Bleacher Report - Articles by Lowell Rickert

Tar Heels Make Sweet 16

Lowell Rickert — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:52:56 -0400

Three straight seasons in the Sweet 16. Not bad for a typical Division 1 program. For North Carolina the expectations are higher. Coming off a Final Four appearance and a disappointing loss to Kansas, the Heels wanted more.

Hansbrough, Lawson, Green and company didn't come back to make the Final Four, they came back to win it all. The season started off perfect until Tyler Zeller and Marcus Ginyard were hurt. Zeller has come back after a broken wrist suffered in the second game of the year against Kentucky and Ginyard for the most part has missed the entire season due to a leg injury. Then in the ACC tournament Ty Lawson and the toe injury. Lawson missed three games including the first round game of the NCAA tournament. Question is which Heels team will we see from here on out.

In the wins the Tar Heels have been dominate, in their wins as they won the regular season ACC title. The losses well that's where the problems begin. All four losses the Heels have failed to pound the ball inside therefore the decreased touches and production of Tyler Hansbrough. One game in particular was the Maryland game at College Park. 12 attempts 11 pts.

So far in the NCAA tournament especially in the second rd game against LSU, North Carolina had the perfect mix of inside and outside play. The Heels will need this starting Friday night against Gonzaga in Memphis. Yes the Heels like to push the tempo and the Zags also like to go up and down but they will have a decisive advantage in the paint therefore I would like to see the playing time increased for Davis and Zeller.

Zeller in his first game scored 18 pts then got hurt. Davis on the other hand and has proved all year he can play and compliment Hansbrough if not take the load off of Hansbrough. In two NCAA tournament games Ed Davis is averaging 12 pts and 6 rebs a game.

Also that would mean Danny Green being more effective coming off the bench which was the plan from the start of the season. Also Deon Thompson being more effective. The Heels will need this if they get Oklahoma, Syracuse, Villanova, Pitt, Louisville and Memphis if they move on if they get past Gonzaga. Also this will help Lawson as well.

Clearly the Tar Heels are the favorite to go to the Final Four but now are slowly not the favorites to win the National title. However if the Heels want to win the national title the willingness to pound the ball inside and use not only Hansbrough but start to increase the minutes of Davis and Zeller and Thompson will not only help them but will give Ellington, Green, and Lawson easier looks and penetration but will solidify the Heels as the team to beat and prove that they are the No. 1 team that everyone raved about before the season started and full fill the void in Tyler Hansbrough's resume and why he came back to begin with.

Southern Miss-Troy Football: New Orleans Bowl Pick for Dec. 21

Lowell Rickert — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 11:02:54 -0500

A 1-3 record just doesn't cut it, whether picking games or playing games. Thank goodness I have plenty of chances to redeem myself, and tonight is another chance to do so.

New Orleans Bowl

Southern Mississippi (6-6) vs. Troy (8-4)

This is an interesting game in which both offenses are very similar. Southern Miss comes in averaging 30.7 points per game and 434.5 yards per per game, which is 20th in the nation. Troy, on the other hand, averages 33.3 points per game and 421.5 yards per game, which is 26th.

The difference are the defenses. Troy is ranked 26th nationally while Southern Miss is 67th. Troy gives over three points less than Southern Miss at 20.6 points per game for Troy and 23.8 points per game for Southern Miss, so on that I'm taking Troy. However, Southern Miss is ninth nationally with a plus-13 turnover margin.

Still, I'm taking Troy—should be a entertaining game.

Will the Real Philadelphia Eagles Please Stand Up

Lowell Rickert — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 05:51:28 -0500

40 rushing attempts, 39 pass sttempts...What a concept. Problem is Which Eagles team will show up week to week? Are the they the pass happy 60 pass attempt team that played against Baltimore and got blown out or are the they the balanced team that beat Arizona Thursday night 48-20? Even Eagles fans are confused as to who the Eagles are but Eagles fans know who they want the Eagles to be, the team that played Thursday night.

A lot can be said about McNabb's play as of late, however NcNabb doesn't call the plays but I believe he prefers the play calling from the Arizona game. Establish the run and then mix in the pass and the stats prove it. 27-39 260 yds, three TDs, 0 INTs, plus ran for 24 yds.

Also Brian Westbrook and the O-Line like it. 40 rushing attempts 185 yds., 22-110 yds from Westbrook and 2 TD's

Now when spreading out the run and pass Andy Reid's record in unbelievable something like a .700 win percentage. It's one thing to go after an opponents weakness but time and time again unless you run the ball more than likely you won't win the game let alone a championship.

Will Reid learn from the game Thursday night and employ this the rest of the season or will he go back to being pass happy? I guess we will all find out in over a week when the Eagles go to Giants Stadium and face the New York Giants.

Penn State 2008 Review: QB, LB Questions Answered on Road to Rose Bowl

Lowell Rickert — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:10:17 -0500

A lot of people, including those media experts, didn't give much thought to Penn St. winning the Big Ten, if not contending. One media outlet (Sporting News) had Penn St. projected seventh. Maybe so, but that low?

There were two main concerns heading into the 2008 campaign. The first was how to replace Sean Lee, and second...who would be the QB? Well, after an 11-1 season and a Big Ten title, those two questions got answered and then some.

Lets start with question one. It was a major concern for JoePa as to what would happen at the linebacker position, as Sean Lee was lost for the season due to an ACL injury during spring practice. Two names stepped up, and one struggled at times while another was solid: Josh Hull and Tyrell Sales.

Hull was a big surprise as he finished the year with 66 total tackles and two fumbles recovered, while Sales finished with 64. Hull's big game was an eight-tackle performance vs. Ohio St. Sales had two 10-tackle games vs. Oregon St. and Michigan. Sales was honored as an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten on defense.

Linebacker will be fine with Hull gaining valuable experience this season as Lee comes back in 2009.

Now to probably the biggest concern to Lion Nation...quarterback. After the 2007 season, I believe anyone but Anthony Morelli would have been acceptable. To a lot of people's surprise, Daryll Clark got the nod over Pat Devlin, but Devlin would have been a good choice as well, so PSU had a good problem.

As the season would indicate, Clark was the MAN.

Clark's first test was against Oregon St., and he passed: 14-23, 215 yds., two TDs, five rushes, 64 yds., and a TD in a 45-14 win. The next test came vs. Illinois in prime time—a 14-20, 181 yd., two-TD, 62 rushing yds., and one-TD performance in a 38-24 victory.

Then came the gauntlet: Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio St. These three games were where Clark would be highly evaluated.

Against Wisconsin Clark went 16-25, 244 yds., one TD, one INT, and two rushing TDs. In the Michigan game he threw two TDs passing and had one rushing in a 46-17 win. Now the big one vs. Ohio St. It wasn't his better game of the year, but he didn't turn the ball over and gave the Lions a chance to win. He didn't finish the game, but the Lions won 13-7.

Everyone knows about the Iowa game, and Clark pinned the loss on himself as it cost Penn St. a shot at the National title. Joe Paterno and the rest of the team stood behind him. The development would culminate against Michigan St., and did it ever. A 341 yd., four-TD performance would answer the question as to who the quarterback should be.

During the gauntlet Clark had only one turnover, while vs. Iowa he had two turnovers, one of which led to Iowa's one touchdown. Clark's season of 171-285-four INTs, 2,319 yds., 17 TDs, 362 rush yds., and nine rushing TDs led to a first team All-Big Ten selection and a Big Ten title.

Penn State's future heading into the 2009 season at these two positions is very bright. Yes, there are holes like the O-line that will need to be addressed, but with Hull and Lee back at linebacker and Clark as the leader at quarterback, all is not bleak in Happy Valley.