Heartbreaking might not be a good enough word to describe Lock Haven's loss last week. The English language might not have anything that can sum up how crushing it was.
Lock Haven had lost 49 straight times, a NCAA Division II record, as it went into a game against Clarion. The Bald Eagles players couldn't remember the last time they won a game, considering it was at the end of the 2007 season and they were still in high school, but the program's last victory came against Clarion. Lock Haven fell behind by 10 points last Saturday before an unlikely comeback. The Bald Eagles scored late in the third quarter, and then again with 1:26 remaining in the game as Jesse Hoover caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Jarrett Kratzer to take a 28-24 lead.
This was going to finally be it, the end of the streak. And then it wasn't.
Clarion started on its own 10-yard line. Lock Haven's defense, which had played well to that point, couldn't get a stop. Third-and-7 resulted in an 11-yard pass. Fourth-
...Read More »The story of Auburn's season is Gene Chizik and his future as Tigers head coach. After a 1-5 start, there's really no way around that.
Chizik is one of the more unique cases in college football. When he was hired, critics worried about Chizik's 5-19 record at Iowa State (and one famously booed AD Jay Jacobs at the airport). Chizik then won a national title. Two seasons later the critics are back, wondering if Chizik was just along for the ride while quarterback Cam Newton and then-offensive coordinator Guz Malzahn carried Auburn to that title.
So heading into a game at Vanderbilt this Saturday, Auburn is off to its worst start since 1998, doesn't have a conference win and Chizik is under fire less than 24 months after winning a national championship.
That's the issue hanging over the Tigers. Until Auburn turns things around, Chizik gets fired, or there is absolute conviction from the athletic department that he will be the coach for the forseeable future, that will continue. The local
...Read More »Mississippi State should be excited. The Bulldogs are 5-0 for the first time since 1999 and just the fourth time in program history. They even got a mention by Pat Forde on his video this week discussing deep sleepers to play in the BCS Championship Game.
The Bulldogs also know that five good games won't earn ultimate respect from their SEC brethren. Beating Tennessee on Saturday (9 p.m. ET) would be a good step towards that, however.
Mississippi State is not one of the SEC's most successful programs. It has won one SEC title, back in 1941. But under coach Dan Mullen, the Bulldogs have some momentum this year.
The Bulldogs are led by a defense allowing just 13.4 points per game, thanks in large part to a very good secondary. Quarterback Tyler Russell has been efficient, with 10 touchdowns to just one interception. LaDarius Perkins has 499 rushing yards and six touchdowns, and is averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Mississippi State has been a pretty solid all-around team through five games
...Read More »The Texas-Oklahoma game is usually the centerpiece of the Texas State Fair, but there's another game that draws just as many fans and just as much attention to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
The State Fair Classic game between Grambling and Prairie View A&M is traditionally one of the biggest games between two historically black universities because of the history of the two schools. However, since both programs are winless this season — Prairie View A&M is 0-5 and Grambling is 0-4 — the draw to the game this season might be the halftime show.
"It's bigger than a football game," Prairie View A&M coach Heishma Northern said. "It's an event."
The contest between the bands is just as intense as the play on the field. In fact, the halftime show for this game is actually longer than a typical game to allow both bands to perform elaborate and highly entertaining routines. More often than not, fans will show up for the first half and leave after the band performances conclude and the bands oft
...Read More »A couple years ago during a Mountain West coaches teleconference, TCU coach Gary Patterson cut off a question by a Boise reporter. He told him he remembered him from before the Fiesta Bowl, and in an increasingly perturbed tone said he didn't appreciate him taking video of his players sounding off about Boise State to show the Broncos.
He apparently was scolding the wrong reporter, but the point is this: Patterson doesn't forget much, especially when it comes to slighting his program.
Last year, SMU beat TCU 40-33. The rematch is this week. After last season's game, SMU coach June Jones made a comment that insinuated the Horned Frogs weren't hard to prepare for because they don't change. And Patterson responded immediately, from the Star-Telegram's story last year:
"June Jones said we never change," Patterson said. "I think June Jones is 1-8 against TCU since he was at Hawaii (and SMU). I don't think he's changed that much either. ... I don't go there."
Patterson wasn't just getting
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