(This article originally appeared on www.hokiehaven.com.)
The 2007 ACC football schedule was released last week and Virginia Tech will have a tough slate of opponents ahead of them this upcoming season. Hokiehaven.com senior writer Brian Golden takes a long hard look at the entire year and what to expect from the Hokies in 2007. In this edition, he'll look at the first half of the season from the East Carolina game until the bye.
September 1st vs. East Carolina (7-6, 5-3 in Conference-USA in 2006)
Biggest Win: at Southern Miss, 20-17
Worst Loss: at UAB, 17-12
The Pirates weren't great in 2006, but they managed to beat two ACC teams, Virginia and NC State, on their way to a 7-5 finish that landed them in the inaugural PapaJohns.com Bowl. Despite those two wins, a clutch road win over division rival Southern Miss was bigger, anchoring a four-game winning streak, and getting East Carolina the momentum needed to secure a bowl bid. Well coached but not that talented, ECU finished 5-3 in a conference that looked weak all year, and was humbled by a 1-4 bowl performance. A team that won 7 games last season and earned an extra month of bowl practice won't be the easiest task in the world, but the Pirates were ravaged by graduation on the offensive of the ball, and if the Hokies can shake off the cobwebs early on, this one shouldn't be close. When East Carolina comes to Blacksburg, they'll be breaking in a new qwarterback to replace James Pinkney, a four-year player that threw for over 8,000 yards and 46 TDs during his time under center. The new signal caller might be sophomore Robert Kass, who looked stable against South Florida in the bowl game. The Pirates didn't have much of a running game in 2006, but leading rusher Brandon Fractious is gone as well, leaving Chris Johnson and Dominique Lindsay the likely candidates to carry the load. Five Pirates caught at least 22 passes for 350 yards last year, but 3 are gone and the effectiveness of returners Phillip Henry and Steven Rogers will be very questionable until Pinkney's replacement is solid.
Prediction: Hokies by 24
September 8th at LSU (11-2, 6-2 in the SEC)
Biggest Win: at Arkansas, 31-26
Worst Loss: does at Auburn or at Florida count?
Tech has played LSU only once before, a 26-8 domination in Blacksburg in 2002. The Hokies return the trip with a road hike to Baton Rouge in what should be one of the best non-conference games of the year in all of college football. The Bayou Bengals are consistently one of the most athletically skilled units in college football, featuring lethal skill players on offense, bruising line play, and prototypically fast SEC defenses. The 2006 LSU team flew slightly under the radar for much of the year, slowly gaining steam towards a top-5 finish, with the two blemishes on an 11-2 record on the road at Auburn and Florida. Next year, LSU will return a very stout defense, but the big question will be under center where 6-foot-6, 260-pound quarterback JaMarcus Russell will be taking his show to the NFL. Questions remain for his potential replacement in quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, but Matt Flynn is the likely candidate at this time. Meanwhile, at running back Keiland Williams will provide plenty of speed to keep the offense rolling.
Prediction: LSU by 7
September 15th vs. Ohio (9-5, 7-1 in the MAC)
Biggest Win: Western Michigan, 27-20
Worst Loss: at Bowling Green, 21-9
Former Nebraska coach Frank Solich has breathed new life into the Bobcat program, leading Ohio to a MAC Championship appearance and the GMAC Bowl in 2006. After a 2-3 start that featured losses at Rutgers and Missouri, the Bobcats ripped off seven straight MAC wins on their way to an East Division title. Ohio didn't rack up a lot of yards (280 per game), but was balanced (155 passing, 125 rushing). In all five losses, Ohio scores 10 points or less. However, during the seven-game winning streak, only one opponent scored more than 20. Almost all the rushing yards were by Kalvin McRae, who returns for a senior season after going for 1100 yards-plus two straight years. The Bobcats dominated the MAC, but were nice kitties on the road last year, and Tech should be able to force a new quarterback into plenty of mistakes.
Prediction: Tech by 28
September 22nd vs. William & Mary (3-8, 1-7 in the Atlantic-10)
Biggest Win: at Towson, 29-28
Worst Loss: Hofstra, 16-14
The Pride come to Blacksburg to resume a series that cutoff in 1985, with the Hokies winning the last nine by a combined 312-95. William & Mary is a I-AA team, and a bad one at that, going just 1-7 in the Atlantic 10 last year. Quarterback Mike Potts has been solid since replacing Walter Payton award's Lang Campbell, a recent pick-up of the NFL's Cleveland Browns. Potts threw for 1,500 yards last season, and will probably be the Pride's best offensive option all year. William & Mary's ground game will be dead on arrival, however, and the defense gave up at least 28 points to their final five opponents of 2006. This is the only non-conference game Virginia Tech has against a non-bowl team, and the starters won't be playing in the fourth quarter.
Prediction: Hokies by 38
September 29th North Carolina (3-9, 2-6 in the ACC)
Biggest Win: NC State, 23-9
Worst Loss: Virginia, 23-0
How exactly did North Carolina ascend to a brief top-10 ranking five years ago? The Heels have been positively awful since, annually battling with Duke for 11th place in the ACC. Butch Davis is the new sheriff in Chapel Hill, making it really difficult to predict not only the success of the 2007 Heels, but also the composition. Will Joe Dailey (1316 yards, 7 TD, 10 INT) be back at the helm, particularly with true freshman Mike Paulus coming in? Dailey was run off once already by a new coach (Nebraska's Bill Callahan), and you have to feel for him if it happens again. The most promising talent at UNC is probably sophomore receiver Hakeem Nicks (39 catches, 660 yards). Nicks has the size to be a very good ACC receiver in two years, but someone will have to be running the ball to draw a bit of focus from stronger, faster opposing defenses. Davis is a tough coach, and the onus has got to be on shoring up a defense that gave up a whopping 30.5 points per game in 2006. They will get better in time, because they really have to, but it won't be in 2007.
Prediction: Tech by 24
October 6th at Clemson (8-5, 5-3 in the ACC)
Biggest Win: at Wake Forest, 27-17
Worst Loss: vs. Kentucky, 28-20
Circle this one on your calendar as the biggest game of the 2007 Virginia Tech season. Nestled between two relatively easy games on one side, and another patsy and the bye week on the other, this is the most crucial game of the year for the Hokies. LSU is better, but that game is a preparation for the test that is Clemson. Clemson's 2007 team will look like a slightly worse version of LSU's. Both teams at the Tigers that call their places Death Valley, and create a big-time atmosphere on their home field. Additionally, if 2007 is another year of great expectations and losing big games, Tommy Bowden may finally find the hot seat too fiery to bear.
Tech has dominated the recent series, beating the Tigers four out of four since 1998, by a combined 133-45. However, this Clemson team is better than those in the late 90s, and this one won't be so easy. Tech ambushed the Tigers in Blacksburg last year, but that game couldn't have come at a worse time for Clemson, a big road trip just five days after an emotional night game against Georgia Tech. Young backfield studs James Davis and C.J. Spiller both went for 900 yards and at least 5.8 yards per carry last season, and should be even tougher to contain in 2007. Maligned quarterback Will Proctor is gone, and no returning quarterbacks have attempted more than 20 passes in a season. Beamerball is 11-1 on the road in the ACC, and its going to take a top-notch effort to come away with a win. This one could go either way.
Prediction: Tech by 2
October 13th at Duke (0-12, 0-8 in the ACC)
Biggest Win: um…
Worst Loss: Richmond, 13-0
Ah, Duke. Tech hasn't given up a point to Duke since 2004, winning twice in a row, by a combined 81-0. Duke football is the antithesis of Duke basketball: they don't get the calls, they don't get pimped on ESPN, their coach doesn't do American Express commercials. Duke returns their top passer, both top runners, and both top receivers, so there's almost no way they won't improve on their 14.9 points per game performance of 2006. Somehow, Duke was up on Wake last September, until surrendering a late TD to lose by a point. The Devils actually put up a few points against decent opponents in 2006, scoring 24 against FSU, 21 against Georgia Tech and 28 at Vanderbilt. This could be the year Duke finally scores on Virginia Tech.
Prediction: Hokies by 31
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Iowa State Gets 3-star Cornerback
(This article originally appeared at iowastate.rivals.com.)
Gene Chizik's coaching staff put on a full-court press of attention in attempting to land two defensive recruits from Independence (Kan.) Community College, and Iowa State learned yesterday that the efforts were a slam dunk. Allen Bell, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound cornerback, and Chris Weir, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive tackle, both committed to Chizik and the Cyclones Monday evening.
Bell has previously given his verbal commitment to Ole Miss, while Weir was the subject of an intense battle between Iowa State and TCU, and Chizik's staff devoted large amounts of time and attention trying to land the two, who were generally perceived as a package deal.
"Yesterday night, Wayne Bolt was visiting me here (Independence)," Bell said Tuesday afternoon. "The D-Line coach was at Chris' house in Miami, and the D-Back coach was at my dad's house in Tallahassee, all at the same time."
Within the last few days, Chizik made a trip to Tallahassee himself to visit with Bell's father, and it was that visit that sealed the deal.
"I told him before he came down that I was kind of leaning toward Iowa State's way," Bell said. "One of my father's biggest concerns was getting to watch me play, but Coach Chizik convinced him basically that it wouldn't be that difficult, that there wasn't that much difference between 9 hours to Mississippi and 19 hours to Iowa State."
"I mean, if you're gonna fly, a plane ticket's a plane ticket."
In addition to the personal impression Iowa State coaches made on the Bell family, Chizik came with advance praise from several people whose opinion matters a lot to Bell, including a former teammate and a former coach.
"My high school coach played for him when he was at Central Florida," said Bell. "And all he told me was: the man is a technician. He is going to give you the tools and techniques you need to be your absolute best player I can be."
According to Bell, the Iowa State staff has indicated to him that he has a good chance to play a prominent role not only in the secondary, but returning punts and kickoffs as early as next season.
"Coach Chizik is pumped up about it," Bell said. "I just want to be an impact player and see how far we can go."
Bell also said that he will run track at Iowa State with the football staff's blessing. According to Bell, Chizik expressed no reservations whatsoever about his participation on the track squad, stating that his (Chizik's) only rule was: as long as your grades are solid, you have my blessing.
Bell's early struggles with academics landed him at Independence CC, but he says now that the problems weren't from lack of effort or intelligence, but due to unspecified family problems in his home during his final two years of high school.
"I've been doing good here so far, and all those problems with grades are behind me now."
Gene Chizik's coaching staff put on a full-court press of attention in attempting to land two defensive recruits from Independence (Kan.) Community College, and Iowa State learned yesterday that the efforts were a slam dunk. Allen Bell, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound cornerback, and Chris Weir, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive tackle, both committed to Chizik and the Cyclones Monday evening.
Bell has previously given his verbal commitment to Ole Miss, while Weir was the subject of an intense battle between Iowa State and TCU, and Chizik's staff devoted large amounts of time and attention trying to land the two, who were generally perceived as a package deal.
"Yesterday night, Wayne Bolt was visiting me here (Independence)," Bell said Tuesday afternoon. "The D-Line coach was at Chris' house in Miami, and the D-Back coach was at my dad's house in Tallahassee, all at the same time."
Within the last few days, Chizik made a trip to Tallahassee himself to visit with Bell's father, and it was that visit that sealed the deal.
"I told him before he came down that I was kind of leaning toward Iowa State's way," Bell said. "One of my father's biggest concerns was getting to watch me play, but Coach Chizik convinced him basically that it wouldn't be that difficult, that there wasn't that much difference between 9 hours to Mississippi and 19 hours to Iowa State."
"I mean, if you're gonna fly, a plane ticket's a plane ticket."
In addition to the personal impression Iowa State coaches made on the Bell family, Chizik came with advance praise from several people whose opinion matters a lot to Bell, including a former teammate and a former coach.
"My high school coach played for him when he was at Central Florida," said Bell. "And all he told me was: the man is a technician. He is going to give you the tools and techniques you need to be your absolute best player I can be."
According to Bell, the Iowa State staff has indicated to him that he has a good chance to play a prominent role not only in the secondary, but returning punts and kickoffs as early as next season.
"Coach Chizik is pumped up about it," Bell said. "I just want to be an impact player and see how far we can go."
Bell also said that he will run track at Iowa State with the football staff's blessing. According to Bell, Chizik expressed no reservations whatsoever about his participation on the track squad, stating that his (Chizik's) only rule was: as long as your grades are solid, you have my blessing.
Bell's early struggles with academics landed him at Independence CC, but he says now that the problems weren't from lack of effort or intelligence, but due to unspecified family problems in his home during his final two years of high school.
"I've been doing good here so far, and all those problems with grades are behind me now."
Mitz-igating Circumstances
(This article originally appeared on www.cougzone.com.)
A fall signee of Bill Doba's Cougars, Logwone Mitz had hoped to visit Boise State for several months, but recently gave up the efforts when he realized he was "pretty good right where he was."
"I was trying to set up the Boise visit for awhile, but they weren't going to offer unless I visited," Mitz said Monday. "And I already had a good offer."
Mitz visits with doctors tomorrow, hoping to be cleared to return to the basketball court. He has missed the entire season after suffering a fractured tibia in the fifth game of his senior football campaign.
"I was in stride on like the two yard line, and somebody just came across the back left side," said Mitz. "When he hit the right back leg, it turned the whole ankle, cracked the tibia. But I walked off the field."
Remarkably, Mitz walked around on the broken leg, and even tried to summon the energy to return to action in the fourth quarter.
"I just thought I rolled it real bad," Mitz said.
Unable to put pressure on the leg, Mitz did not return to action. After the pain increased over the next three weeks, he began walking on the leg with the aid of crutches, and eventually walked on the injury unassisted in late November. However, near the start of December, an MRI revealed that what Mitz and his coaches had thought was a sprain was actually a fractured tibia.
Remarkably, Mitz never wore a cast, boot, or other restrictive device on his foot. "Just some ice now and then," Mitz said.
The Washington State staff has been supportive during Mitz's recovery, and he expects to be at full strength for a summer evaluation with the Cougar staff regardless of the outcome.
A fall signee of Bill Doba's Cougars, Logwone Mitz had hoped to visit Boise State for several months, but recently gave up the efforts when he realized he was "pretty good right where he was."
"I was trying to set up the Boise visit for awhile, but they weren't going to offer unless I visited," Mitz said Monday. "And I already had a good offer."
Mitz visits with doctors tomorrow, hoping to be cleared to return to the basketball court. He has missed the entire season after suffering a fractured tibia in the fifth game of his senior football campaign.
"I was in stride on like the two yard line, and somebody just came across the back left side," said Mitz. "When he hit the right back leg, it turned the whole ankle, cracked the tibia. But I walked off the field."
Remarkably, Mitz walked around on the broken leg, and even tried to summon the energy to return to action in the fourth quarter.
"I just thought I rolled it real bad," Mitz said.
Unable to put pressure on the leg, Mitz did not return to action. After the pain increased over the next three weeks, he began walking on the leg with the aid of crutches, and eventually walked on the injury unassisted in late November. However, near the start of December, an MRI revealed that what Mitz and his coaches had thought was a sprain was actually a fractured tibia.
Remarkably, Mitz never wore a cast, boot, or other restrictive device on his foot. "Just some ice now and then," Mitz said.
The Washington State staff has been supportive during Mitz's recovery, and he expects to be at full strength for a summer evaluation with the Cougar staff regardless of the outcome.
Virginia Tech 2007 Season Analysis, Part 2
(This article originally appears on www.hokiehaven.com.)
Earlier this week, we looked at the first half of Virginia Tech's 2007 football schedule. While there were tough opponents before the bye with trips to LSU and Clemson. The season doesn't get any easier after the bye. In this edition, Hokiehaven.com senior writer Brian Golden takes a look at the second half of the year to see what we can expect.
Boston College (10-3, 5-3 ACC)
Biggest Win: Virginia Tech, 22-3
Worst Loss: at NC State, 17-15
Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan will be the class of ACC quarterbacks next year, coming off a 2,700 yard, 15 touchdown campaign in 2006. When Ryan threw the same amount of touchodwns and interceptions, or more interceptions than touchdowns, Boston College was bad (3-4). When he threw more touchdowns than interceptions, they were very good (7-0). Like so many ACC teams, the Eagles feature running back by committee, with Andre Callender (127 carries for 567 yards) and L.V. Whitworth (174 carries for 790 yards) likely to split carries again. The tandem has been featured in the Boston College backfield since 2004, and between them, neither has had a season below 600 yards rushing. Exactly what that shared load will look like is yet to be determined, with former Packers offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski taking the reins from Tom O'Brien.
The Eagles will still be a talented team in 2007, but there's something about this game that spells ambush for me. Tech will be rested from a 12 day lay off, with a renewed focus on the second, tougher part of the year, and Blacksburg promises to rock for a Thursday battle, the sort of which the Hokies have dominated over the last several years. Add the revenge factor for Virginia Tech's worst loss of the 2006 campaign, and I think this one could be ugly.
Prediction: Tech by 20
At Georgia Tech (9-5, 7-1 ACC)
Biggest Win: at Virginia Tech, 38-27
Worst Loss: at Georgia, 15-12
In Atlanta, the theme for 2007 is: out with one Johnson, in with another. With Calvin Johnson likely a top-five draft pick, junior wide receiver James Johnson will look to fill the void, and, if the quarterback play improves, may put up numbers that get within shouting distance of the elder Johnson's 1,200 yard performance last season. Reggie Ball was a brutally mediocre quarterback, bad enough that CollegeFootballNews asked the question last month: is he the worst four-year starter ever? Taylor Bennett had a huge Gator Bowl against West Virginia, and the Jackets are going to be much better under his quarterbacking. Tashard Choice is the real baller in the Jacket backfield, looking to build on a 1,400 yard campaign in 2006 that included 105 yards and two TDs against the Hokies. With Calvin Johnson snaring passes and the Reggie Ball saga, Georgia Tech's defense was a bit overlooked in 2006, holding opponents to 15 points per game, including stuffing four teams to just seven or below.
Prediction: Hokies by 6
Florida State (7-6, 3-5 ACC)
Biggest Win: UCLA, 44-27
Worst Loss: at NC State, 24-20
Who would have guessed before 2006 that the 'Noles best victory before bowl season would come over Western Michigan? Florida State didn't beat a good team from September and December, crippled by an inept running game, bad morale, and some close losses. How did a running game with Lorenzo Booker struggle THAT much? Your guess is as good as mine. FSU will be better in 2007, almost because they can't really get worse. The offense will have plenty of talent and tools, including guidance from ex-LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher. Florida State has talent at the skills, like they always do, and the challenge will be instilling a team concept and having the group character to win close games. Florida State is the only ACC team the Hokies haven't played in the regular season since joining the conference, so the matchup has a lot of intrigue for that reason as well. You always have to be wary of the proud programs coming off a disappointing season; FSU built some momentum against UCLA in the bowl game, and for some reason I have a feeling this will be one of those head-scratching Hokie losses.
Prediction: 'Noles by 7
Miami (7-6, 3-5 ACC)
Biggest Win: BC, 17-14
Worst Loss: at Virginia, 17-7
It wasn't the way Miami lost in 2006 that showed just how far this team has fallen, it was the way the Hurricanes won. The season featured the ugly throwdown against Florida International, the dismissal of a former-player-turned-announcer who glorified the incident as it took place, and some ugly celebrating after narrowly beating Nevada in a fourth-tier bowl game. When it came time to replace coach Larry Coker, the program clearly needed a major change of scenery, but instead hired a Hurricane lifer, defensive coordinator Randy Shannon. The Hokies and 'Canes have what is truly one of the greatest non-traditional rivalries in college football right now, with both teams often rated highly, and the contests matching different cultures as much as different teams. Some contributors are back on the Canes this year; quarterbacks Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman, running back Javarris James, and others, but the question isn't about talent; the issue at the Orange Bowl is setting a new tone in the Hurricane program. I don't think it happens, and I think Virginia Tech clinches the ACC Coastal with a pounding of the once-mighty 'Canes.
Prediction: Hokies by 10
At Virginia (5-7, 4-4 ACC)
Biggest Win: Miami 17-7
Worst Loss: at Pittsburgh 38-13
at Florida State 33-0
Tech has owned the Cavaliers lately, taking three straight from their in-state rival since a 2003 season-ending loss. This late-season contest looks a bit dangerous for the Hokies, just because I think they'll already have the Coastal locked up by then, and Cavalier sophomore quarterback Jameel Sewell may be well on his way to coming in to his own by then. The offense positively stunk in 2006, going for only 257 yards and 15 points per game, but the defense was actually quite competitive, holding teams to 0, 7, 7 and 17 in four of the last five games. Running back Jason Snelling was about the only thing the Cav offense had going for it in 2006, and without him, everything will rest on the creativity of Sewell. The Hokies might let down for a couple quarters, but should win in the end.
Prediction: Hokies by 16
Season Prediction: 10-2, 7-1 ACC, 1st place ACC Coastal
Earlier this week, we looked at the first half of Virginia Tech's 2007 football schedule. While there were tough opponents before the bye with trips to LSU and Clemson. The season doesn't get any easier after the bye. In this edition, Hokiehaven.com senior writer Brian Golden takes a look at the second half of the year to see what we can expect.
Boston College (10-3, 5-3 ACC)
Biggest Win: Virginia Tech, 22-3
Worst Loss: at NC State, 17-15
Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan will be the class of ACC quarterbacks next year, coming off a 2,700 yard, 15 touchdown campaign in 2006. When Ryan threw the same amount of touchodwns and interceptions, or more interceptions than touchdowns, Boston College was bad (3-4). When he threw more touchdowns than interceptions, they were very good (7-0). Like so many ACC teams, the Eagles feature running back by committee, with Andre Callender (127 carries for 567 yards) and L.V. Whitworth (174 carries for 790 yards) likely to split carries again. The tandem has been featured in the Boston College backfield since 2004, and between them, neither has had a season below 600 yards rushing. Exactly what that shared load will look like is yet to be determined, with former Packers offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski taking the reins from Tom O'Brien.
The Eagles will still be a talented team in 2007, but there's something about this game that spells ambush for me. Tech will be rested from a 12 day lay off, with a renewed focus on the second, tougher part of the year, and Blacksburg promises to rock for a Thursday battle, the sort of which the Hokies have dominated over the last several years. Add the revenge factor for Virginia Tech's worst loss of the 2006 campaign, and I think this one could be ugly.
Prediction: Tech by 20
At Georgia Tech (9-5, 7-1 ACC)
Biggest Win: at Virginia Tech, 38-27
Worst Loss: at Georgia, 15-12
In Atlanta, the theme for 2007 is: out with one Johnson, in with another. With Calvin Johnson likely a top-five draft pick, junior wide receiver James Johnson will look to fill the void, and, if the quarterback play improves, may put up numbers that get within shouting distance of the elder Johnson's 1,200 yard performance last season. Reggie Ball was a brutally mediocre quarterback, bad enough that CollegeFootballNews asked the question last month: is he the worst four-year starter ever? Taylor Bennett had a huge Gator Bowl against West Virginia, and the Jackets are going to be much better under his quarterbacking. Tashard Choice is the real baller in the Jacket backfield, looking to build on a 1,400 yard campaign in 2006 that included 105 yards and two TDs against the Hokies. With Calvin Johnson snaring passes and the Reggie Ball saga, Georgia Tech's defense was a bit overlooked in 2006, holding opponents to 15 points per game, including stuffing four teams to just seven or below.
Prediction: Hokies by 6
Florida State (7-6, 3-5 ACC)
Biggest Win: UCLA, 44-27
Worst Loss: at NC State, 24-20
Who would have guessed before 2006 that the 'Noles best victory before bowl season would come over Western Michigan? Florida State didn't beat a good team from September and December, crippled by an inept running game, bad morale, and some close losses. How did a running game with Lorenzo Booker struggle THAT much? Your guess is as good as mine. FSU will be better in 2007, almost because they can't really get worse. The offense will have plenty of talent and tools, including guidance from ex-LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher. Florida State has talent at the skills, like they always do, and the challenge will be instilling a team concept and having the group character to win close games. Florida State is the only ACC team the Hokies haven't played in the regular season since joining the conference, so the matchup has a lot of intrigue for that reason as well. You always have to be wary of the proud programs coming off a disappointing season; FSU built some momentum against UCLA in the bowl game, and for some reason I have a feeling this will be one of those head-scratching Hokie losses.
Prediction: 'Noles by 7
Miami (7-6, 3-5 ACC)
Biggest Win: BC, 17-14
Worst Loss: at Virginia, 17-7
It wasn't the way Miami lost in 2006 that showed just how far this team has fallen, it was the way the Hurricanes won. The season featured the ugly throwdown against Florida International, the dismissal of a former-player-turned-announcer who glorified the incident as it took place, and some ugly celebrating after narrowly beating Nevada in a fourth-tier bowl game. When it came time to replace coach Larry Coker, the program clearly needed a major change of scenery, but instead hired a Hurricane lifer, defensive coordinator Randy Shannon. The Hokies and 'Canes have what is truly one of the greatest non-traditional rivalries in college football right now, with both teams often rated highly, and the contests matching different cultures as much as different teams. Some contributors are back on the Canes this year; quarterbacks Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman, running back Javarris James, and others, but the question isn't about talent; the issue at the Orange Bowl is setting a new tone in the Hurricane program. I don't think it happens, and I think Virginia Tech clinches the ACC Coastal with a pounding of the once-mighty 'Canes.
Prediction: Hokies by 10
At Virginia (5-7, 4-4 ACC)
Biggest Win: Miami 17-7
Worst Loss: at Pittsburgh 38-13
at Florida State 33-0
Tech has owned the Cavaliers lately, taking three straight from their in-state rival since a 2003 season-ending loss. This late-season contest looks a bit dangerous for the Hokies, just because I think they'll already have the Coastal locked up by then, and Cavalier sophomore quarterback Jameel Sewell may be well on his way to coming in to his own by then. The offense positively stunk in 2006, going for only 257 yards and 15 points per game, but the defense was actually quite competitive, holding teams to 0, 7, 7 and 17 in four of the last five games. Running back Jason Snelling was about the only thing the Cav offense had going for it in 2006, and without him, everything will rest on the creativity of Sewell. The Hokies might let down for a couple quarters, but should win in the end.
Prediction: Hokies by 16
Season Prediction: 10-2, 7-1 ACC, 1st place ACC Coastal
A Look Ahead
(This article appears on www.hokiehaven.com.)
The view down from the top of the ACC ladder is a vantage point Hokie fans have only felt on the gridiron, until now. Coach Seth Greenberg has led the 2007 Virginia Tech squad to the top spot in the ACC standings at the beginning of February, a dramatic turnaround for a team that joined the ACC just a few years ago. As the air gets rarer, each contest looms larger and larger. Check out what's on tap this week.
NC State (11-8, 1-5 ACC)
Good Wins: Michigan, 74-67
Bad Losses: at Cincinnati, 80-71
The Wolfpack started 2006 with promise, jumping to a 5-0 berth against inferior competition, capping the streak with a win over Michigan. Since the start, NC State is 6-8, and has four ACC losses by at least 11, with only a conquest of last place Wake Forest in the win column. First year coach Sidney Lowe is getting 15-plus points an outing from three players; they're all 6-foot-8 or taller, and they all return in 2008. Freshman Brandon Costner leads the Pack in both points (16.7 ppg) and rebounds (7.8 rpg), and has logged three double-doubles in the last seven outings. In fact, he hasn't been held below 11 points this season and stopping Costner doesn't really seem to be an option. Sophomore Ben McCauley and junior Gavin Grant also score and rebound for NC State, and Grant puts up a very high number of assists (4.5 apg) for a man of his size (6-foot-8). The bad news for NC State is that Grant also turns the ball over an astounding 4.8 times per game, and if he tries to get too clever with the ball against Tech's quick guards, that number could double.
NC State can certainly score, lighting the neon to the tune of about 78 points per game. They also aren't fond of defense, and they've given up at least 71 to every ACC team they've played this season. The Wolfpack is a very young team with a bright future, but this year, they're still pretty bad; even in their one ACC win, they didn't play exceptionally well, but managed to shoot 61% from the field en route to beating Wake Forest. The key for Dowdell and company is to hassle the Pack's guard crew into making mistakes and fouling. Engin Atsur, the NC State floor general, has been absent or ineffective since November, and whoever fills his shoes will simply not be very good. If Tech waits long enough on each possession, the good shots will be there.
Boston College (14-6, 6-2 ACC)
Good Wins: Michigan State, 65-58, Maryland, 73-62
Bad Losses: Vermont, 77-63, at Providence, 73-64, Duquesne, 98-93
Ssshhh. Don't tell the national media, but Virginia Tech at Boston College might be the biggest ACC contest so far this season. UNC/Duke will get the hype, but this one will be played by two experienced, smart teams with the seasoning to make deep NCAA runs. Jared Dudley is an absolute beast at power forward, scoring 17 or more seven of eight times in the ACC, and snaring eight rebounds or more six of eight times. Not surprisingly, when Boston College has lost, Dudley has given his two lowest scoring outings of the conference season. Boston College is one team that Tech can't approach with the perspective that they'll let the other team's starter get his points. Dudley must have his touches and shots limited, and he has to be held under 18 points. When he goes off, the Eagles follow, and they win. BC doesn't have any high-quality distributors when sophomore Tyrese Rice (16ppg, 5.9 apg) isn't on the floor. Rice doesn't like to foul; he's committed only 1.7 per game this year. It will be incumbent on Dowdell, or whoever's assignment Rice draws, to initiate some contact on the offensive end, and try to put the sophomore in a position where he's playing "careful."
Freshman Shamari Spears is a big body at 6-foot-6, 244-pounds., and has continued to develop with increased minutes, grabbing over six boards a game since entering the lineup in place of departed center Sean Williams who was a shot-blocking monster in the middle. Williams absence has to be considered the chief reason for Boston College's recent struggles, going 1-2 in their last 3 ACC contests, and looking bad doing it. Even without Williams, a win at Chestnut Hill would have to be considered a major steal in the ACC standings, and would position the Hokies for an 8-1 ACC record heading into Chapel Hill next weekend.
The view down from the top of the ACC ladder is a vantage point Hokie fans have only felt on the gridiron, until now. Coach Seth Greenberg has led the 2007 Virginia Tech squad to the top spot in the ACC standings at the beginning of February, a dramatic turnaround for a team that joined the ACC just a few years ago. As the air gets rarer, each contest looms larger and larger. Check out what's on tap this week.
NC State (11-8, 1-5 ACC)
Good Wins: Michigan, 74-67
Bad Losses: at Cincinnati, 80-71
The Wolfpack started 2006 with promise, jumping to a 5-0 berth against inferior competition, capping the streak with a win over Michigan. Since the start, NC State is 6-8, and has four ACC losses by at least 11, with only a conquest of last place Wake Forest in the win column. First year coach Sidney Lowe is getting 15-plus points an outing from three players; they're all 6-foot-8 or taller, and they all return in 2008. Freshman Brandon Costner leads the Pack in both points (16.7 ppg) and rebounds (7.8 rpg), and has logged three double-doubles in the last seven outings. In fact, he hasn't been held below 11 points this season and stopping Costner doesn't really seem to be an option. Sophomore Ben McCauley and junior Gavin Grant also score and rebound for NC State, and Grant puts up a very high number of assists (4.5 apg) for a man of his size (6-foot-8). The bad news for NC State is that Grant also turns the ball over an astounding 4.8 times per game, and if he tries to get too clever with the ball against Tech's quick guards, that number could double.
NC State can certainly score, lighting the neon to the tune of about 78 points per game. They also aren't fond of defense, and they've given up at least 71 to every ACC team they've played this season. The Wolfpack is a very young team with a bright future, but this year, they're still pretty bad; even in their one ACC win, they didn't play exceptionally well, but managed to shoot 61% from the field en route to beating Wake Forest. The key for Dowdell and company is to hassle the Pack's guard crew into making mistakes and fouling. Engin Atsur, the NC State floor general, has been absent or ineffective since November, and whoever fills his shoes will simply not be very good. If Tech waits long enough on each possession, the good shots will be there.
Boston College (14-6, 6-2 ACC)
Good Wins: Michigan State, 65-58, Maryland, 73-62
Bad Losses: Vermont, 77-63, at Providence, 73-64, Duquesne, 98-93
Ssshhh. Don't tell the national media, but Virginia Tech at Boston College might be the biggest ACC contest so far this season. UNC/Duke will get the hype, but this one will be played by two experienced, smart teams with the seasoning to make deep NCAA runs. Jared Dudley is an absolute beast at power forward, scoring 17 or more seven of eight times in the ACC, and snaring eight rebounds or more six of eight times. Not surprisingly, when Boston College has lost, Dudley has given his two lowest scoring outings of the conference season. Boston College is one team that Tech can't approach with the perspective that they'll let the other team's starter get his points. Dudley must have his touches and shots limited, and he has to be held under 18 points. When he goes off, the Eagles follow, and they win. BC doesn't have any high-quality distributors when sophomore Tyrese Rice (16ppg, 5.9 apg) isn't on the floor. Rice doesn't like to foul; he's committed only 1.7 per game this year. It will be incumbent on Dowdell, or whoever's assignment Rice draws, to initiate some contact on the offensive end, and try to put the sophomore in a position where he's playing "careful."
Freshman Shamari Spears is a big body at 6-foot-6, 244-pounds., and has continued to develop with increased minutes, grabbing over six boards a game since entering the lineup in place of departed center Sean Williams who was a shot-blocking monster in the middle. Williams absence has to be considered the chief reason for Boston College's recent struggles, going 1-2 in their last 3 ACC contests, and looking bad doing it. Even without Williams, a win at Chestnut Hill would have to be considered a major steal in the ACC standings, and would position the Hokies for an 8-1 ACC record heading into Chapel Hill next weekend.
It's Miami Thomas
(This article originally appeared on www.orangeandbluenews.com.)
Soon-to-be Illini signee Marcus Thomas is an ardent student of the recruiting derby in his native Chicago, and he still remembers the first moment he realized how many were following his recruitment as well.
"I looked around and saw some of the best players in Illinois with me, and I thought: 'wow, this is a defining moment."
Thomas described the entire process, start to finish, as one filled with excitement, and the opportunity to meet a host of coaches and players from across the country.
"It was real cool talking to people from Hawaii, from Boston, from wherever they were offering from," Thomas said Monday. "I mean, it was real fun. How many people get to say they got an offer from Hawaii?"
Of course, Thomas would eventually commit to play for Ron Zook's Illini, becoming a member of Illinois' heralded 2007 class, which is being rated in the top-10 nationwide by some services.
According to Thomas, several of the Chicago-area recruits headed to Champaign next year have a close relationship, and his commitment to Illinois was instrumental in building an added buzz among some other members of the 2007 class.
"People were starting to talk about Illinois here, and then I committed," Thomas said. "And then a second person committed, and then when I would see the other players they'd ask me about Illinois, and I think a lot of people started to feel comfortable going to somewhere where they'd know a bunch of players already."
Thomas played high school football in Chicago's Public League, where he established a rivalry with a player Illini fans will, hopefully, get to know very well very soon.
"Martez (Wilson), man," Thomas joked, "that dude was the only guy to score on me in high school, the only guy to score on me in all of high school. That's heartbreaking right there."
Thomas has charted Illinois' efforts in the offseason closely, and spoke highly of the class of which he is a member.
"Its going to be real good. There's a whole bunch of talent, I mean, you got the top wide receiver in the country, the top defensive end, a whole bunch of athletes. And that D.C. pipeline they're opening is a real good thing."
Surgery Tuesday for Big D
A four-star Illinois football recruit heads to surgery today, hoping that doctors can successfully repair an ACL injury that was not properly diagnosed until several months later.
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| D'Angelo McCray |
"When I was down, at first I couldn't move, but then a week or so afterward, I was walking on it," McCray said Tuesday night. "The doctors thought it was only a tear, so they cleared me to play the rest of the year."
The injury occurred during the first game of McCray's senior season, and he said that throughout the aftermath of the injury, the coaching staff at Illinois has been nothing but supportive.
"Coach Zook is actually coming down to see me Wednesday, he's coming to my home," McCray said. "He's just a pretty cool, down to earth guy."
(This article originally appeared on www.orangeandbluenews.com.)
According to McCray, his doctors have told him that he will be 100 percent by July, and ready to start working out with the Illini football program this summer. He plans to move to Champaign soon after graduating from high school in May in an effort to settle in to his new home and begin rehabbing with team staff as soon as possible. But the rehabilition effort will start well before then, in Jacksonville.
"I got a little membership to the gym, so I'm going to be in the pool a lot. I can still work my upper body, so I'm going to be working that a lot, and then going in to the pool and whirlpool to try and build back my leg."
McCray will officially ink with the Illini at a signing day press conference at Jackson High School February 7.
Monday, January 29, 2007
What Cyclone Would You Most Like to See in the Super Bowl?
(This article originally appeared on www.big12-fans.com.)
Brian #1
When I start thinking about Cyclones I’d like to see get a shot on sports’ biggest stage, the list gets long fast. Jordan Carstens is rushing Sage Rosenfels out of the pocket, Seneca Wallace is lined up in the slot on a trick play, Reggie Hayward and James Reed are stuffing the run, Ellis Hobbs is returning Tony Yelk’s booming kickoffs, Troy Davis is watching from a TV somewhere in Canada, and Pete Taylor is doing play-by-play from the big pressbox in the sky. But if I could pick one former Cyclone to shine on Super Sunday, its really not that hard. I’m going with the one common link between all these great Cyclones: Dan McCarney.
Now that Bill Cowher is out of the league, there’s a huge vacancy just waiting to be filled for a coach that leads with a scowl and an angry chin. Cowher never went Clapping Monkey like Mac, but just imagine Mac at Media Day for the Super Bowl. Even with the limited coverage at Iowa State, the amount of hot air Mac spewed at reporters was probably the chief cause of Global Warming. Picture him at media day:
Reporter: What are your chances on Sunday, Coach McCarney?
Mac: I tell ya, its not gonna be easy Sunday, Jimmy, no way. This is the fourth straight playoff team we faced, we had one of the hardest schedules in the entire NFC North this season, we’re going up against a team on a three game winning streak, you don’t win that many football games by accident, they’re doing it with toughness, with heart, they’re playing smart, they make big plays, they get turnovers, they don’t turn the ball over, they have a good plan, they’re big, they’re strong, they’re experienced, they have amazing fans, they perform well under pressure, they’re great on both sides of the ball, they have unbelievable special teams, we’re going to have be better than we’ve ever even considered thinking about being before just to be in this game at halftime. And oh yeah, their punt coverage in the second half when leading is tops in the AFC East, so we’ve got to be ready for that. Did I mention what an honor it is to coach against Romeo Crennel, who is one of the all-time legends in this sport?
(Polar ice caps melt.)
Seriously, I love Coach Mac, and I always will, and I’ll always pull for him wherever he goes. I want him in the Super Bowl. I want to hear what Joe Buck says as Mac grimaces after we get stuffed on 4th and short. I want to see him cheering and clapping after our defense gets a stop while trailing 42-7. I want to see him manage the clock in the 4th quarter with the added complication of the two minute warning. I want to see him lead the team in “kumbaya” when they’re trailing 24-7 at halftime.
Truly, no Cyclone, past, present or future, deserves a chance to have his hard work appreciated and praised for all the world to see as much as Dan McCarney.
Brian #2
There are certainly a number of Cyclones who were fan favorites throughout their careers who I would love to see play in a Super Bowl. There may be no one who deserves a chance in the spotlight more, though, than Tony Yelk. The state of Iowa’s football version of Jess Settles, Yelk experienced some serious ups and downs throughout his 8 year Cyclone career. Or at least some serious downs.
When Yelk was a freshman I remember feeling like he had the world at his feet. Sure, he was inaccurate, but he had the leg to knock down field goals from 55+ yards, and his punts were absolute bombs! Who cares if he took 6 steps before he punted? Gramted, I was a little angry too when Yelk went 0-4 on FG in a 24-21 loss to Texas A&M, or “missed” that field goal that would have won the Independence Bowl against Alabama. But its cool. We get chances to beat two of the most storied programs in the country in the same year all the time. Don’t sweat it, Tony.
Lots of kickers are injury plagued, and that’s why I was understanding of Tony when he spent his second senior year out with a pulled muscle when many fans were throwing him under the bus. It’s not like we lost 4 really close games where an inch could have made a huge difference, and the two guys who tried to replace him combined for 56.4 yards a kickoff, putting their average blast at the 9-yard line, before the average 18.6 yard return put teams at the 28-yard line. Wait, all that actually did happen.
Sure, maybe I am a little bitter about the Tony Yelk era. But I am ready to see him succeed so that both of us can exercise our demons. I just want to see Tony catch on with a team that can afford to use one of its roster spots on a guy who can be a very good kickoff man and emergency quarterback (Tony was an all-state QB in high school). Maybe I just want to see Tony in a Super Bowl because I could makes jokes about it with my family for month, whether about his hair, his brittle body, or his career at ISU. Regardless, Tony is my man.
Brad
When people need some hard work done in Bagley, Iowa, they don’t have to look very far. 6 feet 5 inches, 300 pounds of lean muscle. Jordan Carstens is a man among boys but, more than that, he embodied what it meant to be a classy Iowa State Cyclone football player under Dan McCarney.
He walked on at ISU in 1999, weighing only 215 pounds. Getty probably had him on more protein shakes than Herschel Walker. What seemed like overnight, the boy from Bagley had turned into the beast from Bagley. Improbably he became a starter and, eventually, a star. In 2002 and 2003 he earned all conference recognition while playing through several obviously painful injuries.
One only has to look to the Oklahoma game his junior year. The Cyclones came into Norman the #9 team in the country, and came away wondering what hit them. But on that day, even Sooner fans would agree, Jordan Carstens was packing a punch. Limping around the field Carstens piled up 13 tackles and was the only ISU player who looked like he belonged on the field that day.
I wish that Carstens could rid the injury plague that has continued to hinder his NFL career with the Panthers. Although it never seemed to stop him from having career games in college, the stakes are higher and the he’s not competing with Klayton Shoals anymore. Carstens will always be one of my favorite Cyclones and I think he deserves a Super Bowl. I will always miss the beast from Bagley, ole #92 in cardinal and gold.
Brian #1 is a freelance writer living in Chicago, and a regular contributor to Rivals.com and his website, briankgolden.blogspot.com. Brian #2 is a sophomore at Iowa State University majoring in finance and Spanish. Brad is a junior at Notre Dame, majoring in Economics and Philosophy.
Thomas Back from Illini Visit
(This article originally appeared on www.orangeandbluenews.com.)
A Washington DC area prospect who committed to Illinois last fall visited Champaign this weekend, and found the trip even better than he'd hoped.
Ian Thomas, a 6-foot, 206-pound weakside linebacker from DeMatha Catholic HS (Md.) pledged his services to offensive coorindator Mike Locksley and the Illini last fall before ever visiting Illinois, and returned home Sunday even more excited about his future in Champaign.
"It was the greatest thing," said Thomas Sunday night. "I met the coaches, met the players, saw the campus. I just can't wait to get down there."
Thomas said he was excited by the entire weekend, but reserved his highest words of praise for Ron Zook's coaching staff.
"I met every single coach, offense and defense," Thomas said. "You can't get a better staff than they have at Illinois. They take care of business on and off the field, but they also let you have a good time. I just can't wait to get down there and have them coach me up."
While Thomas was the only recruit visiting, he said he already shares a familiarity and bond with several of the DC-area preps that Zook has signed, and that he got special advice on his recruitment from one of them.
"Derek McPhearson, who went to my school, he told me Illinois was the best visit he took," Thomas said. "And he went to Florida, a lot of places, all the top schools. If Illinois was the best for him, I figured it would be pretty good for me."
Just a day after setting foot on the Illinois campus, Thomas already has big plans for his future in the orange and blue.
"They definitely want me to come in and start on special teams, and I'm going to get a chance to contribute at linebacker. I definitely don't expect to redshirt, I expect to play next year."
As far as how the jump from Dematha to the Big Ten would compare to what his DC buddies had told him, Thomas said that on the visit, he saw with his own eyes that Illinois' physical conditioning program is "no joke man, seriously, it's no joke." He did, however, assure Illini fans that its "nothing he can't handle," and that he'll arrive next fall ready to make an impact immediately.
A Washington DC area prospect who committed to Illinois last fall visited Champaign this weekend, and found the trip even better than he'd hoped.
Ian Thomas, a 6-foot, 206-pound weakside linebacker from DeMatha Catholic HS (Md.) pledged his services to offensive coorindator Mike Locksley and the Illini last fall before ever visiting Illinois, and returned home Sunday even more excited about his future in Champaign.
"It was the greatest thing," said Thomas Sunday night. "I met the coaches, met the players, saw the campus. I just can't wait to get down there."
Thomas said he was excited by the entire weekend, but reserved his highest words of praise for Ron Zook's coaching staff.
"I met every single coach, offense and defense," Thomas said. "You can't get a better staff than they have at Illinois. They take care of business on and off the field, but they also let you have a good time. I just can't wait to get down there and have them coach me up."
While Thomas was the only recruit visiting, he said he already shares a familiarity and bond with several of the DC-area preps that Zook has signed, and that he got special advice on his recruitment from one of them.
"Derek McPhearson, who went to my school, he told me Illinois was the best visit he took," Thomas said. "And he went to Florida, a lot of places, all the top schools. If Illinois was the best for him, I figured it would be pretty good for me."
Just a day after setting foot on the Illinois campus, Thomas already has big plans for his future in the orange and blue.
"They definitely want me to come in and start on special teams, and I'm going to get a chance to contribute at linebacker. I definitely don't expect to redshirt, I expect to play next year."
As far as how the jump from Dematha to the Big Ten would compare to what his DC buddies had told him, Thomas said that on the visit, he saw with his own eyes that Illinois' physical conditioning program is "no joke man, seriously, it's no joke." He did, however, assure Illini fans that its "nothing he can't handle," and that he'll arrive next fall ready to make an impact immediately.
Linebacker Hits the State of Illinois
(This article originally appeared on www.orangeandbluenews.com.)
An inside linebacer from the class of 2008 went to Champaign for an unofficial visit this weekend, and the trip has Illinois among the early leaders for his services.
"They were both good," Major said Sunday. "They're very different, Evanston is really close to the city, and Illinois is a lot more rural, obviously."
As far as just what he liked about Illinois, Major echoed a statement growing awfully familiar to Illini fans: a very high opinion of Coach Ron Zook.
"He sure seems like he knows what he's doing," said Major. "He's really energetic, and you can tell he's taking them in the right direction."
Major is projected as an middle linebacker by most of the college coaches on his tail, and his skill at the position was on display in a 20-tackle performance against Rangeview HS last fall.
The Colorado prep did say that playing for a winning team is important to him, but among Major's offers, only Wisconsin and Utah posted winning seasons in 2006. He also retains scholarship offers from Colorado, Stanford, Illinois, Northwestern and Washington.
The rising junior said that he feels physically ready to compete in college, but will use his senior year to continue developing his leadership skills, a tool he said "can always improve." Illini defensive coordinator Vince Okruch is recruiting Major for Zook's program.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Dallas Lineman Set to Visit Iowa State
(This article originally appeared at iowastate.rivals.com.)
Trey Baysinger, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound multisport athlete from Dallas (Tex.) Carter High School, will visit Iowa State this coming weekend with the Cyclones running strong in the derby to win his services.
Iowa State has moved up dramatically in Baysinger's eyes, with offensive coordinator Robert McFarland making a great impression on the big athlete amidst late competition from Tulsa and Kansas State. Baysinger has already visited Baylor and Kansas, and will visit Ames January 26.
When Baysinger visits Ames, the Carter OL prospect who at one point listed ISU as his top choice, knows exactly what he hopes to find.
"What I'm looking for is how the players interact with one another," Baysinger said Sunday night. "When we see each other campus, if we're riding our bikes and we see each other, are we going to ride next to each other, or just look at each other and keep going."
"I'm talking about teamwork," said Baysinger. "I love teamwork."
He said that his high school program at Carter was an example of a team that didn't support each other, and he will make sure his future destination doesn't suffer the same malady.
Baysinger is considering at least two schools that have recently endured a coaching change, and he will also be looking for an "optimistic attitude" about the future of the program, not just from the coaching staff and team, but from the entire community.
"I want to see how the town is responding to the coaching change, if they're optimistic," Baysinger said. My friend at Tulsa (Cornelius Arnett) says at Tulsa that all the boosters are putting up the money, and all the town is rallying behind the team. That's what I'm looking for."
Baysinger has not received an offer from Tulsa, but is high on the school because of his connections to Arnett and the Oklahoma school's proximity to his Dallas home. He said that the travel time from Dallas to Ames may play in to his decision, but without an offer from Tulsa, Iowa State looks to be in very strong position to secure his talents.
Trey Baysinger, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound multisport athlete from Dallas (Tex.) Carter High School, will visit Iowa State this coming weekend with the Cyclones running strong in the derby to win his services.
Iowa State has moved up dramatically in Baysinger's eyes, with offensive coordinator Robert McFarland making a great impression on the big athlete amidst late competition from Tulsa and Kansas State. Baysinger has already visited Baylor and Kansas, and will visit Ames January 26.
When Baysinger visits Ames, the Carter OL prospect who at one point listed ISU as his top choice, knows exactly what he hopes to find.
"What I'm looking for is how the players interact with one another," Baysinger said Sunday night. "When we see each other campus, if we're riding our bikes and we see each other, are we going to ride next to each other, or just look at each other and keep going."
"I'm talking about teamwork," said Baysinger. "I love teamwork."
He said that his high school program at Carter was an example of a team that didn't support each other, and he will make sure his future destination doesn't suffer the same malady.
Baysinger is considering at least two schools that have recently endured a coaching change, and he will also be looking for an "optimistic attitude" about the future of the program, not just from the coaching staff and team, but from the entire community.
"I want to see how the town is responding to the coaching change, if they're optimistic," Baysinger said. My friend at Tulsa (Cornelius Arnett) says at Tulsa that all the boosters are putting up the money, and all the town is rallying behind the team. That's what I'm looking for."
Baysinger has not received an offer from Tulsa, but is high on the school because of his connections to Arnett and the Oklahoma school's proximity to his Dallas home. He said that the travel time from Dallas to Ames may play in to his decision, but without an offer from Tulsa, Iowa State looks to be in very strong position to secure his talents.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Allen Bell Likes what ISU is Building
(This article originally appeared at iowastate.rivals.com.)
Jaime Pollard's facilities improvement plan has a lot of people talking, including Independence (Kan.) Community College cornerback Allen Bell. Bell visited Ames last weekend, and was impressed with Iowa State's vision for the future.
"The facilities they have right now are top of the line, and with the new coach you can see they're willing to invest in it even more," Bell said Thursday night. "You can tell they're really trying to change something there."
Bell, who emphasized that he is currently a "soft commit" to Ole Miss, has visited Iowa State, Louisville and East Carolina in recent weeks, presumably while still weighing offers from these schools. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound speedster has been quoted elsewhere as saying that Ole Miss is a done deal, but Bell said Thursday night that the Cyclones are still very much in contention.
"After the visit, they're moving up a lot higher than I expected," said Bell. "Wherever you go, if you can play, you're going to get a chance to play. It's going to come down to where I feel comfortable."
Bell also said that Coach Gene Chizik met all his criteria for picking a school.
"He was a really nice guy, and all the good stuff I had heard about him was true," Bell said. "And I know I can trust him."
The derby for the services of Bell, who runs the 100-meter dash in 10.5 seconds, may not last much longer. Bell revealed that he "thinks he has a decision made," but would not reveal that decision.
Whether Bell will come as a package deal with teammate Chris Weir is also unclear. Bell said that playing with Weir was somewhat important, but would not make or break his decision. According to Bell, he will enter in the fall as a redshirt sophomore, with three years to play three.
Jaime Pollard's facilities improvement plan has a lot of people talking, including Independence (Kan.) Community College cornerback Allen Bell. Bell visited Ames last weekend, and was impressed with Iowa State's vision for the future.
"The facilities they have right now are top of the line, and with the new coach you can see they're willing to invest in it even more," Bell said Thursday night. "You can tell they're really trying to change something there."
Bell, who emphasized that he is currently a "soft commit" to Ole Miss, has visited Iowa State, Louisville and East Carolina in recent weeks, presumably while still weighing offers from these schools. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound speedster has been quoted elsewhere as saying that Ole Miss is a done deal, but Bell said Thursday night that the Cyclones are still very much in contention.
"After the visit, they're moving up a lot higher than I expected," said Bell. "Wherever you go, if you can play, you're going to get a chance to play. It's going to come down to where I feel comfortable."
Bell also said that Coach Gene Chizik met all his criteria for picking a school.
"He was a really nice guy, and all the good stuff I had heard about him was true," Bell said. "And I know I can trust him."
The derby for the services of Bell, who runs the 100-meter dash in 10.5 seconds, may not last much longer. Bell revealed that he "thinks he has a decision made," but would not reveal that decision.
Whether Bell will come as a package deal with teammate Chris Weir is also unclear. Bell said that playing with Weir was somewhat important, but would not make or break his decision. According to Bell, he will enter in the fall as a redshirt sophomore, with three years to play three.
Will Pollard's Plan Work?
(This article originally appeared on www.big12-fans.com.)
Last week, Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard revealed on KXNO’s Marty and Miller radio show the details of a new ticket policy for Cyclone football games. In an effort to drive up season ticket purchases, Pollard announced that no single game tickets would be available for this fall’s contest against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Additionally, season ticket prices have gone up from $36/game to $50/game for the 2007 season. The move has raised conflicting opinions in Iowa, with Hawkeye fans and radio personalities threatening thousands of empty seats and playing the “how dare you ruin the spirit of the rivalry” card.
What do two Brians and a Brad think? Read on!
Brian #1
Jamie Pollard is a big picture guy, and that’s what I love about him.
I don’t have the spreadsheets or the attendance projections he does, and even if I did, we’ve got to admit we’re underqualified to make judgments sometimes, and let the man do his work. But I don’t think this question is really about the immediate bottom line as much a long term public relations vision of how Iowa State will be perceived.
Iowa State is treated by both the local and national media, and of course its rival to the east, as the “little brother.” Even when ISU was beating Iowa five straight times on the gridiron, and winning back-to-back Big XII basketball titles (men’s AND women’s), the media continued to perpetuate the myth that Iowa State was somehow a second-class version of the University of Iowa. The Hawkeyes (who have a strong and respectable athletic program, no doubt) play in the media market-rich Big Ten, while the Cyclones compete in the prairie and oil-field heavy Big XII.
I believe Jamie Pollard looks at this treatment as a public relations disaster, both locally and nationally. Iowa State needs a leader prepared to call a spade a spade and make bold moves that will get people respecting what Iowa State is and what Iowa State can be: a competitive, bold player on the national stage. PR is a state of mind, and it is impossible to measure the effect an adjustment of public image will have in the commentators discuss ISU, the way recruits feel on their visit, and the pride and confidence with which Iowa State’s own employees, coaches and players will do their jobs on a daily basis.
I’m on board.
Brian #2
The idea of sitting inside Jack Trice Stadium for a game against Iowa and not having the Jack full and rocking is a depressing one to this Cyclone fan. I look forward to the Iowa game or the Nebraska game every year because I know that it will be the best environment of the year inside the stadium. Yes, I do hate those opponents more than every other team we play, but it is game day itself that makes me love those games so much, not rubbing it in the other 364 days of the year (even though I enjoy that part too).
So, my gut reaction to this is fear of losing part of what makes that day so special. There are certainly other ways to generate more revenue using the Iowa game as the carrot dangled in front of the casual fan. Why not just up that ticket price even more, into the $90 to $100 range? Or the ticket could come at its usual $65 as part of a season ticket package but cost more if it is sold as a single game ticket. I feel pretty confident that we could sell the Iowa game out with a ticket costing up to $100.
The reason I support what Jamie Pollard is doing, though, is because he is trying to make every game one that has an atmosphere like the Iowa one, not just profit off of our guaranteed draw through one high priced game. I also feel like he will find some way to have 55,000 butts in the seats and on the hillsides next September 15 when Iowa comes to visit, so we won’t lose that electric atmosphere in the short term. The biggest reason that I am supporting Pollard in this, though, is that he has given me no reason not to in his time at Iowa State. He seems to understand the need for revenue and the best ways to generate it at a major university, so I will just follow the company line until he shows me otherwise.
Brad
In his first year as Iowa State’s Athletic Director, Jamie Pollard has caused quite a fuss among Hawkeye fans to the east. Who cares? This, for Cyclone fans, should always be considered a good sign. This fuss is no question a certain fear from Iowa fans, who realize that Iowa State is no longer going to be settling as the second rate team in this state. Pollard has the cajones that Cyclone administrators have lacked over the years, and has the vision needed to take ISU to the next level.
He’s made tough decisions in firing the head coaches of the two biggest programs, but his replacements might be the bigger story. You don’t have to listen to Fran Fraschilla and Ron Franklin to know that Iowa State and Greg McDermott were like love at first sight. And Gene Chizik replacing Dan McCarney seemed a long shot just weeks ago, but Pollard pulled it off. Both searches ended and even the most ardent Iowa State fans were surprised, as well as major media outlets fooled. How does Mr. Pollard do it?
The latest stir he caused is over Iowa State’s football ticket policy. He decided not to release any Iowa/ISU single game tickets for this year’s contest. It’s mid-January and Pollard strategically (of course, it’s Pollard) has the Iowa media focusing on ISU’s season ticket policy. The reasoning behind this plan is not hard to understand—as Pollard said, it’s a “business decision.” If ISU sells an additional 5,000 tickets at the $350 level, that yields $1.75 million. If it sells the additional 20,000 Iowa tickets at the $65 level (the price from last year), it yields $1.3 million. We have more money for the program and still have the remaining tickets for the other games to sell. This is about motivating Cyclone fans to buy tickets, expanding the fan base, and of course, dollars and cents. Yes, there may be empty seats for the Iowa game in Ames, but there will be more money in the AD coffers. Given his first year track record, why not trust Mr. Pollard? I do.
Brian #1 is a freelance writer living in Chicago, and a regular contributor to Rivals.com and his website, briankgolden.blogspot.com. Brian #2 is a sophomore at Iowa State University majoring in finance and Spanish. Brad is a junior at Notre Dame, majoring in Economics and Philosophy.
A Look Ahead
(This article appeared on www.hokiehaven.com.)
Despite dropping their fourth straight contest in Tallahassee Wednesday, Seth Greenberg's Virginia Tech Hokies bounced back Sunday night with a 67-64 win over Maryland, achieving a victory that could be even more valuable to the team's success than earlier defeats of Duke and North Carolina.
This week, a Hokie team that remains unbeaten at Cassell Coliseum takes their #23 ranking on the road for contests at Miami (Tuesday, 9 p.m.) and at Georgia Tech (Sunday, 3:30 p.m.). How will the Hokies fare, and what will they be up against? Let's find out.
Miami (9-11, 2-4 ACC)
Good wins: Georgia Tech (90-82), at Maryland (63-58)
Bad losses: at Buffalo, at Cleveland State, Binghamton, at Northwestern
You're not going to find many major college teams that have beaten two ACC teams the caliber of Georgia Tech and Maryland but also dropped contests to the above lineup of poor squads. The Hurricane attack features only 2 seniors getting more than 16 minutes per game and the inexperience has shown with erratic performances against poor competition.
Miami sophomore guard Jack McClinton leads the team in scoring (16.0 points per game), but senior Anthony Harris is the key to shutting down the 'Canes and getting the road victory. Harris only averages 9.7 points per game, but look at Miami's three biggest wins of the year, and you see a pattern; the 6-foot-2, 187-pound guard dropped in 21 against Georgia Tech, 15 at Maryland and 33 at Massachusetts, and his assist/turnover ratio in those games was a sparkling 3.25/1 compared to 1.26/1 on the entire season. The points are his three highest scoring performances of the year, and the rest of his team seems to thrive on his leadership when he gets going. Obviously, the plan for Greenberg's Gang isn't quite this simple, but the fact remains: when Anthony Harris scores 15 or more points this year, Miami is 3-0, when he doesn't, they're 6-11.
The item of biggest concern for Virginia Tech here is probably fatigue. Just 48 hours after winning an intense overtime battle that saw Collins, Dowdell and Gordon each log over 37 minutes, the Hokies take their longest ACC road trip of the year against a team with extra rest and no travel. Luckily, Cheick Diakite and A.D. Vassallo were each good for a bunch of minutes against the Terps, and the Hokie stars should have some gas in the tank. The key here is building a comfortable lead early by taking Harris out of the game. If Miami's best big game player underperforms, the rest of his teammates will follow suit.
Georgia Tech (13-5, 2-3 ACC)
Good Wins: at Memphis (92-85), Duke (74-63)
Bad Losses: at Miami (90-82)
There's a youth movement going on at Georgia Tech, with only one senior against six fresh and sophomores logging ten or more minutes a game. The Jackets are led by Memphis product Thaddeus Young, a versatile 6-foot-8 forward who has scored in double figures 15 times this year. Young is a threat from all over the court, boasting great shooting percentages in all fields, especially for a man of his size (51% FG, 72% FT, 41% 3P). Young will get his points, but he has shown a propensity for turnovers with the start of ACC play. Hassling him into giving the ball away a fair amount will be a key mission on defense.
Ra'Sean Dickey is the Yellow Jacket big body in the middle, weighing in at 6-foot-9, 255-pounds, he can be tough to move around, but the Tech junior hasn't topped seven rebounds in a game in his last six tries, and he too is careless with the ball, committing 2.7 turnovers per game against just 1.2 assists. Ball control, or lack thereof, seems to be a theme with this Georgia Tech squad; even its key distributor, Javaris Crittenton (5.7 assists per game), couples some nice passes with a lot of mistakes (3.8 turnovers per game). Occasionally, they have managed to overcome the sloppiness to get good results, beating Duke despite giving the ball away a whopping 28 times.
Virginia Tech is a more gathered, disciplined team than some of the teams Georgia Tech has beaten. Young, Dickey and the rest of Paul Hewitt's squad are very athletic, but if Virginia Tech can win the turnover battle handily, the extra eight to ten possessions gained by ball security should be enough to bring the Hokies home at 6-1 in the ACC.
Despite dropping their fourth straight contest in Tallahassee Wednesday, Seth Greenberg's Virginia Tech Hokies bounced back Sunday night with a 67-64 win over Maryland, achieving a victory that could be even more valuable to the team's success than earlier defeats of Duke and North Carolina.
This week, a Hokie team that remains unbeaten at Cassell Coliseum takes their #23 ranking on the road for contests at Miami (Tuesday, 9 p.m.) and at Georgia Tech (Sunday, 3:30 p.m.). How will the Hokies fare, and what will they be up against? Let's find out.
Miami (9-11, 2-4 ACC)
Good wins: Georgia Tech (90-82), at Maryland (63-58)
Bad losses: at Buffalo, at Cleveland State, Binghamton, at Northwestern
You're not going to find many major college teams that have beaten two ACC teams the caliber of Georgia Tech and Maryland but also dropped contests to the above lineup of poor squads. The Hurricane attack features only 2 seniors getting more than 16 minutes per game and the inexperience has shown with erratic performances against poor competition.
Miami sophomore guard Jack McClinton leads the team in scoring (16.0 points per game), but senior Anthony Harris is the key to shutting down the 'Canes and getting the road victory. Harris only averages 9.7 points per game, but look at Miami's three biggest wins of the year, and you see a pattern; the 6-foot-2, 187-pound guard dropped in 21 against Georgia Tech, 15 at Maryland and 33 at Massachusetts, and his assist/turnover ratio in those games was a sparkling 3.25/1 compared to 1.26/1 on the entire season. The points are his three highest scoring performances of the year, and the rest of his team seems to thrive on his leadership when he gets going. Obviously, the plan for Greenberg's Gang isn't quite this simple, but the fact remains: when Anthony Harris scores 15 or more points this year, Miami is 3-0, when he doesn't, they're 6-11.
The item of biggest concern for Virginia Tech here is probably fatigue. Just 48 hours after winning an intense overtime battle that saw Collins, Dowdell and Gordon each log over 37 minutes, the Hokies take their longest ACC road trip of the year against a team with extra rest and no travel. Luckily, Cheick Diakite and A.D. Vassallo were each good for a bunch of minutes against the Terps, and the Hokie stars should have some gas in the tank. The key here is building a comfortable lead early by taking Harris out of the game. If Miami's best big game player underperforms, the rest of his teammates will follow suit.
Georgia Tech (13-5, 2-3 ACC)
Good Wins: at Memphis (92-85), Duke (74-63)
Bad Losses: at Miami (90-82)
There's a youth movement going on at Georgia Tech, with only one senior against six fresh and sophomores logging ten or more minutes a game. The Jackets are led by Memphis product Thaddeus Young, a versatile 6-foot-8 forward who has scored in double figures 15 times this year. Young is a threat from all over the court, boasting great shooting percentages in all fields, especially for a man of his size (51% FG, 72% FT, 41% 3P). Young will get his points, but he has shown a propensity for turnovers with the start of ACC play. Hassling him into giving the ball away a fair amount will be a key mission on defense.
Ra'Sean Dickey is the Yellow Jacket big body in the middle, weighing in at 6-foot-9, 255-pounds, he can be tough to move around, but the Tech junior hasn't topped seven rebounds in a game in his last six tries, and he too is careless with the ball, committing 2.7 turnovers per game against just 1.2 assists. Ball control, or lack thereof, seems to be a theme with this Georgia Tech squad; even its key distributor, Javaris Crittenton (5.7 assists per game), couples some nice passes with a lot of mistakes (3.8 turnovers per game). Occasionally, they have managed to overcome the sloppiness to get good results, beating Duke despite giving the ball away a whopping 28 times.
Virginia Tech is a more gathered, disciplined team than some of the teams Georgia Tech has beaten. Young, Dickey and the rest of Paul Hewitt's squad are very athletic, but if Virginia Tech can win the turnover battle handily, the extra eight to ten possessions gained by ball security should be enough to bring the Hokies home at 6-1 in the ACC.
Charlie O Stays Firm with Tulsa
(This article appeared on tulsa.rivals.com.)
A prized Golden Hurricane recruit is still 100-percent committed to Tulsa, and working on bringing another top prospect with him. Charles Opeseyitan, the vaunted Allen (Tx.) RB who has impressed scouts and competitors at several camps in the past year, has brushed aside initial thoughts of revoking his commitment, and is now "totally committed" to playing at Tulsa next year.
"At first, I thought about switching schools, but then I firmly decided to go to Tulsa," Opeseyitan said. "I made a commitment to the school, and I know that coaches come and go, but the players and people at the school stay solid."
Immediately after Steve Kragthorpe left Tulsa and the Golden Hurricane hired Todd Graham in his place, Opeseyitan was being pressured by an unnamed high school teammate to join him next year at Missouri. However, after thinking things over, "Charlie O" is now the one doing the coercing.
"I'm trying to get my high school teammate Chima Nwachukwu to come play (at Tulsa)," Opeseyitan said. "He committed to Coach Graham at Rice, and I really want him to come play at Tulsa. I think he's going to do it."
Nwachukwu, a 5-foot-10, 190 lb. defensive back, has said in previous Rivals.com stories that he is still committed to Rice, but he has yet to visit the Houston campus.
Although Opeseyitan has solidified his commitment to Tulsa, he did speak with ex-Tulsa coach Steve Kragthorpe at Louisville.
"He seemed pretty excited when I talked to him, and he said that he wanted to be reading up on the great things I did at Tulsa," Opeseyitan said of Kragthorpe. "He said what made Tulsa great was great players, and that meant a lot to me, that he considered me a great player."
A prized Golden Hurricane recruit is still 100-percent committed to Tulsa, and working on bringing another top prospect with him. Charles Opeseyitan, the vaunted Allen (Tx.) RB who has impressed scouts and competitors at several camps in the past year, has brushed aside initial thoughts of revoking his commitment, and is now "totally committed" to playing at Tulsa next year.
"At first, I thought about switching schools, but then I firmly decided to go to Tulsa," Opeseyitan said. "I made a commitment to the school, and I know that coaches come and go, but the players and people at the school stay solid."
Immediately after Steve Kragthorpe left Tulsa and the Golden Hurricane hired Todd Graham in his place, Opeseyitan was being pressured by an unnamed high school teammate to join him next year at Missouri. However, after thinking things over, "Charlie O" is now the one doing the coercing.
"I'm trying to get my high school teammate Chima Nwachukwu to come play (at Tulsa)," Opeseyitan said. "He committed to Coach Graham at Rice, and I really want him to come play at Tulsa. I think he's going to do it."
Nwachukwu, a 5-foot-10, 190 lb. defensive back, has said in previous Rivals.com stories that he is still committed to Rice, but he has yet to visit the Houston campus.
Although Opeseyitan has solidified his commitment to Tulsa, he did speak with ex-Tulsa coach Steve Kragthorpe at Louisville.
"He seemed pretty excited when I talked to him, and he said that he wanted to be reading up on the great things I did at Tulsa," Opeseyitan said of Kragthorpe. "He said what made Tulsa great was great players, and that meant a lot to me, that he considered me a great player."
My Trip Through SEC Country
INTRODUCTION
I spent November of 2006 in Charleston, South Carolina working on a play. When I’m not contributing pithy insight to blogdom, I do work a bit in the theatre, and the Charleston engagement was a bit of that work. Loving leisure like I do, and being fairly virgin to a good car trip south of the Mason-Dixon line, I decided to put a bazillion miles on my 99 Camry, and take a tour of SEC country.
Map of My Trip
If you’re reading this, you probably know I’m a bit of a college football fan, but I haven’t been to that many stadiums. I’ve only seen real live games in four, I think. Iowa State – about 150. Iowa – probably 5. Notre Dame – 1. Missouri – 1. See, in Big XII country, our rivals aren’t the little jaunt across a few miles of highway like y’alls are down south, so I don’t get much chance to go see the Cyclones play on the road.
Additionally, I’ve always been fascinated by stadium architecture. I have notebooks full of little sketches I’d draw in grade school, overhead views of football, basketball and baseball stadium, with different color codes for student and VIP sections, attendance estimates, all the trippings of huge dorkness paired with an insatiable desire for sports knowledge.
Walking in a new stadium always gives me the chills, especially when its empty. I’ve gone out of my way in the past to visit college football stadiums. I’ve stepped on the field at Ohio State and Northwestern, and peeked through the gate at Oklahoma.
But I’ve never, ever been to an SEC stadium. So, with four days to kill going down, and a week to burn going back, I decided to give myself a little tour of SEC country, and then write a little column comparing the schools, their stadiums and people, and hopefully try to tell the truth and piss a few people off.
The schools I ended up getting to, and the stadiums I ended up inside, were; Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. I rated the schools in four categories: Stadium/Facilities, Campus Town, Friendliness of People, Pretty Southern Girls.
Keep in mind, I didn’t go to any of these places on game days, and I know that game day is a huge, huge part of what a stadium is. So, I know that. I’m writing what I saw. As far as the ratings go, 3-4 is kind of lame, 5-6 is average, 7-8 is pretty good and 9-10 is off the proverbial chain. Here’s what I experienced.
TENNESSEE – Knoxville, Tennessee
I was a little down rolling in to Knoxville, having stopped in Nashville to have lunch with the mother of a friend of mine who died two years ago. So I figured getting my first taste of an SEC town would be exactly the right medicine to cheer me up.
Nashville, TN to Knoxville, TN
Knoxville was a little bigger than I thought, and that made the stadium a little harder to find than I expected. For some reason, I thought I’d just roll in to town and see it. Not exactly. But it wasn’t tough, and I found a parking spot right across the street and hopped out. Suddenly I realized I really had no plan to actually get inside the stadium. I didn’t have my Rivals.com press pass, I didn’t even have a camera. The only real reason I could give someone to get me in was: uh, because I want to.
It was about 4:50 pm, and every gate surrounding Neyland Stadium was locked. The place isn’t exactly attractive from the outside. Tall, steep concrete with no walls surrounding, so you can see the jagged edges of the stands in relief underneath the giant gray edifice. Its wedged right in between what looked like administration buildings and the rest of campus, and there’s not a lot of room to breathe. Just when I was about to be content to see it from the outside, I saw a maintenance man locked up a gate about five gates down. I hustled over, and asked if he would let me in. Sure, he said, just don’t be long, and don’t go on the field.
Neyland Stadium from Above
I went on through the gate up a little ramp to the field. And damn it if I didn’t get goosebumps just like I knew I would. Neyland is gorgeous on the inside, completely bowled in, huge stands circling the entire field, and two majestic jerseys hanging from the middle tier; the retired uniforms of Reggie White and Peyton Manning. I was surprised to see hedges surrounding the playing field as well. I would come to learn this was completely common in the south, and not just a Georgia thing, as I had thought.
The other thing that took me by surprise was that, on a Wednesday morning three days before a home game, the field at no paint on it. The trademark orange and white checkerboard endzones were faded, and hardly visible. This, I’d learn, was relatively common too.
Anyway, so I stood there for a few minutes, and was so taken that I didn’t want to leave, so I walked over to the Student Center and grabbed a burrito and a banana, and tried to talk to a few people, so I’d get an impression of what they were like.
As for the women, I was reminded of Crash Davis, telling the other ball players in Bull Durham that, in the show, “all the women have long legs and brains.” Well, brains I didn’t really have time to find out. But the legs…um, yeah.
Some Volunteer Cheerleaders, from SI.com
Stadium: 9
Campus Town: 7
Friendliness of People: 6
Pretty Southern Girls: 7
SOUTH CAROLINA – Columbia, SC
Asheville, NC to Columbia, SC
After spending the night in Asheville, NC, I took the jaunt down to Columbia, SC to see if I could catch Gamecock fever before heading to Charleston. Quick thoughts on Asheville: sleepy little mountain town, very cool. Bought gas from an old fashioned pump with an old school, actual meter instead of a digital read out, and I ate breakfast at a delicious brunch place called Tupelo Honey. If you haven’t caught a sunrise driving down out of the Great Smoky Mountains, you’ve got some living to do.
It was a Thursday afternoon in November, so I figured there would definitely be some activity going on around the stadium. I decided to recall my Boy Scout heritage and be prepared this time. I used a map.
Williams Brice Stadium
I have to admit, I was a little underwhelmed by Williams Brice. Now, let me put that comment in context. Williams Brice is more impressive than any stadium I had been to short of Notre Dame Stadium (other than Neyland). And that says a lot about the SEC, because South Carolina appears to have some of the less impressive facilities in the conference, and its still a way cooler stadium than Jack Trice, Kinnick or Faurot Field. That being said, after Neyland, I was kind of underwhelmed.
There’s a nice little lot right in front of the stadium for football officials, so I rolled in and hopped out. Its November and 80 degrees. This world is fucked up and I love the south. Luckily for me, the gate is wide open, and I stroll right in. Optimistic that I might get an Old Ball Coach sighting, I just kind of stuck my chin out like I was supposed to be there and moseyed around a bit.
Up a little walk away I went, and in half a minute I was standing by a gate on the other side of which was the endzone. There was nobody around, and I was a foot from being on the field at SoCar. Very cool. Again, hedges. Again, no paint.
I guess my feelings on Williams Brice could be summed up like this: the stadium is kind of like John McCain – very cool in theory, but when you look close, but the architecture is a little confused, and the structure is just too old and rusty to really be a winner.
John McCain
The top of the stadium has these cool lights that shoot out from the façade like lasers. Check those things out in this picture:
Laser Lights at Williams Brice
They kind of look like that laser in Star Wars on the Death Star, where all the separate small lasers merged to make one huge killer awesome laser that then blew up Alderaan. Hmm. I guess South Carolina blew up Clemson, which is slightly less impressive than blowing up a planet.
The iron structures are also very rusty, and just looked a little broken down, and I’ve never been a fan of the exposed circular staircase in the corners of stadiums. I think its ghetto and I probably always will.
On my way out of town, I stopped at a Sonic, where the woman was very rude to me when I asked the best way out of town. Luckily for her, those freakin magic burritos at Sonic are unreal, so I didn’t leave town in a totally pissy mood.
Columbia the city, no offense to the South Carolinians, it just seemed kind of dirty. The stadium is across the street from the South Carolina state fair grounds, and everything in the city had that feeling you get walking around a county fair; you’re kind of half impressed by its quaintness, and half shocked it hasn’t all fallen apart yet.
I didn’t really see many Pretty Southern Girls, or girls of any kind, so I can’t give a fair rating there.
Stadium: 5
Campus Town: 4
Friendliness of People: 5
Pretty Southern Girls: NA
GEORGIA – Athens, GA
Six weeks later, after I’d directed the play in Charleston, and spent one night in Savannah (attention tourists: when looking for a cheap motel in Savannah, GA, do NOT stay at any of the properties on Martin Luther King Drive. That is, unless you think gunshots make a nice alarm clock.), I was on the road to Athens.
Savannah, GA to Athens, GA
One thing Athens had in its favor was that for my time here, I would have a tour guide – one of my high school tennis teammates, Big Head. Big Head is working in admissions at UGA with his new wife (Layna, who is very cool) and pretty much decided to move his family to Athens because REM was formed there. Think about that for a second. You’re just out of college, you’ve got a wife to support, and you pack up and head for Liverpool because you loved Sergeant Pepper’s. Its so genius. I love it.
REM
First order of business was going out for some beers with Mr. and Mrs. Head, and I jumped at the chance to have my third consecutive meal at Mellow Mushroom. I had never heard of this place before going to Charleston, but it absolutely has the 2nd best pizza in the world. Completely insanely good pizza. Try it. Mushroom narrowly beat out a stop for burgers at what I was told is the only location of The Varsity outside of the legendary downtown ATL burger/shake hangout, which went to several years ago. Already the restaurants in town are working overtime.
After a few (ok several) beers, we walk (ok, stagger) around campus a bit. The scenery is very chill, the bars are fabulous, and the Pretty Southern Girls scrumptious. I make a mental note to confirm this during a state of sobriety.
Next morning we roll classic Georgia grits and sausage for breakfast and head over to the football stadium, passing the famous arch used on all UGA stationery and publicity materials. (And apparently sold in framed pictures on Art.com)
The UGA Arch and Sanford Stadium
We get to the stadium, and sadly, it’s the only one of the six on this trip that I won’t get to field level. There’s absolutely no access, but luckily you can see down in to it from a road that crosses just outside the endzone seating.
I’m blown away by the view inside. It’s 9 in the morning, a kind of foggy, rainy day, and the weather gives Sanford an almost mystical feeling. It has all the size and awe-inspiring coolness of Neyland stadium, but in my opinion, it’s a little more structurally elegant and its not completely symmetrical, which I think adds a bit of personality. I could have stood there and looked at it all day. I kept picturing it full of fans. A+.
I confirm in my sobriety that the campus town is still very chill, and the Pretty Southern Girls are still pretty yummy.
Stadium: 9
Friendliness of People: 7
Campus Town: 10
Pretty Southern Girls: 8
ALABAMA – Tuscaloosa, AL
I roll out of Athens for a six hour drive or so to Tuscaloosa. I stop at a used bookstore about ten feet off the road, and pick up a beaten up copy of All The President’s Men, one of favorites, for $1.50. Excellent. This is the best roadside purchase I’ve made since getting the 3-liter jug of Carolina cider from a shack 45 minutes southwest of Charleston for $8.99. The other sweet thing I do is try to find how many different stations I can get Sean Hannity on at one time. I don’t know how many of my readers like Hannity, I don’t, but if you do, that’s cool – my point is that in the south he’s on more radio stations than God. He owns AM like Michael owned Barkley. He’s on the radio more than Peyton Manning is on TV. There, that’ll work.
Athens to Tuscaloosa
On the way to Tuscaloosa, I’m giving strong thought to taking a quick detour to see Talladega Motor Speedway. I’m not really a racing fan, but I feel its just one of those things you gotta see. Unfortunately, the bookstore set me back a bit, and I’m a little behind schedule. I don’t like driving after dark after I was in car accident two years ago at night, so I try to get everywhere by a little after dusk. I decide, sadly, I’m not going to have time to stop at Talladega.
Howevah…
As fate would have it, just a bit after I cross over in to Alabama (which has, easily the best license plates of any state in the union: Stars Fell on Alabama) my car starts to make funny sounds. And then those funny sounds turn in to my car not responding well to steering. And the car not responding well to steering turns in to the car making a sound like a sonic boom every time I break. I’ve got no choice. I have to pull over and find a mechanic. And guess where I am? That’s right…Talladega!!
Thanks to my trusty assistant (my mother at home in Iowa), I find a mechanic about ten minutes from where I pull over. And guess what I have to drive right past in order to get there? That’s right, chilluns…Talladega Motor Speedway. It was just that kind of trip.
And its cool. The sides are banked so you don’t get a real good sense of the size when you’re passing by, but its neat to say I’ve been there, even if I’m not really down with NASCAR.
Talladega Motor Speedway
Anyway, enough about Talladega.
I get to a nice Super 8 on the outskirts of Tuscaloosa about 9 and crash instantly. OK, by instantly, I mean after trying to get the wireless connection to work for an hour, then dropping $100 on Full Tilt Poker in like 20 minutes.
Next morning’s another foggy rainy one, and its just two days before the Iron Bowl. From everything I’ve heard, Alabama vs. Auburn is the most hate-filled rivalry in college football, and more than anywhere else out there, whether you’re Roll Tide or War Eagle really defines you in that state. I would have liked to go to Auburn, but I only had so much time, and it was really out of the way.
However, just so the Auburn fans don’t hate, here is a picture of an unbelievably hot girl wearing an Auburn t-shirt. I, uh, met this girl and uh, she was really, um….in to me.
Hot Auburn Girl
Tuscaloosa was kind of a little bit nicer version of Columbia, but didn’t put you off quite so much with the “dilapidated carnival” vibe, and I thought some parts of it were kind of charming. However, it definitely didn’t reveal its charms to me on the level of Athens or Hot Auburn Girl, so I ended up giving the town kind of an average rating.
I get to the stadium and security is real tight because its Iron Bowl week. Somehow, additionally, its dropped to like 45 degrees, and I am going through one of those phases where I’ve just left a vacation where the weather is great, so I think I can wear shorts and a t-shirt everywhere. Therefore, I’m fucking freezing.
Bryant Denny Stadium
Front of Stadium
In front of Bryant Denny is not only the above pictured, very gorgeous front office/wall of windows/$47 million welcome mat, but a very cool and spooky row of statues. Every statue is of an Alabama coach that won a national title. There’s Bear Bryant, Gene Stallings, and a few other guys. Each dude gets their own little rotunda with the dates of their titles on it. But here’s the best part: at the end of the row, there’s an empty rotunda, which we can assume is for whoever gets the next title. How would you like to be that coach, walking down the row.
You: Hey, Athletic Director, why is there an empty rotunda there?
AD: We’re going to put a statue of you there if you when a national title.
You: Cool. I bet I look good in bronze.
AD: Oh yeah, if you don’t do it in two years, you’re fired.
So security’s tight around the stadium, and there’s actually a security guard sitting at every gate. On a Thursday morning. No one will let me in, and half of them tell me to get lost. I’m about to give up, when I decide to just ask one more guy for a shot. At first he says no, but then I tell him a sportswriter, and I’m on this SEC stadium tour, and the show wouldn’t be complete without getting inside the stadium at BAMA, for God sakes. So, he pauses, he thinks, and somehow I know I’m about to have a Hallmark moment.
So the guy finally tells me this story about how when he was on his honeymoon in New York, all he wanted to do was go inside Yankee Stadium, and no security guard would let him in, until he finally found one that would, and he always remembered how that guy did him a huge favor, so now he would do it for me.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. I freakin’ love sports.
So I run in. It’s a similar feeling to Neyland Stadium, and I think if I had seen Bryant Denny first, I would have been a little more impressed. I am impressed, but its fairly similar to Neyland and Sanford, and maybe because I’ve seen 5 stadiums in short order, I know I’m not as impressed as I’m supposed to be. For some reason, it seemed like it would be a great place to see a night game, and I don’t know why.
I roll out of town, passing a few Pretty Southern Girls on the way. I had high hopes for Bama in this department, and the Tide did not disappoint. I seriously almost got in a car accident because I saw ungodsmackingly gorgeous blond walking across University Blvd.
Stadium: 8
Campus Town: 6
Friendliness of People: 8
Pretty Southern Girls: 8
MISSISSIPPI STATE – Starkville, MS
Tuscaloosa to Starkville
I had never realized how close Alabama and Mississippi State are, and if Sylvester Croom can revitalize the Bulldogs, I think the schools proximity could make it one hell of a border war. As if the SEC needs any more of those.
Starkville is pretty much the best name for a college town you could ever imagine. It is what you think it is.
(“The town IS what you thought it was! It is what you think it is! That’s why you drive your car there. Now if you want to crown its ass, then crown its ass!”)
There’s nothing really around but Mississippi plains, undivided highways and Sean Hannity. I actually missed the exit entirely, and then found myself on the way to Ackerman and knew I was turned around.
(Just backing up a few paragraphs, can you believe I drove 2700 miles to go see empty football stadiums and considered Auburn, AL out of the way but Tuscaloosa, AL very much ON the way? Yeah, me neither.)
However, once I did finally get to Starkville, I felt right at home. The town is actually a lot like Ames, IA (where Iowa State is) in a southern kind of way. It feels like a farming community, the basketball and football arenas are in the same kind of complex/parking lot, and everything has a kind of faded-photograph feel to it.
Veterans Memorial Stadium (actually Davis-Wade Stadium, sorry)
Once I get in the stadium, the connection is even more prominent. Just like Iowa State, Mississippi State plays football in an older stadium that’s not bowled in at all, but has two individual stands on each side, and you can tell that the money coming to Starkville is a good ten years behind the rest of the region. Despite being smaller, Davis-Wade didn’t have the rust factor like South Carolina did, so I give it the slight edge on Williams Brice for that reason.
I get to thinking about it, and given the campus town feel, the proportion of their facilities to conference opponents, and these factors, I decide that Mississippi State and Iowa State are long lost twins and should root for each other whenever possible:
- overshadowed in the national media by a in-state rival that isn’t really that much better than us typically (Iowa/Ole Miss)
- peaks of success in basketball in recent years but unable to sustain long term awesomeness (Marcus Fizer/Erick Dampier)
- cross border rival that is a national tradition heavy program (Nebraska/Alabama)
Yeah, its on. Go ‘Dawgs.
Stadium: 6
Campus Town: 4
Friendliness of People: 6
Pretty Southern Girls: 5
OLE MISS – Oxford, MS
After a quick stop at Elvis’ birthplace in Tupelo, MS (enough stories there for another column), I roll in to Oxford at about 7pm.
Starkville to Tupelo to Oxford
The stadium is just off the highway, so I turn in. I’m already digging Ole Miss because they have one of the coolest mascots in sports:
Sweet Ass Old Reb Mascot
and their stadium is named after Ernest Freakin’ Hemingway:
Ernest Hemingway
So I get to the stadium parking lot, and all the gates are closed. Never heard this one before, right? I am not going to let my tour end on a downer, so I do a lap around the entire stadium, and since I don’t see anyone around, I contemplate hopping the fence, but decide getting arrested in Mississippi might not be the smartest thing I’ve done in awhile.
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
I finally find an equipment building that has a little side gate next to it open. I get through, and walk around the building, and I follow a concrete pathway around the bend and then, hello, I’m just a few feet from underneath the end zone bleachers. Its dark now, and I didn’t realize it before, but the stadium lights are on because a small part of the Ole Miss team is finishing up practice. It looks like linemen running the last part of ladder sprints or something. There’s one guy sitting in the stands with a clip board yelling (coach) and about 5 300 pound dudes sweating their balls off and getting yelled at (players.) Its totally dark where I am, I’m like 30 feet from the field, I can see everything they’re doing perfectly, but not a soul knows I’m there. Its creepy and magical and thrilling all at the same time.
THEN IT GETS AWESOME.
The coach rounds up the players, and everyone leaves the field. I’m the only one in the stadium now, and about two minutes later, they shut the lights off. I am standing alone, inside an SEC stadium, 5 feet from the corner of the end zone, and no one in the world knows I am here. I could have slept on the field if I wanted. I could have run option with an imaginary football, I could have kicked FGs all night, I could have done whatever I wanted. It was one of the coolest moments of my life.
I again decide that getting arrested in Mississippi is not a genius plan, I just stand in the corner of the end zone for a few minutes. I walk out about ten minutes later, up the concrete path and around the building, past a few equipment managers locking everything up. They both make kind of the “was he with you?” face and I just jog to my car.
The stadium was definitely the highlight of Oxford. Its cool in a video game sort of way. Astroturf with flashy red and blue letters on the carpet. It feels like you’re standing inside a model, not a real stadium. But its cool.
I was extremely impressed with the Pretty Southern Girls at Ole Miss. They were out in full force, going to parties, from parties, basically just being walking parties themselves. Hotties. All. Oxford on the whole felt a little bigger than some of the other towns, but that may have just been because it was night.
Stadium – 7
Friendliness of People – 6
Campus Town – 7
Pretty Southern Girls – 9
RANKINGS INDEX
So here’s how the six schools broke down for me in the four ratings areas:
Stadium:
Georgia
Tennessee
Alabama
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
South Carolina
Friendliness of People:
Alabama
Georgia
Ole Miss
Tennessee
Mississippi State
South Carolina
Campus Town:
Georgia
Ole Miss
Tennessee
Mississippi State
Alabama
South Carolina
Pretty Southern Girls:
Ole Miss
Georgia
Alabama
Tennessee
Mississippi State
South Carolina
Thanks for reading! What do YOU think?
I spent November of 2006 in Charleston, South Carolina working on a play. When I’m not contributing pithy insight to blogdom, I do work a bit in the theatre, and the Charleston engagement was a bit of that work. Loving leisure like I do, and being fairly virgin to a good car trip south of the Mason-Dixon line, I decided to put a bazillion miles on my 99 Camry, and take a tour of SEC country.
Map of My Trip
If you’re reading this, you probably know I’m a bit of a college football fan, but I haven’t been to that many stadiums. I’ve only seen real live games in four, I think. Iowa State – about 150. Iowa – probably 5. Notre Dame – 1. Missouri – 1. See, in Big XII country, our rivals aren’t the little jaunt across a few miles of highway like y’alls are down south, so I don’t get much chance to go see the Cyclones play on the road.
Additionally, I’ve always been fascinated by stadium architecture. I have notebooks full of little sketches I’d draw in grade school, overhead views of football, basketball and baseball stadium, with different color codes for student and VIP sections, attendance estimates, all the trippings of huge dorkness paired with an insatiable desire for sports knowledge.
Walking in a new stadium always gives me the chills, especially when its empty. I’ve gone out of my way in the past to visit college football stadiums. I’ve stepped on the field at Ohio State and Northwestern, and peeked through the gate at Oklahoma.
But I’ve never, ever been to an SEC stadium. So, with four days to kill going down, and a week to burn going back, I decided to give myself a little tour of SEC country, and then write a little column comparing the schools, their stadiums and people, and hopefully try to tell the truth and piss a few people off.
The schools I ended up getting to, and the stadiums I ended up inside, were; Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. I rated the schools in four categories: Stadium/Facilities, Campus Town, Friendliness of People, Pretty Southern Girls.
Keep in mind, I didn’t go to any of these places on game days, and I know that game day is a huge, huge part of what a stadium is. So, I know that. I’m writing what I saw. As far as the ratings go, 3-4 is kind of lame, 5-6 is average, 7-8 is pretty good and 9-10 is off the proverbial chain. Here’s what I experienced.
TENNESSEE – Knoxville, Tennessee
I was a little down rolling in to Knoxville, having stopped in Nashville to have lunch with the mother of a friend of mine who died two years ago. So I figured getting my first taste of an SEC town would be exactly the right medicine to cheer me up.
Nashville, TN to Knoxville, TN
Knoxville was a little bigger than I thought, and that made the stadium a little harder to find than I expected. For some reason, I thought I’d just roll in to town and see it. Not exactly. But it wasn’t tough, and I found a parking spot right across the street and hopped out. Suddenly I realized I really had no plan to actually get inside the stadium. I didn’t have my Rivals.com press pass, I didn’t even have a camera. The only real reason I could give someone to get me in was: uh, because I want to.
It was about 4:50 pm, and every gate surrounding Neyland Stadium was locked. The place isn’t exactly attractive from the outside. Tall, steep concrete with no walls surrounding, so you can see the jagged edges of the stands in relief underneath the giant gray edifice. Its wedged right in between what looked like administration buildings and the rest of campus, and there’s not a lot of room to breathe. Just when I was about to be content to see it from the outside, I saw a maintenance man locked up a gate about five gates down. I hustled over, and asked if he would let me in. Sure, he said, just don’t be long, and don’t go on the field.
Neyland Stadium from Above
I went on through the gate up a little ramp to the field. And damn it if I didn’t get goosebumps just like I knew I would. Neyland is gorgeous on the inside, completely bowled in, huge stands circling the entire field, and two majestic jerseys hanging from the middle tier; the retired uniforms of Reggie White and Peyton Manning. I was surprised to see hedges surrounding the playing field as well. I would come to learn this was completely common in the south, and not just a Georgia thing, as I had thought.
The other thing that took me by surprise was that, on a Wednesday morning three days before a home game, the field at no paint on it. The trademark orange and white checkerboard endzones were faded, and hardly visible. This, I’d learn, was relatively common too.
Anyway, so I stood there for a few minutes, and was so taken that I didn’t want to leave, so I walked over to the Student Center and grabbed a burrito and a banana, and tried to talk to a few people, so I’d get an impression of what they were like.
As for the women, I was reminded of Crash Davis, telling the other ball players in Bull Durham that, in the show, “all the women have long legs and brains.” Well, brains I didn’t really have time to find out. But the legs…um, yeah.
Some Volunteer Cheerleaders, from SI.com
Stadium: 9
Campus Town: 7
Friendliness of People: 6
Pretty Southern Girls: 7
SOUTH CAROLINA – Columbia, SC
Asheville, NC to Columbia, SC
After spending the night in Asheville, NC, I took the jaunt down to Columbia, SC to see if I could catch Gamecock fever before heading to Charleston. Quick thoughts on Asheville: sleepy little mountain town, very cool. Bought gas from an old fashioned pump with an old school, actual meter instead of a digital read out, and I ate breakfast at a delicious brunch place called Tupelo Honey. If you haven’t caught a sunrise driving down out of the Great Smoky Mountains, you’ve got some living to do.
It was a Thursday afternoon in November, so I figured there would definitely be some activity going on around the stadium. I decided to recall my Boy Scout heritage and be prepared this time. I used a map.
Williams Brice Stadium
I have to admit, I was a little underwhelmed by Williams Brice. Now, let me put that comment in context. Williams Brice is more impressive than any stadium I had been to short of Notre Dame Stadium (other than Neyland). And that says a lot about the SEC, because South Carolina appears to have some of the less impressive facilities in the conference, and its still a way cooler stadium than Jack Trice, Kinnick or Faurot Field. That being said, after Neyland, I was kind of underwhelmed.
There’s a nice little lot right in front of the stadium for football officials, so I rolled in and hopped out. Its November and 80 degrees. This world is fucked up and I love the south. Luckily for me, the gate is wide open, and I stroll right in. Optimistic that I might get an Old Ball Coach sighting, I just kind of stuck my chin out like I was supposed to be there and moseyed around a bit.
Up a little walk away I went, and in half a minute I was standing by a gate on the other side of which was the endzone. There was nobody around, and I was a foot from being on the field at SoCar. Very cool. Again, hedges. Again, no paint.
I guess my feelings on Williams Brice could be summed up like this: the stadium is kind of like John McCain – very cool in theory, but when you look close, but the architecture is a little confused, and the structure is just too old and rusty to really be a winner.
John McCain
The top of the stadium has these cool lights that shoot out from the façade like lasers. Check those things out in this picture:
Laser Lights at Williams Brice
They kind of look like that laser in Star Wars on the Death Star, where all the separate small lasers merged to make one huge killer awesome laser that then blew up Alderaan. Hmm. I guess South Carolina blew up Clemson, which is slightly less impressive than blowing up a planet.
The iron structures are also very rusty, and just looked a little broken down, and I’ve never been a fan of the exposed circular staircase in the corners of stadiums. I think its ghetto and I probably always will.
On my way out of town, I stopped at a Sonic, where the woman was very rude to me when I asked the best way out of town. Luckily for her, those freakin magic burritos at Sonic are unreal, so I didn’t leave town in a totally pissy mood.
Columbia the city, no offense to the South Carolinians, it just seemed kind of dirty. The stadium is across the street from the South Carolina state fair grounds, and everything in the city had that feeling you get walking around a county fair; you’re kind of half impressed by its quaintness, and half shocked it hasn’t all fallen apart yet.
I didn’t really see many Pretty Southern Girls, or girls of any kind, so I can’t give a fair rating there.
Stadium: 5
Campus Town: 4
Friendliness of People: 5
Pretty Southern Girls: NA
GEORGIA – Athens, GA
Six weeks later, after I’d directed the play in Charleston, and spent one night in Savannah (attention tourists: when looking for a cheap motel in Savannah, GA, do NOT stay at any of the properties on Martin Luther King Drive. That is, unless you think gunshots make a nice alarm clock.), I was on the road to Athens.
Savannah, GA to Athens, GA
One thing Athens had in its favor was that for my time here, I would have a tour guide – one of my high school tennis teammates, Big Head. Big Head is working in admissions at UGA with his new wife (Layna, who is very cool) and pretty much decided to move his family to Athens because REM was formed there. Think about that for a second. You’re just out of college, you’ve got a wife to support, and you pack up and head for Liverpool because you loved Sergeant Pepper’s. Its so genius. I love it.
REM
First order of business was going out for some beers with Mr. and Mrs. Head, and I jumped at the chance to have my third consecutive meal at Mellow Mushroom. I had never heard of this place before going to Charleston, but it absolutely has the 2nd best pizza in the world. Completely insanely good pizza. Try it. Mushroom narrowly beat out a stop for burgers at what I was told is the only location of The Varsity outside of the legendary downtown ATL burger/shake hangout, which went to several years ago. Already the restaurants in town are working overtime.
After a few (ok several) beers, we walk (ok, stagger) around campus a bit. The scenery is very chill, the bars are fabulous, and the Pretty Southern Girls scrumptious. I make a mental note to confirm this during a state of sobriety.
Next morning we roll classic Georgia grits and sausage for breakfast and head over to the football stadium, passing the famous arch used on all UGA stationery and publicity materials. (And apparently sold in framed pictures on Art.com)
The UGA Arch and Sanford Stadium
We get to the stadium, and sadly, it’s the only one of the six on this trip that I won’t get to field level. There’s absolutely no access, but luckily you can see down in to it from a road that crosses just outside the endzone seating.
I’m blown away by the view inside. It’s 9 in the morning, a kind of foggy, rainy day, and the weather gives Sanford an almost mystical feeling. It has all the size and awe-inspiring coolness of Neyland stadium, but in my opinion, it’s a little more structurally elegant and its not completely symmetrical, which I think adds a bit of personality. I could have stood there and looked at it all day. I kept picturing it full of fans. A+.
I confirm in my sobriety that the campus town is still very chill, and the Pretty Southern Girls are still pretty yummy.
Stadium: 9
Friendliness of People: 7
Campus Town: 10
Pretty Southern Girls: 8
ALABAMA – Tuscaloosa, AL
I roll out of Athens for a six hour drive or so to Tuscaloosa. I stop at a used bookstore about ten feet off the road, and pick up a beaten up copy of All The President’s Men, one of favorites, for $1.50. Excellent. This is the best roadside purchase I’ve made since getting the 3-liter jug of Carolina cider from a shack 45 minutes southwest of Charleston for $8.99. The other sweet thing I do is try to find how many different stations I can get Sean Hannity on at one time. I don’t know how many of my readers like Hannity, I don’t, but if you do, that’s cool – my point is that in the south he’s on more radio stations than God. He owns AM like Michael owned Barkley. He’s on the radio more than Peyton Manning is on TV. There, that’ll work.
Athens to Tuscaloosa
On the way to Tuscaloosa, I’m giving strong thought to taking a quick detour to see Talladega Motor Speedway. I’m not really a racing fan, but I feel its just one of those things you gotta see. Unfortunately, the bookstore set me back a bit, and I’m a little behind schedule. I don’t like driving after dark after I was in car accident two years ago at night, so I try to get everywhere by a little after dusk. I decide, sadly, I’m not going to have time to stop at Talladega.
Howevah…
As fate would have it, just a bit after I cross over in to Alabama (which has, easily the best license plates of any state in the union: Stars Fell on Alabama) my car starts to make funny sounds. And then those funny sounds turn in to my car not responding well to steering. And the car not responding well to steering turns in to the car making a sound like a sonic boom every time I break. I’ve got no choice. I have to pull over and find a mechanic. And guess where I am? That’s right…Talladega!!
Thanks to my trusty assistant (my mother at home in Iowa), I find a mechanic about ten minutes from where I pull over. And guess what I have to drive right past in order to get there? That’s right, chilluns…Talladega Motor Speedway. It was just that kind of trip.
And its cool. The sides are banked so you don’t get a real good sense of the size when you’re passing by, but its neat to say I’ve been there, even if I’m not really down with NASCAR.
Talladega Motor Speedway
Anyway, enough about Talladega.
I get to a nice Super 8 on the outskirts of Tuscaloosa about 9 and crash instantly. OK, by instantly, I mean after trying to get the wireless connection to work for an hour, then dropping $100 on Full Tilt Poker in like 20 minutes.
Next morning’s another foggy rainy one, and its just two days before the Iron Bowl. From everything I’ve heard, Alabama vs. Auburn is the most hate-filled rivalry in college football, and more than anywhere else out there, whether you’re Roll Tide or War Eagle really defines you in that state. I would have liked to go to Auburn, but I only had so much time, and it was really out of the way.
However, just so the Auburn fans don’t hate, here is a picture of an unbelievably hot girl wearing an Auburn t-shirt. I, uh, met this girl and uh, she was really, um….in to me.
Hot Auburn Girl
Tuscaloosa was kind of a little bit nicer version of Columbia, but didn’t put you off quite so much with the “dilapidated carnival” vibe, and I thought some parts of it were kind of charming. However, it definitely didn’t reveal its charms to me on the level of Athens or Hot Auburn Girl, so I ended up giving the town kind of an average rating.
I get to the stadium and security is real tight because its Iron Bowl week. Somehow, additionally, its dropped to like 45 degrees, and I am going through one of those phases where I’ve just left a vacation where the weather is great, so I think I can wear shorts and a t-shirt everywhere. Therefore, I’m fucking freezing.
Bryant Denny Stadium
Front of Stadium
In front of Bryant Denny is not only the above pictured, very gorgeous front office/wall of windows/$47 million welcome mat, but a very cool and spooky row of statues. Every statue is of an Alabama coach that won a national title. There’s Bear Bryant, Gene Stallings, and a few other guys. Each dude gets their own little rotunda with the dates of their titles on it. But here’s the best part: at the end of the row, there’s an empty rotunda, which we can assume is for whoever gets the next title. How would you like to be that coach, walking down the row.
You: Hey, Athletic Director, why is there an empty rotunda there?
AD: We’re going to put a statue of you there if you when a national title.
You: Cool. I bet I look good in bronze.
AD: Oh yeah, if you don’t do it in two years, you’re fired.
So security’s tight around the stadium, and there’s actually a security guard sitting at every gate. On a Thursday morning. No one will let me in, and half of them tell me to get lost. I’m about to give up, when I decide to just ask one more guy for a shot. At first he says no, but then I tell him a sportswriter, and I’m on this SEC stadium tour, and the show wouldn’t be complete without getting inside the stadium at BAMA, for God sakes. So, he pauses, he thinks, and somehow I know I’m about to have a Hallmark moment.
So the guy finally tells me this story about how when he was on his honeymoon in New York, all he wanted to do was go inside Yankee Stadium, and no security guard would let him in, until he finally found one that would, and he always remembered how that guy did him a huge favor, so now he would do it for me.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. I freakin’ love sports.
So I run in. It’s a similar feeling to Neyland Stadium, and I think if I had seen Bryant Denny first, I would have been a little more impressed. I am impressed, but its fairly similar to Neyland and Sanford, and maybe because I’ve seen 5 stadiums in short order, I know I’m not as impressed as I’m supposed to be. For some reason, it seemed like it would be a great place to see a night game, and I don’t know why.
I roll out of town, passing a few Pretty Southern Girls on the way. I had high hopes for Bama in this department, and the Tide did not disappoint. I seriously almost got in a car accident because I saw ungodsmackingly gorgeous blond walking across University Blvd.
Stadium: 8
Campus Town: 6
Friendliness of People: 8
Pretty Southern Girls: 8
MISSISSIPPI STATE – Starkville, MS
Tuscaloosa to Starkville
I had never realized how close Alabama and Mississippi State are, and if Sylvester Croom can revitalize the Bulldogs, I think the schools proximity could make it one hell of a border war. As if the SEC needs any more of those.
Starkville is pretty much the best name for a college town you could ever imagine. It is what you think it is.
(“The town IS what you thought it was! It is what you think it is! That’s why you drive your car there. Now if you want to crown its ass, then crown its ass!”)
There’s nothing really around but Mississippi plains, undivided highways and Sean Hannity. I actually missed the exit entirely, and then found myself on the way to Ackerman and knew I was turned around.
(Just backing up a few paragraphs, can you believe I drove 2700 miles to go see empty football stadiums and considered Auburn, AL out of the way but Tuscaloosa, AL very much ON the way? Yeah, me neither.)
However, once I did finally get to Starkville, I felt right at home. The town is actually a lot like Ames, IA (where Iowa State is) in a southern kind of way. It feels like a farming community, the basketball and football arenas are in the same kind of complex/parking lot, and everything has a kind of faded-photograph feel to it.
Veterans Memorial Stadium (actually Davis-Wade Stadium, sorry)
Once I get in the stadium, the connection is even more prominent. Just like Iowa State, Mississippi State plays football in an older stadium that’s not bowled in at all, but has two individual stands on each side, and you can tell that the money coming to Starkville is a good ten years behind the rest of the region. Despite being smaller, Davis-Wade didn’t have the rust factor like South Carolina did, so I give it the slight edge on Williams Brice for that reason.
I get to thinking about it, and given the campus town feel, the proportion of their facilities to conference opponents, and these factors, I decide that Mississippi State and Iowa State are long lost twins and should root for each other whenever possible:
- overshadowed in the national media by a in-state rival that isn’t really that much better than us typically (Iowa/Ole Miss)
- peaks of success in basketball in recent years but unable to sustain long term awesomeness (Marcus Fizer/Erick Dampier)
- cross border rival that is a national tradition heavy program (Nebraska/Alabama)
Yeah, its on. Go ‘Dawgs.
Stadium: 6
Campus Town: 4
Friendliness of People: 6
Pretty Southern Girls: 5
OLE MISS – Oxford, MS
After a quick stop at Elvis’ birthplace in Tupelo, MS (enough stories there for another column), I roll in to Oxford at about 7pm.
Starkville to Tupelo to Oxford
The stadium is just off the highway, so I turn in. I’m already digging Ole Miss because they have one of the coolest mascots in sports:
Sweet Ass Old Reb Mascot
and their stadium is named after Ernest Freakin’ Hemingway:
Ernest Hemingway
So I get to the stadium parking lot, and all the gates are closed. Never heard this one before, right? I am not going to let my tour end on a downer, so I do a lap around the entire stadium, and since I don’t see anyone around, I contemplate hopping the fence, but decide getting arrested in Mississippi might not be the smartest thing I’ve done in awhile.
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
I finally find an equipment building that has a little side gate next to it open. I get through, and walk around the building, and I follow a concrete pathway around the bend and then, hello, I’m just a few feet from underneath the end zone bleachers. Its dark now, and I didn’t realize it before, but the stadium lights are on because a small part of the Ole Miss team is finishing up practice. It looks like linemen running the last part of ladder sprints or something. There’s one guy sitting in the stands with a clip board yelling (coach) and about 5 300 pound dudes sweating their balls off and getting yelled at (players.) Its totally dark where I am, I’m like 30 feet from the field, I can see everything they’re doing perfectly, but not a soul knows I’m there. Its creepy and magical and thrilling all at the same time.
THEN IT GETS AWESOME.
The coach rounds up the players, and everyone leaves the field. I’m the only one in the stadium now, and about two minutes later, they shut the lights off. I am standing alone, inside an SEC stadium, 5 feet from the corner of the end zone, and no one in the world knows I am here. I could have slept on the field if I wanted. I could have run option with an imaginary football, I could have kicked FGs all night, I could have done whatever I wanted. It was one of the coolest moments of my life.
I again decide that getting arrested in Mississippi is not a genius plan, I just stand in the corner of the end zone for a few minutes. I walk out about ten minutes later, up the concrete path and around the building, past a few equipment managers locking everything up. They both make kind of the “was he with you?” face and I just jog to my car.
The stadium was definitely the highlight of Oxford. Its cool in a video game sort of way. Astroturf with flashy red and blue letters on the carpet. It feels like you’re standing inside a model, not a real stadium. But its cool.
I was extremely impressed with the Pretty Southern Girls at Ole Miss. They were out in full force, going to parties, from parties, basically just being walking parties themselves. Hotties. All. Oxford on the whole felt a little bigger than some of the other towns, but that may have just been because it was night.
Stadium – 7
Friendliness of People – 6
Campus Town – 7
Pretty Southern Girls – 9
RANKINGS INDEX
So here’s how the six schools broke down for me in the four ratings areas:
Stadium:
Georgia
Tennessee
Alabama
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
South Carolina
Friendliness of People:
Alabama
Georgia
Ole Miss
Tennessee
Mississippi State
South Carolina
Campus Town:
Georgia
Ole Miss
Tennessee
Mississippi State
Alabama
South Carolina
Pretty Southern Girls:
Ole Miss
Georgia
Alabama
Tennessee
Mississippi State
South Carolina
Thanks for reading! What do YOU think?
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Visit Cements Black's Commitment to State
(This article originally appeared at iowastate.rivals.com.)
Jerrod Black, the 6-foot-2 280-pound defensive tackle from Houston (Tex.) Cypress Falls, told Iowa State Head Coach Gene Chizik this afternoon that he would definitely be a Cyclone next year, cementing a commitment Black made to defensive line coach Mike Pelton earlier in the week.
Black visited Ames this weekend, and despite some mishaps with the winter weather, considered the trip a success.
"It was the first time I'd ever seen snow, and I slipped a few times on the concrete because I couldn't tell I was stepping on ice," Black told CycloneReport.com from his airplane seat just moments after his flight landed in Houston. "But I didn't mind the weather too much, and everyone there was so cool."
In addition to checking out the facilities ("very nice compared to what I've seen") and rooming with a fellow Texan - Cyclone DL Austin Alburtis - Black met twice with Coach Chizik over the weekend.
"He told me his plans for the school, and he told me they don't involve losing," said Black. "So we're going there for the same reasons."
According to Black, he headed to Ames Friday thinking that if the visit went well, he would firm up his commitment upon leaving. And the Cy Falls DT wasted little time in making up his mind, calling Chizik by telephone Sunday before leaving town to tell him he was a solid commitment.
After committing to Pelton early in the week, Black had considered exploring Texas A&M as another option. But after seeing snow for the first time, Black was ready to sign on to Chizik's quickly growing 2007 class.
Black, who logged 121 tackles, eight sacks and 20 tackles for loss on Cy Falls' 5-A state runner-up team this season, said he's been told his strengths are a quickness getting off the ball and an ability to use his hands aggressively and effectively. However, he also said he needs to get faster and improve his footwork before he can be "one of the great defensive tackles in the Big 12."
Jerrod Black, the 6-foot-2 280-pound defensive tackle from Houston (Tex.) Cypress Falls, told Iowa State Head Coach Gene Chizik this afternoon that he would definitely be a Cyclone next year, cementing a commitment Black made to defensive line coach Mike Pelton earlier in the week.
"It was the first time I'd ever seen snow, and I slipped a few times on the concrete because I couldn't tell I was stepping on ice," Black told CycloneReport.com from his airplane seat just moments after his flight landed in Houston. "But I didn't mind the weather too much, and everyone there was so cool."
In addition to checking out the facilities ("very nice compared to what I've seen") and rooming with a fellow Texan - Cyclone DL Austin Alburtis - Black met twice with Coach Chizik over the weekend.
"He told me his plans for the school, and he told me they don't involve losing," said Black. "So we're going there for the same reasons."
According to Black, he headed to Ames Friday thinking that if the visit went well, he would firm up his commitment upon leaving. And the Cy Falls DT wasted little time in making up his mind, calling Chizik by telephone Sunday before leaving town to tell him he was a solid commitment.
After committing to Pelton early in the week, Black had considered exploring Texas A&M as another option. But after seeing snow for the first time, Black was ready to sign on to Chizik's quickly growing 2007 class.
Black, who logged 121 tackles, eight sacks and 20 tackles for loss on Cy Falls' 5-A state runner-up team this season, said he's been told his strengths are a quickness getting off the ball and an ability to use his hands aggressively and effectively. However, he also said he needs to get faster and improve his footwork before he can be "one of the great defensive tackles in the Big 12."
Thursday, January 18, 2007
ISU Faces Little Competition for TE
(This article originally appeared on iowastate.rivals.com.)
Jordan Scoggins, a 6-foot-2, 255-pound, Euless (Tex.) Trinity product, will officially visit Iowa State on the weekend of January 26. And unless something unforeseen happens on the visit, he will likely commit to becoming a Cyclone.
Scoggins visited North Texas last weekend and will trip to Division I-AA Central Arkansas this weekend. With that tepid competition for his services, the Cyclones are definitely the leader for Scoggins' commitment. Originally from Arkansas, the TE/DL prospect said the ability to play in the Big 12 would be the main selling point in Iowa State's favor.
The Cyclones are also the only squad inviting Scoggins to play tight end, a stance which he says makes ISU's offer all the more enticing.
"They want me at tight end, and I want to be at tight end," Scoggins said Wednesday. "That's really important to me."
Scoggins said he was first contacted by Robert McFarland just before Christmas, and the stance of the new Cyclones' offensive coordinator when it came to Scoggins was clear.
"They told me they needed me to come up there and play tight end, and help them get the program moving in the right direction."
Scoggins' Trinity team bowed out in the second round of the Texas 5-A playoffs, and playing in front of the 60,000 fans that witnessed the game was the highlight of the Euless star's season.
Distance from home is no consideration, so the only trepidation Scoggins currently has regarding Iowa State and Ames is the weather. "I want to see how cold it is," said Scoggins. "That's about the only thing holding me back."
The forecast for Saturday, January 26th is 38 degrees.
Jordan Scoggins, a 6-foot-2, 255-pound, Euless (Tex.) Trinity product, will officially visit Iowa State on the weekend of January 26. And unless something unforeseen happens on the visit, he will likely commit to becoming a Cyclone.
Scoggins visited North Texas last weekend and will trip to Division I-AA Central Arkansas this weekend. With that tepid competition for his services, the Cyclones are definitely the leader for Scoggins' commitment. Originally from Arkansas, the TE/DL prospect said the ability to play in the Big 12 would be the main selling point in Iowa State's favor.
The Cyclones are also the only squad inviting Scoggins to play tight end, a stance which he says makes ISU's offer all the more enticing.
"They want me at tight end, and I want to be at tight end," Scoggins said Wednesday. "That's really important to me."
Scoggins said he was first contacted by Robert McFarland just before Christmas, and the stance of the new Cyclones' offensive coordinator when it came to Scoggins was clear.
"They told me they needed me to come up there and play tight end, and help them get the program moving in the right direction."
Scoggins' Trinity team bowed out in the second round of the Texas 5-A playoffs, and playing in front of the 60,000 fans that witnessed the game was the highlight of the Euless star's season.
Distance from home is no consideration, so the only trepidation Scoggins currently has regarding Iowa State and Ames is the weather. "I want to see how cold it is," said Scoggins. "That's about the only thing holding me back."
The forecast for Saturday, January 26th is 38 degrees.
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