 23 yard line, trailing by 21 with 1:12 to play and all three timeouts. After an incomplete pass on first down, Brown was able to connect with Davidson for a 14 yard gain, but Cincinnati had to use their first timeout with one minute to go. The next play would break the backs of the Bearcats, outside linebacker Graham Minor intercepting Brown at our 49 yard line to give us possession with 54 seconds left in the game.

Oliver took the handoff on first down, rushing for an 8 yard gain. Cincinnati knew it was defeated, not even bothering to use one of its two remaining timeouts. With the clock running down to just 10 seconds left, Stephens took to a knee to run off the final seconds and seal our 48-27 victory.

With the win, we improve to 6-1, 3-0 in Big East action. With the loss, #19 Cincinnati drops to 5-2, 1-2 in Big East play. Up next, we conclude our two game home swing with visit from Memphis. The Tigers enter the game 1-6, 0-3 in Big East action. Memphis got started with a 38-17 win over FCS Northwest, before spiraling down into a 6 game losing streak with a 38-10 loss at Kansas State, a 35-20 loss at MTSU, a 32-13 loss to Navy, a 52-28 loss at East Carolina, a 36-31 loss at Pittsburgh and a 38-12 loss at Temple ahead of our game.

Final Score
48, #19 27



Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – For the most part, a good day by Stephens, going 21-36 for 311 yards and three touchdowns. Only sour note was the lone interception. Rushing, It was all Oliver today as he ended with 126 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. Silva, in very limited action, had seven yards and one touchdown on four carries. Receiving, Hayden was the top receiver today with 108 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions. In all, six receivers caught a pass today, all had at least double digit yard, Hayden was the only to reach triple digits. Vaughn was the only over receiver to score a touchdown.

- Tulsa Defense – For the most part, outstanding. Nearly completely shutdown defense in the first three quarters and ended with four interceptions. Fourth quarter was a little rougher, but they still got the job done to limit Cincinnati's points and keep our lead secure.

- Tulsa Kicking – A perfect day for Glover, going 2-2 in field goals, kicking 37 and 38 yard field goals while going 6-6 in PATs.



Scoring Summary

Team	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter	4th Quarter	Final Score
	0	7	6	14	27
	14	17	14	3	48

Time	Team	Result	Play	Score
First Quarter
6:05		Touchdown	E. Hayden, 26 yard pass from B. Stephens (D. Glover kick)	7-0
2:13		Touchdown	W. Oliver, 4 yard run (D. Glover kick)	14-0
Second Quarter
6:46		Touchdown	E. Silva, 1 yard run (D. Glover kick)	21-0
5:28		Touchdown	J. Vaughn, 34 yard pass from B. Stephens (D. Glover kick)	28-0
1:49		Field Goal	D. Glover, 37 yard field goal	31-0
0:39		Touchdown	J. Palmer, 7 yard pass from J. Brown (G. Rouse kick)	31-7
Third Quarter
7:02		Touchdown	C. Hawk, 11 yard pass from J. Brown (2-point conversion failed)	31-13
4:28		Touchdown	E. Hayden 30 yard pass from B. Stephens (D. Glover kick)	38-13
0:10		Touchdown	W. Oliver, 1 yard run (D. Glover kick)	45-13
Fourth Quarter
6:38		Touchdown	J. Davidson, 2 yard run (G. Rouse kick)	45-20
4:25		Touchdown	S. Sims, 2 yard pass from J. Brown (G. Rouse kick)	45-27
1:22		Field Goal	D. Glover, 38 yard field goal	48-27

Game Stats

Cincinnati	Stat	Tulsa
27	Score	48
18	First Downs	23
373	Total Offense	435
22 - 87 - 1	Rushes - Yards - TD	36 - 124 - 3
22 - 44 - 3	Comp - Att - TD	21 - 36 - 3
286	Passing Yards	311
1	Times Sacked	1
6 - 11 (54%)	3rd Down Conversion	8 - 13 (61%)
1 - 1 (100%)	4th Down Conversion	1 - 1 (100%)
0 - 1 (0%)	2-Point Conv	0 - 0 (0%)
6 - 4 - 0 (66%)	Red Zone - TD - FG	6 - 3 - 2 (83%)
4	Turnovers	1
0	Fumbles Lost	0
4	Intercepted	1
0	Punt Return Yards	28
102	Kick Return Yards	78
475	Total Yards	541
4 – 47.0	Punts - Average	2 - 44.0
4 - 40	Penalties	4 - 45
13:59	Time of Possession	22:01

Tulsa Contract Goals Update

Fail Impact	Goal	Progress	Pass Impact
	21+ points per game in each season	42
	Win 10 games in one season	6
	3300+ passing yards each season
	65% pass completions over the entire contract	59%
	Win 6 games in one season
	15+ rushing TD in each season
	3200+ total offensive yards each season
	3400+ total offensive yards each season	3349
Bonus
	Beat a higher ranked team

Job Security Status

76%

[SmoothPancakes]

Taking a look around the nation, in the Top 25, #1 Penn State beat FCS West 51-0. #2 Virginia Tech kept rolling with a 41-24 win over North Carolina. #3 Arkansas gets an easy win over Kentucky, 41-13. In the upset of the week, 3-4 Florida goes into South Bend and not only knocks off, but drops a 52-35 beat down on #4 Notre Dame. In the SEC game of the week, #14 Alabama dominates #5 Tennessee 48-24. #6 Nebraska easily beat Wisconsin 49-21. #7 Auburn whoops Ole Miss 49-13.

#8 Iowa escaped Illinois 30-21. #9 Georgia held on to beat Missouri 38-28. #10 NC State needs a 36 yard field goal with 7 seconds left to edge out Clemson 30-27. #11 Ohio State beat down Maryland 41-13. #12 LSU whooped Mississippi State 41-7. #13 Texas beats Iowa State 39-17. #16 West Virginia escaped with a 31-24 win over Minnesota. Houston improves to 8-0, winning the battle of unbeatens with a 38-17 shocking of previously-undefeated #17 SMU.

#18 Oregon thrashed Washington State 56-14. Tulsa knocked off #19 Cincinnati 48-27. Oregon State scored a last second 27-24 upset of #20 Washington, ruining the Huskies perfect season. #21 Virginia fought off Syracuse 38-24. #22 Oklahoma embarrasses Kansas 63-21. Hawaii stuns #23 San Diego State 38-17. #24 Oklahoma State rolled Baylor 41-14. Indiana shocked #25 Rutgers 27-21, the Hoosiers scoring twice in the fourth quarter to steal the win.

For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss barely improves to 6-1 (3-0 C-USA) with a 23-22 win over Louisiana Tech. Both teams scored in the fourth quarter, both teams failed on a two-point conversion attempt, Southern Miss gets the one point win. The difference came on three field goals and two touchdowns (with one missed 2-point try) for LTU, and one field and three touchdowns (with one missed 2-point try) for USM. Jaymo, Arizona State drops to 2-5 (1-3 Pac-12) with a 38-24 loss to Utah. Mors, #16 West Virginia improves to 6-2 (4-1 Big 12) with a 31-24 victory against Minnesota. Jeff, #11 Ohio State improves to 6-2 (4-0 Big Ten) with a 41-13 win over Maryland. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State improves to 4-3 (2-0 Sun Belt) with a 28-24 win over Army.

In Big East action, Tulsa upsets #19 Cincinnati 48-27, Houston knocks off #17 SMU 38-17 to win the battle of unbeatens, Temple beats Memphis 38-12, South Florida defeats Navy 10-6, East Carolina pulls out a 28-24 win over Connecticut, Central Florida wins over Colorado 31-3 and Duke beats Tulane 45-21.

With those results, looking at the current standings, in the East Division, Temple (2-1) claims the top spots, followed by East Carolina and South Florida (both 2-2) and Central Florida and Navy (both 2-3) with Connecticut (1-3) bringing up the rear. In the West Division, Houston (4-0) sits on top of the division, followed by Tulsa (3-0) and SMU (2-1). Beyond that sits Cincinnati and Tulane (both 1-2) and Memphis (0-3).

Looking at undefeated teams left, #4 Notre Dame, #17 SMU and #20 Washington lost this week, dropping our number of undefeated teams to 5. #1 Penn State (7-0), #2 Virginia Tech (7-0), #3 Arkansas (8-0), Houston (8-0) and Troy (6-0) all remain with an unblemished record this season.

Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There remains 3 teams still looking for their first win: Akron (0-7), Buffalo (0-7) and Utah State (0-7).

Teams getting their first win this week were: Louisiana Monroe (38-10 over 1-7 Massachusetts).

Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll, Penn State (37 first place votes) remains #1, Virginia Tech (22 votes) remains #2, Arkansas (2 votes) remains #3, Nebraska jumps two to #4 and Auburn jumps two to #5. Iowa climbs two to #6, Georgia moves up two to #7, NC State climbs two to #8, Ohio State jumps two to #9 and Alabama leaps four to #10. LSU moves up one to #11, Tennessee drops seven to #12, Texas remains #13, Notre Dame plummets ten to #14 and Miami remains #15. West Virginia remains #16, Oregon climbs one to #17, Virginia jumps three to #18, Oklahoma climbs three to #19 and Houston enters the poll at #20. SMU drops four to #21, Oklahoma State jumps two to #22, Troy enters the poll at #23, Tulsa enters the poll at #24 and Cincinnati (205 points) falls six to #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Washington (from #20), San Diego State (from #23) and Rutgers (from #25). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, USC (203 points) is #26, followed by Washington (200), Florida (189), Texas Tech (106) and Air Force (26) to round out the Top 30.

Looking at the new Top 25 Media Poll, Penn State (40 first place votes) climbs one to reclaim #1, Arkansas (24 votes) drops one to #2, Virginia Tech (1 vote) remains #3, Nebraska climbs two to #4 and Alabama rockets nine to #5. Iowa climbs one to #6, Auburn jumps one to #7, Georgia moves up one to #8, Ohio State climbs one to #9 and LSU climbs one to #10. NC State moves up one to #11, Tennessee drops seven to #12, Notre Dame plummets nine to #13, Oklahoma falls one to #14 and Texas remains #15. Miami remains #16, West Virginia remains #17, Oregon remains #18, Virginia remains #19 and Houston enters the poll at #20. Oklahoma State climbs two to #21, SMU drops two to #22, Texas Tech jumps two to #23, Tulsa enters the poll at #24 and Troy (237 points) enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Washington (from #21), Cincinnati (from #22) and San Diego State (from #24). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, USC (230 points) is #26, followed by Washington (223), Cincinnati (199), Florida (196) and Georgia Tech (119) to round out the Top 30. Other teams getting votes this week include Utah (104), Nevada (102), Air Force (54) and San Diego State (35).

In the new BCS rankings #1 Penn State (1.000), #2 Arkansas (0.992), #3 Virginia Tech (0.992), #4 Nebraska (0.984), #5 Auburn (0.973), #6 Iowa (0.969), #7 Georgia (0.965), #8 Alabama (0.965), #9 Ohio State (0.957) and #10 NC State (0.944).

Taking a look at the Heisman race, Auburn QB J.J. Thomas is #1 (LW: #1), Iowa QB Drew Frederick is #2 (LW: #2), Notre Dame QB J.R. White is #3 (LW: #3),Arkansas QB John Rivera is #4 (LW: #4) and Georgia HB Justin Jones is #5 (LW: NR). Dropping off of the Heisman Watch list this week was Nebraska HB Ronnie Mayfield (LW: #5).

[packersfan4eva]

Dat win doe

What an upset. Impressive work.

[SmoothPancakes]

Appreciate it.

I'm really surprised how the Cincinnati game turned out. When they drove down to our 20 yard line almost at will on their first drive, I thought I was gonna be in for a long day. Then they threw that interception that was returned 70 yards back to the Cincy 15 yard line and it all went downhill from there for the Bearcats. Four interceptions are not going to help you keep it close throughout the game.

I'm planning on firing up Memphis sometime here in a bit, maybe in an hour, hour and a half. Gonna get Memphis played, take a break for an hour or two while I take care of a couple things here, run to the store real quick and figure out what the hell I'm gonna do for dinner before possibly firing up Tulane, if I'm able to stay awake long enough.

I haven't eaten an actual dinner since Friday night. Was too tired after work Saturday that I fell asleep around 3pm, woke up around 10pm just long enough to take a piss and briefly catch a show on TV, and then rolled back over and fell sleep until 4am. Finally ate something at 4am Sunday. Sunday night, didn't feel like making anything or going out to get anything as I was still tired as shit and had no energy, so just slapped some deli meat on bread and that was it. Last night, I was again tired as shit, dozed off around 7pm, woke up briefly around 10pm or 11pm, said fuck it, rolled back over and slept until around 5:30am this morning. So since I haven't actually eaten a meal for dinner since Friday, I'm gonna try to actually eat a meal for dinner tonight.

Also, just to make note, as I am heading down the homestretch of this season, I'm gonna try to wrap it up this week, but I'm not going out of my way rushing to have the season wrapped up before NCAA '14 drops. I did that last year, and then ended up sitting here unable to start my seasons at Tulsa because I had to wait until August 15th for a patch to drop to fix some of the big issues in '13. Rushed to finish the final season at Florida International in NCAA '12, then sat there for over a month waiting on patches. Not repeating that again this year.

So I'm avoiding rushing this year. I'm gonna get Memphis this afternoon, maybe Tulane tonight. Tomorrow I'm gonna try to get Tulane (if I don't get them played tonight)/Houston played and maybe East Carolina if I can. How much I can get done tomorrow will depend on if I go in for work tomorrow night to get the weekend shows and church programs done that I'm responsible for preparing to put on air each week, or if I decide to say fuck it and just go in sometime after 6 or 7pm on the Fourth of July, since Thursdays are usually the days I go in to work on them anyways.

So I'd at least like to be done through East Carolina or SMU by Friday, try to have all the Pre-Bowl Games Update stuff typed up and posted by end of day Friday if I can.

[jaymo76]

Alright Smooth, I have come to the conclusion that you must be rigging the ASU games. Not once have they been to a bowl game and every season they are awful. This year they may be their worst.

Anyways brother, keep up the good work. You are running out of time to finish the season before 14. Good luck!

[SmoothPancakes]

Alright Smooth, I have come to the conclusion that you must be rigging the ASU games. Not once have they been to a bowl game and every season they are awful. This year they may be their worst.

Anyways brother, keep up the good work. You are running out of time to finish the season before 14. Good luck!

Damn, you caught on to my secret, sinister plan to keep Arizona State among the trash of NCAA.

Yeah, not sure what has been the problem with Arizona State. They've had one or two years where it could have been something special, then they crap the bed and go over a waterfall. Maybe it'll change in '14.

As for finishing the season before '14, like I said in my post above, I'm gonna try, but I'm not gonna rush it like last summer. Rushed to finish my last season at FIU, then couldn't start my dynasty until a patch came out on August 15th. Instead of just sitting there waiting for a (probably necessary) patch to come out between next Tuesday and whenever in July or August to fix some issue that might cause issues in my dynasty, I'm just gonna move at whatever pace I can to finish out this season and when I finally get it done, then I'll jump over to '14.

I'll probably do some "labbing" this weekend with the NCAA '14 season ticket to get familiarized with the changes and try out the changes to recruiting and the coach skills stuff, so I have a solid gameplan when I start up my dynasty in '14, but I'm not gonna sit there with the games on 5 minutes and Varsity (or whatever I did those last couple games at FIU last year) and just plow through the games to be done before Friday or Tuesday. I'll just keep going as I can on this so I can keep my last season at Tulsa legitimate instead of changing things for the final couple games to just blow through them before '14 drops.

Besides, even if I get done before Friday, it'd be at least a couple days before I fired up my dynasty on '14 (if I could even fire it up right away and not have to wait for a patch) due to having to type down all the current coaches and their Alma Maters at the start of the 2020 season into an excel file so I can copy all of that data over into the coaches file on NCAA '14.

[SmoothPancakes]

WOW! Memphis is terrible, just terrible! There's still 21 seconds left in the first quarter, and I could already bring in my second team offense and defense for the rest of the game if I wanted to.