Small School Prospects For 2010 In the Tri-State Area Turning Heads Across The Nation- By Dr. Bill Chachkes-Football Reporters Online (photo: Fordham QB John Skelton throws to a receiver in the flat while being rushed by a Columbia defensive lineman in the 2009 liberty cup game on sept. 20th-By A.F. Chachkes for FRO


Most people do not look at the NYC area as a breeding ground for NFL level talent, but if you look hard enough, you can find players will do more then just make a roster at the next level. The very first player you notice when you talk about NYC area players is Fordham University’s talented Quarterback John Skelton.

While Fordham had some difficulty early on this season coming off a down 2008 after the Patriot league title in 2007, they seem to have righted the ship on the throwing arm of the talented 6”6” Skelton and his 6”5” younger brother Stephen, who is the teams’ tight end. Skelton also has the talented Asa Lucas at wide receiver, and Xavier Martin at tailback. Skelton Is lighting up the competition, with consistant performances of well over 300 yards every game (last week he threw 20-27-420 yards and five touchdowns against Cornell in a 39-27 win. Four of the scores were on passing plays of 50 or more yards). Skelton has been proclaimed by some, as a “Top Ten” quarterback. While he has a high level of skill, he most likely will be a day two selection in the 2010 NFL Draft. Still, he manages to turn heads every time he steps on the football field. Fordham plays Lafayette this weekend who are always a strong team.

Moving over to upper Manhattan, Columbia University has put a team on the field that some are calling the best in many years at the school. One player who is gaining recognition outside of the Ivy League is wide receiver/return specialist Austin Knowlin. While he has gathered accolades within the Ivy before, Knowlin is now perceived as a legitimate candidate to play at the next level. He needs only 135 years coming into this weekend (10-24) to set the all time receiving yardage record in Lions history. Five others at Columbia who are gaining some notice are running back Ray Rangel, quarterback M.A. Olawale, OL’s John Siler, and Evan Sanford, linebacker Cory Cameron and strong safety Andy Shalbrach. Columbia Travels to New Hampshire this week to play Dartmouth in an important road meeting.

Moving over to the Long Island teams, Hofstra once again has a few players who could easily get the chance to play on Sunday next season. One is Senior quarterback Cory Chirstoper, who at almost 6’2” and 251 pounds can remind you of Daunte Culpepper with his athletic style. One of his bodyguards on the offensive line is Mike Trice who weighs close to 360 pounds, and can play both guard and tackle. Although Trice has been part of an offensive line rotation and not a starter in the true sense, we have seen enough of him to know he is a prospect. Also Jimmy Mangiero and David Spinach deserve mention here. The Defense has two stellar defensive backs in Leslie Jackman and Ray McDonough. Hofstra already has an upset win over James Madison, and a road win against Rhode Island, they need to move their overall record to 5-3 and get a critical CAA win at home.

Finally out at Stonybrook, coach Chuck Priore has a few prospects on his squad of gridders as well. Defensive backs Cory Giddings and Chris Richards have continually made it difficult for opposing wide receivers to do their jobs this season. Defensive lineman Chris Perri has also been noticed this season for his work upfront, as has linebacker Tyler Santucci in the middle. On the offense three seniors who have interested us are wide receiver Stephan Towns, lineman Chris Pugliese, and running back Conte Cuttino. With a 3-4 record and a big game this week against Costal Carolina that will be shown on television you can expect this group to be playing all out.

You can also expect to hear more about at least some of these players in the future.

Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East Recap- Week 7
By John Kelly
Football Reporters Online
Senior Writer
Midwest/Northeast Correspondent

Longhorns prevail in Red River Shootout, Cincinnati legitimizes itself in the Sunshine State, Iowa holds their ground while OSU falters, and close but no cigar in South Bend

Midterm grades are in and all report cards have been distributed. Some parties got a pat on the back while others took a whipping to the backside.
The 2009 College Football season would drive thoroughbred handicappers crazy
Preseason darlings that swept up preseason polls now are a distant memory. Iowa and Cincinnati, dark horses of their conferences, closed in on the field down the stretch.
However, do not play that exacta anytime soon. Cincinnati looks like a sure thing. Iowa still might find itself place or show. Conference favorites Ohio State and Penn State are no longer the studs at the post. West Virginia and South Florida have gone off the grid. The state of Oklahoma doesn’t even have a say for the overall purse.
Oklahoma literally got a shot in the arm in the Red River rivalry. However, it’s not the type they hoped for. Texas held off the Sooners 16-13 and knocked Sam Bradford out of the game in the second quarter. Last years game provided fireworks before the end of the Texas state fair. This year the fireworks remained on schedule. Texas used its defense to force 5 turnovers en route to victory over the Sooners. Despite, no Sam Bradford and a porous rushing attack the Sooners hung in the game. Oklahoma might be the best 3-3 team in America while having several opportunities to win the game. The Longhorns face a tough test versus Missouri and need to get that offense cranking or their bound to fall into the same trap they did in 2008.
Nebraska seems resemble Charles Manson during his parole hearing. The Cornhuskers always seem poised to turn the corner and then they lay an egg. The 31-10 thrashing by Texas Tech and backup Steve Sheffield showed the country that the Big 12 North is division by cybil. Nebraska’s offense is atrocious and it really takes the spotlight away from intimidating defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Kansas finally showed us how vulnerable they were by being upset by a backup Quarterback in his opening start 34-30. While the South Division is Texas’s to lose the North will continue to shuffle around like a card deck till the championship game in December.
By the way what ever happened to Texas A&M football. After leading the nation in total offensive yards and averaging 50 points a game the Aggies were thrashed 62-14 by an inferior Kansas State team. College Station probably should have kept R.C. Slocum around. At least he mashed inferior talent and boosted an intimidating defense.
Iowa is the Seabiscut of the Big 10. No matter how far behind they are they continue to leave the field in the dust. Iowa fell behind early in Madison last week 10-3. They ran off 17 straight points to take out Wisconsin 20-10. Ricky Stanzi is one of the most underrated signal callers in the country. He threw for a modest and controlled 17-23 for 218 yards and a Td. Adam Robinson has made injured starter Jewel Hampton an afterthought. When it has mattered most Robinson has ran hard and fought for the extra yards.
Ohio State and Penn State are the Smarty Jones of thoroughbreds in the Big Ten. Every year they seem to be to powerful for weaker conference foes. Purdue showed that Ohio State is not worth the dough by upsetting them 26-18. In West Lafayette its great to see Danny Hope get a reprieve for letting the Notre Dame game slip away. Tyrell Pryor looked horrific. He seems to be confused whether to run or sit in the pocket. Jim Tressel and the staff might have made the wrong move to throw Pryor into the fray. To bad that redshirt year is no longer an option. Penn State has been laughable this year with all 5 wins versus teams below .500. The Big House beckons ahead for the Nittany Lions. Penn State has lost 6 straight since 1996. Michigan’s defense no doubt is susceptible to yielding 30 or more points. However, Sean Lee’s injury and the defensive injuries might make tackling Tate Forcier a headache. Michigan will be juiced for this game hopefully Penn State provides the same flavor.
Cincinnati has become the War Admiral of the Big East. We knew they were strong on offense but the defensive play makes them a pretty site. The Bearcats handled South Florida 35-17 without Tony Pike. Pike has a cast on his wrist and is questionable for the Louisville game. Even Cincinnati could take this contest even without Pike at the controls. With tougher tests in the future he should sit out. Pike is on fire with flashy receiver Marty Gilyard.
Pittsburgh is a couple defensive plays away from being undefeated. Their crucial 24-17 win in Piscataway vs. Rutgers was a huge statement and they should be ranked in the Top 20. Dion Lewis has eased the blood pressures of the Panther faithful with 1,500 yards on the year and Jonathon Baldwin continues to look like a Big East All America.
Connecticut got an important win over Louisville to move to 4-2 but lost something even bigger. Jasper Howard was stabbed during a school dance after the game. Howard died from an abdomen wound from the stabbing. No doubt about it Howard was a major asset to the team off the field. Jasper left Miami to get away from the gangs and trouble. Connecticut showcased his skills and now he will be unable to fulfill them. These are the tragedies that hurt college sports the most. Condolences to the Brown family and the UConn community.
4 yards separated Notre Dame from forcing overtime against USC. The Trojans built a 20-point and saw it evaporate in the fourth quarter. After Robby Parris caught a crucial fourth down pass to extend the game-tying drive, a spear from Taylor Mays knocked him out for the game. Mays penalty helped the Trojans in the long run because Jimmy Clausen’s last pass was supposed to be directed towards Parris’s hands. Instead, the play went to Duval Kamara and he slipped on his cut with the ball sailing away from him in the end zone. Notre Dame got another chance to score when the officials thought the game was over even though one second remained. Right then and there you thought the Irish would tie it based on the events in 2005. A clock error during that game allowed students to run on the field and slow the pace down. USC sneaked it in to win with the help of Reggie Bush. Notre Dame did not have the same luck.
For all the Weis haters Notre Dame showed the country they have the athletes to compete with the Elite game in and game out. I know USC led by 20 points and might have let up but championship teams don’t do that. Troy’s hiccups have cost them a place in the title game and the fourth quarter revealed similar tendencies. The Irish are far from being an elite program. However, they now have the depth to compete with the elite. Losses hurt in the eyes of all teams but this one helped the Irish image and recruiting chances. It was the biggest recruiting weekend ever at Notre Dame and they couldn’t have asked for a better ending.