Outside linebacker/safety is one of the top prospects in the Commonwealth for 2017

There was some good news to come out of UVA’s football weekend after all: standout Bethel linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah committed to Bronco Mendenhall and the Cavaliers on Sunday night.

Owusu-Koramoah is a three-star recruit on both Rivals and 247. He is 247’s #12 Virginia-native prospect in the class of 2017, and ranks 34th in Rivals’ Virginia rankings. UVA won out for his commitment over NC State, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Washington State, and half the Ivy League.

Jeremiah is an explosive athlete, with a lanky frame that should add quality muscle under Frank Wintrich’s development program. He locates the ball well in coverage and brings the freakin’ lumber in the run game. His closing speed lets him disrupt plays in the backfield. Look forward to a few years of him and Jordan Mack wreaking havoc opposite one another.

People were waiting for recruits to start de-commiting this season, and the first is a doozy.

Well, it’s finally happened. Iowa has lost the first of what many fans are anticipating to be a long list of 2017 commitments. And this one could be the one that hurts the most, as it’s Wylie running back Eno Benjamin, the man that was responsible for helping to bring many Texas commits to the university.

On Twitter, Benjamin unpinned the tweet that he was committed to the University of Iowa and replaced it with a short note stating that he was completely reopening his commitment.

As stated above, many fans have been anticipating de-commitments due to the lackluster product that Iowa has been putting on the field so far this season. However, it appears as though this isn’t the reason for Benjamin’s departure. It had been rumored that he had been taking visits to other schools (Arizona State and Mizzou, to be specific) in the past month, which is against Iowa Football policy. After a recruit commits to Iowa, Ferentz and Co. have a rule (or a policy, whatever it doesn’t even matter because it’s a stupid policy in my own opinion) that commitments are no longer permitted to take visits to other schools. Well, Benjamin did this, and it appears as though they basically told him to walk.

In an interview with Tyler Devine of AllHawkeyes.com, Benjamin had this to say:

“I took visits,” Benjamin said in a text message on Sunday. “The coaches weren’t happy and couldn’t get over it. So they thought it would be best to part ways. That’s all there is to it.”

This is not going to be something that Iowa fans will be happy about if it’s a completely factual story. Of course, there are always two sides to every story, so it’ll be interesting to see if Ferentz makes any comments about this situation on Tuesday. There’s already some speculation as whether or not what Benjamin said is completely true because this past week, when asked about the visit policy, Ferentz had this to say.

I don’t think you can enforce it. You can have policies. It’s kind of like some of the things in our building, I tease our coaches sometimes, there’s policies and then there’s rules. Policies are policies. You can break policies. There’s no penalty. But rules are rules. The rules don’t forbid that, so there’s no — but we can have policies.

The biggest question will be whether or not this move by Benjamin will lead to more fallout for #Swarm17. He helped recruit many players to Iowa, and after seeing his de-commitment, it’ll be interesting to see who does and does not decide to follow suit. Fellow commit and Wylie East teammate Chevin Calloway has also been rumored to be looking around.

We’ll take a more in-depth look at this situation and what it could mean for Iowa recruiting later this week, with more opinions.

This might be the year! Or might not be!

The California Golden Bears will face their longest odds at victory likely this season against the USC Trojans. An early line had Cal as 14 point underdogs, while Vegas Insider situates Cal as 11.5 point underdogs on the open line (14.5 point underdogs is the first official line from a Vegas sportsbook).

Cal’s wonderful history against USC has been long documented. The Bears have not beaten the Trojans since 2003. They have closed the margin of defeat the last two years, losing by eight to USC in their last Thursday night matchup two years ago, and then narrowly falling by six last season at home.

But Cal will have a lot of factors going against them this time, with USC coming off a full week of rest and Cal getting only six nights before turning around to play football again. Cal has also saved their two worst efforts for the Los Angeles Thursday night game the last two years, getting outscored by USC and UCLA 57-19 in the first halves.

Cal fans, your thoughts on the line?

Jalen Reagor, a one time Sooner pledge, verbals to TCU.

Waxahachie wide receiver Jalen Reagor has decided to stay close to home, and that’s great news for Frog fans. The 5’11” burner will bring his 4.40 speed to Fort Worth next fall, as he announced Thursday evening via twitter.

Reagor, who committed to Oklahoma back in March, boasts 21 offers, including Texas Tech, Alabama, Texas, A&M, Baylor, Notre Dame, and a host of others. A four star prospect who is the 14th ranked receiver in the country and a top 20 recruit in Texas, Reagor will join current high school teammate Kenedy Snell and former QB Jordan Kitna in Funky Town. Recruited by superstar coach Curtis Luper, Reagor was also undoubtably influenced by those he knows on the team as well as the opportunity to play in front of his family and friends for the next four years.

Reagor becomes the highest rated recruit in the Frogs’ class, narrowly edging out his likely future QB, DeSoto’s Shawn Robinson. That combination will give opposing defensive players and coaches nightmares for the foreseeable future, while igniting the scoreboard often for TCU. An exceptional route-runner with speed to burn, Reagor has a chance to be special in Sonny Cumbie and Doug Meacham’s high flying offense. He has great ball-skills and sticky hands, with enough size and strength to handle physical coverage, though those that press tend to get beat. He is the fourth four star commit in the class of 2017, and should be a great recruiter in his own right for the program.

Reagor, an Under Armour All-American, made his official visit on October 1st, watching the Frogs take on the Sooners. Though TCU ultimately lost that game despite mounting a furious comeback, they won a different battle – on the sideline. Welcome to the Frog Fam, Jalen. This is going to be fun.

A dive into the Husker books, kneejerk analysis, and why you should not always believe everything the numbers are trying to tell you.

Hopefully you all know the drill by now. This is not an advanced stats article. All I am doing here is looking at basic stuff and seeing how the Huskers stack up across FBS. Advanced views or basic, this has been a much more fun year to examine than 2015.

We have also reached the halfway point in the season. While I am ecstatic about where the Huskers are relative to my early expectations, I am also a little sad that the season is half over. A difficult stretch awaits Nebraska, but this team seems to thrive under difficult conditions.

Numbers from Brian

Our own Brian Towle found some interesting numbers on the Huskers in 2016 compared to the first half of 2015.

• Halfway through 2015, Nebraska had 58 accepted penalties against them. In 2016: 37. That has made a difference of 131 yards.
• Compared to the first half of 2015, the Huskers have scored 33 more points and have allowed 33 fewer points.
• In 2015, the team scored 27 points off turnovers. This year: 49.
• Opponents in 2015 scored 23 points off Husker turnovers compared to 15 this year.
• Tommy Armstrong, Jr. has 26 more rushes this year than last year at this time. He also has 65 fewer pass attempts. Part is the commitment to the run game, but part is that Nebraska is not trailing in games as much as last year.
• Nebraska’s third leading ball carrier in 2016 is Devine Ozigbo with 77. Last year was Andy Janovich with 19.

Numbers – Statistics – Lies

Number: One. Tommy Armstrong was sacked once against Indiana’s rapidly improving defense (the intentional grounding penalty).

Statistic: The Huskers are allowing an average of 0.67 sacks per game which is good for the 5th best rate in FBS and 1st in the Big Ten.

Lie: This offensive line is one of the best in the business.

Well, the big fellas have been showing up when they are really needed (i.e. the fourth quarter, especially in the run game) but some of the pass protection has been bafflingly bad at times. Part of that is opposing teams knowing Tommy is hobbled so they can send extra pressure rather than spy him. The rest is probably a combination of inexperience, injuries, and the poor execution that comes at times with shuffling players in and out of the lineup.

Mark Philipp deserves a round of applause for strength and conditioning. There is no way the Husker line performs like they do in the fourth quarter if he isn’t doing his job well. After watching both lines tend to get blown off the ball the last two-ish years Pelini was coaching, I feel better about what I am seeing this year. At the same time, I recognize there is still a long way yet to go.

Numbers – Statistics – Lies II

Number: 29

Statistic: The Huskers are the only FBS team whose net punting is below 30 yards per attempt, ranking them 128th out of 128 teams.

Lie: Chalk it up to a true freshman punter who was put into an incredibly difficult spot replacing a beloved, deceased teammate.

Caleb Lightbourn has been a bit shaky, no doubt, but the two most terrifying jobs in football have to be punt returner and punter. He has a gross punting average of 39 yards. Sam Foltz averaged 44 yards per punt in 2015, but was the best punter in the Big Ten. At this point in his career, it might be more fair to compare Caleb to Tyson Broekemeier, who filled in for Foltz for a couple games in 2015. In that comparison, Lightbourn holds his own compared to Broekemeier’s 37 yards/punt. I fully expect to see Lightbourn get better as time goes on—assuming he gets some protection.

The punt return defense and protection have been the most disappointing part of this equation. While I want to blame it all on Bruce Read, I found it interesting that Mike Riley mentioned something about leaving the defense on the field several times when Indiana punted as Nebraska was worried about fakes.

The punt return defense is allowing an average of 14 yards per return (good, err bad, for 113th in FBS). On top of that, only four teams in FBS have allowed more than one blocked punt (Nebraska, Oklahoma St., and Vanderbilt have each allowed two and UNLV has allowed three). Ninety-six teams in FBS (out of 128) have not allowed a blocked punt in 2016. The Huskers are in a “special kind of awful” category and it could end up costing them a close game if not cleaned up. If you are wondering, blocked punts are charged to team yardage totals (scored as a zero yard punt), but not to the individual punter.

When you add it all up, I think we know why Mike Riley has been much more willing to go for it on 4th down than what I remember from 2015.

Obligatory Pile of Numbers

The defense is chugging along, with the rush defense continuing to improve statistically. Part of the jump in rankings for the rush defense this past week (from 55th to 44th in FBS) is the linebackers showing up in a big way for the first time this year. It is also nice to see the youngsters along the d-line, especially Carlos Davis, developing.

The offense has stalled out a bit. They aren’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, but a running quarterback with a bum wheel is a limiting Danny Langsdorf’s options. Indiana’s defense deserves some credit (did I really just type that?) for holding the Huskers to their lowest yardage output of the season. They also held them to the lowest point total (27) of the season outside of Northwestern (24), but if you remember, NW is the game where the Huskers fumbled away two touchdowns at the goal line.

Realistically, this was the worst performance by the Husker offense of the season. Injuries didn’t help given that the RT1 (Knevel) went down on the first play (probably will play this week), QB1 (Armstrong) is playing on one leg, our best third-down threats, Westerkamp (starting WR) and Carter (TE1) were out (and both expected to not play this week), center Dylan Utter dislocated a finger during the game (returned to the game and should play this week), starting WR Alonzo Moore did not register a catch (shoulder), RB1A/1B (Ozigbo) only made a token appearance (and might be the same this week), LT1 (Gates) was injured during the game (he finished but a decision on this week has not been made), and I’m sure there are more. This is a beat up offense.

If you read Ryan’s piece breaking down the plays, he attributes a some of Indiana’s defensive success to the linebackers. I probably don’t need to tell you that Wisconsin’s linebackers are even better than the Hoosiers’. Seeing his assessment that Danny Langsdorf adjusted and dialed up some good plays against aggressive linebackers makes me feel better (although not yet good) about the game against Bucky.

Husker Haiku

Revenge game coming
How far the mighty do fall
Can’t lose to Purdue

Can NC State’s defense offer any resistance this weekend?

Louisville’s story should be well-known by now, thanks to the exploits of quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has earned countless press with his jaw-dropping plays. He’s nearly reached football legend status as a sophomore—he leaps over defenders; he flicks the ball effortlessly down the field; he avoids even the surest of sacks!

The Cardinals are a lot more than Jackson—for the second straight year they have a top-25 defense—but there’s no question that Louisville’s leap into elite status very much begins with its star quarterback.

When I saw Jackson in Raleigh last season, I came away with the impression that he’d be a good player down the road—the surprise is not just how quickly he’s improved, but how much he’s gotten better. While still an inconsistent passer at times, he is better pretty much across the board, getting more out of each attempt while committing mistakes less frequently.

With the ball in his hands on the ground, he’s proven to be as instinctive and decisive as he is fast, which is a horrifying combination to try to stop. Jackson averages 301 yards passing per game and 139 on the ground. He has accounted for more touchdowns than 100+ FBS teams.

He’s surrounded by upperclassmen—three up front, plus the running back, the tight end, and a couple of receivers. It’s not just that Jackson is good, it’s that he’s in a perfect spot to thrive, and that’s why this Louisville offense has been an unstoppable machine of death.

Senior running back Brandon Radcliff is averaging 8.1 yards per carry, while veteran wideout James Quick appears on his way to career highs in receptions and receiving yardage.

On standard downs, where opposing defenses have less an idea of Louisville’s intentions, the Cardinals are killing teams. They rank third nationally in standard down success rate and 15th in explosiveness on those downs.

(Standard Down = “First downs, second-and-7 or fewer, third-and-4 or fewer, and fourth-and-4 or fewer. These are the downs in which the offense could conceivably either run or pass and therefore has an overall advantage over the defense.”)

There’s simply too much for defenses to think about. (And Bobby Petrino happens to be a pretty good play-caller. )

Getting the Cards off the field is so difficult because they are so often staying on schedule thanks to that superior production on standard downs. And even when they do fall behind the sticks a bit, you never know what crazy thing Jackson may pull out of his hat.

Setting Jackson’s headlining presence aside, Louisville has a pretty good defense as well. With one notable exception this season (Clemson), the Cardinals have held each opponent to less than 4.5 yards per play. (Clemson averaged 8.2).

The Cards rate well above average in most advanced statistical categories, and in obvious passing situations, their defensive front becomes a bigger problem they rank 23rd in sack rate on passing downs as opposed to a more modest 52nd on standard downs.

So that’s something to watch: Can State keep itself out of a lot of passing downs (which is a bad idea regardless of opponent) and give it better odds of sustaining drives? That’ll be crucial early.

Our collection of stories about the 2016 Auburn vs Arkansas game.

Not a whole lot of new information in this one. There are some statements on Kerryon Johnson’s status and the status of the starting offensive line, but nothing definitive. I doubt we know anything for certain until the starting lineups are read by Ric Smith in Jordan-Hare Saturday night.

Gus let the 13 seconds from beating FSU eat at him for a while, so I’m not shocked losing in 4 overtimes to Arkansas last year still bothers him. It’s especially frustrating when Auburn had 4th downs and chances to beat the Hawgs multiple times.

This is definitely a much better team than the one that started the season against Clemson. It’s better on and off the field. A relaxed Gus is a much better Gus. I think Rhett Lashlee has adjusted very well to calling plays. Sean White continues to look better and better, and Rhett continues to find ways to make sure White is in the best situation.

Sean White is a much different QB than he was against Arkansas last season. He now has somewhere around a full season’s worth of games under his belt. I’d like to think Arkansas’ defense will approach him as if he’s the same QB he was, but I know they won’t.

Gus Malzahn starts his weekly press conference sharing his thoughts and prayers with friends/family of Quentin Groves.

— Brian Stultz (@brianjstultz) October 18, 2016

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn: Arkansas defense “makes you earn it” not a lot of big play potential

— WarEagleExtra (@wareagleextra) October 18, 2016

Gus says Kerryon Johnson will practice today, and they’ll have a better idea of his status for Saturday following that.

— Sam Butler (@_sam_butler) October 18, 2016

Gus: “Our leadership is very strong…They have a good pulse of the team.”

— Sam Butler (@_sam_butler) October 18, 2016

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn: “We were still learning about Sean” during last year’s visit to Arkansas, showed a lot of toughness

— WarEagleExtra (@wareagleextra) October 18, 2016

Malzahn on last year’s 4-OT loss to Arkansas: When you think about it, it still makes me mad. That’s history.

— John Zenor (@jzenor) October 18, 2016

Malzahn says they are taking it one game at a time and trying to improve “you’ve got to improve”

— Jason Caldwell (@ITATJason) October 18, 2016

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn: Feels more calm on sidelines without play calling responsibilities

— WarEagleExtra (@wareagleextra) October 18, 2016

Gus, 1 month after giving up playcalling duties: “I see things differently. It’s been refreshing from my standpoint…I feel more calm.”

— Sam Butler (@_sam_butler) October 18, 2016

How much better is Auburn now compared to the Clemson game?

“Quite a bit.”

— Sam Butler (@_sam_butler) October 18, 2016

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn: No update on starting offensive line, “will get that figured out this week” make the call later this week

— WarEagleExtra (@wareagleextra) October 18, 2016

LIVE BLOG: Malzahn says OT Darius James “has tried to be physical” in last two games he’s played – https://t.co/PvlsdTkkRA

— Matthew Stevens (@matthewcstevens) October 18, 2016

Kirk Herbstreit will recognize one fanbase for their support this weekend.

TCU has started the season 4-2, falling out of the rankings at the midpoint of the year. But just because the Frogs are unranked doesn’t mean they can’t still earn some street cred… or in this case, #StreitCred.

Throughout the regular college football season, each week @KirkHerbstreit and @Allstate will announce on social media the winning recipient of #StreitCred, giving schools and fans the ultimate badge of honor and bragging rights. Fans are encouraged to follow along the conversation on social media using hashtag StreitCred and campaign for which teams they think are most deserving. Herbstreit will make his weekly Allstate #StreitCred pick taking into account the strongest team performances and standout moments, regardless of individual school rankings.

TCU is one of the teams nominated for this weekend’s slate of games, as the Frogs travel to Morgantown, WV to take on the twelfth ranked Mountaineers. Fans can support their team in this competition by using the hashtag #StreitCred throughout the coming days.

“#StreitCred is all about celebrating the fans and the moments that make college football great,” Kirk Herbstreit said. “I’m looking forward to working with Allstate again to recognize the most deserving teams and help tell the story beyond the rankings.”

The program is yet another to be sponsored by Allstate, the company that has had a major impact on college athletics already, through their Good Hands Field Goal Nets, the Allstate Tailgate Tour, and the Good Works Team, which is in it’s 25th year. Earlier this month TCU defensive back Caylin Moore was honored as a member of that group.

You can read more about #StreitCred here, and be sure to follow the action through the hashtag all weekend long.

Both teams looking to get their seasons back on track.

If the Michigan State Spartans are going to a bowl game this year, keeping alive a streak Mark Dantonio says is “absolutely” important, they’ll almost certainly need to win this Saturday over the Maryland Terrapins.

Vegas has set its numbers for the matchup, installing the Spartans as a 2.5-point road favorite even though Maryland has won four games to MSU’s two.

However, the Terps haven’t played well of late, with their last two contests ending in decided losses to Penn State and Minnesota. Three of Maryland’s four wins are out-of-conference victories over the underwhelming trio of Howard, FIU and UCF, and their lone conference win came over, um, Purdue.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 Saturday night on Big Ten Network.

Stefanie Loh of the Seattle Times reports that Barber will now appeal the suspension, which runs through July 2017.

Washington State nose tackle Robert Barber’s expulsion from the university has been reduced to a suspension, according to Stefanie Loh of the Seattle Times.

The suspension is expected to run through July 2017, though Loh reports that Barber will appeal the ruling in hopes of getting the suspension delayed until spring semester.

Barber, who has 10 days to appeal, will be allowed to play against Arizona State this weekend pending the appeal process. The senior is close to obtaining his degree.

Barber was expelled from Washington State last month for his role in a July altercation that left several students injured, including one who suffered a broken jaw. Barber and redshirt freshman T.J. Fehoko were arrested for their role in the July incident, though both players have yet to be charged with a crime.

In a press conference last month, the Pullman Police Department recommended that both players be charged with second-degree assault, a Class B felony in the state of Washington. Loh reports that Chief Deputy Prosecutor Dan LeBeau has received the investigation file, though the off no timetable for a charging decision in the the case.

While his expulsion has been under appeal, which included a 20 day window to file, Barber has been allowed to play for the Cougars, starting every game at nose tackle.

Barber will likely use the full 10 days allowed to appeal his suspension, meaning he’ll be eligible to play against the Sun Devils and Oregon State. Beyond that is up to the appeals board, as anything less than a delayed suspension would result in Barber’s collegiate career coming to an end.

This story will be updated.