College Plus
Oct 30, 2007 | Football
Oct. 29, 2007
By Tom Luicci
New Jersey Star-Ledger
5 QUESTIONS
Q. Who is Matt Forté and why is his name being mentioned with Barry Sanders and Marcus Allen now?
A. Forté is Tulane's senior running back and the nation's leading rusher, and his 278-yard rushing effort in the Green Wave's 28-27 loss to Memphis was his fourth straight game of 200 yards or more. The NCAA record for consecutive 200-yard games is five, with Sanders, Allen and North Texas' Jamario Thomas sharing it.
Q. Did the edict to the media by Rutgers coach Greg Schiano that the players not be asked about the upset of South Florida the previous week help on Saturday against West Virginia?
A. Actually, it probably hurt. Talking about South Florida would have provided some positive re-enforcement, which this underachieving team desperately needs. It was okay to discuss the Cincinnati and Maryland games with the players, though. It showed.
Q. How many people thought in August that the biggest game in the Pac-10 this year would be Arizona State at Oregon on Saturday -- and that USC-Cal a week later would be meaningless?
A. Maybe ASU coach Dennis Erickson. But that's about it. Hey, it's been that kind of season. Just look at the Big East standings, where Connecticut is the leader and Rutgers, South Florida and Louisville are stragglers. As Yogi would say, it can all be summed up in one word: Youneverknow.
Q. What are some of the season-defining games that remain?
A. Start with LSU at Alabama and Arizona State at Oregon on Saturday. Nov. 17 features Boston College at Clemson and Ohio State at Michigan. Connecticut is at West Virginia and Missouri is at Kansas a week later.
Q. Has Toledo stopped scoring yet?
A. How far has Northern Illinois fallen in such a short period of time? Toledo, a sub-.500 team in a mediocre league, rolled up 812 yards in a 70-21 victory over the Huskies. The yardage total was a school record and the most this year by a Bowl Subdivision team.
On The Rise
Connecticut (7-1)
Are the Huskies for real? Saturday's visit by Rutgers offers yet another test to a team that can't shake the disbelievers.
Troy (6-2)
After opening with losses to Arkansas and Florida, Trojans have won six straight and rule the Sun Belt.
Boise State (7-1)
Broncos have quietly won six in a row to build momentum for their WAC-deciding showdown at Hawaii on Nov. 23.
On The Decline
South Florida (6-2)
No. 2 in the country? The Bulls aren't even No. 2 in the Big East or the state of Florida now. Tampa, maybe.
Maryland (4-4)
Too bad the Terps can't play Rutgers every week. They've lost four of six since opening 2-0.
Texas Tech (6-3)
Red Raiders look awesome against the Northwestern States of the world, but mediocre against "real" teams.
The List
So how did the biggest sports day in New Jersey history turn out? Let's see. Rutgers was humbled at home by West Virginia, the rain-drenched Breeders' Cup drew the second-lowest crowd in the 24-year history of the event and the Devils were beaten in their debut at the Prudential Center.
For a Jersey guy, the only way to find sports happiness on Saturday was to be somewhere else. Here are five guys who are glad they were:
1. Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia
The former Middletown South High standout rushed for a career-high 188 yards and three TDs as the Bulldogs moved into first place in the SEC East Division with a 42-30 victory over Florida. Moreno's 807 yards are the fourth-most by a Georgia freshman -- with five games remaining.
2. Andre Dixon, RB, Connecticut
Dreadlocks flying behind him, the New Brunswick High product rushed for a career-high 167 yards as the surprising Huskies (7-1) beat South Florida, 22-15. Dixon, a 6-1, 195-pound sophomore, also had three catches for 42 yards.
3. Andre Callender, RB, Boston College
His numbers weren't much, but the one-time Seton Hall Prep star made the only play that mattered in the Eagles' 14-10 victory over Virginia Tech on Thursday night: He caught the game-winning 24-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan with 11 seconds to play as BC improved to 8-0. The 5-11, 199-pound senior is from Roselle.
4. Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
The latest star from the Piscataway High School talent pipeline had a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown as No. 1-ranked Ohio State manhandled Penn State in Happy Valley. The 6-1, 208-pound junior also returned an interception for a score against the Lions last year. He has three INTs this season.
5. Drew Willy, QB, Buffalo
The junior from Randolph fought through heavy rain and high winds to lead the Bulls to a 26-10 victory over Akron -- giving Buffalo its fourth victory, the most the program has had since 1998. Willy was 11-for-14 and matched his career-high with three TD passes. The Bulls have not won more than four games since 1986.
Who's Hot
Arizona QB Willie Tuitama - Rallies Wildcats with a school-record 510 passing yards.
Texas RB Jamaal Charles - Rushes for 216 and three TDs -- in the fourth quarter!
Vanderbilt WR Earl Bennett - Now the leading receiver in SEC history with 215 catches.
Hawaii QB Colt Brennan - His 119 career TD passes are two shy of the NCAA record.
Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry - Picks off two vs. UNC, returning one for a score.
Who's Not
Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell - Four INTs help Colorado pull out a victory.
Rutgers' wide receivers - Great at the highlight catches, but not at the routine stuff.
Texas A&M's players - Show up for the game, not the coach's press conference.
Florida coach Urban Meyer - No running game means Tim Tebow gets mugged every week.
Kentucky football - Finally, they can break out the basketballs in Lexington.
Story Lines
1. Isn't it just a matter of time before Nebraska hires away Turner Gill from Buffalo to be its next head coach? The Huskers' loss to Texas on Saturday was their fourth straight -- the most since 1961. They're 4-5 now and might miss out on a bowl for the second time in Bill Callahan's four years -- after Callahan's first season on the job (5-6) saw the school's run of 35 straight bowls end. Gill, the former Nebraska star QB, has quietly brought respectability to a perennial loser in his second year as coach, with the Bulls already posting the most victories the school has had since 1998. Oh, and Tom Osborne is Nebraska's new interim AD. He was a groom in Gill's wedding and says he is closer to Gill than any of the other players he coached in a legendary career.
2. Twenty-five years after the remarkable Cal-Stanford finish, Trinity (Texas) University and Millsaps (Miss.) College offered their version in a Division 3 game this weekend. Trailing 24-22 with two seconds left, Trinity lined up for the final play at its 40-yard line. A short pass to midfield started a remarkable chain reaction of events. Exactly 60 seconds (that's how long the play took) and 15 laterals later Trinity scored a touchdown to pull out a stunning 28-24 victory. The clip is on YouTube.
In My Opinion
Looking for the biggest hypocrite among the college coaching ranks? Start with Georgia's Mark Richt. He publicly chastised his players after they danced on the Vanderbilt star following a victory over the Commodores earlier this year -- and apologized to the school for the classless behavior. Yet against Florida, he told his players they would have to do "5:30 a.m. runs" if they didn't get a 15-yard celebration penalty after the Bulldogs' first score. After Knowshon Moreno scored, Richt directed his entire team (all 70 players) into the end zone to celebrate. The flags that followed probably set the NCAA record for most on one play. But isn't that a bit of a mixed message Richt is sending? What he's basically saying is that it's only okay to act like louts if he endorses it.
