BCS Busters Week Two Preview

Game of the Week: East Carolina @ West Virginia

The first test for the Pirates will be a hard one. Morgantown is one of the toughest places to play in all of college football. Quarterback Patrick Pinkney needs to get over his week one performance and play the way a veteran quarterback of his caliber can play if ECU is to beat a good West Virginia team. They will also need to stop the Mountaineers’ potent rushing attack led by running back Noel Devine, who rushed for 112 yards and one touchdown on just 17 attempts against Liberty. Mountaineer quarterback Jarrett Brown will be hard to contain due to his ability to get out of the pocket and run. He rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown while going 19-of-26 for 243 yards. If they can contain these two playmakers of West Virginia and limit their turnovers on offense, they should leave Morgantown with a win.

Players to Watch: East Carolina: QB Patrick Pinkney, RB Dominique Lindsay, DE C.J. Wilson

Players to Watch: West Virginia: QB Jarrett Brown, RB Noel Devine, CB Robert Sands

Prediction: West Virginia 27, East Carolina 20

Other Games to Watch:

TCU @ Virginia: The Frogs get a lowly ACC opponent in Virginia who is coming off a loss to William & Mary. This should be a good way for the Frogs to get into the swing of things to start their season. Look for Jerry Hughes to get into the backfield and disrupt the offense of Virginia.
Prediction: TCU 24, Virginia 17

Fresno State @ Wisconsin: Fresno State is coming off an offensive outburst against UC Davis, led by a number of backs who are able to carry the ball effectively. They now have to get the ground game going against a much tougher Wisconsin defense if they want to emerge victorious.
Prediction: Wisconsin 35, Fresno State 21

Colorado @ Toledo: After carrying the ball only 22 times and throwing 69 times against Purdue, the Rockets will need to find their run game if they are to have a chance against Colorado.
Prediction: Colorado 39, Toledo 14

Kansas @ UTEP: The Miners will need to slow down the Jayhawks’ offense and succeed in their balanced attack—as they did against Buffalo—in order to come out of this one with a win.
Prediction: Kansas 31, UTEP 20

Photos Courtesy of East Carolina University Athletic Media Relations, TCU Athletics Media Relations

This Date in College Football History

December 14, 1995: The first-ever Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) overtime game takes place at the Las Vegas Bowl, as Toledo outlasts Nevada 40-37.

Credit: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

From Past to Present

By JOHN SEARS - BIG TEN INSIDER

Michigan had been at odds with Toledo for years (173 years to be exact), despite today marking the inaugural meeting between University of Michigan and University of Toledo on the football field. In 1835 a boundary dispute arose over the ownership of the so-called Toledo strip between Michigan and Ohio, which spurred the Toledo War. The Northerners claimed ownership of land that lies due south of Ann Arbor by just over 50 miles. Despite nay a casualty, Michigan eventually capitulated and struck a deal to surrender said land over to the state of Ohio. Many believe the Michigan/Ohio State football rivalry can be traced back to this early dispute.

It seems that Toledo, historically a stitch in Michigan’s side, has transformed into a thorn and now a bloodletting gash. The Rockets (2-4) walked in to the Big House for the first time in the history of their football program and accomplished what 24 of their MAC predecessors could not – win. Hats off to the University of Toledo for their 13-10 victory, unfortunately, those vested in Michigan football are scratching their heads and looking for something (anything) to stop the bleeding.

Most disconcerting for the Wolverine team is not just the defeats – but the fact that they are not improving week-to-week. In fact, in some facets of their game, notably the defense and quarterback play, they seem to actually be taking some steps backward. The quarterback shuffle is back into effect, as well as rotations in and out of the secondary. Two weeks ago, the heralded Michigan defense surrendered the most all-purpose yards ever to Illinois quarterback Juice Williams, and against Toledo, gave up an astounding record 20 receptions to Toledo wide receiver Nick Moore. The offense is equally guilty. Since their shocking win over Wisconsin, Michigan has averaged 305 yards offense, 15 points and 2.5 turnovers in their subsequent losses. Coach Rich Rodriguez challenged his team calling them “soft” publicly and they responded exactly so, getting blown off the ball against a seemingly weaker Toledo squad.

So much seems to be lost for the Maize and Blue after this week. In order to subvert a losing season (42 years) and to maintain their consecutive seasons of bowl eligibility (33 years), the Wolverines need to win four of their last six against teams who combine for a 32-8 record (at Penn State, Michigan State, at Purdue, at Minnesota, Northwestern, and at Ohio State). Michigan could not notch wins against Toledo, Utah, Illinois and Notre Dame in the first half of the season, so the season’s remainder seems grim and bleak at best. With the recent loss to the Rockets, who would have imagined Toledo would give reasons for Michigan to hang their heads again after all these years?

TOLEDO'S HERBERT IS BRONKO NAGURSKI PLAYER OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (FWAA) - Toledo free safety Tyrrell Herbert has been named the FWAA/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for games of the weekend of Oct. 11.

Herbert, a 6-2, 201-pound senior from Pittsburgh, Pa., had two interceptions in the Rockets' 13-10 victory at Michigan - the first win for a current Mid-American Conference team in 25 all-time games against the Wolverines.

Herbert returned his first interception 100 yards for a score, the Rockets' lone touchdown on the day. Herbert's second pick came on the first play of the fourth quarter and gave Toledo the ball at Michigan's 40-yard line. The latter interception set up a 48-yard field goal for what proved to be the winning points. Herbert also recorded four unassisted tackles in the game.

Herbert will be added to the 2008 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy will be presented to the best defensive player in college football on Dec. 7 by the FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. Five finalists for the Nagurski Trophy will be announced on Nov. 17.

Each week during the 2008 season the FWAA All-America Committee will select a national defensive player of the week from nominations made by the 11 Division I Bowl Subdivision Conferences and major independents.

Last season, LSU tackle Glenn Dorsey won the coveted Bronko Nagurski Trophy during the 13th season the FWAA has named a national defensive player of the year.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,000 men and women across North America who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game day operations, major awards, a national poll and its annual All-America team.

OKLAHOMA STATE, TEXAS ARE TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL NATIONAL TEAMS OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (FWAA) - The Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-0), with their 28-23 win at No. 3 Missouri, and the Texas Longhorns (6-0), with their 45-35 win over top-ranked Oklahoma, are the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Teams of the Week for games of the weekend of Oct. 11. It's the first time in the seven-year history of the award that teams have shared the honor.

Oklahoma State's Zac Robinson threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for a score as the Cowboys improved to 6-0 by winning for the second straight time in Columbia. The Oklahoma State defense also intercepted three passes to lead the Cowboys to their 6-0 start, the school's best since 1997.

Spurred by Jordan Shipley's 96-yard kickoff return, Texas rallied from an early 14-3 deficit. Colt McCoy completed 28-of-35 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown while Chris Ogbonnaya added 127 yards on the ground in front of a record crowd of 92,182 at the newly-expanded Cotton Bowl. Shipley (112 yards) and fellow wideout Quan Cosby (122) each turned in a 100-yard day for the Longhorns, who moved to the top of the polls with the win.

Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Oct. 11 included:

· Florida (5-1): Tim Tebow threw two touchdown passes and ran for another as the Gators thumped defending national champion LSU, 51-21, in Gainesville.

· Toledo (2-4): Tyrrell Herbert returned one of his two interceptions 100 yards for a touchdown as Toledo upset Michigan, 13-10, becoming the first current Mid-American Conference school to defeat the Wolverines.

The FWAA has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the fifth season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Members of the FWAA board of directors and All-America committee decide the weekly honor. Each Monday during the 2008 college football season, the FWAA will name the Tostitos Bowl National Team of the Week through Dec. 1.