Oregon Prep Football Game Recap: 9/2/11-- Central Catholic at Lake Oswego

                  Lake Oswego Defeats Central Catholic 49-28
 Consistency, coaching, and fundamental game planning  are probably the most important factors in building a great high school football program. This was never more evident during the opening week of Oregon Prep football, where the week 1 powerhouse match up between The Central Catholic Rams  and Lake Oswego Lakers was a one sided affair. This  was a contest of one coach out coaching the other. Central Catholic looked primed to start the game, opening up with touchdown drive only minutes into the first quarter. After that, it was all lakers, all night. L.O scored at will and controlled the tempo of the game throughout, never looking back, as they opened the season with a convincing 49-28 victory. Don't let the score fool you, the game was close for the first 8 minutes and that was it. Lakers head coach Steve Coury had his team prepared and it showed as Lake Oswego was clearly outsized and  looked over matched at most positions. That wasn't so much the case, as size did not matter in this particular contest. The lakers controlled the tempo by forcing turnovers early and often. Each time the Rams were threatening to score in L.O territory, the Lakers came up with big play to hold Central Catholic off the scoreboard.  Senior wide receiver and coach's son,  Stevie Coury had the biggest play of the night, scoring on a 8 yard slant route from Senior quarterback Alex Matthews that was taken for 45 yards after the catch for a touchdown. For as much size as the rams have, they were clearly outmatched by the speed and game plan of the Laker football team that were clearly outsized. . Fortunately for the Lakers, Friday night's game, wasn't decided by size, coaching and speed was what won this game for Lake Oswego in front of a very large home crowd. The Rams did have it's moments, but controlling the clock and moving the ball created a problem for the rams, resulting in stalled drives and too many turnovers. The lakers capitalized on each of those turnover opportunities, and ran away with a important week 1 win.

Impact Players-

Lake Oswego, RB Steven Long/Sr./ 5'8 175 lbs. ( 2 TD's)

QB Alex Matthews/ Sr./ 6'3 200 lbs./ Stevie Coury/ Sr./ 5'11 165 lbs./ TD rec.

Central Catholic/ Alex Balducci /DT/  University of Oregon verbal commit/ 6'4 280 lbs./ Sr.

Dallin Leavitt/ Jr/ WR/ DB/ 6'0 195 lbs.

Hayward Demison/ Sr/ RB/ 6'1 190 lbs.

Article/ Game Clips- Ronald Hill/ Sports Junkie Publications. 9/2/11

2011 Little League World Series: Northwest Regional Championship

         A Brief History of Oregon Little League Baseball

   Over the last 20 years, Oregon has produced many competitive Little League teams, starting with Murrayhill l.l and Clackamas l.l , who won 5 consecutive District 2 championships from 1990-1994. The '94 Clackamas team won the Oregon State Championship and had they not lost to Hawaii in the semifinal, would have had a chance to play Northridge, California in the Western Regional Championship in San Bernadino, California with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassell leading the way for Northridge at the time. I was a part of this experience, as my older brother, Ryan Hill,  was an integral part of that '94 Clackamas team. He tied major leaguer Sean Burroughs,( who won back to back little league world series in 1992-1993 as the leader of Long Beach, California little league),  for strikeouts in a game (18) and  most strikeouts in the western regional.            
      Skipping ahead to 1997, I was a member of Clackamas Little league all-stars and in all four of my years playing from '94-'97, we lost in the championship each year (two years, '94-'95 was 9&10 year old all-stars) The '97 team lost to the same team we had lost to the previous year in the Oregon District 2 championship, Gresham National L.L. Gresham had a great team, led by James Allen, Scott Gallagher, and Kyle Petersen and were a juggernaut little league band of players. They went on to win the Oregon State Championship in '97, and played very well in San Bernadino, as Allen hit 4 home runs in one game vs Nevada. That team finished 3rd in the Western Region.
       Years Later, Murrayhill L.L. from Beaverton,OR, broke the streak of Oregon teams coming up short in the regional, and made it to where every kid dreams of being, the Little League World Series, played annually in Williamsport, Pennsylvania now for 65 years. 
This year the same opportunity presented itself for another Oregon L.L team. North Bend advanced to the Northwest Regional Championship, as it is now a different format from the tournament I was at watching my elder brother. Teams from Hawaii, California, and Arizona are now in the West Regional, and Oregon Washington, Montana, Idaho are in the Northwest Regional.
    The Northwest Championship, played August 13, 2011, matching Montana vs Oregon, ended up being a celebration for Montana, and a familiar shortcoming for another Oregon L.L team, this time North Bend All-Stars being the victim, losing 7-1. The boys and families can not look at this as a failure, playing in a regional tournament broadcast nationally on the largest sports entertainment company in the world , ESPN, cannot ever be a bad situation. As the saying goes, any exposure is good publicity, and the Oregon team should feel very accomplished and remember they did something many teams in the history of Oregon L.L could not do. They played on ESPN for the Northwest Regional title, Any team from Oregon L.L  should be as proud as playing in the World Series itself for that accomplishment.

Article By: Ronald Hill - Sports Junkie Publications/ Sports Information Company

Pre-season College Football All-American Team

                                                Kellen Moore- Boise State/ QB

                                                        FSU DE - Brandon Jenkins

                                                             Notre Dame MLB- Monti Te'o

                                               Oklahoma Wide Receiver- Ryan Broyles

                                                   Oregon Running back Lamichael James

                                                 Arizona State MLB- Vontaze Burfict


1st Team All-American Offense ( my A-A team)

Quarterback- Landry Jones/ Oklahoma Sooners/ 6'4 230 lbs./ Junior

Quarterback- Kellen Moore/ Boise State Broncos/ 6'0 193 lbs./ Senior

Quarterback- Andrew Luck/ Stanford Cardinal / 6'4 235 lbs./ Junior

Running Back- Lamichael James/ Oregon Ducks/ 5'9 185 lbs./ Junior

Running Back- Marcus Lattimore/ South Carolina Gamecocks/ 6'0 235 lbs./ Sophomore  

Running Back- Trent Richardson / Alabama Crimson Tide/ 5'11 225 lbs./ Junior

Wide Receiver- Ryan Broyles/ Oklahoma Sooners/ 5'11 190 lbs./ Senior 

Wide Receiver- Justin Blackmon/ Oklahoma State Cowboys/ 6'1 210 lbs./ Junior

Wide Receiver- Michael Floyd/ Notre Dame Fighting Irish/ 6'3 225 lbs./ Senior

Wide Receiver- Alshon Jeffery/ South Carolina Gamecocks/ 6'4 235 lbs./ Junior

Tight End- Orson Charles/ Georgia Bulldogs/ 6'3 240 lbs./ Junior

Offensive Line- D.J Fluker/ Alabama Crimson Tide/ 6'6 335 lbs./ Sophomore

Offensive Line- Matt Kalil/ USC Trojans/ 6'7 295 lbs./ Junior

Offensive Line - Nate Potter / Boise State Broncos/ 6'6 300 lbs./ Senior 

Offensive Line- Matt Reynolds/ BYU Cougars/ 6'6 325 lbs./ Senior

                                  1st Team Defensive All-American Team 

Defensive End-  Brandon Jenkins/ Florida State Seminoles/ 6'3 258 lbs./ Junior

Defensive End- Quinton Coples/ North Carolina Tar Heels/ 6'6 285 lbs./ Senior

Defensive Tackle- Jared Crick/ Nebraska Cornhuskers/ 6'6 290 lbs./ Senior

Defensive Tackle- Billy Winn/ Boise State Broncos/ 6'4 295 lbs./ Senior

Outside Linebacker-Tank Carder/ TCU Horned Frogs/ 6'3 240 lbs./ Senior

Outside Linebacker-Keenan Robinson/ Texas Longhorns / 6'3 235 lbs./ Senior

Middle Linebacker - Vontaze Burfict/ Arizona State Sun Devils/ 6'3 245 lbs./ Junior

Middle Linebacker -Manti Te'o/ Notre Dame Fighting Irish/ 6'2 255 lbs./ Junior

Middle Linebacker - Dont'a Hightower / Alabama Crimson Tide/ 6'4 260 lbs./ Junior

Cornerback- Cliff Harris / Oregon Ducks/ 5'11 180 lbs./ Junior 

Cornerback- Jayron Hosley/ Virginia Tech Hokies/ 5'10 170 lbs./ Junior

Free Safety- T.J McDonald/ USC Trojans/ 6'3 205 lbs./ Junior

Free Safety- Robert Lester/ Alabama Crimson Tide/ 6'2 210 lbs./ Junior

Strong Safety-Mark Barron/ Alabama Crimson Tide/ 6'2 220 lbs./ Senior

Strong Safety- Ray Ray Armstrong / Miami Hurricanes/ 6'4 215 lbs./ Junior

Article : By Ronald Hill / Sports Junkie Publications/ Sports information company

Photos: Vontaze Burfict/ courtesy of qissports.com/ Ryan Broyles/ courtesy of sportsillustrated.cnn.com/   Lamichael James, University of Oregon/ courtesy of www.zimbio.com, Kellen Moore/ Boise State University, Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org/ Brandon Jenkins/ Florida State Seminoles/ courtesy of blogs.orlandosentinel.com/ Manti Te'o/ Notre Dame/ courtesy of irish.nbcsports.com

Pre-season Top 25- My poll

FBS Top 25 poll (My Poll)-- I don't base my poll on the previous season, or my top 25 would not include many of these teams. I factor in strength of schedule, returning starters,yards per game, turnover ratio,  recruiting, coaching, and trends of win/loss over the last 5 to 10 years to formulate my top 25.

1. Oklahoma Sooners- 2010 record (12-2)

2. Alabama Crimson Tide- 2010 record (10-3)

3. Oregon Ducks - 2010 record (12-1)

4. LSU Tigers - 2010 record (11-2)

5. Stanford Cardinal  - 2010 record (12-1)

6. South Carolina Gamecocks - 2010 record ( 9-5)

7. Boise State Broncos -2010 record (12-1)

8. Oklahoma State Cowboys -2010 record (11-2)

9. Florida State Seminoles -2010 record (10-4)

10.Wisconsin Badgers - 2010 record (11-2)

11. Virginia Tech Hokies - 2010 record (11-3)

12. Notre Dame Fighting Irish -2010 record (8-5)

13. Nebraska Cornhuskers - 2010 record (10-4)

14. Georgia Bulldogs - 2010 record (  6-7)

15. Michigan State Spartans - 2010 record ( 11-2)

16. Ohio State Buckeyes - 2010 record (12-1) -- all 2010 wins vacated due to infractions

17. TCU Horned Frogs - 2010 record ( 13-0)

18. North Carolina Tar Heels - 2010 record (8-5)

19. West Virginia Mountaineers -2010 record (9-4)

20. Texas A&M Aggies - 2010 record (9-4)

21. Auburn Tigers -2010 record-(14-0)

22. Florida Gators - 2010 record - (8-5)

23. Mississippi State Bulldogs - 2010 record ( 9-4)

24. BYU Cougars -2010 record (7-6)

25.Arkansas Razorbacks - 2010 record (10-3)

t-25. Arizona State Sun Devils- 2010 record (6-6)

Post by: Ronald Hill, Sports Junkie Publications, Sports Information company

Top FBS Non Conference Matchups * Texas A&M vs Arkansas -

             2011 FBS Preview: Top 5 non conference games

                                  Game #3  Texas A&M Aggies VS Arkansas Razorbacks       
                                October 1, 2011- Cowboy Stadium- Arlington, Texas   

  From last year's Cotton Bowl, it was hard to get a read on Texas A&M, but one thing was clear, this team would be good the next season. Now the 2011 season has arrived and so has expectations for both A&M and their Oct. 1 opponent, old Southwestern Conference rival, Arkansas Razorbacks. The Razorbacks are coming off of their best season since 1988, finishing 2010 with a 10-3 record, losing to Ohio State in the  Sugar Bowl in a classic game that saw the Buckeyes up 21-7, only to blow the lead and let Arkansas back in the game 21-19. The Buckeyes fumbled a punt with under 3 minutes left in the game, holding on tight, the Razorbacks recovered in their own territory and seemed to have the win in  the books. Future New England Patriot, Michigan transfer,then Hog quarterback Ryan Mallet had wide receivers Joe Adams, Jarius Wright, Greg Childs, Tight End D.J Williams,and Running backs Knile Davis, and Ronnie Wingo on his offense, he was sure to lead his team to a win right? Especially inside the 30 yard line with under 2 minutes on the clock? That's when Buckeyes Defensive coordinator Jim Heacock drew up the perfect play to steal the win. Mallett had been pressured all day, and hadn't handled it well, but in the second half, with the lead, Ohio State started to play conservative, dropping back into zones to keep the ball in front of them, and not giving up the big play. That turned out to be a bad decision as Mallett developed rhythm and time in the pocket to pick OSU's defense apart. This led to the perfect play call to win the game for Ohio State, as Arkansas had momentum from the fumble recovery and unanswered points when Buckeye Defensive End Solomon Thomas outsmarted Mallett to win the game. Heacock drew up a zone blitz for the last play of the game, and under pressure, Mallett sealed the victory by throwing an interception. The outside linebackers on this assignment were to rush with the defensive tackles toward the quarterback, while the defensive ends dropped back with the middle linebacker to counter the coverage in the middle. Under pressure, Mallet threw it right to Thomas and the game was over, the zone blitz worked perfectly.
    Despite the Sugar Bowl loss to Ohio State, and losing quarterback Ryan Mallett and Tight End D.J Williams to the NFL, this year the Hogs have lots of talent and are a serious national title contender. Some experts say that junior quarterback Tyler Wilson is as good if not better than Mallett, adding the factor that Wilson has seen playing time and has experience in his two years on campus in Fayetteville. In my opinion, the Razorbacks have the best receiving core in college football this year as well. All the names mentioned above, Childs, Wright, Adams, and Cobi Hamilton are all returning and all have NFL skills, making head coach Bobby Petrino's offense dynamic and wide open. This is because Arkansas also hones one of the best running back combinations in the country also. Junior Knile Davis is considered one of the best running backs in the country, at 6'0 230 lbs., he is a power back that beasts and powers his way through defenses like carving a turkey. Davis had great season last year, piling up 1,322 yards and 13 touchdowns. After I finished this article, news came from espn.com that Davis is out for the season with a knee injury. Due to this Irony, Complimenting him is 6'3 230 lbs junior Ronnie Wingo, who was a highly regarded prospect coming out of high school just as Davis was. Wingo is a good receiver and blocker out of the backfield, and he is no slouch carrying the ball either. He had 274 yards receiving with 4 touchdowns, and also was the #3 rusher on the team with 253 yards and a touchdown. The offense is electric and it will match or put up better numbers than the 2010 team.
   This presents a huge problem for Texas A&M, who lost linebacker Von Miller (1st rd pick, Denver). The defense in College Station is still strong, but could possibly  put up the numbers last year's version of the Aggies did.  The Aggies have 18 returning starters and look to be a top notch team this year in the Big 12, and is expected to compete for the Big 12 championship with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas. This A&M team is better than their hated rival in Austin for the second year now, and the massive alumni of Texas A&M must be loving that. Returning for the Aggies is star running back Cyrus Gray, who is a local product, and has put up impressive numbers in his career at A&M. Last season, Gray had 1, 133 yards and 12 touchdowns. Fellow senior receiver Jeff Fuller is also a star at his position, who is ultra productive. Fuller, who is 6'4 215 lbs. gets up and over defensive secondaries with ease. Fuller was 1st team Big 12 selection a year ago, garnering attention for his production, with 72 receptions for 1,066 yards and 12 touchdown catches. Jerrod Johnson, who is now graduated and gone, was a good, productive quarterback, but had problems with consistency and accuracy. His backup, former receiver Ryan Tannehill, actually had better numbers and is now the starting quarterback entering his senior season.
   The Arkansas-A&M matchup is a classic rivalry going back to the southwestern conference days when both played in the famed conference together. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is a former player and alum of Arkansas, and this game is at Cowboys Stadium as it was the last two years. In '09, Arkansas's powerful offense got the best of A&M , blowing them out 47-19. Last season's match up was much closer, a 24-17 Arkansas win. The Hogs outgained the Aggies 442-324 despite a -2 turnover ratio , and A&M had a chance to win at the end of the game, but Johnson threw a costly interception to seal the victory for the Razorbacks. This year's game is completely even in my opinion, and will be one of the best non conference games of the season. I have it ranked the #3 best non conference game because of the parody between the teams and the familiarity. This could be the rejuvenation of a classic, great rivalry as "The Southwest Classic" is now played for the 3rd year in a row at Cowboy Stadium, and both Texas A&M and Arkansas are almost done resurrecting their programs to the normal standard set by each team's fan base and national standard. This game is becoming more nationally interesting and relevant each year and I expect it to be that way for years to come.

My prediction: Texas A&M wins, 38-27
Article By: Ronald Hill/ Sports junkie Publications/ sports information company
Texas A&M Photo: Courtesy of paxarcana.wordpress.com

University of Arkansas Photo: Courtesy of sportslogos.net
                                                                 

Top FBS Non Conference Matchups * Oregon VS LSU* at Dallas Cowboys Stadium

                                        #1 Non Conference game 2011           
                     September 3, 2011 --#3 Oregon Ducks VS #4 LSU Tigers

                                  Dallas Cowboys Stadium- Arlington, Texas      

   As a Senior student at The Ohio State University last fall, I had all eyes on two teams in particular to follow during the College Football season. Of course the Buckeyes were one of those teams as my Alma Mater, but the other was my hometown team, University of Oregon. From the age of 10 to 23 (1995-2008) I was at every Ducks game played at Autzen Stadium in that span. I saw mediocre teams and great teams, ending with the ladder. Chip Kelly was the Duck fan's Santa Clause as the fans were waiting for years for the program to evolve to the next level of college football prestige. Mike Bellotti and Rich Brooks started a winning program that Chip Kelly turned up a notch or two and started recruiting a different type of athlete.Since Kelly has been on campus in Eugene, he has signed the best recruiting classes ever at Oregon, and has an unbelievable record of 22-4 and a two BCS appearances including the 2011 BCS National Championship Game last season and a Rose Bowl loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in '10.  Bellotti was a great players coach, but could not win big games consistently and would let his teams flounder and fall off after losing unexpected or in a losing streak. For example, many times under coach Bellotti, Oregon would start the season 3-0, 4-0, 5-0, then surprisingly fall off the planet after those surprising starts. At the same time, I don't believe the Ducks would be where they are if it weren't for Bellotti's success at Oregon (116-55 overall record, with 12 bowl appearances in 14 years as head coach of Oregon.)
Starting with a 73-0 humiliation of New Mexico at home to open the 2010 season, followed up by a huge win in a hostile SEC Crowd in Knoxville, Tennessee, whooping Tennessee 48-13, Oregon breezed through the 2010 schedule.. What I saw that night in September after the Tennessee game told me all that I needed to know about the 2010 Oregon Ducks; this version would not fold under pressure. I was convinced, I called every family member and friend who follows the sport, and told them that this team was different and why. My best friend is a Boise State alumnus who still resides in Boise, inevitably becoming the self proclaimed, world's biggest BSU fan. I called him and told him this Oregon team has something, that is special. As the season went on, he started to see as everybody else did that I wasn't joking about this Oregon team being special and on a talent level previously unseen in the history of Oregon football. It wasn't bias opinion, I saw that teams could not keep up with them. After one quarter, USC, Tennessee, Oregon State, and Washington had their hands on their hips mid play, and were running to the sidelines to suck wind and lose their lunch in the closest garbage can. Many times I saw opposing defenders huffing oxygen masks as soon as they were spelled on the field or at the end of a offensive drive for Oregon. To put it simply, I saw the talent and speed and knew they could not be matched within the PAC 10.
The BCS National Championship Game was hard to watch as Auburn put up good ground numbers ( 50 rushes for 254 yards.) but was outgained through the air 374-265 and the Ducks held Heisman Trophy winner Cameron Newton to his lowest statistical game of the year and still came up a field goal short of winning the BCS title 22-19. None the less, it was Oregon's best regular season in 115 years of university football. They went 12-0 in the PAC-10, which nobody had done since the league expanded to 9 conference games per year, forcing each team to play every conference member.
This season, twelve teams make up the new PAC -12 as the power conference added Utah out of the Mountain West Conference and Colorado from the Big 12. Oregon plays everyone with the exception of UCLA and Utah in conference. Since 12-0 last season was unprecedented, I don't expect or demand another perfect regular season but I expect something close to what I saw last season. Oregon returns it's most electric players from a year ago, including Heisman Trophy runner up LaMichael James at tailback, and 2nd year starting quarterback Darron Thomas, who had an amazing season for a first year starter in a BCS conference in 2010, throwing for 2,881 yards and rushing for 486 yards in UO's dynamic spread attack ran and masterminded by Coach Kelly. Thomas had a prolific 30-9 Touchdown to Interception ratio, and threw for 64% and earned 2nd team PAC 10 honors.
          Oregon is loaded at every position and I expect them to win at least 10 games in 2011.
      The two games that have me skeptical are against LSU on Sept. 3 to open the season, and at Stanford, November 12.  The opening game at Cowboy Stadium vs LSU  will show if Oregon is capable of getting back to the BCS, and will also open fans eyes to what LSU is capable of in 2011. To end 2010, LSU steam rolled Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl 41-24, which was also the best game I have seen LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson play in his college career to this date. Jefferson's numbers were modest as usual, but he was very efficient, throwing 10-19 and 3 touchdown passes. That game was played at Cowboy Stadium, so this will be the 2nd consecutive game in Arlington for the Bayou Bengals.
          LSU is a very complete team with loads of talent on both sides of the ball. They play in the SEC West, which is the toughest division and conference in college football, and have won two national championships this decade. Oregon really has it's hands full as the speed will be matched along with the individual talent on the Tigers sidelines, and as much as I think Oregon will be a great team this year, I also think that LSU is too much for them. Oregon usually plays great in games against highly ranked non conference opponents (beat #3 Michigan in 2003 and 2007, and #12 Oklahoma in 2006) but I don't see it happening unless the tempo is set early with Oregon's offense not taking their cleats off the throats of the LSU defense. The tempo and time of possession needs to be controlled by Oregon for them to win the game. LaMichael James cannot have a game like he did vs Auburn this time around vs LSU, or he will be held under 100 yards again.
   Oregon cannot have the same game plan of running up the middle on zone reads against a team that is as big, strong, and most important, FAST!! as LSU is on defense. For Oregon to win, I feel the Ducks need to control clock, tempo, and surprise the Tigers by going to the air early and often. LSU is preparing for Oregon to run the ball, as UO is replacing it's #1 receiver, Jeff Maehl, and if the Ducks find one of many skilled young receivers on their roster to be the leader and step into that role Maehl played, they will be every bit as dangerous as last year. The only real glaring difference between the teams will show up in the interior lines. LSU has NFL size and speed on both sides of the line, offense and defense, while Oregon is undersized and inexperienced on the defensive line. This game could be won in many ways, but I believe that the play up front in the trenches will decide the game. The preseason AP Poll has Oregon ranked #3, and LSU #4. This week one match up wont just decide who is a better team, it will have BCS implications and basically is a BCS play-in-game to start the season.
         College football fans should tune in and watch this one, knowing the winner will likely be the front runner to play in the BCS National Championship and will have a ton of momentum carried through the year based on the results of this Week 1 super match up.

My prediction-- LSU wins  20-17.
Article by: Ronald Hill - Sports Junkie publications/sports information company
LSU Photo: Courtesy of www.planebuzz.com
Oregon Photo: Courtesy of oversizedtickets.com

Top 60 Players By BCS Conference - Big East

                                    TOP 60 Players: Big East Conference

1. Geno Smith/ QB/ West Virginia Mountaineers

2. B.J Daniels/ QB/ South Florida Bulls

3. Zach Collaros/ QB/ Cincinnati Bearcats

4. Ray Graham/ RB/ Pittsburgh Panthers

5. Isaiah Pead/ RB/ Cincinnati Bearcats

6. Mohamed Sanu/ WR/ Rutgers Scarlet Knights

7. Darrelll Scott/ RB/ South Florida Bulls

8. Terrence Mitchell/ CB-KR/ South Florida Bulls

9. Devin Street/ WR/ Pittsburgh Panthers

10. D.J Woods/ WR/ Cincinnati Bearcats

11. Tavon Austin/ WR/ West Virginia Mountaineers 

12. Ryan Nassib/ QB/ Syracuse Orange 

13. De De Lattimore/ OLB/ South Florida Bulls 

14. Keith Tandy/CB/ West Virginia Mountaineers 

15. Dexter Heyman/ OLB/ Louisville Cardinals 

16. Antwon Bailey/ RB/ Syracuse Orange 

17. D.J Shoemate/ RB/ Connecticut Huskies

18. Jarred Holley/ FS/ Pittsburgh Panthers

19. Gregg Williams/ LB/ Pittsburgh Panthers

20.Victor Anderson/ RB/ Louisville Cardinals

21. Najee Goode/ LB/ West Virginia Mountaineers

22. Manny Abreu/ LB/ Rutgers Scarlet Knights

23. Walter Stewart/ LB/ Cincinnati Bearcats 

24. Sio Moore/ LB/ Connecticut Huskies 

25. Lindsey Lamar/ KR-DB/ South Florida Bulls 

26. D.C Jefferson/ TE/ Rutgers Scarlet Knights 

27. Mike Shanahan/ WR/ Pittsburgh Panthers 

28. Lucas Nix/ DT/ Pittsburgh Panthers 

29. B.J Butler/ DE/ Louisville Cardinals 

30.J.K Schaffer/ LB/ Cincinnati Bearcats

31. Steve Beauharnais/ LB/ Rutgers Scarlet Knights 

32. Max Gruder/ LB/ Pittsburgh Panthers

33. Tino Sunseri/ QB/ Pittsburgh Panthers 

34. Maalik Bomar/ DE/ Cincinnati Bearcats 

35. Van Chew/ WR/ Syracuse Orange 

36. Demetris Murray/ RB/ South Florida Bulls

37. Terence Garvin/ SS/ West Virgina Mountaineers

38. Sterling Griffin/ WR/ South Florida Bulls

39. Michaelee Harris/ WR/ Louisville Cardinals

40. Khaseem Greene/ FS/ Rutgers Scarlet Knights

41. Chas Dodd/ QB/ Rutgers Scarlet Knights

42. Jerome Junior/ SS/ Connecticut Huskies

43. Jon Lejiste/ SS/ South Florida Bulls

44. Stedman Bailey/WR/West Virginia Mountaineers 

 45. Drew Frey/ SS/ Cincinnati Bearcats

46. Anthony LaLota/ DL/ Rutgers Scarlet Knights

47. Josh Jenkins/ OL/ West Virginia Mountaineers

48. Don Barclay/ OL/ West Virginia Mountaineers

49. Joe Martinek/ FB/ Rutgers Scarlet Knights

50. Nick Provo/ TE/ Syracuse Orange

51. Kendall Reyes/ DT/ Connecticut Huskies

52. Ryan Griffin/ TE/ Connecticut Huskies

53. Ryne Giddins/ DE/ South Florida Bulls

54. Bruce Irvin/ DE/ West Virginia Mountaineers

55. Brandon Jones/ CB/ Rutgers Scarlet Knights

56. Blidi Wreh-Wilson/ CB/ Connecticut Huskies

57. Chandler Jones/ DE/ Syracuse Orange

58. Cameron Saddler/ TE/ Pittsburgh Panthers

59. David Rowe/ CB/ Rutgers Scarlet Knights

60. Michael Smith/ WR/ Connecticut Huskies 

Article by: Ronald Hill
Photo- Courtesy of sports.ap.org

Top 80 Players By Conference - ACC

                           2011 Top 80 players/ BCS conferences: ACC

ACC TOP 80

1. Brandon Jenkins/ DE/ Florida State Seminoles

2. Ray Ray Armstong/ FS/ Miami Hurricanes

3. Seantrel Henderson/ OT/ Miami Hurricanes/ OUT FOR SEASON -injury- (will redshirt this season.)

4.Montel Harris/ RB/ Boston College Eagles

5. EJ Manuel/ QB/ Florida State Seminoles

6. Quinton Coples/ DE/ North Carolina Tar Heels

7.Robert Crisp/ OT/ North Carolina State Wolfpack

8. Greg Reid/ CB/ Florida State Seminoles

9.  Logan Thomas/ QB/ Virginia Tech Hokies

10. Brandon Washington/ OT/ Miami Hurricanes

11. Jayron Hosley/ CB/ Virginia Tech Hokies

12. Kevin Pierre-Louis/ LB/ Boston College Eagles

13. Sean Spence/ LB/ Miami Hurricanes

14. Lamar Miller/ RB/ Miami Hurricanes

15. Donte Paige-Moss/ DE/ North Carolina Tar Heels

16. Dyrell Roberts/ WR/ Virginia Tech Hokies

17. George Bryan/ TE/ North Carolina State Wolfpack

18. Dustin Hopkins/OL/ Florida State Seminoles

19. Luke Kuelchy/ LB/ Boston College Eagles 

20. Jarret Boykin/ WR/ Virginia Tech Hokies

21. Roddy Jones/ RB/ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

22. DeAndre Hopkins/ WR/ Clemson Tigers 

23.Nigel Bradham/ LB/ Florida State Seminoles

24. Connor Vernon/ WR/ Duke Blue Devils 

25. Danny O' Brien/ QB/ Maryland Terrapins

26. Tajh Boyd/ QB/ Clemson Tigers 

27. Dwight Jones/ WR/ North Carolina Tarheels 

28. Bert Reed/ WR/ Florida State Seminoles 

29. Blake DeChristopher/ OT/ Virginia Tech Hokies 

30. Kevin Reddick/ LB/ North Carolina Tar Heels 

31. Marcus Forston/ DT/ Miami Hurricanes 

32. Donovan Varner/ WR/ Duke Blue Devils 

33. Morgan Moses/ OT/ Virginia Cavaliers 

34. Xavier Rhodes/ CB/ Florida State Seminoles 

35. Davin Meggett/ RB/ Maryland Terrapins

36. Donnie Fletcher/ CB/ Boston College Eagles 

37. Tydreke Powell/ DT/ North Carolina Tar Heels 

38. Danny Coale/ WR/ Virginia Tech Hokies 

39. Travis Benjamin/ WR/ Miami Hurricanes 

40. Blake Ayles/ TE/ Miami Hurricanes 

41. Colter Phillips/ TE/ Virginia Cavaliers 

42. Tank Carradine/ DE/ Florida State Seminoles 

43. Sean Renfree/ QB/ Duke Blue Devils 

44. Jacory Harris/ QB/ Miami Hurricanes 

45. Tevin Washington/ QB/ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 

46. Christian Jones/ LB/ Florida State Seminoles 

47. Jeff Luc/ LB/ Florida State Seminoles 

48. Chase Rettig/ QB/ Boston College Eagles 

49. David Wilson/ RB/ Virginia Tech Hokies 

50. LaRon Byrd/ WR/ Miami Hurricanes 

51. Kris Burd/ WR/ Virginia Cavaliers 

52. Corico Hawkins/ LB/ Clemson Tigers

53. Martavis Bryant/ WR/ Clemson Tigers 

54. Jheraine Boyd/ WR/ North Carolina Tar Heels

55. Jacobbi McDaniel/ DT/ Florida State Seminoles 

56. Andrew Datko/ OT/ Florida State Seminoles 

57. Andre Ellington/ RB/ Clemson Tigers 

58. Mustafa Greene/ RB/ North Carolina State Wolfpack 

59. Bobby Swigert/ WR/ Boston College Eagles 

60. Josh Watson/ DT/ Clemson Tigers 

61. Chris Thompson/ RB/ Florida State Seminoles 

62. DeAndre Hopkins/ WR/ Clemson Tigers 

63. JR Sweezy/ DT/ North Carolina State Wolfpack 

64. Adrian Coxson/ WR/ Maryland Terrapins 

65. Darin Drakeford/ LB/ Maryland Terrapins 

66. Joe Vellano/ DT/ Maryland Terrapins 

67. Josh Harris/ RB/ Wake Forest Demon Deacons 

68. Antone Exum/ Rover-S/ Virginia Tech Hokies 

69. Bruce Taylor/ LB/ Virginia Tech Hokies 

70. Vaughn Telemaque/ FS/ Miami Hurricanes 

71. Tony Logan/ WR/ Maryland Terrapins

72. Perry Jones/ RB/ Virgina Cavaliers

73. Jo Jo Nicolas/ CB/ Miami Hurricanes 

74. R.J Mattes/ OT/ North Carolina State Wolfpack 

75. Scott Betros/ LB/ Wake Forest Demon Deacons 

76. Chris Drager/ TE/ Virginia Tech Hokies 

77. Matt Conrath/ DT/ Virginia Cavaliers 

78. Slyvester Williams/ DT/ North Carolina Tar Heels 

79. Micanor Regis/ DT/ Miami Hurricanes 

80. Stephen Morris/ QB/ Miami Hurricanes

Article By: Ronald Hill
Photo: Courtesy of caneshooter.wordpress.com (Miami, Fl - Strong Safety- Ray Ray Armstrong)

2011 NCAA Football Matchup Preview: Boise State vs Georgia * at the Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia*

   Boise State Broncos vs Georgia Bulldogs ( Sept. 3,2011)     
Non confernce game #2 to watch



Boise State comes into the 2011 season playing a BCS caliber game for the 3rd consecutive year. In 2009, the #14th ranked Broncos opened the season at home vs a tough #16 ranked Oregon Ducks team who ended up in the Rose Bowl at season's end. Boise took advantage of the hostile home crowd, though both teams were sluggish throughout the first half. I was at the game, and the tension in the air was maddening. I knew multiple fights would break out because of that tension. What I didn't know was that there would be a fight on the field.Oregon Running back LaGarrette Blount was suspended the remainder of the year for punching Broncos Defensive Lineman Byron Hout in the jaw at the end of the game. Boise pulled out a defensive battle and won 19-8.
     The next year, 2010, Boise opened it's season with a very strong opponent at a neutral playing site (basically a home game for Virginia Tech) at Fed Ex field in Washington, D.C . The country was split on opinion for who was gonna win this game. The elitist's and tradition honks hated that Boise State was being considered a national title contender, so they automatically chose Virginia Tech to win. This may sound cliche, but it's the complete truth, both teams were great and nobody knew who would win, it was the good guys (Virgina Tech) vs the underdog, small school, (Boise State) who some believed they had no right to be ranked so high and playing in this high -stakes football game. From the beginning of the game, I'm talking before kickoff, there was this weird feeling in the air that this was a huge game and both teams looked very intense and pumped up to play. I really do believe that one of the biggest upsets in Virginia tech history the next week, vs James Madison University  ( FCS team) would have been avoided had this opener gone different. Boise quarterback Kellen Moore had a mediocre game, throwing 23-38 for 215 yards picking his way patiently through the heralded Hokie Defense, and BSU had gotten back their momentum that they just couldn't hold on to for most of the game. Virginia Tech scored with less than 2 minutes to go in the 4th quarter, tying the game 30-30. Tech had stolen the momentum back, but Boise came out cool as ice, and drove with no problem all the way down the field to get into field goal range for kicker Kyle Brotzman. The kick went through the uprights, and BSU prevailed 33-30.
    Now comes the third test for Moore and the Broncos, a meeting on Sept. 3rd, 2011 at the Georgia Dome vs the Georgia Bulldogs. The last meeting, in 2005, got out of hand early, BSU turned the ball over numerous times, taking advantage of it, D.J Shockley and Georgia destroyed Boise State that afternoon 48-13. That game was played at Sanford Stadium, "between the hedges" opposed to this years contest, which also is a "home game" for Georgia, making the short trip from Athens to Atlanta, though it's listed as a "neutral site game".
  In the past five seasons, Boise State has only lost one non conference game vs BCS schools, going 6-1. That lone loss was 2007 in Seattle, with Jake Locker overpowering the Bronco defense, and leading Washington to the 24-10 win.
Georgia Freshman tailback Isaiah Crowell will get his first taste of college football, as he is expected to carry the load in the opener in Atlanta. Dawgs Sophomore quarterback Aaron Murray is coming off a very productive freshman year, throwing for 3,049 and a 24-8 touchdown/ interception ratio. That kind of production led him to be freshman All-American and he will only improve in his second year on campus in Athens, Ga.
This should be one of the best games of the 2011 season, and will very possibly be a BCS play- in -game week 1.

Article : Ronald Hill/ Sports Junkie Publications 7/29/11
Photos courtesy of allogos.tk (Georgia mascot) and normslosted.com (Boise State logo)

Top 60 Players By Conference - Big Ten

                     2011 Top 60 players:  Big Ten Football   


1. Jared Crick/ DT/ Nebraska Cornhuskers

2. Denard Robinson/ QB/ Michigan Wolverines

3. Mike Adams/ OT/ Ohio State Buckeyes

4. Taylor Martinez/ QB/ Nebraska Cornhuskers

5. Nathan Williams/ DE/ Ohio State Buckeyes

6. Alfonso Dennard/ CB/ Nebraska Cornhuskers

7. Devier Posey/ WR/ Ohio State Buckeyes

8. Dan Persa/ QB/ Northwestern Wildcats

9. Kirk Cousins/ QB/ Michigan State Spartans

10. Mike Brewster/ C/ Ohio State Buckeyes

11. Montee Ball/ RB/ Wisconsin Badgers

12. Edwin Baker/RB/ Michigan State Spartans

13. Marvin McNutt/ WR/ Iowa Hawkeyes

14. Andrew Sweat/ LB/ Ohio State Buckeyes

15. Derek Moye/ WR/ Penn State Nittany Lions

16. Etienne Sabino/ LB/ Ohio State Buckeyes

17. Daniel Herron/ RB/ Ohio State Buckeyes

18. Nathan Scheelhaase/ QB/ Illinois Fighting Illini

19. James White/ RB/ Wisconsin Badgers

20. Ryan Van Bergen/ DE/ Michigan Wolverines

21. JB Shugarts/ OT/ Ohio State Buckeyes

22. Russell Wilson/ QB/ Wisconsin Badgers

23. Michael Mauti/ LB/ Penn State Nittany Lions

24. Terry Hawthorne/ CB/ Illinois Fighting Illini

25. Tavon Wilson/ CB/ Illinois Fighting Illini

26. Ralph Bolden/ RB/ Purdue Boilermakers

27. Drake Dunsmore/ TE/ Northwestern Wildcats

28. Darius Willis/ RB/ Indiana Hoosiers

29. Will Compton/ LB/ Nebraska Cornhuskers

30. Lavonte David/ LB/ Nebraska Cornhuskers

31. Baker Steinkuhler/ DT/ Nebraska Cornhuskers

32. William Gholston/ DE/ Michigan State Spartans

33. Marcus Coker/ RB/ Iowa Hawkeyes

34. Jeremy Ebert/ WR/ Northwestern Wildcats

35. Darryl Stonum/ WR/ Michigan Wolverines- Injured in fall camp- Out for season (Likely will redshirt)

36. DeLeon Eskeridge/ RB/ Minnesota Golden Gophers

37. Orhian Johnson/ FS/ Ohio State Buckeyes

38. Nick Toon/ WR/ Wisconsin Badgers

39. Silas Redd/ RB/ Penn State Nittany Lions

40. Jake Stoneburner/ TE/ Ohio State Buckeyes

41. Cameron Meredith/ DE/ Nebraska Cornhuskers

42. Rex Burkhead/ RB/ Nebraska Cornhuskers

43. Riley Reiff/ OT/ Iowa Hawkeyes

44. Chris Borland/ LB/ Wisconsin Badgers

45. Jerel Worthy/ DT/ Michigan State Spartans

46. Broderick Binns/ DE/ Iowa Hawkeyes

47. John Simon/ DT/ Ohio State Buckeyes

48. Shaun Prater/ CB/ Iowa Hawkeyes

49. D'Anton Lynn/ CB/ Penn State Nittany Lions

50. Jeff Allen/ OT/ Illinois Fighting Illini

51. Antonio Fenelus/ CB/ Wisconsin Badgers

52. Joe Holland/ LB/ Purdue Boilermakers

53. Roy Roundtree/ WR/ Michigan Wolverines

54. Junior Hemingway/ WR/ Michigan Wolverines

55. Mike Martin/ DT/ Michigan Wolverines

56. Kyler Reed/ TE/ Nebraska Cornhuskers

57. Da'Jon McKnight/ WR/ Minnesota Golden Gophers

58. Trenton Robinson/ FS/ Michigan State Spartans

59. Jamal Turner/ WR/ Nebraska Cornhuskers

60. Matt McGloin/ QB/ Penn State Nittany Lions

Article By: Ronald Hill , Sports Junkie Publications 

Photo: Courtesy of host.Madison.com ( Michigan Quarterback Denard Robinson)

Top 60 Players By Conference - SEC's Top 100

                  2011 Top 100 players By Conference : Southeastern Conference (True Freshman not included, the top 50 freshman from each conference will be in a separate article of mine. ) I am posting my top 60 players per conference, and due to the immense talent in the SEC, I have stretched this list to the top 100 players. This is the same reason that when I list my top players of teams that are independent, I will only list my top 40, because there are only 4 teams that play FBS College Football as independents and the talent pool is not as large as BCS conferences. 

#1- Marcus Lattimore/ RB/ South Carolina Gamecocks

#2- Trent Richardson/ RB/ Alabama Crimson Tide

#3- Dont'A Hightower/ LB/ Alabama Crimson Tide

#4-Mark Barron/ SS/ Alabama Crimson Tide

#5- Alshon Jeffery/ WR/ South Carolina Gamecocks

#6- Greg Childs/ WR/ Arkansas Razorbacks

#7- Jelani Jenkins/ LB/ Florida Gators

#8- Michael Dyer/ RB/ Auburn Tigers

#9- D.J Fluker/ LT/Alabama Crimson Tide

#10 Stephon Gilmore/ CB/  South Carolina Gamecocks

#11-Joe Adams/ WR/ Arkansas Razorbacks.

#12 -Dre Kirkpatrick/ CB/. Alabama Crimson Tide

#13- Leon Orr/ DT/  Florida Gators

#14-Brandon Boykin/ CB/ / Georgia Bulldogs

#15- Morris Claiborne/ CB/ LSU Tigers

#16- Ronald Powell /  DE / Florida Gators

#17- Knile Davis/ RB/  Arkansas Razorbacks

#18 Jarius Wright/ WR/ Arkansas Razorbacks

#19- Rueben Randle/ WR/ LSU Tigers

#20- Malik Jackson/ DT/ Tennessee Volunteers

#21- Aaron Murray/ QB/ Georgia Bulldogs

#22- Tyler Bray/QB / Tennessee Volunteers

#23- Courtney Upshaw/ LB/ Alabama Crimson Tide

#24- Tyrann Mathieu/ CB/ LSU Tigers

#25- Sam Montgomery/ DE/  LSU Tigers

#26- Tramain Thomas/ S/ Arkansas Razorbacks

#27- Tyler Wilson/ QB/ Arkansas Razorbacks

#28- Taurean Poole/ RB/ Tennessee Volunteers

#29-Barrett Jones/ C/ Alabama Crimson Tide

#30- Sharrif Floyd/ DT/ Florida Gators

#31-Danny Trevethan/ LB/ Kentucky Wildcats

#32- Nico Johnson/ LB/ Alabama Crimson Tide

#33- Warren Norman/ RB/ Vanderbilt Commodores

#34- Robert Lester/ S/ Alabama Crimson Tide

#35- Kentrell Lockett/ DE/ Ole Miss Rebels

#36- Kenny Miles/ RB/ South Carolina Gamecocks

#38- DeAngelo Tyson/ DT/ Georgia Bulldogs

#39-Dee Milliner/CB/ Alabama Crimson Tide

#40- Phillip Lutzenkirchen/ TE/ Auburn Tigers

#41- Dominique Easley/ DT/ Florida Gators

#42- Stefoin Francois / LB/  LSU Tigers

#43- Devin Taylor/ DE/ South Carolina Gamecocks

#44- Chris Rainey/ RB/ Florida Gators

#45- Vic Ballard/ RB/ Mississippi State Bulldogs

#46- John Brantley/ QB/ Florida Gators

#47- Jordon Jefferson/ QB / LSU Tigers

#48- Chad Bumphis/ WR/ Mississippi State Bulldogs

#49- Marlon Brown- WR/ Georgia Bulldogs

#50- Emory Blake/ WR/ Auburn Tigers

#51- Alec Ogletree/ LB/ Georgia Bulldogs

#52- Matt Elam/ FS/ Florida Gators

#53- TJ Stripling/ LB/ Georgia Bulldogs

#54- Brandon Bolden/ RB/ Ole Miss Rebels

#55-Cobi Hamilton/ WR/ Arkansas Razorbacks

#56- Russell Shepard/ WR/ LSU Tigers

#57- Spencer Ware/ RB/ LSU Tigers

#58- Bacarri Rambo/ SS/ Georgia Bulldogs

#59- Andre DeBose/ WR/ Florida Gators

#60- Jake Bequette/ DE/ Arkansas Razorbacks

#61- Jon Bostic/ LB/ Florida Gators

#62- Janzen Jackson/ S/ Tennessee Volunteers

#63- Branden Smith/ CB/ Georgia Bulldogs

#64-Prentiss Wagner/ S/ Tennessee Volunteers

#65- Jaye Howard/ DE/ Florida Gators

#66- Josh Dworaczyk/ LG/ LSU Tigers

#67- Cordy Glenn/ LT/ Georgia Bulldogs

#68- Justin Hunter/ WR/ Tennessee Volunteers

#69- Phillip Sims/ QB/ Alabama Crimson Tide

#70- AJ McCarron/ QB/ Alabama Crimson Tide

#71-Barkevious Mingo/ DE/ LSU Tigers

#72- Da'Rick Rogers/ WR/ Tennessee Volunteers

#73-Chris Relf/ QB/ Mississippi State Bulldogs

#74-Kevin Minter/ LB/ LSU Tigers

#75- CJ Mosley/ LB/ Alabama Crimson Tide

#76-Connor Shaw/ QB/ South Carolina Gamecocks

#77- Randall Mackey/ QB/ Ole Miss Rebels

#78- Trovon Reed/ WR/ Auburn Tigers

#79- Barry Brunetti/ QB/ Ole Miss Rebels

#80- Frankie Hammond/ WR/ Florida Gators

#81- Corey Lemonier/ DE/ Auburn Tigers

#82- Ace Sanders/ WR/ South Carolina Gamecocks

#83- Tavarres King/ WR/ Georgia Bulldogs

#84- Jeff Demps/ RB/ Florida Gators

#85- Stephen Garcia/ QB/ South Carolina Gamecocks ( eligibility issues: ? in '11)

#86- Onterio McCaleb/ RB/ Auburn Tigers

#87- Xavier Nixon/ OT/ Florida Gators

#88-Craig Loston / FS/ LSU Tigers

#89- Larry Worford/ OG/ Kentucky Wildcats

#90- Wesley Johnson/ OT/ Vanderbilt Commodores

#91- Fletcher Cox/ DT/ Mississippi State Bulldogs

#92- Jordan Reed/ TE/ Florida Gators

#93-Chris Marve/ LB/ Vanderbilt Commodores

#94-Morgan Newton/ QB/ Kentucky Wildcats

#95- Jerico Nelson/ LB/ Arkansas Razorbacks

#96- Ryan Baker/ LB/ LSU Tigers

#97- Orson Charles/ TE/ Georgia Bulldogs

#98-William Vlachos/ C/ Alabama Crimson Tide

#99- Jakhari Gore/ RB/ LSU Tigers

#100- Alex Hurst/ RT/ LSU Tigers

Article By: Ronald Hill
Photo: (Marcus Lattimore/ Running back/ University Of South Carolina- Courtesy of zimbio.com