Go Beavs: An Oregon State Dynasty

[Emac78]

Nice win over Mich, and Fsu definitely dominated

Thanks. FSU definitely did. They have some really awesome talent. WR Bryant (89 ovr) is a true freshman. I was surprised they had three losses. I'd expect them to really compete for it all next season.

Wow. You had an unranked team in the Orange Bowl. Because the P10 had so many BCS-worthy teams. Shit. One of 'em should have been in the Orange or the Fiesta...

How'd I do over the season?

Yes. The Pac-10 had a bunch of good teams but the Big East has an automatic bid for their conference champion which was Pitt. Florida State was also there because they won the ACC. Then you have TCU at #2 which really screws things up. We almost had Tulane in a BCS bowl too.

I think Fox did pretty well. I know he was the starter this year. I'll try to check on that when I get a chance.

Great Rose Bowl win!! Congrats.

Thanks man. It's always great to win the Rose Bowl.

grats on the rose bowl win. When you watch the other bowls and such, do you have specific sliders you set before the game? or do you just go with the flow

Thanks. Believe or not. The sliders are still a work in progress and this is 09. I'm constantly tweaking the sliders.

[Woy]

Congrats on the Rose Bowl win and it's nice to see Penn State win their bowl game as well.

Hurry up and get these next 100 posts so I can award you with your Franchise 1K. ;)

[Emac78]

BCS National Championship - Glendale, AZ

#2 TCU (12-0) vs #1 Notre Dame (12-0)

Chris: It has been another great college football season but it is time to finally decide who will win the national title. Welcome to Glendale where Notre Dame will face TCU in University of Phoenix Stadium for the National Championship. Talk about a "David versus Goliath" matchup. The Irish come in as heavy favorites against TCU who some pundits feel has not played a high enough competition to be here tonight. But it is time to settle it on the field. For the first time we will see a non-BCS team in the National Championship game. So who are you guys picking?


Kirk: Look, I see no way that I could not pick Notre Dame. But let me say this about TCU. The Horned Frogs aren't a bunch of nobodies. They are a good team and will give the Irish a run for their money. But Notre Dame is just too talented. Notre Dame willl win big.


Lee: First in points per game, rushing offense, total defense, and pass defense. Do you know which team that is? Nope. Not Notre Dame. That is TCU sweetheart. You're right. TCU is a very good team. So that is why I'm picking....(Lee gets the Horned Frog headgear out and throws it at Kirk. Then puts on the Leprechaun hat.) GO IRISH!

 

[packersfan4eva]

Notre Dame is going to kill

[Emac78]

do you have an opening at MLB next season? a truly killer recruiting class

also, hat other studs are you looking at?

It is a ridiculously strong class. I lose MLB Casey Wright (89 ovr). In fact, I lose all of my starting linebackers and my safeties.

[Emac78]

BCS National Championship - Glendale, AZ


#2 TCU (12-0) vs #1 Notre Dame (12-0)

Glendale, AZ - Coming into the game, all that TCU heard was about their weak schedule that let them cruise in the title game. There was so much hype surrounding Notre Dame that it felt like why even play the game. But we should no better by now that the BCS busters need to be taken seriously. And now it was for all the marbles. The Horned Frogs were playing for all of the non-BCS conferences in the nation to prove to them that the dream was possible. But could TCU really pull off the upset and steal the national title from the heavily favored Fighting Irish? Love them or hate them. There was very little debate as to who was the #1 team in the country. However, outside of the wins against Michigan, USC, and maybe Boise State, one could make an argument that Notre Dame's schedule was rather weak as well. It was time to finally settle it on the field.

The Horned Frogs proved that they meant business on the opening possession as they drove right into Irish territory. But TCU would lose their top receiver, WR Antonio Benson (88 ovr) when he was sandwhiched between the ND MLB combo of Jonathan Thompson (99 ovr) and George Cannon (96 ovr). Benson left with a strained back and would not return to the game until the 3rd quarter.

TCU WR Antonio Benson left the game after this hit from ND MLBs Jonathan Thompson and George Cannon.

TCU's drive stalled and the junior kicker booted a 50-yard field goal to put the Frogs on top 3-0. The Irish appeared to be overexcited on their first possession as they went a quick three-and out. Then the Irish were able to hold TCU to a three-and-out, when QB Kevin Davis tried to scramble but ND SS David Jackson (91 ovr) brought him down for a sack. The Frogs were forced to punt but instead tried a fake that backfired miserably, giving the Irish great field position. Notre Dame capitalized as QB Joe Davis (97 ovr) led the Irish into the red zone. But the drive stalled and the Irish tied the game with a 24-yard chip shot, 3-3.

The Frogs were shut down again on offense as they went three-and-out. On the ensuing punt, ND WR Rodney Gonzalez made a nice 36-yard return all the way to the TCU 35-yard line. At the goal line, ND QB Joe Davis would find junior HB Tyrone Meade (91 ovr) in the flat for a 1-yard TD to put the Irish in front 10-3.

ND QB Joe Davis finds HB Tyrone Meade for a 1-yard TD.

On the ensuing possession for the Horned Frogs, HB Andre Bates was able to get outside and break loose for a 35 yard gain. But a sack by ND OLB Curtis Novak would force TCU into another long field goal. But junior Graham Wilson had no trouble booming it over the upright for a 56-yard field goal to cut the lead to 10-6.

After a quick three-and-out for the Irish. Notre Dame's defense also forced a quick three-and-out of TCU, but the Frogs faked the punt again. And again it failed. With good field position, the Irish marched right into the red zone. Where HB Tyrone Meade scored on a 4-yard scamper up the middle to put Notre Dame up 17-6.

ND HB Tyrone Meade scores on a 4-yard scamper.

Though TCU got right back in the game when they were able to march the length of the field methodically where QB Kevin Davis hit WR Steve Calhoun in the end zone for an 8-yard TD to make it 17-13.

TCU WR Steve Calhoun with an 8-yard TD reception.

On the ensuing possession, the Irish looked in danger of having to punt the ball right back to the Frogs who were now feeling confident. That was until QB Joe Davis was able to scramble for 27 yards to keep the drive alive. As a result, Notre Dame got in position to attempt a 51-yard field goal which was booted through the uprights to make it 20-13 ND.

TCU responded by having to punt after three quick plays. The Irish got the ball back with :27 left to go in the half at their own 45-yard line. QB Joe Davis would connect on a short crossing pattern underneath the coverage with WR Cedrick Lowe (96 spd) who turned it into a 37-yard gain, taken out just inside the 5-yard line with :04 left to go in the half. The big play set up a 24-yard chip shot to give the Irish a 23-13 lead at halftime.

ND WR Cedrick Lowe with a 37-yard recption that sets up a 24-yard field goal before halftime.

Heading into the 3rd quarter, it was quite obvious that Notre Dame was not going to run the Horned Frogs out of the building like many of the pundits had predicted. TCU was holding their own and continued to do so as the Irish failed to get a single first down to start the 2nd half. But TCU was pinned at their own 6-yard line on the punt. Field position was the name of the game in the 3rd quarter. TCU was forced to punt from deep inside their own territory. The Irish appeared like they were about to get going as they picked up a couple first downs and crossed into TCU territory with a couple decent runs by Meade. But the drive would stall and Notre Dame was forced to punt. Finally, the Horned Frogs found some success as QB Kevin Davis was able to get it out to his quick receivers.

The 4th quarter would start with the Frogs driving into the red zone. Where HB Andre Bates was able to elude a tackle and score on a 5-yard TD run to make it a close 23-20 Irish lead with plenty of time left.

TCU HB Andre Bates with a 5-yard TD run.

The pressure was now on the Fighting Irish. For whatever reason, Notre Dame was having trouble running against TCU's statistically top defense as HB Tyrone Meade found very little running room. Thus it was put on the shoulders of QB Joe Davis (97 ovr). This was his time to shine but the Irish were stopped in TCU territory and forced top punt. The Horned Frogs went right back to work but were held at the ND 41-yard line. However, on 4th-and-inches, head coach rolled the dice as HB Andre Bates got the handoff out of the gun and found a huge opening to the right for an easy 1st down. Fortunately, the Irish were able to hold and force TCU to settle for a 47-yard field goal which junior Graham Wilson had no trouble splitting the uprights to tie the game 23-23 with 3:32 remaining.

TCU junior kicker Graham Wilson splits the uprights for a 47-yard field goal to tie the game.

Now the upset possibility was alive and well. And Notre Dame did not help themselves any as they went a quick three-and-out. The only good thing they accomplished was pinning TCU at their own 9-yard line. Momentum seemed completely in favor of the Horned Frogs but they were also unable to achieve a first down. Wit 1:43 left to go, the Frogs were forced to punt from their own end zone where ND WR Rodney Gonzalez returned it all the way to the TCU 31-yard line. Then QB Joe Davis threw a strike to TE Ulysses Lane (90 ovr) along the sideline where he was not knocked out of bounds at the 8-yard-line with 1:00 left. The Irish were in position to win the game until Davis threw into the end zone and was picked off by TCU CB Demetrius Jackson as a collective groan reverberated through the stadium.

TCU CB Demetrius Jackson picks off ND QB Joe Davis in the end zone.

Though TCU was unable to kill the clock and was forced to punt with :08 left in regulation. The Irish had the ball at their own 30-yard line with :03 left on the clock. So it would go to overtime unless Notre Dame could pull off some kind of miracle. QB Joe Davis dropped back to pass and threw underneath the coverage to WR Keith Williams (89 ovr, 94 elu) who got past one defender, eluded another, dodged another, broke an arm tackle, and broke another arm tackle. At that point the stadium roared to life as there was nothing but green left in front of him. Williams was able to take it all the way to the house for an incredible 70-yard TD reception as the clock ticked triple-zero. The entire team raced onto the field into a huge dogpile in the endzone. The fans stormed the field in jubilation as the stadium went ballistic with excitement in one of the greatest finsihes in BCS history. The luck of the Irish prevails in a BCS championship that will go down as one for the ages. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish finish a perfect 13-0 and are your 2014 national champions.

ND WR Keith Williams gets by five TCU defenders on an incredible game-winning 70-yard TD reception.

#2 TCU 23
QB Kevin Davis: 23-37, 244 yds, td
HB Andre Bates: 19 car, 89 yds, td
WR Steve Calhoun: 7 rec, 75 yds, td
CB Demetrius Jackson: 6 tkl, int, 3 defl

#1 Notre Dame 30
QB Joe Davis: 22-30, 290 yds, 2 td, int
HB Tyrone Meade: 22 car, 57 yds, td, rec td
WR Keith Williams: 5 rec, 130 yds, td
SS David Jackson: 12 tkl, tfl, sk, 2 defl

[Emac78]

I have no idea. I guess they forgot how to tackle. That was one of the most amazing plays I've ever seen in the game especially under the circumstances.

[Emac78]

Coaches' Poll

Media Poll

[Emac78]

All-Americans

1st Team
TE Adam Banks JR 86: 71 rec, 946 yds, 12 td (Mackey)
CB Deon Weatherford SO(RS) 86: 5 int, 3 td, 19 defl (Thorpe, Bednarik)
SS Courtney Smith SR 91: 75 tkl, 2 tfl, 3 int, td, 10 defl

2nd Team
CB John Biggers JR 94: 4 int, td, 13 defl
FS Scott Vinson SR(RS) 90: 46 tkl, 5 int, td, 11 defl
P Nick Carpenter SR 87

All Pac-10

1st Team
HB Tim Taylor SR(RS) 81: 157 car, 991 yds, 14 td, 3 rec td
TE Adam Banks JR 86: 71 rec, 946 yds, 12 td (Mackey)
G Justin Smith SR 89
CB Deon Weatherford SO(RS) 86: 5 int, 3 td, 19 defl (Thorpe, Bednarik)
CB John Biggers JR 94: 4 int, td, 13 defl
FS Scott Vinson SR(RS) 90: 46 tkl, 5 int, td, 11 defl
SS Courtney Smith SR 91: 75 tkl, 2 tfl, 3 int, td, 10 defl
P Nick Carpenter SR 87

2nd Team
G Ray Marshall SO(RS) 85
DE Brandon Webb JR 89: 46 tkl, 22 tfl, 9 sk, 3 defl
K Reggie Smith SR 77: 12/17 50 long
Ret Bill Faaeteete SR(RS) 91

[Emac78]

2014 Season Stats

QB Justin Rust SR(RS) 88: 3194 yds, 34 td, 17 int, rush td
HB Tim Taylor SR(RS) 81: 157 car, 991 yds, 14 td, 3 rec td
HB Derrick Andrews FR(RS) 74: 121 car, 591 yds, 4 td, rec td
WR Bill Faaeteete SR(RS) 91: 64 rec, 635 yds, 5 td
WR Brian Horn JR(RS) 87: 47 rec, 738 yds, 8 td
WR David Baker SO(RS) 85: 39 rec, 526 yds, 6 td
TE Adam Banks JR 86: 71 rec, 946 yds, 12 td (Mackey)
OLB Cole Aldexander SR(RS) 90: 68 tkl, 12 tfl, 2 sk, int, 4 defl, fmbrec, td
MLB Casey Wright SR(RS) 90: 63 tkl, 8 tfl, sk, 2 int, 5 defl
OLB Carlos Matthews SR 93: 46 tkl, 14 tfl, 2 sk, 2 int, 4 defl
DE Brandon Webb JR 89: 46 tkl, 22 tfl, 9 sk, 3 defl
DE Adam Thomas SO(RS) 83: 39 tkl, 14 tfl, 2 sk, defl
DT Steve Brooks JR 89: 36 tkl, 7 tfl, 6 sk, ff
DT Lee King JR 89: 36 tkl, 6 tfl, 3 sk
CB Deon Weatherford SO(RS) 86: 5 int, 3 td, 19 defl (Thorpe, Bednarik)
CB John Biggers JR 94: 4 int, td, 13 defl
FS Scott Vinson SR(RS) 90: 46 tkl, 5 int, td, 11 defl
SS Courtney Smith SR 91: 75 tkl, 2 tfl, 3 int, td, 10 defl

[Emac78]

Players Leaving

Graduation



QB Justin Rust


HB Tim Taylor


WR Bill Faaeteete


OLB Carlos Matthews


OLB Cole Alexander


FS Scott Vinson


SS Courtney Smith

QB Justin Rust 88 ovr
HB Tim Taylor 81 ovr
WR Bill Faaeteete 91 ovr
TE Pete Rich 71 ovr
T Jason Rushing 85 ovr
C Eric Reese 86 ovr
G Justin Smith 89 ovr
G Andy Rust 84 ovr
T Dennis Herron 89 ovr
DE Paul Peterson 83 ovr
DE Jerome Groover 80 ovr
DE Clint Davis 79 ovr
DT Lee King 92 ovr
OLB Carlos Matthews 93 ovr
MLB Casey Wright 90 ovr
OLB Cole Alexander 90 ovr
FS Scott Vinson 90 ovr
SS Courtney Smith 91 ovr
K Reggie Smith 77 ovr
P Nick Carpenter 87 ovr

Leaving Early


CB John Biggers

CB John Biggers 94 ovr

Transferring

DE Jason Patterson SO(RS) 79 ovr - Utah State
MLB Derek Reid SO(RS) 74 ovr - Stanford
OLB Jared Richardson SO(RS) 74 ovr - Nevada

[Emac78]

Talk about luck of the Irish. I thought they were going to blow it when Davis threw the interception in the end zone. Great way to finish the season out.

[Emac78]

Signing Day

Top Classes


Urban Meyer (Florida)

Top Ten Prospects


Bryan Mitchell (Oregon State)

Five-Star QBs


Josh McNair (Oklahoma)

Five-Star HBs


Jaron Smith (Tennessee)

Five-Star WRs

Top Ten Pac-10 Prospects

[Emac78]

Signing Day




(top) QB Todd Jones (bottom left) WR Bryan Mitchell (bottom center) MLB A.J. Morton (bottom right) DE Stephen Thompson

Corvallis, OR - The Beavers continue to take their program to the next level. This year, Oregon State received early commitments from the top two prospects of this year's class. Five-star WR Bryan Mitchell (97 acc) from Washington is rated the top prospect of the entire class. He is really quick in his routes and is able to jump up to make some acrobatic catches. Look for Mitchell to contribute right away as he has a chance to be something really special. The 2nd best prospect, MLB A.J. Morton from Alabama will give Oregon State added depth at the linebacker position. Morton will challenge Burns for that starting spot but do not be surpised if the Beavers use him on the outside or maybe even experiment with a 3-4 look.

The prospect that Mike Riley can not stop raving about is four-star QB Todd Jones (99 thp) from California. "Boy, I'm really impressed with Jones," Riley commented. "He looks like the real deal. I'm not sure if I've ever seen the kind of arm strength with any quarterback I've ever coached. I'm really, really looking forward to working with him." The entire Oregon State coaching staff feels extremely lucky that Jones has landed in Corvallis and is not sure how other big name schools hardly gave the big armed pocket QB a look. However, despite the excitement, Riley has not commented on whether he thinks Jones will be named the starter and insists it will be an open competition with Ty Moore.

The Beavers also added five-star DE Stephen Thompson from the home of Penn State, State College, Pennsylvania. Thompson should fall in line to become another great pass rusher that will probably line up with another five-star prospect from last year's class, Adam Bush in the coming years. In addition to Thompson, the Beavers also picked up four-star OLB John Hicks from Texas and four-star SS Damien Cleveland from Ohio.

On offense, in addition to Mitchell, the Beavers actually added another receiver to the crowded list of names at the position. Four-star WR Michael Alexander from Pennsylvania should make an excellent possession receiver when he gets his opportunity to see the playing field. Though Oregon State did get a commitment from junior college transfer HB John Johnson from Modesto, California. Johnson will give the Beavers a different look with a more power running style. He is more likely to try and run over a defender rather than to try and elude him with speed or shiftiness. Expect Johnson to make an immediate impact right away as he might very well win the starting job.

Commitments

[Emac78]

Coaching Carousel

Pete Carroll Leaving For NFL


Pete Carroll

The rumors have proven true. USC head coach Pete Carroll will be moving on up to the next level in the NFL. The Trojans have suddenly found themselves challenged in the Pac-10 by rival UCLA, Cal, and now Oregon State. Only Carroll can answer whether the downturn in the program affected his decision. Now a job search for one of the most prestigious jobs in college football ensues. Likely candidates include Oregon State's Mike Riley, Boise State's Chris Peterson, and TCU's Gary Patterson. But if neither of the hot names take the job, look for the Trojans to go after somebody they are familiar with.

USC Hires Lane Kiffin


Lane Kiffin on the right

It was only a couple years ago that Washington brought in Lane Kiffin to replace Tyrone Williamham. Now, Kiffin is already out the door. On to the next best thing. The unproven coach who has yet to win at any level as a head coach was hired to be the replacement for Pete Carroll at USC. Presumably, Riley, Peterson, and Patterson must have turned down the position.

Washington Hires Mark Banker


Mark Banker

The Huskies, forced to make a sudden hire after the premature exit of Lane Kiffin may have just made a great move. Washington has hired Oregon State's defensive coordinator Mark Banker as the new head coach. Banker has coached with Mike Riley for nearly two decades now, and was thought to maybe be the heir-apparent in Corvallis. With Banker at the head of the Beavers' defense, Oregon State has had one of the top defenses annually in the Pac-10. However, Banker will have a tough job of rebuilding Washington as they have fallen on some hard times.