Drew Lock feels wiser and more prepared for Georgia this time around

News, notes and quotes from Missouri’s Monday press conference on 9/12.

Fresh off a five-catch, 115-yard, two total touchdown performance during Mizzou’s win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Johnathon Johnson returned to class Monday morning.

He received a text from one of the coaches to be on the lookout for an announcement regarding the SEC Freshman of the Week honor. Five minutes later, he checked Twitter and found his good news. Johnson was named the conference’s Freshman of the Week. Though it’s a positive and vindicating for his talents on Saturday, he views it as a small step forward.

“It was kind of a goal,” Johnson said. “I don’t just think too much of it.

“I’m looking forward to like becoming a Freshman All-American.”

Johnson only had one catch for six yards the week before at West Virginia. Before Saturday’s victory against the Eagles, he said he felt different during the day, but didn’t exactly know what made him feel that way.

“I guess something clicked like, ‘It’s time to go,’” Johnson said.

On his electrifying punt return, the coaches wanted him to fall on the football after he initially muffed it. Instead, Johnson trusted his abilities and was able to make a couple defenders miss on a juke move and blazed his way across the field en route to a 52-yard touchdown return, which was the Tigers’ first since Marcus Murphy took it to the house against Florida in 2014.

Though Johnson didn’t have much reaction to his award, Barry Odom brought it up in his opening statement to the media Monday.

“I’m happy for him and excited for our team to have that recognition,” Odom said. “I felt like last year he could have played for us but had the ankle injury, so seeing him come back and do some of the things that he’s already started to do this season, provides a great opportunity to our team.”

Johnson’s explosiveness has earned him the right to potentially start against Georgia this Saturday. Once again he’s listed as an “OR” starter along with Chris Black and Ray Wingo.

Speaking of Wingo, who also had a breakout performance Saturday, Johnson said that Wingo is faster than him and isn’t going to bother racing him to prove it.

“I wouldn’t race him,” Johnson said. “Before I hurt my ankle I would.

“I just always think I’m slow.”

Lock’s jersey is clean

It’s probably a good idea to wash it anyway before the next game, but there shouldn’t be any bits of turf in Drew Lock’s jersey.

Through two games, Lock has only been hit once. That’s impressive considering the offensive line had a total of three starts returning. The line has gelled together and has done a good job of protecting its quarterback.

So much so that Lock has been taking the unit out to dinner every Sunday. Last night, he took the line to Cheddar’s which, according to Paul Adams, has really good catfish. Lock said the total bill was “in the hundreds.” Though expensive, it’s clear that there’s a good relationship between Lock and his line. That only adds to the pride the line takes in protecting him.

“He’s reading defenses and his pocket awareness has improved,” Odom said. “There is a calm about him.”

Being able to drop back and make all of the throws is an obvious reason why he feels so calm.

A wiser player

Lock didn’t have a great game against Georgia last season. Well, no one on the offense really did. To be fair, that was his first start on the road and there’s not too many more raucous environments than Between the Hedges in Athens, Georgia.

He’s thought about that October night and acknowledges that he wasn’t at the best of his abilities then, but thinks the tough experience has prepared him to face the Bulldogs again this year.

“I was 18 playing at Athens with an offense I didn’t necessarily know,” Lock said. “This year, I’m only a year older but it feels like I’m a lot older.

“It was an eye-opener for me, which I needed it. I’ve said so many times that I’m glad that it could have happened last year so I can learn from it this year.”

450 yards and five touchdowns isn’t totally out of the question, but that kind of success will likely be more of a challenge to achieve this week. But coming off a near-record setting week, for Lock, there couldn’t be a better time to play one of the better teams in the SEC than right now.

Written on September 12, 2016 at 8:47 pm


ASU Football: News and notes from Todd Graham’s weekly press conference

Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images

Todd Graham discussed the Sun Devils playing in Texas as well as much more in his weekly press conference.

Anybody who has heard Todd Graham speak knows the head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils hails from Texas.

Because of Graham’s history and relationships within the state, Texas has become one of Arizona State’s top recruiting areas, with over a dozen players on the ASU roster hailing from the Lone Star State.

“Obviously that’s my home state and we recruit there and have a lot of players on our football team from the state,” Graham said at his weekly press conference.

Saturday’s game against UTSA marks the third time in the last four years that the Sun Devils have played a game in Texas. In 2013, the Sun Devils played against Notre Dame in Dallas and ASU opened last season in Houston against Texas A&M.

Next season, the Sun Devils will play Texas Tech in Lubbock and in 2022 the Sun Devils will play a road game against Oklahoma State, which boarders Texas.

“It’s hard to recruit a place you don’t play,” Graham said. “And our third-largest alumni base is in Texas. We always have great turnouts and support when we go there. We played Notre Dame in Dallas and Houston were both great turnouts.”

In 2016, Arizona State signed three recruits from Texas, including four-star quarterback Dillon Sterling-Cole. In their 2017 class, ASU already has three commitments from the Lone Star State.

“Obviously our home base is in this state (Arizona) and a gas tank away in Southern California but I think if you look at outside of our base of area, that (Texas) is a very significant area for us to recruit, Graham said.”

New Faces on Offensive Line Impress

There were plenty of standouts on the offensive side of the ball in Arizona State’s victory over Texas Tech but one unit that Graham was particularly impressed with was his offensive line.

Starting right tackle Zach Robertson was forced to miss the game with a lower leg injury and that forced RG Quinn Bailey out to tackle and starting center Stephon McCray to guard.

Junior college transfer A.J. McCollum made his first career start at center last Saturday night.

“You wanna know a person I’m excited about? I’m excited about A.J.,” said Graham. “A.J. played really well. The physicality he played with, we were really knocking them (Tech) off the football.”

The two primary statistics that an offensive line is judged off of are sacks allowed and rushing yards. Against Texas Tech, Manny Wilkins was not sacked one time and ASU tallied 301 yards on the ground.

“With four new starters up front, the potential of that group is extremely high,” Graham said.

Sun Devils on the Move

Arizona State is working with a new technology this season that helps track their players during games. There is a chip implemented in the shoulder pads of ASU players that tracks the distance the players are moving throughout the game.

“Our two corners (Gump Hayes and Kareem Orr) in that game did the equivalent of four miles,” Graham said. “Where you are going to feel the effects of that is not in week four, five and six. It’s in week eleven, twelve and thirteen.”

Graham said that with this new technology they might change practice habits and the amount of times they sub players during games.

“We might need to have Kareem cover a few less punts or a few less kicks or maybe on first down we sub him out,” Graham said.

Besides the ASU defensive backs, Graham noted that tight end Kody Kohl, wide receiver Tim White and running backs Kalen Ballage and Demario Richard are all covering over four miles per game.

Notes

  • The September 24 game between ASU and Cal will kickoff at 7 p.m. PT and be televised on ESPN2.
  • Kalen Ballage, to nobody’s surprise, has won Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week. Ballage was also named to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll and also honored as the Rose Bowl Game Pac-12 Player of the Week, and CBS National Player of the Week.
  • Graham told reporters that Jay Jay Wilson is expected back this week and they “hope” to have RT Zach Robertson available for Friday’s game. Linebacker Salamo Fiso is not going to play Friday but could return for the start of conference play on Sept. 24.

Written on September 12, 2016 at 8:33 pm


Colorado to wear familiar uniforms against Michigan

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Gold, white, black. Time for another miracle?

Was there really any doubt? The Colorado Buffaloes will take the field in Ann Arbor this weekend in the gold helmet, white jersey, black pants combination; the same that was worn in 1994 for the Miracle at Michigan. The Buffaloes will take on the Wolverines on Saturday as part of a one-off deal, there is no return game to Boulder. Buffs fans hope these uniforms, in addition to their stellar play to start the season, will help them pull off the upset.

Written on September 12, 2016 at 7:48 pm


LSU Unveils “Gridiron Gold” Unis for Gold Game vs Mississippi St

GREAT HERB TYLER’S GHOST. Out of nowhere, LSU unveiled some brand new special uniforms for this weekend’s Gold Game vs Mississippi St. After last year’s white-on-white-on-white “Stormtrooper” combo, I though LSU Football uniform design had peaked, but this is just fantastic.

Let’s start with what’s awesome

  • Y. A. Tittle Font
  • BLOCK L BACK
  • Hidden Sailor Mike
  • White Lids

I’m only slightly reserved about the color because depending on how it’s lit, it seems to hover between LSU’s modern “canary yellow” gold and a darker, traditional “brown mustard” gold. We’ll have to wait to see them in person this weekend under the lights for final judgement, but these seem fantastic.

The uniform combination of white/gold/white is possibly a first for LSU in the modern era, and The Gold Jersey, the legendary magic bringer of LSU Baseball and Basketball, hasn’t been seen on the gridiron since a string of games in the mid 90’s

Herb Tyler

Written on September 12, 2016 at 7:32 pm


Michigan State a 7.5-Point Underdog at Notre Dame

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Spartans are 7-1-1 against the spread in their last nine games against the Fighting Irish.

Vegas has set its lines for college football’s week 3 matchups, with OddsShark.com listing the Michigan State Spartans as a 7.5-point underdog at Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish lost a tough opening contest at Texas before recovering last week with an easy win over Nevada. MSU, of course, beat Furman 28-13 to open the season before taking an extremely early bye week.

Michigan State is 7-1-1 against the spread in its last nine games against Notre Dame, but the home team is 5-1 straight up in the last six meetings between the Fighting Irish and the Spartans, per the OddsShark College Football Database.

Personally, I’d take the Spartans and the points, but what do I know. Kickoff is set for 7:30 Saturday night in South Bend.

Written on September 12, 2016 at 7:26 pm


Star S.C. WR OrTre Smith commits to South Carolina

The top player in the state spurns Clemson and is headed for Columbia.

The Gamecocks picked up a major in-state target this evening. OrTre Smith, ranked as the top player in South Carolina, committed to Will Muschamp and USC this evening. The 6’4”, 210-pound wideout becomes the program’s 22nd commit in the class of 2017 and is its third highest-ranked player according to 247Sports’ composite rankings (behind Jamyest Williams and MJ Webb).

Smith was one of the biggest targets on Muschamp’s radar since becoming South Carolina’s head coach. Muschamp rolled out the red carpet during the senior’s visit back in June and had been in frequent contact with him throughout the recruiting process. Now, with the wide receiver in the fold, the Gamecocks’ coach has taken a big step in establishing South Carolina as a destination over Clemson for up-and-coming recruits, especially within the state’s borders.

Last year, Smith rewrote the Wando High record books as he set the school’s record for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns (84 grabs, 1,319 yards, 16 scores). He is likely one of the final remaining major targets for the Gamecocks in the 2017 cycle as Muschamp and the staff look to finish out the class and begin working aggressively on 2018 recruits. With a player like Smith now on board, South Carolina will certainly be top of mind for some other in-state stars, namely elite end Xavier Thomas and quarterback Dakereon Joyner.

Written on September 11, 2016 at 6:30 pm


Texas A&M climbs to 20th in Coaches Poll, 17th in AP

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Following their most lopsided shutout victory since 1993, Texas A&M was rewarded by moving up several spots in both college football polls. The Aggies moved up from 24th to 20th in the Amway Coaches Poll, and from 20th to 17th in the Associated Press Poll.

The Aggies are one of eight SEC teams ranked in both polls, along with Alabama (1, 1), Georgia (13, 16), Tennessee (15, 15), Ole Miss (17, 19), LSU (22, 20), Florida (23, 23) and Arkansas (24, 24).

Texas A&M opens SEC play at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, as they travel to take on Auburn at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Tigers are 1-1 following a season-opening loss to Clemson and a week two win over Arkansas State. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Written on September 11, 2016 at 5:40 pm


Boston College 26 UMass 7: Cheers And Jeers

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday Boston College snapped their nine game losing streak, soundly beating the UMass Minutemen at Gillette Stadium. What did BC do well, and where did they struggle? Let’s take a look.

CHEERS

Jeff Smith: Thought it was pretty clear that he may be a legit wide receiver after the Georgia Tech game, now I’m sure of it. Two massive receiving touchdowns for the converted quarterback. He’s got the speed, which Addazio lauded throughout the summer, but what has surprised me are his hands, which seem as good as anyone else on the team. I wished BC went to him more often, because there were a handful of passing plays where he was wide open, but Patrick Towles didn’t look his way.

The Entire Front Seven: Could I call out an individual player here? Sure. But this group as a unit was about as dominant as you can get. They held UMass to -23 rushing yards and sacked Russ Comis eight times. Up and down you can appreciate their play, Zach Allen had a great game, Connor Strachan was all over the place again, I’m not sure that anyone on UMass could stop Truman Gutapfel. Just an overall impressive game by this entire group.

The Offensive Line: Another big game from this group. No sacks for the defense. Now the offensive stats wouldn’t lead you to believe that they were dominant, but watching it live it showed what these guys had to deal with. Because Addazio was mostly conservative in his approach, again, UMass was stacking the box with as many as 10 guys against the run (at one point they even had the safety cheating in as well). Until Addazio decides to open up the passing attack more, this is going to be the reality for this group.

Mike Knoll: Yes he missed an extra point. But I thought he looked about as confident for a field goal kicker as we have had since Nate Freese. Even when Lichtenberg is healthy, Addazio needs to leave Knoll out there. With the new holder, this may be the group to ride into the rest of the season.

JEERS

Patrick Towles: If I had a middle section entitled “meh” this is where I would put Towles’ game. He looked great on his passes to Jeff Smith and some of his throws to Charlie Callinan and Michael Walker, it was just he had two major flaws. One, that interception was real bad. He really tried to wing that in to a window that just wasn’t there, and if he read his progressions more, Jeff Smith was open on the outside. Secondly, and this is my bigger problem, was that his internal clock on when to throw the ball was super short (see the turnover on downs run). It felt like he didn’t even look at his first progression before he decided to tuck it and run. Now some of those may have been designed runs, but it didn’t seem like they all were. He needs to trust his offensive line to hold a little longer and he’ll see some openings in the defense.

The ultra conservative game plan: Look we all saw it, BC took 26 minutes to get onto the board, and for many in the stands it was starting to look bleak. Then Towles hits Jeff Smith for a long touchdown and hey BC is on top, then he hits him again and it feels like the game is out of reach. But in between there was a whole lot of half back draws into an overcrowded box. Hat tip to Addazio for refusing to bend from his plan, as he just continued to run that play, over and over again. Even when he knew that BC had a weakness they could exploit (no one could really cover Jeff Smith), he just stuck with running it. But BC won, and I’m sure he’s happy about that.

The UMass Public Address Announcer: I don’t know when Jeff Smith switched to #6 but it clearly confused the PA Announcer who didn’t seem to know who he was, twice announcing Sherm Alston with the touchdown catch. Sherm Alston transferred out of the program this winter.

Punt Returns: True Tyler Rouse had a a great return thrown in there, but for the most part he was fair catching everything, and there were definitely times where he had room to catch it and make a move. This is put here not as a dig at Rouse, who I still believe is great in this position, but just a fear that we are going to return to the days of Sherm Alston where they are going to be super cautious about making returns.

Written on September 11, 2016 at 5:21 pm


Miami Opens as a 3.5 Point Favorite vs App State

A quick look at Saturday’s game between Miami and Appalachian State.

  • Miami travels to Boone, NC to play Appalachian State at noon on ESPN this Saturday.
  • The Canes are currently favored by just 3.5 points according to Vegas Insider.
  • App State expects to have a record crowd on Saturday, with Miami’s visit clearly ranking as one of the biggest home games in school history.
  • Senior RB Marcus Cox scored three touchdowns to lead the Mountaineers to a 31-7 win over Old Dominion yesterday. App State led Tennessee for most of the night in Week 1, but lost in overtime in Knoxville.
  • Miami beat FAU 38-10 last night and dominated FAMU 70-3 in Week 1. Mark Walton has five rushing touchdowns for the Canes this season.
  • Miami struggled on the road during Al Golden’s tenure. This Saturday in Boone is the first road game of the Mark Richt era.
  • App State will be a popular upset pick this week in the media, but I’m confident in a bounce back performance from Brad Kaaya to lead the Canes to a win.

Written on September 11, 2016 at 5:11 pm


Wisconsin football: Badgers move up to No. 9 in AP Top 25, No. 12 in coaches poll

Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

UW bumps up in both polls.

The Wisconsin Badgers moved up in both the AP and Coaches Top 25 polls on Sunday.

UW is now No. 9 in the AP poll, up one spot from entering the rankings at No. 10 last week.

Wisconsin now ranks No. 12 in the Coaches poll, up four spots from No. 16.

Five Big Ten teams hold spots in each poll. Wisconsin is behind Ohio State (No. 3) and Michigan (No. 4), but ahead of Michigan State (No. 12) and Iowa (No. 13) in the AP Top 25.

Wisconsin is the lowest ranked team for the conference in the Coaches poll, with the Buckeyes (No. 4), Wolverines (No. 5), Spartans (No. 8) and Hawkeyes (No. 11) votes ahead of them.

The Badgers overwhelmed the Zips in their 54-10 victory at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday.

Written on September 11, 2016 at 5:00 pm


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