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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.Quote:
Originally Posted by morsdraconis
So I honestly could see this season going anywhere from 6-6 to 10-2.
They're not in your conference :DQuote:
Originally Posted by SmoothPancakes
Curious ... did this change at all since the last poll before the bowls? Seems to me that it does not.Quote:
Originally Posted by SmoothPancakes
Re: Urban Meyer: The FUCK?!
Just saying, it wasn't another shutout. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by JeffHCross
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by SmoothPancakes
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 :D).
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffHCross
An ugly contract for Urban. He had 22% job security at the end of the 2016 season, the third and final year of his contractQuote:
Originally Posted by JeffHCross
Fail Impact Goal Progress Pass Impact :6redarrow: Finish a season ranked in the BCS Top 25 :red-x: :4redarrow: Finish 5th or better in the conference each season :red-x: :1redarrow: Win 75% of your conference games in one season :red-x: :1redarrow: Win 50% of your games vs the Top 25 in one season :red-x: :1redarrow: Finish a season ranked in the BCS Top 10 :red-x: :1redarrow: Beat a rival opponent each season :red-x: Win 10 games in one season :red-x: Win 100% of your games vs Top 25 in one season :red-x: Win a BCS bowl game :red-x: Win 12 games in one season :red-x: Sign 10 4-star prospect(s) in one regular season :red-x: Win 8 games in every season :check: :2greenarrow: Win 100% of your rivalry games in one season :check: :2greenarrow: Make it to a bowl game each season :check: Sign 1 Top 100 prospect(s) each regular season :check:
Ugly, yes, but if we went three years without a Top 25 finish, that would probably be the result.
Good point.Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffHCross
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.
:D :D :D
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 :D :D :D nonetheless. :D
Game One
:UNLV: :@: :Tulsa:
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
:Tulsa: 21, :UNLV: 18
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 :UNLV: 0 9 3 6 18 :Tulsa: 7 0 7 7 21
Time Team Result Play Score First Quarter 3:43 :Tulsa: Touchdown E. Hayden, 15 yard pass from B. Stephens (D. Glover kick) :Tulsa: 7-0 Second Quarter 3:30 :UNLV: Field Goal T. Simon, 26 yard field goal :Tulsa: 7-3 0:51 :UNLV: Touchdown C. Jackson, 8 yard pass from J. Bell (missed kick) :UNLV: 9-7 Third Quarter 5:51 :Tulsa: Touchdown E. Hayden, 38 yard pass from B. Stephens (D. Glover kick) :Tulsa: 14-9 2:39 :UNLV: Field Goal T. Simon, 33 yard field goal :Tulsa: 14-12 Fourth Quarter 6:30 :UNLV: Touchdown D. Riley, 28 yard pass from J. Bell (2-pt conversion failed) :UNLV: 18-14 1:16 :Tulsa: Touchdown W. Oliver, 1 yard run (D. Glover kick) :Tulsa: 21-18
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 :6redarrow: 21+ points per game in each season 21 :6greenarrow: Win 10 games in one season 1 :6greenarrow: 3300+ passing yards each season :red-x: :5greenarrow: :6redarrow: 65% pass completions over the entire contract 61% :5greenarrow: :5redarrow: Win 6 games in one season :check: :5greenarrow: :6redarrow: 15+ rushing TD in each season 1 :5greenarrow: :4redarrow: 3200+ total offensive yards each season 414 :3greenarrow: :5redarrow: 3400+ total offensive yards each season 414 :2greenarrow:
Job Security Status
48%
This could be a long season. :fp:
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. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by morsdraconis
Game Two
:Tulsa: :@: :Toledo:
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
:Tulsa: 31, :Toledo: 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 :Tulsa: 3 7 7 14 31 :Toledo: 0 0 3 7 10
Time Team Result Play Score First Quarter 3:34 :Tulsa: Field Goal D. Glover, 24 yard field goal :Tulsa: 3-0 Second Quarter 0:13 :Tulsa: Touchdown E. Silva, 4 yard run (D. Glover kick) :Tulsa: 10-0 Third Quarter 3:12 :Tulsa: Touchdown J. Keyes, fumble recovery in endzone (D. Glover kick) :Tulsa: 17-0 2:00 :Toledo: Field Goal H. Black, 26 yard field goal :Tulsa: 17-3 Fourth Quarter 6:42 :Tulsa: Touchdown R. Smith, 1 yard run (D. Glover kick) :Tulsa: 24-3 3:55 :Tulsa: Touchdown T. Fountain, returned fumble 2 yards (D. Glover kick) :Tulsa: 31-3 2:25 :Toledo: Touchdown D. Matthews, 8 yard pass from R. Wallace (H. Black kick) :Tulsa: 31-10
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 :6redarrow: 21+ points per game in each season 26 :6greenarrow: Win 10 games in one season 2 :6greenarrow: 3300+ passing yards each season :red-x: :5greenarrow: :6redarrow: 65% pass completions over the entire contract 61% :5greenarrow: :5redarrow: Win 6 games in one season :check: :5greenarrow: :6redarrow: 15+ rushing TD in each season 3 :5greenarrow: :4redarrow: 3200+ total offensive yards each season 706 :3greenarrow: :5redarrow: 3400+ total offensive yards each season 706 :2greenarrow:
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. :fp:
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.
With that, before I have to leave for work in 50 minutes, I'll just say a simple, WAY TO GO NAVY! :D
Way too many upsets with the EA sim engine. :smh:
Of course, that's probably going to happen with any sim engine that uses a one-time simulation for a result.
I can agree with you there. You only need look back through this dynasty and look the top 25 recaps to see a load of upsets (and just as many near upsets) each week.Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffHCross
Obviously there will always been upsets to some extents, but they can get insane at times in this game.
Game Three
:New_Mexico: :@: :Tulsa:
Game Notes
--- Back home after our surprisingly easy win over Toledo, it was time to take on another old opponent, the Lobos of New Mexico. Entering the game 0-2, New Mexico was a sort of mixed bag, coming in with offensive rankings all in the mid-50s in the nation, but defensive rankings all 91st or worse. Hopefully that would bode well for our very subpar rushing offense, and maybe give our poor passing defense a break. We won the coin toss and elected to kick.
The opening kickoff went for a touchback, starting New Mexico at their 25. Nathan Lewis got the drive started for the Lobos with a four yard rush, before Will Robbins hit Roland Powell over the middle for an 8 yard gain and a first down. A rush by Danny Robinson went for a three yard loss, made up with a three yard rush by Robbins to leave third and 10. An incomplete pass would bring the drive to an end. A fair catch on the 49 yard punt gave our offense the ball at our 13 yard line to begin. Will Oliver got the drive started, fighting his way forward for a two yard gain, followed by a 5 yard rush to leave third and three at the 20. Pitching the ball right, Oliver never had a chance, as the cornerback and linebacker overwhelmed the tight end, followed by the rest of the defense to tackle him for a four yard loss, leaving us punting on fourth and 7. A fair catch on the 44 yard punt gave New Mexico the ball at their 39 yard line.
Robinson started things with a pair of four yard rushes to leave third and two, which was coverted with an 8 yard pass from Robbins to Wade Wilkerson for a first down at our 44 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Robinson broke a 7 yard rush to set up third and three, but an incomplete pass would stall things out at our 37 yard line. After a 5 yard false start penalty, the Lobos opted to skip the fourth down conversion and instead punt it, the punt sailing into the end zone for a touchback.
Starting from our 20 yard line, Oliver was able to find a hole up the middle for a 6 yard gain, followed by a rush of four yards to leave third and inches at the 30. Taking the third down rush up the gut, Oliver was stood up at the line, but able to get to the outside shoulder of the defensive tackle, was able to keep his legs driving and fall forward for a one yard gain and a first down at the 31. With the run game stuck in the mud, it was time to open up the air game, as Brad Stephens completed his first pass of the day, connecting with Eric Hayden for an 11 yard gain and a first down at the 42 yard line. The second pass attempt ended much worse, as the defensive end beat his blocker, coming in from the right side to sack Stephens for a 9 yard loss. The offensive line was going to need an ass whooping at halftime, as Stephens was very nearly sacked for a second straight play, this time from the left side, as he was hit just as he tried to throw deep to Hayden, the ball knocked out and incomplete just yards away to leave third and 19. Just barely getting the throw off this time, Stephens was able to connect with Antonio Banks along the left sideline, a downfield block by Hayden taking the cornerback out of the picture, allowing Banks to scramble up the sideline before being pushed out of bounds by the outside linebacker at the New Mexico 47 yard line for a 20 yard gain and a new set of downs. Heading back to the ground game, Oliver was able to pick up 5 yards up the middle. A designed run for Stephens on the next play ended in no gain, leaving third and four from the 41 yard line. Coming over the middle, Banks was able to grab a quick pass from Stephens for a 5 yard gain, the defense unable to drive him back behind the first down line before forward momentum over the line had already been established, giving us a first down at the 37. Getting lucky on the next play, Stephens hit Hayden down the left hash mark for a 17 yard gain, the cornerback attempting to intercept the ball, but missing, allowing Hayden to turn up field for a couple extra yards to the 20 yard line. Chucking a ball up into the corner of the end zone for Conner Jefferson, the play was broken up by the cornerback, leaving second down. Diving for an off-target pass, Jefferson was able to redeem himself by hauling in a 10 yard pass over the middle from Stephens, leaving third and inches at the 10 yard line. Oliver would finish the job on the next play, breaking through a tackle attempt at the line by the defensive tackle, finding a hole up the middle, and then pushing through another tackle attempt at the two yard line, dragging the safety into the end zone with him for the 10 yard touchdown rush and a 7-0 lead with 45 seconds left in the quarter.
A touchback on the kickoff gave New Mexico the ball at their 25 yard line. Robbins got their drive started with a 7 yard rush, before an incomplete pass left third and three. Robinson would keep the drive alive, breaking loose for a gain of 8 yards to get the first down at the 40 yard line. A 7 yard rush by Robinson would leave second and three from the 47, and that would be where the first quarter would come to a close, our lead 7-0.
Opening up the second quarter, Robinson picked up another first down for the Lobos with a four yard rush to move the chains to our 49. Two more rushes by Robinson for 7 and four yards gained yet another first down for New Mexico at our 38 yard line. Robinson continued putting on a rushing clinic, picking up four yards on the next play, before our defense finally responded back, tackling Robinson for a loss of three yards to leave the Lobos facing third and 9. An incomplete pass would stall out the drive. The punt would sail out of the end zone for a touchback, leaving us starting from our 20 yard line.
Oliver finally was able to break his first long run of the day, hitting the gap around the right tackle, turning up field after breaking off a tackle and initially having nothing but green and appearing to be headed for a long touchdown, but a quick move by the safety allowed him to tackle Oliver for only a 21 yard gain, setting us up with a first down at our 41. No gain on the following carry, followed by an incomplete pass to leave third down. Jefferson was able to keep our drive breathing, hauling in a bullet pass from Stephens for a 10 yard gain, holding onto the ball while being hit immediately after, to set up the first down at the Lobos 49. A pass to Randy Newman picked up four yards, after which Oliver got us a new set of downs with an 11 yard rush down to the New Mexico 34 yard line. Oliver kept the momentum going, finally finding his gear, rushing for a 13 yard gain to the 21. A four yard gain by Oliver was followed with an 8 yard rush to leave us with first and goal at the 9 yard line. We seemed to finally break the backs of the defense, as Roy Smith took the handoff on first down, weaving his way up the middle, running into the end zone standing up for the 9 yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 4:46 left in the half.
The kickoff return nearly ended in disaster for New Mexico, as the ball was fumbled during the return, recovered by Dustin Stone at the 17 yard line to keep the Lobos from falling over the cliff. A pair of rushes by Robinson for gains of 8 and 5 yards gave the Lobos a first down at their 31 yard line. Two more rushes by Robinson, going for pickups of 7 and 8 yards gave another first down at the 45 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Robinson got New Mexico across midfield with a 7 yard rush, followed by a 6 yard rush by Wilkerson to get the first down at our 41 yard line. Robinson was tackled for a two yard loss on the next play, followed by an incomplete pass to leave third and 12 from the 43. Another incomplete pass would leave yet another New Mexico drive stalled out in our territory. The Lobos would attempt to go for the conversion, but the fourth down pass was batted incomplete, and our we took over on offense at our 43 yard line on the turnover on downs.
Taking the handoff, Oliver was able to pick up one yard on the first down carry. Rushing the pass on the next play to beat the blitz, Stephens was able to miraculously hook up with Jefferson over the right hash mark, who was able to get behind his man, hauling the pass in and racing 55 yards down field before being tripped up in a desperation attempt tackled by the safety at the one yard line, leaving us with first and goal with 1:45 left to play. Oliver would need only one play to finish the drive, fighting his way through a tackle and into the end zone for the one yard touchdown to increase our lead to 21-0 with 1:42 to play in the half.
No return on the following kickoff left New Mexico starting from their 25 yard line with 1:34 left to play. Robbins started the drive with a 5 yard scramble, the Lobos calling their first time out with 1:28 to go. After an incomplete pass, a 5 yard pass to Tyrell Cox left New Mexico with fourth and inches from their 35. Our defense would help them as a pass interference penalty gave New Mexico a first down at midfield. After a pair of incomplete passes, Robbins connected with Robinson for a 12 yard pass on third down, moving the chains to our 38 yard line, the second New Mexico timeout stopping play with 54 seconds to go. After another incomplete pass, Robbins hit Robinson again, this time for an 18 yard gain to our 20 yard line with 42 seconds remaining. An incomplete pass and a loss of two yards by Robinson left the Lobos facing third and 12 with only 28 seconds to go. Robbins was able to cut that distance down with a 9 yard pass to Lewis, but New Mexico was still left with fourth and three at our 13 yard line and 18 seconds left on the clock. The Lobos would try for a 30 yard field goal, but the kick was no good, wide left, and we headed into halftime with a 21-0 lead.
Jefferson got the second half started with a 24 yard kickoff return, giving us the ball at our 23 yard line. Oliver kept the ground game going, taking the ball on first down for a gain of 8 yards, followed by a rush of 5 yards and a first down at the 36. After a loss of one yard by Oliver, in a little trickeration, Oliver took the direct snap and threw to Jefferson down the right sideline for a 24 yard gain, giving us a first down at the 41 yard line and leaving the defense confused. Three straight incomplete passes would bring our drive to an end, as the punt sailed into the end zone for a touchback.
After an incomplete pass on first down, Robbins connected with Robinson for a 9 yard gain to leave New Mexico with third and one from the 29. The drive would stall out there as an incomplete pass on third down left the punt team coming out. A 5 yard punt return by Jefferson on the 44 yard punt gave us the ball at our 31 yard line. Oliver took the ball to start the drive, breaking off a pair of rushes for gains of four and 5 yards, leaving third and one, before busting up the middle for a 14 yard carry and a first down at the New Mexico 46. Smith took the handoff on the next play, fighting his way forward for a four yard gain. Going with a play action pass on second down, Oliver was able to haul in a pass from Stephens down the left sideline for a 17 yard gain down to the Lobos 25 yard line. A screen pass to Jefferson on first down picked up 5 yards, followed by a loss of two yards by Stephens to leave us with third and 7. An incomplete pass would leave us with fourth down and the field goal unit coming out. The 39 yard field goal attempt by David Glover was no good, the ball just missing the crossbar. A pair of incomplete passes and a 6 yard rush by Robinson would likewise limit the drive of the Lobos, leaving them punting on fourth and four. A fair catch on the 44 yard punt set our offense up at our 28 yard line.
A first down pass to Carl Barnes was completed for a 15 yard gain, quickly moving us and giving a first down at the 43 yard line. Oliver kept it going with a 13 yard rush up the middle, giving us another first down at the New Mexico 44 yard line, as the Lobos defense started to show more and more signs of tiredness. After a 5 yard rush by Oliver on first down, he was tackled for a loss of two yards on the next play, leaving us with third and 5. The pass intended for Hayden was batted down incomplete, leaving our punt team coming out. A bad snap on the punt left Carlos Wilcox scrambling on the play, tackled for a three yard loss, giving New Mexico possession at their 44 yard line. After two incomplete passes, the Lobos finally got moving, as Robbins connected with Robinson for a 15 yard gain to our 41 yard line. After another incomplete pass, another pass to Robinson gained 10 yards to leave second and inches, Robbins keeping the ball himself and rushing for three yards to get the first down at our 29. Three incomplete passes would seemingly bring yet another drive to an end for New Mexico. But instead of trying a long field goal, the Lobos opted to go for it on fourth down, Robbins finding Cox over the middle for 10 yards and a first down at our 19 yard line. A false start penalty would push the offense backwards, leaving them facing first and 15. An incomplete pass on first down would bring the third quarter to a close, our lead 21-0.
Opening up the fourth quarter, two more incomplete passes left New Mexico with fourth and 15 from our 24 yard line. The Lobos again opted to go for it on fourth down, but the pass intended for Lewis was broken up, and with the turnover on downs, we took over at our 24 yard line. Oliver got the drive started with a pair of rushes for gains 7 and 10 yards to pick up the first down at the 41 yard line. A 16 yard pass from Stephens to Hayden got us into Lobos territory with a first down at the New Mexico 43. Stephens then kept the ball himself, rushing around the right tackle for a 16 yard gain and a new set of downs at the 27. Forced to scramble two plays in a row, Stephens was able to gain 7 yards the first time and three yards the second time to leave us looking at third and inches from the 17 yard line. Stephens never had a chance on the third down play, as the outside linebacker blitzed through untouched, sacking Stephens for an 8 yard loss before he had even completed his full drop back. Left with fourth and 8 from the 25 yard line, the 42 yard field goal by Glover was good, giving us a 24-0 lead with 6:51 to play in the game.
No return on the following kickoff gave New Mexico the ball at their 25 yard line and still looking for an answer. They wouldn’t find it this drive, as two incomplete pass and a three yard scramble by Robbins left the Lobos punting away on fourth and 7. A fair catch on the 46 yard punt set our offense up at our 26 yard line. Oliver got us rolling with a two rushes for 5 and 8 yards to get a first down at the 39 yard line, before breaking off another run for 8 yards. Smith would pick up the first down on the next play, breaking up the middle for a 16 yard gain to the New Mexico 37. A 6 yard rush by Oliver was followed up with a rush for no gain by Smith to leave third and four. Stephens tried to get the first down himself, but never made it, as the middle linebacker blitzed through and tackled him for a loss of three yards. Taking a shot deep, the 52 yard field goal by Glover split the uprights, extending our lead to 27-0 with 3:14 left in the game.
A touchback on the kickoff left New Mexico once again starting from their 25 yard line. After two incomplete passes to start the drive, Robbins connected with Powell for a 13 yard gain and a first down at the 38 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Robinson took the ball on the ground for two consecutive plays, picking up gains of four and 8 yards to get the first down at midfield. Another incomplete passes was followed with a three yard rush by Robinson to leave third and 7, before Robbins connected with Robinson through the air for a 15 yard strike and a first down at our 32. A 6 yard pass to Powell was followed with a three yard rush by Wilkerson to leave third and one. Robinson would keep the drive moving with a 6 yard rush to move the chains down to our 18 yard line. An 8 yard pass from Robbins to Mike Hall got the Lobos the closest they had been all game to our end zone, leaving second and two at our 10 yard line with 1:11 left to play. A two yard rush by Robbins moved the ball down to the 8 yard line, leaving third and inches, New Mexico’s first timeout stopping the clock with 59 seconds. A 5 yard rush by Andrew Davis would get the conversion, setting up first and goal from our three yard line, the Lobos second timeout stopping the clock with 52 seconds to go. Robinson was able to get one yard on the first down carry, before finally punching the Lobos into the end zone for the first time in the game with a two yard rush up the middle. The extra point by Adrian Johnson was no good, sailing wide left, only cutting our lead to 27-6 with 38 seconds left on the clock.
The Lobos attempted an onside kick, but the ball was recovered by our hands team, giving us a first down at the New Mexico 42 yard line with only 33 seconds to go. A single kneel down by Stephens was all that was needed, sealing the 27-6 victory to stay perfect on the year.
With the win, we improve to 3-0 ahead of our conference opener. With the loss, New Mexico continues searching for their first win of the year, dropping to 0-3 on the season. Up next, it's back on the road as we open up conference play with a trip to UAB. The Blazers enter the game 1-2 on the year, opening with a 28-19 loss at Washington and a 38-17 loss against Indiana, before picking up their first win of the season, 38-7 against Memphis.
Final Score
:Tulsa: 27, :New_Mexico: 6
Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – A good day for Stephen, ending 13-20 for 192 yards and one touchdown. Oliver led the way on the ground, rushing for 176 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. Through the air, Jefferson ended up our go to guy, with 104 yards and a touchdown on 5 receptions. In all, six guys caught a pass today.
- Tulsa Defense – Bent all to hell, but didn't break. New Mexico made a number of drives down inside our 20, 30 or 40 yard lines, but the defense never let them get a thing until the garbage time touchdown in the final seconds.
- Tulsa Kicking – Glover was nearly perfect today, going 2-3 in field goals, making kicks from 42 and 52 yards out, but missing a 39 yard attempt. Also went 3-3 in PATs.
Scoring Summary
Team 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Final Score :New_Mexico: 0 0 0 6 6 :Tulsa: 7 14 0 6 27
Time Team Result Play Score First Quarter 0:45 :Tulsa: Touchdown W. Oliver, 10 yard run (D. Glover kick) :Tulsa: 7-0 Second Quarter 4:46 :Tulsa: Touchdown R. Smith, 9 yard run (D. Glover kick) :Tulsa: 14-0 1:42 :Tulsa: Touchdown W. Oliver, 1 yard run (D. Glover kick) :Tulsa: 21-0 Third Quarter --- --- --- --- --- Fourth Quarter 6:51 :Tulsa: Field Goal D. Glover, 42 yard field goal :Tulsa: 24-0 3:14 :Tulsa: Field Goal D. Glover, 52 yard field goal :Tulsa: 27-0 0:38 :New_Mexico: Touchdown D. Robinson, 2 yard run (missed kick) :Tulsa: 27-6
Game Stats
New Mexico Stat Tulsa 6 Score 27 19 First Downs 22 291 Total Offense 421 35 - 145 - 1 Rushes - Yards - TD 44 - 205 - 3 14 - 48 - 0 Comp - Att - TD 14 - 22 - 1 146 Passing Yards 216 0 Times Sacked 2 11 - 22 (50%) 3rd Down Conversion 6 - 12 (50%) 1 - 3 (33%) 4th Down Conversion 0 - 1 (0%) 0 - 0 (0%) 2-Point Conv 0 - 0 (0%) 4 - 1 - 0 (25%) Red Zone - TD - FG 5 - 3 - 1 (80%) 0 Turnovers 0 0 Fumbles Lost 0 0 Intercepted 0 0 Punt Return Yards 5 18 Kick Return Yards 24 309 Total Yards 450 6 – 43.7 Punts - Average 2 - 43.0 2 - 10 Penalties 1 - 15 13:56 Time of Possession 22:04
Tulsa Contract Goals Update
Fail Impact Goal Progress Pass Impact :6redarrow: 21+ points per game in each season 26 :6greenarrow: Win 10 games in one season 3 :6greenarrow: 3300+ passing yards each season :red-x: :5greenarrow: :6redarrow: 65% pass completions over the entire contract 61% :5greenarrow: :5redarrow: Win 6 games in one season :check: :5greenarrow: :6redarrow: 15+ rushing TD in each season 6 :5greenarrow: :4redarrow: 3200+ total offensive yards each season 1127 :3greenarrow: :5redarrow: 3400+ total offensive yards each season 1127 :2greenarrow:
Job Security Status
48%
Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, in the game of the week, #1 Notre Dame pulls out a 37-20 win over #3 Michigan State. #2 Nebraska had to sweat out a 20-10 win over Air Force, trailing 10-6 after three quarters, scoring the final 14 points of the game in the fourth quarter to get the win. Florida International held a 6-0 lead midway through the second quarter, but #8 Iowa turned it on from their, coasting to a 45-12 win. #9 Oregon picks up an easy 42-17 win over #20 Ole Miss. In the upset shocker of the week, Texas Tech takes #11 TCU behind the woodshed to the tune of 52-35.
Navy tried to pull off a second straight upset, trailing only 7-6 after one quarter, but it wasn't meant to be as #13 LSU went on for the 49-23 win. #15 NC State barely remains perfect on the year, handing Louisville their first loss of the season, 26-24. #16 Wisconsin barely escaped Temple at home with a 38-30 victory. #21 Florida State needed double overtime to escape #22 Virginia, 30-27. #24 Rutgers trips up #18 Maryland, 20-17, in overtime.
For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss improves to 3-0 with a 24-21 win over Colorado State. Jaymo, Arizona State drops to 1-2 (0-1 Pac-12), losing 42-35 to Washington State. Mors, West Virginia improves to 2-1 (1-1 Big 12) with a 31-14 win over Baylor. Jeff, Ohio State falls to 2-1, getting slapped around like a rag doll, losing 42-0 to Troy. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State improves to 2-0 with a 27-7 win over MTSU.
In C-USA action, Tulsa beats New Mexico 27-6, UAB gets a 38-7 win over Memphis, Florida Atlantic downs Utah State 30-6, Southern Miss escapes Colorado State 24-21, Marshall obliterates Louisiana Tech 45-10, UTEP eases to a win, 35-7, over New Mexico State, Mid Tennessee State loses 27-7 to Arkansas State, Rice falls to Toledo 30-7, and Florida International gets blasted by #8 Iowa 45-12. One week after going 2-10 as a conference, we turn around with a 6-4 mark.
Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll, Notre Dame (36 first place votes) remains #1, Nebraska (22 votes) remains #2, Clemson (1 vote) moves up one to #3, USC (1 vote) moves up one to #4, and Oklahoma (1 vote) moves up one to #5. Miami, Iowa and Oregon all jump one to #6, #7 and #8, Michigan State falls six to #9 and Alabama remains #10. Georgia and LSU both climb one to #11 and #12, NC State jumps two to #13, Texas remains #14 and Wisconsin moves up one to #15. Arizona climbs one to #16, Boise State jumps two to #17, Florida State moves up three to #18, Rutgers leaps five to #19 and Virginia Tech climbs three to #20. Maryland falls three to #21, Texas A&M climbs two to #23, TCU plummets twelve to #23, Ole Miss drops four to #24 and Michigan enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week was Virginia (from #22). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Virginia (186 votes) is #26, followed by Georgia Tech (145), Mississippi State (116), Arkansas State (64) and Southern Miss (9) to round out the Top 30.
Looking at the first Top 25 Media Poll of the season, Notre Dame (43 first place votes) is #1, Nebraska (21 votes) is #2, Clemson (1 vote) is #3, USC is #4 and Oklahoma is #5. Miami and Iowa are #6 and #7, Alabama is #8, Michigan State is #9 and Oregon is #10. LSU is #11, Texas #12, Georgia #13, Wisconsin is #14 and Arizona is #15. NC State and Virginia Tech are #16 and #17, Florida State is #18, Texas A&M #19 and Boise State #20. Rutgers is #21, Maryland #22, TCU #23, Virginia #24 and Michigan #25. Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Ole Miss (275 votes) is #26, followed by Georgia Tech (251), Mississippi State (220), Southern Miss (174) and Louisville (122) to round out the top 30. Also getting votes are Arkansas State (97) and Houston (48).
Looking at the new Heisman watch, Notre Dame QB Jordan Cooke remains #1, followed by Miami (FL) QB Jason Day at #2, Oregon QB David Lewis at #3, Georgia Tech HB Brandon Terrell at #4 and Georgia HB Joel Nolan at #5.
Game Four
:Tulsa: :@: :UAB:
Game Notes
--- Fresh off our win over New Mexico, it was back onto the road to start our conference slate, with a trip to take on UAB. While UAB entered the game with a less than impressive offense and defense, our own offense wasn’t turning many heads, with total offense and rushing offense rankings flirting with the 100s for national ranking. Even our passing stats were pedestrian compared to seasons past. Hopefully we’d be able to start the conference portion of the season on a positive note. We won the coin toss and elected to kick.
A 15 yard kickoff return got the Blazers starting, albeit poorly, from their 14 yard line. Tim Beck took the ball on the first play of the game, picking up two yards on the ground, before Adam Gardner threw up a 9 yard pass to Clayton Harris to get a first down at the 25. That fast start to the drive for UAB would implode on the next play, as Gardner was intercepted by cornerback Tyler Fountain, setting our offense up at the UAB 27 yard line for our first drive of the game. Oliver got the drive off to a great start with a 12 yard run up the middle to get a first down at the 15. Another rush by Oliver went around the left tackle for a second 12 yard gain, and we were looking at first and goal from the three yard line. Oliver would punch it in on the next play, taking up the middle for the three yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 7:18 left in the first quarter.
UAB got better field position the second time around, as a 19 yard kickoff return set the Blazers up at their 21 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Beck took the ball up the middle for a 7 yard rush. The Blazers would convert third and three as Gardner connected with Harvey Sullivan for a 9 yard gain to get the first down at the 37 yard line. After another incomplete pass on first down, Beck took the handoff for three yards, before an 8 yard pass from Gardner to Sullivan got another first down at the 47. Another incomplete pass was followed with a 7 yard rush by Beck, before the defense made a stand on third down, tackling Gardner for a three yard loss, leaving UAB punting away on fourth and 6. The punt sailed 49 yards into the end zone for a touchback, setting us up at our 20 yard line.
Oliver was quickly turning into a one man show, taking the handoff up the middle for a 14 yard gain and a first down. Two more rushes by Oliver went for gains of 7 and 5 yards, giving us a first down at the 46 yard line. Plowing his way over the safety, Roy Smith took the ball up the middle on first down for a 10 yard gain, setting up second and inches. Oliver would get the first down and then some, rumbling his way for 11 yards down to the 33 yard line, where UAB would make their second mistake of the day, a 15 yard facemask penalty tacked on to the end of the play, giving us a first down instead at the 18 yard line. Keeping the school lesson in running going, a four yard carry by Oliver was backed up with a 6 yard rush by Smith, giving us first and goal at the UAB 8 yard line. Backed up into a corner, the UAB defense finally started to make their presence known, as Oliver was only able to get two yards on the first down carry. A 5 yard gain on the next play by Oliver left us with third and goal from the two yard line, as the clock ticked under one minute left in the quarter. The defense never had a chance as Oliver forced his way into the end zone, giving us a 14-0 lead with 15 seconds left.
A touchback on the kickoff left UAB starting from their 25 yard line. Three straight incomplete passes by Gardner would bring the punt team out for the Blazers, and bring the first quarter to an end, our lead at 14-0.
Starting the second quarter, Connor Jefferson called for a fair catch on the 44 yard punt, leaving our offense to start at our 31 yard line. Oliver started our drive with a 7 yard run over the left tackle, before being brought down by the middle linebacker for no gain on the next play, leaving us with third and three. Continuing the domination on the ground, Oliver picked up the first down with a 5 yard rush to the 43. Smith got back into the rushing action, taking a handoff up the middle for an 11 yard gain and a first down at the UAB 46. Oliver was able to pick up 7 yards on the first down carry before being drug down from behind by the middle linebacker. Oliver got the first down on the next play, and then some, finding a massive gap between the left guard and tackle, riding that hole all the way for a 13 yard gain and a first down at the 25. Keeping the ball on first down, Brad Stephens was able to pick up three yards on the ground, followed by a 9 yard rush by Oliver to get a new set of downs at the 13 yard line. Oliver continued to punish the Blazers, going straight up the middle for a 10 yard gain to set up first and goal at the three yard line. Smith came in to give Oliver a breather, but was only able to pick up one yard on the first down carry. Returning to the backfield, Oliver took the ball on second down, punching in the two yard touchdown for his third score of the day, making it 21-0 with 3:49 left in the second quarter.
No return on the following kickoff left UAB starting from their 25 yard line and looking for any kind of response now. They would find one, but not the one they wanted, as Gardner was sacked for an 8 yard loss on the first down play. A pair of scrambles by Gardner was only able to pick up three yards and one yard, leaving the Blazers punting away on fourth and 14. Our defense was feeling generous and got flagged for offside, moving the ball up 5 yards and leaving UAB looking at fourth and 9. Finally getting the ball off, Jefferson returned the 41 yard punt for four yards, setting us up at our 37 yard line with 2:50 left on the clock.
Oliver continued putting on a rushing exhibition, taking it up the middle for a 13 yard gain to get the first down at midfield. Two more rushes by Oliver went for gains of 7 and 8 yards, moving the chains to the UAB 35 yard line as the clock neared two minutes remaining. Shaking off a pair of tackles during the play, Oliver was nearly able to break loose for the touchdown, brought down by the ankles for only an 18 yard gain by the outside linebacker, giving a first down at the UAB 17. Coming in to give Oliver a break, Smith kept the ground domination going, taking the ball around the right tackle for a 12 yard gain to set up first and goal at the 5 yard line. Smith fought forward for a four yard gain on the first down play, leaving second and goal from the one. Back in the game, Oliver punched in the one yard touchdown for his fourth score of the day, increasing our lead to 28-0 with 1:25 left before halftime.
A 17 yard kickoff return set UAB up at their 19 yard line for their next drive. It was once again off to a poor start, as the defense sacked Gardner for a 10 yard loss, immediately putting the Blazers into a second and 20 hole. The Blazers wouldn’t recover from that hole, as Jared Witherspoon dropped a pass from Gardner, and Beck was tackled for a loss of three yards, leaving the punt teaming coming out on fourth and 23. A 6 yard punt return by Jefferson on the 47 yard punt got us starting from the UAB 48 yard line with only 53 seconds to go. UAB made their first true defensive play of the game, smacking Oliver in the backfield for a one yard loss, forcing us to call our second timeout of the half, left with only two to start the drive after the defense used the first. Just when all seemed lost, as Oliver was stopped for no gain to leave third and 11, Stephens proved the savior of the hour. We rushed to the line in no huddle, coming out in triple option to the right. Multiple great and successful blocks allowed Stephens and Oliver to get to the right sideline and turn the corner up the field. There, Stephens decided to keep the ball, turning on the afterburners and racing the outside linebacker and one of the safeties up the sideline, seemingly going in for a touchdown before the second safety came sprinting in from out of the picture, shoving Stephens out of bounds at the two yard line to leave first and goal with 27 seconds to go before halftime. Smith came in on the next play, but found nothing going, as he was tackled for a loss of one yard. Oliver would again finish the job, rushing in for the three yard touchdown, his fifth score of the day, increasing our lead to 35-0 with 19 seconds left in the quarter.
A touchback on the kickoff gave UAB the ball at their 25 yard line with 11 seconds to go. A rush by Beck for a loss of three yards would bring the first half to a merciful end for UAB, as we headed into the half with a dominating 35-0 lead.
Opening up the third quarter, Eric Hayden returned the kickoff 18 yards out to our 20 yard line to set up the offense. Figuring why change a successful thing, we kept it going on the ground, as what would have been only a three yard gain by Oliver turned into an 18 yard gain courtesy of a 15 yard facemask penalty by the middle linebacker, giving us a first down at the 38 yard line. The UAB defense was finally showing signs of being tired of getting slapped around, as Oliver was wrapped up for a one yard loss on the first down carry. Trying the triple option a second time proved decidedly less successful, as Stephens was hit for a two yard loss, leaving third and 13. Keeping the ball himself on third down, Stephens had a chance of breaking open after shaking off one tackle, but he wasn’t able to recover fast enough, as the safety swooped in to tackle him for only a one yard gain near the right sideline. With that, we were forced to punt for the first time today on fourth and 12. A 9 yard return by Witherspoon on the 52 yard punt set UAB up at their 21 yard line.
This time the Blazers found life on offense, as Gardner connected with Witherspoon for a 20 yard gain and a first down at the 41 yard line. After two straight dropped passes by Witherspoon, Harris hauled in a deep pass from Gardner for a 30 yard gain, and UAB found themselves with a first down at our 29 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Gardner connected with Sullivan for an 8 yard gain to leave third and two, but the Blazers would fail to convert, as Beck was tackled for a loss of 5 yards, leaving fourth and 7. Opting to go for it on fourth down, the Blazers would get that conversion, as Gardner hit Witherspoon over the middle for a 24 yard gain, setting up first and goal from our two yard line. Beck would finish the drive off on the next play with a rush up the middle for the two yard touchdown, cutting our lead to 35-7 with 5:05 left in the third quarter.
Jefferson returned the following kickoff for 22 yards, leaving us the ball at our 19 yard line. Our running game suddenly seemed in danger as Oliver was again tackled for no gain. He would get us into good position however on the next play, as the rush around the left tackle went for a gain of 9 yards, leaving third and inches from the 29. A two yard rush by Oliver would get the job done, giving us a first down at the 31 yard line. Fighting his way through a pile of players, Smith took the first down handoff for a 5 yard gain, before a one yard rush by Oliver left third and four. A pitch right to Oliver ended in failure, as he was tackled for a two yard loss, our punt team coming out a second time on fourth and 6. A fair catch by Witherspoon on the 49 yard punt left UAB starting from their 16 yard line.
After a dropped pass on first down, Beck hauled in a pass from Gardner for a gain of 9 yards, leaving the Blazers with third and one. A 6 yard rush by Beck would complete the conversion, moving the chains to the 31 yard line. A pass to Witherspoon on the next play went for 11 yards, followed by a 21 yard bomb to Sullivan to give UAB a first down at our 37. Another pass to Witherspoon went for an additional 11 yards to the 26. After an incomplete pass on first down, Harris was able to haul in a pass from Gardner for a pickup of 10 yards and a first down at our 16 yard line. Beck took the ball on the ground on the next play, fighting his way forward for a four gain, followed by a 6 yard rush to set up first and goal from our 6 yard line. That would be where the third quarter would come to an end, our lead holding at 35-7, but UAB knocking on the door.
Opening up the fourth quarter, Beck continued pounding it up the middle on the ground, getting four yards on the first down carry down to our two yard line. The Blazers would go through the air on the next play, as Gardner connected with Beck for the two yard touchdown, cutting our lead to 35-14 with 8:42 left in the game.
A 19 yard kickoff return by Hayden started us off from our 27 yard line, looking to stave off the comeback attempt. Oliver started the drive off with a four yard rush up the middle, followed by a 5 yard scamper to leave third and one. Oliver was able to just barely get across the first down line on the next play before being drug back by the outside linebacker, limited to only a one yard gain, but enough to get the first down at the 37 yard line. Stumbling his way forward through a pair of tackle attempts, Smith fought his way to a 9 yard gain. We received bad news after the play, finding out that Oliver had suffered an abdominal strain and would be out for the rest of the game. Busting up the middle on second down, Smith was able to break open for an 11 yard rush, moving the chains to the UAB 43 yard line as the clock ticked under 6 minutes. Smith picked up 5 yards on the first down carry, followed by a two yard rush from Eric Silva to leave third down and three. Smith kept the drive moving, fighting his way ahead for a four yard gain and a first down at the 33 yard line. Smith kept punching the ball up the middle, picking up 7 yards on the first down rush, followed by a three yard gain to leave third and inches. Silva would get the job done, rushing into the pile for a one yard gain and first down at the 22 yard line with three minutes left in the game. Smith was only able to pick up three yards on first down, followed by a 6 yard rush by Silva to leave third and one. Smith converted the third down, fighting his way through a pair of tackles to gain 5 yards, leaving us with first and goal from the 8 yard line. Silva came in to take the ball on first down, picking up three yards up the middle to get us to the 5 yard line. Smith took the ball on second down, gaining four yards on the rush to leave third and goal from the one yard line with less than a minute to play. Silva wasn’t able to punch it in, despite his best efforts, tackled for no gain at the goal line, leaving fourth and goal with 27 seconds left in the game. We settled for a 17 yard field goal by David Glover, expanding our lead to 38-14 with 16 seconds left to play.
A touchback on the kickoff left UAB with only 9 seconds to go, starting from their 25 yard line. A pair of rushes by Harris for 5 yards and four yards would put the cap on the bottle, as the final two seconds ran off the clock on our 38-14 victory.
With the win, we improve to 4-0, 1-0 in C-USA action. With the loss, UAB drops to 1-3, 0-1 in C-USA play. Up next, it's back home for a showdown with Marshall. The Thundering Herd enter the game with a 2-2 record, 2-0 in C-USA action. The Herd started their year with a 40-28 loss to #13 Florida State, followed by a 13-12 loss to Idaho. They then spanked Louisiana Tech 45-10 before getting a 45-21 win at UTSA.
Final Score
:Tulsa: 38, :UAB: 14
Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – Pretty much no day for Stephens outside of four rushes for 49 yards, of which 48 of those yards came on one play. Oliver was by far the king today, rushing for 200 yards and 5 touchdowns on 37 carries. Smith came a distant second, with 96 yards on 17 carries. Receiving? What receiving?
Tulsa Defense – A fantastic first half, rather pathetic second half. About the only reason UAB didn't score more points than they did, was because our run game was killing so much clock, it should be considered genocide.
Tulsa Kicking – A perfect day by Glover, ending 1-1 in field goals with the 17 yard kick at the end of the game, and ending 5-5 in PATs.
Scoring Summary
Team 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Final Score :Tulsa: 14 21 0 3 38 :UAB: 0 0 7 7 14
Time Team Result Play Score First Quarter 7:18 :Tulsa: Touchdown W. Oliver, 3 yard run (D. Glover kick) :Tulsa: 7-0 0:15 :Tulsa: Touchdown W. Oliver, 2 yard run (D. Glover kick) :Tulsa: 14-0 Second Quarter 3:49 :Tulsa: Touchdown W. Oliver, 2 yard run (D. Glover kick) :Tulsa: 21-0 1:25 :Tulsa: Touchdown W. Oliver, 1 yard run (D. Glover kick) :Tulsa: 28-0 0:19 :Tulsa: Touchdown W. Oliver, 3 yard run (D. Glover kick) :Tulsa: 35-0 Third Quarter 5:05 :UAB: Touchdown T. Beck, 1 yard run (M. Kent kick) :Tulsa: 35-7 Fourth Quarter 8:42 :UAB: Touchdown T. Beck, 2 yard pass from A. Gardner (M. Kent kick) :Tulsa: 35-14 0:19 :Tulsa: Field Goal D. Glover, 17 yard field goal :Tulsa: 38-14
Game Stats
Tulsa Stat UAB 38 Score 14 23 First Downs 12 358 Total Offense 212 63 - 358 - 5 Rushes - Yards - TD 17 - 40 - 1 0 - 0 - 0 Comp - Att - TD 13 - 26 - 1 0 Passing Yards 172 0 Times Sacked 2 8 - 11 (72%) 3rd Down Conversion 4 - 9 (44%) 0 - 0 (0%) 4th Down Conversion 1 - 1 (100%) 0 - 0 (0%) 2-Point Conv 0 - 0 (0%) 8 - 5 - 1 (75%) Red Zone - TD - FG 1 - 1 - 0 (100%) 0 Turnovers 1 0 Fumbles Lost 0 0 Intercepted 1 10 Punt Return Yards 9 59 Kick Return Yards 51 427 Total Yards 272 2 – 51.0 Punts - Average 4 - 45.3 3 - 33 Penalties 2 - 30 23:51 Time of Possession 12:09
Tulsa Contract Goals Update
Fail Impact Goal Progress Pass Impact :6redarrow: 21+ points per game in each season 29 :6greenarrow: Win 10 games in one season 4 :6greenarrow: 3300+ passing yards each season :red-x: :5greenarrow: :6redarrow: 65% pass completions over the entire contract 61% :5greenarrow: :5redarrow: Win 6 games in one season :check: :5greenarrow: :6redarrow: 15+ rushing TD in each season 11 :5greenarrow: :4redarrow: 3200+ total offensive yards each season 1485 :3greenarrow: :5redarrow: 3400+ total offensive yards each season 1485 :2greenarrow:
Job Security Status
46%
Now THAT is a game that would make Navy proud! :D
Edit: Oh yeah, and welcome to post #1000 of this thread. The first of many more thousands of posts to come!
Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, a HORRIBLE day for top 25 teams, #1 Notre Dame wins their battle of the unbeatens over Purdue, whooping the Boilermakers 56-21. #12 LSU proves the power and might of the SEC, as they edge out #2 Nebraska in the game of the week, 45-38. Virginia proved to be too much for the Tigers, as #3 Clemson fell in defeat this week, 30-25. In the upset of the week, Arkansas State stays perfect on the year, handing #4 USC their first loss of the season with a 42-38 defeat, the Red Wolves scoring twice in the final three minutes of the game, including the game winning touchdown with 38 seconds to go, to get the upset win.
#5 Oklahoma has some trouble early on, but poured on the points and pulled away in the second half to beat Nevada 34-13. #6 Miami barely escapes Wake Forest, winning 31-28 in overtime. Previously winless Penn State keeps the upsets rolling, knocking off previously unbeaten #7 Iowa, 30-17. Cal trips up #8 Oregon, knocking the ducks from the ranks of the unbeaten, 48-38. #9 Michigan State has their way with #19 Rutgers, whooping them to the tune of 55-27. South Carolina gets their first win of the season, while handing #10 Alabama their first loss of the season, with a 38-27 upset of the Tide.
#11 Georgia scores the game winner with 7 minutes left in the game to hand Vanderbilt their first loss of the year, 35-28. Georgia Tech wins a second battle of the unbeatens, improving to 4-0 and dropping #13 NC State to 3-1 with a 28-16 upset of the Wolfpack. #15 Wisconsin fights off a comeback bid by Illinois, to hold on for the 42-35 victory. #16 Arizona escapes and stays perfect on the year with a 37-34 overtime win at Washington. #17 Boise State suffered their first loss of the year as Colorado State abused the Broncos, 42-14. Another battle of the unbeatens results in upset, as Mississippi State stays flawless, knocking off #22 Texas A&M 35-30. Oklahoma State stays perfect on the season while knocking #23 TCU to 1-3 for the year (and without a doubt out of the top 25), in a 42-20 thrashing. And Wyoming scores an upset over #24 Ole Miss, 21-10.
In all, the #2, #3, #4, #7, #8, #10, #13, #17, #18, #22, #23 and #24 teams all lost this week. Additionally, #5 Oklahoma had trouble in the first half, #6 Miami needed overtime to win, #11 Georgia had to score the game winning with 7 minutes left, #15 Wisconsin had to fight off a 14 point comeback by Illinois, and #16 Arizona needed overtime to win their game. On top of that, 11 teams suffered their first loss today in games involving top 25 teams.
For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss improves to 4-0 with a 47-27 rout of Connecticut. Jaymo, Arizona State drops to 1-3 (0-1 Pac-12), losing 31-24 to Hawaii. Mors, West Virginia drops to 2-2 (1-1 Big 12) with a 31-17 loss to #21 Maryland. Jeff, Ohio State improves to 3-1 (1-0 Big Ten), picking up a 45-21 win over Minnesota. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State improves to 3-0 with a 42-38 shocker of #4 USC.
In C-USA action, Tulsa beats UAB 38-14, Southern Miss gets a 47-27 win over Connecticut, Rice smacks Tulane 35-17, Marshall shellacks UTSA 45-21, MTSU edges out North Texas 31-24, UTEP takes down Florida International 27-21 (dropping FIU to 0-4 for the year), Louisiana Tech loses to Louisiana-Monroe 20-14 and Texas State slaps that ass against Florida Atlantic, 49-10.
Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll, Notre Dame (35 first place votes) remains #1, Oklahoma (23 votes) jumps three to #2, Miami (2 votes) jumps three to #3, Nebraska falls two to #4, Michigan State climbs four to #5, LSU (1 vote) leaps six to #6, Georgia moves up four to #7, Clemson drops five to #8, USC falls five to #9 and Texas climbs four to #10. Wisconsin and Arizona both jump four to #11 and #12, Florida State moves up five to #13, Alabama falls four to #14 and Virginia Tech jumps five to #15. NC State drops three to #16, Iowa plummets ten to #17, Maryland jumps three to #18, Oregon falls eleven to #19 and Arkansas State enters the poll at #20. Georgia Tech enters the poll at #21, Virginia enters this week at #22, Mississippii State enters at #23, Michigan climbs one to #24 and South Carolina enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Boise State (from #17), Rutgers (from #19), Texas A&M (from #22), TCU (from #23) and Ole Miss (from #24). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Oklahoma State (253 votes) is #26, followed by Rutgers (190), Boise State (179), Texas A&M (175), Southern Miss (125) to round out the Top 30.
Looking at the first Top 25 Media Poll of the season, Notre Dame (45 first place votes) remains #1, LSU (20 votes) pole vaults nine spots to #2, Oklahoma climbs two ranks to #3, Miami jumps to #4 and Nebraska falls three to #5. Michigan State climbs three to #6, Clemson falls four to #7, USC falls four to #8, Georgia jumps four to #9 and Virginia pole vaults fourteen to #10. Texas moves up one to #11, Wisconsin and Arizona both jump two to #12 and #13, Arkansas State debuts in the poll this week at #14 and Virginia Tech climbs two to #15. Florida State jumps two to #16, Alabama falls nine to #17, Iowa tumbles eleven to #18, Georgia Tech enters the poll at #19 and Maryland climbs two to #20. NC State drops five to #21, Mississippi State enters the poll at #22, Oregon free falls thirteen to #23, Michigan climbs one to #24 and Oklahoma State enters the poll this week at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week were Texas A&M (from #19), Boise State (from #20), Rutgers (from #21) and TCU (from #23). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Texas A&M (283 votes) is #26, followed by South Carolina (236), Southern Miss (211), Rutgers (151) and Boise State (142) to round out the Top 30. Also receiving votes this week are: Tulsa (81), BYU (32), Stanford (30) and TCU (14).
Looking at the new Heisman watch, Georgia Tech HB Brandon Terrell leapfrogs four spots to become the new #1 in the Heisman Watch, followed by Miami (FL) QB Jason Day at #2 (LW: #2), Georgia HB Joel Nolan at #3 (LW: #5), Notre Dame QB Jordan Cooke at #4 (LW: #1), and Arizona QB E.J. McCoy at #5 (LW: NR). Falling off the Heisman Watch list this week was Oregon QB David Lewis (LW: #3).
Jesus man! Not one pass?! :)
Good game. Looks like you're off to a good start again. Hopefully it continues for ya.
:D Yep. The running game was so damn good in the first half, I didn't want to stop using it unless UAB forced me to go to the pass. I got to halftime without a single pass, and then from there on out, it was doing whatever I could to emulate Navy and try to complete a full game without passing once. Unfortunately it meant punting a couple times, but I was able to pull off that massive 18 play drive in the fourth quarter and just keep the running going straight to the end.Quote:
Originally Posted by morsdraconis
And we'll find out. I've played the cupcake portion of the schedule so far. Despite playing me tough, UNLV was pretty much a cupcake from day one, and New Mexico definitely was a cupcake. Toledo I got by with a win because they couldn't hold onto the ball. And UAB just plain sucks. The schedule starts getting interesting, with Marshall, Oklahoma State and FIU in the next three weeks alone.
Game Five
:Marshall: :@: :Tulsa:
Game Notes
--- Headed back home still perfect on the year, it was time for our next test of the season, as the Marshall Thundering Herd came to town. While sporting a 2-2 record, the Herd had a better passing offense, total offense and scored more points per game than us, while ranking just 10 spots behind us nationally in rushing. It would take another flawless performance and a day of domination by our superior defense to hold off any potential upset bid. A win today would also give us a chance to put a dent into Marshall’s 2-0 conference record and their East Division title hopes. We won the coin toss and elected to kick.
A 15 yard kickoff return left the Herd starting at their 13 yard line for their first drive of the game. It was a rough start as Brian Baker was tackled for a four yard loss on first down, before recovering those lost yards with a 6 yard gain to leave third and 9. An incomplete pass would bring the Marshall drive to an early end. Marshall’s misfortune was our gain, as a 9 yard punt return by Connor Jefferson on the 43 yard punt gave us possession for our first drive at the Marshall 48 yard line. Will Oliver flashed signs of the previous game, as he immediately took the ball up the middle for a 9 yard gain on first down. A four yard rush on second down got the job done, moving the chains to the Marshall 35 yard line. Coming out throwing on the first down play, Brad Stephens connected with Jefferson for a 12 yard gain and another first down at the 23. Hauling in the pass just before the safety could make a play on it, Eric Hayden was able to hold onto the pass from Stephens for a 15 yard gain, setting us up with first and goal at the 8 yard line. Marshall wasn’t about to just hand over the touchdown, as Oliver could only manage a single yard on two rushes, leaving us with third and goal from the 6 yard line. The third down pass to Carl Barnes went for a gain of 5 yards, but it wasn’t enough, as we faced fourth and goal at the one yard line. Choosing to go for the safe points this early on, we elected to kick the field goal, Derek Glover booting the 19 yard kick through the uprights from the right hash mark, giving us a 3-0 lead with 4:09 left in the first quarter.
A touchback on the kickoff left Marshall beginning from their 25 yard line for their next drive. Baker started the drive with a three yard run, before Thomas Wright completed a pass to Matt Archer for a one yard gain to leave third and 6. The Herd would end up going backwards on the next play as the defense sacked Wright for a 9 yard loss, leaving Marshall punting away on fourth and 15. A 5 yard return by Jefferson on the 41 yard punt gave us the ball at our 43 to start our next drive. A first down pass from Stephens to Barnes was broken up by the cornerback, followed by a broken up pass intended for Marcus Mullins, leaving us stuck with third and 10. Taking a shot deep on third down, the deep ball intended for Hayden was broken up by the safety, leaving us punting without a single yard gained on the drive. A fair catch on the 43 yard punt left Marshall starting from their 13 yard line.
Marshall got some early yards to start the drive, as a 5 yard facemask penalty was tacked onto the end of a 6 yard run by Baker, giving Marshall a first down at their 25 yard line. A 5 yard rush by Wright and a four yard rush by Baker left Marshall looking at third and one from their 34 yard line. Wright would get the first down on the next play with a three yard rush to the 37, and Marshall finally had some momentum built up. Baker kept it going on the next play with a three yard rush, before Wright was brought down in the backfield for a loss of three yards to suddenly leave Marshall with their backs against the wall, facing third and 10. A third down pass from Wright was dropped by Lance Rose, and all that momentum stopped in its tracks, as Marshall’s punt unit came out once again. Some fortune for Marshall at least, a fair catch on their 46 yard punt left us pinned back at our 16 yard line to start our next drive with 1:32 remaining in the quarter.
Coming out throwing on first down, the pass intended for Jefferson was rushed to avoid a sack, resulting in the ball going off target and ended up nearly intercepted by both the safety and the cornerback. Trying a pitch to the left on second down ended in pure failure, as multiple defense came plowing through the left side of the line, tackling Oliver immediately for a 5 yard loss, leaving third and 15. Stephens was able to hook up with Hayden for an 11 yard gain, but it wasn’t enough and the punt team came out on fourth and four. The Marshall punt return team chose to make their first major mistake of the day, as the defense was flagged for roughing the punter, giving us 15 free yards and an automatic first down at our 37 yard line and keeping our drive alive. The first place of our continued drive didn’t go well, as Stephens was hit as he tried to throw the ball, it landing like a wounded duck 5 yards away and incomplete. Throwing a screen pass on second down, Hayden was able to haul in the pass from a scrambling Stephens and turn it up field for a 17 yard gain and a first down at the Marshall 46 yard line. That would bring the first quarter to an end, our lead at 3-0, but our offense driving.
Opening up the second quarter, Oliver took the handoff up the middle on first down, shaking of a tackle on the line of scrimmage, but only for minor gain, as he could only pick up two yards. Throwing the kitchen sink at the Marshall defense now, Stephens kept the ball on a power option to the right, picking up 9 yards before being swarmed, enough to get the first down at the Herd 35 yard line. A pair of rushes by Oliver picked up gains of 6 and three yards to leave us looking at third and inches from the 25. Roy Smith was given the duty of picking up the first down on the next play, but he failed to do so, instead tackled for a two yard loss to leave us with fourth and three at the 27. Glover’s second field goal of the day, a 44 yard boot, extended our lead to 6-0 with 5:51 left in the first half.
No return on the kickoff left Marshall again starting from their 25 yard line. This time the Herd started finding success through the air, as Wright connected with Rose for a 5 yard gain, followed by a 7 yard pass to James Watts to get the first down at the 37. Marshall suffered a slight setback when Wright was sacked for a one yard loss. The setback would only grow as Rose dropped two straight passes, earning himself chants from the hostile home crowd of “butterfingers”, forcing Marshall to punt away on fourth and 11. A fair catch by Jefferson on the 41 yard punt got us started from our 23 yard line. Oliver attempted to take the ball up the middle on first down, but found nothing going, only managing one yard before being tripped up. Bouncing outside the right tackle on second down, Oliver found better luck, nearly breaking open for the first down but was brought down by the linebacker on a shoestring tackle at the 33 yard line, leaving us with third and inches. Oliver never had a chance on third down, as he was quickly hounded by multiple defenders. Despite cutting back and up to dive for the first down line, Oliver was engaged in a tackle and brought down, officially, for a one yard loss, leaving us punting on fourth and one. A 6 yard return on the 51 yard punt set Marshall up at their 22 yard line.
Marshall opened up their drive through the air as Wright connected with Archer on consecutive plays, for gains of 5 and 13 yards to get the first down at the 40 yard line. Wright continued to one-up himself, finding Watts deep down the right sideline for a 23 yard gain and a new set of downs at our 37. Wright was forced to scramble on the next play, managing three yards before being forced out of bounds, followed by an incomplete pass to leave third and 7. The offense would end up moving backwards from there, as a false start penalty left the Herd looking at third and 12 from our 39 yard line. Marshall would rise up to the challenge, as Wright hit Wesley Anderson over the middle for a 15 yard gain and a first down at our 24 yard line. Two incomplete passes and another false start penalty again left Marshall staring into a hole, as they faced third and 15. This time they would fail to meet the challenge, as the pass intended for Watts was knocked incomplete. The 46 yard field goal attempt by Jason Hicks was no good, sailing wide right, turning the ball over to us at our 29 yard line with only 1:28 left in the half.
Starting with so limited time on the clock, it was immediately into the air from the word go. Jefferson was able to get wide open over the middle of the field, but a well timed hit on Stephens right as he went to throw the ball resulted in an incomplete pass into the ass of the center. A pass from Stephens to Barnes went for a 10 yard gain, leaving us with third and inches, but an end around sweep by Hayden resulted in us going backwards, as he was tackled for a four yard loss and we were forced to punt on fourth and 5. A fair catch on the 42 yard punt gave Marshall the ball at their 23 yard line with 56 seconds remaining and two timeouts. Wright got the drive started with a quick 18 yard strike to Baker for a first down at the 40 yard line. After an incomplete pass, our defense pushed back, sacking Wright for a loss of 9 yards, leaving Marshall with third and 19 and forcing them to use their second timeout with 38 seconds to go. A third down pass from Wright to Baker ended up gaining one yard, bringing out the punt unit on fourth and 18. Jefferson called for a fair catch on the 41 yard punt, giving us the ball at our 25 yard line with 21 seconds to go. Oliver took the first down handoff up the middle for a 12 yard gain, giving us a first down at the 37 yard line, as the final 15 seconds ticked off the clock, our lead holding at 6-0 headed into halftime.
Opening up the third quarter, a 19 yard kickoff return by Jefferson got us started at our 20 yard line to begin the second half. Oliver found yards hard to gain early on, only managing gains of four and two yards to leave us with third and four. Jefferson kept our drive alive and moving, hauling in a pass right over the head of the cornerback for a 16 yard gain and a first down at the 42 yard line. Going off the left tackle on first down, Oliver could only pick up one yard, as the Marshall defense was no longer allowing anything on the ground. Coming out with play action, the defense bit as Eric Silva came out of the backfield toward the right sideline uncovered, hauling in the pass from Stephens for a 16 yard gain and a first down at the Marshall 41. We received word after the play that Will Oliver would be sidelined for a couple plays due to a bruised knee, the high re-injury risk not worth keeping him in the game. Coming out shooting the gap on his first carry this drive, Smith picked up 7 yards up the middle to leave second and three. He would end up reversing that on the next play, tackled for a one yard loss to leave our drive facing third and four at the 35 yard line. Finding nobody open and feeling the pressure, Stephens scrambled for the first down himself, spinning his way out of a pair of tackles and stumbling forward for a 6 yard gain to the 29 yard line. Taking a shot deep into the end zone, the pass intended for Jefferson was broken up by the safety, leaving second down. Stephens was able to find Hayden over the middle for an 8 yard gain, leaving third and two from the 20. Smith never had a chance on third down, tackled for a two yard loss to leave fourth and four from the 22. The 39 yard field goal by Glover was good, increasing our lead to 9-0 with 4:10 left in the third quarter.
No return on the following kickoff got Marshall started from their 25 yard line, as Baker took the first down handoff up the middle for a four yard gain. An incomplete pass to Watts and a dropped pass by Anderson left Marshall again bringing out the punt unit on fourth down. A 9 yard punt return by Jefferson on the 42 yard punt set us up at our 38 yard line for our next drive. Back in the backfield, Oliver was able to grab three yards on the first down carry, followed by a gain of only one yard to leave third and 6. Forced to scramble, Stephens was able to get the first down and then some, getting all the way to the Marshall 44 yard line before the ball was jarred loose, recovered by outside linebacker Charlie Parker to give Marshall possession of the ball at their 42 yard line.
Wright got the drive started with a designed run that resulted in a three yard loss, before recovering to find Anderson in the flats for a 7 yard gain to set up third and 6. The Thundering Herd were able to convert the third down with a 10 yard pass from Wright to Archer, moving the chains to our 44 yard line. Another pass to Anderson went this time for a 24 yard gain, and Marshall found themselves with a first down at our 20. An incomplete pass was followed with a 9 yard completion to Rose, setting up third and one at the 11 yard line. The incomplete pass intended for Archer left Marshall with a decision to make, facing fourth and one from our 11 yard line, down 9 with 1:07 left in the third quarter. The Herd made their decision, and conquered, as Baker rumbled up the middle for a 5 yard gain to set up first and goal at our 6 yard line. Baker picked up four yards on first down to advance the ball to our two yard line, before an incomplete pass intended for Anderson left Marshall with third and goal. Baker would punch it in on the next play from two yards out, cutting our lead to 9-7 with 29 seconds left to play in the third quarter.
Hayden returned the following kickoff 23 yards out to our 24 yard line. Despite only leading by two points, the fact of the matter was that we were still leading, and only 9 minutes away from victory. Going to the ground on first down, Oliver took the ball up the middle for an 8 yard gain, leaving second and two as the final seconds ticked off the clock, bring the third quarter to an end with our lead cut down to 9-7.
Starting the fourth quarter, we kept the ground game going as Oliver rushed forward for a 7 yard gain and a first down at the 38. Trying to cut back to avoid a closing gap on first down cost Oliver some yards, as he was instead brought down sooner, only able to gain two yards before being tackled. The Marshall defense refused to give any budge to our run game, as Smith was brought down for a two yard loss on the next play, leaving us facing third and 10 and forcing us into the air. That ended up proving fatal, as the third down pass intended for Jefferson was jumped and intercepted by cornerback Ryan Barron, returned three yards to our 43 yard line where Marshall took over.
Baker started the drive for Marshall with a 5 yard rush, before being tackled for a loss of two yards to leave third and 7 at our 40 yard line. An incomplete pass for Archer averted disaster from that interception, our defense saving the asses of our offense. The defense however nearly broke out the champagne a little too early, as Marshall went for it on fourth down, nearly completing a 30 yard strike downfield, but the pass was dropped by Baker inside our 10 yard line to turn the ball over on downs, our offense taking over at our 40 yard line.
Oliver was only able to pick up a single yard on the first down carry, Marshall still not letting anything go on the ground. Coming out in power option, it ended up going nowhere but backwards, as Oliver received the pitch from Stephens, only to be tackled for a loss of 6 yards, leaving us with third and 15 and again forced into the air. With plenty of time to pass, Stephens made the most of the play, sniping in a pass to Hayden over the middle for an 18 yard gain, followed by a 15 yard facemask penalty tagged on courtesy of cornerback Bernard Jones, giving us a first down at the Marshall 32 yard line, as the clock kept ticking towards 5 minutes to play. Oliver took the first down handoff up the middle 6 yard gain, leaving us in good shape on second down, for a change. Smith got to within one yard of the first down, but a holding penalty on right tackle Cameron Powers spoiled what good shape we were in, leaving us stuck with second and 13. The second down pass to a WIDE open Hayden overshoot its target and sailed incomplete, leaving us with third down. Throwing up to Hayden in the end zone, the cornerback jumped the pass and batted it incomplete, leaving us with fourth and 13 from the 35. Instead of trying the field goal, the punt unit ended up coming out, the ball bouncing into the end zone for a touchback to leave Marshall starting from their 20 yard line with 3:51 left to play.
It was no go for Marshall, as two incomplete passes and a dropped ball by Baker left the Herd looking at fourth and 10. A 6 yard punt return by Jefferson on the 49 yard punt set our offense up at our 37 yard line, just 3:37 away from another victory. A designed rush by Stephens ended up going nowhere but backwards, as nearly the entire defense broke through on a blitz, resulting in a loss of 6 yards. Oliver took the ball on second down, but never had any chance, as three different defenders broke through to tackle him for a one yard loss, leaving us with third and 17. Running the play clock all the way down to zero, we called our first timeout with 2:16 left to play, Throwing over the middle to Jefferson, the pass from Stephens only picked up 11 yards, leaving fourth and 6 from the 41 yard line with 2:12 to go. A fair catch on the 36 yard punt left Marshall starting from their 23 yard line.
The Thundering Herd ended up going backwards, as they were tagged with a false start penalty, leaving first and 15. A pair of dropped passes, and it would get worse for Marshall, as a holding penalty tacked on another 15 yards, leaving them facing third and 25 from the 8 yard line. Marshall was able to make nearly all of that up, as Wright connected deep with Rose for a 23 yard gain to leave fourth and two at the 31. The fourth down rush by Baker ended in failure as he was tackled for a loss of four yards, turning the ball over on downs at their 28 yard line. Looking to run down as much clock as possible, Oliver took the ball up the middle for a one yard gain, Marshall’s first timeout stopping the clock with 1:41 to go. The drive nearly ended in disaster as Oliver fumbled the ball in the crowded line of scrimmage, center Travis Hearn jumping on the loose ball to recover it for our offense, leaving third and 6 and Marshall’s second timeout stopping the clock with 1:33 to play. Oliver took the ball up the middle for a one yard run on the next play, leaving fourth and 5 from the 23 yard line, Marshall’s third and final timeout stopping play with 1:26 to go. Forcing Marshall into a do or die touchdown situation, Glover booted a 40 yard field goal through the uprights to increase our lead to 12-7 with 1:23 to play.
No return on the kickoff left Marshall starting from their 25 yard line, no timeouts remaining and only 1:15 in which to cross 75 yards. Two incomplete passes left Marshall in a dire situation, facing third and 10 and in danger of sealing their fate. Wright was able to find Archer on the next play for a 7 yard gain, but the Herd would still need to find three yards just for the simple first down with only one minute exact left on the clock. An incomplete pass on fourth down would put the dagger in the heart of the comeback chances for Marshall, our offense taking over on the turnover on downs at the Marshall 32 yard line with 48 seconds to go. A pair of kneel downs by Stephens was all that was required to finish off the very difficult 12-7 victory over Marshall.
With the win, we improve to 5-0 on the year, 2-0 in C-USA action. With the loss, Marshall falls back under .500, dropping to 2-3 for the season, 2-1 in C-USA play. Up next, it's back onto the road to close out our non-conference schedule with a trip to #20 Oklahoma State. The Cowpokes enter the game 3-0, 2-0 in Big-12 action. Oklahoma State started the year with a 59-20 win over FCS Southeast, followed by a 30-20 win at West Virginia and a 42-20 dismantling of TCU.
Final Score
:Tulsa: 12, :Marshall: 7
Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – A rather bad day for Stephens. Completed just over half of his throws, only ended with 133 yards passing, had no touchdowns and threw an interception, along with committing a fumble. Oliver led the way on the ground with 77 yards on 26 carries. Receiving, Hayden was the go to guy, hauling in 5 passes for 69 yards.
- Tulsa Defense – Other than the one drive in the third quarter, did a pretty damn good job. Bent a couple times (the drive that ended in a missed field goal), but overall had a great day that gave us a win with our snoozing offense.
- Tulsa Kicking – Glover ended up the player of the game, going a perfect 4-4 in field goals, with successful kicks from 19, 39, 40 and 44 yards out.
Scoring Summary
Team 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Final Score :Marshall: 0 0 7 0 7 :Tulsa: 3 3 3 3 12
Time Team Result Play Score First Quarter 4:09 :Tulsa: Field Goal D. Glover, 19 yard field goal :Tulsa: 3-0 Second Quarter 5:51 :Tulsa: Field Goal D. Glover, 44 yard field goal :Tulsa: 6-0 Third Quarter 4:10 :Tulsa: Field Goal D. Glover, 39 yard field goal :Tulsa: 9-0 0:29 :Marshall: Touchdown B. Baker, 2 yard run (J. Hicks kick) :Tulsa: 9-7 Fourth Quarter 1:23 :Tulsa: Field Goal D. Glover, 40 yard field goal :Tulsa: 12-7
Game Stats
Marshall Stat Tulsa 7 Score 12 9 First Downs 12 194 Total Offense 224 17 - 30 - 1 Rushes - Yards - TD 38 - 91 - 0 15 - 39 - 0 Comp - Att - TD 12 - 22 - 0 164 Passing Yards 133 3 Times Sacked 0 4 - 16 (25%) 3rd Down Conversion 3 - 15 (20%) 1 - 4 (25%) 4th Down Conversion 0 - 0 (0%) 0 - 0 (0%) 2-Point Conv 0 - 0 (0%) 2 - 1 - 0 (50%) Red Zone - TD - FG 5 - 0 - 1 (20%) 0 Turnovers 2 0 Fumbles Lost 1 0 Intercepted 1 23 Punt Return Yards 29 15 Kick Return Yards 42 232 Total Yards 295 7 – 43.7 Punts - Average 5 - 45.0 6 - 55 Penalties 3 - 26 15:30 Time of Possession 20:30
Tulsa Contract Goals Update
Fail Impact Goal Progress Pass Impact :6redarrow: 21+ points per game in each season 25 :6greenarrow: Win 10 games in one season 5 :6greenarrow: 3300+ passing yards each season :red-x: :5greenarrow: :6redarrow: 65% pass completions over the entire contract 60% :5greenarrow: :5redarrow: Win 6 games in one season :check: :5greenarrow: :6redarrow: 15+ rushing TD in each season 11 :5greenarrow: :4redarrow: 3200+ total offensive yards each season 1709 :3greenarrow: :5redarrow: 3400+ total offensive yards each season 1709 :2greenarrow:
Job Security Status
48%
Time for another look around the nation. Starting in the Top 25, in the game of the week, #1 Notre Dame scores the game winning touchdown with 8 seconds left to play, defeating #3 Miami (FL) 31-24, knocking the Hurricanes from the ranks of the unbeaten. Pittsburgh shakes up the polls, handing #8 Clemson its second loss, 34-14. Kentucky got a taste of blood, scoring with 1:22 left in the game to knock off #10 Texas 28-24. #12 Arizona holds on late to stay perfect and beat Stanford, 42-35. #13 Florida State escapes winless Syracuse 27-24. #14 Alabama barely holds on against Ole Miss, winning 31-29. #15 Virginia Tech stayed perfect on the year, absolutely abusing and violating #16 NC State to the tune of 39-7.
#17 Iowa wins their Big Ten battle against #18 Maryland, dropping the Terps 28-14. #19 Oregon needed a 13 point fourth quarter to avoid upset at the hands of winless Louisiana-Lafayette, the Ducks hanging on for a 37-21 win. #20 Arkansas State keeps their perfect season rolling along with a 31-17 win at Missouri. #22 Virginia holds on for a 42-27 win over North Carolina. #23 Mississippi State keeps their perfect record intact, doubling up Florida 28-14. Western Kentucky leaves the Palmetto State stunned, as the Hilltoppers score 22 points in the fourth quarter to topple #25 South Carolina 35-34.
For our readers, souljahbill, Southern Miss improves to 5-0 (1-0 C-USA) with a 48-14 rout of UTSA. Jaymo, Arizona State drops to 1-4 (0-2 Pac-12), losing a 36-35 heartbreaker to Colorado. Mors, West Virginia improves to 3-2 (2-1 Big 12) with a 16-10 loss win at Kansas. Jeff, Ohio State improves to 4-1 (2-0 Big Ten), picking up a 28-7 win over Rutgers. Other teams of interest, #20 Arkansas State improves to 4-0 with a 31-17 win at Missouri.
In C-USA action, Tulsa beats Marshall 12-7, Southern Miss beats UTSA 48-14, UTEP whoops UAB 42-24, Rice takes down MTSU 35-14, North Texas gets a 20-3 win over Florida Atlantic, and #2 Oklahoma utterly destroys Louisiana Tech 48-10.
Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll, Notre Dame (38 first place votes) remains #1, Oklahoma (22 votes) remains #2, LSU (1 vote) jumps three to #3, Nebraska remains #4 and Michigan State remains #5. Georgia jumps one to #6, Miami falls four to #7, Arizona climbs four to #8, USC remains #9 and Virginia Tech leaps five to #10. Wisconsin remains #11, Florida State moves up one to #12, Alabama climbs one to #13, Georgia Tech leaps seven to #14 and Arkansas State climbs five to #15. Iowa climbs one to #16, Mississippi State jumps six to #17, Oregon moves up one to #18, Clemson tumbles eleven to #19 and Oklahoma State enters the poll at #20. Virginia moves up one to #21, Texas falls twelve to #22, NC State drops seven to #23, Michigan remains #24 and Maryland falls seven to #25. Dropping out of the poll this week as South Carolina (from #25). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Pittsburgh (323 votes) is #26, followed by BYU (258), Southern Miss (184), Tulsa (119) and Texas Tech (65) to round out the Top 30. Other teams getting votes this week include Colorado State (16) and Ohio State (14).
Looking at the first Top 25 Media Poll of the season, Notre Dame (36 first place votes) remains #1, LSU (24 votes) remains #2, Oklahoma (4 votes) remains #3, Nebraska climbs one to #4 and Michigan STate climbs one to #5. USC jumps two to #6, Georgia climbs two to #7, Miami drops four to #8, Virginia Tech (1 vote) leaps six to #9 and Arizona jumps three to #10. Wisconsin climbs one to #11, Arkansas State jumps two to #12, Virginia falls three to #13, Georgia Tech jumps five to #14 and Florida State moves up one to #15. Alabama jumps one to #16, Mississippi State climbs five to #17, Iowa remains #18, Oklahoma State moves up six to #19 and Clemson drops thirteen to #20. Oregon climbs two to #21, Pittsburgh enters the poll at #22, Texas falls eleven spots to #23, Michigan remains #24 and Maryland falls five to #25. Dropping out of the poll this week was NC State (from #21). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, NC State (285 votes) is #26, followed by BYU (284), Southern Miss (277), Tulsa (219) and Northwestern (119) to round out the Top 30. Other teams getting votes this week include TCU (87), Texas Tech (79), Colorado State (69) and Ohio State (66).
Looking at the new Heisman watch, Georgia Tech HB Brandon Terrell remains #1 in the Heisman Watch, followed by Notre Dame QB Jordan Cooke at #2 (LW: #4), LSU HB Steven McMillan at #3 (LW: NR), Michigan State QB Bo Wade at #4 (LW: NR) and Miami (FL) QB Jason Day at #5 (LW: #2). Falling off the Heisman Watch list this week was Georgia HB Joel Nolan (LW: #3) and Arizona QB E.J. McCoy (LW: #5).
Disclaimer: This post is not a part of Smooth's dynasty. It's a part of mine.
Check this out:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/03/06/ery2yqyh.jpg
Sweet! Ramius going to the big time! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by souljahbill
As for this dynasty, it's going to be coming back to life. After being without it for the past two weeks, I finally got by laptop back yesterday evening from getting the CPU fan replaced. So updates will be coming again now that I actually have access to my various dynasty documents, word files and spreadsheets again.
The good thing is I'm not in so much a rush this year to get done before NCAA '14 releases. After having to wait on patches that delayed me from being able to even start my dynasty in '13 until mid-August, I'm not going to make the jump to NCAA '14 until I'm sure it's fine and ready for me to jump immediately into my dynasty on it. So I pretty much have until August or whenever to get through the remaining two and a half seasons on my contract at Tulsa. Which is good because my time is gonna be getting split between FIFA 13, NCAA 13 and SimCity, so updates won't be quite so often or fast-paced as they have been, as I give the two other games some play time as well.
Well, it's all but official, Tulsa is heading to the Big East. The only thing left to be done is the Big East presidents to vote on it. With the move to be happening in 2014 in real life, I'll be moving Tulsa to the Big East immediately at the end of the next off-season. So there you go Jeff, no more dominating Conference USA for me. :D
Woohoo!!! C-USA is all about :Southern_Miss: again!
Come on Smooth.. step up and schedule Arizona State next season. Enough of these "cupcakes." I dare you to take on one of the worst teams in the PAC 12 :D:easy:
:D They'll blow it. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by souljahbill
:D Well, you know, I had to get back a ways to get to my last updated schedule post, but it just so turns out that I do still have one opening on my 2018 non-conference schedule. I might just have to put a little Pac-12 action on my schedule.Quote:
Originally Posted by jaymo76
Smooth this is an FYI post. I recently started playing my dynasty again and as I was reminded, you are still the HC at San Jose St. You went 4-7 this season and now after two seasons you have a record of 8-16 with an approval rating of 49%. You are in year two of three but you are in tough to keep your job. With a D- prestige you are second lowest behind Lary Coker at UTSA.
I am about to play the NC game as BYU versus my old team. I will let you know your fate in my dynasty at the end.
As a follow up to the above, in year 7, BYU goes 13-0 and beats Rice (my former oc team) 38-6 to win the BCS. As for the fate of coach pancakes... you were spared. You will get a third season at San Jose after-all. Your rating is now 40% and you need to win 8 games next season and beat 75% of your rivals if you wish to stay HC at San Jose St.
Okay back to your dynasty now... just thought I would share to see how different dynasties progress.