Please Don't Fine Me

Dear Fellow Gamers,

I figured after the number of games I won in the first round your controllers were thrown a few times. Along with the controller throwing, I knew my defensive play was causing your offensive coordinators a few headaches. Here is a nice little gift to keep the tournament going.

Orange

Hail Mary Answered In Lincoln

#21 Oregon State – 8
#12 Nebraska – 13

LINCOLN, Neb. -- What will go down as one of the greatest plays in college history was witnessed tonight by a sold out crowd of 82,000. When Oregon State and Nebraska took the field to begin the game, everyone believed that it would be a dominate victory by Nebraska vaunted Blackshirt Defense.

After a chess match of posturing throughout the first half, Nebraska went on the attack after receiving the second half kickoff.  Offensive general QB Zac Lee was able to engineer a drive with a few passes, but let the work horse RB Castille do the dirty work. Behind a powerful left side of the offensive line and a roughing the passer on 3rd down a 9, the Cornhuskers moved the ball down to Oregon State's 24-yard line. The drive took three minutes off the clock. Bo Pelini was faced with a decision on 4th and 1. He decided to trust the offensive line as he chose to run the ball with the score tied at 0-0. Vinny Castille was rocked in the backfield for a 2-yard loss.

Nebraska quickly got the ball back after a three and out by OSU.  QB Zach Lee made a mistake on first down by going for the victory and was intercepted.  The Blackshirts took the field with the game on the line and delivered, forcing Lyle Moevao on two sacks to create a third and long. On third down, QB Moevao rolled to his left where he was met by Phillip Dilliard and Blake Lawerence. As Lyle tried to throw the ball he took a big hit from Phillip Dilliard which jarred the ball loose. Blake Lawerence was able to pick up the fumble and return it 6-yards as he dove across the endzone for a touchdown.

After Moevao's fumble led to the tie-breaking score, he gathered the offense up on the sidelines. Star wideout James Rodgers made it clear that if the ball was thrown to him, he would make the play. Moevao connected with James Rodgers twice on ensuing drive.  Nearing the end zone,  Lyle Moevao dropped back to pass and threw up a miracle ball that fell between three players, and James Rodgers caught the ball and held on after the big hit for a 36-yard touchdown. Coach Mike Riley decided to roll the dice on the road by lining the Beavers up for a 2-point conversion attempt. Lyle Moevao connected with senior tight end Howard Croom for a completion. The 82,000 fans in attendance went silent as they watched hopes of advancing slipping through the cracks.

As the Cornhuskers offense took the field after a 13-yard return by tight end Mike McNeill, QB Zac Lee was ready to put his name in the history books.  With eleven ticks on the clock remaining and three timeouts in his back pocket, Zac Lee hit a wide open Quentin Castille for a 18-yard wheel route and called a timeout with three seconds remaining.  Bo Pelini went to the final trick in his bag, the Hailmary. With three wide to the right and one wide to the left, Zac Lee motioned Quentin Castille out of the back field and to the left. Zac Lee threw up a prayer the crowd held their breathe as the ball reached the goal line. The ball fell into the hands of Nebraska's wide receiver Chris Brooks as he was dragged down at the goal line for a game winning 43-yard touchdown.

Pandemonium broke loose in Memorial Stadium. The fans went crazy as the student section rushed the field mauled the Cornhuskers on the 50-yard line for celebration. Students and fans tore down the goal post in the victory.

Nebraska's defensive was able to hold Jacquiz Rodgers to zero yards rushing. Although defensive star Ndamukong Suh was held to zero tackles, he forced a double team all night that freed up the rest of the dominating defensive line that compiled six sacks.

Stats:
Nebraska
Zac Lee – QB rating (121.0) 6/12 86 yards, TD, INT
Quentin Castille – rushing: 15/52, 47 yards after 1st hit; rec 4 / 30 yards
Chris Brooks – 1 rec 43-yards game winning TD
Niles Paul – 1 rec 13 yards
Phillip Dilliard – 3 tackles, 2 TFl, 2 sacks, FF
Anthony West – 2 tackles
Larry Asante – 2 tackles, TFL
Blake Lawerence – 2 tackles, sack, TFL, FR, 6 yard TD
Barry Turner – 2 tackles, TFL, sack

Oregon State
Lyle Moevao – QB rating (164.0) 7/11 116 yards, TD, INT
James Rodgers – 3 rec 60 yds, TD, 2 KR 40 yards
Howard Croom – 1 rec 11 yards & 2-point conversion
Keith Pankey – 6 tackles, 3 TFL
David PA'Aluhi – 4 tackles, TFL
Patrick Handerson – INT

Still Waters Run Deep

#50 Purdue – 27
#15 Oklahoma State – 30

STILLWATER, Okla. -- What had all the making of a rout turned into quite a nailbiter for Cowboy fans as Oklahoma State held off a furious second half Purdue rally, and was able to recover an onside kick, twice, in the waning moments to preserve a 30-27 victory.

Things did not look good early for the Boilermakers, who opened the game by promptly losing 17 yards and going 3-and-out. OSU needed only two plays of their own to get on the board as Kendall Hunter ripped off a 32-yard run and Zach Robinson connected with Dez Bryant for a 33-yard touchdown strike.

That sequence repeated itself as Purdue again went 3-and-out on their next possession. This time Hunter took an option pitch for 13, before Robinson found Bryant in the clear for a 43-yard touchdown off a nifty play-action fake. After a Purdue fumble, the Cowboys posted their third touchdown a minute into the 2nd quarter as Kendall Hunter polished off his own personal three-play drive with a 10-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass.

Purdue's offense finally showed some signs of life, moving the ball to the OSU 12 yard line. The drive stalled however, as the Boilers were unable to convert a 4th and 12 and gave the ball over on downs with 1:10 remaining before halftime. That's when head coach Red Gundy began to make some curious playcalls which, coupled with some questionable execution led to a safety. Facing 3rd and 5 at the 17, Robinson retreated all the way to his own endzone on a screen pass and was taken down to get Purdue on the board.

After the free kick quarterback Antown Higgs wasted little time stealing some more of the momentum, hooking up with HB Jaycen Taylor for a 58 yard touchdown. Purdue elected to go for 2, but linebacker Justin Gent stepped in front of Higgs pass on took it 100 yards the other way to extend the Cowboys lead to 15.

The teams traded scores in the 3rd quarter, and Purdue pulled to within 10 making it 30-20 in the 4th quarter. The Cowboys looked to be in position to salt it away with under two minutes remaining and a 1st and goal at the 1, but Robinson put the ball on the turf as he collided with Hunter on a handoff attempt. Higgs took advantage, continuing his impressive aerial attack with two deep balls on a seemingly effortless 98-yard drive (if you can call it that).

Oklahoma State initially recovered the ensuing onside kick, only to see it torn free, but Kendall Hunter was able to atone for his earlier mistake by coming up with the loose ball.

While showing some early firepower, OSU was outgained 309-251, and allowed 323 yards through the air. The Cowboys also fumbled the ball 5 times, losing 2, and were intercepted once. After the game, Gundy was upset with his team's sloppiness and lack of focus, but had some 'other' things he wanted to get off of his mind too:

The win sets up a second round matchup between two of TNS' most potent offenses, as #15 Oklahoma State moves on to play host to #18 LSU. The two teams scored a combined 54 points in their opening games.

Stats:

Oklahoma State

QB Zach Robinson – 7/12, 139 yards, INT

HB Kendall Hunter – 12 carries, 145 yards, TD, 2 receptions, 13 yards, TD

WR Dez Bryant – 5 receptions, 126 yds, 2 TDs

LB Justin Gent – 100-yard conversion INT

Purdue

QB Antown Higgs – 11/20, 323 yards, 4 TDs

Trojans Flex Muscles Against Pitt Panthers

#25 Pittsburgh (Green) – 14
#8 USC – 38

LOS ANGELES --  USC's C.J. Gable set the tone for their second round match up against the Pitt Panthers by taking the kick off 79-yards for a touchdown. As the Panthers tried to regroup, Dion Lewis fumbled the football which was recovered by Everson Griffin for a 59-yard touchdown. After going down 14-0 without the Trojan offense seeing the field, Pittsburgh QB Bill Stull lead his team down the field for a 26-yard touchdown pass to Johnathan Baldwin.

Pitt's special teams took a different approach to the next kick by pooching the ball. The USC offense took the field with a 14-7 lead and decided that they were going to run with ball with their runningbacks C.J. Gable and Joe McKnight. The two runningbacks led the Trojans to the 26-yard line, where Aaron Corp finally threw his first pass of the day.  Corp found Damien Williams, who has developed into a favorite target this tournament, for a 26-yard touchdown. The Trojan lead was pushed to 21-7 at the half.

The Trojan defense continued their dominance, although showing some dirty play, in the second half. The undisciplined squad was penalized five times for 75-yards; three times for roughing the passer and twice for excessive celebration.   Pittsburgh was unable to cash on the free yardage, however.

The Trojans scored two touchdowns in the 3rd quarter on a 74-yard run by Joe McKnight, followed by a Damien Williamswide receiver sweep for a 53-yard touchdown.

Pittsburgh's offense was able to use the aggressiveness of the Trojan defense to score a 66-yard touchdown pass on a screen to Kevin Collier in garbage time before USC closed out a 38-14 victory.

Stats:
USC
Aaron Corp –  QB Rating: 201.6, 3/6 for 69 yards, TD
Joe McKnight- 9 rushes for 104 yards, TD (broke 3 tackles with 35-yards after 1st contact)
C.J. Gable – 6 rushes for 30 yards, TD, 2 KR 91-yards, TD (79-yard return)
Damien Williams – 1 rush for 53 yards, TD; 2 receptions for 49 yards, TD
Shareece Wright – 4 tackles, TFL, PD, FF
Christian Tupou – 3 tackles 3 TFL
Josh Pinkard – 2 tackles, PD
Taylor Mays – 2 tackles 2 PD
Everson Griffin – 2 tackles, TFL, 1 sack, FR 59 yards for TD
Malik Jackson – 1 tackle, TFL, sack
Kevin Thomas – INT

Pittsburgh (Green)
Bill Stull – QB Rating:129.3, 12/27 for 218 yards 2 TDs, INT
Dion Lewis – 3 rec 15-yards
Jonathan Baldwin – 5 receptions for 90 yards, TD
Kevin Collier – 2 receptions for 65 yards, TD

I Want This Guy In The League Too

PALMERTON, Pa. - Before you separate a grown man from his gaming machine, consider this:

Motion To Invite This Guy Into The League Next Year:

Southern Miss Soars; Orange's Streak Ends At 9

#58 Southern Miss – 14
#39 Boston College – 7

CHESTNUT HILL, Ma. -- Orange and Blue came into the second round headed in opposite directions, with Orange having won nine straight, and Blue on a five game skid. Both streaks came to an abrupt end as #58 Southern Miss, the lowest seed still playing, opened the round with a victory over #39 Boston College Wednesday night. The Golden Eagles were led by their defense, which forced two interceptions and stood tall at the end of a long drive by BC to end the game.

After the teams traded scores on the opening drives, USM took a 14-7 lead on sophomore QB Austin Davis' second rushing touchdown of the game. Boston College had an opportunity to tie before halftime, but their receivers dropped a couple catchable deep balls as the half wound down.

The defenses dominated in the second half, as neither team threatened until late in the third quarter, when Southern Miss got good field position following an interception. BC promptly regained possession on an interception of their own by SS Marcellus Bowman, and began the fourth quarter with the ball inside their own five yard line.

Boston College slowly but steadily marched down the field, converting two fourth downs and very nearly tying it on a pass that was dropped in the front of the end zone by WR Rich Gunnell. They made it all the way to the USM three yard line when, on second down, the Golden Eagles were flagged for roughing the passer, advancing the ball to the one yard line. On the next play, senior MLB Gerald McGrath made perhaps the play of the game, getting into the backfield, and stopping HB Montel Harris for a 3-yard loss. After an incomplete pass and a sack, BC faced fourth and goal with eight seconds left on the clock. QB Justin Tuggle again tried to hit Gunnell, this time in the back corner of the end zone, but CB Ivory Bradshaw dove and knocked the ball away, sending Southern Miss to its first Sweet 16.

Tuggle completed a very deceiving 47% of his passes, as he was on target all night, but hurt on several passes dropped by his receivers. Gunnell put up 131 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown on the third play of the game. His numbers also fail to tell the whole story, as he will most likely be remembered for his drop on the final series, which proved to be costly.

After the game, USM coach Larry Fedora was asked if he thought his team, who received the last automatic bid this year, had a chance to make headlines coming into the tournament. "Everyone is scratching their heads and saying we shouldn't be here," he said. "This is a good football team, and we believe in each other."

Southern Miss awaits the winner of #10 Oregon and #42 Texas A&M.

Stats:
Boston College
QB Justin Tuggle – 9/19, 187 yards, TD
WR Rich Gunnell – 6 receptions, 131 yards, TD
DE Jim Ramella – 3 TFL, sack
SS Marcellus Bowman – INT

Southern Miss
QB Austin Davis – 7/9, 105 yards, 2 rushing TDs
DE Kyle Burkhart – 3 TFL, 2 sacks
CB Ivory Bradshaw – 3 tackles, 2 deflections
CB C.J. Bailey – INT
SS Justin Wilson – INT

Magic Everywhere In This Bitch

Second Round Preview

There's a long way to go, but Orange has begun to put himself in position to bring the state of Ohio it's first Sensationalizationalism title. His domination of homefield continues as he will host 7 of the 16 second round games. Once again, the home team is also the better team in the game in all but one of the matchups, #21 Oregon State at #12 Nebraska.

There are two Orange vs. Orange games.
There is one Blue vs. Blue game.
There are three Orange vs. Blue games. Orange will host two.
There are three Orange vs. Red games. Orange will host two.
There are two Green vs. Blue games. Each team will host one.
There are two Blue vs. Red games. Each team will host one.
There are two Orange vs. Green games. Each team will host one.
There is one Red vs. Green game, which Red will host.

Four Games Everyone is Tweeting About:

#17 Boise State at #16 TCU
#24 West Virginia at #9 Oklahoma
#18 LSU at #15 Oklahoma State
#38 Notre Dame at #6 Cincinnati

Michael Irvin And Warren Sapp Remind Us Where Ray Lewis Went To School

First Round Figures

Orange

Overall W-L: 12-4

Home W-L: 10-2

Away W-L: 2-2

W-L vs. Blue: 5-2

W-L vs. Green: 5-1

W-L vs. Red: 2-1

Points per game: 16.8

Opp. pts. per game: 11.2

Point differential: +5.6

Blue

Overall W-L: 9-7

Home W-L: 5-1

Away W-L: 4-6

W-L vs. Green: 2-1

W-L vs. Orange: 2-5

W-L vs. Red: 5-1

Points per game: 13.9

Opp. pts. per game: 12.3

Point differential: +1.7

Red

Overall W-L: 6-10

Home W-L: 5-4

Away W-L: 1-6

W-L vs. Blue: 1-5

W-L vs. Green: 4-3

W-L vs. Orange: 1-2

Points per game: 14.1

Opp. pts. per game: 15.4

Point differential: -1.4

Green

Overall W-L: 5-11

Home W-L: 3-2

Away W-L: 2-9

W-L vs. Blue: 1-2

W-L vs. Orange: 1-5

W-L vs. Red: 3-4

Points per game: 10.8

Opp. pts. per game: 16.1

Point differential: -5.3

Some individual performances that were something special and worth taking note of:

Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli – 7/11, 197 yards, 2 TDs

USF QB Matt Grothe – 6/12, 194 yards, 2 TDs, 8 carries, 20 yards, TD

BC QB Justin Tuggle – 13/20, 318 yards, 4 TDs

Arizona HB Nic Grigsby– 20 carries, 149 yards, 3 TDs

Nebraska HB Quentin Castille – 18 carries, 130 yards, 3 TDs

Georgia HB Caleb King – 18 carries, 189 yards, 3 TDs

TCU HB Ryan Christian – 21 carries, 131 yards, 3 TDs

Iowa WR Derrell Koulianos – 6 receptions, 146 yards, TD

Miami WR Aldarius Johnson – 13 receptions, 187 yards

BC WR Justin Jarvis – 5 receptions, 189 yards, TD

Notre Dame CB Gary Gray – INT, TD

LSU DE Rahim Alem – 3 sacks, 3 FF

PSU LB Sean Lee – FF, FR, TD

Oklahoma LB Travis Lewis – INT, FF, FR, TD

Iowa CB Jordan Bernstine – INT, TD

Halfway Through (50 T.O.)

Stats on the way . . . 

If A Beaver Gnaws Down A Tree That Lands On A Wildcat In A Forest And No One Is Around To Hear It, Does It Make A Sound?

#44 Kentucky – 0
#21 Oregon State – 7

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- The most overlooked and forgotten game of the opening round might have had one of it's best finishes as a Kentucky Hail Mary attempt was dropped at the goal line on the final play of regulation, giving Oregon State a 7-0 victory.

While the Beavers finished the day with only 73 yards of offense, their lone scoring drive actually covered more than that. Beginning at their own 21, OSU marched 79 yards in 14 plays, eating up nearly four and a half minutes of clock and capping things off with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Lyle Moevao to James Rogers.

Outside of that, the Beavers were woefully inefficient and put the ball on the ground five times, losing two fumbles. Moevao finished 7 of 12 passing, for 94 yards, while Rogers had only one other catch, which was good for 15. James' brother Jacquizz never got on track either, picking up just 10 yards on 12 carries.

Focusing on ball possession (the Beavers held onto it for more than 9 minutes) and content with the lead, OSU punted late in the 4th quarter and downed the ball at the 1.

Kentucky hadn't shown much firepower on offense themselves, with quarterback Mike Hartline throwing 3 interceptions, but the Wildcats were able to move the ball out from the shadow of their own goalposts. Facing a 4th and 10 from their own 40 yard line with 12 seconds remaining, Hartline converted a 28-yard strike down to the Beavers 32 and hurried to the line for one last heave. His prayers were unanswered though, as the ball bounced off of E.J. Adams' hands.

Oregon State will travel to Lincoln to take on #12 Nebraska next. They'll need a much better performance if they have any hopes of beating Ndamukong Suh and the Blackshirt defense.

Attention Rob Carey

EA Sports pretty much making Sam Keller's case here by teaming up with ESPN to "simulate the biggest early-season NCAA football games of 2010, including extensive screenshots and stats."

http://espn.go.com/espn/thelife/videogames/ncaasims?id=5621738

Just blatant stuff here, with Jon Robinson not even trying to pretend that the positions and numbers don't correspond with an actual player. He even uses the names in the recap, although the Game Leaders section references "QB #12". They probably should have coached him a little better on that.

To be clear, I'm not hating on EA Sports (ESPN, different story). I'm glad that their games are so accurate and lifelike year to year; that's what were paying for. But there's no question that as technology has improved, they've also moved in closer and closer on players likenesses, and done so intentionally. Again, no problems there for me - if they didn't, we'd still be playing with this:

I just wish they'd admit it instead of hiding behind the letter of the law.