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NFL's Detroit Lion's Great Alex Karras Dies at 77
Photo – Alex Karras - Lions
Former NFL defensive tackle Alex Karras passed away this Wednesday at the age of 77 from kidney failure after being diagnosed with dementia in recent years.
Karras was one of the NFL's best feared defensive tackles throughout the 1960s, coupling with Roger Brown to form a dominant inside tandem. Karras was a huge success after his 12 year NFL career as an actor, best known for his role in “Blazing Saddles” as Mongo and later as the lovable dad in the sitcom “Webster”.
Karras was a defender who hounded QBs, combining both quickness and power that earned him four Pro Bowl invitations over his 12 year career. He spent his entire NFL career with the Lions before retiring in 1970 at age 35.
He transcended football in a different way that rarely happens for players of any era. In addition to his movie and TV sitcom experience he made a successful transition to his acting career with a stint as a commentator on "Monday Night Football," working opposite the always verbose Howard Cosell and former Giant great Frank Gifford.
He died at home in Los Angeles surrounded by family members, said Craig Mitnick, Karras' attorney. "Perhaps no player in Lions history attained as much success and notoriety for what he did after his playing days as did Alex," Lions president Tom Lewand said.
His death also will be tied to the NFL's conflict with former players over concussions. This past April, Karras joined the more than 3,500 NFL veterans suing the league for not protecting them better from head injuries. He became one of the best-known names in the legal fight that has caused the NFL to take new steps on addressing head injuries. Recently, his wife said Karras' quality of life had deteriorated because of head injuries sustained during his NFL playing career.
Mitnick said the family had not yet decided whether to donate Karras' brain for study, as other families have done. His wife Clark said her husband couldn't drive after loving to get behind the wheel and couldn't remember recipes for some of the favorite Italian and Greek dishes he used to cook.
"This physical beating that he took as a football player has impacted his life, and therefore it has impacted his family life," Clark told The Associated Press earlier this year. "He is interested in making the game of football safer and hoping that other families of retired players will have a healthier and happier retirement."
Clark has said he was formally diagnosed with dementia several years ago and has had symptoms for more than a dozen years. He joined hundreds of other former players suing the league.
Born in Gary, Ind., Karras starred for four years at Iowa. Detroit drafted Karras with the 10th overall pick in 1958, and he was a four-time All-Pro defensive tackle over 12 seasons with the franchise. He was the heart of the Lions' defensive line, terrorizing QBs for years. He will always be remembered for his performance when the Lions handed the powerful 1962 Green Bay Packers their only defeat that season in a 26-14 upset on Thanksgiving during which they harassed QB Bart Starr constantly.
He missed the 1963 season when he was suspended by NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle in a gambling probe. Karras was recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a defensive tackle on the All-Decade Team of the 1960s.
Karras later wrote an autobiography, "Even Big Guys Cry," and two other books, "Alex Karras" and "Tuesday Night Football." Lewand said Karras also loved to garden and cook.
Packers guard Jerry Kramer wrote in his diary of the 1967 season about his trepidation over having to play opposite Karras. Their one on one battles were legendary during the 1960s.
Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe etc for the past 18 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for ESPN, CBS, Fox Sports and Sporting News on a year round basis related to College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites.
Peyton Manning Heads NFL 2012 Free Agency List
Photo - QB Peyton Manning
The Colts made the inevitable personnel move by releasing Peyton Manning this week prior to a bonus clause condition in his current contract began due. Manning has been the elite QB in the game for over a decade, setting countless NFL and Colt records. His resume includes a Super Bowl win and game MVP award, in addition to four MVP seasonal honors.
March Newsletter will have an extensive NFL Combine and Veteran Free Agency 2012 reports. - Order Today - Special Packages available - call 1-800-776-1949
Manning becomes the leading ‘Street’ free agent this year in a designation within Free Agency that has become the key additions to the open market just prior to the opening. Free Agency begins March 13th, though the ‘Street’ free agents are open to negotiate with every team now. Most ‘Street’ players are veterans with huge bonus clauses kicking in on their current contract that was back loaded. These veterans look for one more contract bonanza at the end of their careers.
Manning will command a huge contract with several clubs like the Dolphins, Redskins, Jets, Seahawks and Cardinals. His presence automatically makes his new team a Super Bowl contender if he checks out medically after four neck procedures. He will have to impress at workouts over the next few weeks and he has made definite progress in his condition over recent months. He does not have to throw a pass in anger until August/ September and is expected to be ready and give it his all for the NFL 2012 season.
The opinion here is that Manning will land in Miami and become the catalyst for a struggling Dolphin offense that has some key components – WR Marshall, RB Bush and LOT Long already in place. Several other FAs could follow Manning to Miami if he signs there like WR Reggie Wayne and center Jeff Saturday.
Manning heads the free agent QB class that should see a few command huge contracts. Other than Manning, Matt Flynn should be one of the biggest winners this offseason with a few multi million dollar contract offers. He has been Aaron Rodgers backup in recent years though he had two impressive games when asked to start. He should parlay those two games into the mega contract with teams not signing Manning in the forefront like Miami and Washington.
Franchise Quarterback: $14.4 million (down from $16.1 million in 2011, $16.4 million in 2010)
2012 NFL Unrestricted Free Agents
Top Quarterbacks
Peyton Manning - Colts
x - Drew Brees - Saints
Matt Flynn – Packers
Alex Smith – 49ers
Kyle Orton – Broncos
Jason Campbell – Raiders
Donovan McNabb – Vikings
Rex Grossman – Redskins
x - Exclusive Franchise Tag Player
College Football Mondays
2011-12 College Football Bowl Schedule
Bowl / Location / Date / Time / Network
BCS National Championship Game
No. 1 LSU vs. No. 2 Alabama
New Orleans - Louisiana Superdome
Jan. 9, 8:30 p.m. - ESPN
2011-12 College Football Bowl Schedule
Photo – WR Rueben Randle – LSU
Gildan New Mexico
Temple vs. Wyoming - Albuquerque, N.M.
Dec. 17, 2 p.m. ESPN
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Ohio vs. Utah State - Boise, Idaho
Dec. 17, 5:30 p.m. ESPN
R+L Carriers New Orleans
San Diego State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
New Orleans- Superdome
Dec. 17, 9 p.m. ESPN
Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg
Florida International vs. Marshall - St. Petersburg, Fla.
Tropicana Field
Dec. 20, 8 p.m. ESPN
S.D. County Credit Union
TCU vs. Louisiana Tech - San Diego
Qualcomm Stadium
Dec. 21, 8 p.m. ESPN
MAACO Las Vegas
Arizona State vs. Boise State - Las Vegas
Dec. 22, 8 p.m. ESPN
Sheraton Hawaii
Nevada vs. Southern Miss - Honolulu
Dec. 24, 8 p.m. ESPN
Independence
Missouri vs. North Carolina - Shreveport, La.
Dec. 26, 5 p.m. ESPN2
Little Caesars
Western Michigan vs. Purdue - Detroit
Ford Field Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m. ESPN
Belk
Louisville vs. NC State - Charlotte, N.C.
Bank of America Stadium
Dec. 27, 8 p.m. ESPN
Military Bowl
Toledo vs. Air Force - Washington, D.C.
RFK Stadium
Dec. 28, 4:30 p.m. ESPN
Holiday
California vs. Texas - San Diego
Qualcomm Stadium
Dec. 28, 8 p.m. ESPN
Champs Sports
Florida State vs. Notre Dame - Orlando, Fla.
Florida Citrus Bowl
Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m. ESPN
Alamo
Washington vs. Baylor - San Antonio
Alamodome
Dec. 29, 9 p.m. ESPN
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces
BYU vs. Tulsa - Dallas
Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Dec. 30, Noon ESPN
New Era Pinstripe
Rutgers vs. Iowa State - Bronx, N.Y.
Yankee Stadium
Dec. 30, 3:20 p.m. ESPN
Music City
Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest - Nashville, Tenn.
Dec. 30, 6:40 p.m. ESPN
Insight
Iowa vs. Oklahoma - Tempe, Ariz.
Sun Devil Stadium
Dec. 30, 10 p.m. ESPN
Meineke Car Care
Texas A&M vs. Northwestern - Houston
Reliant Stadium
Dec. 31, Noon ESPN
Sun
Georgia Tech vs. Utah - El Paso, Texas
Sun Bowl
Dec. 31, 2 p.m. CBS
Liberty
Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt - Memphis, Tenn.
Liberty Bowl
Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. ABC
Kraft Fight Hunger
Illinois vs. UCLA - San Francisco
AT&T Park
Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. ESPN
Chick-fil-A
Virginia vs. Auburn - Atlanta
Georgia Dome
Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ESPN
TicketCity
Houston vs. Penn State - Dallas
Cotton Bowl
Jan. 2, Noon ESPNU
Outback
Michigan State vs. Georgia - Tampa, Fla.
Raymond James Stadium
Jan. 2, 1 p.m. ABC
Capital One
Nebraska vs. South Carolina - Orlando, Fla.
Florida Citrus Bowl
Jan. 2, 1 p.m. ESPN
Gator Bowl
Ohio State vs. Florida - Jacksonville, Fla.
EverBank Field
Jan. 2, 1 p.m. ESPN2
Rose Bowl Game
Wisconsin vs. Oregon - Pasadena, Calif.
Rose Bowl
Jan. 2, 5 p.m. ESPN
Tostitos Fiesta
Stanford vs. Oklahoma State - Glendale, Ariz.
U. of Phoenix Stadium
Jan. 2, 8:30 p.m. ESPN
Sugar
Michigan vs. Virginia Tech - New Orleans
Louisiana Superdome
Jan. 3, 8:30 p.m. ESPN
Discover Orange
West Virginia vs. Clemson - Miami
Sun Life Stadium
Jan. 4, 8:30 p.m. ESPN
AT&T Cotton
Kansas State vs. Arkansas - Arlington, Texas
Cowboys Stadium
Jan. 6, 8 p.m. FOX
BBVA Compass Bowl
SMU vs. Pittsburgh - Birmingham, Ala.
Legion Field
Jan. 7, 1 p.m. ESPN
GoDaddy.com
Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois - Mobile, Ala.
Ladd-Peebles Stadium
Jan. 8, 9 p.m. ESPN
BCS National Championship Game
No. 1 LSU vs. No. 2 Alabama New Orleans
Louisiana Superdome
Jan. 9, 8:30 p.m. ESPN
Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe etc for the past 18 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game.
LSU Pounds Arkansas To Claim #1 Into SEC Championship vs Georgia
'College Football Monday'
Frank Coyle's Blog Column
LSU and Houston Finish Regular Season As the Only Two Unbeatens
Offensive Player of the Week –
RB Trent Richardson - Alabama
Defensive Player of the Week
CB Tyrann Mathieu - LSU
Photo - RB Trent Richardson - Alabama
The final full week of the regular 2011 season is complete with conference championship games on the agenda this week. LSU continues to establish themselves as the #1 club with an impressive 41-17 win over Arkansas after trailing 14-0 in the second quarter. The Tigers are a powerhouse who meets a hot Georgia team this week in the SEC title game. The Bulldogs have won 10 consecutive games since opening the season with two losses. LSU gained their composure vs Arkansas and drilled them with another display of power and speed that has dominated their competition against probably the toughest schedule in the nation. LSU appears headed for a rematch with Alabama who lost their only game to the Tigers 9-6 in early November. Alabama dominated Auburn in their finale to complete an excellent 11-1 season, though only good for second place in the SEC West that is occupied by LSU and Arkansas. Those three clubs ranked 1-3 entering last weekend with LSU and Alabama holding the top two spots while Arkansas fell back in the top ten.
LSU relied on a power ground game and some big plays from QB Jordan Jefferson and corner Tyrann Mathieu to blitz the Hogs. Jefferson had his best game of the season and gets the starting nod from here on thru the BCS bowl games. Mathieu may be the best defensive player in the nation after another outstanding performance. ‘Honey Badger’ has a great nose for the ball and packs a wallop when he gets there to force turnovers. In the key win over Arkansas, he had a team-best eight solo tackles, forced two fumbles and recovered one as the top-ranked Tigers completed their regular season undefeated. Mathieu added a 92-yard punt return for a TD as LSU remained undefeated (12-0, 8-0 in SEC West) and earned a spot in next week’s SEC Championship Game.
Alabama running back Trent Richardson rushed for a career-high 203 yards (on 27 carries) as the second-ranked Crimson Tide defeated Auburn, 42-14, in the Iron Bowl. Richardson added a five-yard touchdown reception as Alabama improved to 11-1, 7-1 in the SEC West. Richardson is one of the top Heisman Trophy candidates entering the final weekend where he will sit out waiting for the Tides feat in the postseason.
Michigan finally beat Ohio St. 40-34 that snapped a 7 game losing streak to their archrival. Michigan QB Denard Robinson accounted for 5 TDs as the Wolverines finished 10-2. Robinson ran for 170 yards on 26 carries, in addition to going 14 of 17 for 167 yards in a terrific overall performance. The Michigan win was huge for first year coach Brady Hoke who will lead the Wolverines in a top tier bowl matchup. Ohio St. named Urban Meyers their new head coach on Monday. The former Florida head coach sat out this year due to minor medical issues. He lead the Gators to two national championships and returns to Ohio St. where he was an assistant coach prior to starting his head coaching career at Bowling Green.
UCLA ran into the Trojans in their cross town rivalry. QB Matt Barkley has been in a zone for weeks and torched the Bruins 50-0. Barkley went 35 of 42 for 423 yards and 6 TDs that ended the Trojans season at 10-2. The Trojans are under NCAA suspension for any postseason activity, though they would rank in the top ten easily if eligible. Barkley had an outstanding season and closed with as impressive a run as any player in the nation, though any Heisman talk was most likely too little too late. UCLA finished 6-6 and earned a berth in the Pac 12’s first championship game vs Oregon. Figure that out.
Houston finished undefeated that ranks them in the top ten. QB Case Keenum broke school, conference and NCAA records weekly over the final months that might earn an invite to the Heisman Trophy presentation. Where Houston falls in the bowl season will be interesting with their perfect record intact entering the CUSA title game vs Southern Miss. They hope to possibly challenging for the BCS title if LSU loses over their final two games.
Cincinnati's Isaiah Pead had two punt returns for 54 yards, nine receptions for 112 yards and a TD, and 17 carries for 80 yards and a TD in a 30-13 win over Syracuse on Nov. 26. He finished with 246 all-purpose yards in the game. Pead's performance helped keep the Bearcats alive for a Big East Championship and a BCS bowl berth.
Georgia's Brandon Boykin had an impressive showing against Georgia Tech over the weekend. Boykin will face off with LSU this weekend in the Southeastern Conference Championship game in Atlanta, Georgia. Boykin caught one pass for 28 yards, returned two punts for 4 yards and returned one kick for 60 yards in a 31-17 win over Georgia Tech. On defense Boykin recorded two total tackles, including assisting on a tackle for loss.
The BCS matchup for #1 appears headed for a rematch of LSU and Alabama after last weekend. LSU prevailed 9-6 earlier this season on the road that earned them a huge lead for the #1 ranking entering the final months. They win the SEC West division in the conference that has dominated the national title for five consecutive seasons.
This Week’s Top Games
#1 LSU vs #12 Georgia
#11 Michigan St vs #15 Wisconsin
#7 Houston vs #24 Southern Miss
#5 Virginia Tech vs #21 Clemson
New Weekly Top 25 Polls Posted every Tuesday
Frank Coyle writes ‘College Football Monday’ weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for weekly Team and Player Awards
LSU Pounds Arkansas To Stand At #1
'College Football Monday'
Frank Coyle's Blog Column
LSU and Houston Finish Regular Season As the Only Two Unbeatens
Offensive Player of the Week –
RB Trent Richardson - Alabama
Defensive Player of the Week
CB Tyrann Mathieu - LSU
Photo - RB Trent Richardson - Alabama
The final full week of the regular 2011 season is complete with conference championship games on the agenda this week. LSU continues to establish themselves as the #1 club with an impressive 41-17 win over Arkansas after trailing 14-0 in the second quarter. The Tigers are a powerhouse who meets a hot Georgia team this week in the SEC title game. The Bulldogs have won 10 consecutive games since opening the season with two losses. LSU gained their composure vs Arkansas and drilled them with another display of power and speed that has dominated their competition against probably the toughest schedule in the nation. LSU appears headed for a rematch with Alabama who lost their only game to the Tigers 9-6 in early November. Alabama dominated Auburn in their finale to complete an excellent 11-1 season, though only good for second place in the SEC West that is occupied by LSU and Arkansas. Those three clubs ranked 1-3 entering last weekend with LSU and Alabama holding the top two spots while Arkansas fell back in the top ten.
LSU relied on a power ground game and some big plays from QB Jordan Jefferson and corner Tyrann Mathieu to blitz the Hogs. Jefferson had his best game of the season and gets the starting nod from here on thru the BCS bowl games. Mathieu may be the best defensive player in the nation after another outstanding performance. ‘Honey Badger’ has a great nose for the ball and packs a wallop when he gets there to force turnovers. In the key win over Arkansas, he had a team-best eight solo tackles, forced two fumbles and recovered one as the top-ranked Tigers completed their regular season undefeated. Mathieu added a 92-yard punt return for a TD as LSU remained undefeated (12-0, 8-0 in SEC West) and earned a spot in next week’s SEC Championship Game.
Alabama running back Trent Richardson rushed for a career-high 203 yards (on 27 carries) as the second-ranked Crimson Tide defeated Auburn, 42-14, in the Iron Bowl. Richardson added a five-yard touchdown reception as Alabama improved to 11-1, 7-1 in the SEC West. Richardson is one of the top Heisman Trophy candidates entering the final weekend where he will sit out waiting for the Tides feat in the postseason.
Michigan finally beat Ohio St. 40-34 that snapped a 7 game losing streak to their archrival. Michigan QB Denard Robinson accounted for 5 TDs as the Wolverines finished 10-2. Robinson ran for 170 yards on 26 carries, in addition to going 14 of 17 for 167 yards in a terrific overall performance. The Michigan win was huge for first year coach Brady Hoke who will lead the Wolverines in a top tier bowl matchup. Ohio St. named Urban Meyers their new head coach on Monday. The former Florida head coach sat out this year due to minor medical issues. He lead the Gators to two national championships and returns to Ohio St. where he was an assistant coach prior to starting his head coaching career at Bowling Green.
UCLA ran into the Trojans in their cross town rivalry. QB Matt Barkley has been in a zone for weeks and torched the Bruins 50-0. Barkley went 35 of 42 for 423 yards and 6 TDs that ended the Trojans season at 10-2. The Trojans are under NCAA suspension for any postseason activity, though they would rank in the top ten easily if eligible. Barkley had an outstanding season and closed with as impressive a run as any player in the nation, though any Heisman talk was most likely too little too late. UCLA finished 6-6 and earned a berth in the Pac 12’s first championship game vs Oregon. Figure that out.
Houston finished undefeated that ranks them in the top ten. QB Case Keenum broke school, conference and NCAA records weekly over the final months that might earn an invite to the Heisman Trophy presentation. Where Houston falls in the bowl season will be interesting with their perfect record intact entering the CUSA title game vs Southern Miss. They hope to possibly challenging for the BCS title if LSU loses over their final two games.
Cincinnati's Isaiah Pead had two punt returns for 54 yards, nine receptions for 112 yards and a TD, and 17 carries for 80 yards and a TD in a 30-13 win over Syracuse on Nov. 26. He finished with 246 all-purpose yards in the game. Pead's performance helped keep the Bearcats alive for a Big East Championship and a BCS bowl berth.
Georgia's Brandon Boykin had an impressive showing against Georgia Tech over the weekend. Boykin will face off with LSU this weekend in the Southeastern Conference Championship game in Atlanta, Georgia. Boykin caught one pass for 28 yards, returned two punts for 4 yards and returned one kick for 60 yards in a 31-17 win over Georgia Tech. On defense Boykin recorded two total tackles, including assisting on a tackle for loss.
The BCS matchup for #1 appears headed for a rematch of LSU and Alabama after last weekend. LSU prevailed 9-6 earlier this season on the road that earned them a huge lead for the #1 ranking entering the final months. They win the SEC West division in the conference that has dominated the national title for five consecutive seasons.
This Week’s Top Games
#1 LSU vs #12 Georgia
#11 Michigan St vs #15 Wisconsin
#7 Houston vs #24 Southern Miss
#5 Virginia Tech vs #21 Clemson
New Weekly Top 25 Polls Posted every Tuesday
Frank Coyle writes ‘College Football Monday’ weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for weekly Team and Player Awards
LSU Stands Alone at Top With Arkansas Coming To Baton Rouge
'College Football Monday'
Frank Coyle's Blog Column
Offensive Player of the Week –
QB Matt Barkley - USC
Defensive Player of the Week
LB Terrell Manning - N.C. St.
Photo - QB Matt Barkley - Southern Cal
The top ten in the BCS standings took a major shakeup as four highly ranked clubs, Oklahoma St., Oregon, Oklahoma and Clemson all fell this past weekend. Oklahoma St. got shocked by Iowa St. on Friday night 37-31 in double overtime. Oregon ran into a Trojan buzzsaw named QB Matt Barkley who lead a thrilling Southern Cal 38-35 victory. Oklahoma fell at the hands of Baylor with QB Robert Griffin toasting the Sooners for 479 yards and 4 TD passes. North Carolina St hammered Clemson 37-13, their second loss in three games. The widespread losses among top ten clubs opened up spots for undefeated Houston and Arkansas to move up quickly in the rankings.
Arkansas can throw the BCS quest for #1 into total disarray this Friday when they face top ranked LSU in their season finale. Arkansas unfortunately plays in the SEC West division that also is manned by LSU and Alabama, possibly the best two clubs in the nation. The SEC West division rank #1,2 and 3 this week, a testimony to the incredible talent in the SEC and West division in particular. Arkansas is the hottest team in the country behind QB Tyler Wilson. They have won 7 consecutive games since their September loss to Alabama. Their suspect defense has improved significantly over the past two months and has them competing for a BCS bowl appearance. If LSU wins this Friday they will play Georgia in the SEC title game. Georgia has won nine straight games since losing their first two contests this season. The streak has moved them into the top 15 in every poll with their rivalry game with Georgia Tech their finale prior to the SEC championship game.
The BCS matchup for #1 appears headed for a rematch of LSU and Alabama. That will wait until those team’s finales vs Arkansas and Auburn this week and then the tough SEC title game. LSU prevailed 9-6 earlier this season on the road that earned them a huge lead for the #1 ranking entering the final months. They hold the lead in the SEC West division in the conference that has dominated the national title for five consecutive seasons.
The ranks of the unbeatens fell to just two clubs with Houston finally joining the top ten after another easy CUSA victory over SMU. They finally play a ranked opponent in their finale this week in Tulsa that will be test their perfect season. Stanford, Oklahoma St and Virginia Tech rank in the top 5 clubs in every poll with key finales set for this weekend. The Cardinal meets Notre Dame in a huge intersectional matchup while OSU and Va Tech meets rivals Oklahoma and Virginia that could shakeup the top ten again in tough matchups.
Southern Cal QB Matt Barkley had an impressive performance in the Trojans huge 38-35 win over Oregon. With Southern Cal on NCAA probation for violations the Oregon game was the Trojans unofficial conference title game. At 9-2 this season and only cross town rival UCLA left on the schedule, the Trojans staff has done a great job keeping this club focused on the upcoming matchup. Beating Oregon and Notre Dame were solid victories to build on in the off season. Barkley is only a junior and a player who is capable of taking this program to the elite status. His fast development ranks him just behind Andrew Luck among NFL prospects.
Baylor’s QB Robert Griffin continues to impress in big game situations. Griffin had a huge game in the Bears huge win over Oklahoma. He toasted the Sooners secondary continuously, in addition to key scrambles that had the Oklahoma defense guessing all game. Both Barkley and Griffin earned Heisman Trophy consideration off strong late season games. The Heisman race is interesting this year, as every major candidate has had at least one ordinary game that has kept the award a wide open contest.
This Week’s Top Games
#1 LSU vs #3 Arkansas
#4 Stanford vs #22 Notre Dame
#8 Houston vs #24 Tulsa
#12 South Carolina vs #15 Clemson
#2 Alabama vs Auburn
New Weekly Top 25 Polls Posted every Tuesday
Frank Coyle writes ‘College Football Monday’ weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for weekly Team and Player Awards
'College Football Monday'
Frank Coyle's Blog Column
LSU and Oklahoma St. Win Huge Thrillers for SEC and Big 12 Leadership
Offensive Player of the Week – QB Brandon Weeden – Oklahoma St
Defensive Player of the Week - LB Danny Trevathan - Kentucky
Photo – QB Brandon Weeden - Oklahoma St
The matchup between #1 LSU and #2 Alabama became everything advertised if you like defensive football. Both clubs displayed physical dominant defenses that controlled the line of scrimmage that turned the classic into a field goal contrest that went into overtime. LSU prevailed 9-6 on the road that earns them a huge lead for the #1 ranking entering the final month of the regular season. They have the lead in the SEC West division to win the conference title that has dominated the national title five consecutive seasons.
The ranks of the unbeatens fell to just 5 clubs with the Alabama loss. Oklahoma St. remained perfect winning a Big 12 thriller vs once beaten Kansas St. 52-45. QB Brandon Weeden threw for a school record 502 yards vs the soft KSU secondary. What a contrast the two highly anticipated SEC and Big 12 clashes were with 15 total points scored by LSU/Alabama vs 97 points in the OSU/ KSU explosion.
Stanford, Oklahoma St and Boise St rank in the top 5 clubs in every poll with perfect records. Each face a major test this week. The Cardinal meets Oregon in a huge Pac 12 matchup while OSU meets upset minded Texas Tech and Boise St faces TCU.
All-American QB Case Keenum set another new NCAA career passing record. He moved past former Hawaiii QB Timmy Chang when he passed for 407 yards that eclipsed the record of 17,072 yards passing. Keenum continues his recovery from an early 2010 knee injury that cost him the season. He has the Cougars positioned to cause a major BCS uproar if they run their soft CUSA schedule. They are currently 9-0 while averaging 62 points per game over the last four games under the direction of Keenum.
LB Danny Trevathan of Kentucky had yet another monster game in Saturday's 30-13 win over Ole Miss. Trevathan collected 17 tackles, tying his career high, including an assisted tackle
for loss. He also had his fourth pass interception of the season, including his third-consecutive game with a pickoff. He wins our Defensive Player of the Week award.
Texas improved to (6-2, 3-2 in Big 12) with an impressive victory over Texas Tech. The Longhorns pounded the TT defense with 439 yards on the ground behind runners Joe Bergeron and Fozzy Whittaker. The victory makes Texas bowl eligible this postseason after missing out last year for the first time since the 1997 season. The Longhorns completed just two passes while building a 31-6 halftime lead.
Frank Coye’s Lombardi Award Semifinalists Vote – November 7th
1 Matt Kalil - Offensive Tackle, USC, 6-7, 295, Jr.
2 Melvin Ingram - Defensive End, South Carolina, 6-2, 276, Sr.
3 Jonathan Martin - Offensive Tackle, Stanford, 6-6, 304, Sr.
4 Vinny Curry - Defensive End, Marshall, 6-4, 263, Sr.
This week
#2 Stanford vs #6 Oregon and #5 Boise St vs #24 Texas Christian are two of the top marquee matchups the upcoming weekend.
New Weekly Top 25 Polls Posted every Tuesday
Frank Coyle writes ‘College Football Monday’ weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for weekly Team and Player Awards
