LA Angels Emotional Ride

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When the LA Angels begin their ALCS battle with the New York Yankees Friday night, they'll be playing with an emotional theme that Southern Californians are quite familiar with.

In 1989, the Loyal Marymount University Lions faced the tragic loss of 23-year old Hank Gathers on Sunday March 4, 1990 due to a heart attack. It was a death that stunned the sporting world as the Lions had to prepare for the NCAA Tournament without their young star.

They used this tragedy, and their emotional ride led them to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. During the tournament, the Lions roared past the defending National Champions, the Michigan Wolverines 149-115.

Nineteen years later, the Angels carry the same heavy hearts the Lions faced when Gathers passed away as Pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in an auto accident due to a drunk driver at the age of 22 just hours after being the starting pitcher against the Oakland A's on April 9th.

All-year long, the Angels have paid tribute to Adenhart as they had a full photo of him on the outfield wall in their stadium. The Angels posed for a team photo in front of the wall, hung his uniform in the dugout and kept it in his locker. When the LA Angels clinched the American League West Division title on Monday Sept 28 with an 11-0 rout over the Texas Rangers, they soaked Adenhart's jersey with beer, champagne and tears holding his No. 34 high in the middle of the celebration he missed.

For those individuals who objected to the alcohol on his jersey because of the drunk driving tragedy, take a chill pill. Teams have always celebrated this way so there is no reason to get too sensitive about this issue. His spirit was an inspiration to his team all year and will be for this franchise for many years to come.

The amazing part about the Adenhart and Gathers tragedies is both teams had success in the postseason. The Angels swept the Boston Red Sox 3-0 in the American League Division Series and Adenhart's jersey was soaked again. Whether they defeat the NY Yankees in this years playoffs remains to be seen. But one thing is for certain, they''ll be the sentimental favorites to win the World Series.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com

College Football Week 5

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As we draw closer to the BCS Computer Rankings coming out, there were certain teams which bolstered their chances to get a premium bowl bid. This week, it's time to examine the ones that are getting closer to mega paydays.

1. There is no better place to start off than the Miami Hurricanes. On September 8, 2007, the Oklahoma Sooners handed the Hurricanes a 51-13 loss in Norman. Miami finished the year 5-7. But things changed this time as Miami sophomore Jacory Harris passed for 202 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 17 Miami (3-1) to a 21-20 triumph while senior running back Javarris James amassed 150 yards rushing. Despite playing without Heisman Trophy quarterback Sam Bradford, this game was close in a couple major offensive categories. Miami out gained No. 8 Oklahoma (2-2) 342-341 in total yards and in time of possession, 30:43-29:17. Bradford's replacement Landry Jones did throw for 188 yards and a touchdown. Even though Jones was named after former Dallas Cowboys legend Tom Landry, his name defines his position. Former Detroit Lions quarterback Greg Landry and former Baltimore Colts signal caller Bert Jones had good careers in the professional ranks.

2. Which team needed to win it's in state rivalry worse, No. 22 Michigan or Michigan State? Depending on who you talk to, you'll get different answers. For a young Michigan (4-1, 1-1) team to win in East Lansing, this would be a huge triumph as the Wolverines aim to get back into the national spotlight. For Michigan State (2-3 1-1) , a win over the Wolverines could save the season. Michigan State jumped out to a 20-6 lead but the Wolverines rallied to tie the the game 20-20 before the Spartans emerged in overtime thanks to a 23-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Larry Caper. The Spartans defense held Michigan's offense to 251 yards and limited Michigan's running attack to 28 yards. Michigan freshman quarterback Tate Forcier threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns. This was the first time Michigan State has defeated Michigan in successive seasons in 42 years. Michigan still leads the all-time series 67-30-5.

3. The http://www.scottsports33.com/ jinx bit the No. 12 Houston Cougars. As we gave them some publicity and respect, Houston was hammered by the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) 58-41 at the Sun Bowl. These two teams were tied 17-17 at halftime before the Miners pulled away in the second half. Miners junior running back Donald Buckram rushed for a career high 262 yards and four touchdowns to overshadow the performance of Houston junior quarterback Case Keenum, who had a career night by completing 51 of 76 passes for 536 yards and five touchdowns. Houston (3-1) out gained UTEP (2-3) 664-581, but lost two fumbles and had to settle for two field goals. Keenum's 76 passing attempts were seven shy of the FBS record set by former Purdue quarterback Drew Brees, who is now putting up record numbers with the New Orleans Saints.

4. On paper, the No. 13 Iowa Hawkeyes versus the Sun Belt Conference Arkansas State Red Wolves looked like a mismatch. When the game it was over, Arkansas State earned respect while Iowa was thankful it came away with a 24-21 win, has the nation's second longest winning streak at nine games and left the game with a 5-0 record thanks to junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi's 296 yards and three touchdowns performance. This was the first time Iowa has started 5-0 under coach Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes have a huge challenge at home against the upstart Michigan Wolverines in a prime time affair in week six. Arkansas State (1-3) outscored Iowa 14-3 in the fourth quarter. The Red Wolves fell to 0-9 against Top 25 teams.

5. Very few college football followers would classify this game as a major in-state rivalry because these schools play in totally different divisions. The South Carolina State Bulldogs most notable NFL player is former Detroit Lion Robert Porcher, but he couldn't help his Alma mater defeat the South Carolina Gamecocks this week. South Carolina (4-1) rolled to a 38-14 victory in Columbia as sophomore quarterback Stephen Garcia threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another against his Football Championship Subdivision opponent. South Carolina State (3-1) fell to 0-5 against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents.

6. There is no better way for a new quarterback to start his career than by winning on the road in two successive weeks. That's what the University of South Florida Bulls (5-0) freshman signal caller B.J. Daniels did as he led USF to a 34-20 win over Syracuse (2-3) in the Carrier Dome. Daniels threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns. In week four, USF defeated Florida State 17-7. But in this contest, Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus, a former Duke point guard, found out that if you turn the ball over too many times in football or it will cost you. He threw five interceptions and was sacked three times. Paulus equaled the school mark for interceptions set by Todd Norley in a 28-7 loss at Penn State in 1982. Anyone who thought USF would let down and lose after a monumental win against the Seminoles was proven wrong.

7. Two years after Coach Dennis Erickson departed for Arizona State after a 4-8 record with The Idaho Vandals (U-I) in 2006, it looks like things are going well for U-I. The Vandals, who play in the Western Athletic Conference have rebounded to a 4-1 record with their latest win against the Colorado State Rams (3-2). Erickson did serve as Idaho's head coach from 1982-85 where he posted a 32-15 record when the Vandals were playing in the Big Sky Conference. He returned for the one season at Idaho then bolted for the warm dry climate of Tempe, AZ.

8. Tennessee Coach Lane Kiffin's ride to Rocky Top has hit a bumpy road in the Southeastern Conference. The Volunteers are now 0-2 in the SEC with their latest defeat coming at the hands to the Auburn Tigers 26-22 in Knoxville in front of 102, 941 fans at Neyland Stadium. Tigers senior quarterback Chris Todd threw for 218 yards and a touchdown, and senior running back Ben Tate rushed for 128 yards and a score to give Auburn its first 5-0 start since 2006. The Tigers have now defeated Tennessee for the fifth consecutive time. The Volunteers are now 2-3 overall.

9. Former Michigan Wolverines quarterback Ryan Mallett is alive and well in Arkansas. The sophomore transfer threw for 271 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Razorbacks (2-2) to a 47-19 win over the Texas A&M Aggies (3-1) in a battle of former Southwestern Conference rivals at Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington. A crowd of 71,872 fans attended this "Southwest Classic" the beginning of a 10-year series in hopes of cashing in on recruiting and alumni riches in the Dallas area. Thus far in 2009, Mallett has thrown for 11 touchdowns and 1,148 yards. He has a passer rating of 159.13 for Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Alma-mater.

10. This week's blog started out with one of Howard Schnellenberger's transformation projects the University of Miami Hurricanes and will end with another one. Former Miami Dolphins Coach Dave Wannstedt's Pittsburgh Panthers (4-1) clobbered the Louisville Cardinals 35-10 in the house the Howard built Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in front of 39,948. Louisville (1-3) took an early 10-7 lead at halftime but the Panthers scored 28 unanswered points thanks to the passing of senior quarterback Bill Stull, who threw for 242 yards and three touchdowns.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at Scottsports33@aol.com

College Football Week 4

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

What did we learn this past weekend about the doings in college football? We found out that light scheduling is a good preparation for tougher contests, that a star quarterback proved that he was human and the Heisman Trophy race became a little more interesting as some candidates compiled great numbers while others were brought down to earth.

1) My best friend and former Editor of the Deerfield Beach Observer Ric Green called me at 2:53 PM on Saturday when the No. 23 Michigan Wolverines were trailing 26-21 to Indiana University (IU) and said he hopes U-M fans are patient with this young and upcoming team. By the end of our 6:31 phone call, Wolverines freshman quarterback Tate Forcier scored a seven-yard touchdown run and U-M converted the two point attempt to take a 29-26 lead. With 2:29 left in the fourth quarter, Forcier hit Martavious Odoms for a 26-yard touchdown pass to win it for the Wolverines (4-0, 1-0). The 36-33 triumph enabled Michigan to extend its winning streak to 16 games over the Hoosiers and IU hasn't won at Michigan Stadium since 1967.

2) It looks like my Alma-mater the University of South Florida Bulls know more about pre-conference scheduling than any of us. USF's first three wins came against Wofford 40-7, Western Kentucky 35-13 and Charleston Southern 59-0. Against Charleston Southern, USF lost senior starting quarterback Matt Grothe to a season-ending injury and started Tallahassee native B.J Daniels to take on his hometown Seminoles. The redshirt freshman threw for 212 yards, two touchdowns and rushed for 126 yards to lead the Bulls to a 17-7 upset win over No. 18 FSU. Daniels chose to go to USF because he was permitted to play football and basketball. I'm sure Bulls Basketball Coach Stan Heath is glad to have him and FSU Coach Bobby Bowden is not happy he didn't keep the local kid in town. Nonetheless, at the press conference, September 26, 2009 seemed like an April Fools Day joke for Bowden as he realized that the Bulls were better then he thought and his team underestimated the Tampa based school due to scheduling weaker opponents. Even a 79-year old coach can learn and this lesson for Bulls Coach Jim Leavitt's squad enabled USF to defeat a state's big three school for the first time, referring to Florida, Florida State and Miami. Leavitt looks like a genius because he permitted a youngster an opportunity to become a two-sport star, a great recruiting strategy and used the first three games as his pre-season. USF is 10-1 all time against teams from the state of Florida and has won four straight against the ACC.

3) If the No. 25 Nebraska Cornhuskers don't win the Big 12 championship, they could classify themselves as winners of the Sun Belt Conference. Nebraska has defeated Florida Atlantic University (FAU) 49-3, Arkansas State 38-9 and on Saturday crushed the University of Louisiana-Lafayette 55-0.

4) The No.2 Texas Longhorns accomplished two things in Saturday's 64-7 pounding of the University of Texas-El Paso in Austin. They won style points in their bid to get to a BCS Championship game and senior quarterback Colt McCoy enhanced his chances of winning the Heisman Trophy. McCoy threw all three of his touchdown passes in the first half giving the Longhorns a 47-7 lead. He completed 28-35 and finished with 286 yards leading his team to an easy win.

5) How do you gain respect? If you're the Houston Cougars, just defeat teams from the Big 12 Conference. On September 12, the Cougars, who play in Conference USA, defeated the No. 5 Oklahoma State Cowboys 45-35 on the road. Saturday, it was Texas Tech's turn to taste defeat as the No. 17 Cougars (3-0) won a 29-28 decision. Thus far, Houston junior quarterback Case Keenum has eight touchdowns, 1,155 yards and has a passer rating of 158.52. Against Texas Tech, he threw for 453 yards and had two touchdowns including the game winning score, which was a four-yard run with 49 seconds left in the contest. In this game, Houston was playing as a ranked team for the first time in 18 years.

6)Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow proved he was human when he was knocked out of the team's 41-7 victory in Lexington over the Kentucky Wildcats. Tebow, who took a hard hit in the Gators victory over Tennessee on Saturday Sept 19, sustained a concussion with his team leading 31-7 in the third quarter and driving deep in Kentucky territory when Wildcats defensive end Taylor Wyndham came unblocked off the right end and sacked him. As Tebow fell backward, his helmet struck teammate Marcus Gilbert's leg, violently bending his neck forward. Tebow did lay motionless on the field at Commonwealth Stadium before he eventually went to the University Medical Center to stay over night for observation. Many people will wonder why Gators Coach Urban Meyer left him in the game with the contest no longer in doubt. To Meyer's defense, Tebow is so competitive that it would have been tough to take him out of the ball game unless he was injured. But Tebow and the No.1 Gators will have a week off then travel to LSU for an October 10th game against the Tigers. I have a feeling Tebow will be back under center.

7) FAU is off to another slow start at 0-3 but the major reason for this is because of losses to Nebraska and South Carolina. Being a young football program, the Owls need all the money they can get to build the athletic department. The 49-3 loss to Nebraska paid $650,000 while South Carolina wrote a check for $800,000 for a 38-16 win. FAU plays the 100th game in school history on Saturday against the Wyoming Cowboys at 4 PM at Lockhart Stadium.

8) Just when it was time to put California tailback Jahvid Best into the Heisman Trophy discussion after scoring five touchdowns on the road on September 19, in a 35-21 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers, fives were in Best's final numbers again. But this time the Golden Bears held Best to 55 yards as No.6 California took a 42-3 beating to the Oregon Ducks (3-1) in the Pacific Northwest. The week before, Oregon snapped No. 18 Utah's 16-game winning streak by winning 31-24 at home. It's been a good couple of weeks for the Ducks as they're well on there way towards competing for a Pac 10 championship. This was Cal's most lopsided loss under Coach Jeff Tedford--Oregon's former offensive coordinator--and worst since 55-14 to USC in 2001.

9) If the Mountain West Conference is looking for a BCS Bowl bid, they're going to need the TCU Horned Frogs to be their representative. With Utah losing at Oregon and BYU falling to Florida State, No.14 TCU needed a big win and got it by going into Clemson's Death Valley for the first time since 1965 and defeating the Tigers 14-10. Junior Andy Dalton threw for two touchdowns to keep the Horned Frogs perfect at 3-0. TCU's defense held Clemson to 117 total yards in the second half and stopped the Tigers twice on two fourth quarter drives inside the TCU 20-yard line. TCU won for the seventh time in its last 10 road games against BCS Conference opponents, including two this season against Clemson and Virginia.

10) I doubt the late Grambling State Coach Eddie Robinson would have scheduled this game but he could have used quarterback Doug Williams in the Tigers Saturday match up at Oklahoma State. Grambling State faced a Big 12 school for the first time and the Cowboys ripped them 56-6. Oklahoma State has not lost to a non-FBS opponent since losing to West Texas A&M in 1980. It was the most lopsided win for Oklahoma State since a 59-7 victory over SMU in 2004, the year before Mike Gundy took over as coach.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com

Could the Lions Upset Redskins?

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

If there was ever a time for the Detroit Lions to snap their 19-game losing streak, this would be the week to do it.

On Dec 5, 1999, the Detroit Lions ended their 16-game regular season losing streak to the Washington Redskins with a 33-17 win at the Pontiac Silverdome in a game that I attended. On Sept 10, 2000, Detroit defeated the Redskins 15-10 at the Silverdome.

So the question is, why would I be crazy enough to think this would be the week that Detroit could win a game? Here are some reasons.

Last week, the Redskins defeated the lowly St. Louis Rams 9-7 in the nations capital and had to settle for three field goals to win it. In 2008, the Rams finished 2-14.

Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford is due to have a break out game so there couldn't be a better time to do it than this week against a team that is struggling to score points itself. The Redskins offense has only scored 26 points in two weeks.

Nines are wild in this equation, as 1999 was the year they snapped one drought, have currently lost 19 games in a row, and we're 10 years later in 2009.

If the Lions don't win this week, they'll have to face a large task of facing the Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers the following three weeks with a bye on Oct 25 before returning to action at home against the Rams on November 1st.

Facing the Bears and Packers on the road and the defending Super Bowl champions Pittsburgh Steelers at home is a large challenge knowing that their getting closer to the Tampa Bay Bucs all-time record of 26-losses set in 1976-77.

For a rookie quarterback and coach to have a gorilla on their backs could be taxing for Stafford and Jim Schwartz.

To win against the Redskins would be huge because Washington leads this series 27-10.

But the Lions are 8-9 at home all-time against the Redskins, a franchise they lost to in their lone NFC Championship game on January 12, 1992, 41-10.

Other Detroit teams have fared well against Washington squads.

The 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings swept the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Finals 4-0 to win the championship.

The Detroit Pistons have fared well against the Washington Wizards over the years in route to three NBA Championships.

Finally, who can forget the transaction the Tigers made with the Washington Senators when they traded former Cy Young Award Pitcher Denny McLain during the 1970 World Series for Joe Coleman, Eddie Brinkman and Aurelio Rodriguez in one of the biggest steals in MLB history?

These three players led Detroit to the playoffs in 1972 under Tigers Manager Billy Martin.

Would a Lions win over the Redskins top these other Detroit teams accomplishments over their major sports counterparts? That would be subject for debate.

But to defeat the Redskins at the most infamous time in franchise history over free spending Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder would be a tremendous feat.

Here is a guy that at one point charged his fans admission to attend training camp practices. Yet the passionate Redskins fans paid to see them practice. If the Redskins lose this game at Ford Field, I can just imagine the embarrassment, ridicule and protests that would be in front of the Redskins headquarters, let alone the punchlines on all the late night talk shows by David Letterman, Jay Leno, etc... These protests might even make it as far as the White House and the Capital Building.

The NFL Network, ESPN, along with all the other entities covering the NFL plus the wave of blogs and websites will crucify the Redskins. It's a burden that any team would have to live with, but a proud franchise that has won Super Bowls which has owned the Lions over the years, could be the victim to end this futile streak thus would never live it down.

What's worse, finishing with a winless season or being the team makes NFL history for all of the wrong reasons to end the streak? Time will tell on Sunday September 27, 2009 in downtown Detroit. This game should be a sellout and I doubt it will get blacked out.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com

College Football Week 3

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

There is one major thing that I learned about myself during week three of the college football season. I am not a professional prognosticator therefore I better stick to just informing the fans with facts and not opinions. I predicted the Florida Gators would demolish the Tennessee Volunteers by 50 plus points and the outcome was decided by just 10 by the team that makes Gainesville it's home otherwise known as the defending national champions. So here are this week's highlights.

1) In their week two win against Colorado, the Toledo Rockets defense gave up 38 points but they should have known that if they give up this many points again to intrastate rival No.11 Ohio State, the outcome could get ugly. It did as the Buckeyes whitewashed the Rockets 38-0 in front of 71,727 at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Buckeyes improved to 25-1 against current MAC schools. The Buckeyes have not lost an intrastate game from a school in Ohio since 1921 as they fell to Oberlin.

2) Since we're on the Ohio theme, former Nebraska Cornhuskers Coach Frank Solich posted a 58-19 record in six seasons with the "Big Red" from 1998-2003. He has found a home with the Ohio Bobcats (2-1) and is 25-27 after Saturday's 28-10 victory over Cal Poly. The Ohio Bobcats are located in Athens and play in 24,000 seat Peden Stadium. Solich's Cornusker's were accustomed to playing in front of crowds above 85,500 in Lincoln. During his four plus seasons he has guided the Bobcats to a bowl appearance. But one of his biggest accomplishments was on September 6, 2008 when he took his Bobcats into Ohio Stadium and lost a hard fought decision to the No.3 Buckeyes 26-14 in front of 105,002. The Bobcats travel to Knoxville and face the Volunteers (1-2) Saturday at Neyland Stadium which has a capacity of 100,011. Solich's overall collegiate record is 83-46.

3) If you're a Minnesota Golden Gophers fan and you bought season tickets to the new TCF Bank Stadium, one way to accept the first loss in this facility, which holds 50,805, is by witnessing an outstanding performance by a Heisman Trophy Candidate. Jahvid Best scored five touchdowns and rushed for 131 yards enabling the No.8 California Golden Bears to topple the Gophers 35-21.

4) After coming off a nice 17-15 victory over Kansas State at home in week two, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette came back to reality in the battle of I-10 as the No.9 LSU Tigers hammered the Ragin' Cajuns 31-3 in front of 92,443 fans at Tiger Stadium. LSU improved to 22-0 in their series with UL-L and won versus a team from Louisiana for the 23rd straight time. The Tigers are 33-0 against the Sun Belt Conference. UL-L fell t0 1-22 against ranked opponents.

5) Speaking of the Sun Belt Conference, in NFL terms when the Raiders are mentioned playing a Maryland based team, we speak of the match ups between Oakland against the Baltimore Colts or Ravens. On Saturday, The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (2-1) defeated the host Maryland Terrapins (1-2) 32-31 in College Park as Alan Gendreau kicked a 19-yard field goal as time expired. This was the second straight win for the Blue Raiders over Maryland as they pulled off a home 24-14 upset on September 6, 2008.

6) The Delaware State Hornets (0-2) will see Maize and Blue twice this season and at the rate things are going figure to lose both games. On Saturday, the Delaware Blue Hens (2-1), who wear the same colors as the Michigan Wolverines faced their intrastate rival for the first time ever in the regular season and came away with a 27-17 win over the Hornets in Newark. A crowd of 20,585 saw this contest. The Hornets face No.23 Michigan on Oct 17 and playing in the "Big House" if my math is correct, the crowd will by five times higher in a venue that holds over 100,000.

7) What is the only way to play in the Rose Bowl if your conference has no affiliation to get there? Schedule the UCLA Bruins and after this past weekend, the Kansas State Wildcats felt the same way many Big Ten teams feel when the conference loses to the Pac 10. The Wildcats were beaten by UCLA 23-9 and dropped to 1-2 while the Bruins improved to 3-0. UCLA was 4-8 last year under first-year Coach Rick Neuheisel. The only difference in this 100,000 seat stadium was the size of the crowd as 67,311 turned out as the Rose Bowl does sellout yearly.

8) Was the Washington Huskies 42-23 win over Idaho in week two a fluke? Don't tell that to the USC Trojans, who dropped a 16-13 decision in Seattle. A crowd of 61,889 at Husky Stadium watched Washington avenge a 56-0 loss at USC last season, the worst loss in the 80-year history of this series. In the Idaho win, Washington snapped a 15-game losing streak. Washington entered this game with a 10-game Pac 10 Conference losing streak. Do you think Washington Coach Steve Sarkisian, USC's former offensive coordinator, has the Huskies headed in the right direction? Ask his former boss Pete Carroll and the answer will be an obvious yes, whose team was a nearly three touchdown favorite heading into the contest.

9) How would you like to be ESPN Announcers Sean McDonough and Matt Millen. This tandem called back to back thrillers as they watched the Michigan Wolverines defeat Notre Dame 38-34 on September 12 in Ann Arbor. On September 19, they saw No.13 Virginia Tech (2-1) defeat the No.19 Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-1) 16-15 in Blacksburg, VA as Tyrod Taylor fired an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dyrell Roberts with 21 seconds left in the game. The Cornhuskers fell to 1-21 in their last 22 games against teams in the top 20. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech now has won 32 straight non conference home contests.

10) Perhaps Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Coach Howard Schnellenberger will have better luck with the rest of his schedule after the Owls (0-2) lost its first two road games to Nebraska 49-3 and to South Carolina 38-16. FAU's latest loss came to Gamecocks Coach Steve Spurrier, who is 37-0 in his career against teams not currently in the Bowl Championship Series. FAU faces University of Lousiana Monroe-Warhawks (1-2) in the home opener this Saturday at Ft. Lauderdale's Lockhart Stadium. UL-M was spanked 38-14 Saturday by the Arizona State Sun Devils in Tempe.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com

College Football Week 2

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH


As we get ready for this Saturday's action? Here are some of the most interesting developments on the college gridiron during week two.

1) NFL teams that are utilizing the latest "Wildcat" innovation created by the Miami Dolphins in 2008, must be drooling that Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow has thrown a touchdown pass in 30 consecutive games, plus has 45 rushing touchdowns. He ranks tied for third on the SEC's all-time rushing list behind Kevin Faulk (46) and Herschel Walker (49). The Gators blasted Troy 56-6 in Gainesville as Tebow accounted for five touchdowns enabling Florida to maintain its No. 1 ranking. Tebow will have plenty of games to shatter that record starting with Saturday's contest in "The Swamp" against the Tennessee Volunteers.

2) Two weeks ago, it looked like Michigan supporters wanted to run Coach Rich Rodriguez out of Ann Arbor. I'll bet they have a different attitude now as U-M upset No. 18 Notre Dame 38-34 at "The Big House." Tate Forcier didn't look like a freshman as he threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Greg Mathews with 11 seconds left. Forcier went 23-33, 240 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Forcier had a 31-yard TD run and rushed for 70 yards. When it was all over, Michigan's win overshadowed the fine performance by Notre Dame signal caller Jimmy Clausen, who went 25-42, 336 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. It's been a long week for Fighting Irish Coach Charlie Weiss and I'm sure he'll be glad to return to South Bend Saturday to face the Michigan State Spartans. A loss to MSU could greatly hamper Notre Dame's attempt to reach a BCS bowl game.

3) Look for Central Michigan University (CMU) quarterback Dan LeFevour to play in the NFL someday. The CMU signal caller was 33-46, 328 yards and amassed three touchdowns to lead the Chippewas to a stunning 29-27 win over Michigan State at Spartan Stadium. LeFevour passed Marshall's Byron Leftwich (12,084) for the most yards in MAC history with 12,166. LeFevour can add to his record Saturday against the Alcorn State Braves. The Braves (0-1) were destroyed in their opener 52-0 to Southern Mississippi on Sept 5th.

4) In the battle of basketball schools, the host Connecticut Huskies could have used former Detroit Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky, who passed for over 10,000 career yards. The No. 19 North Carolina Tar Heels (2-0) edged the Huskies (1-1) 12-10 Saturday in East Hartford, Conn.

5) The Iowa Hawkeyes, who survived a scare a week ago to Northern Iowa University 17-16, bounced back nicely by winning a road game in Ames by crushing intrastate rival the Iowa State Cyclones. Quarterback Ricky Stanzi threw a career high four touchdown passes. Iowa also forced six turnovers in the states biggest athletic event.

6) It seems like the Tennessee Volunteers got a false sense of security by routing Western Kentucky 63-7 in their opener. Tennessee Coach Lane Kiffin rarely lost to UCLA as an assistant coach at USC. But the Bruins humbled the young coach by defeating him 19-15 defeat in front of 102,239 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. Loss No. 2 for Kiffin is expected in Gainesville against the Florida Gators, who have won their first two games by margins of 59 and 50. I have a feeling that Florida Coach Urban Meyer would like to surpass 60 points after Kiffin accused the Gators of recruiting violations. This is going to get ugly for the Orange and White. My prediction, Florida will hammer Tennessee 75-21. Accuse the Gators of cheating and Tebow and company will punch you in the mouth. There is no reason to think that a 50-point spread shouldn't hold-up in this contest.

7) It seems like yesterday that the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and my alma mater, the University of South Florida Bulls were rivals in the Sun Belt Conference in basketball. Western Kentucky used to dominate my Bulls. Western Kentucky is in its first full season in Division I and USF defeated the Hilltoppers 35-13 in Bowling Green, KY.

8) The last time I saw Florida International University (FIU) wide receiver Ty Hilton was last season in the Golden Panthers 57-50 loss to Florida Atlantic University. A crowd of 92,012 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, saw Hilton have a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. FIU kept this contest close trailing 20-14 at halftime to No. 4 Alabama before the Crimson Tide pulled away for a 40-14 win. It's hard to believe the the 5-10, 175 pounder is just a sophomore and the upside on this youngster barring injuries in unlimited. NFL scouts know it!

9). The Big 12 has been feasting on Sun Belt Conference teams through the first two weeks. But the Sun Belt Conference finally broke through as the host University of Louisiana-Lafayette (UL-L) Ragin' Cajuns edged Kansas State 17-15. UL-L didn't need alumnus Jake Delhomme (Carolina Panthers) to pull off the upset. Instead, the needed a Tyler Albrecht 48-yard field goal with 32 seconds left that enabled UL-L to win it's first game over a BCS Conference member since 1996. This loss was no way for Kansas State Coach Bill Snyder to celebrate a contract extension through 2013.

10) In the game of the week, the Ohio State Buckeyes came through again losing another big contest by dropping an 18-15 decision to USC in the final moments. The shocked Columbus crowd of 106,033 saw the Buckeyes drop their sixth consecutive game to a top five opponent and watched USC post its 10th straight win against the Big 10. The Trojans have beaten Ohio State seven straight times.

Ohio State fans will have a reason to be nervous in week three as the Buckeyes play their first game in Cleveland since 1991 against the Toledo Rockets in Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Rockets (1-1) defeated Colorado 54-38 in week two on Friday Sept 11th and last season edged the Michigan Wolverines 13-10 in "The Big House." The Rockets are 5-6 in their last 11 games against the Big Ten which will give Buckeyes Coach Jim Tressel plenty of motivation material for his 11th ranked squad. Toledo is some 20 miles closer to Cleveland than Columbus and the Rockets are considered the home team. Ohio State is 25-1 all-time against the MAC and hasn't lost to an intrastate rival in 88 years.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com

Expensive College QB Decisions

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I wonder if Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford is re-thinking his decision to return to school for his senior year after sustaining a shoulder injury in the Sooners opening game 14-13 loss to Brigham Young.
Bradford, who threw for 50 touchdowns and only eight interceptions last season leading Oklahoma to the BCS Championship game, was considered a top five NFL pick in the 2009 draft. He appears to have left millions of dollars on the table.
Bradford's injury reminds me of when Miami Hurricanes quarterback Jim Kelly injured his shoulder in 1982 against Virginia Tech and was sidelined for the season. Kelly did rehabilitate his shoulder and had his own pro day in Coral Gables. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round in 1983.
Meanwhile, USC Heisman Trophy Winner Matt Leinart was considered a top prospect in the 2005 NFL Draft after his Trojans won the national title with a 55-19 thrashing of Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl leading them to a 22-game winning streak. Leinart came back for another season. The Trojans reached the BCS title game and lost to Texas and Vince Young in the Rose Bowl. USC had a 35-game winning streak but Leinart dropped to 10th in the 2006 NFL Draft to the Arizona Cardinals. Young was drafted ahead of Leinart and was the third player selected going to the Tennessee Titans.
Leinart is currently the Cardinals backup behind Kurt Warner and like Bradford, his check book took a financial hit.
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford cashed in on Bradford's decision to stay in school with a contract that guaranteed him $41.7 million (the most guaranteed to any player in NFL history) and the total value is $78 million. It's safe to say that if the former Georgia Bulldog wants to get his degree after leaving as a junior, he'll be able to pay his tuition. In any economy let alone a bad one, Stafford looks like a genius.
What makes Bradford's decision even more intriguing is if his thought process was to come back and win a national title after losing 24-14 to Florida on January 8, those hopes took a jolt at Cowboys Stadium in the Sooners loss to BYU.
I'll never criticize a player for going back to school but that can wait when there is plenty of money out there.
In Kelly's case, I don't recall an under graduate rule so the only options were the defunct USFL and the Canadian Football League. Before signing with Buffalo in 1986, Kelly did play for the USFL's Houston Gamblers for two seasons in Mouse Davis' run-and-shoot offense amassing 9,842 yards and 83 touchdowns winning the league MVP in 1984. By developing his game under Davis' tutelage, Kelly guided Buffalo to four straight Super Bowls and that led to his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002. I doubt Kelly would have left early playing for Howard Schnellenberger.
It will be interesting to see how Florida's Tim Tebow and Texas Colt McCoy fare in their senior seasons as they attempt to stay healthy as well as lead their teams to a national championship.
If both have excellent seasons they could become the next quarterback debate in the 2010 NFL draft.
Thus far, the move has backfired for Bradford unless he returns for the last half of the season and the Sooners get to a major bowl game plus he follows it up with a huge pro day following Kelly's example.
Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com