The Wild West | A West Texas Outlaws Dynasty

[Leftwich]

Good luck. I like your ideas of conference realignment.

 

[St. Francisco]

WEEK FOURTEEN

UL MONROE WARHAWKS (5-5, 3-3)
VS.
WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (5-5, 4-2)

Junior runningback Max Drew had his way with UL Monroe's front seven on Saturday, carrying the ball 30 times for an average of 5.8 yards per touch, and scoring twice. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the rest of the team. While Drew excelled, the passing game floundered, and a normally stout defense allowed four touchdowns as the Outlaws fell for the first time in over a month, losing 31-24 in overtime to the Warhawks.

ULM opened the game with a 7-yard rushing TD by sophomore runningback Jyruss Edwards in the opening two minutes, and extended that lead to 14 at the end of the first quarter when Kolton Browning found senior wide receiver Luther Ambrose (pictured above) for a 33-yard touchdown. West Texas finally responded midway through the second quarter when Max Drew found the endzone from three yards out. At the top of the second half, Drew hit the endzone again, tying the game at 14. But minutes later, Edwards bulldozed his way in for a touchdown once again to regain the lead for the Warhawks. In his lone bright spot of the day, James Hartman hit Michael Maynard for a 33-yard TD reception early in the fourth quarter to knot the game up at 21. The score would stay there until late in the fourth quarter, when Radi Jabour hit a 35-yard field goal with just two minutes to play. Needing at least three points to send the game into extra innings, the Outlaws fashioned a great last drive, capping it off with a 43-yard field goal as time expired. UL Monroe opened up the first overtime period with a 4-yard TD pass from Browning to junior wide receiver Brent Leonard, and their defense did the rest, stifling West Texas on their next four offensive snaps to take home a 31-24 victory.

The Warhawks lost the turnover battle, yet still managed to take home a victory, thanks to their 24 points scored in four redzone trips. Sophomore quarterback Kolton Browning completed just 13 of 31 passes for 167 yards and threw two interceptions, but also had two TD passes, including the game-winner in overtime. His go-to man was the ever-present Luther Ambrose, who had five catches for 75 yards and a score. On the ground, the trio of Browning and runningbacks Jyruss Edwards and Devontae McNeal rushed for 117 yards off 32 carries, while Edwards scored twice. Defensively, ULM held the Outlaws to 286 total offensive yards, recorded two sacks and one interception, and limited them to a 50% success rate in four redzone trips. After spending the entire month of November on the road, the Warhawks will head home next week to host Tulane (4-7, 2-5) in their season finale.

On the other side of the ball, senior quarterback James Hartman had an abysmal game under center, completing just five of his 28 passes for 59 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Take away the 33-yard TD pass, and Hartman went 4-27 for 26 yards and an interception, his worst game to date. The offense's saving grace was Max Drew, who had 176 yards and two touchdowns off 30 carries, but could not offset the ineptitude of the passing game. Defensively, the team recorded two interceptions and forced a fumble, but also allowed the Warhawks to score on all four of their redzone trips, and failed to stop ULM on both of their 4th down conversion tries.

WTU's third loss in the conference knocks them out of contention for the conference title, but a chance to become bowl eligible is still on the line next week when they travel to face the Texas State Bobcats (1-10, 1-6) in the historic first meeting between these two FBS newcomers and in-state rivals. The Bobcats have struggled mightily in the their first FBS season, scoring just 9.7 points per game to come in dead last in the nation. In adition, their defense ranks in the bottom ten in passing and rushing yards allowed, and their -9 turnover differential has killed any bit of momentum the team manages to build in a game. It should be an easy win for the Outlaws, who will come in hungry after losing a heart breaker at home this week.


<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td align="center" colspan="7">Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks at West Texas Outlaws</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="48%">Nov 26, 2011</td><td align="right" width="8%">1ST</td><td align="right" width="8%">2ND</td><td align="right" width="8%">3RD</td><td align="right" width="8%">4TH</td><td align="right" width="8%">OT</td><td align="right" width="12%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (6-5, 4-3)</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right" class="active">31</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>West Texas Outlaws (5-6, 4-3)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right" class="active">24</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="3">Team Stats Comparison</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="60%"></td><td align="center" width="20%">ULM</td><td align="center" width="20%">WTU</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Offense</td><td align="center">297</td><td align="center">286</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Rushing Yards</td><td align="center">130</td><td align="center">227</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Passing Yards</td><td align="center">167</td><td align="center">59</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">First Downs</td><td align="center">17</td><td align="center">20</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Punt Return Yards</td><td align="center">34</td><td align="center">26</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Kick Return Yards</td><td align="center">94</td><td align="center">120</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Yards</td><td align="center">425</td><td align="center">432</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Turnovers</td><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">3rd Down Converstion</td><td align="center">4-14 (28%)</td><td align="center">8-20 (40%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">4th Down Conversion</td><td align="center">2-2 (100%)</td><td align="center">1-3 (33%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">2-Point Conversion</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals</td><td align="center">4-3-1 (100%)</td><td align="center">4-2-0 (50%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Penalties</td><td align="center">9-65</td><td align="center">7-69</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Posession Time</td><td align="center">28:58</td><td align="center">31:02</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="4">Scoring Summary</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">FIRST QUARTER SCORING</td><td align="right" width="10%">ULM</td><td align="right" width="10%">WTU</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center" width="10%">13:22</td><td width="70%">(ULM) TD: Jyruss Edwards, 7 yard run</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center" width="10%">0:39</td><td width="70%">(ULM) TD: Luther Ambrose, 33 yard pass from Kolton Browning</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">SECOND QUARTER SCORING</td><td align="right" width="10%">ULM</td><td align="right" width="10%">WTU</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">6:02</td><td width="70%">(WTU) TD: Max Drew, 3 yard run</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">7</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">THIRD QUARTER SCORING</td><td align="right" width="10%">ULM</td><td align="right" width="10%">WTU</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">9:25</td><td width="70%">(WTU) TD: Max Drew, 1 yard run</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">14</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center" width="10%">5:54</td><td width="70%">(ULM) TD: Jyruss Edwards, 3 yard run</td><td align="right">21</td><td align="right">14</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">FOURTH QUARTER SCORING</td><td align="right" width="10%">ULM</td><td align="right" width="10%">WTU</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">13:30</td><td width="70%">(WTU) TD: Michael Maynard, 33 yard pass from James Hartman</td><td align="right">21</td><td align="right">21</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center" width="10%">2:00</td><td width="70%">(ULM) FG: Radi Jabour, 35 yard kick</td><td align="right">24</td><td align="right">21</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">0:01</td><td width="70%">(WTU) FG: Caleb Reynolds, 43 yard kick</td><td align="right">24</td><td align="right">24</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">OVERTIME SCORING</td><td align="right" width="10%">ULM</td><td align="right" width="10%">WTU</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center" width="10%">-----</td><td width="70%">(ULM) TD: Brent Leonard, 4 yard pass from Kolton Browning</td><td align="right">31</td><td align="right">24</td></tr></table></body></html>

 

[St. Francisco]

AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK FOURTEEN-

 

[St. Francisco]

 

[St. Francisco]

WEEK FIFTEEN
-RIVALRY GAME-

WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (5-6, 4-3)
VS.
TEXAS ST. BOBCATS (1-10, 1-6)

After a lackluster 1-4 start to the season, West Texas made a change at runningback, giving the starting nod to junior Max Drew over senior Chaz Foreman. And since then, the team's fortunes have changed dramatically. In their season finale against the Texas State Bobcats, Drew proved worthy of the starting spot once again, rushing for over 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Outlaws stifled their in-state rivals in a close 14-9 victory, and improved to 5-2 down the stretch, becoming bowl eligible in their first FBS season.

In what was perhaps his final collegiate start, senior quarterback James Hartman struggled again, completing 41% of his 31 passes for 127 yards, and throwing two interceptions. Luckily, Max Drew did not suffer from the same mediocrity, carrying the ball 22 times for 102 yards and both of WTU's touchdowns in the game. With just seven starts on the season, Drew finished the year with 912 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Defensively, the Outlaws unsurprisingly shined against one of the worst offenses in the nation, holding them to zero touchdowns despite three redzone trips, and recorded two sacks and a turnover in the win. True sophomore Chris Kiniry (OLB) led the team with nine tackles and a sack, finishing the season with a team-best 83 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one interception, and a forced and recovered fumble.

"I don't know if we're going to play in the postseason...but I do know that I couldn't be more proud of this team," said head coach Major Applewhite following the game. "We really overcame a lot of adversity early in the season, and finished strong. The future is bright in Odessa, I'll tell you that."

On the other side of the ball, Texas State's 2011 season is mercifully over. Sophomore quarterback Paul Stone completed just 14 of 33 passes for 156 yards, failing to generate much of an offense for his team. Leading the receiving corps was junior tight end Jason Mullins, who had six catches for 78 yards, while senior runningback Brad Burke was held to 63 yards off 18 carries on the ground. The Bobcats' defense recorded three sacks and two interceptions in addition to limiting West Texas to 269 total offensive yards, but simply could not do enough to overcome the ineptitude of their offensive play. Texas State finishes the year tied with Villanova (1-11, 0-9) for the worst record in the FBS.

The sun has set on another exciting year of college football, and now fans in Odessa must wait to see if their team's 6-6 mark will be enough to earn them a bid in college football's postseason. If not, the .500 mark of their first FBS year should be considered a massive accomplishment, and a great base to begin improving upon next season.


<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td align="center" colspan="6">West Texas Outlaws at Texas St. Bobcats</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="48%">Jan 1, </td><td align="right" width="10%">1ST</td><td align="right" width="10%">2ND</td><td align="right" width="10%">3RD</td><td align="right" width="10%">4TH</td><td align="right" width="12%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>West Texas Outlaws (6-6, 5-3)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right" class="active">14</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Texas St. Bobcats (1-11, 1-7)</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right" class="active">9</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="3">Team Stats Comparison</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="60%"></td><td align="center" width="20%">WTU</td><td align="center" width="20%">TXST</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Offense</td><td align="center">269</td><td align="center">276</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Rushing Yards</td><td align="center">142</td><td align="center">120</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Passing Yards</td><td align="center">127</td><td align="center">156</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">First Downs</td><td align="center">18</td><td align="center">14</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Punt Return Yards</td><td align="center">33</td><td align="center">43</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Kick Return Yards</td><td align="center">111</td><td align="center">81</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Yards</td><td align="center">413</td><td align="center">400</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Turnovers</td><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">3rd Down Converstion</td><td align="center">6-16 (37%)</td><td align="center">8-19 (42%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">4th Down Conversion</td><td align="center">1-3 (33%)</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">2-Point Conversion</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals</td><td align="center">3-2-0 (66%)</td><td align="center">3-0-2 (66%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Penalties</td><td align="center">9-64</td><td align="center">11-76</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Posession Time</td><td align="center">28:37</td><td align="center">31:23</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="4">Scoring Summary</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">FIRST QUARTER SCORING</td><td align="right" width="10%">WTU</td><td align="right" width="10%">TXST</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">5:30</td><td width="70%">(TXST) FG: Andy Olson, 42 yard kick</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">3</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">SECOND QUARTER SCORING</td><td align="right" width="10%">WTU</td><td align="right" width="10%">TXST</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">9:14</td><td width="70%">(TXST) FG: Andy Olson, 31 yard kick</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">6</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center" width="10%">5:46</td><td width="70%">(WTU) TD: Max Drew, 5 yard run</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">6</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center" width="10%">0:19</td><td width="70%">(WTU) TD: Max Drew, 3 yard run</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">6</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">FOURTH QUARTER SCORING</td><td align="right" width="10%">WTU</td><td align="right" width="10%">TXST</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">10:16</td><td width="70%">(TXST) FG: Andy Olson, 26 yard kick</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">9</td></tr></table></body></html>

 

[St. Francisco]

AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK FIFTEEN-

 

[G-men]

Lol at a 6-6 Auburn team being ranked. Great first season though for WTU, hopefully they can get a bowl bid, as I believe the Sun Belt has three.

 

[St. Francisco]

Lol at a 6-6 Auburn team being ranked. Great first season though for WTU, hopefully they can get a bowl bid, as I believe the Sun Belt has three.

Yeah, smh at Auburn being 21st while 10-2 Southern Miss and 9-3 Vanderbilt are unranked.

 

[St. Francisco]

2011 FINAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS

 

[St. Francisco]

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND

...

...

A 41-21 victory over South Carolina early in the season proved to be the deciding factor in the Atlantic division of the ACC, where Georgia came out on top of a mediocre field to face off against #2 Virginia Tech in their first year with the conference. The Bulldogs finished the season with a 7-5 record, but it is worth noting that four of their five losses came by six points or less. With Heisman front-runner David Wilson in tow, the Hokies were expected to walk away with the game despite the loss of star quarterback Logan Thomas, and secure a spot in the national title game. Instead, senior quarterback Aaron Murray stole the show for Georgia, throwing for 191 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushing for 33 yards and another two scores as the unranked Bulldogs stunned a sold-out Virginia crowd with a 28-21 victory to win the ACC conference championship. Georgia's normally porous secondary held Virginia Tech to just 136 passing yards, and the defense forced a crucial two turnovers in the win. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech's 7th ranked offense scored a season-low 21 points, while their 5th ranked defense allowed 28 points, their second highest total of the season. Heisman hopeful David Wilson did rush for 113 yards and a touchdown off 23 carries to cap off his amazing season, but couldn't generate enough offense by himself to outscore Georgia.


<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td align="center" colspan="6">Georgia Bulldogs at Virginia Tech Hokies</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="48%">Dec 10, 2011</td><td align="right" width="10%">1ST</td><td align="right" width="10%">2ND</td><td align="right" width="10%">3RD</td><td align="right" width="10%">4TH</td><td align="right" width="12%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Georgia Bulldogs (8-5, 8-2)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right" class="active">28</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><span style="color:#CC0000;">#2</span> Virginia Tech Hokies (12-1, 9-1)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right" class="active">21</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="3">Team Stats Comparison</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="60%"></td><td align="center" width="20%">UGA</td><td align="center" width="20%">VT</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Offense</td><td align="center">339</td><td align="center">312</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Rushing Yards</td><td align="center">148</td><td align="center">176</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Passing Yards</td><td align="center">191</td><td align="center">136</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">First Downs</td><td align="center">18</td><td align="center">20</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Punt Return Yards</td><td align="center">43</td><td align="center">11</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Kick Return Yards</td><td align="center">52</td><td align="center">77</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Yards</td><td align="center">434</td><td align="center">400</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Turnovers</td><td align="center">0</td><td align="center">2</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">3rd Down Converstion</td><td align="center">8-16 (50%)</td><td align="center">7-13 (53%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">4th Down Conversion</td><td align="center">1-3 (33%)</td><td align="center">0-1 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">2-Point Conversion</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals</td><td align="center">6-4-0 (66%)</td><td align="center">3-3-0 (100%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Penalties</td><td align="center">9-65</td><td align="center">9-60</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Posession Time</td><td align="center">31:47</td><td align="center">28:05</td></tr></table></body></html>

...

In week five of the regular season, Notre Dame faced off against Pittsburgh in one of the most exciting Big East contests of the year. After falling behind early, the Irish scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to tie the game, but would fall in overtime 31-24. Fast forward to the end of the year, where the inaugural Big East title game would feature an epic rematch that lived up to the hype. Despite losing their starting and backup quarterback to injury in the game, Notre Dame generated nearly 400 yards of total offense, and overcame three turnovers in their last-second 25-24 win over previously unbeaten Pitt, who watched their national title hopes drift away with the loss. After building a 19-10 lead at the end of the third quarter, the Irish watched their conference title hopes slip away as the Panthers scored two touchdowns in the opening four minutes of the final quarter, including a 16-yard fumble return for a score to give the team their first lead of the second half. But the Fighting Irish kept plugging along, adding two 40+ yard field goals in the final six minutes to narrowly escape with the Big East title in their first season with the conference. Pittsburgh generated just 220 yards of total offense on the day, while their Heisman hopeful runningback Ray Graham was limited to 86 yards and no touchdowns off 15 carries.


<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td align="center" colspan="6">Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Pittsburgh Panthers</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="48%">Dec 10, 2011</td><td align="right" width="10%">1ST</td><td align="right" width="10%">2ND</td><td align="right" width="10%">3RD</td><td align="right" width="10%">4TH</td><td align="right" width="12%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><span style="color:#CC0000;">#14</span> Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-3, 7-3)</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">9</td><td align="right">6</td><td align="right" class="active">25</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><span style="color:#CC0000;">#3</span> Pittsburgh Panthers (12-1, 9-1)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right" class="active">24</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="3">Team Stats Comparison</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="60%"></td><td align="center" width="20%">ND</td><td align="center" width="20%">PITT</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Offense</td><td align="center">380</td><td align="center">220</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Rushing Yards</td><td align="center">140</td><td align="center">148</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Passing Yards</td><td align="center">240</td><td align="center">72</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">First Downs</td><td align="center">24</td><td align="center">11</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Punt Return Yards</td><td align="center">14</td><td align="center">15</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Kick Return Yards</td><td align="center">72</td><td align="center">123</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Yards</td><td align="center">466</td><td align="center">358</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Turnovers</td><td align="center">3</td><td align="center">2</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">3rd Down Converstion</td><td align="center">6-17 (35%)</td><td align="center">5-15 (33%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">4th Down Conversion</td><td align="center">2-2 (100%)</td><td align="center">0-1 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">2-Point Conversion</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals</td><td align="center">5-2-2 (80%)</td><td align="center">3-2-0 (66%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Penalties</td><td align="center">7-45</td><td align="center">8-69</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Posession Time</td><td align="center">32:49</td><td align="center">27:11</td></tr></table></body></html>

...

Traditional SEC powerhouses LSU and Alabama stumbled in 2011, opening the door for another team to represent the west. Enter the unlikely Mississippi State, who won nine of their last eleven games after falling in their season opener to Miami 24-20. Granted another chance at redemption in the SEC title game, the Bulldogs did not let the opportunity go to waste, scoring a season-high 45 points against conference newcomer Miami, who lost their second conference game of the year 45-28. Tied at 21 headed into halftime, Mississippi State used a strong ground game in the second half to pull away, outscoring the Hurricanes 24-7 in the final two quarters of the game. Senior Vick Ballard led the team with 122 yards and a touchdown off 21 carries, while backup runningback Ladarius Perkins carried the ball eight times for 46 yards and two scores. Miami's normally potent offense was hindered by the poor play of senior quarterback Jacory Harris, who completed just 31% of his 22 attempted passes for 135 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, while their 5th ranked defense allowed a season-high 45 points.


<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td align="center" colspan="6">Mississippi State Bulldogs at Miami (FL) Hurricanes</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="48%">Dec 10, 2011</td><td align="right" width="10%">1ST</td><td align="right" width="10%">2ND</td><td align="right" width="10%">3RD</td><td align="right" width="10%">4TH</td><td align="right" width="12%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><span style="color:#CC0000;">#7</span> Mississippi State Bulldogs (10-3, 7-3)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right" class="active">45</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><span style="color:#CC0000;">#10</span> Miami (FL) Hurricanes (9-4, 8-2)</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right" class="active">28</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="3">Team Stats Comparison</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="60%"></td><td align="center" width="20%">MSST</td><td align="center" width="20%">MIA</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Offense</td><td align="center">376</td><td align="center">309</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Rushing Yards</td><td align="center">264</td><td align="center">174</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Passing Yards</td><td align="center">112</td><td align="center">135</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">First Downs</td><td align="center">20</td><td align="center">17</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Punt Return Yards</td><td align="center">41</td><td align="center">28</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Kick Return Yards</td><td align="center">160</td><td align="center">178</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Yards</td><td align="center">577</td><td align="center">515</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Turnovers</td><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">2</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">3rd Down Converstion</td><td align="center">7-13 (53%)</td><td align="center">5-12 (41%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">4th Down Conversion</td><td align="center">1-1 (100%)</td><td align="center">0-1 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">2-Point Conversion</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals</td><td align="center">6-5-0 (83%)</td><td align="center">3-3-0 (100%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Penalties</td><td align="center">7-60</td><td align="center">8-43</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Posession Time</td><td align="center">35:49</td><td align="center">24:11</td></tr></table></body></html>

After soundly beating Arizona 30-13 early in the season, the GMC's inaugural championship game was predicted to be another lopsided contest. But the Wildcats came in hot and ready for redemption, winning four of their last five games to win the lackluster western division. Senior quarterback Nick Foles completed 70% of his passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns, but the defense allowed 437 total offensive yards (including 288 on the ground) as #11 Nebraska escaped with a 31-28 victory in the rematch the claim the first GMC crown. Heisman hopeful runningback Rex Burkhead led the team to yet another win, rushing for 149 yards off 28 carries, and also catching two balls for 42 yards and a score while true freshman backup Aaron Green had 64 yards and two touchdowns in his limited playing time. After being embarassed by Iowa 30-9 in their season finale, the win comes as a welcome relief to the Cornhuskers, who managed to salvage a great season. But their biggest test yet awaits them in Arizona, where they will face off against former Big XII rival #5 Texas in the Fiesta Bowl.


<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td align="center" colspan="6">Arizona Wildcats at Nebraska Cornhuskers</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="48%">Dec 10, 2011</td><td align="right" width="10%">1ST</td><td align="right" width="10%">2ND</td><td align="right" width="10%">3RD</td><td align="right" width="10%">4TH</td><td align="right" width="12%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Arizona Wildcats (7-6, 6-4)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right" class="active">28</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><span style="color:#CC0000;">#11</span> Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-2, 9-1)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right" class="active">31</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="3">Team Stats Comparison</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="60%"></td><td align="center" width="20%">ARIZ</td><td align="center" width="20%">NEB</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Offense</td><td align="center">387</td><td align="center">437</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Rushing Yards</td><td align="center">147</td><td align="center">288</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Passing Yards</td><td align="center">240</td><td align="center">149</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">First Downs</td><td align="center">21</td><td align="center">26</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Punt Return Yards</td><td align="center">5</td><td align="center">21</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Kick Return Yards</td><td align="center">112</td><td align="center">117</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Yards</td><td align="center">504</td><td align="center">575</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Turnovers</td><td align="center">1</td><td align="center">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">3rd Down Converstion</td><td align="center">4-9 (44%)</td><td align="center">8-14 (57%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">4th Down Conversion</td><td align="center">2-3 (66%)</td><td align="center">3-3 (100%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">2-Point Conversion</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals</td><td align="center">5-4-0 (80%)</td><td align="center">6-4-1 (83%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Penalties</td><td align="center">5-25</td><td align="center">6-45</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Posession Time</td><td align="center">27:31</td><td align="center">32:29</td></tr></table></body></html>

 

[St. Francisco]

So, after shocking losses by Pitt and Virginia Tech in the conference championship games, the BCS picture has been altered dramatically. Here's a taste of the action coming up:

#4 Wisconsin (11-1, 8-1) (At-Large Bid) faces off against the surprising #3 Miami University Redhawks (12-0, 9-0) (MAC Champion, At-Large Bid) in the Rose Bowl.

#5 Texas (10-2, 8-1) (SWC Champion) looks to cap off a resurgent season with a victory over former conference rival #10 Nebraska (11-2, 9-1) (GMC Champion) in the Fiesta Bowl.

Unlikely conference champions Georgia (8-5, 8-2) (ACC Champion) and #8 Notre Dame (10-3, 7-3) (Big East Champion) face off in the Orange Bowl.

#6 Mississippi State (10-3, 7-3) (SEC Champion) will try to cap their cinderella season with a win over #7 Pittsburgh (12-1, 9-1) (At-Large Bid) in the Sugar Bowl.

Andrew Luck and the top-ranked Stanford Cardinal (12-0, 9-0) (Pac-10 Champion) look to complete their perfect season against #2 Michigan State (11-1, 8-1) (Big Ten Champion) and their high-scoring offense in the BCS National Championship game.

 

[St. Francisco]

2011 AWARDS CEREMONY

A shocking 28-21 loss to unranked Georgia in the ACC championship game cost Virginia Tech a national title berth, an undefeated season, and a chance to play in a BCS bowl. But it couldn't ruin the fantastic season of junior runningback David Wilson, who became the first player in team history to win the coveted Heisman trophy.

David Wilson didn't lead the nation in carries, yards, or touchdowns, but still blew away the competition in the Heisman voting because of his versatility. In addition to averaging 5.9 yards per carry while rushing for 1,523 yards and 15 touchdowns, Wilson also had 17 catches for 244 yards and another five scores, and averaged 23.9 yards per kick return with a 101-yard return for a touchdown on special teams to lead the nation's top-ranked offense, who averaged 430 yards per game this season. He had a handful of memorable games over the year, including 147 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-20 win over ECU, 136 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and two catches for 57 yards and another score in a 44-12 win on the road against UConn, 148 yards and two touchdowns in a 51-17 road win over Wake Forest, 32 carries for 188 yards in a 28-14 win vs. Boston College, 169 yards and a score in a 31-28 road win against NC State, 135 yards and a touchdown in a 37-7 win over North Carolina, and 113 yards and a touchdown in the team's 28-21 loss to Georgia in the ACC title game. All together, Wilson eclipsed 100 rushing yards in nine of the team's thirteen games. Voters certainly appreciated his multitude of skills, giving the junior runningback 621 first-place votes to place him far ahead of Air Force's Asher Clark, who was awarded both the Walter Camp and Walker awards, but finished in 2nd place in the Heisman voting by more than 1,000 total votes. Pittsburgh's Ray Graham, senior Doug Martin of Boise State, and Nebraska's Rex Burkhead rounded out the five-man field of Heisman contenders.

In other news, Virginia Tech's sophomore quarterback Logan Thomas won the Maxwell despite missing the ACC title game with a broken tailbone. Thomas threw for 2,243 yards and 28 touchdowns with just five interceptions, and also rushed for more than 500 yards and another ten touchdowns. He is expected to return to the starting lineup for the team's Chik-Fil-A Bowl matchup against #18 UCF. Senior quarterback Case Keenum of Houston won the Davey O'Brien award after leading the nation with a 182.9 QB rating, completing 69% of his passes for 3,175 yards, 32 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He also rushed for 548 yards and another seven scores. Stanford's Andrew Luck failed to win an award, coming in 7th for the Maxwell and 2nd for the O'Brien, but his defense grabbed three thanks to the stellar play of juniors Chase Thomas (OLB) and Ben Gardner (DE), who combined for 147 tackles, 11 sacks, and seven forced fumbles in 2011. The Bednarik award went to Nebraska's senior cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, who led the nation with nine interceptions and a touchdown. The most surprising award recipient was Washington State's Marquess Wilson (WR), a true sophomore who exploded on the scene this year by leading the league with 92 catches for 1,309 yards and 14 touchdowns.

As for the Outlaws, senior Joe Watts (RT) earned 1st team All Sun Belt honors after leading the conference with 30 pancake blocks while only allowing three sacks. Mike McDaniel also made the 1st team as a returner, racking up over 1,000 yards on special teams. Senior Phil Baldwin (DT) was the only defensive player to be named an All-American, racking up 31 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles to earn 2nd team honors.

 

[St. Francisco]

2011 BOWL RECAP

 

[St. Francisco]

Got called to go offshore this morning, so no more updates for two weeks. Gonna try and sneak in the BCS bowl recap before I leave, but no promises.

 

[St. Francisco]

Another few tweaks the upcoming new alignment.

1. I added Minnesota and Indiana back to the Big Ten, and re-arranged the divisions. I decided I would rather have a conference championship game for every BCS conference.

2. Former C-USA teams ECU AND SMU, and former MAC/GAC team Temple have been added to the Big East to bring them up to twelve teams. Appalachian St. has been moved to the C-USA.

3. The Pac-16 and SEC have sixteen teams each, while the Big XII, ACC, Big East, and Big Ten have twelve teams each. The WAC, Sun Belt, MAC, and C-USA have eight teams each. The GAC has seven teams.

 

[St. Francisco]

After wrapping up their first undefeated regular season in 47 years and their second straight MAC title, the Miami University Redhawks were rewarded with their first ever BCS bowl appearance as an at-large bid. It was there that they faced off against the 4th ranked Wisconsin Badgers (12-1, 8-1), who might be playing in the national championship game had it not been for a 43-21 loss to Michigan State that not only killed their undefeated season, but also ultimately lost them the Big Ten title. But their season was solid enough to earn them an at-large bid into the Rose Bowl, where the Badgers' 4th ranked rushing offense and 6th ranked passing defense went up against Miami's 5th ranked passing offense and top-ranked defense against the run. Throughout 2011, Wisconsin relied on the dynamic duo of runningbacks Montee Ball and James White, who each averaged over six yards per carry, rushed for over 1,000 yards and scored 10+ touchdowns over the course of the regular season. Ball got the day started off by rushing for 28 yards and a touchdown off five carries, but left the game midway through the first quarter with back spasms, and would not return. With the game riding on his shoulders, true sophomore James White did not disappoint, rushing for 199 yards and three touchdowns including an 87-yard scamper to the endzone in the third quarter to lead his team to a 31-28 victory. As a team, the Badgers dominated Miami's normally stout rushing defense, racking up 344 yards and all four of their touchdowns on the ground. After a close first half that ended with Wisconsin in the lead by a score of 14-12, the Badgers blew the game open in the third quarter by racking up 17 points. The Redhawks would add two touchdowns in the final quarter, but their comeback attempt fell just short. Junior quarterback Zac Dysert, who lead the nation with 3,448 passing yards on the season, throwing 26 touchdowns with just ten interceptions, completed less than half of his 21 attempted passes for 175 yards and threw an interception before leaving the game with a concussion. Sophomore backup Austin Boucher performed admirably in his absence, completing seven of eleven passes for 106 yards, but could not lead the team to their first ever BCS bowl victory. For Wisconsin, the win marked their fourth Rose Bowl victory in school history, and ended any controversy at two teams finishing the season undefeated.


<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td align="center" colspan="6">ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="48%">Jan 2, 2012</td><td align="right" width="10%">1ST</td><td align="right" width="10%">2ND</td><td align="right" width="10%">3RD</td><td align="right" width="10%">4TH</td><td align="right" width="12%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><span style="color:#CC0000;">#4</span> Wisconsin Badgers (12-1, 8-1)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">17</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right" class="active">31</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><span style="color:#CC0000;">#3</span> Miami (OH) RedHawks (12-1, 9-0)</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">9</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">16</td><td align="right" class="active">28</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="3">Team Stats Comparison</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="60%"></td><td align="center" width="20%">WIS</td><td align="center" width="20%">M-OH</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Offense</td><td align="center">475</td><td align="center">341</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Rushing Yards</td><td align="center">344</td><td align="center">60</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Passing Yards</td><td align="center">131</td><td align="center">281</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">First Downs</td><td align="center">24</td><td align="center">15</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Punt Return Yards</td><td align="center">24</td><td align="center">17</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Kick Return Yards</td><td align="center">155</td><td align="center">137</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Yards</td><td align="center">654</td><td align="center">495</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Turnovers</td><td align="center">1</td><td align="center">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">3rd Down Converstion</td><td align="center">5-11 (45%)</td><td align="center">1-9 (11%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">4th Down Conversion</td><td align="center">0-2 (0%)</td><td align="center">0-1 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">2-Point Conversion</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">2-2 (100%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals</td><td align="center">5-3-0 (60%)</td><td align="center">4-3-1 (100%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Penalties</td><td align="center">9-90</td><td align="center">10-77</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Posession Time</td><td align="center">34:32</td><td align="center">25:28</td></tr></table></body></html>

Just over one year ago, Nebraska left the Big XII with a whimper after losing their sixth straight game to Texas in their semi-regular rivalry game. Looking for a fresh start in the newly-formed Great Midwest Conference, the Cornhuskers put together their first 11-win season in ten years, capping it off with a 31-28 win over Arizona to take home the conference title and earn a Fiesta Bowl bid against the 5th ranked Longhorns, the Big XII champions who rebounded in 2011 after a poor 5-7 finish last season. Appearing in their first Fiesta Bowl since 2000, Nebraska turned to Heisman finalist Rex Burkhead to lead the offense once again, and he did not disappoint. The junior runningback rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown in the win, and also led the receiving corps with four catches for 41 yards and another score, but it was truly the defense who won the game, holding Texas to a season-low seven points to cap their season off with a BCS bowl victory. Texas was held to 266 total offensive yards, and converted just four of their fourteen 3rd and 4th down attempts in the loss, while Garrett Gilbert completed only 39% of his passes for 158 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Meanwhile, Nebraska put up 280 yards on the ground alone, and forced two turnovers to snap a long losing skid to their Texas rivals.


<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td align="center" colspan="6">TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="48%">Jan 2, 2012</td><td align="right" width="10%">1ST</td><td align="right" width="10%">2ND</td><td align="right" width="10%">3RD</td><td align="right" width="10%">4TH</td><td align="right" width="12%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><span style="color:#CC0000;">#5</span> Texas Longhorns (10-3, 8-1)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right" class="active">7</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><span style="color:#CC0000;">#10</span> Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-2, 9-1)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">9</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right" class="active">26</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="3">Team Stats Comparison</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="60%"></td><td align="center" width="20%">TEX</td><td align="center" width="20%">NEB</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Offense</td><td align="center">266</td><td align="center">380</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Rushing Yards</td><td align="center">108</td><td align="center">280</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Passing Yards</td><td align="center">158</td><td align="center">100</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">First Downs</td><td align="center">12</td><td align="center">28</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Punt Return Yards</td><td align="center">17</td><td align="center">11</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Kick Return Yards</td><td align="center">148</td><td align="center">29</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Yards</td><td align="center">431</td><td align="center">420</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Turnovers</td><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">3rd Down Converstion</td><td align="center">3-13 (23%)</td><td align="center">7-15 (46%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">4th Down Conversion</td><td align="center">1-3 (33%)</td><td align="center">0-1 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">2-Point Conversion</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">0-1 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals</td><td align="center">1-1-0 (100%)</td><td align="center">6-2-2 (66%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Penalties</td><td align="center">7-77</td><td align="center">5-35</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Posession Time</td><td align="center">25:25</td><td align="center">34:35</td></tr></table></body></html>

Over the last two decades, Pittsburgh has finished with ten or more wins just once. So when the team completed their second undefeated season in school history, and Georgia knocked off #2 Virginia Tech in the ACC title game, the door was open for the unlikely Panthers to earn their first bid to a BCS national championship game. But in a rematch with #8 Notre Dame in the Big East conference championship game, Pitt fell one point short of earning their 13th win, and saw their national title hopes drift away. Still a one-loss team, the Panthers were fortunate enough to earn an at-large bid into the Sugar Bowl to face off against unlikely SEC champs Mississippi State, who were no match for angry Pitt team. After passing for just 72 yards in their loss to Notre Dame, Tim Sunseri completed 60% of his passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns in a dominating 34-10 win over the Bulldogs, while Heisman finalist Ray Graham joined by backup Zach Brown and Sunseri combined for 162 rushing yards and another score. His go-to man was third-year sophomore Devin Street, who had nine catches for 115 yards and two scores as he torched Mississippi State's 13th ranked pass defense. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh's +10 turnover differential payed dividends as they forced three turnovers in the victory, and the defense held the Bulldogs scoreless in two redzone trips. The Panthers finish with one blemish on their 2011 record, but a BCS bowl victory is the next best thing.


<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td align="center" colspan="6">ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="48%">Jan 3, 2012</td><td align="right" width="10%">1ST</td><td align="right" width="10%">2ND</td><td align="right" width="10%">3RD</td><td align="right" width="10%">4TH</td><td align="right" width="12%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><span style="color:#CC0000;">#6</span> Mississippi State Bulldogs (10-4, 7-3)</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right" class="active">10</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><span style="color:#CC0000;">#7</span> Pittsburgh Panthers (13-1, 9-1)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">17</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right" class="active">34</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="3">Team Stats Comparison</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="60%"></td><td align="center" width="20%">MSST</td><td align="center" width="20%">PITT</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Offense</td><td align="center">325</td><td align="center">477</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Rushing Yards</td><td align="center">163</td><td align="center">176</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Passing Yards</td><td align="center">162</td><td align="center">301</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">First Downs</td><td align="center">16</td><td align="center">23</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Punt Return Yards</td><td align="center">19</td><td align="center">33</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Kick Return Yards</td><td align="center">143</td><td align="center">57</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Yards</td><td align="center">487</td><td align="center">567</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Turnovers</td><td align="center">3</td><td align="center">0</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">3rd Down Converstion</td><td align="center">2-10 (20%)</td><td align="center">10-17 (58%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">4th Down Conversion</td><td align="center">1-1 (100%)</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">2-Point Conversion</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals</td><td align="center">2-0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">3-2-1 (100%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Penalties</td><td align="center">4-37</td><td align="center">9-65</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Posession Time</td><td align="center">25:23</td><td align="center">34:37</td></tr></table></body></html>

Georgia and Notre Dame were the most unlikely of conference champions this season, beating two of the four remaining undefeated teams to win the ACC and Big East respectively. Matched up in the Discover Orange Bowl, the winner would take home something fans never expected to even be a part of: a BCS bowl victory. Despite losing starting quarterback Dayne Crist late in the game with a broken thumb, the Irish gutted out another close win, holding Georgia to just seven points in four redzone trips to earn a 20-14 win. Crist completed 18 of 34 passes for 223 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, while senior wide receiver Michael Floyd earned player of the game honors with nine catches for 108 yards and two scores. Georgia managed to win the turnover battle, but faced an unusually stout Notre Dame defense in the redzone, who ranked a miserable 91st over the course of the season. Still, the Bulldogs were in it until the end thanks to their 17th ranked defense which held the Fighting Irish to just 20 points, but failed to close the six-point gap before time expired and gave the team their sixth loss of the season. Meanwhile, Notre Dame ended their decent 9-3 season with a Big East title in their first season with the conference, and the team's first Orange Bowl win in over 20 years.


<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td align="center" colspan="6">DISCOVER ORANGE BOWL</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="48%">Jan 4, 2012</td><td align="right" width="10%">1ST</td><td align="right" width="10%">2ND</td><td align="right" width="10%">3RD</td><td align="right" width="10%">4TH</td><td align="right" width="12%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Georgia Bulldogs (8-6, 8-2)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right" class="active">14</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><span style="color:#CC0000;">#8</span> Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-3, 7-3)</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right" class="active">20</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="3">Team Stats Comparison</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="60%"></td><td align="center" width="20%">UGA</td><td align="center" width="20%">ND</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Offense</td><td align="center">303</td><td align="center">385</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Rushing Yards</td><td align="center">100</td><td align="center">132</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Passing Yards</td><td align="center">203</td><td align="center">253</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">First Downs</td><td align="center">21</td><td align="center">19</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Punt Return Yards</td><td align="center">34</td><td align="center">12</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Kick Return Yards</td><td align="center">66</td><td align="center">52</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Yards</td><td align="center">403</td><td align="center">449</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Turnovers</td><td align="center">1</td><td align="center">2</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">3rd Down Converstion</td><td align="center">10-19 (52%)</td><td align="center">6-16 (37%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">4th Down Conversion</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">1-2 (50%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">2-Point Conversion</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals</td><td align="center">4-1-0 (25%)</td><td align="center">5-2-2 (80%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Penalties</td><td align="center">5-30</td><td align="center">12-102</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Posession Time</td><td align="center">30:55</td><td align="center">29:05</td></tr></table></body></html>

 

[St. Francisco]

 

[St. Francisco]

BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

#2 MICHIGAN ST. SPARTANS (11-1, 8-1)
VS.
#1 STANFORD CARDINAL (12-0, 9-0)

Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech fell in their respective conference title games, and Miami University came out on the losing side in the Rose Bowl, leaving #1 Stanford as the last undefeated team in the nation. In the national championship, they put their perfect mark on the line against the high-scoring #2 Spartans, who led the league with 38.6 points per game this season. On the biggest stage of them all, the two senior quarterbacks shined, combining for over 300 yards and seven touchdowns. But it was Michigan State's defense who ultimately won the game, holding the Cardinal to field goals in two redzone attempts, and stopping a two-point conversion try that would've tied the game in the final minutes. With a final score of 28-26, the Spartans pulled off the upset to win their first national title in 46 years, becoming the first Big Ten team since Ohio State in 2003 to be crowned the best in the nation.

Stanford came out firing on all cylinders, with Andrew Luck throwing TD passes to tight end Zach Ertz and senior Chris Owusu in the opening seven minutes to give them an early 14-0 lead. But the Spartans wouldn't be silent for long, responding with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to senior tight end Brian Linthicum near the end of the first quarter. After a scoreless period of 10+ minutes, Michigan State tied the game late in the first half with a 3-yard TD pass to Keshawn Martin. Determined to pull back in the lead, the Cardinal put together a fantastic drive in the final minutes of the second quarter, but ran out of time at the end and kicked a 30-yard field goal to give Stanford a 17-14 lead. To open the third quarter, Stanford put together another productive offensive drive, but were stifled in the redzone and forced to settle for a chip shot field goal to increase their lead to six. Minutes later, the Spartans would take their first lead of the game when Cousins found senior B.J. Cunningham for a 3-yard touchdown pass. In the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Linthicum scored his second TD of the day, giving the Spartans a 28-20 lead with precious few minutes remaining. After a back-and-forth defensive quarter, Stanford's senior wide receiver Griff Whalen would find the endzone with just two minutes remaining, but the team's two-point conversion try that would've tied the game fell incomplete. Michigan State controlled the ball for the rest of the game, running the clock out and sealing their thrilling victory.

Kirk Cousins proved worthy of attention by NFL scouts in his final collegiate game, completing 17 of 26 passes for 184 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception to lead his team to their first ever BCS national title. His final year was spectacular, as the senior signal-caller completed 67% of his passes for 3,268 yards (2nd in the NCAA) and a league-leading 35 touchdowns with ten interceptions. He also received help from true sophomore Leveon Bell on the ground, who filled in for injured starter Edwin Baker after he left the game early with a pulled hamstring. Bell only carried the ball 17 times, but averaged 6.1 yards per touch as he rushed for 104 yards. Defensively, the Spartans recorded three sacks, but their real accomplishments came inside the 20-yard line, where they held the potent Cardinal offense to 20 points in four redzone trips.

On the other side of the ball, Andrew Luck completed just 51% of his passes, but threw for 189 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. As he prepares for what many believe may be the #1 overall selection in the 2012 NFL draft, Luck finished his senior season with a 68% completion percentage, throwing for over 3,200 yards and 31 touchdowns with just six interceptions. Meanwhile, junior runningback Stepfan Taylor led a highly productive rushing attack, racking up 119 yards off just 19 carries. Stanford's defense held the Spartans to 335 total offensive yards, and recorded two sacks and the only turnover of the game, but fell just short of limiting the opposing offense enough to let Luck win the team another game.

Another thrilling college football season is in the books, and a national champion has been crowned. Now teams will turn to the offseason, where the final touches will be put on recruiting classes as all 120 teams prepare for what is sure to be another great season.


<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td align="center" colspan="6">BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="48%">Jan 9, 2012</td><td align="right" width="10%">1ST</td><td align="right" width="10%">2ND</td><td align="right" width="10%">3RD</td><td align="right" width="10%">4TH</td><td align="right" width="12%">SCORE</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><span style="color:#CC0000;">#2</span> Michigan State Spartans (12-1, 8-1)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right" class="active">28</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><span style="color:#CC0000;">#1</span> Stanford Cardinal (12-1, 9-0)</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">6</td><td align="right" class="active">26</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="3">Team Stats Comparison</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="60%"></td><td align="center" width="20%">MSU</td><td align="center" width="20%">STAN</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Offense</td><td align="center">335</td><td align="center">374</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Rushing Yards</td><td align="center">184</td><td align="center">189</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Passing Yards</td><td align="center">151</td><td align="center">185</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">First Downs</td><td align="center">18</td><td align="center">21</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Punt Return Yards</td><td align="center">19</td><td align="center">13</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Kick Return Yards</td><td align="center">139</td><td align="center">48</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Total Yards</td><td align="center">493</td><td align="center">435</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Turnovers</td><td align="center">1</td><td align="center">0</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">3rd Down Converstion</td><td align="center">8-14 (57%)</td><td align="center">6-13 (46%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">4th Down Conversion</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">1-1 (100%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">2-Point Conversion</td><td align="center">0-0 (0%)</td><td align="center">0-1 (0%)</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals</td><td align="center">4-4-0 (100%)</td><td align="center">4-2-2 (100%)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center">Penalties</td><td align="center">9-83</td><td align="center">7-60</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center">Posession Time</td><td align="center">33:38</td><td align="center">26:22</td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td colspan="4">Scoring Summary</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">FIRST QUARTER SCORING</td><td align="right" width="10%">MSU</td><td align="right" width="10%">STAN</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">11:00</td><td width="70%">(STAN) TD: Zach Ertz, 17 yard pass from Andrew Luck</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">7</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">8:04</td><td width="70%">(STAN) TD: Chris Owusu, 27 yard pass from Andrew Luck</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">14</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center" width="10%">2:23</td><td width="70%">(MSU) TD: Brian Linthicum, 18 yard pass from Kirk Cousins</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">14</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">SECOND QUARTER SCORING</td><td align="right" width="10%">MSU</td><td align="right" width="10%">STAN</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center" width="10%">3:55</td><td width="70%">(MSU) TD: Keshawn Martin, 3 yard pass from Kirk Cousins</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">14</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">0:06</td><td width="70%">(STAN) FG: Eric Whitaker, 30 yard kick</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">17</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">THIRD QUARTER SCORING</td><td align="right" width="10%">MSU</td><td align="right" width="10%">STAN</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">9:36</td><td width="70%">(STAN) FG: Eric Whitaker, 22 yard kick</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">20</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center" width="10%">5:55</td><td width="70%">(MSU) TD: B.J. Cunningham, 3 yard pass from Kirk Cousins</td><td align="right">21</td><td align="right">20</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">FOURTH QUARTER SCORING</td><td align="right" width="10%">MSU</td><td align="right" width="10%">STAN</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td align="center" width="10%">11:45</td><td width="70%">(MSU) TD: Brian Linthicum, 8 yard pass from Kirk Cousins</td><td align="right">28</td><td align="right">20</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">2:01</td><td width="70%">(STAN) TD: Griff Whalen, 5 yard pass from Andrew Luck (2-pt. conv. failed)</td><td align="right">28</td><td align="right">26</td></tr></table></body></html>

 

[St. Francisco]

2011 SEASON STATS

 

[calgaryballer]

Isn't the MSU QB Kirk Cousins...?