Northern Illinois overcame the odds last season, earning a trip to the Orange Bowl; but the Huskies won't be appearing in a 2nd straight BCS bowl. Coming into the MAC championship game with a 12-0 record, NIU fell - hard - to Bowling Green 47-27. It was the first MAC title in 21 years for Bowling Green. At 9-3, the Falcons didn't have the sparkling record, or the Heisman candidate, or the hype that NIU had. But their 21-20 loss at Mississippi State in Week 7 proved they were no slouches. And they came into the game with a ton of momentum, having outscored their previous four opponents by a margin of 176-17 since suffering their only MAC loss 28-25 to Toledo in Week 9. Included in that run was an impressive 24-7 win on the road against Buffalo in a Week 14 showdown that clinched the MAC East Division title.
The Falcons wasted no time letting NIU know they were in for a difficult night, driving 75, 67, and 76 yards on their first three possessions to grab a 17-7 lead. And the Huskies' D didn't fare any better the rest of the game. The Falcons gashed them at the rate of 8.6 yards per play for the game and racked up a total of 574 yards. QB Matt Johnson had the kind of game you dream about having in a championship game - 21 for 27 for 393 yards and 5 TD with 0 INT. And RB Travis Greene continued his incredible sophomore season, making the dread stars list yet again and increasing his season total to a new Bowling Green record 1,575 yards rushing.
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Fresno State bounced back nicely from that mind-boggling 62-52 defeat to San Jose State, improving to 11-1 with a 24-17 home victory over Utah State in the first ever MWC championship game. Taking nothing away from the Aggies, who finished first in the Mountain Division with a 7-1 record, but no doubt they benefited from a favorable schedule. Their one league loss came at home to Boise State 34-23 in Week 7, yet they still finished ahead of Boise State (6-2). How? The Broncos' two losses were both on the road and both in close games to the top two teams in the West Division (Fresno State and San Diego State). USU, meanwhile, didn't have to face either Fresno or SDSU. So you could make a convincing argument that Boise State is a better team than Utah State, even if it didn't earn them a spot in the title game.
and later in the 2nd, sick senior WR Isaiah Burse made it 17-0 with a 9-yard TD catch, getting the ball across the goal just before being tackled out of bounds (photos on right). It was the final home game for both Jensen and Burse. Jensen finished with 3 catches for 41 yards. Burse, whose name you likely will see on both of my all-America teams, had a career high 17 receptions and made the dread stars list.
Senior CB Quinton Byrd finished with 8 tackles (8-0) for USU, including one on which he got beat deep for a 68-yard completion in the 2nd quarter (but Fresno State didn't score on that possession). The Aggies were without WR Travis Reynolds, whose outstanding breakout senior season ended when he suffered a knee injury in Week 13. Sick junior WR Ronald Butler picked up the slack in Reynolds' absence with his best game of the season, making the dread stars list for the first time. With the Aggies needing a TD to tie on their final possession, the last of Butler's 5 receptions went for a gain of 31 to the Fresno State 39-yard line to convert a 2nd and 19 with 1:03 remaining. But the Aggies' hopes ended on the next play when the Bulldogs intercepted a pass to wrap up the victory. .
The week began with three teams tied for 1st place in the Big 12 with 7-1 records, with Oklahoma State holding the tiebreaker edge over both Texas and Baylor. So when Oklahoma scored 2 TD in the final :19 to win at Oklahoma State 33-24 in the early afternoon, the Texas at Baylor game in the late afternoon suddenly became in effect the conference championship game. Baylor took the title, totally dominating Texas in total yards 508-217 en route to a 30-10 victory. The win gives the Bears (11-1) their first ever 11-win season and their first ever Big 12 crown. It's also their first outright conference crown since when Mike Singletary helped lead them to the SWC championship 33 years ago.
Just as in Baylor's home victory over Texas two years ago, Morton had 2 interceptions (his 2nd and 3rd of the season); and just like 2 years ago he was denied a TD on one of them. In the Bears' 48-24 win in 2011, K.J. was tackled by QB Case McCoy at the 2-yard line after a 28-yard return just before halftime. This year, with the Bears leading 23-10 late in the 4th quarter, Morton made it all the way to the house - only to have the 59-yard TD nullified because one of the officials flagged him for unsportsmanlike conduct.
http://sports.yahoo.com/video/12-07-2013-texas-vs-115307611.html
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For the 8th straight year there will be a team from the SEC in the BCS title game. Auburn, ranked #3, took care of their own business, defeating Missouri 59-42 in the SEC championship game (that's freshman OT Avery Young with the trophy after the game in photo below), then got the break they needed a few hours later when #2 Ohio State lost to Michigan State in the Big 10 championship game. You would have gotten a lot of strange looks (and found a lot of takers) if, before the season began, you had offered to bet them that Auburn would be facing Missouri for the SEC title. While I've spent a lot of time this season writing about Auburn's remarkable comeback from a disastrous 3-9 season in 2012, I haven't done much on Missouri - mostly because, other than junior DE Markus Golden, nobody with dreads has made any contribution to the Tigers' success in 2013. But like Auburn, Missouri wasn't very good either last year, finishing at 2-6 in their 1st season in the SEC and 5-7 overall.
The most rushing yards Mizzou had allowed in a single game was 184; but junior RB Tre Mason surpassed that before the 1st half was over with 195. Mason (scoring a 7-yard TD run in the 2nd quarter in top left photo) didn't stop there and ended up earning the game MVP award (bottom left photo) as well as having one of the best games ever by an Auburn RB. More on him later.
There were 7 lead changes, as Missouri's offense kept pace with Auburn's for a long time. But after Auburn drove 75 yards in 6 plays (all runs) to take a 38-34 lead late in the 3rd, they never trailed again. Missouri had a punt and twice failed to convert on 4th down on their three possessions in the 4th as Auburn pulled away. Sophomore WR Sammie Coates (photo below) appeared to be a lock to join Mason on the dread stars list after scoring a 38-yard TD on Auburn's first pass play of the game midway through the 1st and then gaining 54 yards on a WR screen pass on the 1st play of their next drive. But after that, the Missouri D was all over Coates on several more screen passes, and he gained just 2 more yards on his next 4 receptions and ended up with 6 catches for 94 yards. Junior WR Trovon Reed gained 23 yards on his only reception. No defensive players with dreads made much of an impact. Senior DE Kenneth Carter had 1 tackle (0-1). Freshman Montravius Adams, a DT who wears jersey #1, had 2 tackles (1-1). Adams, whose dreads you can't see because they're barely a year old, figures to be a big star in the seasons ahead. He has 20 tackles (10-10) so far this season. Golden made 1 tackle (1-0) for Missouri.
Auburn will face a formidable foe in the BCS title game. That would be Florida State, which continued to obliterate everything in their path, clinching their place in the title game and clinching their 14th ACC championship with a 45-7 blowout of Duke in the ACC championship game. The victory improved the Seminoles to 13-0, with 12 of the victories being by 27 or more points. Not surprisingly, FSU had a dominating 569-239 advantage in total yards.
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I don't think I watched a single play in this game. But if I had watched, my eyes would have been on each team's starting CB with dreads.
Sophomore Trae Waynes (chasing QB Braxton Miller in top right photo) finished with 4 tackles (3-1) for MSU, while junior Bradley Roby (tackling RB Jeremy Langford in middle right photo) had 6 tackles (4-2), including a half TFL, for OSU. Neither had a PBU or INT. The Buckeyes went on a 24-0 run to wipe out the Spartans' 17-0 lead; but then MSU went on another 17-0 run in the final 18 minutes to put Ohio State away. It's on to the Rose Bowl for Michigan State for the first time in 26 years; and their opponent will be ......
I was hoping home field advantage would make a difference for Arizona State as they hosted Stanford in the Pac 12 championship game. But it didn't. The Sun Devils trailed 29-0 at halftime at Stanford in Week 4 before finishing strong in a 42-28 loss. And it was more of the same this time at Tempe - except for the strong finish - as the Cardinal jumped out to a 28-7 lead in the first 20 minutes and went on to a 38-14 victory. Stanford dominated in total yards 517-311, averaging 5.5 yards per rush and racking up 277 yards passing on only 12 completions.It's kind of obvious why I was hoping the Sun Devils would win. While ASU has more dreads than any other team in the Pac 12, Stanford, for the 2nd year in a row, has none (that I know of). But it was a humbling evening for all the players in ASU uniforms, not only the ones with dreads. The Sun Devils had outscored their opponents by an average score of 49-21 in their 7 home games this season; so it had to be a tough pill to swallow to have Stanford come into their house and put a whipping on them. Senior DE Davon Coleman had 7 tackles (6-1), including 1 sack (bottom photo above); senior DT Will Sutton had 2 tackles (2-0), 1 sack, and 1 PBU; and senior LB Steffon Martin had 2 tackles (2-0); but it certainly wasn't the type of performance they wanted to have in their final home game. On offense junior TE/FB De'Marieya Nelson didn't have any success, finishing with 10 yards rushing on 5 carries. He fumbled on a carry in the 3rd quarter but was fortunate to recover it himself. Later in the drive he was stopped for no gain on 4th and goal from the 1-yard line. A TD there would have made it 31-21. Instead Stanford drove 99 yards in 5 plays to make it 38-14 early in the 4th quarter, and it was pretty much game over right then.
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It was also a humbling day for the Marshall Thundering Herd - especially on offense - in a crushing 41-24 road loss to Rice in the CUSA championship game at Houston. The Owls had TD drives of 82 and 73 yards on their first 2 possessions to take a 14-0 lead and led by no less than 11 points the rest of the game as they clinched their first outright conference championship in 56 years. Marshall fell far short of their season averages in points (44.6) and total yards (513) as the Rice D held them to just 371 yards. It didn't help that the Herd had long fields to drive all day. Their best starting field position for any drive was their own 35-yard line, and 11 of their 13 possessions started inside the 30 (including 3 inside the 10).
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IN THE FCS
Well, at least they were 10-1 against everyone else. But against New Hampshire, they - Maine - went 0-2. After clinching the CAA title in Week 12, the Black Bears finished the regular season the next week with a 24-3 loss to UNH. Then after getting a #5 seed and 1st round bye for the playoffs, they found themselves facing the Wildcats again in their first ever home playoff game. Maine played better than in the first meeting but still not nearly well enough, as New Hampshire rolled to a 41-27 victory, finishing with a 495-384 advantage in total yards.
Two other 2nd round games also featured rematches of regular season games between conference foes. In one of them OVC champ and #2 seed Eastern Illinois picked up their first playoff victory in 24 years, snapping a 10-game playoff losing streak in style with a 51-10 rout of Tennessee State. The Panthers rolled to a 37-0 halftime lead and upped it to 51-0 on TD runs of 18 and 80 yards by sophomore RB Shepard Little. EIU finished with a nearly 2-1 advantage in total yards, 553-287. Little also contributed on special teams, as did sophomore CB Anthony Goodman. Little had a 36-yard punt return in the 1st quarter to set up the 34-yard TD drive that made the score 16-0; and Goodman scored his 2nd TD of the season, scooping up a blocked punt (photo below) and taking it 5 yards to the house with 2:15 to go until halftime to make it 30-0. Senior S Nick Beard added 3 tackles (2-1) and 1 PBU for EIU.
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As a result of the other rematch, Sam Houston State will not get the chance to lose to North Dakota State in the championship game for the 3rd year in a row. The Bearkats were eliminated on the road by SLC champ and #4 seed Southeastern Louisiana in a thriller 30-29. Southeastern, who also defeated SHSU at home 34-21 in Week 12, had a big advantage in total yards (495-302) but not on the scoreboard thanks to a -2 turnover margin. One of the turnovers was a 12-yard pick 6 that made the score 14-0. Late in the 1st quarter senior RB Timothy Flanders' 3-yard TD run made it 21-7. But the Lions roared back with a 17-0 run in the 2nd to lead 24-21 at the half. The Bearkats scored a safety in the 3rd and regained the lead 29-24 with a TD early in the 4th (the 2-point conversion attempt failed). Still leading by 5, the Bearkats took possession with 3:01 to play. They made one 1st down; but needing one more to run out the clock, they were stopped on 3rd and 1 and punted on 4th down. The Lions got the ball with 1:21 to play and went right down the field, taking all of 49 seconds to drive 85 yards in 6 plays. After being held to 5 1st downs in the entire 2nd half to that point, the Lions made a 1st down on 5 consecutive plays - on gains of 11, 12, 21, 15, and 25 - before scoring the winning TD on a 1-yard completion with :32 on the clock.
Flanders' TD was the only one by anyone with dreads. He rushed for 82 yards on 21 carries in his final game in a Sam Houston State uniform. Sophomore RB Xavier Roberson gained 45 total yards on 10 touches for the Lions and had 5 kickoff returns, the longest of which went for 34 yards. Junior LB Isiah Corbett had 6 tackles (3-3), including a half TFL.
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Jacksonville State had no success at all against McNeese State while they were members of the Southland Conference, going 0-7 from 1996-2002. Now a member of the OVC, the Gamecocks picked a very good time to get their 1st win over the Cowboys. JSU led 21-0 at halftime and cruised to a 31-10 road victory over #6 seed McNeese State. The Cowboys punted 7 times and threw 2 interceptions on their 9 possessions in the 1st half. The Gamecocks' D recorded a school record 11 sacks (4 of them in the 1st quarter) on their way to holding McNeese to 301 total yards.
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Cold? What cold?
If the temperature was in the 20s in Texas, you can image what it was in Montana. And for that reason alone I thought that Coastal Carolina, located in balmy Conway, SC, would be beaten even before the opening kickoff of their 2nd round game at #8 seed Montana. So what happens? With the game time temperature at 5 below zero, CCU scores 5 touchdowns in the 1st half, builds a 35-14 lead, and hangs on for a 42-35 victory. Go figure. On the kickoff following a TD that put Montana in front 14-7, freshman WR Devin Brown brought the return back 42 yards. That return kick started what would become a 28-0 run that put the Chanticleers in control. The Grizzlies came back strong and actually outgained CCU for the day 557-476; but after pulling to within 42-35 with 5:03 remaining, Coastal kept the ball for the rest of the game, picking up 3 first downs to run out the clock. Other than Brown, the only player with dreads who contributed a lot was junior CB Denzel Rice, who had 6 tackles (3-3) for CCU.
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In other 2nd round action, senior LB Monte Gaddis had 10 tackles (7-3), including 2 TFL; junior DE Ryan Delaire had 5 tackles (4-1), 1 sack, and 1 FR; and 2nd string freshman RB Darius Victor made the dread stars list for the first time as #7 seeded Towson picked up their first ever playoff victory, 48-28 over Fordham ..... Senior RB Sam Ojuri rushed for 75 yards on 15 carries, including a 3-yard TD in the 3rd quarter for a 17-7 lead; and senior CB Marcus Williams took an INT return 61 yards to the house for his 7th career pick 6 as top seeded North Dakota State defeated Furman 38-7 ..... And #2 seed Eastern Washington eliminated South Dakota State 41-17.
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The quarterfinals began the next weekend (Dec. 13-14) with a Friday night game featuring two of the top contenders for the Walter Payton Award - Eastern Illinois QB Jimmy Garoppolo and Towson RB Terrance West. We'll call it a draw. Garoppolo got the award (the equivalent of the Heisman for FCS players), which was presented at the FCS awards banquet three nights later; but West (who was 3rd in the voting) got the W and the trip to the semifinals.
Towson, led by West, came back from an early 14-0 deficit to win on the road over EIU 49-39. The Tigers racked up 587 total yards on a partially snow-covered field, including an FCS playoff record 354 yards rushing by West, who also scored 5 TD. And whenever he needed a breather, Darius Victor came in and there wasn't much of a drop-off. Victor came close to making the dread stars list again, rushing for 80 yards and 1 TD on 11 carries. Victor's performance was spoiled a bit, however, because he fumbled twice, one of them resulting in a turnover. Monte Gaddis had 14 tackles (13-1) and 1 sack for the Towson D; and Ryan Delaire had a good game with 6 tackles (6-0), 2 sacks, 1 FF, and 1 FR. For EIU Shepard Little was held to 74 total yards, including 58 rushing on 14 carries. Nick Beard had 7 tackles (6-1) and 1 PBU in his final game for the Panthers.
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Coastal Carolina enjoyed much more comfortable weather conditions (indoors) for their quarterfinal game. But the Chanticleers found out in a hurry that no matter the conditions, there's nothing comfortable about facing the North Dakota State defense. This wasn't pretty if you're a CCU fan. The Bison doubled up the Chanticleers in total yards 623-281 en route to an easy 48-14 victory. Sam Ojuri scored the game's 1st TD on a 73-yard run (photo below) in the 1st quarter then scored again from 4 yards out late in the 2nd to make it 31-0. Sophomore WR John Israel had one of the few CCU highlights, a nice 46-yard catch and run to the 3-yard line to set up a TD just before halftime.
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And in the final quarterfinal, there was no late magic for Southeastern Louisiana this time. The Lions scored a TD with 5:17 to play to take a 17-14 lead; but New Hampshire came right back with an 80-yard TD drive to go in front 20-17 with :47 to play. The Lions came up with a key block on the point after, but their final drive ran out of time just before they made it into FG range. Xavier Roberson, who recovered his own fumble on the opening kickoff return, later went 71 yards on a return, but it didn't result in any points. Junior WR Marquis Hayes had 2 catches for 25 yards. Isiah Corbett finished with 8 tackles (1-7), a half TFL, and 1 PBU.
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The semifinals were played last weekend. We'll take a look at how Towson and North Dakota State advanced to the championship game and the championship game (on Jan. 4) itself in my next report.
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The SWAC's decision to move their championship game from Birmingham to Houston paid off, at least for this year. 38,985 were on hand at Reliant Stadium, although Jackson State against Southern U likely would have drawn a big crowd in Birmingham too. There were several players with dreads in uniform, but not a lot of sick dreads. The game was a thriller, with Southern prevailing 34-27 in 2 overtimes to avenge a Week 5 home loss to the Tigers. JSU senior RB Tommy Gooden was the game's leading rusher with 55 yards on 14 carries. He also caught 3 passes for 36 yards. But unfortunately he will be remembered most for his mistake on the last play of the game. With the Tigers down by 7, on 4th and goal from the 5-yard line Gooden was wide open along the sideline in the end zone. But he must have lost track of where he was because by the time the pass came to him, he was standing on the sideline when he caught it. So instead of JSU having a chance to send it into a 3rd OT (or try to win it with a 2-point conversion), it was the Jaguars celebrating with the trophy. A tough way for Gooden to end his career.
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FINALLY
I was going to do a brief preview of all the bowl games. But for real, this report has gone on (and on) long enough. And besides, by now a lot of the games have already been played anyway. Not all of the teams that were bowl eligible received bowl invitations (I guess that means we need at least a couple more bowl games, right?). I was particularly disappointed that FAU didn't get one. Of the games still remaining I'm most looking forward to seeing Wisconsin-South Carolina in the Capital One Bowl and Baylor-UCF in the Fiesta Bowl (can't wait to see K.J. Morton covering Rannell Hall) - both on New Year's Day. Other games worth watching include Mississippi State-Georgia Tech, Arizona State-Texas Tech, and Rice-Mississippi State (all on Dec. 30); Nebraska-Georgia (Jan. 1); Clemson-Ohio State (Jan. 3); Vanderbilt-Houston (Jan. 4); and Ball State-Arkansas State (Jan. 5). Hope you enjoy the games.
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DG
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11. Junior WR Ronald Butler of Utah State has a step on Fresno State CB Jonathan Norton and hauls in the on-target pass from QB Darell Garretson for a 38-yard gain to the Fresno State 34-yard line midway through 2nd quarter of the first ever MWC championship game at Fresno. It was the 1st catch of the game for Butler and the start of a very big night. All 5 of his receptions went for 1st downs, and he made the dread stars list for the first time..
12. Sick senior WR Isaiah Burse tries to elude senior CB Quinton Byrd after making one of his career high 17 receptions. 3 of Byrd's 8 tackles (8-0) were tackles of Burse; so my guess would be this was his tackle at the USU 49-yard line after a 3-yard gain on 2nd and 5 during 4th quarter (but that's just a guess). Fresno State built a 17-0 lead and then barely held on, improving to 11-1 with a 24-17 victory. You can watch Burse's post-game interview on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZC0n1ByJSM
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DREAD STARS
- Travis Greene - Bowling Green - 133 yards and 1 TD rushing on 26 carries, and 2 catches for 23 yards and 1 TD in 47-27 W over Northern Illinois in MAC championship game
- Kelvin Benjamin - Florida State - 5 receptions for 119 yards and 2 TD in 45-7 W over Duke in ACC championship game
- Geremy Davis - Connecticut - school record 15 receptions for career high 207 yards and 1 TD in 45-10 home W over Memphis - becomes UConn's first 1,000-yard receiver in 15 years
- Isaiah Burse - career high 17 receptions for 132 yards and 1 TD in 24-17 home W over Utah State in MWC championship game
- Clayton Geathers - UCF - named AAC defensive player of the week - 9 tackles (7-2), including a tackle for no gain on 4th and 1 during 4th quarter, 1 FF, 1 PBU (on 3rd down) and 1 INT (in 4th quarter) in 17-13 road W over SMU
- K.J. Morton - Baylor - named Big 12 defensive player of the week - 3 tackles (3-0), 2 PBU, and 2 INT on senior day in 30-10 W over Texas: http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120913aab.html
- Ronald Butler - Utah State - 5 receptions for season high 145 yards in 24-17 road L to Fresno State in MWC championship game
- Shepard Little - Eastern Illinois - 184 yards and 2 TD rushing on 12 carries in 51-10 2nd round FCS playoff home W over Tennessee State
- Darius Victor - Towson - 12 carries for 105 yards rushing, including 22-yard TD, and 41-yard TD reception in 48-28 2nd round FC playoff home W over Fordham
- Sam Ojuri- North Dakota State - 20 carries for 162 yards and 2 TD rushing, and 1 reception for 25 yards in 48-14 quarterfinal FCS playoff home W over Coastal Carolina
HOUSE OF DREAD
The end zone at the Georgia Dome was the house of dread winner for Week 15 because there were 5 TD by players with dreads in Auburn's 59-42 victory over Missouri in the SEC championship game. Sophomore WR Sammie Coates had a 38-yard reception for the 1st TD of the game (all three photos). And the other 4 TD, of course, were scored by this week's player of the week .....
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HEAD DREAD
You may remember in my Week 8 report when I printed this quote from Auburn junior RB Tre Mason after the Tigers defeated Texas A&M: "It's just getting better from here on out." Well, he wasn't lying, was he? It's gotten so good for Mason that he was doing the Heisman pose after a couple of his touchdowns in Auburn's 59-42 win over Missouri for the SEC championship. And it's gotten so good for Mason and his teammates that they're going to the 'ship - the BCS title game, that is, to face Florida State. Not previously considered a serious Heisman candidate, Mason picked up a load of votes and earned himself a seat at the Heisman ceremony with his incredible performance against Missouri.
Tre carried the ball 46 times and rushed for 304 yards - just the second 300-yard game in Auburn history and the first in 69 years. He also caught 1 pass for 8 yards. Said Tre, "I've never had holes that big to run through." 4 of the 46 carries went for touchdowns (his 2nd game with 4 TD this season). His 7-yard TD run in the 2nd quarter gave Auburn a 21-17 lead. He then rushed for all 79 yards on Auburn's next drive, including a 3-yard TD, to make it 28-20. Tre's other 2 TD came in the 4th quarter and helped Auburn break open a close game. His 1-yard run made it 52-42, and he completed the scoring with a 13-yard TD run.
There are several stories on the internet about Mason's big game. I'm including a link to only one of them, from the Auburn website, which includes the records and milestones he achieved during this game and this season. That's on the first link below. The link underneath that is for hardcore Tre Mason fans. It's an 11-minute video of all 46 carries in the game along with a couple other plays.
http://www.auburntigers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120713aah.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS-HsQZaYgs
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NEXT
Finally, a BCS title game I can enjoy (no Alabama!). For real, Florida State vs. Auburn might set the record for most TD ever by players with dreads in one game. One thing for sure is that FSU will score a lot against the Auburn defense. The big question is whether or not the FSU defense, which has been solid all year, can contain Auburn's hard-to-stop offense. Whatever happens, it should be fun to watch.
The game is on January 6 and will be a big part of my bowl wrap-up report. But that report won't be for at least a couple of months. Up next, I guess I better do something on the NFL before their season comes to an end.
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