Keys to the Big Games
Week Nine, Oct. 29
Florida vs. Georgia
---College Football---
By John Harris

a. Outmanned? – The title doesn’t mean to imply that one particular unit is so much better than the other, but it does pertain to strength in numbers. Here’s the point, the Georgia offensive line, although they’ve not been tremendous, has been solid throughout this year. But, they’ve had a distinct advantage each and every game because of the dual pass/run threat of QB DJ Shockley. However, you know the rest, Shockley won’t play this weekend and the reins of the offense fall into the hands of career backup Joe Tereshinski. So, the outmanned part? Okay, gotcha, well, let’s do some simple analytical thinking. Shockley could hurt teams running and he could pitch it downfield equally well. So, what did the safeties have to do? Stay at a 12 to 15 yard depth. With no Shockley and very little true run threat with Tereshinski, where do you think those Gator safeties will or should be? In the box. Yep, and that gives the Gators eight guys in the box vs. Georgia’s offensive line, TE and FB. Outmanned, if ever so slightly. If the Gator defensive brain trust is smart they’ll put everyone they’ve got in the box and put the pressure on the offensive line to have to manhandle each of the Gator defensive linemen one on one, such that someone can move up to get a hat on a linebacker, much less three. Tereshinski will probably have a few designed bootlegs and/or waggles, in the game plan, to get outside the pocket and get clear vision downfield. Thus, the Gators, even with eight guys in the box, must play disciplined and keep Tereshinski from hurting them with any roll type package. But, this game will be won or lost down in the trenches with UGA’s offensive line having to carry a much larger burden with Shockley out. It might be six or seven on eight, but they still have to be physical and create as many holes as possible for the talented Georgia backfield.---College Football------College Football---

b. Play to one’s strengths – Late at night, when he’s dozing off to sleep, you can’t help but wonder what goes through Gator QB Chris Leak’s head. In Larry Fedora’s offense last year, Leak was given the ability to stretch teams horizontally and/or vertically and do it at an up-tempo pace. This year? Well, it’s been well documented to say the least that the option is here and here to stay. But, with an open week last week, here’s hoping that the Gator offensive coaches took a chance and bit the bullet. Hopefully, they went back to last season’s film cabinet and stole some of the game plan that Fedora had installed for Leak last year. And, not just for Leak. The offensive line has struggled this year and there probably has been no more scrutinized unit than that one. But, the scheme has been so radically different than the one used last year, maybe it’s time to use some more of the protection schemes that were successful last year. The whole point is that Chris Leak is one of the best throwing QBs in the nation. He proved that for two straight years. He came to Florida to throw the football, not resemble Jamelle Holieway (look up the name if you don’t know it). That being the case, let the kid throw. Bring back TE Tate Casey and use him as a true TE, not the FB/H Back motion man that he’s been. Protect Leak with six, maybe even seven players and allow the three receivers some time to get open downfield. Georgia’s secondary is extremely good, but if Leak is given some time to throw and maybe using some of his ‘old’ routes, he can get back into a groove. The Gator offense was doing something right and well last year, why not try to incorporate that this year?---College Football---
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c. Wynning Time – The counterbalance to the Leak throwing the football is the improved hard charging running of DeShawn Wynn. Against LSU, Wynn looked like he was on a mission. He has something to prove, and each and every week that he goes out on the field, he needs to have that mindset, especially this weekend. Arkansas’ Darren McFadden showed that the UGA run defense may have a few holes in it, but keep in mind that Wynn isn’t the same type back that McFadden is. However, the Arkansas offensive line was able to create initial space and the Florida offensive line can have some of the same success. Then, it’s up to Wynn to get into the hole and punish the UGA linebackers and try to wear them down. Against Tennessee, UGA’s defensive line was so dominant that the Vols running backs never really were able to get loose, nor were the linebackers in any peril throughout the game. Furthermore, although Wynn isn’t the greatest receiver of all-time, if can add a few grabs on the perimeter and get matched up with an outside backer, safety or corner, he can inflict the punishment himself. Similar to Jerome Bettis, the harder he runs, the more amped up he’ll get. The more excited that he becomes, the more the Gators can feed the beast. Then, off of successful runs, Leak can go to some play action and catch the aggressive Dawg linebackers flirting too closely with the LOS. Sounds simple, right? Beating Georgia up front is no guarantee, but Wynn isn’t your run of the mill scatback, either.---College Football---
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Conclusion – With two weeks off to recover from poor play and injuries, the Gators had better come to Jacksonville with renewed purpose. The problem is that they probably spent the first week preparing for DJ Shockley and now they get JT III. Either way, Georgia is as good on defense as they’ve been in a while, even with the losses to the NFL. The secondary will frustrate the Gator receivers and make a key play or two to turn the tide of this low scoring game. Tereshinski doesn’t have to carry this offense, just manage it. If he does, the Dawgs win the Cocktail Party for the second straight year. Georgia – 14 vs. Florida – 10---College Football---
---College Football---

Five Thoughts
Week 8

Five Thoughts: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7

By Pete Fiutak ---college football---
1. Who has Texas played? Who has USC played? Who has Virginia Tech played? Who has anyone played? Who have you played? The common beef among those in the hunt for the national title is everyone else's schedule; no one ever wants to give respect to any other league or any other team. Auburn won the SEC last year and went unbeaten, yet all anyone wanted to talk about was the win over The Citadel. ---college football---

Here’s the deal: if you go unbeaten in one of the big five conferences this year (no soup for you Big East), you deserve to be playing for the national title. Of course, there might be more than two worthy teams. ---college football---

Each of the big leagues has mega-landmines, like Virginia was for Florida State and Northwestern was for Wisconsin, and every top team has to face at least three teams that are good enough to hang with anyone in the country if everything is working right. And don’t dismiss wins over teams like Arizona State and Purdue, who were good once, and then had their hearts ripped out and never recovered. ---college football---

So yeah, the Big 12 looks a little soft, but wins over Colorado, Missouri and Texas Tech, along with the win at Ohio State, has given Texas a chance to show what it can do. USC has taken punch after punch and is still standing. UCLA has survived several tough games showing the mettle needed to be in a position to be in the title mix. Virginia Tech, before the season is done, will have more than enough great wins to fill an impressive résumé. Of course, finishing unbeaten out of the SEC always deserves respect. In other words, if two teams finish the year unscathed; they’ll have earned their place in the Rose Bowl. ---college football---
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And so will Virginia Tech.---college football---
---college football---
By Matthew Zemek
2. November 12. Mark that day down.---college football---
---college football---
Bama's next test comes that day against LSU. Auburn plays Georgia that same day to see if the Iron Bowl will decide the SEC West. Florida still does play Steve Spurrier that day, but now, D.J. Shockley's health has made the SEC East an open question once again, and the division could be decided on the 12th day of the 11th month.
---college football---
USC gets its final pre-UCLA test in Berkeley. Northwestern plays Ohio State in what could be a huge game. This is going to be a meal-ticket Saturday before the rivalry games and the conference title showdowns. Oct. 29 will be the last ho-hum Saturday of the season in terms of matchups. On Nov. 5, Virginia Tech-Miami will spice things up. But on the 12th? Oh, baby---college football---

---college football---
By John Harris
3. Remember that scene in Rocky IV when Adrian questions Rocky’s decision to fight Ivan Drago? Okay, yes, I’ve seen it, a few hundred times, I admit it. Anyhow, at some point, Adrian screams at Rocky, whose insolence was driving her mad, “YOU CAN’T WIN!”. Undeterred, Rocky heads to Russia to knock off the big Russian, generating one of the biggest boxing upsets since Foreman beat Moorer. You can’t win. Maybe not heard in so many words, but there’s nothing that warms the cockles of one’s heart than to see the ‘underdog’ do something no one thinks they can do. How about Wake Forest CB Alphonso Smith who was essentially told he wasn’t big enough to play corner at NC State? Well, how about that key pick six he put on the Wolfpack yesterday? Was that big enough? How about Texas QB Vince Young whose passing acumen was criticized more than a season two episode of Desperate Housewives? Seems no one can really stop him throwing the ball this season. How about Brett Basanez and the Northwestern Wildcats in the Big Ten race this season? Well, we’ll tell you how that works out for them…once somebody stops their offense, uh, make that if. How about Alabama head coach Mike Shula who was considered on the hot seat at the beginning of the year? Wow, what a coach he’s become after a 7 and 0 start (and, yes, that’s tongue in cheek). How about the North Carolina defense that was lit up like a Christmas tree by Louisville? If you had Virginia scoring 6 or more, you were thought to be pretty safe. Hmph, how’s that five spot taste right about now? How about DIII Ohio Northern? You just don’t beat Mount Union in the regular season, but Ohio Northern found a way, 21 – 14, ending a 110 game regular season winning streak (can you even win 110 straight on Playstation, much less on the field?). Somewhere along the line, someone flat out told or ‘convinced’ these people, teams and/or coaches that they ‘couldn’t win’, but you know, that’s why college football is the greatest sport on the earth – each Saturday a little ‘magic’ happens. ---college football---
---college football---
By Mark Risley---college football---
4. The first seven weeks of the SEC season didn’t exactly yield a wealth of fanfare from the national media. Sure, some of the games have been interesting and the LSU/Tennessee contest was memorable (at least for those outside of Baton Rouge), but, for the most part, the first half of the season was vanilla, at best. The same could have been said for some of the other major conferences, so why pick on the SEC?---college football---

In an attempt to rationalize some of the blasé attitude towards the SEC, one might consider some of the “over-hyped” preseason storylines and conclude that these developments fell vastly short of expectations. Although, how realistic were those expectations? Should we really have assumed that Spurrier would make contenders out of an offensively challenged USC team just by throwing his visor onto the Williams-Brice turf? Was it fair to think that Urban Meyer was just going to stroll into Gainesville and implement the BGSU/Utah juggernaut spread attack against some of the best defenses in the country? Realistically, it was a stretch to think that either of these two storylines would come to fruition this season – at least in the early going. Then, throw in Auburn’s season-opening egg-laying performance, Katrina trying to tear holes in the sails of LSU’s title-hopeful ship, an offensive slump creating havoc in Knoxville, and the apparent rebuilding projects in Oxford & Fayetteville. When all these things happen and one of the two biggest positives coming out of September was the four-game win streak of perennial doormat Vandy (the other story being the return of Bama/Croyle), then it’s no wonder the SEC incurred such an early-season letdown in the eyes of the college football world.---college football---

Week Eight, however, was the SEC’s statement weekend. For those of you who chose to focus your attention on the Texas-Texas Tech game, I offer my sympathies. The Vols/Tide game may not look like much from the final score (6-3), but the level of intensity made this game one of the more enjoyable games to watch so far this season. It’s true that the offenses spoke softly for much of the day, but the defenses screamed SEC classic, and that’s exactly what it was. If you didn’t enjoy this game, then you simply don’t enjoy football. The same could be said for the Auburn/LSU contest, where the offense moved the ball with more frequency in between the 20’s, but the defenses ultimately prevailed (in addition to the lack of execution from both special teams – especially AU’s) as this game turned into the second SEC gem of the day. I’m trying not to be an apologist for the conference’s poor offensive showings this season, but bear with me when I say that the SEC is (and always has been) a conference built on the foundation of strong defenses. You may not like this style of play, but this is the SEC, despite any influence from an Evil Genius or an Urban Legend.---college football---
---college football---
Going forward, it now appears the story lines are a little more tangible and far more SEC-like: Can Brodie Croyle continue to compliment the Bama defense & lead the Tide to Atlanta? Can LSU follow-up the Auburn win with a victory at Bryant-Denny on Nov. 12? Will Urban Meyer calm the nerves of the Gator Faithful with a win over Georgia? Will D.J. Shockley find a way to stay healthy enough to help the Dawgs fend off the Gators for the East crown? Does Vandy have what it takes to stop the bleeding and gain its first bowl berth since 1982 – a berth that may depend on beating in-state/division rival Tennessee? Could the Iron Bowl ultimately decide the West representative?
---college football---
The SEC party may have started a little slow, but now the keg is tapped & we’re ready to pound a few pints of adrenaline. Regardless of the positive/negative perception towards the SEC’s first few weeks of this season, the year-in & year-out rivalries are some of the most dramatic, and the division races are some of the most tightly contested. Hey, SEC. Welcome to the second half of the season.

By ---college football---Pete Fiutak
5. The surprise, disappointment, and best moment of the weekend were...
Surprise - In case you haven't noticed, Stanford has turned into a nasty Pac 10 out coming off a stunning win over Arizona State. After losing to UC Davis, the Cardinal rebounded to become a dangerous offensive team with QB Trent Edwards flourishing just when he's needed the most. ---college football---
Disappointment - Michigan State. The Spartans might have one of the nation's most dangerous offenses, but a bad game from Drew Stanton, and more mega-problems with field goals, contributed in the blowout home loss to Northwestern. The team with enough talent to win the Big Ten has now lost three straight. ---college football---
Best Moment - Jamie Christensen's field goal in Alabama's 6-3 win over Tennessee. Some might say the offenses were inept, others might say it was simply a great defensive battle, but the tension and the clutch play on the final Tide drive leading up to yet another clutch field goal from "Money" was as exciting as the SEC gets.---college football---

Temple's Wallace is leaving
He says he'll finish up his eighth season as head football coach, then quit.

By Dan Gelston
Of The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA | Bobby Wallace is leaving Temple in the same shape he found it. The Owls have one of the worst programs in college football.

In the wake of an 0-6 start this season, he's ready to let someone else try to bring Temple some respectability. - College Football -

After eight losing seasons where he never won more than four games and the program's future was always uncertain, Wallace said Monday he will leave at the end of the year when his contract expires.

''What we've been through, the transition we've been through, has taken a toll on me and my family,'' Wallace said. ''It hasn't been easy.'' - College Football -

No, it sure hasn't.

Wallace coached the Owls through one of their worst eras in a historically woeful program. Since Wallace took over in 1998, Temple was booted out of the Big East, switched home stadiums and is playing its first year as an independent before joining the Mid-American Conference as a full member in 2007. - College Football -

The one constant has been the losing. Wallace has gone 19-66 since taking the job in 1998. Temple's last winning season came in 1990 and it hasn't played a bowl game since 1979.

''Losing will wear on you and we've lost a lot of games,'' Wallace said.

Even with three two-win seasons and a one-win season on his Temple resume, this one has truly been Wallace's toughest. The Owls have allowed more than 60 points three times already and lost by three points against Western Michigan, their best chance for a win this year.

The 11 opponents on Temple' schedule finished a combined 83-48 (.634) last year and eight of its opponents played in bowl games. - College Football -

It doesn't get any easier Saturday when the Owls play seventh-ranked Miami.

Wallace said he met with athletic director Bill Bradshaw last week to talk about his future. Wallace said he made the decision now to give Temple a jump start on finding a new coach.

''If I waited until the end of the season, it would be unethical for Bill to talk to anyone right now,'' Wallace said. - College Football -

Bradshaw said he would immediately start looking at candidates, but had no timetable for a hire.

Temple's uncertain status after being voted out of the Big East in 2001 didn't help Wallace in recruiting. The Owls were kicked out because they didn't meet minimum requirements for membership, most notably in attendance, facilities and fielding a competitive team.

''That was a strain on all of us,'' Wallace said.

Temple tried to spruce up the program. The Owls built a state-of-the-art practice facility at their north campus that opened in 2001 and reached a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles to play all home games at Lincoln Financial Field.

Wallace and Bradshaw feel the pieces are in place for the new coach to build a winning MAC program. - College Football -

''It might be the most exceptional opportunity Temple's had to hire a football coach because of all the things that are in place that we haven't had,'' Bradshaw said.

Still, the Owls have no full conference affiliation for another two years. They are affiliate members of the Mid-American Conference in 2005 and 2006, slowly adding conference teams to the schedule until they are full football members in 2007.

Temple hasn't made a positive impression on its new league. The Owls have been outscored 297-63 and have lost five of their games by at least 25 points. - College Football -

Wallace said he will take at least a year off and will probably not look to become a head coach elsewhere.

Wallace led North Alabama to three Division II national championships in 10 seasons at the school in his only other head coaching job from 1988-97. But he never was able to match that success at Temple. The Owls never won more than four games in a season under Wallace, and were 3-26 over the last 21/2 years. - College Football -

''I didn't know what I was getting into,'' Wallace said.

© 2005 THE MORNING CALL Inc.

RUSSO ON FOOTBALL: Just like old times, Penn State, Alabama and Nebraska are undefeated
RALPH D. RUSSO

Associated Press

For decades they dominated college football, one in the Deep South, one in the Northeast and the other in the Heartland. - College Football -

With iconic coaches and powerful teams, Alabama, Penn State and Nebraska were Saturday afternoon staples. If the Cornhuskers, Crimson Tide or Nittany Lions were on television, Keith Jackson was probably calling the game and something big was on the line.

In recent years, scandals, messy coaching changes and lots of losses have marginalized those three marquee programs. - College Football -

But on the first day of the second month of the 2005 season, relevance returned to State College, Pa.; Tuscaloosa, Ala.; and Lincoln, Neb. The Lions, Huskers and Tide all remained unbeaten with big wins against conference rivals in what turned out to be a turn-back-the-clock Saturday in college football.

From 1960-95, Alabama (six), Nebraska (four) and Penn State (two) combined to win 12 consensus national titles. Alabama shared the title in 1973 and Nebraska coach Tom Osborne got a going away present when the Cornhuskers shared the title in 1997, finishing on top of the coaches' poll. - College Football -

Under Osborne, the Cornhuskers won 84 percent of their games from 1973-97 with a triple-option offense that set the standard for smashmouth football. When he stepped aside, he handed the program to Frank Solich, his loyal and longtime assistant.

Solich's Cornhuskers went 42-7 before a shocking 62-36 loss to Colorado in their 2001 regular-season finale. It was the beginning of the end. - College Football -

The Huskers then lost the Rose Bowl 37-14 to Miami, setting the stage for a 7-7 season in 2002, the school's worst in 40 years.

A 10-3 record wasn't good enough for Solich in 2002. He was fired with a .753 winning percentage. - College Football -

In came former Oakland Raiders coach Bill Callahan and out went the option, replaced by the West Coast offense. Huskers fans never realized how good they had it until Callahan's team went 5-6 last year.

Nebraska began this season with three lackluster wins, but Saturday gave reason for hope. Nebraska beat then-No. 23 Iowa State 27-20 in overtime with the flurry of short, high-percentage passes racking up a record-setting day. - College Football -

"Last year was last year. We're 4-0. Last year means nothing," defensive end Titus Adams said.

The win wasn't enough to get Nebraska back in the rankings, but it certainly makes next week's game against No. 15 Texas Tech in Lincoln pretty interesting.

Not quite as interesting as Penn State's game in State College, against No. 6 Ohio State.

Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions have endured four losing seasons since 2000 - or three more than Paterno had in his first 34 seasons. - College Football -

With every loss and every outburst at the officials, critics of Paterno mounted. It was reasonable to ask the question: Would Penn State be better off without the second-winningest coach in major college football history?

Paterno has answered that question by guiding the Nittany Lions to their first 5-0 start since 1999, Joe Pa's last national title contender team.

Led by a group of speed-burning freshmen and maturing multidimensional quarterback Michael Robinson, Penn State pasted Minnesota 44-14 on Saturday. - College Football -

"Hopefully we made a little bit of a statement," Robinson said.

The Lions did, but it was nothing like the proclamation Mike Shula's Crimson Tide made by beating Florida 31-3.

Shula is the seventh Alabama coach since Bear Bryant retired in 1982 with 232 victories in 25 season in Tuscaloosa. - College Football -

The last 23 seasons have seen some tremendous highs for the Tide - a national title under Gene Stallings in 1992, Southeastern Conference championships under Mike DuBose and Bill Curry.

But recently the program has been known more for NCAA violations and embarrassing scandals.

Shula got the job when Mike Price was fired for a drunken night of partying at a strip club. The former Tide quarterback wasn't a popular choice and a 10-15 record over his first two seasons did nothing to help win over finicky fans. - College Football -

After crushing Florida, the Crimson Tide (5-0) moved to No. 7 in the AP poll. A season-ending injury to explosive receiver Tyrone Prothro will be tough to overcome, but Brodie Croyle and Co. have every right to call themselves the team to beat in the SEC West.

"We've been through the rough times and now that everybody's on our side for a change, we know what it feels like on the other side," Croyle said. "We're not going to let it go to our heads, but it is fun to be playing in a different atmosphere." - College Football -

ABC's College Football Ties CBS Monday

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Fast National ratings for Monday, Sept. 5, 2005

A few days shy of the NFL season kickoff, ABC went with a different kind of Monday night football to tie CBS for the ratings lead on Labor Day.

ABC and CBS each averaged a 6.3 rating/10 share for the night -- although because of its live telecast, ABC's numbers are likely to change some when final nationals are released. NBC and FOX tied for third at 4.3/7. The WB, 1.6/2, was fifth, beating UPN's 1.2/2.

College football carried ABC to sole possession of first in the adults 18-49 demographic, scoring a 3.5 rating. CBS took second at 3.2, followed closely by FOX at 3.1. NBC, 2.0, came in fourth, and UPN and The WB tied for fifth at 0.8.

The annual contest between rivals Florida State and Miami drew a 6.5/11 for ABC at 8 p.m. NBC was second with a "Dateline" special on Hurricane Katrina, 5.6/9. "The King of Queens," 4.4/7, and "Everybody Loves Raymond," 4.9/8, put CBS in third, while FOX's "Nanny 911" was fourth. The WB got a 1.6/3 from a "7th Heaven" repeat. UPN trailed with "One on One" and "All of Us."

CBS took the lead at 9 p.m. with an hour of "Two and a Half Men," 7.0/11. The Florida State-Miami game posted a 6.6/10 for ABC. FOX's "Prison Break," 5.1/8, took an expected dip from its premiere because of the holiday but still did reasonably well. NBC slipped to fourth with "Las Vegas," 3.5/5. A second "7th Heaven" kept The WB in fifth, beating "Girlfriends" and "Half & Half" on UPN.

"CSI: Miami," 7.4/12, snagged the night's highest rating for CBS at 10 p.m. ABC's football game averaged 5.9/10 for the hour, and NBC's "Medium" came in at 3.7/6.

Ratings information is taken from fast national data. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, especially in the case of live telecasts.

© 2005 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Fanfare greets Spurrier's college return

PETE IACOBELLI

Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Cue the TV cameras and dig out the new visors. Steve Spurrier is back. Spurrier begins his South Carolina coaching career Thursday night against Central Florida. And befitting the return of one of college football's most charismatic personalities, a joyous party is planned for sold-out Williams-Brice Stadium.

ESPN is basing its College GameDay show in town, along with profiling the Palmetto State in the network's continuing feature highlighting all 50 states. The country band Big & Rich will perform before the game. - College Football -

The main attraction, though, comes before kickoff when the 60-year-old Spurrier steps onto the field after three years away from the college game where his Florida teams once consistently contended for the national title.

"We realize we have not done anything to earn the spotlight, but we'll take it," Spurrier said. "Hopefully, our play will prove that maybe we deserve it. So that's what we'll try and do Thursday night." - College Football -

Spurrier was involved the last time South Carolina enjoyed this sort of attention. Then, he was a bitter rival as Florida came to town and, with a 54-17 victory, ended the Gamecocks' bid for an SEC Eastern Division title in 2001.

He left in true Spurrier style, poking fun at South Carolina's efforts to "Black Out Florida" - fans dressed in black to show unity - when he said one of his receivers mentioned it was "nice of them to wear all black so we can pick the ball out of the sky."

Those same Gamecock supporters who angrily crumpled up Spurrier's jabs after reading the next day's newspaper have turned out in record numbers to support their newest star. The stadium has been sold out for weeks, fans came by the hundreds to watch routine summer practices and Spurrier has been cheered at every appearance. - College Football -

His new players are eating it up.

Defensive end Orus Lambert says Spurrier's legacy in the SEC is the excitement and passion he generates. "We love it and we can't wait to play," he says.

Spurrier has increased the school's exposure as well. He has been a one-man publicity machine for South Carolina this offseason, putting a happy face on the team's numerous problems - including criminal charges against several players and NCAA probation for violations during predecessor Lou Holtz's tenure. - College Football -

He has discussed losing desire near the end of his disappointing two years as Washington Redskins coach, of growing tired of golf during his year off and surprising many in college football by choosing to lead one of his favorite patsies from his Florida days. Spurrier's Gators were 10-0 against the Gamecocks.

Through it all, Spurrier has grinned and vowed the Gamecocks indeed have what it takes to win a Southeastern Conference title - but maybe not right away. - College Football -

"I do think that we have a team that has a chance to do some good things this year," Spurrier said. "Now, whether or not we achieve that, we will just have to wait and see."

Central Florida enters the game with a 15-game losing streak. The Golden Knights have lost their season opener on ESPN each of the past three seasons.

UCF coach George O'Leary, who resigned five days after taking the coaching job at Notre Dame because he lied on his resume, has had his share of experience with media attention. He has tried to put the focus on South Carolina's team, not its superstar coach.

"The game's about South Carolina and UCF football players," O'Leary said. "The players are only thinking about who they'll look across from, they're not concerned about Steve or myself."

But Spurrier knows he'll get a lot of TV attention Thursday night.

"We're trying to make it a positive," Spurrier said. "We're trying to tell them just a little bit it's a big game for us. This is not just another game. This is a big game because we're in the national spotlight. ... Let's take advantage of it.

Big 10 football preview: Wildcats lean on Basanez as usual

Brett Basanez had offers to play college football at traditional powers like Miami (Fla.) and Penn State, but chose often-overlooked Northwestern.Four years later, it has proven to be the self-described “best decision I think I ever made.”The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Basanez is poised to become the most prolific passer in the 120-year history of the Wildcats’ football program. The senior needs 529 passing yards, 45 completions and 498 yards of total offense to become the school’s all-time leader in those categories. - College Football -
“The way I see, everything that’s happened at Northwestern, all the success we’ve had as a team, I see it as some vindication for making the right choice with what I wanted to do,” said Basanez, who earned his bachelor’s degree this month and begins work on his master’s degree next month.With 6,958 career passing yards, Basanez is the nation’s second-leading active passer, behind Clemson’s Charlie Whitehurst (7,182 yards) and ahead of USC’s Matt Leinart (6,878 yards), the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. He threw for a school-record 2,838 yards last season, leading the Wildcats to a 6-6 record.Basanez has been productive and durable. He didn’t miss a start last season despite a dislocated shoulder. - College Football -
He has 34 career starts, including 28 straight, and needs five more victories to become the school’s winningest quarterback of the modern era.“He’s our warrior, our leader,” Northwestern coach Randy Walker said. “I tell you, I’d hate to think where we’d be without him.”Benjamin Wideman writes for The Post-Crescent of Appleton. - College Football -

Benjamin Wideman
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers