Bleacher Report - Articles by John M. Amatangelo

High on the Mountain: BYU Climbs, Oklahoma Crumbles

John M. Amatangelo — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:22:03 -0400

Nobody really gave Bronco Mendenhall and his BYU Cougars a shot at beating the third-ranked Oklahoma Sooners Saturday night in the new Cowboys Stadium.

Analysts all over the country said polite things about Max Hall and the boys from Provo being able to hang with Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and his boys in crimson and cream, but no one gave them a chance at winning.

23-point underdogs, the Cougars walked in under the massive video screen with nothing to lose. But the first college football game played in the billion-dollar stadium did not go according to plan.

Oklahoma started off shaky with three early penalties, ending their first drive with -5 yards and a punt. BYU responded by doing what they do best and moved the ball quickly through the air, but came up empty on a missed field goal.

None of this was unexpected. Oklahoma had a largely untested offensive line, and their All-American tight end, Jermaine Gresham, was out with an injury. BYU's offensive line was also fairly raw; their key returning lineman, Matt Reynolds, played with a cast on his arm; and their star running back, Harvey Unga, was benched—a game time decision—with a strained hamstring. Still, everyone expected the outcome to be the same: Oklahoma by a lot.

From there, it got grittier. Chris Brown, who had 1220 yards on the ground last season for the Big 12 champs, was largely ineffective, gaining only 59 yards on 14 carries. DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma's other thousand-yard rusher, only had 58 yards and 13 carries.

The Heisman Trophy winner? Bradford capitalized on a dropped punt return by McKay Jacobson and threw a touchdown to Ryan Broyles with 4:56 to go in the first quarter. But most of Oklahoma's early calls were on the ground. The Sooners even ran a couple of wildcat formations and a play with Bradford lined up as a receiver.

With 4:25 left in the first half, BYU forced and recovered a fumble on a one-yard pass from Bradford to Broyles. Then, the Cougars went 63 yards in five plays, pulling even with the Sooners on a TD pass from Max Hall to tight end Andrew George.

It was a messy game. Penalties and turnovers cost both teams. But the biggest surprise of the game was how BYU's defense met Oklahoma. Every yard they gave up, they did so grudgingly, and with a lot of sweat. They punished Bradford, Murray, and Brown every chance they got.

Then, everything stopped. With seven seconds left in the first half, Sam Bradford took another big hit on an incomplete pass to Ratterree. The Cougars defensive line, which was aggressive and unforgiving all night, changed the game. It was a clean hit, but Bradford and linebacker Coleby Clawson landed hard on Bradford's right shoulder.

Jimmy Stevens kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the Sooners a 10-7 lead at the half, but everyone's mind was on the Heisman Trophy winner.

With the start of the second half, the world began to turn again, but slowly and carefully, as Landry Jones, Oklahoma's freshman back-up, waited to take his first snap in a college football game. Bradford's sprained shoulder kept him on the sideline for the rest of the game, struggling in the role of a spectator.

The Cougars went three-and-out on their first drive, and Jones took the field. He handed the ball off to Brown twice (one run was called back on a penalty), threw a 13-yard completion to Caleb, and threw an incompletion on third down. Not terrible for his first drive, but not enough.

No one scored in the third quarter, but both teams slammed each other at every turn and every step—like two heavyweight boxers refusing to give up, waiting for a chance at a knockout blow, and trying to stay up long enough to capitalize.

With less than two minutes left in the third quarter, Oklahoma found a window. Linebacker Keenan Clayton intercepted Max Hall's pass, and the Sooners took over at the 27—almost in the red zone. The Cougars swayed with the swift blow, but they did not fall.

Two minutes and 19 seconds after giving up the ball, BYU stopped Oklahoma on the one-yard line, and the Sooners had to settle for a field goal.

That's when the world began to spin at full force—in the opposite direction.

Max Hall dissected the wearying Oklahoma defense, going 78 yards in 16 plays. Kariya, in for the sidelined Unga, ended the night with 42 yards on the ground and 76 yards receiving; Dennis Pitta caught 90 yards; and McKay Jacobson had 69 yards receiving—his biggest catch tying the game at 13 with three minutes left in the fourth. Mitch Payne, who missed a field goal early in the first quarter, and BYU's chance for the first points in the game, kicked the extra point to take the lead.

Down one point, the Sooners got a break when Payne's kickoff went out of bounds, giving them the ball at their 40-yard line. Two big completions helped get them to BYU's 32-yard line, and into field goal range, but two incomplete passes and a false start penalty pushed them back to the 37-yard line for the try.

Tress Way missed. The kick went wide left.

BYU took a knee three times and the giant went down.

No one gave BYU a chance at winning the game, but no one knew how fierce the Cougar's defense would be. No one thought they could contain the thousand-yard rushers, or that the Heisman Trophy winner would be be forced to the sideline, but it happened.

No one expected the game to go like it did, but that's the great reward of college football: every up is laced with passion and fire; every down is soaked in gut-wrenching disappointment; and every upset has an underdog who, however improbably, find themselves standing on the top of more than a great headline, more than a collection of highlights—they find themselves writing a new page in the history of great games.

On a Saturday night in early September, under the lights of Cowboys Stadium in the Lone Star State, the Cougars of BYU did what no one believed was possible. No one but them.

Florida State will Win the ACC

John M. Amatangelo — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:53:04 -0400

Coastal Winner: Virginia Tech

A week ago, I was picking Virginia Tech to win the ACC, but the loss of running back Darren Evans has me re-thinking. Evans had 1265 yards for the Hokies last season on 287 carries, and, though his 11 trips across the goal line only put him tied for 44th nationally in rushing touchdowns, he was the Hokies leading scorer, and the leading rusher by more than 500 yards—over quarterback Tyrod Taylor's 738.

Taylor really developed into a force of a team leader last year, but he only threw for 2 touchdowns. Without Evans for the defense to bite on, you have to wonder how effective Taylor will remain as a rushing threat.

The Hokies have announced that redshirt freshman Ryan Williams will be the starting tailback in the opener against Alabama, but have also indicated that all three backs (Williams, redshirt sophomore Josh Oglesby, and true freshman David Wilson) will see a lot of field time.

Is losing Evans too much for Virginia Tech to adjust to? Of course not. Frank Beamer is an outstanding coach and there's bound to be a few surprises out of these three backs.

Does the absence of Evans represent a chink in their armor? Yes. But the real question that may lead the Hokies to a BCS bowl is “What haven't we seen out of Taylor yet?” He'll be driving the team on his own this year, and he will have plenty of chances to shine.

Atlantic Winner: Florida State

There is a lot of talk about Clemson this year, and there was a lot of talk about Clemson last year. Honestly, I just don't see it. There are far too many question marks for me to get excited about them this early. That's not to say they won't make good on the hype, but I'm not ready to pick them.

CJ Spiller looks to be a good triple threat as he had over a thousand combined yards rushing and receiving last season for 10 touchdowns, and another 705 return yards, including a kickoff that he took for a touchdown. But those stats aren't good enough to carry a team to an ACC championship.

Clemson's 8 returning starters on defense will bring experience, but they finished fifth in the ACC last season in total defense. That's not a bad place to be, unless you're trying to beat out Florida State for a spot in the title game.

The Seminoles didn't have anyone with a thousand yards rushing or receiving last season, but returning QB Christian Ponder threw for 2006 yards and 14 touchdowns. Florida State finished the season ranked second in total offense and first in scoring offense in the ACC.

However, the better stat is that Bowden's Boys had 8 players with triple-digit receiving yards, and seven of them had at least one touchdown. Five of those eight will be back for the 'Noles, but the important message of those statistics is that Ponder will find his receivers, no matter who gets open.

Florida State was just as generous with its rushing yards last year too: five guys in triple digits, all of them with touchdowns, and four of them returning (one of those is Ponder himself). And here's the best part: they did all of that with the youngest offensive line in the FBS.

Over the last year, and especially throughout the summer, these guys have been getting better and growing closer—becoming a more cohesive unit. I'm saying it now: if these guys are half as good as they could be by game time, Florida State is going to have a scary offense.

How do you plan for a team where pretty much everyone but the offensive line is a scoring threat?

The Seminoles' defense is the only question mark. They've only got five returning starters from a squad that finished 5th in scoring defense, and 6th in rushing defense in the conference. But, they finished 3rd in total defense, and 1st in passing defense.

The real answer for the Florida State Defense is the hunger and the drive. Defensive end Craig Yarborough is a walk-on—and he just got the starting job for the season opener against in-state and in-conference rival Miami. No one does that at a school like FSU without possessing a unique spark; the sort of spark that can ignite an entire unit.

Opposing offenses can't afford to underestimate the impact a player like that can have on a defense that is in transition. Replacing more than half of his starters can give a coach a lot of sleepless nights, and defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews has 13 underclassmen in his top 22 defenders.

But look what the inexperienced offensive line did last year for Florida State. If the special teams can win the field position game, the defense should be able to do their job against any of the other ACC teams.

Florida State will win the ACC Championship and represent the conference in a BCS Bowl.

Key Conference Games:

Miami at Florida State (07 SEP)

Clemson at Georgia Tech (10 SEP)

Georgia Tech at Miami (17 SEP)

Miami at Virginia Tech (26 SEP)

Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech (17 OCT)

Clemson at Miami (24 OCT)

Florida State at Clemson (07 NOV)

Conference Spoiler: Georgia Tech

Can you really call Georgia Tech a spoiler when they're rank 15th in both the AP and the Coaches Preseason Polls?

Besides having dynamite running back Jonathan Dwyer poised for a marquee year, the Yellow Jackets have 10 of 11 starters returning on offense and 8 of 11 on defense. Come on, that's just crazy! How can they not have a great year?

They went 9 and 4 last year with the best rushing offense in the ACC, and the fourth best rushing offense in the nation. If they can beat in-state rival Georgia again and make it through conference play with only one loss, they just might claim the ACC Title and a BCS Bowl. But those are pretty steep ifs.

They only scored 3 points against LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl last year, while giving up 38. That kind of game won't get them to New Year's Day.

JCFL Champions: Canton Bulldogs

John M. Amatangelo — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:26:45 -0500

The first season of the Jack Cleveland Football League turned out to be a great mix of tradition and young talent. The league's elite teams rose to the top: Arkansas Defenders; Jacksonville Juggernauts; Montana Charging Bison; Chula Vista Chupacabras. But it was the Canton Bulldogs, who show everyone how it's supposed to be done.

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College Football Year in Review: Quarterbacks

John M. Amatangelo — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:23:56 -0500

Quarterbacks are the Field Commanders of the forces who battle for BCS glory. They throw, they hand the ball off, they run themselves: a good quarterback will do whatever it takes to push his team to the top. With 8 of the last 9 Heisman Trophies going to quarterbacks, it's no surprise that this year's crop saw a new class of Generals rise up and lead their Troops.

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James Laurinaitis Could Become First Repeat Butkus Winner Since Bosworth

John M. Amatangelo — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 17:57:22 -0500

If defense wins championships, then linebackers ought to win an award. Good thing the Butkus Award Selection Committee agrees with me. Their 2008 Collegiate Watchlist includes 66 players from 53 institutions. As the cleats have torn the turf and the helmets have pounded the pads, many of these, and others, have risen to the top.

Using a point system that combines individual defensive statistics and average points allowed, I have ranked what I consider to be the top 35 linebackers in college football (see below). These are my Butkus Award Semifinalists. The top 10 from that list are my finalists. They have the numbers no one else has.

But winning the award is about more than statistics. So, for the final selection, the numbers go out the window.

The Dick Butkus Award is about a player’s presence both on the field and off. Off the field, it’s about a commitment to responsibility, living clean, and being a role model. On the field, it’s about commanding the attention of an offense and earning the respect of the defense.

A great linebacker makes an offense adjust to him. A great linebacker makes quarterbacks look twice before they cross the road, because it hurts more when you get hit the second or third time, and you can still feel the first.

If a player has won the Butkus Award, you can be sure that one thing has been said about him all season long: Man, that kid is everywhere! The ability to change a play, and therefore a game, with his mere presence makes a great linebacker a force unto himself.

The top 10 on my list have been punishing offenses every weekend this fall. Navorro Bowman has recorded nearly a hundred tackles and helped Penn State to a Big Ten Championship and its first Rose Bowl since 1994. Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga have recorded over 120 tackles between them on a USC defense that has held opponents to a mere 8.3 points per game.

As a junior, Florida’s Brandon Spikes has 74 tackles on the books and returned two of his three interceptions for touchdowns. Robert Henson and TCU’s stingy defense have given up just over 10 points per game, while allowing fewer than four yards per play.

Then there are guys like Mark Herzlich at Boston College (92 tackles), Sean Weatherspoon at Missouri (119 tackles, 4.5 sacks), Pat Angerer at Iowa (101 tackles, five interceptions), and Brit Miller at Illinois (132 tackles, six sacks), who seem determined to record enough defensive statistics to fill an entire roster by themselves.

And then there is the son of the Animal, James Laurinaitis. Fans don the makeup and spiked pads that his father wore in his professional wrestling days and scream for him in the stands. Offenses, well, they just scream.

If ever there was a man with an internal radar for the ball, this is the guy. Every time the ball is in play, Laurinaitis is somewhere in the picture, usually with his claws around the carrier, bringing him down. Running backs take the long way around just to avoid his territory, and quarterbacks wish they had about five more blockers when they see him blitzing.

And you know what? None of that matters. He still finds a way to stop you—he still finds a way to get through. Last year, with 121 tackles, two interceptions, and five sacks, Laurinaitis became the second Buckeye to win the Dick Butkus Award (Andy Katzenmoyer won it in 1997).

This year, with a near-perfect follow-up 121 tackles, two interceptions, and four sacks, he could become the first to win it a second time since the award’s first two years when Oklahoma’s Brian Bosworth won it (1985, 1986).

I am not one of the 51 members of the selection committee, but I know that there are few guys who have ever played the position of linebacker with more authority than James Laurinaitis.

Top 35 NCAA (FBS) Linebackers: Rank - Player (School) Rating

01 - Navorro Bowman (Penn State) 17.86; 02 - Brian Cushing (USC) 17.83; 03 - Rey Maualuga (USC) 16.08; 04 - Brandon Spikes (Florida) 15.13; 05 - James Laurinaitis (Ohio State) 14.82; 06 - Robert Henson (TCU) 13.55; 07 - Mark Herzlich (Boston College) 13.28; 08 - Sean Weatherspoon (Missouri) 12.38; 09 - Pat Angerer (Iowa) 11.52; 10 - Brit Miller (Illinois) 11.45; 11 - Aaron Curry (Wake Forest) 11.19; 12 - Quan Sturdivant (North Carolina) 10.96; 13 - Mark Paschal (North Carolina) 10.85; 14 - David Nixon (BYU) 10.72; 15 - Marcus Freeman (Ohio State) 10.48; 16 - Travis Lewis (Oklahoma) 9.47; 17 - Zach Arnett (New Mexico) 8.68; 18 - Zack Follett (Cal) 8.47; 19 - Gerald McRath (Southern Miss) 8.47; 20 - Scott Lutrus (UConn) 8.28; 21 - Tyrone McKenzie (South Florida) 8.27; 22 - Joe Pawelek (Baylor) 8.16; 23 - James Holt (Kansas) 7.93; 24 - Clint Sintim (Virginia) 7.93; 25 - Sergio Kindle (Texas) 7.77; 26 - Boris Lee (Troy) 7.38; 27 - Keaton Kristick (Oregon State) 6.88; 28 - Dominic Douglas (Mississippi State) 6.82; 29 - Purnell Sturdivant (Virginia Tech) 6.74; 30 - Nevin McKenzie (Tennessee) 6.74; 31 - Mike Wright (Utah) 6.42; 32 - Rico McCoy (Tennessee) 6.38; 33 - Justin Winters (Buffalo) 6.36; 34 - Derek Burrell (Kent State) 5.74; 35 - Jerry Franklin (Arkansas) 4.73