Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Oct. 22---College Football---
Rutgers 26 ... Connecticut 24---College Football---
Rutgers ripped off 23 points in the second half helped by three Ryan Hart touchdown passes and the running of Ray Rice. UConn got a 51-yard touchdown run from Cornell Brockington and a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jason Williams, but the Scarlet Knights were able to control the game with the ground attack that outgained UConn 238 yards to 97. The Huskies had the ball with a chance to go on a game-winning drive, but Ron Girault picked off Dennis Brown to seal the win.
Player of the game: Rutgers RB Ray Rice ran 27 times for 217 yards. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 10-22, 176 yds, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Ray Rice, 27-217. Receiving: Clark Harris, 4-95---College Football---
Connecticut - Passing: Dennis Brown, 18-35, 196 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Cornell Brockington, 3-56, 1 TD. Receiving: Jason Williams, 5-51, 1 TD
What to take away from this game: So maybe Ryan Hart isn't so bad after all. With Mike Teel doing a whole lot of nothing, Hart was fantastic leading the Scarlet Knights to the win over UConn, but he got a lot of help from the running game. Ray Rice was magnificent averaging eight yards per carry, and he'll be the focal point of the offense until someone can stop him. Somewhat quietly, Rutgers is one win away from going to a bowl game, and with three home games in the final four, is still in the mix for the Big East title. ---College Football---
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Oct. 15---College Football---
Rutgers 31 ... Syracuse 9---College Football---
Rutgers got out to a 31-0 lead on two touchdown passes from Mike Teel and a blocked punt for a field goal and a fumble recovery for a score from Corey Barnes. Syracuse was awful on third downs unable to keep the chains moving going one of 14 and only managed 238 yards of total offense. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Rutgers DB Corey Barnes made three tackles, returned a fumble for a touchdown, and scored on a blocked field goal attempt.---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Syracuse - Passing: Perry Patterson, 13-24, 167 yds---College Football---
Rushing: Damien Rhodes, 19-72. Receiving: Tim Lane, 4-66---College Football---
Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 13-27, 203 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Ray Rice, 17-81. Receiving: Brian Leonard, 4-66---College Football---
What to take away from this game: When Rutgers doesn't make mistakes; it wins. The Scarlet Knights weren't threatened by the horrible Syracuse offense, but they did a good job of forcing bad plays. Defense and special teams played a huge role in the win, but the third down defense was one of the big keys. Mike Teel still doesn't look too comfortable at quarterback and the running game is still needed to help him out, but Ray Rice was able to save the day when Brian Leonard wasn't able to get going. ---College Football---
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Oct. 8---College Football---
West Virginia 27 ... Rutgers 14---College Football---
West Virginia started off the scoring on a blocked punt for a touchdown by Thandi Smith, and then quickly got up 21-0 on an 11-yard scoring run from Steve Slaton and a 21-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Myles. Rutgers made a bit of a comeback with two one-yard scoring runs from Brian Leonard, but four turnovers proved too costly. Pat McAfee provided all the scoring in the second half for the Mountaineers with field goals from 45 and 35 yards. ---College Football---
Player of the game: West Virginia RB Steve Slaton ran 25 times for 139 yards and a touchdown. He also led the team with three catches for 35 yards. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: West Virginia - Passing: Adam Bednarik, 9-10, 78 yds, 1 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Steve Slaton, 25-139, 1 TD. Receiving: Steve Slaton, 3-35---College Football---
Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 9-15, 105 yds, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Brian Leonard, 23-76, 2 TD. Receiving: Clark Harris, 4-53---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Rutgers should've been a lot better at home against West Virginia coming off the win over Pitt. The four turnovers proved to be way too many to overcome, and that doesn't even count the blocked punt for a score. The pass defense didn't give up anything big, but had a rough time against the short to midrange passes. Number two quarterback Mike Teel showed a little bit of promise, but the offense needs Ryan Hart to be effective to beat the better teams. With two straight road games coming up, the team needs to play much tighter.
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Sept. 30---College Football---
Rutgers 37 ... Pitt 29---College Football---
Rutgers jumped out to a 27-0 lead helped by two Ryan Hart touchdown passes for Brian Leonard and a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown Willie Foster, and then had to hold on as Pitt came back on four second half touchdown passes from Tyler Palko. The Panthers couldn't get any closer with the final two drives stalling after a three-yard touchdown pass to Derek Kinder and a two point conversion with 7:26 to play. Hart finished the day as Rutgers' all-time leading passer putting the game away on a 25-yard touchdown pass to Tres Moses.---College Football---
Player of the game: Rutgers RB Brian Leonard ran 18 times for 68 yards and caught four passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Pitt - Passing: Tyler Palko, 35-58, 371 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Raymond Kirkley, 8-15. Receiving: Derek Kinder, 10-78, 1 TD---College Football---
Rutgers - Passing: Ryan Hart, 12-25, 207 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Raymell Rice, 15-114. Receiving: Shawn Tucker, 4-74---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Rutgers has to be happy to come away with the win against Pitt, but it has to do a better job of finishing. Up 27-0 at the half, the team needed to step on Pitt's throat and put it away, but didn't and almost had a repeat of the Illinois gaffe. However, 3-1 is nothing to be upset about and the team is playing with fire, and apparently, a ton of confidence. The running game is playing extremely well helping to take the pressure off QB Ryan Hart; that's a major positive. Now, the team needs to cut back on the penalties. 13 are far, far too many. ---College Football---
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Sept. 17---College Football---
Rutgers 17 ... Buffalo 3---College Football---
Brian Leonard ran for 121 yards leading the way to two Ryan Hart touchdown passes with the first going to Sam Johnson in the first quarter with the final score coming to Shawn Tucker from 13 yards out. Buffalo's only points came on a 33 yard Michael Baker field goal in the third quarter. Jeremy Ito also hit a 33-yard field goal for the Scarlet Knights in the third quarter.
Player of the game: Rutgers RB Brian Leonard ran 24 times for 121 yards and caught three pass for 25 yards. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Rutgers - Passing: Ryan Hart, 13-27, 143 yds, 2 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Brian Leonard, 24-121. Receiving: Shawn Tucker, 3-48, 1 TD---College Football---
Buffalo - Passing: Stewart Sampsel, 15-26, 140 yds---College Football---
Rushing: Steven King, 13-60. Receiving: Brett Hamlin, 6-56---College Football---
What to take away from this game: A win is a win, but the offense was hardly impressive against the struggling Buffalo defense. The defense was more than fine keeping the inept Bull attack to only 2.8 yards per carry, but for Ryan Hart and the attack to only gain 288 yards has to be a huge concern before diving into Big East play. Brian Leonard once again showed why he's one of the nation's best all-around backs carrying the attack when nothing else was working. ---College Football---
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Sept. 10---College Football---
Rutgers 38 ... Villanova 6---College Football---
Rutgers opened the game with a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Willie Parker and coasted the rest of the way after Villanova answered with a 32-yard touchdown pass to John Dieser. Brian Leonard ran for two, two-yard touchdowns and Clark Harris caught a 15-yard touchdown pass. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Rutgers WR Tres Moses caught seven passes for 114 yards. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Rutgers - Passing: Ryan Hart, 16-22, 234 yds, 1 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Ray Rice, 13-64, 1 TD. Receiving: Tres Moses, 7-114---College Football---
Villanova - Passing: Frank Jankowski, 17-32, 209 yds---College Football---
Rushing: Martin Gibson, 7-24. Receiving: J.J. Outlaw, 9-91---College Football---
What to take away from this game: After the collapse against Illinois, getting an easy win over Villanova is a nice way to move on. Now the defense has to learn how to tighten up late after giving up 359 passing yards to the Wildcats and getting outgained 444 yards to 372. Even so, the D only allowed six points, and it shouldn't have much more of a problem next week against Buffalo. If the offense can keep improving and stay balanced, this really might be a sleeper team in the Big East.
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Sept. 3---College Football---
Illinois 33 ... Rutgers 30 OT---College Football---
Down by 20 midway through the third quarter, Illinois roared back with two field goals and two Tim Brasic touchdown passes to tie it, and then had a chance to win in regulation, but missed a 52-yard field goal. In overtime, Rutgers scored first on a 40-yard Jeremy Ito field goal for the lead, but Illinois got a two-yard Pierre Thomas touchdown run to give head coach Ron Zook his first win as the new head coach. Rutgers appeared in command after an 83-yard Brian Leonard touchdown run coming after leaping over an Illinois defender, but the defense couldn't change the momentum and couldn't get a fourth quarter stop.---College Football---
Player of the game: Illinois QB Tim Brasic completed 23 of 33 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. He also ran 18 times for 123 yards. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Rutgers - Passing: Ryan Hart, 27-44, 343 yds, 2 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Brian Leonard, 11-119, 1 TD. Receiving: Tres Moses, 5-82---College Football---
Illinois - Passing: Tim Brasic, 23-33, 217 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Tim Brasic, 18-123. Receiving: E.B. Halsey, 7-61, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: It's important to not go into the tank. Last year, Rutgers came out flat after an opening week win against Michigan State and lost to New Hampshire. Now head coach Greg Schiano has to make sure his team doesn't crash and burn against Villanova after the heartbreaking loss to Illinois. How did the offense go so flat in the fourth quarter? What happened to the defense that played so well early on? QB Ryan Hart is going to put up some big numbers this season, but it'll be hard to keep spirits up if there are any more losses after cranking out over 500 yards of offense. ---College Football---
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2005 Schedule ---College Football---
Sept. 3 – at Illinois (4-7, 2-6 in Big Ten) – Offense: Ed Zaunbrecher brings his passing attack from Gainesville to Champaign and is looking for the right pieces to fit. The running backs will be the centerpiece early on with Pierre Thomas and E.B. Halsey as good as any twosome in the Big Ten. The receiving corps has potential with Kendrick Jones a burgeoning star. A quarterback has to emerge as a star to run the offense like Chris Leak did for Florida. Inexperienced junior Tim Brasic has the inside line on the job, but he'll need time to get his feet wet. The line is average at best.
Defense: The defense struggled in every phase trying to overcome injuries and youth. The D is still extremely young, but it's athletic with good speed almost everywhere. The secondary will have to be a rock early with good safeties in Justin Harrison and Morris Virgil and rising corners Alan Ball and Charles Bailey. The undersized linebacking corps will be an issue early, where the ends have to generate more of a pass rush.---College Football---
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Sept. 10 - Villanova---College Football---
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Sept. 17 – at Buffalo (3-8, 3-5 in MAC) – Offense: The passing attack was one of the worst in the nation, but there's hope for improvement with a decent receiving corps and rising star tight end Chad Upshaw. The key will be for the quarterback situation to work itself out needing one of four prospects to give the attack some desperately needed consistency. The running game has the potential to be good with a veteran line paving the way for three good backs.---College Football---
Defense: Could this be the best defense in the MAC? There are so many veterans that it can't help but be better. The defensive line is big, experienced and very deep at each spot. The 4-2-5 has four good linebackers to rotate while the secondary has as much athleticism as the program has ever seen. Pass rushing won't be a problem from the good ends, while lightning fast CB Gemara Williams will be among the best covermen in the MAC.---College Football---
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Sept. 30 - Pittsburgh (9-2, 6-1 in Big East) – Offense: There will be a slight shift in the offense from Walt Harris West Coast offense to more of a balanced, running style under offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh. Even so, there are more than enough weapons to have an explosive air attack with QB Tyler Palko, WRs Greg Lee and Joe DelSardo, and a fantastic tight end pair of Erik Gill and Steve Buches to keep the nation's 24th best passing offense going. The ground game won't be 105th in the nation again with a loaded backfield soon to be led by freshman sensation Rashad Jennings. The line is experienced, but it needs to be more consistent.---College Football---
Defense: Inconsistent throughout last year and average against the pass, there's hope for improvement with the return of seven starters and a truckload of depth. The strength is the back seven led by a linebacking corps that has several talented options to work with. The secondary has good corners in Josh Lay and Darrelle Revis, but they have to be better at not giving up the deep ball. The front four will be a concern if a reliable pass rusher doesn't develop.---College Football---
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Oct. 8 - West Virginia (7-4, 5-2 in Big East) – Offense: Expect a major step back from Big East's number two offense of last year with almost all the skill positions going through a major overhaul hurt by a woeful lack of experience at quarterback and receiver. The running game will be up to the normally high Mountaineer standards with three good backs (Jason Colson, Pernell Williams and Erick Phillips) operating behind a good, veteran line. The winner of the three-man quarterback derby will have to be razor-sharp until the receiving corps comes around.---College Football---
Defense: The defense had a strong year, but it has to replace some major players including all-everything corner Adam "Pac Man" Jones. Even so, the secondary is the strength of the defense with three solid All-Big East candidates in FS Jahmile Addae, S Mike Lorello and CB Anthony Mims. The front three will be a rock with 295-pound veterans ready to hold the line. The question mark is at linebacker where tough backups have to become reliable starters. There's solid depth everywhere.---College Football---
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Oct. 15 – at Syracuse (5-6, 4-3 in Big East) – Offense: The offense struggled way too much failing to get anything going in the passing game and finishing 100th in the nation in passing. Quarterbacks Perry Patterson and Joe Fields have to be more consistent, but they also need help with a young receiving corps that could struggle early on. The attack is being changed up a bit to throw it more in a West Coast attack, so the opportunities will be there. The offensive line is decent, but non-descript.---College Football---
Defense: The hiring of Greg Robinson as head coach should do nothing but help a defense that slipped into the abyss finishing 101st in the nation. There was little production against the run, nothing happening against the pass, and few clutch stops. There should be an improvement with a ton of returning experience led by a good-looking front seven. The corner is in the secondary where the corners have to make more plays after getting repeatedly torched last season.---College Football---
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Oct. 22 – at Connecticut (6-5, 3-4 in Big East) – Offense: All the focus is on the quarterback situation where Matt Bonislawski and D.J. Hernandez will try to replace heart-and-soul leader Dan Orlovsky, but the winner of the derby will be more than capable of putting up big numbers. The backfield is the best in the Big East with Terry Caulley returning from a knee injury to join defending Big East rushing champion Cornell Brockington. The receiving corps is more than solid despite some key losses. And then there's the offensive line. The interior could be a nightmare early, there aren't any true tackles and there's no depth whatsoever.---College Football---
Defense: Is this the Big East's best defense? It'll be close with a deep and experienced front four and secondary. While the numbers are there as far as good retuning players, the star quality is gone with the departure of LBs Alfred Fincher and Maurice Lloyd along with CB Justin Perkins. Even so, don't expect much of a drop-off from the D that finished 27th in the nation last year unless there's a major fallout from losing five players to suspension due to the shooting of a vehicle window with a pellet gun.---College Football---
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Oct. 29 - Navy (predicted finish: 5-6) – Offense: It's Navy, so you know what you're going to get: run, run, run. The nation's number three rushing attack last year loses almost all of the key parts with only two starters returning. Lamar Owens has to rock and roll right away as the likely new starting quarterback, but he'll have competition this fall. The bigger problem is at fullback where Kyle Eckel needs to be replaced; it'll take a few backs to do it. There won't be much more of a passing game, but Jason Tomlinson is a good enough receiver to get more throws his way. The line will need time to jell.---College Football---
Defense: Only four starters return, but there shouldn't be too much of a drop-off after only allowing 351.5 yards and 19.93 points per game. The secondary will be the strength with Jeremy McGown moving from safety to corner and Hunter Reddick growing into a star on the other side. The loss of Lane Jackson and Bobby McClarin at inside linebacker hurts, and the graduation of free safety Josh Smith really hurts, but the replacements appear to be capable. Despite only one returning starter on the line, expect more of a pass rush.---College Football---
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Nov. 5 - South Florida (3-8, 1-6 in Big East) – Offense: The potential is there for a big improvement after struggling to be consistent. Andre Hall is Big East's best running back working behind a rebuilding, but decent line. The receiving corps is deep and experienced led by tall, speedy Johnny Peyton. The problem is at quarterback where Pat Julmiste couldn't hit water last year if he was standing in the ocean, and Auburn transfer Courtney Denson is a former defensive back. If a steady passer emerges, this should be the Big East's surprise offense.---College Football---
Defense: The normally good Bull defense struggled last year with no pass defense and little success against the run with a line that was too small. Things should be better with a strong linebacking corps and the return of DT Tim Jones and SS Johnnie Jones after missing all of last year. The key will be the improvement in the corners after struggling to stop anyone, but they could use more of a steady pass rush.---College Football---
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Nov. 11 – at Louisville (10-1, 6-1 in Big East) – Offense: Talk about reloading. Louisville loses all-star quarterback Stefan LeFors, NFL-caliber, 20-touchdown running back Eric Shelton, and 73-catch receiver J.R. Russell, but should be just as strong as the offense that was the nation's best last year. There's plenty of talent returning and several great options among the reserves to keep the party rolling. QB Brian Brohm will instantly become one of the nation's top quarterbacks now that he's the full-time starter. The Cards are loaded with talented running backs and receivers and blessed with one of the nation's deepest and most athletic lines. However, the party could crash if Brohm gets hurt with no experience behind him.---College Football---
Defense: The Louisville defense was overlooked last year due to the brilliance of the offense. The Cardinal D ranked number one in Conference USA in almost every category and finished second in pass defense. It won't be quite as strong this year replacing three starters in the secondary, some stars on the line and leader and top tackler Robert McCune. Even so, it's a very fast, very athletic defense that should rank near the top of most Big East categories.---College Football---
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Nov. 26 - Cincinnati (3-8, 1-6 in Big East) – Offense: Last year's experienced offense averaged 406 yards and 29 points per game, and now just about everyone needs to be replaced. The backfield will be solid with redshirt freshman QB Dustin Grutza looking ready to be a more-than-capable fill-in for Gino Guidugli. There are enough running backs to come up with a steady rotation, but they're going to have a hard time early on behind a developing line. The receiving corps has potential if a number one target emerges.---College Football---
Defense: Outside of the 70-7 loss to Louisville, the defense was solid last season allowing 341 yards and 27 points per game. Eight starters need to be replaced with some major holes on the front seven. Fortunately, the Bearcats have a solid defensive coaching staff. The linebacking corps has no experience whatsoever and a pass rush has to develop. The secondary will be good if John Bowie grows into a steady corner.---College Football-
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Perspective Piece---college football---
Georgia vs. Tennessee, Oct. 8
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By Matthew Zemek---college football---

D.J. Shockley, welcome to the 2005 college football season. We hope you enjoyed your preseason run through September. Now your journey to SEC success begins in earnest, in your first Really Big Game of your make-or-break senior season.---college football---

Boise State handed you ten trillion turnovers in the first six minutes of play, making the road smooth. Then you worked out more kinks in an uneven win, but very much a win, against a South Carolina team that has since been dismantled by Brodie Croyle and Brandon Cox. Then came games against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State, not exactly world beaters.---college football---

Mister Shockley, you know it, and so do the American people: your season begins this Saturday in Neyland Stadium. Time for you to break Tennessee’s nose with a hobnailed boot and enable Larry Munson to hail you as a worthy successor to David Greene.---college football---

You’re aware that the stakes are already high whenever you play the Vols, especially in Knoxville. Your coach, Mark Richt, has done a good job beating Tennessee over the years, but after last year’s very big fish got away against a Big Orange team that entered Athens with a freshman quarterback, your predecessor—Greene—lost his hold on an SEC title he thinks he should have won. You have a chance to make things right this year. ---college football---

But as big as any Tennessee game naturally is for the Dawgs, D.J., you also need to realize two other things that make this Saturday’s showdown sing with significance.

First, the fact that Tennessee lost to Florida—coupled with the Gators’ subsequent loss to Alabama—means that with a win, you can knock the Vols out of the SEC East race and put Florida in must-win territory on Oct. 15 when the Gators travel to Baton Rouge to face LSU. Basically, D.J., a win Saturday and you’re in substantial control of your SEC East fate. You’d get Reverend Coach Richt back to Atlanta, enabling Georgia to take a trip to the Georgia Dome for the third time in four seasons. That’s a pretty big source of both potential and pressure this Saturday afternoon.---college football---

But then there’s another aspect of your game this weekend that makes it all the more important for you to bring your A-game. Rick Clausen—another quarterback used to toiling in the shadows (just as you did behind Greene for a number of years)—has suddenly proven that he can lift his team to big wins. He had a legitimate coming-out party against LSU, the school that didn’t believe in him.
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Yo, D.J.: America—and especially the SEC—wants to know: when will your coming out party be?
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It wasn’t against Boise State—Jared Zabransky made it too easy for you and your team. It wasn’t against South Carolina—you almost blew that one, but your defense was there to bail you out. Then you had two cupcakes that didn’t put your immense skills to the test. Saturday is it, man. The big stage, all to you. Shockley versus the Children of the Checkerboard. National TV. Spotlight glare. A six-figure crowd by the muddy river. A rejuvenated opponent whose comeback against LSU has the Big Orange Boys confident and ready to kick your butt.---college football---
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They want you. You want the SEC championship.
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Will you bring your hobnailed boot of excellence, or will you not measure up?

No press---college football---ure, D.J. No pressure.---college football---
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Aberdeen Central graduate helps forge successful football program
St. Cloud State needs to win big games for shot at playoffs

By Eric Burgess

American News Sports Writer

By the time he started high school, Cory Johnsen knew he wanted to play college football.

Now in his final year with nationally-ranked St. Cloud State, the fifth-year senior from Aberdeen can't believe his college career is almost over. Johnsen (6-foot-1, 300 pounds) is a third-year starter on the defensive line for the Huskies. - College Football -

"It's definitely gone by fast," Johnsen said. "It may not have seemed like it during all the practices and weight lifting sessions, but now that I'm in my fifth year and I look back, it has gone by really fast. At times when I talk to people from Aberdeen, they bring up the same point, saying that it seemed like it was just yesterday when I was a senior at Aberdeen Central. Now here I am in my last year of college. It's been enjoyable."

Growing up as a youngster, Johnsen's second favorite sport was basketball. He played hoops all the way through junior high, but by the time he became a sophomore in high school Johnsen decided he needed to try out a new sport to prepare himself for the college football ranks. So he took to the mat for the Golden Eagles, hoping that wrestling in the heavyweight division for three years would help him acquire quicker feet and learn how to use his hips and weight to get better leverage on his opponent. - College Football -

It was a good decision. Not only did he place sixth in the state wrestling tournament his senior year, wrestling helped Johnsen become a force as a college noseguard.

"Cory has played tremendously for us and has had a great senior season," said St. Cloud coach Randy Hedberg. "He has gotten a lot of push for us up the middle. He has done a nice job for us during his career and has developed into a solid college football player. He has a great work ethic and has worked hard in our off-season program to become stronger, more flexible and athletic."

Johnsen is focused this week on a showdown between No. 18 St. Cloud (6-1, 2-1 North Central Conference) and No. 3 South Dakota (7-0, 3-0 NCC) on homecoming day at Husky Stadium. St. Cloud bounced back from a loss to top-ranked North Dakota on with a 34-7 win against Augustana on Saturday. - College Football -

"You have to be in the top six in the region to move on to the playoffs," Johnsen said. "Obviously making it back to the playoffs has been a goal of ours all season. But one thing about our team, you won't ever hear us talking about what we have coming up down the road. We just don't think like that. The next game is always the most important one. Nobody else matters. You can't have that mentality in our conference. - College Football -

"In 2002 we had a good team. Two of our wins were against North Dakota and North Dakota State. But we also had two losses, including one against Mankato, which was the worst team in the conference, and we didn't make the playoffs. That just goes to show that you can't overlook anybody in our conference."

No matter what happens in the next four weeks, Johnsen will never regret his decision to attend St. Cloud. The Huskies have just three games remaining this season after USD: at Omaha, Oct. 22; vs. Missouri-Western, Oct. 29; and vs. Minnesota-Duluth, Nov. 5. One more loss would likely keep them out of the playoffs. - College Football -

"When I first looked into coming here (St. Cloud), I thought to myself, 'You guys were only 1-9 last year?' Coach Hedberg has done a tremendous job with this football program. When I first started out we weren't that good. But Coach Hedberg brought in some great players, and winning has only helped in his recruiting efforts. On top of that, our new stadium has given us another great recruiting tool. Instead of overlooking St. Cloud, like so many athletes did before my time, players are starting to want to come here and be a part of a winning football program. I couldn't be more proud that I played a part in that." - College Football -

Another good season

Former Northern State baseball/football player Deacon Burns enjoyed another good season in the Minnesota Twins' minor league system.

Burns, a second-year player in the Twins' organization, helped guide the Beloit (Wis.) Snappers to the Class A Midwest League playoffs. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers ended the Snappers' season on Sept. 9 with a 4-2 win in the third and final game of their first-round series.

Burns, a former conference MVP for NSU, got off to a strong start in 2005, making the All-Star team as an outfielder. The Brownwood, Texas, native cooled off during the

second half of the season, but still finished as one of Beloit's offensive leaders.

Burns batted .271. He led the team in doubles (36), triples (13) and walks (50), finished second in RBIs (78) and third in home runs (12) and stolen bases (13). - College Football -

- Sports writer Eric Burgess

Ball State loses to number 21 Boston College

BOSTON (AP) - All week long, Boston College's Matthew Ryan had seen replays and heard about the hit he took while scrambling last week at Clemson. - College Football -

The Eagles' quarterback had no such problem running in the open field on Saturday.

Ryan ran for a pair of first-half scores and threw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, leading No. 21 Boston College to a 38-0 win over suspension-riddled Ball State. - College Football -

"It just opened up, up the middle and I took advantage of it," Ryan said of the scores.

Ryan was running to his right last week, when Clemson linebacker David Dunham leveled him, sending Ryan's helmet flying in the process. It was a highlight-reel hit.

"The speed of the game's a little different (this week)," he said. "As a quarterback, you've got to feel the speed of the game. People had definitely mentioned they had seen the hit. I let them know the focus was on Ball State and not the hit." - College Football -

BC (4-1), coming off its first Atlantic Coast Conference win last week, scored on its first two possessions to take control.

Ryan, starting for the second straight week for Quinton Porter - sidelined with a right ankle injury that occurred two weeks ago in a loss against Florida State - completed 21 of 29 passes for 206 yards with no interceptions. - College Football -

"When you scramble 12 yards and nobody touches you, that means there's lot of acreage in there to run with," BC coach Tom O'Brien said. "He did a good job of recognizing those situations and got us two touchdowns rushing." - College Football -

The Cardinals (0-4) had 15 players sidelined after being suspended earlier in the week for violating an NCAA extra-benefits rule involving the use of textbooks.

"There aren't any secrets. We got beat by a good team," Ball State coach Brady Hoke said. "We got outplayed and everything. They are a good football team, real good football team."

L.V. Whitworth ran for a 14-yard touchdown for the Eagles 22 seconds into the game after the Cardinals tried an onside kick on the opening kickoff and BC's Larry Anam recovered it at midfield. - College Football -

"I felt the line was doing a great job. The holes were huge," Whitworth said. "I knew it was going to be one of those days."

After blocking a punt on the Cardinals' next possession, BC recovered the ball at the Ball State 29. Ryan capped a seven-play drive with a 10-yard TD run, making it 14-0 midway through the first quarter. - College Football -

After BC got off to the early lead, much of the attention turned to the Yankees-Red Sox game about 5 miles away at Fenway Park. Most of the TV sets at concession stands and in the press box were tuned to the baseball game, and the scoreboard operator flashed numerous updates.

Ryan's second scoring run, a 10-yarder midway through the second quarter, made it 21-0. Ryan Ohliger kicked a 27-yard field goal in the third quarter. Ryan threw a 3-yard scoring pass to Brandon Robinson with 9:16 left in the game, making it 31-0, and Survival Ross had an 18-yard scoring run in the final minute. - College Football -

The Cardinals' best scoring chance came early in the second quarter when they drove to BC's 15 before Brian Jackson missed a 32-yard field goal attempt.

"We were preaching all week that we wanted to get a shutout," Eagles linebacker Ray Henderson said. - College Football -

Ball State was held to 46 yards rushing in 32 attempts, and finished with 159 total yards. BC had 471 total yards, 223 on the ground.

The Eagles' last shutout also came against a Mid-American Conference opponent, 43-0 over Central Michigan at home on Sept. 28, 2002. - College Football -

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

College Football: AP Poll

UNDATED Southern Cal remains number-one in the latest Associated Press college football poll. The Trojans picked up 57 of 65 first-place votes after crushing Arkansas 70-to-17 in Los Angeles.Second-ranked Texas grabbed the eight remaining first-place votes, one day after the Longhorns hammered Rice 51-to-10.L-S-U remains number-three, followed by Virginia Tech and Florida. - College Football -
The Gators climbed one spot with last night's win over Tennessee.Florida State is sixth, ahead of Georgia, Ohio State, Louisville and Tennessee. Number-eleven Purdue is followed by Miami, California, Michigan and Georgia Tech.Notre Dame dropped six spots to 16th with yesterday's loss to Michigan State. - College Football -
The Spartans have cracked the poll at 17, ahead of Arizona State, Texas Tech and Alabama.Iowa, Iowa State, Virginia, Oregon and U-C-L-A round out the poll.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

College Football Notebook: Miami, Florida St. square off tonight
By The Associated Press

Florida State quarterback Drew Weatherford and Kyle Wright, his counterpart from Miami, are about to take center stage in one of college football's greatest rivalries.

Both will be making his first career start tonight when the ninth-ranked Hurricanes open the season against the 14th-ranked Seminoles in Tallahassee. Fla. - College Football -

What a way to make a first impression.

Wright took hold of the No. 1 spot in the spring and secured the starting job in the preseason. Ten of the last 11 Miami quarterbacks have won their first start. Ryan Clement's loss to Florida State in 1995 is the only blemish. - College Football -

Weatherford, meanwhile, didn't know until last week he'd be Florida State's starter.

The job came open when Wyatt Sexton was sidelined for the season with Lyme disease, and Weatherford outplayed Xavier Lee to earn the start.

Mississippi State

Mississippi State scrapped its smoke-filled sprint to the sideline before its season opener for a solemn, single-file walk to pay respects to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Before facing Murray State in Starksville, Miss., Saturday, players had their helmets cradled in their right arm, exposing stoic faces hardened by a week of tragedy. - College Football -

The Bulldogs paid their respects with a sobering pre-game processional to show their thoughts were with those along the Gulf Coast, in New Orleans and in countless shelters.

"This [past] week has never been all football -- it's all been in the backs of our minds," Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom said. "You can't get away from it. I don't think the players did, and I know I didn't." - College Football -

Kentucky

Kentucky senior receiver Glenn Holt was taken off the field on a stretcher in the fourth quarter of yesterday's game against Louisville after landing hard on his left shoulder. He was being defended by cornerback William Gay when he leaped to make a catch along the Louisville sideline. He landed on his left shoulder.

Holt lay motionless for about five minutes. A medical crew put Holt on a stretcher and he was wheeled off the field. Kentucky football sports information director Tony Neely said Holt was able to move his arms and legs. - College Football -

South Carolina

Former South Carolina coach Lou Holtz made headlines from Atlanta to Columbia two weeks ago when he predicted the Gamecocks would beat Georgia Saturday. Yesterday, current South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier wondered whether Holtz still felt the same way.

"I think that was before he saw us play and before he saw Georgia play," Spurrier said with a laugh. "Y'all go ask him now who he thinks is gonna win it, OK? Ask him who he's picking, and ask him how much he'd be betting on it if he could bet." - College Football -

South Carolina had to hang on to beat Central Florida -- winless last season -- 24-15 in its season opener Thursday in Columbia, S.C. No. 13 Georgia throttled No. 18 Boise State, 48-13.

Here today, gone today for college football coaches

Bud Withers
Seattle Times

College football season is only a few days away, marked by familiar signs of autumn: The thud of linemen against blocking sleds, the trill of practice whistles, the sound of coaches hedging on their selection of starting quarterbacks.

And oh yes, the ka-ching of the cash register.

Never has the game — particularly nearby — been as marbled by financial factors as in 2005.

• Washington, coming off a 1-10 season, has raised seat-priority assessments about 31 percent across the board. The Huskies have taken the public tack that the investment will help ensure the dreaded 2004 effort doesn't happen again.

• In the spring, Arizona not only lopped 19 full-time athletic-department jobs from a roll of 185, it turned the lawn around its basketball arena into a temporary used-car lot. The Wildcats received $150,000 up front from several car dealers in a five-year agreement that requires them to buy about $50,000 worth offootball tickets each fall.

• When Oregon State christens a dramatically revamped Reser Stadium on Saturday against Portland State, it will signify its commitment tofootball — and its reliance on season-ticket holders who are paying several hundred dollars more for the right to buy a pair of seats than they did a year ago.

• Washington State, exploring its own remodel to Martin Stadium with marketing surveys and hiring of an architect, has tacked a $5 fee onto each ticket for all home games this season to front that campaign.

It was in discussions with athletic director Jim Sterk about the proposed renovation that WSU coach Bill Doba cast a knowing glance at his boss.

"It does help if we win a little bit, doesn't it?" Doba remarked.

Only a little.

Never have the stakes been as high in college football. Never has winning meant so much. Never has the pressure been quite as gnawing on coaches as it is entering this season.

Already buffeted by the twin forces of Internet message boards and sports-talk radio — two outlets that weren't a factor 15 years ago — coaches are increasingly held accountable for the improved facilities around them.

An inexorable shrinkage has taken place in their grace period for success. Not so long ago, a coach could figure to have five years to show he was the right choice, four at the mostfootball-crazed schools.

At many places, that window now closes after three years, a trend underscored when Notre Dame — which had always held itself to be above such bottom-line madness — cashiered Tyrone Willingham after only three seasons.

It was when the Irish hired Willingham — now coaching on the rebound at Washington — that they also romanced Mike Bellotti, the Oregon coach.

"The one thing they could tell me they could hang their hat on was, they had never fired a coach," says Bellotti. "They had always let him finish out his contract. It's very interesting that the next coach they hired, they didn't allow that to happen."

Willingham's wasn't the only surprise firing. Mississippi, a school whose recent football tradition might be generously described as modest, touted David Cutcliffe as the first coach in school history to win at least seven games in each of his first five seasons. Then, when he went 4-7 last year, one season after a Cotton Bowl victory, he was canned.

The school president said "mediocrity" would not cut it at Ole Miss.

"I was head football coach at Baylor for 21 years," says Grant Teaff, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association. "I've been out 12, and they've had four head coaches. There aren't going to be any more 21-year terms like I had, and Bobby [Bowden] and Lavell [Edwards] and [Joe] Paterno."

The flip side to this amped-up world is that coaches are making money unheard of not very long ago. Think about this: When Washington hired Rick Neuheisel in 1999, his contract — about a million dollars with incentives, roughly $800,000 guaranteed annually — drew concern and derision from some faculty members at Washington. It was among the top fivecollege coaching salaries.

Just six years later, Willingham will make a guaranteed $1.4 million this year. That's a 75 percent increase on what Neuheisel was guaranteed.

Yet Willingham's salary is believed only third-highest in the Pac-10. His contract appears closer to the market than Neuheisel's was in 1999.

Moreover, argues Washington athletic director Todd Turner, Willingham's hire has dramatically altered the face of football at UW.

"He's done an incredible job of instantly changing the culture of what we've been having to deal with over the last few years," Turner says. "He's restored confidence in the players; he's returned them to being focused and more disciplined and more committed. You can see it in the way they act."

In 1996, the year running back Corey Dillon led Washington to a 9-3 season, a reserved season ticket cost $160. This year, for a team the media picked to finish 10th in the Pac-10, the tab is $345 — after the 31-percent hike in seat rights.

"There's a climate there, no doubt about it," says Oregon State coach Mike Riley. "People do all this stuff [to improve facilities], and then if it doesn't work, the coach gets fired."

The so-called "arms race" has come after a long period in which facilities lay fallow. Riley, first hired by OSU in 1997, remembers walking into thefootball offices where his dad Bud was a successful assistant coach in the '60s and '70s.

"Nothing had changed," he says. "This place had a time warp on it."

Now, with both Washington and Washington State looking to make stadium improvements, the possibility exists that within less than a decade, all four Northwest schools will have done major renovations to theirfootball venues.

The hell-bent trend is a concern to people like Arizona president Peter Likins, chairing an NCAA presidents task force on the future of Division I athletics. Likins also heads up a task force subcommittee on fiscal responsibility.

"There's a general sense of unease among presidents and chancellors," Likins said. "While we're not in crisis, we're engaged in an unsustainable rate of growth in expenditures and revenues. It's not possible for universities to put unallocated money into athletics. That's what people have been doing in recent years."

"It scares me to death," says Jim Livengood, Likins' athletic director. "We've got to figure out a way to get our arms around expenses."

He cites spiraling costs for fuel-related services, like airline charters and buses.

"Those are things we have no control over," Livengood says. "As powerful as we think we are in intercollegiate athletics, we're not going to drop the price of oil."

Across the NCAA landscape, there are subtle signs of a system creaking under the weight of football investment and responsibility. Earlier this year, the NCAA waved through a 12th regular-season game starting in 2006, a measure that's all about increased revenue.

When the Bowl Championship Series expands to five games next season, the title game in Tempe, Ariz. — following the Fiesta Bowl a week earlier — is to take place tentatively on Jan. 8, 2007, stretching thecollege football season longer than it has ever been.

Coaches say routinely that the high-rolling finances can't create any more pressure than they feel already. And in fact, they acknowledge the scrutiny is only reflective of the amenities that help them win.

"Expectations are up; that's a beautiful thing," says Riley. "Ten years ago, there were no expectations. It was dead, dead, dead. Now people expect to go to a bowl game, they expect to compete for a Pac-10 championship. They expect to beat Oregon."

And increasingly, when they don't, they expect to fire the coach. In the white-hot climate around college football these days, one thing hasn't changed: One side wins and one has to lose.

Copyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company