Tag Archives: Nick Foles

>Alamo Bowl

Posted on by
Reply

>Oklahoma State vs. Arizona

  
   Oklahoma State looks to cap a memorable year with a school-record 11th victory in San Antonio’s Alamo Bowl on Wednesday night when it squares off against an Arizona team hoping to salvage a win from a disappointing final two months of the season.

   The 16th-ranked Cowboys (10-2) were picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 South this season, but ended up tying for the division title and setting a school record with 10 regular-season wins.  They are making a school-record fifth straight bowl appearance. 

    The Wildcats seemed like they might be headed to a BCS bowl earlier this year, climbing as high as ninth in the rankings, but four straight losses to close the regular season quickly ended those hopes. Arizona is still appearing in a third consecutive bowl game, matching the school’s previous best string from 1992-94.

   Oklahoma State leads the FBS in total offense at 537.6 yards per game, ranks third in scoring at 44.9 points and boasts three skill position players named to the all-Big 12 first team.

   Justin Blackmon is the conference’s player of the year, the Biletnikoff Award winner and a first-team All-American after leading the nation with 151.4 receiving yards per game and 18 touchdown catches. He needs eight yards against Arizona to break the NCAA sophomore receiving yards record of 1,672, set by Pittsburgh’s Larry Fitzgerald in 2003. Blackmon has tied an NCAA record with 11 straight games of 100 yards receiving with a TD.

   Brandon Weeden was second in the country in yards passing per game (336.4) and fifth in touchdown passes (32). He has also thrown for 4,037 yards.

   Blackmon was joined on the All-American first team by running back Kendall Hunter. The senior is seventh in the nation with 126.3 rushing yards per game and ran for 16 TDs.  He did all this while rushing for 1,516 yards.

   Since the start of November, the Wildcats have allowed an average of 456.0 yards, 20th-worst in the FBS, and an average of 36.0 points, 27th-worst.  This is after a 7-1 start, where they were 10th nationally in points and yards allowed.

  
   While the Wildcats’ defense needs to tighten up, the offense heads into the bowl playing some of its best football.

   Nick Foles has passed for 1,063 yards with nine touchdowns to just one interception in his last three games. He threw for 2,911 and 19 touchdowns the entire season.  The junior leads the Pac-10 in passing with an average of 291.1 yards and his favorite target, first-team all-conference selection Juron Criner, led the league with 73 receptions and 1,186 yards.

Prediction: Oklahoma State 49, Arizona 41

>College Football Week 3 Observations

Posted on by
Reply

>Week Three gave us some very exciting games, as at least 11 games were decided in the closing minute(s) of the game. 

  • Missouri struggled with San Diego State, needing a last-minute Blaine Gabbert -to- T.J. Moe 68-yard touchdown pass to win 27-24.  Gabbert seems to have found his two favorite recovers in Moe and Michael Egnew, who had 14 catches for over 130 yards.

  •  Some believe that Georgia may be playing for Mark Richt’s job this year.  If they play as they did against Arkansas in the fourth quarter of last week’s game, that may not be the case.  Up 17-7 and 24-10 at one point, the Bulldogs tied the score and Arkansas needed a last minute Ryan Mallett touchdown to eek out the 31-24 win.  And even after that, the game wasn’t guaranteed a win, as the Razorbacks needed a sack at midfield to close out the game.  Georgia has struggled without star receiver A.J. Green.
  • Temple is now 3-0 for the first time since 1979, when the Owls finished 10-2. It was the first win for the Owls over a BCS opponent since a 34-24 win over Syracuse on November 13, 2004.
  • North Texas is down to their third-string quarterback after losing the starter of that game for the second week in a row.  Riley Dodge, son of coach Todd Dodge, takes over for the Mean Green, who haven’t been too mean as of late.  In his fourth season in Denton, Dodge is 5-34 as head coach.
  • Kansas State’s Daniel Thomas is showing the country what the Big 12 already knew: He is one hell of a running back.  Thomas has 552 yards through three games and has helped lead the Wildcats to their first 3-0 start since 2006.
  • With their win over Ole Miss, Vanderbilt snapped a 10-game conference losing streak dating back to 2008. The Commodores have beaten the Rebels four of the past six seasons. 
  • Wisconsin has started 3-0 in every season under Bret Bielema. Wisconsin is 9-1 in its last 10 games against Pac-10 teams.  The Badgers have won 27 straight nonconference regular-season games, the third-longest active streak (behind LSU and USC). Arizona State had 261 kick-return yards (including a 97-yarder and 95-yarder), more than either its rushing or passing total in the game.  Yet Wisconsin needed a last-second blocked PAT to win.
  • Auburn came back from a 17-0 deficit to defeat Clemson in overtime.  It is the Auburn’s 14th straight win over Clemson.  The game appeared headed to another OT when Chandler Catanzaro made a 27-yarder after a defensive stand kept Clemson shy of a winning touchdown. After a 5-yard illegal procedure penalty on the kick because center Dalton Freeman double-clutched the ball, the redshirt freshman’s second attempt hooked wide left.
  • Ryan Nassib threw a school-record five touchdown passes, and Syracuse pulled away in the second half to beat Maine 38-14 on Saturday night in the Orange’s home opener.  Nassib was 19-for-28 for 260 yards.
  • With Dan Conroy lining up for a 46-yard field goal to tie the game in overtime and the play clock running low, holder Aaron Bates took the snap, stood up and waited for Charlie Gantt to come open downfield. The stunning fake worked to perfection, and Gantt’s 29-yard touchdown catch gave the Spartans a 34-31 win Saturday night.   The Spartans started 3-0 for the first time since 2007 and earned their third win over the Fighting Irish in four years.  Saturday was the ninth time in the last 11 meetings between Notre Dame and Michigan State that the game was decided by seven points or less and it was the second OT affair since 2005.  The Spartans’ 28 victories against Notre Dame are the second most of any Irish opponent (USC has the most with 34). 
  • Nick Foles hit William Wright with a late 4-yard touchdown pass and No. 24 Arizona held its ground in the national spotlight with a momentum-swinging 34-27 win over ninth-ranked Iowa.  Keyed by their stingy defense and special teams, the Wildcats rushed out to a 27-7 halftime lead before having the Wright touchdown pick up the vital win.  Arizona beat a nonconference opponent ranked in the top 10 at home for the first time since 1989. Iowa allowed at least 30 points for the first time since 2007 vs. Purdue, a span of 33 games. Iowa has lost six straight games when playing a regular season game west of the central time zone. The last win came in 1987.  Arizona sacked Ricky Stanzi six times, including three straight times on Iowa’s final drive. 
  • North Texas isn’t the only school with significant quarterback injuries this weekend.  Houston lost their top two QB’s, including Heisman hopeful Case Keenum, in the SAME GAME.  They will now be forced to go to freshmen as their starters.  With the win over Houston, UCLA avoided their first 0-3 start since 1971.  Houston had scored at least 20 points in 29 straight games before Saturday’s game.

>Week 3 Preview

Posted on by
Reply

>Georgia Tech (1-1) at North Carolina (0-1)

   This is a game featuring two teams who are both looking to get back on track.  Tech lost last week at Kansas and the Heels are trying to get back to their winning ways after suffering a heart-breaking loss to LSU in Week One.  The Jackets feature a nice 1-2 running punch in Josh Nesbitt and Anthony Allen.  The two spearhead an attack that is second in the nation in rushing yards per game with 332 yards per game.  Nesbitt leads the team with 163 yards and five touchdowns, while Allen averages nearly seven yards per carry.  North Carolina is led by quarterback T.J. Yates, who threw for 412 yards and three touchdowns.  Jheranie Boyd leads the team with six catches for 221 yards.  He had 12 catches for 214 yards as a freshman last season. 

   Georgia Tech wins if...it can control the time of possession and play its stingy defense while running their attack to perfection.

   North Carolina wins if…it can continue to overcome the loss of six defensive starters.  Al Groh, GT’s new defensive coordinator, has been known to shut down the Heels so how they respond will be something to look for.

Arizona State (2-0) at Wisconsin (2-0)

   This will be the first true test for the Sun Devils, as they travel to the always-tough Camp Randall Stadium.  Their offense is led by the quarterback-running back combo of Steven Threet and Cameron Marshall.  Threet, a Michigan transfer, has completed 47-of-70 passes for 630 yards and five touchdowns, but has also thrown three interceptions.  Marshall has 14 carries for 132 yards and four touchdowns.

   The Badgers come into the game after defeated UNLV and San Jose State in their first two games.  Despite being known for their running game, quarterback Scott Tolzien has put up some impressive passing stats, completing 30-of-42 passes for 388 yards and one touchdown.  The team already has two players, John Clay and Montee Ball, who have rushed for over 100 yards.  Clay leads the team with 260 yards and four touchdowns, while Ball has 110 yards and two scores.

   ASU wins if…it can continue to throw the ball around.  The Wisconsin defense is tougher than the Devils’ first two opponents, but if Threet is on the same page with his receivers, they may be able to pull the surprise.

   Wisconsin wins if…it rushes the ball like it has been.  The Sun Devils have given up 149 rushing yards per game to two FCS schools, so if the Badgers are on their game, it might be a long day for the ASU defense.

Clemson (2-0) at Auburn (2-0)

   The game at Auburn not only marks the first true test for the Tigers, but also starts a rough stretch of games, where four of five teams played in bowls and either are or have been ranked this year.  The offense has been pretty balanced between the passing game and the running game.  Quarterback Kyle Parker has thrown for 283 yards and four touchdowns.  The rushing load has been split amongst Jamie Harper, Andre Ellington, Roderick McDowell and Daniel Barnes.  Ellington leads the way with 133 yards and three scores.

   Cameron Newton has come in and run this offense in perfection.  The quarterback has thrown for 322 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing for 241 and two more.  His rushing total is almost 100 more yards than the next leading rusher.

   Clemson wins if…it contains the Auburn rushing game and gets a balanced game from all their players.  Shut Newton down and you have a good shot at the win.

   Auburn wins if...they shut down the Clemson rushing game, which averages nearly 230 yards per game.  If Auburn’s own rushing attack is on, it might also be a long day for their opponents.  Either way, look for a shootout.

Iowa (2-0) at Arizona (2-0)

   The Hawkeyes are coming off of a big win against in-state rival Iowa State and are only giving up seven points per game.  Ricky Stanzi seems to be on a mission, completing 71 percent of his passes for 433 yards and three touchdowns.  He has been aided by a running game anchored by Adam Robinson.  Robinson has 265 yards and four touchdowns on the year, while averaging seven yards per carry.

   The Wildcats come into the game undefeated as well, and have one of the most prolific defenses and offenses in the country.  The team is second in points allowed per game, with four per game and is averaging 47 points per game good for 12th nationally.  The team is led by quarterback Nick Foles, who has completed 83 percent of his passes for 579\4 yards and three touchdowns.

   Iowa wins if…their defense is able to shut down the Arizona passing game, which is eighth nationally.The Wildcat defense hasn’t really been tested, so it’s up to the Hawkeyes to give them a good battle.

   Arizona wins if...Foles continues to sling the ball around.  The defense, ones of the best in the nation, will have to stop the balanced attack of Iowa