The season that was in 2016 for the AAC was not exactly the way it was supposed to have been. Houston was largely the predominant favorite entering the season, but somehow found a way to lose three time in conference play, and the Cougars were not really a factor. In the end, Matt Rhule, in what would be his last season in Philadelphia, found a way to beat Navy for the AAC crown, and Navy found a way to get to that title game out of the west. Let's take a look at the season that was for each team in the AAC...
Temple Owls
10-4 (7-1)
Season Schedule
Lost to Army 28-13
Beat Stony Brook 38-0
Lost to Penn State 34-27
Beat Charlotte 48-20
Beat SMU 45-20
Lost to Memphis 34-27
Beat UCF 26-25
Beat USF 46-30
Beat Cincinnati 34-13
Beat U Conn 21-0
Beat Tulane 31-0
Beat East Carolina 37-10
Beat Navy 34-10 (AAC Title Game)
Lost to Wake Forest 34-26 (Military Bowl)
What Went Right: Starting with team stats, the Owls scored fairly well in 2016, averaging 32.4 points per game on offense. Phillip Walker was not perfect at QB, but did enough to drive the offense forward, passing for 235.4 yards per game, while tossing 22 TDs. He did also toss 13 picks, and failed to complete 60% of his passes, but what he did was enough to move the needle.
The run game failed to produce a 1000 yard rusher, but as a team, the Owls did rush for 176.14 yards per game on the season, with Jahad Thomas rushing for 953 yards and 13 scores, while Ryquell Armstead rushed for 919 yards and another 14 scores. The run game, in effect, was strong enough in 2016 to carry the load when needed.
Ventell Bryant and Keith Kirkwood were favorite targets in the passing game for Walker, and combined for 96 receptions on the season.
Defensively, Haason Ridick was an All-Bilo Defensive Lineman of the Year finalist, finishing with 22 TFLs, while Praise Martin-Oguike finished with another 10. In all, the Owls were very effective up front in producing strong pressure, and the defense as a whole held opponents to just 18.4 points per game,and just 215 1st downs.
The kicking game was strong for Temple as well, as Aaron Boumerhi and Austin Jones combined to hit 25/29 FG attempts on the season, making Temple one of the best kicking units in college football.
What Went Wrong: A 3-3 start did not help matters out, but the Owls rolled out to a 7 game win streak on the way to the AAC title, nullifying that bad early start. Walker, while solid most of the time, had his issues with the 13 picks thrown, as the defense only picked opposing QBs 12 times during the season. Two of Walkers picks were returned for scores. The punting game also was not always solid, as Alex Starzyk avergaed just 38.96 yards per punt on the season. Of course, Rhule's departure from Temple before the bowl game likely played into the loss to Wake Forest, who was just 6-6 heading into the bowl game. That was a game that Temple should have won.
2017 Look Ahead: Geoff Collins was hired away from his DC gig at Florida to replace Rhule, but can he have the same impact as a first time head coach here that Rhule had? That is a serious question. Walker and Thomas are gone from the backfield, and so Collins' first order of business will be finding new go to pieces for his offense. The top 4 receivers return, so that could be helpful.
Finding new ways to pressure opposing offenses will be an issue as well, as the top 6 of 7 leaders in TFLs are moving on. In short, I expect a step back for Temple in the first year under Collins until he can find replacements for these losses.
2017 Non Conference Slate: 9/2 at Notre Dame, 9/9 Villanova, 9/16 U Mass. 10/21 at Army
USF Bulls
11-2 (7-1)
Season Schedule
Beat Towson 56-20
Beat Northern Illiois 48-17
Beat Syracuse 45-20
Lost to Florida State 55-35
Beat Cincinnati 45-20
Beat East Carolina 38-22
Beat U Conn 42-27
Lost to Temple 46-30
Beat Navy 52-45
Beat Memphis 49-42
Beat SMU 35-27
Beat UCF 48-31
Beat South Carolina 46-39 (Birmingham Bowl)
What Went Right
The Bulls scored 43.8 points per game while racking up 300 1st downs. There were few better backfield combos in the nation than Quinton Flowers at QB, and Marlon Mack at RB. Flowers passed for 2814 yards and 24 TD passes, while he also rushed for 1530 yards and another 18 TDs. He also only tossed 7 picks on the season. Mack rushed for 1187 yards and 15 TDs on the season, all while only averaging 14.5 carries per game. Mack averaged 6.82 yards per carry, while Flowers averaged 7.73. D'Ernest Johnson also added 8 rushing TDs of his own. Rodney Adams was a stand out in the receiving game, having led the Bulls with 67 receptions for 822 yards and 5 scores.
As a team, the Bulls intercepted 15 passes on the year, and LB Augie Sanchez recorded 117 tackles from his LB position. Deatrick Nichols broke up 7 passes on the season as well.
What Went Wrong
Not a lot went wrong for the Bulls in 2016, but the defense was hardly what one would call stellar. The Bulls have up 326 1st downs on the season, and gave up 31.6 points per game, a number that went up in their two losses as the Bulls gave up 50.5 points per game in those two contests (losses to Florida State and Temple). The Bulls allowed 6266 yards of offense, and 3712 yards through the air, and did not have one defender finish with double digit TFLs or sacks. The Bulls also gave up over 52% of 4th down conversions defensively, and teams scored 85% of the time in the red zone against them.
2017 Look Ahead: With Willie Taggart having moved on to Oregon, the Bulls turn to Charlie Strong, which was a home run hire. Strong will likely concentrate first on fixing the defense, and finding a suitable replacement for Mack on offense, as he has declared for the NFL draft. Flowers will be back at QB, giving the Bulls one of the best weapons in college football to deploy next season. With Flowers back at QB, there is no reason to expect the Bulls to not make a run at the AAC title in 2017.
2017 Non Conference Schedule: 8/26 at San Jose State, 9/2 Stony Brook, 9/16 Illinois, 10/14 U Mass
UCF Knights
6-7 (4-4)
Season Schedule
Beat South Carolina State 38-0
Lost to Michigan 51-14
Lost to Maryland 30-24
Beat FIU 53-14
Beat East Carolina 47-29
Lost to Temple 26-25
Beat U Conn 24-16
Lost to Houston 31-24
Beat Tulane 37-6
Beat Cincinnati 24-3
Lost to Tulsa 35-20
Lost to USF 48-31
Lost to Arkansas State 31-13 (Cure Bowl)
What Went Right: There was an immediate turnaround and impact in the first season under Scott Frost, as he took the Knights from the basement of the AAC to a bowl in one season. UCF improved immensely on offense, averaging 28.8 points per game while still trying to find an identity for a unit that was almost non-existent the year before. Freshman QB McKenzie Milton showed flashes at times, passing for 1983 yards in 10 games with 10 TDs. He will only get better working with Frost. Tre'Quon Smith seemed to arrive as a receiver, catching 57 passes for 853 yards and 5 scores. The that combo should progress together in spring ball and show better signs next season.
Defensively, the Knights were solid for the most part, allowing just a shade over 24 points per game for the season. The Knights gave up only 28.9% on 3rd down conversions, a number that should generate some pride.
Shaquem Griffin was one of the best defenders in the nation, generating 20 TFLs, while Errol Clarke, Mark Rucker, and Tony Guerad all combined for 34 more TFLs on the season, giving the Knights one of the best front seven units in the nation. Griffin also finished with 11.5 sacks on the season, and broke up 15 passes. Senior DJ Killings added to the pass pressure, having broken up 11 passes on the year.
Matthew Wright was not perfect on FGs, but did manage to connect on 17/22 on the season. Caleb Houston averaged just over 42 yards per punt.
What Went Wrong: UCF was unable to generate any rusher to go over 500 yards this season, and failed to identify that one or two rushers that could make a difference moving forward. Jawon Hamilton ran for 495 yards as a freshman to lead the team, but that is not near enough. Frost gave out a ton of carries to too many different backs, so he needs to identify someone to carry the unit in spring football.
The Knights also need to find other receivers to become solid targets for their young QB in Milton. With only Smith showing the way, Milton will need more receivers to step up for his continued growth in the passing game.
The Knights will need a bit more discipline on the field as well, as they committed over 7 penalties per game this season, which was a sign of a young football team.
There should be some noted concern over the 3 game losing streak that the Knights finished on as well, as they lost all 3 games by double digit points, losing by an average of 16.67 points per game. The Knights can simply not fal back into those old habits at this stage.
2017 Look Ahead: The Knights were a very young football team in 2016, so it is imperative that the development continues, as these guys are still learning. Still, a jump to 6 wins was not expected. Two things will be on hand in the spring, and those items are creating development, and creating some depth. The Knights also have go to develop a solid run game.
2017 Non Conference Schedule: 9/2 FIU, 9/16 Georgia Tech, 9/23 at Maryland, 9/30 Maine
Cincinnati Bearcats
4-8 (1-7)
Season Schedule
Beat UT-Martin 28-7
Beat Purdue 38-20
Lost to Houston 40-16
Beat Miami (Ohio) 27-20
Lost to USF 45-20
Lost to U Conn 20-9
Beat East Carolina 31-19
Lost to Temple 34-13
Lost to BYU 20-3
Lost to UCF 24-3
Lost to Memphis 34-7
Lost to Tulsa 40-37
What Went Right: Not much. The offense fell of the radar, averaging just 19.3 points per game, and most of those points were score din the first half of the season. After week 6 of their season, the Bearcats scored over 20 points just once, in their season finale loss to Tulsa.
Devin Gray and Kahlil Lewis did show some bright spots at WR on offense, as they combined to catch 106 passes for 1465 yards and 10 scores, so they are a starting point for what did go right. Nate Cole added 57 more receptions for 518 yards and 4 more scores.
Defensively, there were some bright spots here and there as well. Mike Tyson picked off 5 passes, and the Bearcats as a whole picked off 17 balls on the season. LB Eric Wilson collected 129 tackles on the year, and Kevin Mouhon recorded 9.5 TFLs, which led the team. Sam Geraci did just manage to average 40 yards per punt, which helped the defense from completely imploding due to poor field position.
What Went Wrong: The passing game, formerly a strength, went into the dumpster this season. Gunner Kiel fell into the dog house early, only to emerge because of injuries, and Hayden Moore's development went south in a hurry. He only managed to pass for 1744 yards and 11 TDs to 7 picks, and completed just 57% of his passes in an injury riddled season. Kiel was not much better, passing for just 804 yards, while Ross Trail, who was a freshman, tossed 6 picks to just one TD pass. Tion Green rushed for 743 yards, which was not great on any scale, but what was worse was that the leading two rushing scoring leaders combined for all of 4 TDs, and the Bearcats averaged just 118 yards rushing per game as a team.
The Bearcats gave up 55 more 1st downs than they earned, were out rushed by over 800 yards, and tossed 15 team INTs. Teams rushed for 17 TDs against the Bearcats, while they rushed for just 8. UC gave up almost 48% of 3rd downs against, gave up over 61% on 4th down conversions, and were just generally flat, which led to the eventual resignation of Tommy Tuberville, a coach who I still see as one of the most overrated college football coaches in history.
2017 Look Ahead: There will be a general Buckeye flair on the staff in 2017, as Luke Fickell comes on as the new head coach at Cincinnati. He is bringing some Buckeye staffers with him, so expect a general uptick in mood around campus next fall. Fickell has got to fix this offense in 2017, and Hayden Moore still has promise. The defense is not far from being betterm but they need more support and scoring from wht turned into an abysmal offense in 2016. There is no reason to think that Fickell can't at least get UC back into a bowl game next season.
2017 Non Conference Schedule: 8/31 Austin Peay, 9/9 at Michigan, 9/16 at Miami (Ohio), 9/30 at Marshall
East Carolina Pirates
3-9 (1-7)
Season Schedule
Beat Western Carolina 52-7
Beat NC State 33-30
Lost to South Carolina 20-15
Lost to Virginia Tech 54-17
Lost to UCF 47-29
Lost to USF 38-22
Lost to Cincinnati 31-19
Beat U Conn 41-3
Lost to Tulsa 45-24
Lost to SMU 55-31
Lost to Navy 66-31
Lost to Temple 37-10
What Went Right: Despite this being one of the worst seasons in recent memory for the Pirates, they could still manage to score at times, averaging just over 27 points per game, and they managed 31 more 1st downs than their opponents did during the season. The Pirates also managed over 4000 yards passing once again.
Minnesota transfer Phillip Nelson had a decent run at QB, passing for 2621 yards and 16 scores, against just 8 picks, but played in only 10 games. He completed 67.9% of his passes on the season, and he may very well have been the main bright spot on offense.
James Summers converted from receiver to RB, and led the team with 162 carries for 869 yards. Had he been handed more carries, he likely would have broken 1000 yards for the season.
Zay Jones was huge in the receiving game, finishing as an All-Bilo Receiver of the Year finalist. Jones caught 158 passes for 1746 yards and 8 scores. Jones averaged 145.5 yards per game.
Davis Plowman could have been worse at PK, hitting 17/23 FG attempts on the season, and Worth Gregory averaged over 42 yards per punt.
What Went Wrong: The defense imploded. The Pirates gave up 36.1 points per game, and gave up 30 or more points 10 times in 2016. They gave up 2742 yards rushing and 34 TDs on the ground. The defense gave up 5433 yards total offense, and that was the cause of the wreck of a season that they suffered through.
Nobody recorded double digit TFLs, and pass defense was lacking in passes defended or INTs. Sacks were barely registered on the season.
You can basically blame the destruction of the season, which saw the Pirates lose 9 of 10 to close out the season.
Scottie Montgomery was not high on my list of hires for the 2016 season, and he has plenty to prove after the roof caved in this season.
2017 Look Ahead: There are more problems ahead for Montgomery. Nelson and Jones, one of the best pass/combo duos in the nation in 2016, are both gone, leaving huge holes in the offense. The defense needs a complete overhaul if ECU is to at least have half a chance at getting back to .500. It looks as if the Pirates could be in for another long haul in 2017.
2017 Non Conference Schedule: James Madison (9/2), at West Virginia (9/9), Virginia Tech (9/16), BYU (10/21)
U Conn Huskies
3-9 (1-7)
2016 Schedule
Beat Maine 24-21
Lost to Navy 28-24
Beat Virginia 13-10
Lost to Syracuse 31-24
Lost to Houston 42-14
Beat Cincinnati 20-9
Lost to USF 42-27
Lost to UCF 24-16
Lost to East Carolina 41-3
Lost to Temple 21-0
Lost to Boston College 30-0
Lost to Tulane 38-13
What Went Right: The first half of the season was not all bad, as the Huskies looked at least semi-stable with a 3-3 record. Of course, the wins were against a not so murderers row of Maine, Virignia, and Syracuse, so you have to to take that into account.
Senior Noel Thomas was a bright spot on an otherwise horrible offense, as he managed to catch 100 passes for 1179 yards.
Senior Punter Justin Wain averaged over 41 yards per punt, giving the Huskies at least half of a kicking game during a season where not much went right at all.
Luke Carrezola was a bright spot on defense, finishing with 11.5 TFLs, and Obi Melifonwu finished with 118 tackles, 73 of which were solo jobs. He averaged 9.83 tackles per game, and also led the team with 4 INTs. Jamar Summers also managed to finish with 7 pass breakups.
What Went Wrong: The second half of the season was a complete derailing of the train. The Huskies finished 0-6 from the midpoint on, and gave up 30 or more points in four of those losses. To make matters worse, the Huskies scored over 20 points just once during that period, and on the season, the offense averaged just 14.8 points per game, making the Huskies one of the worst offenses in the nation. For the season, U Conn scored over 20 points just 4 times in 12 games, and never scored 30 or more points all season.
The QBs tossed just 8 TD passes all season, and were picked 11 times, including 2 that were brought all the way back for scores, and the leading rusher was Arkeel Newsome, who finished with just 59.58 yards per game. Even worse, he led the team in rushing TDs with just 5. The Huskies rushed for just 11 TDs all season long, or less than one per game.
Other than Thomas in the receiving game, no other receiver caught more than 25 passes for the season. and only 3 receivers caught 20 or more passes.
The Huskies could usually always count on a solid defense, even if the offense was a mess. That was not the case in 2016, as the Huskies allowed over 28 points per game, and gave up 28 points or more 7 times. They finished with just 54 TFLs as a team, and finished with just 17 sacks. The Huskies gave up 37 sacks by comparison.
In short, the season went so poorly, that the administration finally acknowledged a mistake in hiring Bob Diaco as head coach, and fired him at the end of the year.
2017 Look Ahead: The Huskies went back to the past to get to the future by rehiring Randy Edsell, the architect of the best period of U Conn football history. The only problem there is that Edsell was a colossal failure after bolting for Maryland, and never even physically addressed his players when he left. Classy.
In my opinion, moving back to get Edsell was a step in the wrong direction, especially in a conference of up and coming coaches, and Edsell is not that. His best season at U Conn was an 8 game season that won a title in a very weak Big East Conference, and that team got hammered by Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, a game that was one of the worst attended Fiesta Bowls in the history of the game.
Edsell has brought in Rhett Lashlee to run the offense, which is intriguing, but not stellar. Lashlee has to completely build an offense, as there was nothing left to build from. It's like starting over.
The defense has to be rebuilt, and regain their confidence of old. There is little swagger left, so this program is in need of a complete transfusion of energy.
2017 Non Conference Schedule: Holy Cross (8/31), at Virginia (9/16), Missouri (10/28), Boston College (11/18)
Navy Midshipmen
9-5 (7-1)
2016 Schedule
Beat Fordham 52-16
Beat U Conn 28-24
Beat Tulane 21-14
Lost to Air Force 28-14
Beat Houston 46-40
Beat Memphis 42-28
Lost to USF 52-45
Beat Notre Dame 28-27
Beat Tulsa 42-40
Beat East Carolina 66-31
Beat SMU 75-31
Lost to Temple 34-10
Lost to Army 21-17
Lost to Louisiana Tech 48-45 (Armed Forces Bowl)
What Went Right: Winning 5 of their first 6 games on the season was a very nice way to get going, and a win over Houston was included in that mix, which eventually helped the Middies take the AAC West.
The Navy offensive machine continued to operate at high efficiency for most of the season,scoring 28 or more points 10 times. including 7 games of scoring 40 or more. When all ws said and done, Navy averaged 37.9 points per game.
Tago Smith was supposed to be the new starting QB, replacing the legend that was Keenan Reynolds, but was injured in the first game, and was lost for the season. What worked about that was that Navy did not go off the rails, as Will Worth was a very nice discovery. He passed for 1397 yards and 8 scores, and rushed for a team leading 1198 yards and 25 TDs. Worth turned into the leader that Navy needed until he, too, went down to an injury.
As a team, Navy averaged over 310 yards rushing per game, and 4 other players other than Worth managed to rush for 400 yards or more, and the Middies rushed for 61 TDs on the season.
What Went Wrong: Navy faltered in the second half of the season, finishing just 4-4. The defense was not good, and that was one of the issues, as Navy allowed over 31 points per game. They gave up exactly 31 pojts per game in their five losses. Navy gave up 307 first downs on the year, allowed 2519 rushing yards, and gave up another 3557 yards passing. Navy gave up 52 offensive TDs on the season as well.
Depth at QB eventually did manage to become a problem, as once Worth went down, former 3rd stringer Zack Abey came in and managed to be a liability in the passing game, tossing only one TD pass to 4 picks. He also only managed to complete 57.1% of his pass attempts. He averaged 76.8 yards rushing per game, which was a 20 yard drop from Worth.
Navy only generated 20 sacks all season, and had only one player reach double figures in TFLs. That was not getting the job done to slow anyone down. Other than Tyris Wooten, who finished with 10 passes defended, nobody else registered more than 5.
2017 Look Ahead: Niumatololo was sought after once again, and came close to taking the Cal job at one point, but will return as head coach of the Middies. That is one key to success right there.
Worth is gone at QB, as is Smith, unless Smith gets a medical redshirt. That leaves Abey as the prime guy at QB, and that may not be the best thing. We will see how far he is able to develop oncespring ball is done. Still, losing Worth is a huge hole, as was evident after Worth went down.
Four of the top five rushers in all are gone heading into the season, as are 3 of the top 4 receivers.
Defensively, the unit was on the younger side, so look for improvements there. It can't get a lot worse.
Navy did manage to beat Notre Dame in 2016, but lost to both Air Force and Army, which is a trend that cannot continue moving forward.
2017 Non Conference Schedule: at FAU (9/2), Air Force (10/7), at Notre Dame (11/18), Army at Philadelphia (12/8)
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
10-3 (6-2)
2016 Schedule
Beat San Jose State 45-10
Lost to Ohio State 48-3
Beat North Carolina A&T 58-21
Beat Fresno State 48-41
Beat SMU 43-40
Lost to Houston 38-31
Beat Tulane 50-27
Beat Memphis 59-30
Beat East Carolina 45-24
Lost to Navy 42-40
Beat UCF 35-20
Beat Cincinnati 40-37
Beat Central Michigan 55-10 (Miami Beach Bowl)
What Went Right: Offense, offense, and more offense. Tulsa averaged 42.5 points per game in 2016, scoring less than 40 points in a game just 4 times all season. Even in their 3 losses, Tulsa averaged 24.7 points per game, but of course the Ohio State game looms large in that picture when Tulsa was held to just 3 points.
Dane Evans was once again a star at QB, passing for 32 TDs to just 12 picks on the year. He managed to pass for 3348 yards despite just missing the 60% completion mark. He averaged 257 yards passing per game, running the offense like a machine.
Tulsa managed a profound run game as well, finishing with two rushers who went over 1000 yards in James Flanders and D'Angelo Brewer. They combined for 3064 yards and 25 TDs on the season, and a shade over 244 yards rushing per game.
Keevan Lucas, Josh Atkinson, and Justin Hobbs all finished with 50 or more receptions on the season as well, and Lucas and Hobbs both went over 1000 yards receiving, giving Tulsa one of their best offensive seasons in school history.
Defense showed signs of improvement, and although the unit got better, there is still work to do. We cannot forget that Jesse Brubaker and Matt Linscott finished with a combined 24.5 TFLs on the season, which was a building block moving forward.
Trent Martin finished with 100 tackles, while Jordan Mitchell broke up 9 passes during the season. Tulsa managed to outperform opponents in passes defended, QB hurries, forced fumbles, and blocked kicks/punts.
What Went Wrong: Tulsa allowed 42.7 points per game in their 3 losses, so when they were outclassed, it was by a good amount, as those 3 losses came by 19 points on average. As I said, defense is still a work in progress, as Tulsa allowed 29.8 points per game. They allowed 2292 yards rushing and 28 TDs, while also allowing 3252 yards passing on the season. The good news is that the pass defense started to show signs of shoring up, giving up 16 TDs to 10 picks, which is a decent number.
In AAC play, Tulsa was just 9 points away from winning the west in 2016, with a 7 point loss to Houston, and a 2 point loss to Navy. In conference, Tulsa is much closer to running the show than they were a year ago.
2017 Look Ahead: Phillip Montgomery will be back as coach, but he loses star QB Dane Evans, leaving Ryan Rubley as the heir apparent. Flanders is also gone in the run game, as are Lucas and Hobbs in the receiving game. Those are big shoes to fill.
Linscott is gone on defense, as are 3 of the top tacklers on defense. It would not surprise me to see Tulsa to slide back a peg or two, but Montgomery always was able to reload quickly when he was the OC at Baylor, so he should get it done at Tulsa as well.
2017 Non Conference Schedule: 9/2 at Oklahoma State, 9/9 UL-Lafayette, 9/16 at Toledo, 9/23 New Mexico
Memphis Tigers
8-5 (5-3)
2016 Schedule
Beat SE Missouri State 35-17
Beat Kansas 43-7
Beat Bowling Green 77-3
Lost to Ole Miss 48-28
Beat Temple 34-27
Beat Tulane 24-14
Lost to Navy 42-28
Lost to Tulsa 59-30
Beat SMU 51-7
Lost to USF 49-42
Beat Cincinnati 34-7
Beat Houston 48-44
Lost to Western Kentucky 51-31 (Boca Raton Bowl)
What Went Right: The Tigers really did not miss much of a beat after losing Paxton Lynch to the NFL last season, as Riley Ferguson stepped right in and ran the offense without much of a flaw. Ferguson was one of my best QBs in the nation in 2016 passing for 3698 yards and 32 TDs on a 63.2% completion ratio. He averaged 285 yards passing per game, and drove the Tigers back to an 8 win season.
Memphis rushed for 159.31 yards per game with a committee approach that seems to be all the rage these days. Doroland Dorceus, Patrick Taylor, and Darrell Henderson all combined for 309 carries on the season for 1838 yards and 16 TDs.
Anthony Miller really stood out in the receiving game as well, catching 95 passes for 1494 yards and 14 TDs, giving Ferguson a true go to receiver in the passing game.
LB Genard Avery became a building block on defense, as the LB finished with 11.5 TFLs on the season. He also led the team with 5 sacks.
Arthur Maulet was a huge play maker in the secondary as well, defending 13 passes on the year. He also forced 2 fumbles. In all, the Tigers returned 3 INTs for scores in 2016.
PK Jake Elliott had a big leg in the PK game, hitting 21/26 FGs. Spencer Smith nailed it in the punting game as well, averaging just over 45 yards per punt.
Memphis also managed to beat Houston and Temple in conference play, which was a serious confidence booster.
What Went Wrong: The defense, once again, as a whole, failed to get the job, done. The Tigers gave up over 28 points per game, and they gave up 49.8 points per game in their five losses, including a 20 point loss to Western Kentucky in their bowl game.
In their first 3 games, Memphis allowed just 9 points per game, after that, however, the wheels came off the wagon when it counted in big games. For Memphis to show improvements and compete in the West, the defense must be shored up to keep up with what is really a very proficient offense.
Memphis also finished the season just 2-2, failing to close out in a loss to USF, and getting hammered in the bowl loss.
2017 Look Ahead: Most of the primary play makers on offense and on defense return. The Tigers just have to fix that leaky defense, and beat someone when it counts. BEating Houston was great, but it was in the middle of the Tom Herman leaving period, and Houston was lost in the midst of distractions. The losses were by double digits in 4 of 5 of those games, and that was a real issue that must be shored up. Mike Norvell is not as good a coach as Justin Fuente was, bu winning 8 games per year is always solid at a program like Memphis. If the defense can get patched up, there are enough players coming back to make a run at the west title in the AAC, but there are questions that drag them back a bit.
2017 Non Conference Schedule: 9/2 UL-Monroe, 9/16 UCLA, 9/23 Southern Illinois, 11/18 at Georgia State
Houston Cougars
9-4 (5-3)
2016 Schedule
Beat Oklahoma 33-23
Beat Lamar 42-0
Beat Cincinnati 40-16
Beat Texas State 64-3
Beat U Conn 42-14
Lost to Navy 46-40
Beat Tulsa 48-41
Lost to SMU 38-16
Beat UCF 31-24
Beat Tulane 30-18
Beat Louisville 36-10
Lost to Memphis 48-44
Lost to San Diego State 34-10 (Las Vegas Bowl)
What Went Right: The Cougars rolled to a 5-0 start, and there were early national championship aspirations before the Navy game came along and crushed all of those dreams. Greg Ward, Jr. was playing like a Heisman caliber player for a time, even though injuries once again got in the way at times. Beating Oklahoma in the opener proved to be huge for the Cougars, as after a sluggish start, the Sooners ended the year as one of the strongest and hottest teams in the nation. Ward passed for 3557 yards and 22 TDs, and rushed for another 10 on the season. Linell Bonner caught 98-1118-3, Chance Allen went for 56-815-6, and Steven Dunbar went for 53-692-5.
Defensively, the Cougars held their opponents to just 23.5 points per game and 213 1st downs, both solid numbers. Teams only averaged 2.91 yards per carry, and opposing offenses averaged just 4.8 yards per play. The offense also averaged just over 33 minutes of possession time per game.
On defense, freshman Ed Oliver proved to be the real deal, as he finished with 22.5 TFLs, 5 sacks, 66 tackles, and 9 pass breakups. He also added 7 QB hurries, and forced 3 fumbles. Steven Taylor and Tyus Bowser, both seniors, added a 17 total combined sacks.
Ty Cummings had a big senior season at PK, hitting 16/20 FGs, while freshman punter Dane Roy averaged just over 40 yards per punt.
What Went Wrong: The Tom Herman to Texas rumors started early in the season, and became a major distraction, as the Cougars lost 4 games they likely never should have lost, specifically a 22 point loss to abysmal SMU in conference play. For a team that was being talked about as a final 4 contender, they tanked after week 5, finishing the season just 4-4. Greg Ward looked great in some ways, but he tossed 13 INTs on the season against just 22 passing TDs, which is not a good look. Houston went from being a national darling at one point to not even competing for their conference title, and the crash was swift and decisive.
Herman did leave before the Las Vegas Bowl, and the Cougars switched interim coaches twice before Major Applewhite took over. The team was flat out of the gate in Las Vegas, and they never woke up. A promising season ended with a dull thud.
Look Ahead to 2017: Major Applewhite is now the full time head coach, and he will have a bit of work to do. He has to replace Ward at QB, has to somehow make Duke Catalon into something resembling a prime time back, and has to develop some help in the secondary on defense. There is plenty of returning talent on defense, so that is a plus. The non con schedule is not very challenging, so a hot start is a must, and the Cougars cannot lose games they are supposed to win. At least they won't have the Herman rumors to deal with anymore.
2017 Non Conference Schedule: 9/2 at UTSA, 9/9 at Arizona, 9/16 Rice, 9/23 Texas Tech
SMU Mustangs
5-7 (3-5)
2016 Schedule
Beat North Texas 34-21
Lost to Baylor 40-13
Beat Liberty 29-14
Lost to TCU 33-3
Lost to Temple 45-20
Lost to Tulsa 43-40
Beat Houston 38-16
Beat Tulane 35-31
Lost to Memphis 51-7
Beat East Carolina 55-31
Lost to USF 35-27
Lost to Navy 75-31
What Went Right: Chad Morris finally got the Mustangs playing to some potential in 2016, although you may not see it in the finished product. The Mustangs were one win away from a bowl game, something that may have seemed impossible a couple of short years ago.
Scoring was up at 27.7 points per game, and freshman Ben Hicks showed flashes at times at QB, passing for 2930 yards and 19 scores. Braeden West, a sophomore, rushed for 1036 yards and 6 scores, while sophomore Ke'Mon Freeman rushed for another 651 yards and 4 scores. The top 5 receivers were all underclassmen, and they performed well.
Justin Lawler, a junior, finished with 15 TFLs on defense, with 6 of those going for sacks. Horace Richardson and Darrion Millines combined for 11 picks on the season, and Richardson broke up 8 passes. Jordan Wyatt, a sophomore, broke up 7 passes.
Josh Williams showed promise at PK, hitting 17/22 FG attempts.
There are definitely indications that the dark clouds around this program are breaking up.
What Went Wrong: The Mustangs were young, and that created issues in some places. Hicks threw 15 INTs in his freshman season, a number that would have to drop big for the Mustangs to win more games in 2017. The defense, while finding some nice pieces, still gave up 36.3 points per game, another number that will have to shrink. The punting game was not great, nor was the return game. The defense as a whole gave up 5436 yards on the season, and that cannot continue. The Mustangs also allowed teams to score on 89.36% of their red zone opportunities.
2017 Look Ahead: SMU was young, and so many young players picked up huge experience this fall. Looking ahead, that should pay dividends, and SMU should be able to avoid 3 game losing streaks mid year, and they should finish stronger than losing 3 of 4, the last of which (Navy) being what kept them from bowling. Look for SMU to possibly make a bowl trip next season, and maybe compete for a West Division title in 2018.
2017 Non Conference Opponents: 9/2 Stephen F Austin, 9/9 North Texas, 9/16 at TCU, 9/23 Arkansas State
Tulane Green Wave
4-8 (1-7)
2016 Schedule
Lost to Wake Forest 7-3
Beat Southern 66-31
Lost to Navy 21-14
Beat UL-Lafayette 41-39
Beat U Mass 31-24
Lost to Memphis 24-14
Lost to Tulsa 50-27
Lost to SMU 35-31
Lost to UCF 37-6
Lost to Houston 30-18
Lost to Temple 31-0
Beat U Conn 38-13
What Went Right: Nobody ever promised anyone a rose garden when Willie Fritz came to New Orleans to coach this team in 2016, at least not right away. Fritz is a solid coach, and winning 4 games total this season was actually a strong start for his tenure at Tulane. One solid note was the win over U Conn, which broke a 14 game AAC losing streak for the Green Wave.
The defense holding opponents to 27 points per game this season, to me, was a win. The Green Wave defensive unit really showed some life at times, and is a building block for future success. Tulane turned to the run this season, and did so in style, rushing for 228 yards per game. This will be the success model moving forward for Tulane, as to win, they feel they must run, and they can now do that.
Tanzel Smart (18.5), Nico Marley (14), and Ade Aruna (10) all finished in double figures in TFLs, and Tulane finished with 87 as a team. Tulane also finished with 29 sacks as a team, meaning that they cannot be pushed around anymore. Donnie Lewis also defended 9 passes on the season. The defensive side of special teams looked good as well with 3 blocked kicks.
What Went Wrong: There is virtually no passing game to be seen, as Glen Cuillette barely managed to pass for 1309 yards and 10 TDs to 8 picks in 12 games. That will not work in the AAC long term, and must be fixed. There must also be improvements in the return game on offense, and the PK game is in shambles right now. Tulane scored just 24.1 points per game, and racked up just 208 1st downs. The Green Wave was also putrid on 3rd downs, converting just 28% on the season.
2017 Look Ahead: I really do not expect a miracle next fall from Tulane. Fritz found the cupboard basically empty, and he has a ton of building to do before the program can take a turn. Winning 4 games and breaking the losing streak in AAC play was a start, but there is a long road ahead.
2017 Non Conference Schedule: 9/2 Grambling, 9/16 at Oklahoma, 9/23 Army, TBA FIU
Monday, January 16, 2017
Thursday, January 12, 2017
2016 All-Bilo Receiver of the Year: FCS
The offensive positional player of the year honors continue for FCS football with my receiver category. Here are the finalists for 2016:
Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington
Brian Brown, Richmond
Karel Hamilton, Samford
Josh Wieneke, South Dakota State
Shaq Hill, Eastern Washington
It should come as no surprise as to who will receive this season's award. He was simply one of the best players in college football on any level during his career. The winner is...
Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington
Kupp was purely explosive this season for EWU, finishing with his 3rd straight season with 100 or more receptions. This season, he finished with 117 receptions for 1700 yards and 17 TDs, and he finished with 14.5 yards per reception. He finishes his career with the Eagles having caught 428 passes for 6464 yards and 73 TDs receiving, with a 15.1 yard per catch career average.
Congratulations to one of the best players of all-time in Cooper Kupp, and to the Eastern Washington program!
Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington
Brian Brown, Richmond
Karel Hamilton, Samford
Josh Wieneke, South Dakota State
Shaq Hill, Eastern Washington
It should come as no surprise as to who will receive this season's award. He was simply one of the best players in college football on any level during his career. The winner is...
Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington
Kupp was purely explosive this season for EWU, finishing with his 3rd straight season with 100 or more receptions. This season, he finished with 117 receptions for 1700 yards and 17 TDs, and he finished with 14.5 yards per reception. He finishes his career with the Eagles having caught 428 passes for 6464 yards and 73 TDs receiving, with a 15.1 yard per catch career average.
Congratulations to one of the best players of all-time in Cooper Kupp, and to the Eastern Washington program!
2016 All-Bilo Running Back of the Year: FCS
The annual All-Bilo awards series continues in FCS fotball with the Running Back position for 2016. Here are my finalists:
Khalid Abdullah, James Madison
Chase Edmonds, Fordham
Tarik Cohen, North Carolina A&T
Jonah Hodges, San Diego
Lorenzo Long, Wofford
After careful consideration, the winner of the 2016 All-Bilo Running Back of the Year for FCS football is...
Chase Edmonds, Fordham
Chase Edmonds did more in a shorter season did than some of the other candidates with more games on their slate did, which is why I have given this award to Edmonds this season. Edmonds averaged 163.5 yards per game in 11 games this season, as the Rams were snubbed for the post season. He rushed for 1799 yards this season with 19 rushing scores, and added a 20th total TD receiving. He carried the ball 257 times in 11 games, making him a work horse back for the Rams, and averaged 7 yards per carry on the season.
Congratulations to Chase Edmonds and to the Fordham program!
Khalid Abdullah, James Madison
Chase Edmonds, Fordham
Tarik Cohen, North Carolina A&T
Jonah Hodges, San Diego
Lorenzo Long, Wofford
After careful consideration, the winner of the 2016 All-Bilo Running Back of the Year for FCS football is...
Chase Edmonds, Fordham
Chase Edmonds did more in a shorter season did than some of the other candidates with more games on their slate did, which is why I have given this award to Edmonds this season. Edmonds averaged 163.5 yards per game in 11 games this season, as the Rams were snubbed for the post season. He rushed for 1799 yards this season with 19 rushing scores, and added a 20th total TD receiving. He carried the ball 257 times in 11 games, making him a work horse back for the Rams, and averaged 7 yards per carry on the season.
Congratulations to Chase Edmonds and to the Fordham program!
2016 All-Bilo Quarterback of the Year: FCS
I continue my annual All-Bilo Positional Player of the Year series with my FCS team, beginning with the Quarterback position. Here are my finalists for the 2016 All-Bilo FCS Quarterback of the Year:
Gabe Gubrud, Eastern Washington
Jeremiah Briscoe, Sam Houston State
Devlin Hodges, Samford
DeVante Kincade, Grambling
Taryn Christian, South Dakota State
There was a solid group at the top of FCS football this season at QB, making this a very difficult decision in the end. Finally, the winner is...
Jeremiah Broscoe, Sam Houston State
It was a rather stellar season for Briscoe and the Bearkats of Sam Houston State. SHSU won our regular season PRS championship behind the passing of Briscoe, who threw for 4602 yards and a whopping 57 TDs on the season, as compared to just 10 picks in 13 games. Briscoe completed 62.7% of his passes on the year, and finished with a QBR of 172.9.
Congratulations to Jeremiah Briscoe and to the Sam Houston State program!
Gabe Gubrud, Eastern Washington
Jeremiah Briscoe, Sam Houston State
Devlin Hodges, Samford
DeVante Kincade, Grambling
Taryn Christian, South Dakota State
There was a solid group at the top of FCS football this season at QB, making this a very difficult decision in the end. Finally, the winner is...
Jeremiah Broscoe, Sam Houston State
It was a rather stellar season for Briscoe and the Bearkats of Sam Houston State. SHSU won our regular season PRS championship behind the passing of Briscoe, who threw for 4602 yards and a whopping 57 TDs on the season, as compared to just 10 picks in 13 games. Briscoe completed 62.7% of his passes on the year, and finished with a QBR of 172.9.
Congratulations to Jeremiah Briscoe and to the Sam Houston State program!
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
2016 All-Bilo Coach of the Year: FBS
This is my final All-Bilo Award for FBS football in 2016. Here are my finalists for Coach of the Year:
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
Chris Petersen, Washington
James Franklin, Penn State
PJ Fleck, Western Michigan
Clay Helton, USC
Nick Saban, Alabama
Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Congratulations to all of these coaches for fine seasons across the board. The one coach who won the award for 2016 will be...
Clay Helton, USC
When USC started the season just 1-3, rumblings were already beginning that USC could make a change even after such a short stint for Helton. He then made a decision to make a change at QB, handing the ball to freshman Sam Darnold, and the rocket took off. USC never lost another game, nearly stole the PAC-12 South, and then came roaring back from a double digit deficit to pull off a major win over Penn State in the Rose Bowl. Helton went from almost losing his job to having a football team that many on the west coast will be fearing for the next few years to come.
Congratulations to Clay Helton, and to the Trojan program!
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
Chris Petersen, Washington
James Franklin, Penn State
PJ Fleck, Western Michigan
Clay Helton, USC
Nick Saban, Alabama
Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Congratulations to all of these coaches for fine seasons across the board. The one coach who won the award for 2016 will be...
Clay Helton, USC
When USC started the season just 1-3, rumblings were already beginning that USC could make a change even after such a short stint for Helton. He then made a decision to make a change at QB, handing the ball to freshman Sam Darnold, and the rocket took off. USC never lost another game, nearly stole the PAC-12 South, and then came roaring back from a double digit deficit to pull off a major win over Penn State in the Rose Bowl. Helton went from almost losing his job to having a football team that many on the west coast will be fearing for the next few years to come.
Congratulations to Clay Helton, and to the Trojan program!
2016 All-Bilo Return Men of the Year: FBS
Here are my finalists for Punt Return Man of the Year in FBS football for 2016:
Brisly Estime, Syracuse
JoJo Natson, Jr., Akron
Adoree' Jackson, USC
Christian Kirk, Texas A&M
Dante Pettis, Washington
And the winner is...
Christian Kirk, Texas A&M
Kirk led the nation with 3 TDs on punt returns this season, and averaged 21.69 yards per return. He compiled 282 yards on his returns for the year. Congratulations to Christian Kirk and to the Aggies!
Here are my finalists for Kick Return Man of the Year in FBS football...
Kylen Towner, Western Kentucky
Tony Pollard, Memphis
Quadree Henderson, Pittsburgh
TJ Logan, North Carolina
Carols Henderson, Louisiana Tech
And the winner is...
Kylen Towner, Western Kentucky
Towner ended the season with over 1000 return yards and a score, and led the nation with a 40.1 yards per return average. He returned at least one kick in all 14 games played this season. Congratulations to Kylen and to the Western Kentucky program!
Brisly Estime, Syracuse
JoJo Natson, Jr., Akron
Adoree' Jackson, USC
Christian Kirk, Texas A&M
Dante Pettis, Washington
And the winner is...
Christian Kirk, Texas A&M
Kirk led the nation with 3 TDs on punt returns this season, and averaged 21.69 yards per return. He compiled 282 yards on his returns for the year. Congratulations to Christian Kirk and to the Aggies!
Here are my finalists for Kick Return Man of the Year in FBS football...
Kylen Towner, Western Kentucky
Tony Pollard, Memphis
Quadree Henderson, Pittsburgh
TJ Logan, North Carolina
Carols Henderson, Louisiana Tech
And the winner is...
Kylen Towner, Western Kentucky
Towner ended the season with over 1000 return yards and a score, and led the nation with a 40.1 yards per return average. He returned at least one kick in all 14 games played this season. Congratulations to Kylen and to the Western Kentucky program!
2016 All-Bilo Place Kicker and Punter of the Year
I am wrapping up my positional players of the year for FBS football by announcing my Place Kicker and Punter of the Year for 2016. Without any further delay, our finalists for PK were:
Daniel Carlson, Auburn
Louie Zervos, Ohio
Austin Rehkow, Idaho
Gary Wunderlich, Ole Miss
Younghoe Koo, Georgia Southern
Every kicker in this group had a fantastic season, but one kicker stood out for me this season on a surprisingly good football team. That would be...
Austin Rehkow, Idaho
Rehkow was good for 2 FGs per game on average this season in hitting 26/29 kicks on the year for the Vandals, who won 9 games before dropping back to FBS football and the Big Sky Conference in 2017. Rehkow, for hsi career, has been Mr. Consistent, and we are proud to honor him for the second time during his career at Idaho. Congratulations to Austin Rehkow and to the Idaho football program!
I now move on to Punter. Here are my finalists...
Johnny Townsend, Florida
Mitch Wishnowski, Utah
Michael Dickson, Texas
JK Scott, Alabama
Cameron Johnston, Ohio State
All five of these players had very even stats for the season, so this was a tough decision. The winner of my All-Bilo Punter of the Year in FBS football for 2016 is...
Michael Dickson, Texas
Dickson edged out the competition here because more was asked of him per game than any of the others. He averaged 5.4 punts per game, and averaged 47.37 yards per punt for the Longhorns in 2016. He punted 65 times on the season for 3079 yards.
Congratulations to Michael and to the Longhorns program!
Clemson Wins Title, What's Next For College Football
Clemson won the national championship game over Alabama 35-31, meaning that the 2016 season is now completely in the books. With the season now closed out, what is next for the game in these turbulent times in this sport? Plenty. Here are the most pressing story lines as we head into the offseason and into 2017...
More Changes In Conference Lineups
The changes for 2017 will not be earth shattering as they have been in the past. What one of these changes will be, however, is unprecedented. Idaho and New Mexico State were essentially kicked out of the Sun Belt Conference when the standard was dropped from 12 to 10 teams to hold a conference title game. This fact is not shocking, as the SBC has decided that they would rather have a viable geographical footprint in one region, rather than spreading themselves thin across the nation. Idaho and NMSU did not fit that footprint. This event is not unprecedented, as just last season, U Mass was given the booth from the MAC. Temple was nearly kicked out of the old Big East.
What is unprecedented, in recent memory, anyway, was the decision by Idaho to drop out of FBS football rather than play as an FBS Independent, to return to their FCS (1-AA) roots and the Big Sky Conference.
Coastal Carolina will enter the Sun Belt from the FCS ranks as a full member in 2017, and that will get the Sun Belt to where they need to be for their conference title game beginning this fall. Coastal Carolina has ben a rising program in the FCS ranks, and when their opportunity came to jump, they took it. Jus this week, they hired rising coaching star Jamey Chadwell from Charleston Southern to the staff, making the Chanticleers an intriguing addition to the league in 2017.
New Mexico State is also looking for a home, but while they had a few options to go the way Idaho did, they have chosen the almost impossible task of remaining in FBS as a football independent (the Aggies still participate in the WAC in all other sports), a choice that may end up being very painful long term for the program. New Mexico State had options to likely join the Southland or Big Sky conferences should they have chosen to have stepped down to FCS as Idaho did. The Aggies may be holding on for a spot in the Mountain West eventually should the Group of Five make their split from the Power Five to form their own division and playoff, and that move could pay off, as some of the top tier Mountain West programs could get poached before that move is complete, creating an opening for New Mexico State, but there is no telling what a time frame would be on a move such as that, and how long can the Aggies afford to wait it out?
The final change coming in 2017, is the return of UAB football to Conference USA. The Blazers did not participate in college football for the last two seasons after what now seems like a presumptive move to shut down the football program for reasons that now seem more personal than business based. Bill Clark remains as the head coach of the program, despite having options to leave, and that is good news for what will still be a brand new program building from the ashes.
Does the Alabama Dynasty Still Live?
The answer is simply a massive yes. The Crimson Tide will be alive and well, despite a 4th quarter collapse in the game last night. The most dominant FBS program ever will still be very much in the middle of the national title conversation in 2017, despite what will certainly be some sufficient losses on the defensive side of the football for the NFL. Alabama does not rebuild, it reloads. As long as Nick Saban is in charge, you can expect the Tide to be in the middle of the mess. Alabama may even be a consensus number one team in the nation when preseason polls start making their way out in June. There is still a massive amount of talent on that roster, and the SEC, after the Tide, is just not that good. Remember, no team other than the Tide won 10 games or more, and no other SEC team won more than 8 games, not counting bowls. That's not very good, and the East looks to continue to be average to bad next season. In short, if Alabama ends up right back in the final 4 next season, it would not come as much of a shock.
Can Clemson repeat?
I won't say never, but it is extremely doubtful. Every key member of this offense is gone as of today. Deshaun Watson is gone. Wayne Gallman is gone. Mike Williams is gone. The defense is losing some key components as well. Winning last night was highly important for the Tigers, because it would now appear that the window for them to have done so could be closing.
This is not to say that the Tigers don't have talent returning, but that talent is highly unproven at key positions. There is no real experience coming back at QB, and after Gallman, there was no real star at RB, and Gallman was certainly not a star most of the time. As great as Williams was at WR, there are several key components, but not one real stand out in the receiving game after that. The offensive line returns 4 of 5 starters, but who do they have around them?
Remember that Watson was a once every 25 year kind of QB, and they had Tahj Boyd before that. Right now, they have some very highly rated kids coming up behind that, but remember, more than 50% of 4 and 5 star players don't pan out. That is a historical fact.
I believe that in the right environment, Clemson can compete in the ACC again, but I would say the odds of another title run are very low indeed.
What Happened to the Big 10?
The Big 10 was touted as the best conference in the nation all season long. It certainly had some moments where that looked like it could be true, but the wheels really fell off of the wagon late in the season, and Penn State, the least likely participant, won the conference and fell just short in the Rose Bowl.
Michigan is in an interesting crossroads right now. Jim Harbaugh came in and shocked everyone in year one. He then, mostly because of key injuries, fell short of expectations in year two. Harbaugh almost has to push the Wolverines to win the conference in year three, because if he does not, people are going to get restless. The media will start painting him as a coach who can do good things, but can't win big.
Ohio State was shut out for the first time in Urban Meyer's entire career in the loss to Clemson. That cannot be tolerated in Columbus. JT Barrett returns (like he had any real choice), but the Buckeyes lose some other key pieces. A loss like this tends to reverberate, and Urban Meyer has lost Luke Fickell and Tim Beck from his staff. These are some items that bear watching moving forward, despite the hiring of Kevin Wilson to replace Beck.
Can Penn State get back to at least the Rose Bowl or even push for a final 4 spot themselves? Yes they can. With McSorley and Barkley both back in the backfield for the Nittany Lions, and Joe Moorhead spurning every offer to become a head coach that was thrown his way, the offense should be even better in 2017. The defense is better than the unit that completely folded in the 4th quarter of the Rose Bowl loss.
Will Michigan State come back from their dysmal 2016, or will that blip become a blob? My guess at this point is that Mark Dantonio will start getting the Spartans back into the win column, but it may take a couple of years to get fully back into the big boy spot in the conference. Dantonio is too good a coach to let the Spartans flounder in the Big 10 basement too long.
Will the West continue to beat themselves up? Probably. Wisconsin will be amazing if they can find a QB, Nebraska is still capable of winning those 9 games per year that got Bo Pelini fired, Iowa is making major changes to fix the offensive woes that plagued them, and Minnesota hired PJ Fleck, which clicked recruiting into major high gear. I think the West will be fine.
Will There Really Be an Eventual Power 5/Group of 5 Split?
You can bet your ass there will be, and it won't be when the current TV deal ends. It will be much sooner, and my guess is that it will happen within the next five years. The G5 administrators are sick and tired of being treated like also rans, only to be handed down crumbs from the current power table. Anyone who believes that the G5 schools have a realistic shot at getting into the closed door club that is the current "playoff" structure is lying to themselves. There is a zero % chance that any school from the G5 conferences will get into the playoffs at any point in the near future without a major expansion of that structure, and I do not mean to 8 teams. ESPN and their power greedy partners will simply not allow it, and that complete myopia that everything is good the way it is will create a super storm that will tear college football apart.
The best concept currently would be for the two groups to split apart and create two completely different football divisions. There would be some blood letting in the process, with some schools jumping ship into the Power 5 leagues. That cannot be helped. The G5 conferences would then form a new division that would likely suck in some power conferences from the current FCS group, and that new group of conferences could go back to being called 1-AA, or the new Division 2. LOwer tiered conference could then fall back into alignment with the power conferences from the current D2 to form another division, and lower tiered D2 conferences join with D3.
As I spoke on my weekly appearance on the Mitch and Pritch show last week on ESPN 1100 in Las Vegas, I explained that this would remove some scheduling options of some schools playing against major FBS programs for a paycheck, which they use to fund their programs. That being the case, several smaller programs may be forced to close up their football programs. I am good with that, as anyone should be. Removal of the financially weaker programs for the health of the larger picture is a good thing. It will be necessary to move forward into this bold, if not chaotic new world.
Will Bowl Games Continue to Lose Influence With the Casual Fan?
Do they have any now? Most college football fans, die hard or not, believe that the current bowl system is completely broken and really is no longer worth saving. A handful of these games still have meaning for folks, as evidenced by attendance at the major bowls and by a continued solid showing by the Las Vegas Bowl. In short, bowls have to be shaved down, not increased. Bowls that are not producing anything (looking at you, Bahamas Bowl) need to go way. We currently have 40 bowls. We need to shave that number down to around 24.
Remember, too much of anything is bad. If you over indulge in anything, it loses value. Bowls used to be special because you had to be very good to earn them. Now, 5 win teams are going bowling, and that has zero value. I know we live in a society where everyone gets a trophy now, but that just makes that trophy completely useless. Throw it in the trash, because nobody cares that you won the freaking Camellia Bowl.
TV ratings are crashing for most bowls. TV ratings are in the dumpster for NFL Thursday night games, and why? Because the more you put the product out there, the more you deluge the market, the less special something is. Believe that.
Shortened Games
A movement has been brought about this week to shorten the length of college football games, as game times have increased exponentially over the last several years. We are still early in this process, but this will be a conversation that will increase in intensity over the next several months.
Some ideas to shorten games include eliminating clock stoppage after 1st downs (something I have been a fan of for years), severely limiting replay opportunities (I'd be OK with getting rid of them altogether and letting referees call games without big brother interference), cutting down halftime (again, something I would be good with), shortening commercial breaks, or reducing their number (who wouldn't want that?), and there are other options which have not yet been discussed. One way or the other, games must be shortened, or fewer games must be televised, as games later in the day often have their opening quarter not televised due to late running earlier games, and that is simply intolerable.
More Chaos
If the playoff system is not expanded severely, we will continue to have arguments about how schools are getting snubbed, and conferences are being ignored. This system was put together to be more inclusive and eliminate these arguments, not drag them on, and it is simply not working. The current playoff system is a stupid mess, and it is doing nothing to clear things up, and to make matters worse, the committee allowed a non champion of a conference into the fold this season, which completely was the wrong way to go, setting an awful precedent. It did not help matters when that team, Ohio State, was simply destroyed by Clemson in the semifinal 31-0.
ESPN and their partners are destroying the game systematically by first introducing the BCS, and now by bringing about this ridiculous and non-inclusive playoff system that they completely control. This can no longer be tolerated by the college football fans that care, because everything that was done was supposed to eliminate the perceived issues from the old days (there really were not very many), and this system has not only failed to do that, but it has created a world of chaos and mayhem never before seen. Rules are set by the seat of their pants, and we end up with a system composed of nonsense and stupidity, or, as we call it, the current national championship system.
Who Could We See In the 2017 Playoffs?
I certainly would not count out Alabama from making it back again. I would also not count out Michigan or Penn State from joining them, but what we likely will not see is another team get in without winning a conference title. The backlash was severe, and although the precedent was set, wrongly, I don't see them going there again.
I also would not rule out Washington winning the PAC-12 again, but USC is right there pushing them. Oklahoma loses their top two running backs, but look for West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and the Sooners to push for a spot out of the Big 12. From the ACC, Clemson will likely fall back a bit, but Florida State and Louisville both look ready to make a push.
With another season completely in the books, it is time to look forward to 2017 and what recruiting and spring ball will bring. One thing will be for certain, there will be the unexpected, and that is why we come back for more.
More Changes In Conference Lineups
The changes for 2017 will not be earth shattering as they have been in the past. What one of these changes will be, however, is unprecedented. Idaho and New Mexico State were essentially kicked out of the Sun Belt Conference when the standard was dropped from 12 to 10 teams to hold a conference title game. This fact is not shocking, as the SBC has decided that they would rather have a viable geographical footprint in one region, rather than spreading themselves thin across the nation. Idaho and NMSU did not fit that footprint. This event is not unprecedented, as just last season, U Mass was given the booth from the MAC. Temple was nearly kicked out of the old Big East.
What is unprecedented, in recent memory, anyway, was the decision by Idaho to drop out of FBS football rather than play as an FBS Independent, to return to their FCS (1-AA) roots and the Big Sky Conference.
Coastal Carolina will enter the Sun Belt from the FCS ranks as a full member in 2017, and that will get the Sun Belt to where they need to be for their conference title game beginning this fall. Coastal Carolina has ben a rising program in the FCS ranks, and when their opportunity came to jump, they took it. Jus this week, they hired rising coaching star Jamey Chadwell from Charleston Southern to the staff, making the Chanticleers an intriguing addition to the league in 2017.
New Mexico State is also looking for a home, but while they had a few options to go the way Idaho did, they have chosen the almost impossible task of remaining in FBS as a football independent (the Aggies still participate in the WAC in all other sports), a choice that may end up being very painful long term for the program. New Mexico State had options to likely join the Southland or Big Sky conferences should they have chosen to have stepped down to FCS as Idaho did. The Aggies may be holding on for a spot in the Mountain West eventually should the Group of Five make their split from the Power Five to form their own division and playoff, and that move could pay off, as some of the top tier Mountain West programs could get poached before that move is complete, creating an opening for New Mexico State, but there is no telling what a time frame would be on a move such as that, and how long can the Aggies afford to wait it out?
The final change coming in 2017, is the return of UAB football to Conference USA. The Blazers did not participate in college football for the last two seasons after what now seems like a presumptive move to shut down the football program for reasons that now seem more personal than business based. Bill Clark remains as the head coach of the program, despite having options to leave, and that is good news for what will still be a brand new program building from the ashes.
Does the Alabama Dynasty Still Live?
The answer is simply a massive yes. The Crimson Tide will be alive and well, despite a 4th quarter collapse in the game last night. The most dominant FBS program ever will still be very much in the middle of the national title conversation in 2017, despite what will certainly be some sufficient losses on the defensive side of the football for the NFL. Alabama does not rebuild, it reloads. As long as Nick Saban is in charge, you can expect the Tide to be in the middle of the mess. Alabama may even be a consensus number one team in the nation when preseason polls start making their way out in June. There is still a massive amount of talent on that roster, and the SEC, after the Tide, is just not that good. Remember, no team other than the Tide won 10 games or more, and no other SEC team won more than 8 games, not counting bowls. That's not very good, and the East looks to continue to be average to bad next season. In short, if Alabama ends up right back in the final 4 next season, it would not come as much of a shock.
Can Clemson repeat?
I won't say never, but it is extremely doubtful. Every key member of this offense is gone as of today. Deshaun Watson is gone. Wayne Gallman is gone. Mike Williams is gone. The defense is losing some key components as well. Winning last night was highly important for the Tigers, because it would now appear that the window for them to have done so could be closing.
This is not to say that the Tigers don't have talent returning, but that talent is highly unproven at key positions. There is no real experience coming back at QB, and after Gallman, there was no real star at RB, and Gallman was certainly not a star most of the time. As great as Williams was at WR, there are several key components, but not one real stand out in the receiving game after that. The offensive line returns 4 of 5 starters, but who do they have around them?
Remember that Watson was a once every 25 year kind of QB, and they had Tahj Boyd before that. Right now, they have some very highly rated kids coming up behind that, but remember, more than 50% of 4 and 5 star players don't pan out. That is a historical fact.
I believe that in the right environment, Clemson can compete in the ACC again, but I would say the odds of another title run are very low indeed.
What Happened to the Big 10?
The Big 10 was touted as the best conference in the nation all season long. It certainly had some moments where that looked like it could be true, but the wheels really fell off of the wagon late in the season, and Penn State, the least likely participant, won the conference and fell just short in the Rose Bowl.
Michigan is in an interesting crossroads right now. Jim Harbaugh came in and shocked everyone in year one. He then, mostly because of key injuries, fell short of expectations in year two. Harbaugh almost has to push the Wolverines to win the conference in year three, because if he does not, people are going to get restless. The media will start painting him as a coach who can do good things, but can't win big.
Ohio State was shut out for the first time in Urban Meyer's entire career in the loss to Clemson. That cannot be tolerated in Columbus. JT Barrett returns (like he had any real choice), but the Buckeyes lose some other key pieces. A loss like this tends to reverberate, and Urban Meyer has lost Luke Fickell and Tim Beck from his staff. These are some items that bear watching moving forward, despite the hiring of Kevin Wilson to replace Beck.
Can Penn State get back to at least the Rose Bowl or even push for a final 4 spot themselves? Yes they can. With McSorley and Barkley both back in the backfield for the Nittany Lions, and Joe Moorhead spurning every offer to become a head coach that was thrown his way, the offense should be even better in 2017. The defense is better than the unit that completely folded in the 4th quarter of the Rose Bowl loss.
Will Michigan State come back from their dysmal 2016, or will that blip become a blob? My guess at this point is that Mark Dantonio will start getting the Spartans back into the win column, but it may take a couple of years to get fully back into the big boy spot in the conference. Dantonio is too good a coach to let the Spartans flounder in the Big 10 basement too long.
Will the West continue to beat themselves up? Probably. Wisconsin will be amazing if they can find a QB, Nebraska is still capable of winning those 9 games per year that got Bo Pelini fired, Iowa is making major changes to fix the offensive woes that plagued them, and Minnesota hired PJ Fleck, which clicked recruiting into major high gear. I think the West will be fine.
Will There Really Be an Eventual Power 5/Group of 5 Split?
You can bet your ass there will be, and it won't be when the current TV deal ends. It will be much sooner, and my guess is that it will happen within the next five years. The G5 administrators are sick and tired of being treated like also rans, only to be handed down crumbs from the current power table. Anyone who believes that the G5 schools have a realistic shot at getting into the closed door club that is the current "playoff" structure is lying to themselves. There is a zero % chance that any school from the G5 conferences will get into the playoffs at any point in the near future without a major expansion of that structure, and I do not mean to 8 teams. ESPN and their power greedy partners will simply not allow it, and that complete myopia that everything is good the way it is will create a super storm that will tear college football apart.
The best concept currently would be for the two groups to split apart and create two completely different football divisions. There would be some blood letting in the process, with some schools jumping ship into the Power 5 leagues. That cannot be helped. The G5 conferences would then form a new division that would likely suck in some power conferences from the current FCS group, and that new group of conferences could go back to being called 1-AA, or the new Division 2. LOwer tiered conference could then fall back into alignment with the power conferences from the current D2 to form another division, and lower tiered D2 conferences join with D3.
As I spoke on my weekly appearance on the Mitch and Pritch show last week on ESPN 1100 in Las Vegas, I explained that this would remove some scheduling options of some schools playing against major FBS programs for a paycheck, which they use to fund their programs. That being the case, several smaller programs may be forced to close up their football programs. I am good with that, as anyone should be. Removal of the financially weaker programs for the health of the larger picture is a good thing. It will be necessary to move forward into this bold, if not chaotic new world.
Will Bowl Games Continue to Lose Influence With the Casual Fan?
Do they have any now? Most college football fans, die hard or not, believe that the current bowl system is completely broken and really is no longer worth saving. A handful of these games still have meaning for folks, as evidenced by attendance at the major bowls and by a continued solid showing by the Las Vegas Bowl. In short, bowls have to be shaved down, not increased. Bowls that are not producing anything (looking at you, Bahamas Bowl) need to go way. We currently have 40 bowls. We need to shave that number down to around 24.
Remember, too much of anything is bad. If you over indulge in anything, it loses value. Bowls used to be special because you had to be very good to earn them. Now, 5 win teams are going bowling, and that has zero value. I know we live in a society where everyone gets a trophy now, but that just makes that trophy completely useless. Throw it in the trash, because nobody cares that you won the freaking Camellia Bowl.
TV ratings are crashing for most bowls. TV ratings are in the dumpster for NFL Thursday night games, and why? Because the more you put the product out there, the more you deluge the market, the less special something is. Believe that.
Shortened Games
A movement has been brought about this week to shorten the length of college football games, as game times have increased exponentially over the last several years. We are still early in this process, but this will be a conversation that will increase in intensity over the next several months.
Some ideas to shorten games include eliminating clock stoppage after 1st downs (something I have been a fan of for years), severely limiting replay opportunities (I'd be OK with getting rid of them altogether and letting referees call games without big brother interference), cutting down halftime (again, something I would be good with), shortening commercial breaks, or reducing their number (who wouldn't want that?), and there are other options which have not yet been discussed. One way or the other, games must be shortened, or fewer games must be televised, as games later in the day often have their opening quarter not televised due to late running earlier games, and that is simply intolerable.
More Chaos
If the playoff system is not expanded severely, we will continue to have arguments about how schools are getting snubbed, and conferences are being ignored. This system was put together to be more inclusive and eliminate these arguments, not drag them on, and it is simply not working. The current playoff system is a stupid mess, and it is doing nothing to clear things up, and to make matters worse, the committee allowed a non champion of a conference into the fold this season, which completely was the wrong way to go, setting an awful precedent. It did not help matters when that team, Ohio State, was simply destroyed by Clemson in the semifinal 31-0.
ESPN and their partners are destroying the game systematically by first introducing the BCS, and now by bringing about this ridiculous and non-inclusive playoff system that they completely control. This can no longer be tolerated by the college football fans that care, because everything that was done was supposed to eliminate the perceived issues from the old days (there really were not very many), and this system has not only failed to do that, but it has created a world of chaos and mayhem never before seen. Rules are set by the seat of their pants, and we end up with a system composed of nonsense and stupidity, or, as we call it, the current national championship system.
Who Could We See In the 2017 Playoffs?
I certainly would not count out Alabama from making it back again. I would also not count out Michigan or Penn State from joining them, but what we likely will not see is another team get in without winning a conference title. The backlash was severe, and although the precedent was set, wrongly, I don't see them going there again.
I also would not rule out Washington winning the PAC-12 again, but USC is right there pushing them. Oklahoma loses their top two running backs, but look for West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and the Sooners to push for a spot out of the Big 12. From the ACC, Clemson will likely fall back a bit, but Florida State and Louisville both look ready to make a push.
With another season completely in the books, it is time to look forward to 2017 and what recruiting and spring ball will bring. One thing will be for certain, there will be the unexpected, and that is why we come back for more.
Monday, January 9, 2017
2016 All-Bilo Defensive Back of the Year: FBS
I will wrap up with my FBS defensive All-Bilo positional players of the year by announcing our FBS Defensive Back of the Year award winner from the Bilo College Football Report. Here are my finalists for this award...
Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
Damontaek Kazee, San Diego State
Rasul Douglas, West Virginia
Malik Hooker, Ohio State
Tedric Thompson, Colorado
The winner, at the end of the day, and after crunching the pertinent numbers, was a clear choice for this award. The winner is...
Tedric Thompson, Colorado
In short, Thompson tore it up in 2016 in every way. He finished the season with 7 INTs, 16 passes defended, and 63 tackles to help the Colorado Bufalos to a PAC-12 South title this season. It was quite the season for Thompson and the Buffs.
Congratulations to Tedric Thompson and to the Colorado football program!
Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
Damontaek Kazee, San Diego State
Rasul Douglas, West Virginia
Malik Hooker, Ohio State
Tedric Thompson, Colorado
The winner, at the end of the day, and after crunching the pertinent numbers, was a clear choice for this award. The winner is...
Tedric Thompson, Colorado
In short, Thompson tore it up in 2016 in every way. He finished the season with 7 INTs, 16 passes defended, and 63 tackles to help the Colorado Bufalos to a PAC-12 South title this season. It was quite the season for Thompson and the Buffs.
Congratulations to Tedric Thompson and to the Colorado football program!
2016 All-Bilo Linebacker of the Year: FBS
I am continuing my Awards Week presentation on the defensive side of the football on the FBS level with my All-Bilo Linebacker of the Year for 2016. Here are the finalists:
Marquel Lee, Wake Forest
Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech
Shaquem Griffin, UCF
Jahlani Tavaii, Hawaii
Tegray Scales, Indiana
The winner of the 2016 Linebacker of the Year won by a single point in scoring. And the winner is...
Tegray Scales, Indiana
Indiana came back for a bowl bid after a tough run in Big 10 play, and had the most productive linebacker in the nation overall. He finshed the season with 126 tackles, and 23.5 of those went for loss. He finished with 7 sacks, and one INT on the year for the Hoosiers.
Congratulations to Tegray Scales and to the Indiana program!
2016 All-Bilo Defensive Lineman of the Year: FBS
Welcome to day two of Awards Week at the Bilo College Football Report. Today, we turn to the defensive side of the football, starting with our 2016 FBS Defensive Lineman of the Year. Here are my finalists for the award this year:
Ejuan Price, Pittsburgh
Haason Reddick, Temple
Harold Landry, Boston College
Ja'Von Randle-Jones, Arkansas State
Hunter Dimick, Utah
Demarcus Walker, Florida State
It was extremely difficult to pick between the top three of this group, as there was little to separate them. In the end, one player surged slightly ahead to allow this selection. The winner of the 2016 FBS All-Bilo Defensive Lineman of the Year is...
Harold Landry, Boston College
Landry was a beast on a very good Boston College defense all season, and the Eagles came back as a whole a bit in 2016, returning to a bowl game, and beating Maryland. Landry was a driving force off the edge for the Eagles, as he finished 4th nationally with 22 TFLs, and he led the nation with 16.5 sacks on the year.
Congratulations to Harold Landry and to the Eagles program!
Ejuan Price, Pittsburgh
Haason Reddick, Temple
Harold Landry, Boston College
Ja'Von Randle-Jones, Arkansas State
Hunter Dimick, Utah
Demarcus Walker, Florida State
It was extremely difficult to pick between the top three of this group, as there was little to separate them. In the end, one player surged slightly ahead to allow this selection. The winner of the 2016 FBS All-Bilo Defensive Lineman of the Year is...
Harold Landry, Boston College
Landry was a beast on a very good Boston College defense all season, and the Eagles came back as a whole a bit in 2016, returning to a bowl game, and beating Maryland. Landry was a driving force off the edge for the Eagles, as he finished 4th nationally with 22 TFLs, and he led the nation with 16.5 sacks on the year.
Congratulations to Harold Landry and to the Eagles program!
Sunday, January 8, 2017
2016 All-Bilo Tight End of the Year: FBS
We now close out our annual offensive positional player of the year awards with our Tight End Award. Here are the finalists:
Adam Breneman, U Mass
Evan Engram, Ole Miss
Michael Roberts, Toledo
David Njoku, Miami
Cole Hitkutini, Louisville
The winner of the All-Bilo FBS Tight End of the Year Award is...
Adam Breneman, U Mass
There were not many bright spots for the Minutemen in 2016, but Breneman was a star for the program on the season, catching 70 passes for 808 yards and 8 scores on the season. He averaged 11.5 yards per catch on the season, and had to step up and be a star on a team who had so few.
Congratulations to Adam and to the U Mass program!
Adam Breneman, U Mass
Evan Engram, Ole Miss
Michael Roberts, Toledo
David Njoku, Miami
Cole Hitkutini, Louisville
The winner of the All-Bilo FBS Tight End of the Year Award is...
Adam Breneman, U Mass
There were not many bright spots for the Minutemen in 2016, but Breneman was a star for the program on the season, catching 70 passes for 808 yards and 8 scores on the season. He averaged 11.5 yards per catch on the season, and had to step up and be a star on a team who had so few.
Congratulations to Adam and to the U Mass program!
2016 All-Bilo Wide Receiver of the Year: FBS
We move along with awards season at the Bilo College Football Report, with my All-Bilo FBS Wide Receiver of the Year for 2016. Here are the finalists:
Carols Henderson, Louisiana Tech
Corey Davis, Western Michigan
Taywan Taylor, Western Kentucky
DeDe Westbrook, Oklahoma
Amba Etta-Tawo, Syracuse
The winner of the 2016 Receiver of the Year is...
Corey Davis, Western Michigan
Davis was a driving force behind the best season in Western Michigan football history, which culminated in a loss in the Cotton Bowl to Wisconsin. Still, the Broncos finished 13-1, and Davis caught 97 passes for 1500 yards on the season, averaging 15.46 yards per catch, and 107.1 yards per game.
Congratulations to Corey, and to the Western Michigan program.
Carols Henderson, Louisiana Tech
Corey Davis, Western Michigan
Taywan Taylor, Western Kentucky
DeDe Westbrook, Oklahoma
Amba Etta-Tawo, Syracuse
The winner of the 2016 Receiver of the Year is...
Corey Davis, Western Michigan
Davis was a driving force behind the best season in Western Michigan football history, which culminated in a loss in the Cotton Bowl to Wisconsin. Still, the Broncos finished 13-1, and Davis caught 97 passes for 1500 yards on the season, averaging 15.46 yards per catch, and 107.1 yards per game.
Congratulations to Corey, and to the Western Michigan program.
2016 All-Bilo Running Back of the Year: FBS
Awards season continues at the Bilo College Football Report, as I name my 2016 FBS Running Back of the Year. Here are our finalists:
D'Onta Foreman, Texas
Donnel Pomphrey, San Diego State
Brian Hill, Wyoming
Aaron Jones, UTEP
Jeremy McNichols, Boise State
This was a very difficult decision, as there were several deserving candidates from a very large pool. In short, I had to decide, and the winner is:
Donnel Pomphrey, San Diego State
It is hard to ignore the player who broke the NCAA all-time rushing record in the Las Vegas Bowl this season, so Pomphrey became the no nonsense pick here. He rushed for 2133 yards on the season, and scored 17 times, averaging 6.11 yards per carry on 24.93 carries per game. Pomphrey wraps up an amazing career with the Aztecs, and most certainly will be a 1st round pick in the 2017 NFL draft.
Congratulations to Donnel and to the San Diego State program.
D'Onta Foreman, Texas
Donnel Pomphrey, San Diego State
Brian Hill, Wyoming
Aaron Jones, UTEP
Jeremy McNichols, Boise State
This was a very difficult decision, as there were several deserving candidates from a very large pool. In short, I had to decide, and the winner is:
Donnel Pomphrey, San Diego State
It is hard to ignore the player who broke the NCAA all-time rushing record in the Las Vegas Bowl this season, so Pomphrey became the no nonsense pick here. He rushed for 2133 yards on the season, and scored 17 times, averaging 6.11 yards per carry on 24.93 carries per game. Pomphrey wraps up an amazing career with the Aztecs, and most certainly will be a 1st round pick in the 2017 NFL draft.
Congratulations to Donnel and to the San Diego State program.
2016 All-Bilo Quarterback of the Year: FBS
With it being championship week, it is also awards week here at the Bilo College Football Report, as we wrap up the season that was in 2016. We begin with our FBS Quarterback of the Year.
The finalists that I decided from are as follows:
Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Zach Terrell, Western Michigan
Sam Darnold, USC
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
Logan Woodside, Toledo
The winner of my All-Bilo College Football 2016 Quarterback of the Year Award for FBS football is:
Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Despite a tough finish to the season for the Cardinals, no QB better personified the position than Lamar Jackson. He passed for 3542 yards and 30 scores, and rushed for 1571 more yards and another 21 scores on the season to create one of the more memorable seasons of any college player in recent memory.
It is our honor to award Lamar Jackson our 2016 FBS All-Bilo Quarterback of the Year. Congratulations to Lamar and to the Louisville program.
The finalists that I decided from are as follows:
Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Zach Terrell, Western Michigan
Sam Darnold, USC
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
Logan Woodside, Toledo
The winner of my All-Bilo College Football 2016 Quarterback of the Year Award for FBS football is:
Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Despite a tough finish to the season for the Cardinals, no QB better personified the position than Lamar Jackson. He passed for 3542 yards and 30 scores, and rushed for 1571 more yards and another 21 scores on the season to create one of the more memorable seasons of any college player in recent memory.
It is our honor to award Lamar Jackson our 2016 FBS All-Bilo Quarterback of the Year. Congratulations to Lamar and to the Louisville program.
Saturday, January 7, 2017
2016 FBS Championship Preview: Alabama vs. Clemson
FBS Championship
Alabama (14-0) vs. Clemson (13-1)
Monday, 5PM PST
Looking at Alabama
The Crimson Tide will be the favorite going into this rematch of the 2015 title game, which Alabama won 45-40. I do not see the Tide allowing as many points this season as they did last year, as Alabama likes to keep scoring down with their young QB, Jalen Hurts, running a scaled down version of the offense that Alabama ran last season.
The Tide are favored by as much as 7 in Las Vegas at the MGM Mirage and at CT Technologies. That seems reasonable at this point. At most other books, they are favored by 6.5 today.
Alabama is run by defense first, but offense has been the story this week, with Lane Kiffin being given the boot by Nick Saban, and Steve Sarkisian being handed the reins to take the lead as OC. One thing Sark cannot do is reinvent the wheel heading into this football game. The offense is proven, and minus some minor wrinkles that can be immediately installed, changing things with a freshman QB could turn into a disaster, and Saban would not likely allow for that to happen. All Sarkisian has to do is let the offense work. It's not broken, so don't fix it.
I expect RB Bo Scarbrough to get a bulk of carries as he is coming off a 19 carry, 180 yard performance in the win over Washington. Punding the football and chewing up clock is what Bama does best on offense, and that would also do well to slow down what could be an explosive Clemson offense by keeping off of the field for large chunks of time. Alabama is the 11th best rush offense in the nation, averaging 241 yards per game, and Jalen Hurts was not exactly awesome throwing the football last week. For Alabama to win, they must establish a solid run game early, and keep Hurts from having to be the hero by throwing the football. Of course, running the football will be a battle of wills, because Clemson only allows 123 yards rushing per game. Exploiting anything will take some work.
Defensively, Alabama is a beast up front. Applying pressure to Deshaun Watson will be paramount, as if they can get to him, he is prone to the turnover, having tossed 17 picks this season. Alabama will first stop the run, as they are the best team in the nation doing so. The Crimson Tide only allows 62 yards rushing per game, and completely removed that aspect of the football game against Washington in the Peach Bowl.
In turn, Alabama, by removing the run early, then forced Jake Browning to be a hero, and after a strong start early, he started to feel the strain, tossing 2 picks in the loss, and failing to reach 200 yards passing for the game. In all, Alabama only allows 182 yards passing per game, and gives up just 244 yards per game passing/rushing combined.
Key Players For Alabama: Offense
Of course, Alabama has one of the best lines in football. Getting huge up front efforts in the blocking scheme will be important for taking down what is a strong Clemson rush defense.
Jalen Hurts needs to be an efficient passer. If he is asked to do too much, he tends to fold, as he is not a pure passer. He averaged just 189 yards passing per game, but did toss 9 picks. He has to be a game manager, not a game winner. He has 22 TDs, so his ratio is barely over 2:1 on TD to INT, so he can be prone to make mistakes. He did rush for 891 yards and 12 more scores, so if he can tuck and run, Clemson will be in trouble. He averaged 12.73 carries per game, more than any one Tide back.
Bo Scarbrough went off against Washington, but he is still isted behind Damian Harris on the depth chart for Monday against Clemson. Harris rushed for 1013 yards on the season, but is not their best scoring threat, having just rushed for 2 scores on the season. Scarbrough is the better scoring option, having rushed for 9 scores.
ArDarius Stewart and Calvin Ridley are both completely capable receivers, and combined to catch 15 TDs on the season, so when Hurts has to go to the air, he has viable targets to get the rock to. TE OJ Howard should be a 1st rounder in the NFL draft.
Keys Players For Alabama: Defense
Alabama wins on defense, and this is one of the best units ever in Tuscaloosa. Deshaun Watson has an INT problem, and the Bama secondary has picked off 16 passes this season, and 6 of those went for TDs.
Jonathon Allen is a force of nature up front, and led the Tide with 9.5 sacks, with 15 total TFLs on the year. He's backed by a LB unit comprised of NFL talent in Tim Williams, Ryan Anderson, and Reuben Foster, a group that combined for 45 TFLs in 2016. As a defense, the Tide finished with 112 total TFLs.
In the secondary, Watson should probably throw away from Minkah Fitzpatrick, as he leads the club with 6 picks, including 2 for TDs. He also had 7 pass break ups on the season, while Anthony Averett broke up 8.It would also be easy to forget Ronnie Harrison, but he also broke up 7 passes on the year.
Key Players For Alabama: Special Teams
Adam Griffith is good, but he is not near perfect at PK. He hit 20/27 FGs this season, but in this kind of game, those misses loom large.
JK Scott is one of the best punters in the nation, averaging 47.4 yards per punt in 2016. He should be able to help the Tide win the field position war all night long.
Eddie Jackson is dangerous returning punts, as he averaged 23 yards per punt return, and he scored twice. It would be best for Clemson to punt away from him.
A Look at Clemson
Clemson has only beaten Alabama 3 times, and the last time that Clemson won a game in this series was a whopping 112 years ago, in 1905, a Clemson 25-0 win at home. Alabama has won the last 13 match ups in this series. With the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series this year, could this be the time?
Clemson got close last season, but they remain a dog by upwards of a TD. Four of the last seven games have been Alabama double digit wins, so the pressure is on.
Clemson has a defense of their own that is impressive, but their offense has more explosive capacity than Alabama had last season. If they are going to win this football game, they have to work through how to exploit Alabama on defense, and good luck with that.
For Clemson to win, they must find their big play capability, and that comes from the arm of Deshaun Watson, but there is the one drawback in the form of his 17 INTs this season. The reason for that happening was an inconsistent run game in 2016, and Watson was forced to do too much at times.
The Tigers must, and I emphasize must, slow the game down somewhat and get their run game in gear against the best run defense in the nation.
Defensively, Clemson can assert themselves against the run, but they have a two tier process in stopping Alabama, and here are those tasks. First, the Clemson defense, like I said about Washington last week, must keep Jalen Hurts in the pocket as a passer, and they cannot let him become a runner, because that is where he excels. If they can keep him in a passing role, Clemson has a shot to stop him, as Clemson is 17th best nationally against the pass.
Clemson has one more task to be in this football game. They have to stop the Tide backs from running wild like Scarbrough did against the Huskies. Clemson is competent against the run, only allowing 123 yards per game on the ground, but they have not played against a line like this all season.
Clemson did, remember, dominate a very good Ohio State football team last week in Phoenix, but I am not certain that Alabama would not have done the same against the Buckeyes. If Clemson plays to that level, we could have a game.
Key Players For Clemson: Offense
Deshaun Watson is the center of the universe for Clemson on offense. He is their do everything guy. He passed for 4173 yards and 38 TDs, but those 17 picks were a real problem at times. He cannot run everything alone, especially not against Alabama. He will need some help.
That help has got to come from RB Wayne Gallman. Clemson is at their best when he is, and he is not always at his best. He only averaged 77 yards per game, and Clemson needs more if they are to get the upset on Monday. Watson can run, as he rushed for over 500 yards and 8 scores, but if he has to lead the teams run game, Clemson will be in trouble.
Mike Williams is by far the best receiver on this football team with 90 receptions in 2016, and nobody other than Artavis Scott came close to that total, as he caught 73 passes for just 608 yards. Williams finished with 1267 yards and 10 scores, and Alabama is likely to lock down on him. That means that TE Jordan Leggett will have to get some work done, as he finished with 39-641-7. It is likely that someone from the group of Deon Cain, Ray-Ray McCloud, and Hunter Renfrow will have to step up big.
Key Players For Clemson: Defense
Clemson is very active in the trenches on defense, as Christian Wilkins, Carlos Watkins, and Clelin Ferrell all finished with double digit TFLs this season, combining for 37 total TFLs. This group will have to be as active as that to disrupt the Alabama blocking schemes and stop the Tide from chewing up ground and clock in the game.
The LB group is loaded and active as well, as Kendall Joseph, Dorian O'Daniel, and Ben Boulware cmobined for 30.5 TFLs of their own. Boulware and Joseph combined for 212 tackles as well. Expect a ton of aggression up front as the Tigers throw everything they have at the Tide front.
Clemson has been strong against the pass, as has Alabama. The Tigers picked off 20 total passes on the year, led by Jadar Johnson, who finished with 5. Cordrea Tankersley broke up 10 passes on the season, and Johnson broke up 7. On the year, the Tigers broke up 57 passes on the season, which is why Alabama can ill afford for Jalen Hurts to be the passing game hero.
Key Players For Clemson: Special Teams
Greg Huegel has not been great at PK, hitting just 14/19 FGs on the season. If it comes down to his leg, it could get dicey.
Andy Teasdall is not going to help win the game of field possession, averaging just 38 yards per punt on the season. There are a pair of freshmen behind him, but they have punted a combined 2 times on the season, and this is not the stage to break in teeth.
There is nothing exciting about the return game for Clemson, as they are average across the board.
Head to Head
Passing: Clemson wins the battle with Watson over Hurts
Rushing: Alabama wins the battle with Harris, Scarbrough, and Hurts
Receiving: Alabama wins the battle, with deeper overall talent
Defense: Alabama edges out Clemson on defense
Kicking Game: Alabama wins both kicking and punting battles
Return Game: Alabama wins the battle by far
My Pick: Alabama 28-24
Alabama (14-0) vs. Clemson (13-1)
Monday, 5PM PST
Looking at Alabama
The Crimson Tide will be the favorite going into this rematch of the 2015 title game, which Alabama won 45-40. I do not see the Tide allowing as many points this season as they did last year, as Alabama likes to keep scoring down with their young QB, Jalen Hurts, running a scaled down version of the offense that Alabama ran last season.
The Tide are favored by as much as 7 in Las Vegas at the MGM Mirage and at CT Technologies. That seems reasonable at this point. At most other books, they are favored by 6.5 today.
Alabama is run by defense first, but offense has been the story this week, with Lane Kiffin being given the boot by Nick Saban, and Steve Sarkisian being handed the reins to take the lead as OC. One thing Sark cannot do is reinvent the wheel heading into this football game. The offense is proven, and minus some minor wrinkles that can be immediately installed, changing things with a freshman QB could turn into a disaster, and Saban would not likely allow for that to happen. All Sarkisian has to do is let the offense work. It's not broken, so don't fix it.
I expect RB Bo Scarbrough to get a bulk of carries as he is coming off a 19 carry, 180 yard performance in the win over Washington. Punding the football and chewing up clock is what Bama does best on offense, and that would also do well to slow down what could be an explosive Clemson offense by keeping off of the field for large chunks of time. Alabama is the 11th best rush offense in the nation, averaging 241 yards per game, and Jalen Hurts was not exactly awesome throwing the football last week. For Alabama to win, they must establish a solid run game early, and keep Hurts from having to be the hero by throwing the football. Of course, running the football will be a battle of wills, because Clemson only allows 123 yards rushing per game. Exploiting anything will take some work.
Defensively, Alabama is a beast up front. Applying pressure to Deshaun Watson will be paramount, as if they can get to him, he is prone to the turnover, having tossed 17 picks this season. Alabama will first stop the run, as they are the best team in the nation doing so. The Crimson Tide only allows 62 yards rushing per game, and completely removed that aspect of the football game against Washington in the Peach Bowl.
In turn, Alabama, by removing the run early, then forced Jake Browning to be a hero, and after a strong start early, he started to feel the strain, tossing 2 picks in the loss, and failing to reach 200 yards passing for the game. In all, Alabama only allows 182 yards passing per game, and gives up just 244 yards per game passing/rushing combined.
Key Players For Alabama: Offense
Of course, Alabama has one of the best lines in football. Getting huge up front efforts in the blocking scheme will be important for taking down what is a strong Clemson rush defense.
Jalen Hurts needs to be an efficient passer. If he is asked to do too much, he tends to fold, as he is not a pure passer. He averaged just 189 yards passing per game, but did toss 9 picks. He has to be a game manager, not a game winner. He has 22 TDs, so his ratio is barely over 2:1 on TD to INT, so he can be prone to make mistakes. He did rush for 891 yards and 12 more scores, so if he can tuck and run, Clemson will be in trouble. He averaged 12.73 carries per game, more than any one Tide back.
Bo Scarbrough went off against Washington, but he is still isted behind Damian Harris on the depth chart for Monday against Clemson. Harris rushed for 1013 yards on the season, but is not their best scoring threat, having just rushed for 2 scores on the season. Scarbrough is the better scoring option, having rushed for 9 scores.
ArDarius Stewart and Calvin Ridley are both completely capable receivers, and combined to catch 15 TDs on the season, so when Hurts has to go to the air, he has viable targets to get the rock to. TE OJ Howard should be a 1st rounder in the NFL draft.
Keys Players For Alabama: Defense
Alabama wins on defense, and this is one of the best units ever in Tuscaloosa. Deshaun Watson has an INT problem, and the Bama secondary has picked off 16 passes this season, and 6 of those went for TDs.
Jonathon Allen is a force of nature up front, and led the Tide with 9.5 sacks, with 15 total TFLs on the year. He's backed by a LB unit comprised of NFL talent in Tim Williams, Ryan Anderson, and Reuben Foster, a group that combined for 45 TFLs in 2016. As a defense, the Tide finished with 112 total TFLs.
In the secondary, Watson should probably throw away from Minkah Fitzpatrick, as he leads the club with 6 picks, including 2 for TDs. He also had 7 pass break ups on the season, while Anthony Averett broke up 8.It would also be easy to forget Ronnie Harrison, but he also broke up 7 passes on the year.
Key Players For Alabama: Special Teams
Adam Griffith is good, but he is not near perfect at PK. He hit 20/27 FGs this season, but in this kind of game, those misses loom large.
JK Scott is one of the best punters in the nation, averaging 47.4 yards per punt in 2016. He should be able to help the Tide win the field position war all night long.
Eddie Jackson is dangerous returning punts, as he averaged 23 yards per punt return, and he scored twice. It would be best for Clemson to punt away from him.
A Look at Clemson
Clemson has only beaten Alabama 3 times, and the last time that Clemson won a game in this series was a whopping 112 years ago, in 1905, a Clemson 25-0 win at home. Alabama has won the last 13 match ups in this series. With the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series this year, could this be the time?
Clemson got close last season, but they remain a dog by upwards of a TD. Four of the last seven games have been Alabama double digit wins, so the pressure is on.
Clemson has a defense of their own that is impressive, but their offense has more explosive capacity than Alabama had last season. If they are going to win this football game, they have to work through how to exploit Alabama on defense, and good luck with that.
For Clemson to win, they must find their big play capability, and that comes from the arm of Deshaun Watson, but there is the one drawback in the form of his 17 INTs this season. The reason for that happening was an inconsistent run game in 2016, and Watson was forced to do too much at times.
The Tigers must, and I emphasize must, slow the game down somewhat and get their run game in gear against the best run defense in the nation.
Defensively, Clemson can assert themselves against the run, but they have a two tier process in stopping Alabama, and here are those tasks. First, the Clemson defense, like I said about Washington last week, must keep Jalen Hurts in the pocket as a passer, and they cannot let him become a runner, because that is where he excels. If they can keep him in a passing role, Clemson has a shot to stop him, as Clemson is 17th best nationally against the pass.
Clemson has one more task to be in this football game. They have to stop the Tide backs from running wild like Scarbrough did against the Huskies. Clemson is competent against the run, only allowing 123 yards per game on the ground, but they have not played against a line like this all season.
Clemson did, remember, dominate a very good Ohio State football team last week in Phoenix, but I am not certain that Alabama would not have done the same against the Buckeyes. If Clemson plays to that level, we could have a game.
Key Players For Clemson: Offense
Deshaun Watson is the center of the universe for Clemson on offense. He is their do everything guy. He passed for 4173 yards and 38 TDs, but those 17 picks were a real problem at times. He cannot run everything alone, especially not against Alabama. He will need some help.
That help has got to come from RB Wayne Gallman. Clemson is at their best when he is, and he is not always at his best. He only averaged 77 yards per game, and Clemson needs more if they are to get the upset on Monday. Watson can run, as he rushed for over 500 yards and 8 scores, but if he has to lead the teams run game, Clemson will be in trouble.
Mike Williams is by far the best receiver on this football team with 90 receptions in 2016, and nobody other than Artavis Scott came close to that total, as he caught 73 passes for just 608 yards. Williams finished with 1267 yards and 10 scores, and Alabama is likely to lock down on him. That means that TE Jordan Leggett will have to get some work done, as he finished with 39-641-7. It is likely that someone from the group of Deon Cain, Ray-Ray McCloud, and Hunter Renfrow will have to step up big.
Key Players For Clemson: Defense
Clemson is very active in the trenches on defense, as Christian Wilkins, Carlos Watkins, and Clelin Ferrell all finished with double digit TFLs this season, combining for 37 total TFLs. This group will have to be as active as that to disrupt the Alabama blocking schemes and stop the Tide from chewing up ground and clock in the game.
The LB group is loaded and active as well, as Kendall Joseph, Dorian O'Daniel, and Ben Boulware cmobined for 30.5 TFLs of their own. Boulware and Joseph combined for 212 tackles as well. Expect a ton of aggression up front as the Tigers throw everything they have at the Tide front.
Clemson has been strong against the pass, as has Alabama. The Tigers picked off 20 total passes on the year, led by Jadar Johnson, who finished with 5. Cordrea Tankersley broke up 10 passes on the season, and Johnson broke up 7. On the year, the Tigers broke up 57 passes on the season, which is why Alabama can ill afford for Jalen Hurts to be the passing game hero.
Key Players For Clemson: Special Teams
Greg Huegel has not been great at PK, hitting just 14/19 FGs on the season. If it comes down to his leg, it could get dicey.
Andy Teasdall is not going to help win the game of field possession, averaging just 38 yards per punt on the season. There are a pair of freshmen behind him, but they have punted a combined 2 times on the season, and this is not the stage to break in teeth.
There is nothing exciting about the return game for Clemson, as they are average across the board.
Head to Head
Passing: Clemson wins the battle with Watson over Hurts
Rushing: Alabama wins the battle with Harris, Scarbrough, and Hurts
Receiving: Alabama wins the battle, with deeper overall talent
Defense: Alabama edges out Clemson on defense
Kicking Game: Alabama wins both kicking and punting battles
Return Game: Alabama wins the battle by far
My Pick: Alabama 28-24
Grading the FCS Coaching Hires For 2017
With all but one FCS vacancy filled, here are my current grades for the coaching hires made for the coming 2017 college football season:
Abilene Christian
Adam Dorrel
Dorrel is a 3 time All-Bilo D2 Coach of the Year at Northwest Missouri State. Dorrel was promoted to that job under difficult circumstances, and quickly molded the program back into a championship winning program in short order, without ever missing a beat. ACU needed an upgrade, and they certainly got one in this hire. This was a grand slam in my opinion.
Grade: A+
Chattanooga
Tom Arth
Arth is coming off of a national semifinal appearance at John Carroll, and so you can understand the appeal of hiring a coach who stole a conference title away from perennial power Mount Union. That being said, it is a huge jump from D3 to D1 (just ask Lance Leipold at Buffalo). Arth will certainly have an adjustment to make, but former coach Russ Huesman built a winning atmosphere here, so it was a good job to land.
Grade: B
Bryant
James Perry
Perry was the OC at Princeton last season, when the Tigers pulled an upset and won the Ivy League title. The Tigers averaged 34.6 points per game, and Perry elevated the offense into one of the best in the nation. The problem is that Bryant was OK on offense. The defense, on the other hand, was a wreck. Perry probably will need to get his Bulldogs to score plenty until he fixes that defense.
Grade: B
Delaware
Danny Rocco
This hire was a bit of a surprise to me, as I am not all that certain why Rocco would leave a top 10 program for a rebuilding project at Delaware. That is not to say that Delaware is a bad job, because it is an absolutely great job. Both programs are in the Colonial, and Rocco will have to coach against his former players. That said, Rocco is a winner. He turned Liberty into a winner, taking the Flames from a 1 win program to 8 wins in 2 seasons. He is coming off of a 3 year run of taking Richmond to the FCS playoffs. He has a 90-42 record as a head coach. In short, Delaware gets a winner who can bring the Blue Hens back to their glory days.
Grade: A+
Elon
Curt Cignetti
Rich Skrosky left to join the new staff under Butch Davis at FIU, but who knew that Elon would gain by attrition? Cignetti has worked for Nick Saban at Alabama, so you know what his pedigree is. He has a 53-17 record as head coach at D2 IUP, and has only once lost more than 2 games in PSAC play. In short, he is a winner, and Elon needs a winner. Other than coaching at Alabama, he has a ton of FBS experience, which is rare for a D2 head coach.
Grade: A+
Furman
Clay Hendrix
Hendrix is a 30 veteran of the world of assistant coaching in college football, with stops at NC State, a 20 year stint at Furman, and another decade at Air Force. He was a previous assistant head coach at Furman, so he knows the turf. My only concern is why, after 30 years, has he not been a head coach before?
Grade: C+
Howard
Mike London
London has an FCS championship under his belt from 2008 as coach at Richmond. He also has a national FCS coach of the year award, an ACC coach of the year award, and has won on the FCS level. His time at Virginia ended in disaster, but he can coach. He knows the region, and honestly, has the best overall resume of any coach in the MEAC in the last decade. He was a seriously good get for this moribund program.
Grade: A
Lafayette
John Garrett
Garrett is the brother of Dallas Cowboys Coach Jason Garrett. His offense scored 401 points this season at Richmond, and instead of heading to Delaware, he takes a job up the road with the Leopards, who have been a mess in recent seasons. This is a winnable situation. He has an amazing family pedigree, a ton of NFL experience, and was highly successful in his one season as OC at Richmond. The recruiting is fertile in the area, so it all starts there. Garrett can fix this.
Grade: B+
Lamar
Mike Schultz
Schultz is another career assistant who after 35 years finally becomes a head coach. He has known lots of success as an assistant, and was OC at TCU when he coached Ladanian Tomlinson and And Dalton, but again, the question bodes, why has he never been a head coach? He has tons of relationships in the Texas high school ranks, and that could help. It's a decent hire, but is it to the level of Dorrel at Southland rival Abilene Christian? Not really.
Grade: C
Presbyterian
Tommy Spangler
Spangler is a former Blue Hose head coach, where he went 42-24 from 2001-06. He has been at several stops throughout the south, and knows the program and region well. He came back to PC in 2013, and had been serving as DC. He was promoted to replace Harold Nichols, who never could figure out how to win. Spangler has won here before, but the Blue Hose were a D2 program then, so there is a question as to how Spangler can get things rolling as the head guy, when the team struggled with him as DC. However, if anyone can get this on track, it has to be him.
Grade: B
Richmond
Russ Huesman
After several middling years at Chattanooga, Huesman finally pulled the Mocs into being a reliable winner in 2013, and is 36-16 since then. Remember, however, that the Southern Conference lost some real heavy weights during that time with the departures of Appalachian State and Georgia Southern. Huesman takes over a winning program, so he lands in a soft spot. Despite scoring 445 points in 2016, the Mocs finished 6-2 in SoCon play, and despite being the favorite to win the SoCon, they did not. Those are some considerations.
Grade: B+
UC Davis
Dan Hawkins
Coach Hawk is one of those Boise State curse guys. He won big with the Broncos, and then when he branched out to go to Colorado, he fell flat. He certainly is not alone in that. He was a huge winner at NAIA Willamette, where he finished 40-11-1, with one national title game appearance, so he knows how to win at a small school locale. He finished 53-11 at Boise State, which propelled him to Colorado, where he stumbled to a 10-27 record. He has not coached since 2010, and has been working in media. This is a big chance for Hawkins to rebuild his coaching profile, but he will be stuck in a bottom dwelling program in the Big Sky, and climbing the ranks there will be a tough go. This was a still a major name grab for the Aggie program.
Grade: A-
Incomplete
Indiana State
Mike Sanford left the program, and no hire has yet been made. I will update once this has happened.
Abilene Christian
Adam Dorrel
Dorrel is a 3 time All-Bilo D2 Coach of the Year at Northwest Missouri State. Dorrel was promoted to that job under difficult circumstances, and quickly molded the program back into a championship winning program in short order, without ever missing a beat. ACU needed an upgrade, and they certainly got one in this hire. This was a grand slam in my opinion.
Grade: A+
Chattanooga
Tom Arth
Arth is coming off of a national semifinal appearance at John Carroll, and so you can understand the appeal of hiring a coach who stole a conference title away from perennial power Mount Union. That being said, it is a huge jump from D3 to D1 (just ask Lance Leipold at Buffalo). Arth will certainly have an adjustment to make, but former coach Russ Huesman built a winning atmosphere here, so it was a good job to land.
Grade: B
Bryant
James Perry
Perry was the OC at Princeton last season, when the Tigers pulled an upset and won the Ivy League title. The Tigers averaged 34.6 points per game, and Perry elevated the offense into one of the best in the nation. The problem is that Bryant was OK on offense. The defense, on the other hand, was a wreck. Perry probably will need to get his Bulldogs to score plenty until he fixes that defense.
Grade: B
Delaware
Danny Rocco
This hire was a bit of a surprise to me, as I am not all that certain why Rocco would leave a top 10 program for a rebuilding project at Delaware. That is not to say that Delaware is a bad job, because it is an absolutely great job. Both programs are in the Colonial, and Rocco will have to coach against his former players. That said, Rocco is a winner. He turned Liberty into a winner, taking the Flames from a 1 win program to 8 wins in 2 seasons. He is coming off of a 3 year run of taking Richmond to the FCS playoffs. He has a 90-42 record as a head coach. In short, Delaware gets a winner who can bring the Blue Hens back to their glory days.
Grade: A+
Elon
Curt Cignetti
Rich Skrosky left to join the new staff under Butch Davis at FIU, but who knew that Elon would gain by attrition? Cignetti has worked for Nick Saban at Alabama, so you know what his pedigree is. He has a 53-17 record as head coach at D2 IUP, and has only once lost more than 2 games in PSAC play. In short, he is a winner, and Elon needs a winner. Other than coaching at Alabama, he has a ton of FBS experience, which is rare for a D2 head coach.
Grade: A+
Furman
Clay Hendrix
Hendrix is a 30 veteran of the world of assistant coaching in college football, with stops at NC State, a 20 year stint at Furman, and another decade at Air Force. He was a previous assistant head coach at Furman, so he knows the turf. My only concern is why, after 30 years, has he not been a head coach before?
Grade: C+
Howard
Mike London
London has an FCS championship under his belt from 2008 as coach at Richmond. He also has a national FCS coach of the year award, an ACC coach of the year award, and has won on the FCS level. His time at Virginia ended in disaster, but he can coach. He knows the region, and honestly, has the best overall resume of any coach in the MEAC in the last decade. He was a seriously good get for this moribund program.
Grade: A
Lafayette
John Garrett
Garrett is the brother of Dallas Cowboys Coach Jason Garrett. His offense scored 401 points this season at Richmond, and instead of heading to Delaware, he takes a job up the road with the Leopards, who have been a mess in recent seasons. This is a winnable situation. He has an amazing family pedigree, a ton of NFL experience, and was highly successful in his one season as OC at Richmond. The recruiting is fertile in the area, so it all starts there. Garrett can fix this.
Grade: B+
Lamar
Mike Schultz
Schultz is another career assistant who after 35 years finally becomes a head coach. He has known lots of success as an assistant, and was OC at TCU when he coached Ladanian Tomlinson and And Dalton, but again, the question bodes, why has he never been a head coach? He has tons of relationships in the Texas high school ranks, and that could help. It's a decent hire, but is it to the level of Dorrel at Southland rival Abilene Christian? Not really.
Grade: C
Presbyterian
Tommy Spangler
Spangler is a former Blue Hose head coach, where he went 42-24 from 2001-06. He has been at several stops throughout the south, and knows the program and region well. He came back to PC in 2013, and had been serving as DC. He was promoted to replace Harold Nichols, who never could figure out how to win. Spangler has won here before, but the Blue Hose were a D2 program then, so there is a question as to how Spangler can get things rolling as the head guy, when the team struggled with him as DC. However, if anyone can get this on track, it has to be him.
Grade: B
Richmond
Russ Huesman
After several middling years at Chattanooga, Huesman finally pulled the Mocs into being a reliable winner in 2013, and is 36-16 since then. Remember, however, that the Southern Conference lost some real heavy weights during that time with the departures of Appalachian State and Georgia Southern. Huesman takes over a winning program, so he lands in a soft spot. Despite scoring 445 points in 2016, the Mocs finished 6-2 in SoCon play, and despite being the favorite to win the SoCon, they did not. Those are some considerations.
Grade: B+
UC Davis
Dan Hawkins
Coach Hawk is one of those Boise State curse guys. He won big with the Broncos, and then when he branched out to go to Colorado, he fell flat. He certainly is not alone in that. He was a huge winner at NAIA Willamette, where he finished 40-11-1, with one national title game appearance, so he knows how to win at a small school locale. He finished 53-11 at Boise State, which propelled him to Colorado, where he stumbled to a 10-27 record. He has not coached since 2010, and has been working in media. This is a big chance for Hawkins to rebuild his coaching profile, but he will be stuck in a bottom dwelling program in the Big Sky, and climbing the ranks there will be a tough go. This was a still a major name grab for the Aggie program.
Grade: A-
Incomplete
Indiana State
Mike Sanford left the program, and no hire has yet been made. I will update once this has happened.
Friday, January 6, 2017
2016 FCS National Championship Preview
James Madison (13-1) vs. Youngstown State (12-3)
Frisco, Texas
9:00 AM PST, ESPN
The FCS football season culminates tomorrow in the national championship game at Frisco, Texas between the James Madison Dukes and the Youngstown State Penguins. This will mark the first time in six years that the national champion will not be North Dakota State, as the Bison had won the previous five titles. NDSU fell short against JMU in their quest for a 6th national title.
James Madison won the national title in 2004 under then coach Mickey Matthews in a 31-21 win over Montana. The Dukes have won 11 straight this season, with their last loss coming against North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Duke are in the title game by way of a strong road win in Fargo, beating North Dakota State to end their 22 game FCS playoff win streak. In November, the Dukes picked up back to back wins over top 10 opponents when they beat Richmond and Villanova, with both of those games coming on the road.
The Dukes are led by Mike Houston, who is in his first season as head coach after bringing life to what had been a dismal Citadel program. Houston is now 13-1 in his first season, and owns a 4-1 record overall in the playoffs.
QB Brian Schor is the leader of the of the Dukes on offense. He took over as the full time starter after backing up Vad Lee last season, and passed for 2890 yards, with 27 TDs and just 6 INTs. He was the CAA player of the week 4 times in a 6 week span this season, and completed 21/22 passes in a win over Rhode Island, a school single game completion record. He started the last 4 games of 2015 when Lee went down to injury, and rushed for 129 yards in the season opener this fall in a win over Morehead State.
What makes JMU dangerous is their ability to mix run and pass, as Khalid Abdullah rushed for 1728 yards this season. Abdullah has scored 33 TDs rushing the last two seasons, with 20 of those coming this year. He has 3577 career rushing yards, and topped a career high with 272 carries in 2016. Cardon Johnson is dangerous as well, having rushed for 704 yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. He scored 8 times this season.
Brandon Ravanel (45-720-5) and Duke transfer Terrence Alls (35-575-5) will likely be the two go to receivers for Schor in the passing game, and Domo Taylor is high on the list as well (34-547-3).
Defensively, the secondary is a huge strength for the Dukes, led by CB Taylor Reynolds, who has 14 Passes Defended on the year. This will be his final game. The Dukes led the nation with 20 INTs this season, and finished 9th in turnover margin at +15.
For Youngstown State, this will be a return to a familiar territory that the Penguins dominated in the 90s. Bo Pelini has led this program back from mediocrity, and now has the Penguins primed to win their first title since 1997, a 10-9 win over McNeese State. YSU has 4 total titles in their history, winning in 1991, 1993, 1994, and the 1997 win. This will be the Penguins' 8th all-time title game appearance.
The Penguins will take a more defensive approach to winning this game, as they depend on pressure up front to wreak havoc on opposing backfields, and they like to disrupt the flow of a football game. The Penguins recorded a school record 47 sacks in 2016. Derek Rivers is the all-time sack leader at both Youngstown State and in the Missouri Valley Conference, as he has 40 for his career. He is joined off the edge by fellow DE, and Nebraska transfer, Avery Moss. Moss added 9.5 sacks to the record tally this season, and gets freed up when teams pay too much attention to Rivers coming off the other side.
Offensively, it will come down to the offensive line, led by All-American LT Dylan Colucci. The line dominated the trenches in the playoff win over Eastern Washington, allowing Tevin McCester and Jody Webb to combine for 255 yards rushing against the Eagles.
Webb rushed for 101 of those yards, but is a multi-purpose weapon, lining up as a receiver and a back, and is also a dangerous kick return weapon for YSU. McCester rushed for 154 yards in the win over EWU, and once he finds the hole, he is gone. Webb has rushed for 100 yards or more in each of the Penguin playoff wins. Chances are, if he manages to go over 100 again, YSU could be winning their 5th title.
Key Matchup Points
Frisco, Texas
9:00 AM PST, ESPN
The FCS football season culminates tomorrow in the national championship game at Frisco, Texas between the James Madison Dukes and the Youngstown State Penguins. This will mark the first time in six years that the national champion will not be North Dakota State, as the Bison had won the previous five titles. NDSU fell short against JMU in their quest for a 6th national title.
James Madison won the national title in 2004 under then coach Mickey Matthews in a 31-21 win over Montana. The Dukes have won 11 straight this season, with their last loss coming against North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Duke are in the title game by way of a strong road win in Fargo, beating North Dakota State to end their 22 game FCS playoff win streak. In November, the Dukes picked up back to back wins over top 10 opponents when they beat Richmond and Villanova, with both of those games coming on the road.
The Dukes are led by Mike Houston, who is in his first season as head coach after bringing life to what had been a dismal Citadel program. Houston is now 13-1 in his first season, and owns a 4-1 record overall in the playoffs.
QB Brian Schor is the leader of the of the Dukes on offense. He took over as the full time starter after backing up Vad Lee last season, and passed for 2890 yards, with 27 TDs and just 6 INTs. He was the CAA player of the week 4 times in a 6 week span this season, and completed 21/22 passes in a win over Rhode Island, a school single game completion record. He started the last 4 games of 2015 when Lee went down to injury, and rushed for 129 yards in the season opener this fall in a win over Morehead State.
What makes JMU dangerous is their ability to mix run and pass, as Khalid Abdullah rushed for 1728 yards this season. Abdullah has scored 33 TDs rushing the last two seasons, with 20 of those coming this year. He has 3577 career rushing yards, and topped a career high with 272 carries in 2016. Cardon Johnson is dangerous as well, having rushed for 704 yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. He scored 8 times this season.
Brandon Ravanel (45-720-5) and Duke transfer Terrence Alls (35-575-5) will likely be the two go to receivers for Schor in the passing game, and Domo Taylor is high on the list as well (34-547-3).
Defensively, the secondary is a huge strength for the Dukes, led by CB Taylor Reynolds, who has 14 Passes Defended on the year. This will be his final game. The Dukes led the nation with 20 INTs this season, and finished 9th in turnover margin at +15.
For Youngstown State, this will be a return to a familiar territory that the Penguins dominated in the 90s. Bo Pelini has led this program back from mediocrity, and now has the Penguins primed to win their first title since 1997, a 10-9 win over McNeese State. YSU has 4 total titles in their history, winning in 1991, 1993, 1994, and the 1997 win. This will be the Penguins' 8th all-time title game appearance.
The Penguins will take a more defensive approach to winning this game, as they depend on pressure up front to wreak havoc on opposing backfields, and they like to disrupt the flow of a football game. The Penguins recorded a school record 47 sacks in 2016. Derek Rivers is the all-time sack leader at both Youngstown State and in the Missouri Valley Conference, as he has 40 for his career. He is joined off the edge by fellow DE, and Nebraska transfer, Avery Moss. Moss added 9.5 sacks to the record tally this season, and gets freed up when teams pay too much attention to Rivers coming off the other side.
Offensively, it will come down to the offensive line, led by All-American LT Dylan Colucci. The line dominated the trenches in the playoff win over Eastern Washington, allowing Tevin McCester and Jody Webb to combine for 255 yards rushing against the Eagles.
Webb rushed for 101 of those yards, but is a multi-purpose weapon, lining up as a receiver and a back, and is also a dangerous kick return weapon for YSU. McCester rushed for 154 yards in the win over EWU, and once he finds the hole, he is gone. Webb has rushed for 100 yards or more in each of the Penguin playoff wins. Chances are, if he manages to go over 100 again, YSU could be winning their 5th title.
Key Matchup Points
- Youngstown State leads the all-time series over James Madison 3-1
- They last played in 2006, with YSU winning a playoff game 35-31 with 15 unanswered points
- JMU finished 2nd in FCS football with 48 points per game
- JMU allows only 1.9 sacks per game, while YSU averages 3.3 sacks per game
- Schor has a 10:3 TD to INT ratio in the playoffs
- Jody Webb has not rushed for less than 100 yards in a playoff game this season for YSU
- If YSU wins, they will be the 1st 3 loss champ since Richmond in 2008
- YSU is on a 6 game winning streak, JMU has won 11 straight
How They Match Up
Passing: JMU over YSU
The Dues win out in the passing game with Schor getting a clear edge over Penguin QB Hunter Wells. JMU ranked 36th nationally in passing, with the Penguins not finishing in the top 50. Wells started the season as the 4th string QB, and is 7-1 since gaining the starting job in October.
Rushing: JMU and YSU Virtually Tied
The difference is just 3 spots. The Dukes finished 4th nationally in rushing, while the Penguins finished 7th. Both teams like to run the ball first, as JMU averaged 284.6 yards per game, and the Penguins averaged 257.5. Whichever team establishes the run wins the game.
Rushing Defense: Youngstown State over James Madison
The Penguins finished 14 spots ahead of James Madison here at 24th in the nation against the run. The Penguins give up 128.1 yards rushing, and just 3.75 yards per carry. The Dukes ranked 38th, giving up 137.8 yards per game, with 4.28 yards per carry. The edge goes to the Penguins, but just by a hair.
Pass Defense: YSU and JMU Virtually Tied
Between the Dukes' ability to pick up turnovers by INT, and the Penguins' ability to generate pressure and sacks, this is anyone's game. Whichever unit can generate turnovers in what could be an icy and snowy venue will decide the outcome.
Time of Possession Battle
Again, there is not much separating the two. YSU ranked 3rd, however, and so wins the battle here on average. The Penguins held onto the football for 510 minutes on the season, averaging 34 minutes per game. The Dukes held onto the football for 474 minutes on the season, or 32 minutes per game.
Penalties Per Game
This could be a separating factor. Youngstown State is the only one of the two teams here that ranked in the top 50 of teams with the fewest penalties per game. The Penguins ranked 26th nationally with just 79 penalties, or just 5.27 per game. This could factor in during the game.
- Both teams finished in the top 10 in 3rd down conversion percentage
- Both teams are nearly identical in stopping 3rd down attempts
- YSU leads by .17% in 4th down conversions at 58.8% success
- YSU stopped 5/15 4th down conversions, a clear winner there
- YSU recovered 11 fumbles, which could have an effect in the weather
- James Madison averaged 48 points per game, YSU averaged 28.5
Final Assessment
It would seem that body for body, James Madison has the edge in this football game, as they have a higher powered offense, and the ability to mitigate the Youngstown passing game by having the ability to create turnovers. If, however, the Penguins can force the Dukes to put the ball on the ground by way of fumbles in cold weather, Youngstown State has their own way of creating turnovers. These teams are very close in every aspect except for scoring, where James Madison has the clear margin, and that starts and ends with the passing game and Schor. If he can avoid those YSU ends coming on the pass rush, he could be the difference here for the Dukes.
Pick: James Madison
The Dukes have the better overall resume, but it is hard for me to make this pick, as I believe that Bo Pelini has his Penguins motivated in this game. James Madison's offense is just a shade better, but it should be a very close game, as both defenses can do so many things to stagger the tempo of each offense.
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Minnesota Gophers Fire Tracy Claeys
Minnesota fired head football coach Tracy Claeys after one season today, the reason being a fundamental failure to support university policy as it applied to 10 suspended football players, and his actions after his team threatened to boycott all football activities, including participating in the Holiday Bowl. The boycott lasted less than two days, and the team beat Washington State in the Holiday Bowl 17-12.
After suspending the 10 players, an act which stemmed from an investigation into a sexual assault claim in September, Tracy Claeys sent a tweet that was deemed "not helpful" by athletic director Mark Croyle.
It would seem that Claeys was caught in between the administration and his players, and he chose the wrong side. Claeys, but supporting the suspended and/or boycotting players, he undermined the administration, or was perceived to have done so.
The moral of the story is that Claeys straddled a line with his position. His job, as distasteful as he may have found it, was to side with policy and his superiors. When he failed to do so, he decided to make the one play you should never make when you are in charge of a program, a business, or any position of authority. He chose to be the buddy, not the boss. One cannot be both.
Claeys supported the suspensions, but then with his one tweet, completely destroyed his standing in the decision making process, and he destabilized his position. Even 10 wins at Minnesota and a bowl win was not enough to save him after that.
The tweet in question is as follows:
After suspending the 10 players, an act which stemmed from an investigation into a sexual assault claim in September, Tracy Claeys sent a tweet that was deemed "not helpful" by athletic director Mark Croyle.
It would seem that Claeys was caught in between the administration and his players, and he chose the wrong side. Claeys, but supporting the suspended and/or boycotting players, he undermined the administration, or was perceived to have done so.
The moral of the story is that Claeys straddled a line with his position. His job, as distasteful as he may have found it, was to side with policy and his superiors. When he failed to do so, he decided to make the one play you should never make when you are in charge of a program, a business, or any position of authority. He chose to be the buddy, not the boss. One cannot be both.
Claeys supported the suspensions, but then with his one tweet, completely destroyed his standing in the decision making process, and he destabilized his position. Even 10 wins at Minnesota and a bowl win was not enough to save him after that.
The tweet in question is as follows:
Have never been more proud of our kids. I respect their rights & support their effort to make a better world! 
Bilo's Quick Outback Bowl Recap
Florida 30, Iowa 3
Florida scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to pull away from Iowa in the Outback Bowl in Tampa. The Gators had led just 10-3 at the half. For Florida, it was their first bowl win under Jim McElwain, and for Iowa, it was their worst scoring game in a bowl since 1993.
Austin Appleby passed for 222 yards and 2 TDs in the win for the Gators, but also tossed a pair of picks. He finished 14/25 passing on the day.
Iowa finished with just 226 yards of offense, their worst output of the season, and turned the football over 3 times, which tied a season high. Florida scored 13 points off of those turnovers.
Iowa has now lost 4 consecutive bowls, with 3 of those losses coming by at least 17 points. CJ Beathard was awful at QB for Iowa, completing just 7 passes for 55 yards. He also tossed 3 picks, just the scond time in his career at Iowa that he has thrown more than one in a game.
Florida RB Mark Thompson caught an 85 yard scoring pass. He had just 20 receiving yards all season entering the game.
Akrum Woodley moved past 1000 yards for the season, joining LeShun Daniels in the 1000 yard club this season for Iowa. This was the first time in school history that the Hawkeyes have ever had 2 1000 yard rushers in the same season.
Iowa managed 171 yards rushing in the loss, but just 55 yards passing. Wadley finished with 115 yards on the ground.
Jordan Scarlett led Florida with 94 yards rushing on 14 carries, but did not score.
Wadley also led Iowa with 4 receptions for just 21 yards.
Johnny Townsend was helpful for the Gators field position on defense, as he averaged 45.5 yards per punt.
Iowa actually won the battle of 1st downs, with 14 to Florida's 11.
Despite scoring 30 points, Florida finished with just 331 yards of offense.
Iowa averaged just 3.5 yards per play.
Florida committed 8 penalties, while Iowa committed only 1.
2017 Openers: Wyoming at Iowa (9/2); Florida vs. Michigan @ Arlington (9/2)
Florida scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to pull away from Iowa in the Outback Bowl in Tampa. The Gators had led just 10-3 at the half. For Florida, it was their first bowl win under Jim McElwain, and for Iowa, it was their worst scoring game in a bowl since 1993.
Austin Appleby passed for 222 yards and 2 TDs in the win for the Gators, but also tossed a pair of picks. He finished 14/25 passing on the day.
Iowa finished with just 226 yards of offense, their worst output of the season, and turned the football over 3 times, which tied a season high. Florida scored 13 points off of those turnovers.
Iowa has now lost 4 consecutive bowls, with 3 of those losses coming by at least 17 points. CJ Beathard was awful at QB for Iowa, completing just 7 passes for 55 yards. He also tossed 3 picks, just the scond time in his career at Iowa that he has thrown more than one in a game.
Florida RB Mark Thompson caught an 85 yard scoring pass. He had just 20 receiving yards all season entering the game.
Akrum Woodley moved past 1000 yards for the season, joining LeShun Daniels in the 1000 yard club this season for Iowa. This was the first time in school history that the Hawkeyes have ever had 2 1000 yard rushers in the same season.
Iowa managed 171 yards rushing in the loss, but just 55 yards passing. Wadley finished with 115 yards on the ground.
Jordan Scarlett led Florida with 94 yards rushing on 14 carries, but did not score.
Wadley also led Iowa with 4 receptions for just 21 yards.
Johnny Townsend was helpful for the Gators field position on defense, as he averaged 45.5 yards per punt.
Iowa actually won the battle of 1st downs, with 14 to Florida's 11.
Despite scoring 30 points, Florida finished with just 331 yards of offense.
Iowa averaged just 3.5 yards per play.
Florida committed 8 penalties, while Iowa committed only 1.
2017 Openers: Wyoming at Iowa (9/2); Florida vs. Michigan @ Arlington (9/2)
Bilo's Quick Cotton Bowl Recap
Wisconsin 24, Western Michigan 16
Wisconsin jumped out to a 14-0 1st quarter lead, and then used a staunch defense to carry them the rest of the way, as the Badgers won their 3rd straight bowl appearance, and clinched their first 11 win season since 2011 in the Cotton Bowl. It was the first loss of the season for Western Michigan, the Group of Five rep in the NY6 alignment, as the Broncos finished 13-1. It was the most successful season in WMU history.
LB TJ Edwards led the way on defense for Wisconsin, as he finished with 12 tackles, and picked off a 4th quarter pass that set up the final score for the Badgers, sealing the win. This was the first time all season that WMU did not score at least 20 points.
The loss snapped a 15 game winning streak for the Broncos.
Bart Houston and Alex Hornibrook both played, and completed 13/14 passes on the day combined. Corey Clement led the Badgers with 71 yards rushing and a score.
Wisconsin won the rushing battle with 184 yards on the ground, compared to 123 on 31 carries by the Broncos. Zach Terrell finished with one of his worst games of his career, passing for just 157 yards on 16/26 passing with a TD and one pick.
Corey Davis, the all-american Bronco WR, finished with just 6 catches for 73 yards and a score.
Wisconsin's Troy Fumagalli was the Badger receiving leader with 6 receptions for 83 yards and a score.
The two teams combined for just 7 penalties in the game.
Wisconsin was an solid 7/11 on 3rd down conversions.
WMU had 2 drives in the game that lasted at least 8 minutes. they had 20 drives this season that lasted 5 minutes or more.
2017 Openers: Utah State at Wisconsin (9/1); Western Michigan at USC (9/2)
Bilo's Quick Sugar Bowl Recap
Oklahoma 35, Auburn 19
Oklahoma scored 21 straight points in the second half to pull away from a one point game at the half in beating Auburn in New Orleans. The Sooners won their 10th straight game after starting out 1-2 in September with losses to Ohio State and Houston. Their winning streak is now second in the nation behind Alabama. Auburn finished the year with their 3rd loss in their last 4 games.
Baker Mayfield passed for 296 yards and 2 TDs, with no INTs. It was the 7th time in 2016 that Mayfield did not toss a pick in a game. He threw 2 or more TD passes in every game of the season.
This was the first meeting of Oklahoma and Auburn since 1972, which also happened in the Sugar Bowl. Oklahoma won that game as well, and are now 2-0 all-time against the Tigers. This was just the 2nd Bowl win in the last 5 attempts by Oklahoma, and they move to 29-20-1 all-time in bowls. Auburn is now 23-16-2 all-time in bowls, and have lost 3 of their last 4 appearances in bowl games.
Samaje perine broke Billy Simms all-time Oklahoma rushing record in the game, as he rushed for 86 yards on 17 carries, and scored a TD. He announced after the game that he will enter the NFL draft.
Kamryn Pettway was the star for Auburn, as he rushed for 101 yards on 24 carries.
Oklahoma rushed for 228 yards and 3 scores, and also received 91 yards on 19 carries from Joe Mixon. Auburn rushed for 185 yards on 46 carries.
Auburn had four players attempt passes in the game, and they combined to go 13/27 for just 154 yards with a TD and a pick.
Kevin Phillips averaged over 49 yards per punt for Auburn, while Austin Seibert averaged just over 45. Seibert, also the PK for OU, missed his only FG attempt.
2017 Season Openers: UTEP at Oklahoma (9/2); Georgia Southern at Auburn (9/2)
Oklahoma scored 21 straight points in the second half to pull away from a one point game at the half in beating Auburn in New Orleans. The Sooners won their 10th straight game after starting out 1-2 in September with losses to Ohio State and Houston. Their winning streak is now second in the nation behind Alabama. Auburn finished the year with their 3rd loss in their last 4 games.
Baker Mayfield passed for 296 yards and 2 TDs, with no INTs. It was the 7th time in 2016 that Mayfield did not toss a pick in a game. He threw 2 or more TD passes in every game of the season.
This was the first meeting of Oklahoma and Auburn since 1972, which also happened in the Sugar Bowl. Oklahoma won that game as well, and are now 2-0 all-time against the Tigers. This was just the 2nd Bowl win in the last 5 attempts by Oklahoma, and they move to 29-20-1 all-time in bowls. Auburn is now 23-16-2 all-time in bowls, and have lost 3 of their last 4 appearances in bowl games.
Samaje perine broke Billy Simms all-time Oklahoma rushing record in the game, as he rushed for 86 yards on 17 carries, and scored a TD. He announced after the game that he will enter the NFL draft.
Kamryn Pettway was the star for Auburn, as he rushed for 101 yards on 24 carries.
Oklahoma rushed for 228 yards and 3 scores, and also received 91 yards on 19 carries from Joe Mixon. Auburn rushed for 185 yards on 46 carries.
Auburn had four players attempt passes in the game, and they combined to go 13/27 for just 154 yards with a TD and a pick.
Kevin Phillips averaged over 49 yards per punt for Auburn, while Austin Seibert averaged just over 45. Seibert, also the PK for OU, missed his only FG attempt.
2017 Season Openers: UTEP at Oklahoma (9/2); Georgia Southern at Auburn (9/2)
Bilo's Quick Rose Bowl Recap
USC 52, Penn State 49
In a wild game that was topped with one of the worst all-time play calls ever, USC outlasted Penn State, coming back from 14 points down to win the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. With under a minute left, Penn State OC Joe Moorhead, who had been calling a solid game up until then, called two pass plays to the right side of the field. The first was batted down, the second was intercepted, setting up the game winning 46 yard FG for USC as time expired. Both teams entered the game with 8 game winning streaks, and was the most entertaining bowl this season.
Penn state scored TDs on 7 straight possessions, including two plays in a row, and racked up a Rose Bowl record 28 point 3rd quarter to erase a one time 13 point USC lead. USC scored 17 unanswered 4th quarter points, including 10 in the final 1:20 of the game.
In a game of shattered Rose Bowl records, Trojan QB Sam Darnold broke a record for TD passes in the game with 5. He completed 33/53 passes for 453 yards, 3 yards short of the Rose Bowl record, and was the hero of the game for USC, throwing one bold strike after another in the win.
Both teams broke the Rose Bowl combined scoring record (83 points) before the 3rd quarter had ended.
Trace McSorley of Penn State also totaled 5 TDs, 4 passing and one rushing in the loss. Darnold and McSorley join Vince Young (2005) and Neil Snow (1902) as the only players in Rose Bowl history to total 5 TDs in the game. Eric Ball was one player who rushed for 4 TDs in the Rose Bowl in 1984 for UCLA in their win over Iowa.
Deontay Burnett blew up in the game, catching 13 passes for 164 yards and 3 TDs. He had only caught 4 TD passes all season entering the game.
Between the ending moments of the 2nd quarter, and the early moments of the 3rd, Penn State scored on 4 consecutive plays.
USC now has 25 Rose Bowl wins all-time, which is the record for wins in any one bowl for any school.
2017 Openers: Akron at Penn State (9/2); Western Michigan at USC (9/2)
In a wild game that was topped with one of the worst all-time play calls ever, USC outlasted Penn State, coming back from 14 points down to win the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. With under a minute left, Penn State OC Joe Moorhead, who had been calling a solid game up until then, called two pass plays to the right side of the field. The first was batted down, the second was intercepted, setting up the game winning 46 yard FG for USC as time expired. Both teams entered the game with 8 game winning streaks, and was the most entertaining bowl this season.
Penn state scored TDs on 7 straight possessions, including two plays in a row, and racked up a Rose Bowl record 28 point 3rd quarter to erase a one time 13 point USC lead. USC scored 17 unanswered 4th quarter points, including 10 in the final 1:20 of the game.
In a game of shattered Rose Bowl records, Trojan QB Sam Darnold broke a record for TD passes in the game with 5. He completed 33/53 passes for 453 yards, 3 yards short of the Rose Bowl record, and was the hero of the game for USC, throwing one bold strike after another in the win.
Both teams broke the Rose Bowl combined scoring record (83 points) before the 3rd quarter had ended.
Trace McSorley of Penn State also totaled 5 TDs, 4 passing and one rushing in the loss. Darnold and McSorley join Vince Young (2005) and Neil Snow (1902) as the only players in Rose Bowl history to total 5 TDs in the game. Eric Ball was one player who rushed for 4 TDs in the Rose Bowl in 1984 for UCLA in their win over Iowa.
Deontay Burnett blew up in the game, catching 13 passes for 164 yards and 3 TDs. He had only caught 4 TD passes all season entering the game.
Between the ending moments of the 2nd quarter, and the early moments of the 3rd, Penn State scored on 4 consecutive plays.
USC now has 25 Rose Bowl wins all-time, which is the record for wins in any one bowl for any school.
2017 Openers: Akron at Penn State (9/2); Western Michigan at USC (9/2)
Bilo's Quick Gator Bowl Recap
Georgia Tech 33, Kentucky 18
Georgia Tech started the game off with an early defensive score, and then jumped out to a 20-3 lead at the half to hold off Kentucky in Jacksonville. Tech finished the season by winning 6 of 7 and 4 straight, while Kentucky fell short of their first 8 win season since 2007.
Dedrick Mills had a huge performance, his best by far this season, by rushing for 169 yards on 31 carries for Georgia Tech.
This was the Yellow Jackets' 19th bowl appearance over the last 20 seasons, and move them to 12-7-1 all-time against Kentucky, including 5 of their last 6 against the Wildcats. Georgia Tech is now 4-4 all-time in the Gator Bowl. Kentucky is now 0-1 in the bowl.
Kentucky scored 15 of their 18 points all in the 4th quarter in the loss, Stephen Johnson passed for 175 yards, and rushed for 49 more for the Cats.
Harrison Butker was 4/4 on FG attempts for the Yellow Jackets.
Georgia Tech is now 25-19 all-time in bowls, while Kentucky fell to 8-8. This was Kentucky's first bowl since 2010.
Tech rushed for 266 yards, Kentucky ran for 149 on 36 carries.
10 different UK receivers caught passes, while just 3 receivers caught passes for Georgia Tech.
Ryan Rowdell averaged just 25.3 yards per punt for Georgia Tech, but Grant McKinniss averaged just 25.5. This was one of the worst combined punting efforts in bowl history.
Kentucky did not return a single kick in the loss.
2017 Openers: Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee (9/4); Kentucky at Southern Mississippi (9/2)
Editors Note: The Gator Bowl is now called the Taxslayer Bowl, but being that Taxslayer (whomever they might be), does not pay any of my bills, I will still refer to it as the Gator Bowl.
Thanks,
SB
Georgia Tech started the game off with an early defensive score, and then jumped out to a 20-3 lead at the half to hold off Kentucky in Jacksonville. Tech finished the season by winning 6 of 7 and 4 straight, while Kentucky fell short of their first 8 win season since 2007.
Dedrick Mills had a huge performance, his best by far this season, by rushing for 169 yards on 31 carries for Georgia Tech.
This was the Yellow Jackets' 19th bowl appearance over the last 20 seasons, and move them to 12-7-1 all-time against Kentucky, including 5 of their last 6 against the Wildcats. Georgia Tech is now 4-4 all-time in the Gator Bowl. Kentucky is now 0-1 in the bowl.
Kentucky scored 15 of their 18 points all in the 4th quarter in the loss, Stephen Johnson passed for 175 yards, and rushed for 49 more for the Cats.
Harrison Butker was 4/4 on FG attempts for the Yellow Jackets.
Georgia Tech is now 25-19 all-time in bowls, while Kentucky fell to 8-8. This was Kentucky's first bowl since 2010.
Tech rushed for 266 yards, Kentucky ran for 149 on 36 carries.
10 different UK receivers caught passes, while just 3 receivers caught passes for Georgia Tech.
Ryan Rowdell averaged just 25.3 yards per punt for Georgia Tech, but Grant McKinniss averaged just 25.5. This was one of the worst combined punting efforts in bowl history.
Kentucky did not return a single kick in the loss.
2017 Openers: Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee (9/4); Kentucky at Southern Mississippi (9/2)
Editors Note: The Gator Bowl is now called the Taxslayer Bowl, but being that Taxslayer (whomever they might be), does not pay any of my bills, I will still refer to it as the Gator Bowl.
Thanks,
SB
Bilo's Quick Citrus Bowl Recap
LSU 29, Louisville 9
Leonard Fournette's absence meant nothing at all to the LSU Tigers, as they defensively dominated Louisville and Heisman winner Lamar Jackson in Orlando. LSU capped their 17th straight season with at least 8 wins, and won in their 17th straight bowl appearance. Louisville, who had started 9-1, lost their 3rd straight game to end the 2016 season.
Derrius Guice had a huge day as the star back, as he rushed for 138 yards and a score, and also added a score as a receiver in the win. Guice, not Fournette, was named as a quarter finalist for my All-Bilo RB of the Year for 2016. It was Guice's 6th 100 yard effort of the season, and his 4th straight game with a score.
LSU moved to 2-2 in the Citrus Bowl all time, while Louisville is now just 4-3 in their last 7 bowl appearances. LSU finished 3-2 against top 25 opponents this season, while Louisville finished 1-2.
Jackson had a nightmare of a game, as he passed for a season low 153 yards, while he was held to just 33 yards rushing on 26 carries. He finished just 10/27 passing in the loss. He failed to score for the first time since November of 2015.
Danny Etling ended the season on a high note for LSU, as he passed for 217 yards and a pair of TDs. Malachi Dupree was his best benefactor, having caught 7 passes for 139 yards in the win.
LSU finished with 394 total yards, and finished 7/17 on 3rd downs. Louisville was held to just 220 yards, and was a miserable 2/17 on 3rd down conversions.
LSU DE Arden Key set an LSU single season record for sacks with his 12th of the season.
2017 Openers: Louisville vs. Purdue @ Indianapolis (9/2); LSU vs. BYU @ Houston (9/2)
Leonard Fournette's absence meant nothing at all to the LSU Tigers, as they defensively dominated Louisville and Heisman winner Lamar Jackson in Orlando. LSU capped their 17th straight season with at least 8 wins, and won in their 17th straight bowl appearance. Louisville, who had started 9-1, lost their 3rd straight game to end the 2016 season.
Derrius Guice had a huge day as the star back, as he rushed for 138 yards and a score, and also added a score as a receiver in the win. Guice, not Fournette, was named as a quarter finalist for my All-Bilo RB of the Year for 2016. It was Guice's 6th 100 yard effort of the season, and his 4th straight game with a score.
LSU moved to 2-2 in the Citrus Bowl all time, while Louisville is now just 4-3 in their last 7 bowl appearances. LSU finished 3-2 against top 25 opponents this season, while Louisville finished 1-2.
Jackson had a nightmare of a game, as he passed for a season low 153 yards, while he was held to just 33 yards rushing on 26 carries. He finished just 10/27 passing in the loss. He failed to score for the first time since November of 2015.
Danny Etling ended the season on a high note for LSU, as he passed for 217 yards and a pair of TDs. Malachi Dupree was his best benefactor, having caught 7 passes for 139 yards in the win.
LSU finished with 394 total yards, and finished 7/17 on 3rd downs. Louisville was held to just 220 yards, and was a miserable 2/17 on 3rd down conversions.
LSU DE Arden Key set an LSU single season record for sacks with his 12th of the season.
2017 Openers: Louisville vs. Purdue @ Indianapolis (9/2); LSU vs. BYU @ Houston (9/2)
Bilo's Quick Fiesta Bowl Recap
Clemson 31, Ohio State 0
Clemson held Ohio State to just 215 yards of offense, and the Buckeyes finished with 2 losses in a season for the first time under Urban Meyer in the Fiesta Bowl loss. Clemson earns a rematch against Alabama next Monday in the national title game, which Clemson lost 40-35 last season.
Deshaun Watson passed for a TD, and rushed for 2 more, and finished with 259 yards passing in the win, but did toss 2 early INTs to give him 17 total for the year so far, a high number for certain for a Heisman candidate QB.
The shutout loss for Ohio State was the first for Urban Meyer in his head coaching career. JT Barrett, who was the source of pinup board material when Clemson defenders stated that they had played against better QBs, certainly was not fired up by that fact, and was held without a TD pass for the 4th time on the season. This was his first time in 2016 tossing multiple picks in a game, as he finished with 2. Barrett was held to 127 yards passing and -2 yards rushing. The Buckeyes, as a team, were held to just 63 total yards in the 2nd and 3rd quarters combined.
Clemson won the battle of the rushing yards, as they racked up 205 yards on the ground, just 10 fewer yards than the Buckeyes totaled. Wayne Gallman, who was largely inconsistent in 2016, rushed for 85 of those yards. Barrett carried the ball 11 times for Ohio State, but no other Buckeye back carried the football more than 6 times in the game.
Ohio state had not been shut out since 1993, and had the longest streak in the nation of not being shut out.
2017 Openers: Kent State at Clemson (9/2); Ohio State at Indiana (9/1)
Clemson held Ohio State to just 215 yards of offense, and the Buckeyes finished with 2 losses in a season for the first time under Urban Meyer in the Fiesta Bowl loss. Clemson earns a rematch against Alabama next Monday in the national title game, which Clemson lost 40-35 last season.
Deshaun Watson passed for a TD, and rushed for 2 more, and finished with 259 yards passing in the win, but did toss 2 early INTs to give him 17 total for the year so far, a high number for certain for a Heisman candidate QB.
The shutout loss for Ohio State was the first for Urban Meyer in his head coaching career. JT Barrett, who was the source of pinup board material when Clemson defenders stated that they had played against better QBs, certainly was not fired up by that fact, and was held without a TD pass for the 4th time on the season. This was his first time in 2016 tossing multiple picks in a game, as he finished with 2. Barrett was held to 127 yards passing and -2 yards rushing. The Buckeyes, as a team, were held to just 63 total yards in the 2nd and 3rd quarters combined.
Clemson won the battle of the rushing yards, as they racked up 205 yards on the ground, just 10 fewer yards than the Buckeyes totaled. Wayne Gallman, who was largely inconsistent in 2016, rushed for 85 of those yards. Barrett carried the ball 11 times for Ohio State, but no other Buckeye back carried the football more than 6 times in the game.
Ohio state had not been shut out since 1993, and had the longest streak in the nation of not being shut out.
2017 Openers: Kent State at Clemson (9/2); Ohio State at Indiana (9/1)
Bilo's Quick Peach Bowl Recap
Alabama 24, Washington 7
Alabama used a crushing defensive effort to crush Washington's hopes of playing for a national title next Monday, and the Tide will be once again in that spot after beating Washington in Atlanta. After finishing the 1st quarter tied at 7, Alabama rolled off 17 unanswered points to pick up the win.
Bo Scarbrough led the way on offense for Alabama, as he rushed for 180 yards on just 19 carries, and scored both Tide offensive TDs. His 180 yards rushing were an Alabama bowl record.
Alabama was purely dominant on defense, as Washington picked up 68 yards on their very first possession, and were then held to just 126 yards for the rest of the day.
Ryan Andserson's 4th quarter pick 6 sealed the win for Alabama, and was the 15th defensive score of the season for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama will now play in the title game for the 5th time in 8 seasons, and sets up a rematch of last season's title game with Clemson, who beat Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Jake Browning was picked twice in the loss for the Huskies, and he has now been picked 6 times in his last 5 games, after only being picked 3 times in his previous games dating to the start of the 2016 season.
The Huskies were held to just 1.9 yards per carry, and 3.9 yards per pass attempt.
Myles Gaskin, the leading rusher for the Huskies, was held to just 34 yards on 10 carries, and Browning finished just 20/38 passing for 150 yards.
2017 Openers: Alabama vs. Florida State @ Atlanta (9/2); Washington at Rutgers (9/1)
Alabama used a crushing defensive effort to crush Washington's hopes of playing for a national title next Monday, and the Tide will be once again in that spot after beating Washington in Atlanta. After finishing the 1st quarter tied at 7, Alabama rolled off 17 unanswered points to pick up the win.
Bo Scarbrough led the way on offense for Alabama, as he rushed for 180 yards on just 19 carries, and scored both Tide offensive TDs. His 180 yards rushing were an Alabama bowl record.
Alabama was purely dominant on defense, as Washington picked up 68 yards on their very first possession, and were then held to just 126 yards for the rest of the day.
Ryan Andserson's 4th quarter pick 6 sealed the win for Alabama, and was the 15th defensive score of the season for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama will now play in the title game for the 5th time in 8 seasons, and sets up a rematch of last season's title game with Clemson, who beat Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Jake Browning was picked twice in the loss for the Huskies, and he has now been picked 6 times in his last 5 games, after only being picked 3 times in his previous games dating to the start of the 2016 season.
The Huskies were held to just 1.9 yards per carry, and 3.9 yards per pass attempt.
Myles Gaskin, the leading rusher for the Huskies, was held to just 34 yards on 10 carries, and Browning finished just 20/38 passing for 150 yards.
2017 Openers: Alabama vs. Florida State @ Atlanta (9/2); Washington at Rutgers (9/1)
Bilo's Quick Arizona Bowl Recap
Air Force 45, South Alabama 21
Air Force broke open a game that was tied at the half with 24 unanswered 2nd half points to pull away with a win in Tucson in the Arizona Bowl. The Falcons had trailed by 18 points in the 2nd quarter before making a furious rally, which then ended in the subsequent blowout win. The Falcons finished with their second consecutive 10 win season, while South Alabama fell to 6-7 on the year. USA is now 0-2 in bowl game appearances since starting their football program in recent seasons.
Josh Robinette caught only 2 passes, but they went for 124 yards and a score for Air Force. Robinette finished 17 yards shy of becoming the first Air Force receiver with 1000 yards since 1970.
The Falcons finished with 460 yards on the game, and held onto the football for just over 40 minutes. Arion Worthman rallied up 278 total yards for the Falcons at QB.
South Alabama finished with just 313 yards of offense, most of which was effective only in the first half of the game, as the Jaguars only had 37 yards after the half, and finished with -3 yards in the final quarter.
Jacobi Owens rushed for 74 yards for the Falcons, and scored twice.
USA finished with just 68 yards rushing on 21 carries as a team, with no one back carrying the ball more than 8 times in the game.
Air Force rushed for 253 team yards and 4 scores.
Dallas Davis completed just 10 passes, but picked up 245 yard passing for USA. Josh Magee caught 5 of those passes for 154 yards and a score.
2017 Openers: Air Force TBA; South Alabama at Ole Miss (9/2)
Air Force broke open a game that was tied at the half with 24 unanswered 2nd half points to pull away with a win in Tucson in the Arizona Bowl. The Falcons had trailed by 18 points in the 2nd quarter before making a furious rally, which then ended in the subsequent blowout win. The Falcons finished with their second consecutive 10 win season, while South Alabama fell to 6-7 on the year. USA is now 0-2 in bowl game appearances since starting their football program in recent seasons.
Josh Robinette caught only 2 passes, but they went for 124 yards and a score for Air Force. Robinette finished 17 yards shy of becoming the first Air Force receiver with 1000 yards since 1970.
The Falcons finished with 460 yards on the game, and held onto the football for just over 40 minutes. Arion Worthman rallied up 278 total yards for the Falcons at QB.
South Alabama finished with just 313 yards of offense, most of which was effective only in the first half of the game, as the Jaguars only had 37 yards after the half, and finished with -3 yards in the final quarter.
Jacobi Owens rushed for 74 yards for the Falcons, and scored twice.
USA finished with just 68 yards rushing on 21 carries as a team, with no one back carrying the ball more than 8 times in the game.
Air Force rushed for 253 team yards and 4 scores.
Dallas Davis completed just 10 passes, but picked up 245 yard passing for USA. Josh Magee caught 5 of those passes for 154 yards and a score.
2017 Openers: Air Force TBA; South Alabama at Ole Miss (9/2)
Bilo's Quick Liberty Bowl Recap
Georgia 31, TCU 23
Nick Chubb rushed for 142 yards, and Georgia won a back and forth effort over TCU in Memphis. Chubb also rushed for one score on the day. The loss ensured just the 3rd losing season in Gary Patterson's career at TCU, as the Frogs finish 6-7. Georgia finished 8-5 in the first season under Kirby Smart. There were 5 lead changes oin the game.
Georgia has now won 4 bowls in 5 tries, and rushed for a team 248 yards, on 5.7 yards per carry. The Bulldogs sacked Kenny Hill 5 times, 3 of those coming from defensive lineman Trenton Thompson.
Despite the sacks, Kenny Hill managed to lead TCU with all 3 TDs scored on the day, passing for 2, and rushing for the other. Both of Hill's TD passes went to John Diarse, his only 2 receptions on the day.
For Georgia, it was their 30th bowl win, a feat shared only by Alabama and USC.
TCU fell to 9-5 in bowls under Patterson.
2017 Openers: Appalachian State at Georgia (9/2); Jackson State at TCU (9/2)
Nick Chubb rushed for 142 yards, and Georgia won a back and forth effort over TCU in Memphis. Chubb also rushed for one score on the day. The loss ensured just the 3rd losing season in Gary Patterson's career at TCU, as the Frogs finish 6-7. Georgia finished 8-5 in the first season under Kirby Smart. There were 5 lead changes oin the game.
Georgia has now won 4 bowls in 5 tries, and rushed for a team 248 yards, on 5.7 yards per carry. The Bulldogs sacked Kenny Hill 5 times, 3 of those coming from defensive lineman Trenton Thompson.
Despite the sacks, Kenny Hill managed to lead TCU with all 3 TDs scored on the day, passing for 2, and rushing for the other. Both of Hill's TD passes went to John Diarse, his only 2 receptions on the day.
For Georgia, it was their 30th bowl win, a feat shared only by Alabama and USC.
TCU fell to 9-5 in bowls under Patterson.
2017 Openers: Appalachian State at Georgia (9/2); Jackson State at TCU (9/2)
Monday, January 2, 2017
Bilo's Quick Music City Bowl Recap
Tennessee 38, Nebraska 24
It seemed as if every time Nebraska would pick up a rallying score, Tennessee would answer. The Vols led 24-14 after the 3rd quarter, and managed to keep Nebraska at bay in the win in Nashville.
Derek Barnett broke Reggie White's all-time sack record at Tennessee, and Josh Dobbs completed 23/38 passes for 291 yards and TD, while he also rushed for 118 yards on 11 carries and 3 TDs.
Barnett finished with 33 sacks on his career at Tennessee. The Vols have now won 3 straight bowls for the first time in 20 years, despite having a drama filled season that saw them fail to win a weak SEC East and finish at 9-4.
Brandon Reilly caught 4 passes for 98 yards and a pair of scores, his first of the year. The Huskers were playing without Tommie Armstrong, who was injured. With Ryker Fyfe at QB, the Huskers finished with just 318 yards of offense, while the Vols racked up 521.
Nebraska was held to just 34 yards on their first 5 possessions, with each of those possessions ending in punts. Caleb Lightboum punted 7 times on the game. Nebraska finished with just 61 yards rushing, which was a huge problem on the night. Tennessee finished with 230 yards rushing and 4 scores.
Fyfe did manage to pass for 243 yards and 2 scores on the day, but a lack of a run game left him limited.
Along with missing Armstrong, Antonio Reed was taken off in the 2nd quarter with an injury. He was starting at Safety in place of an also injured Nathan Gerry.
2017 Openers: Arkansas State at Nebraska (9/2); Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech (9/4)
It seemed as if every time Nebraska would pick up a rallying score, Tennessee would answer. The Vols led 24-14 after the 3rd quarter, and managed to keep Nebraska at bay in the win in Nashville.
Derek Barnett broke Reggie White's all-time sack record at Tennessee, and Josh Dobbs completed 23/38 passes for 291 yards and TD, while he also rushed for 118 yards on 11 carries and 3 TDs.
Barnett finished with 33 sacks on his career at Tennessee. The Vols have now won 3 straight bowls for the first time in 20 years, despite having a drama filled season that saw them fail to win a weak SEC East and finish at 9-4.
Brandon Reilly caught 4 passes for 98 yards and a pair of scores, his first of the year. The Huskers were playing without Tommie Armstrong, who was injured. With Ryker Fyfe at QB, the Huskers finished with just 318 yards of offense, while the Vols racked up 521.
Nebraska was held to just 34 yards on their first 5 possessions, with each of those possessions ending in punts. Caleb Lightboum punted 7 times on the game. Nebraska finished with just 61 yards rushing, which was a huge problem on the night. Tennessee finished with 230 yards rushing and 4 scores.
Fyfe did manage to pass for 243 yards and 2 scores on the day, but a lack of a run game left him limited.
Along with missing Armstrong, Antonio Reed was taken off in the 2nd quarter with an injury. He was starting at Safety in place of an also injured Nathan Gerry.
2017 Openers: Arkansas State at Nebraska (9/2); Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech (9/4)
Bilo's Quick Sun Bowl Recap
Stanford 25, North Carolina 23
Stanford held off a UNC 2 point conversion in the final minute, and the Cardinal survived the absence of Christian McCaffrey to beat the Tar Heels in El Paso. Stanford finishes the seasonw tih 6 straight wins to get their 10th of the year after a 4-3 start. Carolina was trending the other way, losing 3 of their final 4 games of the year to finish at 8-5.
Stanford Safety Dallas Lloyd was the star of the day, recording 6 tackles, a forced fumble, and 2 INTs, the last of which went for a pick 6 to put Stanford ahead for the win. Stanford kicker Conrad Ukropina was also a star, hitting on 4/5 FGs to further provide a margin of victory.
Bryce Love caught just one pass all day in replacing McCaffrey, who sat out to prepare for the NFL draft, but that was a 42 yard TD strike, the only Stanford offensive TD of the day. He finished with 115 yards rushing.
Mitch Trubisky finished by throwing for 280 yards and 2 TDs, but also tossed 2 picks, one of which went for the go ahead score for Stanford.
North Carolina has now lost their last 3 bowl appearances. and Larry Fedora is now just 1-4 in bowls.
Stanford now has won 10 games for 10 consecutive seasons, and had only accomplished that feat 3 times ever before that.
2017 Openers: Stanford at Rice (9/2); California at North Carolina (9/2)
Stanford held off a UNC 2 point conversion in the final minute, and the Cardinal survived the absence of Christian McCaffrey to beat the Tar Heels in El Paso. Stanford finishes the seasonw tih 6 straight wins to get their 10th of the year after a 4-3 start. Carolina was trending the other way, losing 3 of their final 4 games of the year to finish at 8-5.
Stanford Safety Dallas Lloyd was the star of the day, recording 6 tackles, a forced fumble, and 2 INTs, the last of which went for a pick 6 to put Stanford ahead for the win. Stanford kicker Conrad Ukropina was also a star, hitting on 4/5 FGs to further provide a margin of victory.
Bryce Love caught just one pass all day in replacing McCaffrey, who sat out to prepare for the NFL draft, but that was a 42 yard TD strike, the only Stanford offensive TD of the day. He finished with 115 yards rushing.
Mitch Trubisky finished by throwing for 280 yards and 2 TDs, but also tossed 2 picks, one of which went for the go ahead score for Stanford.
North Carolina has now lost their last 3 bowl appearances. and Larry Fedora is now just 1-4 in bowls.
Stanford now has won 10 games for 10 consecutive seasons, and had only accomplished that feat 3 times ever before that.
2017 Openers: Stanford at Rice (9/2); California at North Carolina (9/2)
Bilo's Quick Birmingham Bowl Recap
USF 46, South Carolina 39 (OT)
USF blew an 18 point lead at one point, but survived in OT to beat South Carolina in Birmingham. With the win, the Bulls racked up a school record 11 win season, while South Carolina dropped to under .500 for the second season in a row, the first time that has happened since 2002-03.
Quinton Flowers continued his stellar season at QB for the Bulls, as he passed for 261 yards and 2 TDs, while he rushed for 105 yards and 3 TDs in the game. Flowers finished with 2812 yards and 24 TDs passing, and rushed for 1530 yards and another 18 TDs, yet was never mentioned in the Heisman race.
The Bulls also lead the nation in consecutive 30 point games, as this was their 17th straight game with 30 or more on the board. The Bulls are also in a transition period between Willie Taggart leaving for Oregon, while Charlie Strong is set to take over in 2017.
The loss snapped a 4 game bowl winning streak for the Gamecocks, as they had not lost a bowl game since 2010. South Carolina was plagued by turnovers in this game, notching 5 on the day, including 3 fumbles in the red zone, all inside the USF 10 yard line. Deebo Samuel did have a strong game for South Carolina, catching 14 passes for 190 yards, and he also caught his one and only TD of the year.
USF racked up 333 yards of offense by half time, but was held to just 28 yards in the 4th quarter as SC made their rally.
Jake Bentley completed 32/42 passes for 390 yards and 3 TDs, but also tossed a pick 6 in the loss.
Marlon Mack, who rushed for over 1100 yards for USF this season, was held to just 56 yards rushing in the win, and never scored.
South Carolina was held under 100 yards rushing (91) on 34 carries.
2017 Openers: USF at San Jose State (8/26); South Carolina vs. NC State @ Charlotte (9/2)
USF blew an 18 point lead at one point, but survived in OT to beat South Carolina in Birmingham. With the win, the Bulls racked up a school record 11 win season, while South Carolina dropped to under .500 for the second season in a row, the first time that has happened since 2002-03.
Quinton Flowers continued his stellar season at QB for the Bulls, as he passed for 261 yards and 2 TDs, while he rushed for 105 yards and 3 TDs in the game. Flowers finished with 2812 yards and 24 TDs passing, and rushed for 1530 yards and another 18 TDs, yet was never mentioned in the Heisman race.
The Bulls also lead the nation in consecutive 30 point games, as this was their 17th straight game with 30 or more on the board. The Bulls are also in a transition period between Willie Taggart leaving for Oregon, while Charlie Strong is set to take over in 2017.
The loss snapped a 4 game bowl winning streak for the Gamecocks, as they had not lost a bowl game since 2010. South Carolina was plagued by turnovers in this game, notching 5 on the day, including 3 fumbles in the red zone, all inside the USF 10 yard line. Deebo Samuel did have a strong game for South Carolina, catching 14 passes for 190 yards, and he also caught his one and only TD of the year.
USF racked up 333 yards of offense by half time, but was held to just 28 yards in the 4th quarter as SC made their rally.
Jake Bentley completed 32/42 passes for 390 yards and 3 TDs, but also tossed a pick 6 in the loss.
Marlon Mack, who rushed for over 1100 yards for USF this season, was held to just 56 yards rushing in the win, and never scored.
South Carolina was held under 100 yards rushing (91) on 34 carries.
2017 Openers: USF at San Jose State (8/26); South Carolina vs. NC State @ Charlotte (9/2)
Bilo's Quick Orange Bowl Recap
Florida State 33, Michigan 32
A furious 4th quarter by both sides ended in the Seminoles barely holding on to a win after leading 20-6 at one point. With the win, Florida State finished with double digit wins for the 5th straight season, and won their 5th straight game of the year. Michigan's loss kept them from their first 11 win season since 2011.
Dalvin Cook was a star for the Seminoles, having rushed for 145 yards and a score, while he also hauled in 3 passes for 62 yards. It was his 9th 100 yard rushing effort of the season, and was his 10th straight game with at least one score in a game.
Florida State is now 2-1 all-time against Michigan with the win. DeAndre Francois survived a horrible 9/27 passing effort by working it to a tune of 222 yards (92 on one scoring strike), and a pair of TDs with 1 INT. Cook was also the only Seminole back to rush for double digit yardage. Nyqwan Murray caught both TD passes on the day for FSU.
Michigan never got their run game off the ground, rushing for just 89 yards on 36 carries on the day. De'Veon Smith was held to just 36 yards on 16 carries. Wilton Speight, who had been injured late this season, had a mixed day, completing 21/38 passes for 163 yards and a score, with one INT.
Punter Kenny Allen was a busy guy for Michigan, as he was forced to punt 8 times in the game, but averaged a booming 47.4 yard average on the game.
Florida State finished 4-2 against top 25 teams this season, while Michigan fell to 1-2.
FSU is now 5-5 all-time in the Orange Bowl, while Michigan, again, is now 1-2.
Florida State had 255 yards of offense in the 1st half, Michigan's poorest performance of the year defensively.
Nyqwan Murray's 92 yard TD pass from DeAndre Francois was the longest in Orange Bowl history.
Amara Darboh was held under 42 yards for the 3rd straight game after finishing with more than 42 the previous 9 games.
2017 Openers: Michigan vs. Florida @Arlington, TX (9/2); Florida State vs. Alabama @ Atlanta (9/2)
A furious 4th quarter by both sides ended in the Seminoles barely holding on to a win after leading 20-6 at one point. With the win, Florida State finished with double digit wins for the 5th straight season, and won their 5th straight game of the year. Michigan's loss kept them from their first 11 win season since 2011.
Dalvin Cook was a star for the Seminoles, having rushed for 145 yards and a score, while he also hauled in 3 passes for 62 yards. It was his 9th 100 yard rushing effort of the season, and was his 10th straight game with at least one score in a game.
Florida State is now 2-1 all-time against Michigan with the win. DeAndre Francois survived a horrible 9/27 passing effort by working it to a tune of 222 yards (92 on one scoring strike), and a pair of TDs with 1 INT. Cook was also the only Seminole back to rush for double digit yardage. Nyqwan Murray caught both TD passes on the day for FSU.
Michigan never got their run game off the ground, rushing for just 89 yards on 36 carries on the day. De'Veon Smith was held to just 36 yards on 16 carries. Wilton Speight, who had been injured late this season, had a mixed day, completing 21/38 passes for 163 yards and a score, with one INT.
Punter Kenny Allen was a busy guy for Michigan, as he was forced to punt 8 times in the game, but averaged a booming 47.4 yard average on the game.
Florida State finished 4-2 against top 25 teams this season, while Michigan fell to 1-2.
FSU is now 5-5 all-time in the Orange Bowl, while Michigan, again, is now 1-2.
Florida State had 255 yards of offense in the 1st half, Michigan's poorest performance of the year defensively.
Nyqwan Murray's 92 yard TD pass from DeAndre Francois was the longest in Orange Bowl history.
Amara Darboh was held under 42 yards for the 3rd straight game after finishing with more than 42 the previous 9 games.
2017 Openers: Michigan vs. Florida @Arlington, TX (9/2); Florida State vs. Alabama @ Atlanta (9/2)
Bilo's Quick Alamo Bowl Recap
Oklahoma State 38, Colorado 8
I had warned all week against a Colorado letdown entering the Alamo Bowl, as many believed that the Buffalos deserved a shot at the Rose Bowl with Washington in the national semi-final. Add to that issue that Jim Leavitt bolted for Oregon (stupid move on his part), and there was a recipe for disaster brewing.
OSU blew out to a 31-0 lead in the 3rd quarter, and Colorado virtually never got off the bus in the loss.
Oklahoma State rolled up their second straight 10 win season, while Colorado fell short of their first 11 win season since 1994.
Mason Rudolph passed for 314 yards and 3 scores, after announcing that he and James Washington would return in 2017 earlier in the week. It was the 8th time in 9 games that Rudolph did not throw a pick in a game. Washington caught 9 passes for 171 yards and a score, making this duo perhaps the best pass/catch combo in the nation returning for 2017.
Oklahoma State is now 20-26-1 all-time against Colorado with the win. The Cowboys are now 7-4 in bowls under Mike Gundy, and are 17-10 in bowls all-time. Colorado is 12-17 all-time in bowls, and are 1-5 in their last 6.
Sefu Liufau finished completing 18/29 passes for 195 yards, but was injured for part of the game.
Colorado's last bowl appearance was the 2007 Independence Bowl.
Justice Hill rushed for 100 yards and a score on 19 carries, and added a score for the Cowboys.
Phillip Lindsey finished with 166 total yards for Colorado.
2017 Openers: Colorado vs. Colorado State @ Denver (9/2); Tulsa at Oklahoma State (9/2)
I had warned all week against a Colorado letdown entering the Alamo Bowl, as many believed that the Buffalos deserved a shot at the Rose Bowl with Washington in the national semi-final. Add to that issue that Jim Leavitt bolted for Oregon (stupid move on his part), and there was a recipe for disaster brewing.
OSU blew out to a 31-0 lead in the 3rd quarter, and Colorado virtually never got off the bus in the loss.
Oklahoma State rolled up their second straight 10 win season, while Colorado fell short of their first 11 win season since 1994.
Mason Rudolph passed for 314 yards and 3 scores, after announcing that he and James Washington would return in 2017 earlier in the week. It was the 8th time in 9 games that Rudolph did not throw a pick in a game. Washington caught 9 passes for 171 yards and a score, making this duo perhaps the best pass/catch combo in the nation returning for 2017.
Oklahoma State is now 20-26-1 all-time against Colorado with the win. The Cowboys are now 7-4 in bowls under Mike Gundy, and are 17-10 in bowls all-time. Colorado is 12-17 all-time in bowls, and are 1-5 in their last 6.
Sefu Liufau finished completing 18/29 passes for 195 yards, but was injured for part of the game.
Colorado's last bowl appearance was the 2007 Independence Bowl.
Justice Hill rushed for 100 yards and a score on 19 carries, and added a score for the Cowboys.
Phillip Lindsey finished with 166 total yards for Colorado.
2017 Openers: Colorado vs. Colorado State @ Denver (9/2); Tulsa at Oklahoma State (9/2)
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Bilo's Quick Belk Bowl Recap
Virginia Tech 35, Arkansas 24
The Hokies trailed Arkansas by 24 at the half, and then the Razorbacks never scored another point in the second half as Virginia Tech rolled off 35 unanswered points spurred by 4 Arkansas turnovers in the final two quarters. It was one of the biggest all-time bowl comeback wins in college football history.
Jerod Evans was abysmal in the first half for Tech, but came back and passed for 243 yards and 2 TDs, and rushed for 87 yards and 2 more scores. He led all Hokies in rushing yards for the game, and his 4 scores were enough to seal the win.
Virginia Tech scored 3 times in the 3rd on just 9 plays covering 70 yards, and took only 2:45 off of the clock. The Hokies completed a 10 win season for the first time since 2011 in the first season for head coach Justin Fuente.
Arkansas had rolled up 258 yards of offense by the half, but then was held to just 56 yards and their 4 turnovers in the second half. The implosion after half time was not unique for the Razorbacks, as they were outscored in the second half by a whopping 99 points for the season.
Travon McMillian scored the only other Hokie TD of the game.
Arkansas was held to just 2/14 on 3rd down conversions.
Arkansas was held to just 36 yards rushing for the game on 34 carries.
Austin Allen tossed 2 TD passes, but was picked 3 times, all in the final half.
2017 Openers: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia @ Landover, MD (9/2); Florida A&M at Arkansas (9/2)
The Hokies trailed Arkansas by 24 at the half, and then the Razorbacks never scored another point in the second half as Virginia Tech rolled off 35 unanswered points spurred by 4 Arkansas turnovers in the final two quarters. It was one of the biggest all-time bowl comeback wins in college football history.
Jerod Evans was abysmal in the first half for Tech, but came back and passed for 243 yards and 2 TDs, and rushed for 87 yards and 2 more scores. He led all Hokies in rushing yards for the game, and his 4 scores were enough to seal the win.
Virginia Tech scored 3 times in the 3rd on just 9 plays covering 70 yards, and took only 2:45 off of the clock. The Hokies completed a 10 win season for the first time since 2011 in the first season for head coach Justin Fuente.
Arkansas had rolled up 258 yards of offense by the half, but then was held to just 56 yards and their 4 turnovers in the second half. The implosion after half time was not unique for the Razorbacks, as they were outscored in the second half by a whopping 99 points for the season.
Travon McMillian scored the only other Hokie TD of the game.
Arkansas was held to just 2/14 on 3rd down conversions.
Arkansas was held to just 36 yards rushing for the game on 34 carries.
Austin Allen tossed 2 TD passes, but was picked 3 times, all in the final half.
2017 Openers: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia @ Landover, MD (9/2); Florida A&M at Arkansas (9/2)
Bilo's Quick Texas Bowl Recap
Kansas State 33, Texas A&M 28
Texas A&M completed their 2016 implosion by falling to Kansas State at Houston. The Aggies finished 2-5 after starting the season 6-0 and being ranked as high as 4th nationally.
Jesse Ertz had a solid game for K State, passing for 195 yards and a score, while rushing for 67 yards and 2 more scores in the win for the Wildcats. K State finished by winning 6 of their final 7 games, and finished with a surprising 9 wins on the year, another solid coaching job by Bill Snyder.
Kansas State has now won 4 straight against the Aggies, with the overall series tied at 8 games a piece.
Byron Pringle caught Ertz's lone TD pass, and caught just 3 passes on the night, but turned that into 107 yards. Kansas State also won the turnover battle, as the Aggies committed the only 2 turnovers of the game.
Both teams combined for 867 yards of offense.
Trevor Knight came back from injury this season to complete 30/48 passes for 310 yards and 3 TDs for the Aggies in the loss. Josh Reynolds caught 12 of those passes for 154 yards and 2 scores.
Kansas State and Texas A&M are now both 1-1 all time in the Texas Bowl.
2017 Openers: Central Arkansas at Kansas State (9/2); Texas A&M at UCLA (9/2)
Texas A&M completed their 2016 implosion by falling to Kansas State at Houston. The Aggies finished 2-5 after starting the season 6-0 and being ranked as high as 4th nationally.
Jesse Ertz had a solid game for K State, passing for 195 yards and a score, while rushing for 67 yards and 2 more scores in the win for the Wildcats. K State finished by winning 6 of their final 7 games, and finished with a surprising 9 wins on the year, another solid coaching job by Bill Snyder.
Kansas State has now won 4 straight against the Aggies, with the overall series tied at 8 games a piece.
Byron Pringle caught Ertz's lone TD pass, and caught just 3 passes on the night, but turned that into 107 yards. Kansas State also won the turnover battle, as the Aggies committed the only 2 turnovers of the game.
Both teams combined for 867 yards of offense.
Trevor Knight came back from injury this season to complete 30/48 passes for 310 yards and 3 TDs for the Aggies in the loss. Josh Reynolds caught 12 of those passes for 154 yards and 2 scores.
Kansas State and Texas A&M are now both 1-1 all time in the Texas Bowl.
2017 Openers: Central Arkansas at Kansas State (9/2); Texas A&M at UCLA (9/2)
Bilo's Quick Pinstripe Bowl Recap
Northwestern 31, Pittsburgh 24
Apparently, Pat Narduzzi's experience in defending against Northwestern while at Michigan State did not help his Panthers in New York. Northwestern won just their 3rd bowl game all-time, but used defense to hold off the Panthers late, recording a pair of 4th quarter INTs to seal the win for the Wildcats. The Panthers lost their 3rd consecutive bowl appearance.
Justin Jackson was a force for Northwestern, rushing for 224 yards a 3 of the 4 Northwestern TDs on the day.
Pitt had 3 chances to tie this game and even win, but turned the football over on each of their final 3 drives, cementing their loss to the Big 10 team that had just 6 wins coming and had lost to Illinois State earlier this season.
This was just the second win in a bowl for Northwestern, who had won their previous bowl in 2010. Prior to that win, the Wildcats had not won a bowl game since 1948.
Defensively for Northwestern, Matt Galambos racked up 15 tackles on the day to lead both teams.
Quadree Henderson had 156 total yards in the loss for Pitt. Nathan Peterman passed for 256 yards on only 13 completions on the game.
Clayton Thorson was efficient for Northwestern, completing 23/36 passes for 214 yards. The Wildcats did not get much help from their punting game, however, as Hunter Niswander averaged just 30 yards per punt on the day.
2017 Openers: Youngstown State at Pitt (9/2); Nevada at Northwestern (9/2)
Apparently, Pat Narduzzi's experience in defending against Northwestern while at Michigan State did not help his Panthers in New York. Northwestern won just their 3rd bowl game all-time, but used defense to hold off the Panthers late, recording a pair of 4th quarter INTs to seal the win for the Wildcats. The Panthers lost their 3rd consecutive bowl appearance.
Justin Jackson was a force for Northwestern, rushing for 224 yards a 3 of the 4 Northwestern TDs on the day.
Pitt had 3 chances to tie this game and even win, but turned the football over on each of their final 3 drives, cementing their loss to the Big 10 team that had just 6 wins coming and had lost to Illinois State earlier this season.
This was just the second win in a bowl for Northwestern, who had won their previous bowl in 2010. Prior to that win, the Wildcats had not won a bowl game since 1948.
Defensively for Northwestern, Matt Galambos racked up 15 tackles on the day to lead both teams.
Quadree Henderson had 156 total yards in the loss for Pitt. Nathan Peterman passed for 256 yards on only 13 completions on the game.
Clayton Thorson was efficient for Northwestern, completing 23/36 passes for 214 yards. The Wildcats did not get much help from their punting game, however, as Hunter Niswander averaged just 30 yards per punt on the day.
2017 Openers: Youngstown State at Pitt (9/2); Nevada at Northwestern (9/2)
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