College Football Week 17 – 5 Bowls Down, 35 To Go
Time for the cheese balls, rum balls,
bourbon balls and, of course, the footballs
And throw in the fudge, the cookies and the eggnog. Yeah, it’s that time of the year – a lot of eating, a lot of snacking, a lot of drinking and a lot of football – watching football, that is.
It’s also that time of the year for a lot of coaching changes, a lot of coordinator changes, a lot of quarterback transfers and a lot of bowl games – watching the bowl games, that is.
Then, it will be time for a lot of exercising come January.
Twenty-four schools lost their head coach at the end of the season. Fourteen were fired, three retired, two stepped down for medical reasons, and five left for a better opportunity – to take the same position at a bigger program. Or what they hope will be a better opportunity. Only time will tell.
As of yesterday, all 24 schools had secured their new coach. Georgia Southern, the last holdout, named Tyson Summers its new coach. Summers was the defensive coordinator at Colorado State.
Earlier last week, East Carolina, Louisiana-Monroe and BYU announced their new head coach. East Carolina hired Scottie Montgomery. Montgomery was the offensive coordinator at Duke. ULM hired Matt Viator. Viator was the head coach at McNeese State, and BYU selected Kalani Sitake. Sitake was the defensive coordinator at Oregon State.
Sitake was BYU’s second choice. The school’s first choice was Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo. BYU tried its best to lure Niumatalolo away from Annapolis. But after some serious thought, Niumatalolo decided to remain with Navy.
The thought of leaving Navy for BYU didn’t make sense to me, unless it was for the money. Like Navy, BYU is a Group of Five school. It’s not a Power Five school. Going from Navy to BYU is a lateral move, unless again, it’s for the money. If Niumatalolo were to leave Navy, I would think he would want to step up to a Power Five school.
And speaking of head coaches, seven of the 24 new hires were existing head coaches – Georgia’s Mark Richt to Miami (Florida), Memphis’ Justin Fuente to Virginia Tech, Toledo’s Matt Campbell to Iowa State, Bowling Green’s Dino Babers to Syracuse, BYU’s Bronco Mendenhall to Virginia, Georgia Southern’s Willie Fritz to Tulane and McNeese State’s Viator to Louisiana-Monroe.
One head coach or should I say previous head coach failed yet again to land a job. Former Miami (Florida) and North Carolina coach Butch Davis has been on the hunt for several seasons now. He went public several weeks ago, announcing he wanted the job at Miami. Davis even got an interview for the Miami opening. But he said that Miami never got back to him. Poor Butch.
Sixteen of the 24 new head coach hires were coordinators, either offensive or defensive. Specifically, eight were offensive coordinators and eight were defensive coordinators. The most interesting and well-known of the defensive coordinators becoming a head coach are Will Muschamp (Auburn DC to South Carolina HC), Kirby Smart (Alabama DC to Georgia HC), D.J. Durkin (Michigan DC to Maryland HC) and Chris Ash (Ohio State DC to Rutgers HC).
Muschamp’s hiring at South Carolina is still being questioned by many. Only time will tell. Meanwhile, Muschamp has named Kurt Roper his offensive coordinator. Roper, a former OC at Duke, was Muschamp’s OC during his final season coaching Florida – 2014.
Smart, a native of Montgomery, Alabama, was a defensive back at Georgia from 1995-1998. He was Nick Saban’s defensive coordinator at Alabama for eight seasons. Durkin also has ties to Muschamp. He was Muschamp’s defensive coordinator at Florida for two seasons – 2013-2014. Durkin was the Gators interim coach at the end of the 2014 season (after Muschamp was fired) for Florida’s Birmingham Bowl game against East Carolina – a game the Gators won. Then he was hired by Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. Prior to Ohio State, Ash was the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin and Arkansas.
The most interesting and well-known of the offensive coordinators becoming a head coach is Scott Frost (Oregon OC to UCF HC). Frost, a former Nebraska quarterback, was Oregon’s OC for three seasons – 2013-2015.
Speaking of coordinators, Alabama coach Nick Saban named Georgia DC Jeremy Pruitt as Kirby Smart’s replacement in Tuscaloosa. Kentucky coach Mark Stoops canned its offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh hired Boston College defensive coordinator Don Brown as D.J. Durkin’s replacement in Ann Arbor.
Auburn coach Gus Malzahn almost snagged Florida State defensive coordinator Charles Kelly away from Tallahassee. Kelly changed his mind at the last minute, deciding to remain at FSU. Kelly either got a raise or some incentive from Jimbo Fisher or he figured out that next season could well be Malzahn’s last at Auburn.
Arkansas State offensive coordinator Walt Bell is D.J. Durkin’s new OC at Maryland. Meanwhile, two offensive coordinators are on the hot seat – LSU’s Cam Cameron and Texas A&M’s Jake Spavital. Stay tuned!
Then there are the prima donnas…..I mean…..the quarterbacks. It’s hard to keep up with all the transfers – something that has become more and more common at the end of each season.
Last week, Texas A&M quarterback Kyler Murray became the second Aggie quarterback within a week to announce he was transferring. The previous week A&M quarterback Kyle Allen announced he was transferring. Last year, Aggie quarterback Kenny Hill transferred from A&M to TCU. These moves have added heat to Kevin Sumlin’s seat. Stay tuned!
Saturday, Florida announced that quarterback Will Grier is transferring. Grier, currently on a 12-month suspension for being tested positive for taking performance enhancing drugs, will not be able to play until mid-October next season. If Grier transfers to another FBS school, he would have to sit out next season. Then he would have three full seasons starting in 2017.
Grier is the sixth quarterback to transfer from Florida in the past three years, following Jacoby Brissett, Tyler Murphy, Max Staver, Jeff Driskel and Skyler Mornhinweg out the door. Grier is from Davidson, North Carolina. It will be interesting to see if he transfers to a school in the mid-Atlantic area. Brissett transferred to and played for NC State. Stay tuned!
Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight, Katy Perry’s heartthrob (“Trevor Knight call me!”), is transferring. Knight lost his job in Norman to Baker Mayfield. Kentucky quarterback Patrick Towles is transferring to Boston College. Georgia quarterback Faton Bauta is transferring to Colorado State. Colorado State is coached by former Georgia quarterback and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo.
Florida may not be able to score a touchdown next season, but at least the Gators should be able to make a field goal, something that wasn’t easy in 2015. The No. 1 rated kicker in the country, Eddie Pineiro, committed to the Gators last week. Pineiro attends ASA College, a junior college in North Miami Beach, Florida. He is known for kicking a 77-yard field goal in practice. Pineiro chose Florida over Alabama and Miami.
The first five of 40 bowl games were played Saturday. In the first bowl of the season, Rich Rodriquez’s Arizona Wildcats escaped Bob Davie's New Mexico Lobo’s, 45-37, in the New Mexico Bowl. Yes, New Mexico was playing on its home field and still lost.
The commercials during the New Mexico Bowl…..I mean…..the Gildan New Mexico Bowl were hard to stomach. They consisted of Blake Shelton telling us why he likes to wear Gildan underwear. The thought of Blake Shelton in underwear is enough to make you blow lunch. Maybe now we know why Miranda Lambert divorced him.
The next bowl was the “Holy War in Sin City” – Utah vs. BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl, the secular Mormons against the radical Mormons. It was a knock-down, drag-out affair. These two teams don’t like each other. At a bowl-sponsored reception party for the teams, a Utah player told BYU, “You’re a dirty team.” But it was a Utah player who was ejected from the game. Utah built up a 35-0 first quarter lead and then held on to beat BYU, 35-28
Then there were a few firsts. Appalachian State won its first ever bowl game. The Little Eers beat Ohio, 31-29, in the Camellia Bowl. San Jose State became the first 5-7 team to win a bowl game, even play in a bowl game. The Spartans beat Georgia State, 27-16, in the first Cure Bowl. Two Georgia State players were ejected near the end of the game. Apparently, they weren’t cured.
Saturday’s bowl action concluded with the Penalty Bowl…..I mean…..the New Orleans Bowl. Louisiana Tech and former Florida quarterback (another one of those transfers) Jeff Driskel beat Arkansas State, 47-28. There were 24 flags thrown in the game. Combined, the two teams were penalized for 263 yards. And some of the penalties were declined.
Most people come to Florida for the Holidays, but some of us head north. Bootsie and Rockledge Gator are off to Birmingham and Atlanta to spend Christmas with their kids and grandkids. Neighbors Sandy and Russ Grunewald are heading up to Atlanta for Christmas and New Years with their children and grandchildren.
Meanwhile, Swamp Mama and I are heading north too, but not north of the border. We’ll be in the Florida panhandle – north Florida (lower Alabama to some) – for Christmas with Princess Gator, Bama Gator, Gator Gabe and Gator Babe.
Season’s Greetings………….…...…Merry Christmas……….....…..…Happy Holidays
Touchdown Tom
December 21, 2015
Review of the First Five Bowls
Scooby Dooby Doo – (in the New Mexico Bowl) – Arizona 45, New Mexico 37 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona 35, New Mexico 28). Scooby Wright, Arizona’s star linebacker who missed most of the season with injuries, returned for the Wildcats in a big way. With Arizona up by only 5 points, 42-37, and New Mexico driving in the Wildcats territory, Wright got a sack that helped preserve Arizona’s lead and eventual win. In all, Wright had 15 tackles (11 solo) and 2 sacks during the game. Early in the third quarter, Arizona led New Mexico 35-17 and midway through the third, the Wildcats led 42-24. But the Lobos rallied. Strangely, New Mexico dominated time of possession – 41 minutes to 19 minutes. Arizona scored quickly, the Lobos scored slowly. Wildcats quarterback Anu Solomon passed for 329 yards. Utah coach Kyle Whittingham is now 9-1 in bowl games. Attendance in Albuquerque: 30,289
It was the Sunnis vs. the Shias (in the Las Vegas Bowl) – Utah 35, BYU 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 30, BYU 29). This game was vicious at times. These two teams don’t like each other. The game was labeled “The Holy War in Sin City.” With 4:38 to go in the first quarter, Utah led BYU, 35-0. All five Utah scores were thanks to BYU turnovers – 3 interceptions and 2 fumbles. After that, it was pretty much all BYU. The Cougars rallied but came up short. Utah had absolutely no offense in the game – only 197 total yards (71 passing). BYU had no running game, only 71 yards rushing. But once Tanner Mangum got the interceptions and bad throws out of his system, the Cougars were almost unstoppable passing – 315 yards. Attendance in Las Vegas: 42,213
Third time’s a charm – (in the Camellia Bowl) – Appalachian State 31, Ohio 29 (Touchdown Tom said: Appalachian State 26, Ohio 24). After missing two field goal attempts earlier, Zach Matics nailed a 23-yarder as time expired to win the game for Appalachian State. Entering the fourth quarter, Ohio led the Little Eers 24-7. But Appalachian State outscored the Bobcats 24-5 in the final period. In spite of trailing by 17 points in the fourth quarter, the Little Eers outplayed Ohio throughout the game. Appalachian State had 427 total yards to 272 for the Bobcats and 24 first downs to 15 for Ohio. The Little Eers Marcus Cox rushed for 162 yards. Attendance in Montgomery: 21,395
These Spartans won. Will the others? – (in the Cure Bowl) – San Jose State 27, Georgia State 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia State 25, San Jose State 23). Georgia State led 16-13 early in the fourth quarter, but the Panthers couldn’t hang onto the lead. San Jose State scored two touchdowns in the final 9 minutes of the game. Georgia State only had 23 yards rushing. The Spartans Tyler Ervin rushed for 132 yards. Attendance in Orlando: 18,536
Let’s hear it for the boy – (in the New Orleans Bowl) – Louisiana Tech 47, Arkansas State 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisiana Tech 35, Arkansas State 34). In the final game of his college career, former Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel passed for 458 yards and three touchdowns. A tight game at the half – 17-17 – Louisiana Tech outscored Arkansas State 30-11 in the second half. The Bulldogs had 687 total yards to 323 for the Red Wolves. Louisiana Tech had two backs rush for more than 100 yards each – Boston Scott (106 yards) and Kenneth Dixon (102 yards). Attendance in New Orleans: 32,847
First Five Bowl Picks: 4 correct, 1 wrong (80%)
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Louisiana Tech’s Jeff Driskel – 26-38-0-458 and Arizona’s Anu Solomon – 13-24-1-329.
Impressive Rushers:
Appalachian State’s Marcus Cox – 162 yards.
Weekend Recap
FCS Semifinals
North Dakota State 33, Richmond 7
Jacksonville State 62, Sam Houston State 10
Division II Championship
Northwest Missouri State 34, Shepherd 7
Division III Championship
Mount Union 49, St. Thomas 35
Quotes of the Week
“BYU, y’all are a good team. But you’re a dirty team. Don’t start nothin’,” Utah defensive tackle Viliseni Fauonuku to the BYU team at a Las Vegas Bowl reception party.
“I feel like if I’d hired Kurt (Roper) in my first year at Florida, I’d probably still be there. That’s the confidence I have in him and moving forward,” new South Carolina coach Will Muschamp, on his offensive coordinator at South Carolina.
“I really feel sorry for my Mormon friends. They don’t drink,” Brent Musberger, after Utah went up 35-0 in the first quarter against BYU.
“The officials got paid by the yard tonight,” Louisiana Tech coach Skip Holtz, on the number of penalties in the New Orleans Bowl.
In the Huddle
Elsewhere around college football . . . For the second-straight year Oregon has landed a coveted FCS transfer at quarterback. Montana State’s Dakota Prukop has chosen to transfer to Oregon over Alabama. Prukop follows in the footsteps of Vernon Adams who transferred into Oregon from Eastern Washington last summer…. Five-star quarterback Jason Eason of Lake Stevens, Washington, has reaffirmed his commitment to Georgia, after entertaining thoughts of changing his commitment to Florida.
Southern Miss offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey is the new OC at Arizona State…. South Carolina is investing $50 million to upgrade its football facilities and a major project on the list of upgrades is a new $14.3 million indoor practice facility. The school’s board of trustees agreed to name the new indoor facility after Steve Spurrier and wife Jerri…. Utah State offensive coordinator Josh Heupel is the new OC at Missouri. Heupel is a former quarterback and assistant coach at Oklahoma.
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but during the pre-Christmas days of December as college football fans were drinking eggnog and eating fruitcake with visions of what ifs, bowl games and Santa Claus dancing in their heads, the number one song in the country…
…75 years ago this week in 1940 was “Frenesi” by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra
…70 years ago this week in 1945 was “It’s Been A Long, Long Time” by Harry James and His Orchestra
…65 years ago this week in 1950 was “The Tennessee Waltz” by Patti Page
…60 years ago this week in 1955 was “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford
…55 years ago this week in 1960 was “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” by Elvis Presley
…50 years ago this week in 1965 was “Over And Over” by The Dave Clark Five
…45 years ago this week in 1970 was “The Tears Of A Clown” by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
…40 years ago this week in 1975 was “Let’s Do It Again” by The Staple Singles
…35 years ago this week in 1980 was “(Just Like) Starting Over” by John Lennon
…30 years ago this week in 1985 was “Say You, Say Me” by Lionel Richie
…25 years ago this week in 1990 was “Because I Love You (The Postman Song)” by Stevie B
Not exactly college football related, but there was one passing of note last week – Dickie Moore
Dickie Moore, who played on six Stanley Cup championships with the Montreal Canadiens and won two-straight NHL point-scoring titles, died Saturday in Montreal. He was 84. As a forward for the Canadiens from 1951-1963, Moore was an outstanding puck handler and passer, had a hard shot and was adept at faking out goalies in front of the net. Moore played on the Canadiens’ teams that won the Stanley Cup in 1953 and every year from 1956 to 1960. Richard Winston Moore was born on January 6, 1931, in Montreal, one of nine children.
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