A view from the stands
  LSU 24 La. Tech. 16

By William Queen
Jr. Contributing Writer
Assisted by Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer
Southeast Region


It was Homecoming weekend for the Bayou Bengals and the tailgating scene was crazy. Tiger fans stretched for miles around campus, preparing for the 100th homecoming game in LSU history. Thousands of fans lined up on North Stadium Road, hoping to get a glimpse of the players and band marching towards the stadium. Cheers came for head coach Les Miles, all the players, the band, and the cheerleaders. However, the refs didn’t get the royal treatment. An explosion of boo’s and taunts were directed towards the refs as they entered Tiger Stadium. Though the atmosphere was incredible, the game wasn’t sold out. Due to LSU’s unexpected struggles, it was rather quiet. Déjà vu? I think so. Last year at about this time, LSU was coming off a stunning overtime loss to top ranked Alabama and had to pull off a 28-point comeback to overcome Tulane the week after. It just so happened that this game wasn’t an easy one either. Trailing La. Tech 13-10 at the half, the Tigers appeared to be hung-over from the Alabama game. Going 0-3 on third downs, being out-gained 229-138 offensively, and having already allowed 131 yards on the ground, the Tigers needed to make some serious half-time adjustments if they want to keep their season alive. This was about the time that the blame shifted over to starting quarterback Jarrett Lee. Lee started most the 2008 season for the Tigers and threw 16 interceptions, including six returned for touchdowns, so he already had a bad wrap. However, the bayou Bengals were playing without starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson and starting running back Charles Scott, so you can’t blame him; they were playing with a different cast of players. A certain feel that the fan base gave him is not proper. “That's not the way it should be," LSU coach Les Miles, said concerning Lee. "He's not perfect and dang it, we didn't play well. It wasn't his entire fault. It just seems like we are ready to jump on him and I'm not ready to”. Holding the Bulldogs to two field goals and just one touchdown, the LSU defense did a pretty good job of bending but not breaking. Besides, the only touchdown they allowed was when the quarterback went in motion and the ball was snapped to the running back, who then did a Tim Tebow-like pass over the line; all this occurring on the last play of the half. Now all of Tiger Stadium knew the chances of that happening again were once in a Blue Moon. So needless to say that, though the Tigers were losing, LSU had the upper hand coming into the second half of the ballgame. The fourth kick-off of the game for the Bulldogs was, once again, kicked short in attempt to avoid the ball from getting in the hands of Trindon Holliday; the fastest player to ever put on shoulder pads. The Tigers stalled their first drive, but after forcing a quick three-and-out, came back on offense and executed a nine-play, 58-yard drive; capped off by a three-yard touchdown run by Keiland Williams. At this point, leading 17-10, the Tigers looked to be back in business. Led by junior safety Chad Jones, the LSU defense stiffened in the third quarter, squandering every one of Tech’s drives short of a score. Fighting for their 25th straight victory vs. non-conference opponents, the Tigers defense did not take a play off the rest of the night. Now perhaps another reason for LSU’s offensive freeze this game was because they hadn’t been on the field much. The Bulldogs had the ball in their possession for 36 minutes and 20 seconds of the game, keeping the dynamic Tigers offense off the field. However, this was not an excuse in the second half. The defense did their part, the offense responded in the form of senior running back Keiland Williams. Running for 116 yards off 16 carries and two second half touchdowns, Williams unwaveringly took over injured starter Charles Scott’s role. “It definitely gives you more confidence when you are out there knowing that you are not going to be pulled after one or two carries," Williams said, who moved to number one on the depth chart due to Scott’s injury against Alabama. Williams scampered away from tackles and scored his second touchdown on a nine-yard touchdown with only 7:01 to go in the fourth quarter, practically suffocating the Bulldogs hopes of pulling off the upset.  Earlier that drive, true freshman quarterback Russell Shepard enjoyed what was perhaps the loudest roar of the night as he jogged out on the field to take the next snap. A designed quarterback run, Sheppard enjoyed even more applause as he ran for 14 yards that play and then an additional three yards the play after. Then, right on cue, the crowd felt as if they’d been tricked, as Jarrett Lee jogged back on the field to finish off the drive. Trailing 24-13, the Bulldogs only hopes were two quick scores. Yet, after one first down, they stalled and turned the ball over on their own side of the field. Giving LSU good field position at the 41, the Tigers looked to run the clock down. When the game looked to be out of reach, LSU’s game-icing drive ended in a fumbled field goal snap, giving the Bulldogs the ball and perhaps another chance at pulling off the upset. Louisiana Tech freshman kicker Matt Nelson finished the drive with a 49-yard field goal, setting up an onside kick and a chance at beating the Tigers for the first time in over a century. Predictably, LSU recovered the onside try and kneeled on it for the win. Throughout the game, you could tell that the Tigers were holding something back, especially on offense. Though this game was a close one, don’t be surprised to see the Tigers come out firing against SEC rivals Ole Miss next weekend. After the game, some players sneakily worked their way out the stadium, trying to avoid the rush, while others paused and signed autographs. You only get to play one homecoming game; the senior’s last. And when these players were talking to fans, signing autographs, and taking pictures, you could get the sense that they knew when to turn it on. LSU is still one of the best teams in the country.

The Northwest Report-Week 11 Rewind
By Nick Haswell for Football Reporters Online

Week 11 of the college football season provided little excitement from the Northwest teams in action. The biggest story was Idaho State finally winning its first game of the 2009 season by defeating Portland State 41-34 a week after the Bengals lost a 12-10 heartbreaker to Montana on a field goal as time expired. It was the final game for both the Bengals and the Portland State Vikings in 2009. It was also the final game for Jerry Glanville as the Vikings head coach, as he resigned on Tuesday from his position. Glanville finished with a disappointing 9-24 record in three seasons at PSU, failing to deliver the victories that his hiring as head coach was expected to achieve.

Elsewhere, it was a slow week in the Northwest college football action, as all the favored teams won comfortably. Here are the recaps of each game:

Game of the Week-Idaho at Boise State: The sixth ranked Boise State Broncos(11-0) made quick work of the Idaho Vandals(7-4) in their 62-25 victory in the annual rivalry game. The Broncos jumped out to a 42-17 halftime lead after a 100 yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Titus Young with just 14 seconds left in the first half, after the Vandals had shortened BSU’s lead to 35-17. Kellen Moore continued to showcase himself for the Heisman trophy with 299 yards passing and 5 touchdowns in a little more than a half of work. Idaho did gain 514 yards of total offense on the Bronco defense, but turned the ball over seven times.

UCLA at Washington State: The Washington State Cougars (1-9) suffered another blowout loss in the 2009 season in losing to the UCLA Bruins 43-7. The Cougars offense could only muster 181 yards of total offense, and the defense allowed 556 yards to the Bruin offense. Only a 46 yard pass from Kevin Lopina to Jeffrey Solomon in the third quarter avoided a shutout for Wazzu.

Washington at Oregon State: The 23rd ranked Beavers (7-3) raced out to a 20-0 lead and were never really threatened by the Huskies (3-7) in their 48-21 win. Sean Canfield threw for four touchdowns, two of them to James Rodgers, and Jacquizz Rodgers ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Husky RB Chris Polk, enjoyed his second consecutive 100 yard rushing performance with 116 yards rushing. But Jake Locker struggled against Oregon State’s pressure, throwing for just 153 yards in the loss as the Huskies saw their bowl dreams vanish with the loss.

Arizona State at Oregon: After a tough defeat on the road to the surging Stanford Cardinal last week, the Oregon Ducks (8-2) came home to defeat the Arizona State Sun Devils (4-6) 44-21. The 13th ranked Ducks were led by LaMichael James’ 150 yards rushing and three touchdowns. The Ducks defense limited the ASU offense to just 211 yards of total offense on the night.

Eastern Washington at Southern Utah: The EWU Eagles (7-3) kept their postseason hopes alive by beating the SUU Thunderbirds 41-28. Matt Nichols threw for 380 yards and 4 touchdowns on the afternoon. He also ran for 75 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles must beat Northern Arizona on the road on Saturday to have any hope for an at-large bid in the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.

Portland State at Idaho State: In the season finale for both squads, the Idaho State Bengals (1-10) avoided a winless season by defeating the Vikings (2-9) 41-34. Russel Hill threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns, all to Kelvin Krosch , for the Bengals. PSU’s Justin Engstrom threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, but also threw four interceptions in the loss.
Northern Colorado at Montana: With their 38-10 win over Northern Colorado (3-8), the Montana Grizzlies (10-0) clinched their 12th consecutive Big Sky Conference title outright. Chase Reynolds broke a close game open with two long touchdown runs (54 and 37 yards) early in the third quarter. Reynolds finished with 151 yards rushing and three touchdowns. The Grizzlies are just a victory over rival Montana State away from their second perfect regular season in three years.

Sacramento State at Montana State: The Bobcats (7-3) kept their playoff dreams alive by beating the Sacramento State Hornets (4-6) 27-17. MSU will have to defeat their hated in-state rivals and the 3rd ranked Montana Grizzlies at home on Saturday to have a chance at an at-large bid in the FCS playoffs. Bobcat QB Cody Kempt completed an efficient 20 of 29 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over the Hornets.

Week 11 NCAA Predictions
By Max Baez
Contributor to Football Reporters Online

West Virginia @ Cincinnati

First of all, I think Cincinnati is absolutely for real. It’s a shame that there is no playoff in college football, because Cincinnati deserves a shot to play for a national title (although I wouldn’t argue they are one of college football’s two top teams.) Also, I’d like to thank the football gods for placing this game on a Friday, so that it doesn’t interfere with the many great games taking place on Saturday. West Virginia is a solid team, and luckily for the Mountaineers, Noel Devine will play, although it remains to be seen if he will be at his maximum production. I do respect West Virginia, but I think there is definitely a sizeable difference between these two teams, and while I expect it to be competitive, I expect the Bearcats (and their expected 2 QB rotation for this game) to take it.

Cincinnati 38, West Virginia 28


Iowa @ Ohio State

Seven days ago, Iowa was undefeated. Now, they are a 17 point underdog (yes, you heard me, 17 point underdog) to an unimpressive Ohio State team. I really have no idea why this spread is so high. Sure, Ricky Stanzi is injured, but Ohio State hasn’t had a good offense all year and Iowa allows under 16 points a game, so the spread just doesn’t add up. As for what will happen in this game, it’s tough to say. Iowa was squeaking out wins all season until they lost to lowly Northwestern last week, while Ohio State, as said earlier, hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. I’m definitely not expecting this game to be high scoring, and I’m going to take Iowa in a close one, as I expect their defense to get the job done.

Iowa 13, Ohio State 10


Stanford @ USC

Two years ago, it was one of the biggest upsets in college football history when Stanford went into the Coliseum and knocked off mighty USC. This year, Stanford is flying high, and is actually ahead of USC in the Pac-10 standings (5-2 vs. 4-2.) Stanford proved themselves nationally with a huge win over Oregon last week, and they hope to take their high powered rushing offense to USC. Some are even expecting Stanford to win this one, and I personally wouldn’t be shocked to see it happen. However, USC should be able to exploit Stanford’s main weakness; their secondary. USC’s weakness this year has been their passing game, but USC has more talent at receiver, and their receivers should be able to get it done this week. Stanford will keep this one really close, and Toby Gerhart will certainly have a great game for the Cardinal, but expect the Trojans to finish on top.

USC 30, Stanford 27


Arizona @ California

At the beginning of the season, I said Arizona would finish fourth in the Pac-10. The media said Arizona would finish eighth. While I knew the media was overlooking Arizona, and that Arizona was certainly better than mediocre ASU and UCLA, I was wondering if maybe I, as an Arizona grad, was overestimating my beloved Cats just a little bit. However, I ended up underestimating my school. Nick Foles, who didn’t even start the first three games, has proven to be one of the best underclassmen quarterbacks in the country, and Arizona has had a very easy time putting points on the board. Cal, on the other hand, is simply pretty average. Add in the fact that their best player, Jahvid Best, is out for this game, and Arizona should take this one. It’s simply going to be tough for the Golden Bears to score enough points in this one to win it.

Arizona 31, California 16


Notre Dame @ Pittsburgh

How many more games are left for Charlie Weis to coach before he gets fired at the end of the year? This one actually has some potential for an upset. Pitt has looked very good this year on both sides of the ball (they rank in the top 20 in both offensive and defensive scoring.) However, this could be a dangerous game for them. Notre Dame can put points on the board and keep it close, and deep down, Notre Dame is more talented. Also, as for why I think this can be an upset, Pitt is coached by Dave Wannstedt. I don’t think I need to expand on why that’s my justification. But then again, Notre Dame is coached by Charlie Weis, effectively making this the toilet bowl of coaching. But I still think Notre Dame wins this game, it’s just a gut feeling. Weis still gets canned either way.

Notre Dame 31, Pittsburgh 24

Five other games to watch: Tennessee @ Ole Miss, Auburn @ Georgia, Utah @ TCU, Idaho @ Boise State, Nebraska @ Kansas