Go Beavs: An Oregon State Dynasty

[Emac78]

Ohio? OHIO?? Wow, what an upset.

No doubt a huge upset but Ohio had an awesome duo at tailback. I think Palmer was like 90 overall and his backup Barrett is a five-star prospect 82 overall freshman. Plus, their offensive line was pretty decent. Still unbelievable that they could pull that off.

[Emac78]

BCS National Championship-Pasadena, CA

#2 Tennessee (12-1) vs #1 Penn State (11-1)

Chris: Another sea of orange has descended on Padadena this bowl season. This time it is the fantastic Volunteer crowd, (Crowd goes nuts!) but not to be overlooked by the sea of white that is Penn State. (Crowd goes equally nuts!) This is it folks. This is what it is all about. Only the national championship is on the line today. We've already had some exciting and surprising outcomes. Raise your hands if you honestly thought that Ohio could beat Texas. (The crew turns around to look in the crowd where there are a few crazy hands that went up.)

Lee: You're all lying! Put your hands down. What's the matter with you?!

Chris: Ha ha. A stunning upset to say the least, but not only did the Bobcats win, they really dominated. So while one team from Ohio is celebrating maybe the biggest win in school history, the other Ohio team in Columbus is crying in their beer as they lost to that other OSU team in the Pac-10 in this very stadium only a few days ago. It wasn't pretty.

Lee: Not pretty?! I'll say. I think I dozed off after the 1st quarter.

Chris: Definitely not a pretty win but congratulations to Oregon State winning their first Rose Bowl since 1942. Now the other bowl we were all looking forward to was the Sugar Bowl between UCLA and Notre Dame. And yeah...it wasn't the stellar game we all expected either. Neither team looked worthy to play in the championship game so I can't imagine that Tennesse or Penn State have anything to worry about. But by far and away this year's best team looked like the defending national champion Clemson Tigers who just absolutely put a beat-down on Pitt in the Orange Bowl.

So now it is time to get to this year's national championship. I must say that this has been a wild year. It looked like for most of the season that we would see Clemson here but when they lost to South Carolina who also defeated Notre Dame earlier in the season for their only loss of the regular season. Heck, only a couple of weeks ago, Ohio was in position to be here. Strangely, Ohio's only loss came in an overtime loss to Wisconsin. Also, the only team to beat Penn State. But the result is one of the more intriguing matchups in recent years.

Penn State was clearly a great team but when they obliterated Ohio State, it seemed like the Nittany Lions took their game to the next level. Tennessee's lone loss came against Florida on their first game of the season in overtime. They proved once again that is better to lose early than late as they just beat one team after another. Including being forced to beat LSU twice for the Bayou Bengals' only two losses of the year.

Alright. Enough talk. Who do you guys have winning it all?

Kirk: This one for me is going to come down to the receiver-secondary matchups. Penn State has some of the best receivers in the nation with an excellent QB in Evan McKinley (94ovr). However, Tennessee has probably the best duo at CB in the nation. I see those corners for the Vols giving Penn State trouble and that is why I'm picking Tennessee to win.

Lee: Kirk, I totally agree with you that the matchup of receivers to corners is going to play a huge role this evening. But don't forget, Penn State has one of the best corners in the nation by the name of Lee Duren (96ovr) and Tennessee's receivers aren't that great. I really think that Vol QB Scott Harvey (93ovr) will struggle to find anybody open today. And also don't forget that Penn State has the best defense in the nation. I mean they are 1st in total defense, 1st in rush defense, and 1st in pass defense. So give me that. (Lee puts on the Nittany Lion headgear to a very loud mixed reaction from the crowd.) Go Penn State!!!

[Emac78]

BCS National Championship-Pasadena, CA

#2 Tennessee (12-1) vs #1 Penn State (11-1)

Pasadena, CA - Here is a tale of two programs in completely different situations regarding their progams' coaching situation. Penn State brought in a brand new head coach, Will Muschamp to replace the legendary Joe Paterno, but in his first season as the Nittany Lions' head coach, Muschamp has already brought PSU to the promised land. On the other side, it was not all that long ago that Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer was on everybody's hotseat list. Tennessee decided to be patient with Fulmer and see if he could bring back the Volunteers to its glorious past. The decision has paid off as Fulmer was able to not only win the SEC but a chance at another national title.

The Rose Bowl in Pasadena was electric with two of the loudest crowds in college football meeting in the historic stadium. The Volunteers looked poised in their opening possession. One could get the feeling very early on that this was going to be a good football game, very deserving of a championship. The stout Nittany Lion defense would hold Tennessee, but the Vols would get a 50-yard field goal to take the first lead of the game 3-0.

The Tennessee kicker nails a 50 yarder through the uprights.

Penn State on the other side looked equally good on their first possession. PSU QB Evan McKinley led the Nittany Lions into the red zone behind some great passing. But the drive would stall at the 1-yard line where head coach Will Muschamp decided to go for it on 4th down. It proved to be a costly decision as McKinley threw into the flat to HB Kris Jolly who was tackled well in the backfield. The Volunteers' defense came up with a huge goal line stand and "Rocky Top" was already being sung in the stands.

However, just as the band quit playing, the goal line stand led to bad field position for the Vols. As a result QB Scott Harvey was put under pressure, tried to get away but PSU DT Dustin Smith was able to bring him down in the end zone for a safety. So it was now 3-2 Tennessee and Penn State would get the ball back.

PSU DT Dustin Smith brings down Tennessee QB Scott Harvey in the end zone for a safety.

PSU QB Evan McKinley would take advantage of the great field position because of the safety and lead the Nittany Lions right back into the red zone. But this time he would hook up with WR DeMario Hicks who was coming across the field on a crossing route, and made his way into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown to make it 9-3 PSU.

PSU WR DeMario Hicks with an 11-yard touchdown reception.

On the ensuing possession, Tennesse would be bailed out when PSU junior MLB Drew Starks grabbed the facemask of Vol HB Chad Sims which would move Tennessee into PSU territory. Because of the penalty, the Vols would get in position to kick a 23-yard field goal to make it 9-6 Penn State at the end of the 1st quarter.

Some of the excitement would die down to start the 2nd quarter as both defenses stepped up their game. And PSU QB Evan McKinley would be a victim of great defense when he was intercepted by the sensational Vol CB Jelani McGrew who returned it all the way back for a pick-six as Tennesse reclaimed the lead 13-9.

Vol CB Jelani McGrew makes a great interception, and returns it back for a pick-six.

But PSU QB Evan McKinley would not be phased by the mistake as he threw a clutch pass while under pressure to WR DeMario Hicks in tight coverage for a 14-yard gain to keep a drive alive on 3rd down. Then on that same drive, McKinley was able to scramble for a 1st down on 4th-and-short when nobody was open. Finally, McKinley would throw a strike to the speedster WR Tommy Rawls for a 24-yard touchdown to put Penn State back on top 16-13.

PSU QB Evan McKinley throws a strike to WR Tommy Rawls for a 24-yard touchdown.

However, Penn State's lead would not last long as Vol QB Scott Harvey threw to HB Chad Sims who was wide open in the flat with only a defensive back to beat. Sims ran right through the arm tackle and did not stop until he was celebrating a 54-yard touchdown reception in the end zone, giving the lead back to Tennessee, 20-16.

Vol HB Chad Sims runs through an arm tackle for a 54-yard touchdown reception.

PSU QB Evan McKinley would attempt to get the Nittany Lions on the scoreboard just before halftime. It looked like the last possession would be successful in at least attempting a field goal as McKinley got his team into the red zone. But the disaster struck when he tried to test Vol CB Jelani McGrew. Again, McGrew was able to make the interception when he jumped the route, and again he was able to take it all the way back for another pick-six just as the clock tick zero. As a result, the Vols took a 27-16 lead into the locker rooms at halftime as "Rocky Top" roared through the stadium.

Vol CB Jelani McGrew with his 2nd pick-six of the game just before halftime.

It was apparent that the analysts had gotten this one correct as the matchups between receivers and the secondary indeed seemed to be playing the critical factor. Defense dominated in the 3rd quarter. The monotany of three-and-outs and punts was finally broken when PSU QB Evan McKinley hooked up with WR Tremayne Berry, who broke a tackle for a huge gain, tackled just short of the goal line. But then McKinely was sacked on the next play. And he would actually be sacked yet again on the very next play. As a result, the Nittany Lions were forced to settle for a field goal. To make matters wors, 26-yard chip shot was doinked off the upright. A punt from each team and the uneventful 3rd quarter came to an end.

In a game like this, time was running out for the Nittany Lions and Tennessee was actually in position to put the game away behind some hard-nosed running by HB Chad Sims that got Tennesse into the red zone. But PSU CB Matt Townsend would give the Nittany Lions a chance when he prevented the Vols from putting any points on the ground with an interception in the end zone. However, with only 6:21 left in the game, Penn State was running short on time.

PSU CB Matt Townsend keeps the Nittany Lions in the game with an interception in the end zone.

Unfortunately for the Penn State, their offense could not even get one 1st down as HB Kris Jolly was stuffed on 3rd-and-1, forcing PSU to punt after a three-and-out. It was not looking good for Penn State as Vol HB Chad Sims continued pounding the rock until Tennessee's drive stalled, setting up a 35-yard field goal that went wide right with 3:34 remaining. It was now or never for the Nittany Lions.

And then it happened. PSU QB Evan McKinley threw a lob up to WR DeMario Hicks, who climbed the ladder, catching the football at its highest point. Vol FS Michael Young completely misplayed th ball. As Hicks came down with a great catch, Young made hardly any effort to knock the ball down and then tripped, stumbling out of bounds as Hicks sped down the side line, taking it all the way to house for a 77-yard touchdown. The play could not have come at a better time for Penn State. With 3:08 left in the game, there was still plenty of time. Although, HB Kris Jolly was stuffed on the 2-point attempt so Penn State was down 27-22.

PSU WR DeMario Hicks climbs the ladder as Vol FS Michael Young misplays the ball, allowing a 77-yard touchdown reception.

Now, Penn State just needed to get the ball back but Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer had no intention of doing so as QB Scott Harvey made a couple clutch passes on 3rd down. Then HB Chad Sims would shut the door on Penn State's chances when he was able to pick up the 1st down on a crucial 3rd down play with :46 left in the game. With no timeouts left for Penn State, QB Scott Harvey was able to just kneel down twice in the victory formation and celebrate winning the national championship as "Rocky Top" again rang throughout the stadium.

Tennessee 27
QB Scott Harvey: 23-31, 243 yds, td, int
HB Chad Sims: 25 car, 82 yds, 10 rec, 116 yds, rec td
WR James Willis: 3 rec, 41 yds
CB Jelani McGrew: 5 tkl, 2 int, 2 td

Penn State 22
QB Evan McKinley: 27-32, 354 yds, 3 td, 2 int
HB Kris Jolly: 18 car, 49 yds
WR DeMario Hicks: 4 rec, 113 yds, 2 td
MLB Drew Starks: 13 tkl, 2 tfl

[Woy]

What the hell Penn State!?!?!

Haha, still very nice write-up Emac, this is amazing.

[Emac78]

This year's NC I had a feeling was going to be a good one although they've all been pretty good games actually. But take away those two pick-sixes and Penn State wins pretty convincingly. That pick-six at the end of the half was a disastrous play for PSU.

On a side note. The SEC is now the top conference in number of championships in this dynasty as it is now

SEC 3: Florida, Alabama, Tennessee
Big Ten 2: Ohio State, Ohio State
ACC 1: Clemson

As far as appearances in the National Championship

SEC 4: Florida, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee
Big Ten 4: Ohio State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State
ACC 2: Clemson, Clemson
Big East 1: USF
Pac-10 1: USC

[St. Francisco]

Check your PMs, emac. I sent you that create-a-player stuff for my dynasty. Hit me up ASAP, thanks buddy. ;)

[Emac78]

OSU won year 1 and 2 right?

Yep. The Buckeyes dominated in the beginning, though the way the A.I. Clemson Tigers gave away the title in season two was just ridiculous.

[-Ray27Rice-]

Still looking great man, keep it up.

[Emac78]

Probably no updates this weekend since I'm going camping. Also, I'm going to be switching computers soon and depending how long it takes to configure everything, there is a possibility that the dynasty might be coming to an end unfortunately. We'll see.

[Emac78]

[b][size=+2]Final Poll[/size][/b]

1 Tennessee 13-1 (45 media votes)
2 UCLA 12-1 (20 media votes)
3 Ohio 13-1
4 Penn State 11-2
5 LSU 12-2
6 Notre Dame 11-2
7 Texas 12-2
8 USC 11-2
[b]9 Oregon State 12-1 (#6 in the media)[/b]
10 Clemson 13-1
12 Ohio State 10-3
13 Michigan 11-2
17 Nebraska 10-3

[Emac78]

Players Graduating


HB Roy Nolen
268 car, 1575 yds, 24 td, 28 rec, 344 yds, 7 rec td


WR Brian Herring
150 rec, 2635 yds, 24 td


WR Alex Whitehead
106 rec, 1312 yds, 14 td


CB Matt McDaniel
120 tkl, 7 tfl, 10 int, 8 defl, 2 td

QB Phil Rogers 83
HB Roy Nolen 88
FB Marshall Fuqua 69
WR Alex Whitehead 92
WR Brian Herring 89
WR Marcus Sullivan 85
WR David Wynn 83
OT Jason Sparks 90
DE Dan Sanders 85
DT Mark Crum 89
OLB Adam Weber 84
CB Matt McDaniel 86
CB Allen Smith 84

[Emac78]

The only thing that worries me about next year is losing Nolen. Depth at WR and CB is not a problem. I still have Faaeteete for one more year and a couple four-star receivers that have been waiting their turns. But there could be a serious drop off at tailback next year. Of course that was bound to happen since Nolen won the Heisman and all, but I think it should be significant. Though Taylor is pretty quick himself.

[Emac78]

Coaching Carousel

Iowa Fires Kirk Ferentz, Hires Pat Hill

Iowa Hawkeyes' head coach Kirk Ferentz was finally let go after a very disappointing 1-11 season. The Hawkeyes are not even competitors in the Big Ten anymore and a decison to part ways with Ferentz came as no surprise to anybody. So now, in comes Pat Hill from Fresno State who led the Bulldogs to a 12-1 season, including a WAC championship and a Hawai'i Bowl victory over Memphis. Hill, seeing the grass greener in the Big Ten for a chance at playing for something bigger and a hefty contract never hurts either.

Northwestern Fires Pat Fitzgerald, Hires Frank Solich

Nobody could be surprised that Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired after a winless 0-12 season. Along with 1-11 Iowa and 3-9 Michigan State, the Big Ten is horrendous at the bottom of the conference but the top can compete with anybody. But Northwestern has become a respectable three-star program and an 0-12 season is unacceptable. Maybe the loss of QB Ty Moore to the Beavers on the recruiting trail hurt them but for whatever the reason, the Wildcats need to improve. So in comes last year's coach of the year, Ohio head coach Frank Solich, who miraculously led the Bobcats to a 12-1 season and a no. 3 ranking, including a stunning upset of Texas in the Fiesta Bowl. Many thought Solich was capable of running a better program, but Northwestern had the opening and money to lure Solich into the very competitive Big Ten.

[Emac78]

Signing Day

Top Classes


Jimbo Fisher (Florida State)

1 Florida State
2 Penn State
3 Notre Dame
4 Texas
[b]5 Oregon State[/b]
6 Wisconsin
7 Ohio State
8 Texas Tech
9 LSU
10 Nebraska
17 UCLA
26 Arizona State
28 Oregon
32 Cal
46 USC
48 Washington
76 Arizona
81 Stanford
90 Washington State
120 Michigan State

Top Ten Prospects


ATH Josh Bryant (Florida State)

1 ATH Josh Bryant: Prichard, AL (Florida State)
2 HB Chuck Jean (JUCO): Lake Providence, LA (Clemson)
3 WR Lamar McCauley: Baytown, TX (Texas)
4 OLB Lorenzo Poland: Mulberry, FL (Nebraska)
5 QB Joe Hall: Smithville, TN (Tennessee)
6 ATH Richard Greeen: Wilkinsburg, PA (Ohio State)
7 ATH Brandon Wood: Columbus, OH (Wisconsin)
8 OLB Kelvin Goff: Roma, TX (Notre Dame)
9 HB Kyle Caesar: Woodland, CA (Notre Dame)
10 DE Phil Pittman: Napa, CA (Notre Dame)

Five-Star QB, Only One


QB Joe Hall (Tennessee)

5 Joe Hall: Smithville, TN (Tennessee)

Five-Star HBs


HB Chuck Jean (Clemson)

2 Chuck Jean (JUCO): Lake Providence, LA (Clemson)
9 Kyle Caesar: Woodland, CA (Notre Dame)
11 Jason Cotton: Lake Magdalene, FL (Florida State)
13 Lance Cooley: Orange, TX (Nebraska)
24 Adam Harper: Valdese, NC (Florida State)

Five-Star WRs


WR Lamar McCauley (Texas)

3 Lamar McCauley: Baytown, TX (Texas)
16 Ryan Gorman: Bellview, FL (Miami)
25 Luke Lewis: La Follette, TN (Tennessee)

Top Ten Pac-10 Prospects


DE Adam Bush (Oregon State)

[b]12 DE Adam Bush 5*: San Rafael, CA (Oregon State)[/b]
31 CB Eric Pittman 4*: Chico, CA (UCLA)
36 DT Clay Weber 4*: Pearl City, HI (UCLA)
44 HB Jeremy Branch 4*: Kingsville, TX (Arizona State)
45 OLB Mark Coker 4*: Mountain View, CA (Oregon)
[b]47 CB Jermey Harris 4*: Bridge City, LA (Oregon State)[/b]
49 HB Travis Taylor (JUCO) 4*: Downey, CA (Cal)
[b]64 G Taurean Redd 4*: Santa Clara, CA (Oregon State)[/b]
70 WR James Edwards 4*: San Angelo, TX (Arizona State)
89 CB Jason Price 4*: Concord, CA (Arizona State)

[Emac78]

Oregon State Class Rated 5th Best According to Rivals


DE Adam Bush

Corvallis, OR - Mike Riley just continues to surprise the college football world. The most underrated head coach in college football has brought in another great class to Corvallis. According to Rivals, Oregon State had the 5th best class in the nation. Though only bringing in one five-star prospect, the Beavers were able to convince 14 four-star prospects to play football in Corvallis, the most four-star prospect to sign for a team this year.

Despite only one five star prospect, DE Adam Bush from San Rafael, California is the only five-star prospect to commit to a Pac-10 school. Bush will be a fantastic pass rusher in the future that will be sure to ruin many a day for Pac-10 QBs.


The Beavers concentrated their early efforts around acquiring offensive linemen and the results paid off. Three four-star offensive linemen chose the Beavs. Four-star G Taurean Redd, from Santa Clara, California, the 5th best at his position and rated 64th nationally should be the best of the three. But do not count out four-star G Dustin Adams from Opportunity, Washington and four-star OT Bryan Townsend from Downey, California. Riley is hoping to red shirt all three to get the full potential out of them.

Oregon State also proved that they have become a national force on the recruiting trail as they were able to convince four-star CB Jeremy Harris from Bridge City, Louisiana to turn down an offer from home-state LSU, and play in Corvallis. Harris, the 5th best CB of this year's class, and rated the 47th best prospect was a great acquisition for the Beavers.

As usual, Oregon State made sure to get some skill positions as they received commitments from three 4-star WRs. Chad West of McCandless, Pennsylvania, rated the 94th best prospect overall should be the best of the bunch. Again, Oregon State proved that they have emerged as a national power when West chose the Beavers over the Fighting Irish. Also, four-star HB Austin Hall from Victoria, Texas committed over one phone call in the off season. Hall reminds Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf of Marvin Quinn so look for Hall to be a mainstay of the offense in the future.

Oregon State Commitments

HB Austin Hall 4*: Victoria, TX #20
HB Adrian Jacobs 3*: Cathedral City, CA #45
FB Eric Southall 2*: Kenmore, WA #17
WR Chad West 4*: McCandless, PA #13 [b]94th[/b]
WR Ryan Kelly 4*: San Louis Obispo, CA #21
WR Dennis Noa 4*: Martinez, CA #25
WR Skip Young 3*: Powelhurst, OR #92
OT Bryan Townsend 4*: Downey, CA #12
OT Terrell Carlson 3*: Dallas, OR #52
G Tarean Redd 4*: Santa Clara, CA #5 [b]64th[/b]
G Dustin Adams 4*: Opportunity, WA #15
DE Adam Bush 5*: San Rafael, CA #2 [b]12th[/b]
DE Matt Doolin (JUCO) 4*: La Verne, CA #11
DT Lance Russ 4*: Westminster, CA #9
DT Charles Douglas 2*: McMinville, OR #58
OLB Steven Fitzpatrick (JUCO) 4*: Fridey, MN #20
OLB Josh Wilson 3*: Aldine, TX #35
CB Jeremy Harris 4*: Bridge City, LA #5 [b]47th[/b]
CB Brian Hill 4*: Camarillo, CA #23
FS Patrick Oliver 4*: Val Verda, UT #5 [b]95th[/b]
ATH Dustin Bower 4*: Irvine, CA #14