Saturday, September 12, 2015

Utah Football Defeats Michigan, 24-17, to Open 2015 Season

 Three interceptions and a defensive touchdown was the difference as the Utah football team opened its 2015 season with a 24-17 victory over Michigan on Thursday evening in front of the largest crowd in Utah history (47,825).
Utah's three interceptions came from Justin ThomasCory Butler-Byrd and Marcus Williams, with Thomas capping Utah's scoring with a 55-yard touchdown return in the fourth quarter.
Travis Wilson went 24-for-33 for 208 yards at quarterback. His one interception of the game came on a jump ball at the end of the first half.
Devontae Booker led Utah with 124 yards of total offense, which included 69 yards rushing (22 carries) and 55 yards receiving (seven catches).
Britain Covey was strong in his first career game, catching five passes for 58 yards. He also had a 14-yard punt return. Wilson found eight different receivers on the night.
Michigan had 355 yards of total offense to Utah's 337 yards, and each team came away with two offensive touchdowns and a field goal. Eighty of Michigan's yards came on its final drive of the game, and the Utah defense held the Wolverines to just 76 yards rushing.
Gionni Paul led Utah with 14 tackles, tying his career high. Tevin Carter had nine tackles with a team-high 1.5 tackles for loss. Carter also had a pass breakup.
Utah is 3-1 all-time against Michigan and has a three-game winning streak in the series.
The teams traded field goals early before the Utes took their first lead of the game, 10-3, with Booker scoring his first touchdown of the season on a one-yard run after an 11-play, 75-yard drive. Booker had 19 yards of the drive while Covey's first career catch went for 20 yards in the drive. Covey also had an eight-yard reception that was just shy of the end zone.
The Utes picked off the Wolverines twice in the first half. Michigan's first offensive drive of the game ended when Buter-Byrd, making his first career start, had his first career interception. Marcus Williams had his second career pick in the second quarter for a 10-yard return. Utah held Michigan to just 25 yards rushing in the first half.
Michigan came out of the locker room after halftime energized and put together an 11-play, 49-yard drive over 5:02 that ended in a missed field goal.
Utah responded with a long drive of its own, going up 17-3 after a 14-yard touchdown rush by Wilson with 5:49 left in the half following a 10-play, 74-yard drive over 4:09.Harrison Handley's 18-yard catch -- his first career reception -- brought Utah inside the red zone and Covey had a 15-yard catch during the drive.
Michigan scored its first touchdown of the game on its next drive following a 12-play, 75-yard drive over 5:03 for a 19-yard TD pass with 46 seconds left in the third quarter and bringing Utah's lead within a touchdown, 17-10. The Wolverine drive got new life following a Utah personal foul penalty on third down just before the touchdown.
The Utah defense got into the scoring in the fourth quarter, as Thomas picked off a pass with 7:58 left in the game and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown, giving Utah a 24-10 advantage. It was his first career interception and first career touchdown. Utah's defense again came up big on Michigan's next drive, holding the Wolverines on fourth down at the Utah 35-yard line.
Michigan scored with 54 seconds remaining in the game after a nine-play, 80-yard drive over 1:52. Utah came up with the subsequent onsides kick.
Utah returns to action on Friday, Sept. 11, against Utah State. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. MT on ESPN2. 

Turnovers Hamper Wolverines in Season-Opening Defeat

The University of Michigan football team opened up the 2015 season by playing its first-ever game in the state of Utah in front of a record crowd Thursday night (Sept. 3) but came up short, 24-17, against the host Utes (RV AP, RV USA Coaches) inside Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Senior wide receiver Amara Darboh had the game's final score, when graduate student quarterback Jake Rudockconnected with him on a 10-yard pass with 0:54 remaining to cap a nine-play, 80-yard drive. When the ensuing onside kick went out of bounds with no Wolverine timeouts remaining, U-M's comeback hopes came to a halt.
After a low-scoring first half that saw Utah take a 10-3 lead, the Utes also struck first to start the second half, opening up to a 17-3 margin after a 14-yard touchdown scamper from quarterback Travis Wilson, who tucked the ball and ran up the middle on a zone-read play to find the end zone with 5:49 remaining in the third quarter.
Junior tight end Jake Butt provided Michigan's first touchdown of the season by hauling in a 19-yard toss from Rudock -- his first touchdown pass in Maize and Blue.
The TD strike came with just 0:46 remaining in the third quarter, putting U-M down just one touchdown heading into the final frame (17-10, Utah). That catch also brought Butt over the 500-yard mark for his career.
However, the comeback attempt was put on hold after a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown, courtesy of Utah defensive back Justin Thomas.
At the start of the contest, the Utes opened the scoring, capping a 55-yard drive with Andy Phillips' 30-yard field goal at 15:00 in the first quarter. On the ensuing possession -- the first for the Maize and Blue -- Rudock drove the Wolverines' into Utah territory, but the drive was cut short on an interception from Cory Butler-Byrd inside the Utah 20-yard line.
The Wolverines got on the board courtesy of a 29-yarder off the foot of senior Kenny Allen at 14:13 in the second quarter, which tied the game and represented the only U-M points of the half. The Utes strung together a 10-play, 63-yard drive punctuated with a rushing touchdown from Devontae Booker. That put the home team up by a touchdown (10-3), and the score did not change again before the half.
To open the second half, Rudock marched the Wolverines down the field on an 11-play, 49-yard drive, but the Maize and Blue could not find the end zone. At first glance, Darboh picked up a first down inside the Utah 20, but official review showed that the ball hit the ground, and U-M had to settle for a field-goal try. On his second attempt of the evening, Allen was unable to convert on the 44-yarder.
Rudock stayed on his feet all night, as the U-M offensive line did not surrender a single sack during the contest. The Maize and Blue defense picked Wilson off at the close of the first half, with senior Jeremy Clark coming down with the ball in the end zone. Senior defensive linemen Mario Ojemudia and Matthew Godin also combined on a sack, while the unit tallied nine tackles-for-loss overall, adding a pair of pass breakups.
U-M will play a Pac-12 opponent for the second straight week next Saturday (Sept. 12), hosting Oregon State for its home opener inside Michigan Stadium. The game will be televised on ABC.

Commodores fall to Western Kentucky, 14-12, in opener

Perhaps it's only fitting that Vanderbilt's comeback hopes Thursday died with a failed two-point conversion attempt. 

All night long, the Commodores stumbled whenever they got near the end zone. 

Joe Brown stopped Nathan Marcus a yard shy of the goal line on a two-point conversion attempt with 33 seconds left to preserve Western Kentucky's 14-12 victory over Vanderbilt on Thursday night. Earlier in the game, Vanderbilt had failed to score on three separate trips inside Western Kentucky's 10-yard line. 

"I thought all the way to the end we were going to win this game," Vanderbilt coach Derek Masonsaid. "I came into this game that way, and I felt that way all the way through. I'm confident about what this football team can accomplish." 

Vanderbilt's comeback hopes instead fell a yard short. 

The Commodores had cut the lead to 14-12 when Johnny McCrary threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Trent Sherfield on fourth-and-goal. Brown made an open-field tackle after Marcus caught Johnny McCrary's pass on a potential game-tying conversion attempt. 

"We kind of studied what they liked to do on two-point conversions," Western Kentucky linebacker Nick Holt said. "They ran the exact play that offensive coordinator (Andy Ludwig) has run for years for two-point conversions. We had the perfect call. ... We sat right on it, and Joe Brown made a heck of a play cutting down a big, strong, physical receiver." 

The Commodores recovered the ensuing onside kick but touched the ball before it traveled the necessary 10 yards. 

Vanderbilt was seeking to turn things around after going 3-9 last year in Mason's debut season. 

 

Mason, a former Stanford defensive coordinator, responded to that dismal year by firing both his coordinators and putting himself in charge of the defense. Vanderbilt's defense contained a Western Kentucky offense that ranked sixth nationally in points per game (44.4) and fourth in yards per game (534.6) last season. 

That high-powered Western Kentucky offense was scoreless for the first 44 minutes of Thursday's game. 

"Coach Mason is a heck of a coach," Western Kentucky quarterback Brandon Doughty said. "He's top-notch. He's got a lot of different schemes, throws a lot of different things at you, a lot of blitzes. You've got to be ready for it." 

Western Kentucky's Tyler Higbee finally awoke a slumbering offense with a 65-yard reception that set up Leon Allen's 4-yard touchdown run. Doughty and Higbee connected again for a 9-yard touchdown on Western Kentucky's next drive to put the Hilltoppers ahead 14-6. 

Vanderbilt's Tommy Openshaw kicked a 49-yard field goal and a 26-yarder. The Commodores' red-zone struggles prevented them from scoring more often. 

Three trips inside the Western Kentucky 10 failed to produce points when McCrary threw two interceptions in the end zone and Openshaw missed a 28-yard field goal after a low snap. The Commodores had to settle for a field goal on another trip inside the 10 when Marcus dropped a pass in the right corner of the end zone.

McCrary, who earned the start for Vanderbilt after winning a quarterback competition with Wade Freebeck, went 18 of 34 for 217 yards and also rushed for 66 yards on eight carries. He engineered a 77-yard touchdown drive in a two-minute drill to get the Commodores within reach in the closing seconds. 

But he couldn't help thinking about those interceptions. 

"Those two mistakes could possibly have changed the whole outcome of the game," McCrary said. "We'll be able to grow from that and get ready for next week." 

Brown's stop saves Western Kentucky's 14-12 win over Vandy

 Joe Brown stopped Nathan Marcus a yard shy of the goal line on a two-point conversion attempt with 33 seconds left to preserve Western Kentucky's 14-12 victory over Vanderbilt on Thursday night.
Brown made an open-field tackle after Marcus caught Johnny McCrary's pass on the conversion attempt. Vanderbilt had cut the lead to 14-12 when McCrary threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Trent Sherfield on fourth-and-goal.
Vanderbilt recovered the ensuing onside kick but touched the ball before it traveled the necessary 10 yards.
Leon Allen had a 4-yard touchdown run and Tyler Higbee caught a 9-yard touchdown pass for Western Kentucky. Higbee set up Allen's score with a 65-yard reception.
Tommy Openshaw kicked field goals of 49 and 26-yards for Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt had three scoreless trips inside Western Kentucky's 10-yard line. McCrary had two passes intercepted in the end zone, and Openshaw missed a 28-yard field goal after a low snap. The Commodores had to settle for a field goal on another trip inside the 10 when Marcus dropped a pass in the right corner of the end zone.
Western Kentucky has won six straight games in a streak that began last November. Vanderbilt was seeking to turn things around after going 3-9 last year in Derek Mason's debut season as coach.
Mason, a former Stanford defensive coordinator, responded to that dismal year by firing both his coordinators and putting himself in charge of the defense. Vanderbilt's defense contained a Western Kentucky offense that ranked sixth nationally in points per game (44.4) and fourth in yards per game (534.6) last season.
That high-powered Western Kentucky offense was scoreless for the first 44 minutes of Thursday's game.
Higbee finally awoke Western Kentucky's offense late in the third quarter when he caught a Brandon Doughty pass, headed to the right sideline and broke free before finally getting brought down at the Vanderbilt 4 to set up the Hilltoppers' first touchdown.
After Openshaw's 26-yard field goal cut Western Kentucky's lead to 7-6, Doughty found Higbee again for a touchdown that made it 14-6 with 8:38 remaining.
Higbee finished with four catches for 102 yards, while Doughty was 19 of 30 for 209 yards. Doughty threw for 4,830 yards and 49 touchdowns last season to lead all Football Bowl Subdivision players in both categories.
McCrary, who earned the start for Vanderbilt after winning a quarterback competition with Wade Freebeck, went 18 of 34 for 217 yards and also rushed for 66 yards on eight carries. He engineered a 77-yard touchdown drive in a two-minute drill to get the Commodores within reach.
Then Brown stopped Vanderbilt's comeback hopes one yard short.

UConn Holds Off Villanova 20-15 in Season Opener

 University of Connecticut redshirt sophomore Bryant Shirreffs(Jefferson, Ga.) threw for 202 yards and two touchdowns in his first collegiate start and first game for the Huskies as the UConn football team defeated Villanova by a 20-15 score on Thursday night. The game was the season opener for both team and was played before a Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field crowd of 26,113.
The Huskies opened the scoring with a 14-yard TD reception by redshirt sophomore Tommy Myers(Coventry, Conn.) from Shirreffs that completed a 13 play, 79 yard drive that made it 6-0 Huskies with 6:55 to go in the first quarter.
The Wildcats led 9-6 at the half, but the Shirreffs to Myers duo was back at work on the second play from scrimmage of the second half for a 69-yard completion that put the ball at the Wildcat one-yard line. Two plays later, sophomore running back Ron Johnson (Naples, Fla.) ran the ball in for the score and give UConn the lead for good at 13-9.
The Huskies made it 20-9 on a 27-yard reception by sophomore Arkeel Newsome (Ansonia, Conn.) with 4:53 to go in the game. Villanova quarterback John Robertson scored on a three-yard run with 1:45 to go.
UConn had a key defensive stop early in the fourth quarter as Villanova had moved the ball to the Husky 36, but stopped the Wildcats on fourth and one.
Johnson was UConn's leading rusher with 69 yards while junior Noel Thomas (Norwalk, Conn.) and Newsome each had three receptions.
Redshirt sophomore Junior Joseph (Sinking Springs, Pa.) led the Huskies with nine tackles while sophomore linebacker Luke Carrezola (Langhorne, Pa.) had six tackles with a sack and redshirt sophomore Folorunso Fatukasi (Far Rockaway, N.Y.) had six tackles with two sacks.
Robertson passed for 153 yards and one TD while rushing 66 yards for the Wildcats, who are ranked fourth preseason in the NCAA FCS.

Skov, Marshall Shine in No. 16 Football's Win over Alcorn State

 Seven different players scored a touchdown, including four with the first of their careers, as No. 16 Georgia Tech's offense lit up the Atlanta skyline with a 69-6 win Thursday night over Alcorn State.

Freshman B-back Marcus Marshall rushed for 184 yards with two scores and graduate transfer Patrick Skov tallied a career-high 72 rushing yards and a career-best three rushing touchdowns. Marshall became the first Georgia Tech true freshman running back to score a touchdown since Embry Peeples in 2008 vs. Mississippi State.

For Skov, he nearly tripled his career rushing output in one night. Prior to his Georgia Tech debut, the Stanford transfer had 25 career rushing yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries in three seasons.
Justin Thomas played only the first quarter for No. 16 Georgia Tech in a season-opening blowout, allowing a couple of newcomers to grab the spotlight.
Georgia Tech scored on its first seven possessions, barely breaking a sweat against the Football Championship Subdivision school from Mississippi. The Yellow Jackets led 34-0 at the end of the first quarter, their most points in an opening period since at least 1950. The officials were already letting the clock run in the second quarter, looking to make things a little easier on the Braves.
It didn't help much. Georgia Tech led 48-0 at halftime and never let up.
Coming off an 11-win season and a victory in the Orange Bowl, Georgia Tech began another season of high expectations with a walkover that won't provide much of a barometer on the tougher games to come.
Thomas, the team's star quarterback, ran for one score and passed for another before heading to the bench to watch the final three quarters.
"We did what we set out to do," he said. "We started out fast. That's what we expect."
The Yellow Jackets dominated this one right from the start, finishing with 476 yards rushing. They led the nation in that category a year ago out of their lethal triple-option offense.
Marshall, the younger brother of Georgia running back Keith Marshall, scored on a 49-yard run with his first handoff and followed with a 64-yarder late in the third quarter. Both plays were nearly identical, the newcomer from Raleigh, N.C., taking a handoff over center and racing untouched down the middle of the field, no one close to him.
"It was kind of crazy," Marshall said. "I was excited when I saw it open like that."
His brother was pumped up, too. Keith tweeted, "1st carry Touchdown !!!!!!!! Turnup."
Marcus Marshall did lose a fumble, which was duly noted by coach Paul Johnson.
Otherwise, the freshman made quite a first impression.
"He's got ability," Johnson said. "He's got good feet. He's got good speed."
Skov, who transferred to the Atlanta school after graduating from Stanford, scored on runs of 3, 21 and 4 yards taking over as the starting B-back, a fullback-like role but more of a runner than a blocker in the Yellow Jackets' scheme.
He finished with 72 yards on a dozen carries - more than he had his entire career with the Cardinal.
"It's a new role," Skov said. "After four years as a traditional fullback, I'd say this is a unique opportunity."
Georgia Tech needed only five plays to jump ahead on their opening possession, continuing a trend from last season when they scored in 10 of 14 games the first time they had the ball. Thomas rolled to his right, looking to throw, then sprinted back to the opposite corner for a 13-yard touchdown, managing to touch the ball to the orange pylon just before he stepped out of bounds.
Thomas also had a 19-yard scoring pass to Micheal Summers.
Backup quarterback Tim Byerly had an 8-yard touchdown run, and third-stringer Brady Swilling even got in on the scoring, taking it in from the 1.
Alcorn State, which won 10 games a year ago and its first Southwestern Athletic Conference title since 1993, missed a field goal on the final play of the first half. But the Braves went 75 yards on the opening possession of the second half - nearly doubling their offensive output - and scored on Arron Baker's 1-yard run.
That was it. The Braves were doubled up in total yards, 553-272.
"Give Georgia Tech all the credit," Alcorn State coach Jay Hopson said. "They're an outstanding team and they proved why they're the Orange Bowl champion and a playoff-contending team."
About the only negative news for Georgia Tech was an ankle injury that knocked third-string B-back Marcus Allen out of the game in the first half. He was able to walk gingerly off the field, but there was no need to return in this one.
Marshall and Skov were more than enough. 

Green Ties TD Record as Football Beats VMI in Opener

Ball State football coach Pete Lembo’s career has been marked by explosive offense that picks at an opponent’s defensive weaknesses bit by bit or with the suddenness of a bolt of lightning.
Both of those characteristics were apparent Thursday night when the Cardinals opened the 2015 season against Virginia Military Institute.
Ball State and VMI combined to put on a prolific show of offensive football that ended with the Cardinals claiming a 48-36 victory in front of 10,473 fans in their season-opener in Scheumann Stadium. The win was Ball State’s sixth in a row in a home opener.
Anybody expecting to be entertained likely had no complaints as the teams combined to pile up 1,114 yards of offense, breaking the stadium record of 1,072 set in 2012 in the Cardinals’ game vs. Northern Illinois.
“These games are like three and a half hours in purgatory if you’re in my position,” Lembo said. “We were expecting a high scoring game going in … we also anticipated we were going to get the kitchen sink thrown at us, which we certainly did.
“We saw a fake punt, a fake field goal, two onside kicks and certainly some chances they took going for it on fourth down.”
While the Ball State defense wobbled after a strong early start, the offense functioned at a high level considering sophomore quarterback Jack Milas was making only his seventh collegiate start, the backfield was relatively inexperienced and the offensive line included two players who made starts for injured players.
Despite those potential obstacles, the Cardinals’ performance on offense was notable in several areas.
Their 567 yards was the ninth-best offensive output in school history, and gave them 1,152 in their past two games going back to the 2014 finale. They ran 95 plays, tying for fifth most in school history.
Sophomore tailback Darian Green tied a school record for a single game with four touchdowns – rushing for three and catching a pass for one. He also returned four kickoffs for 120 yards, with a long of 48 yards.
Milas set personal bests with 34 completions, 52 attempts and 338 yards. He wasn’t sacked all game despite numerous blitzes attempted by VMI.
Eight players caught at least one pass, with Jordan Williams snagging eight for 99 yards andKeVonn Mabon seven for 54.
“We operated pretty well offensively other than settling for some field goals in the first half,” Lembo said. “It was a good, solid win.”
Milas played his first game since cracking a bone in a wrist late last season. He admitted to some nerves at the start of the game, but Lembo and offensive coordinator Joey Lynch dialing up 34 pass attempts in the first half helped him settle down.
“Just being out there again, getting the feel of a game, was great,” said Milas, whose 52 pass attempts were second most in school history. “I think I’ve improved, as an offense we’ve improved, and as a team we’ve improved tremendously.
“From last year to this year, it’s a completely different story.”
Milas threw only one touchdown pass as several drives bogged down in the red zone, but he showed he has numerous threats around him to cause concern for defenses.
“It’s always fun in these kind of (fast-paced) games, kind of a shootout,” he noted. “From our standpoint, we just have to move the ball and get first downs and continue to keep moving the ball and get touchdowns instead of field goals.”
Teddy Williamson led the Cardinals in rushing with 74 yards on 16 carries. Green added 73, and true freshman James Gilbert had 61 on 12 carries while rushing for two touchdowns.
Ball State’s defense shut down VMI early, holding the Keydets to 46 yards and forcing them to punt after each of their first five possessions.
But VMI eventually found some momentum and capitalized on some spotty play by the Cardinals’ defense to finish with 547 yards (303 after halftime). VMI scored 26 of its points in the second half.
Lembo said there were mistakes to correct, for sure, but he didn’t want his players to lose sight of the winning feeling they experienced.
“I told them afterward that I never want to not be happy with a win because they’re too hard to come by,” he said.
Linebacker Sean Wiggins led the Cardinals with 10 tackles. Defensive end Joshua Posleyforced a fumble that Osa Igbinosun recovered, setting up a fourth-quarter Ball State touchdown.
Ball State returns to action Sept. 12 at Texas A&M.

Offense Breaks Out, Wake Forest Beats Elon 41-3

Quarterback John Wolford passed for a career-high 323 yards and three touchdowns as Wake Forest defeated Elon 41-3 in the 2015 season-opener at BB&T Field on Thursday night.
Wolford also capped off his career-day with a 70-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The rush was the fifth-longest by a Demon Deacon quarterback and the longest quarterback touchdown run since 1968.
Wake Forest piled up 591 total yards of total offense off 82 plays while stifling Elon's offense. Elon managed just 151 yards of total offense during the contest. The Deacons posted 388 passing yards and 203 rushing yards while holding a 29-6 advantage in first downs.
Freshman running back Matt Colburn rushed for 38 yards and a touchdown while freshman wide receiver Chuck Wade compiled 70-yards receiving and a touchdown. Redshirt sophomore tight end Cam Serigne finished with a touchdown and 60 yards receiving. Cortez Lewishad 64 yards receiving and a score in the win.
Cameron Glenn and Hunter Williams led the defense with five tackles and four solo stops each. Ryan Janvion and Brandon Chubb each recorded four total tackles.
Wake Forest opened the scoring late in the first quarter with a 28-yard field goal from Mike Weaver. The Deacons extended their lead to 10-0 after a 10-yard touchdown pass to Serigne from Wolford with 11:19 left in the second quarter. The drive was set up by a 22-yard run fromTyler Bell.
Colburn rushed for a 2-yard touchdown capping off an 11 play, 90-yard drive which put Wake Forest up 17-0.
Wolford made the play of the night when he bolted for a 70-yard touchdown run with 2:57 left in the first half. Weaver's extra point put the Deacs up 24-0 heading into the locker room. By halftime, Wolford had thrown for 209 yards.
Elon added a field goal in the third quarter but the Deacons added on with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Lewis and a 27-yard touchdown pass to Wade. Wake Forest led 38-3 heading into the fourth quarter, before Weaver added a 32-yard field goal to make it 41-3.
Freshman quarterback Kendall Hinton took over for Wolford in the fourth quarter. Hinton was 9-for-13 for 65 yards.
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
• Wake Forest piled up 591 total yards. The Deacons hadn't gained 500 yards since taking on Army in 2012, and were nine yards from the first 600-yard game since 1968.
• The Deacs rushed for 200 yards for the first time since against Army in 2012. 
• John Wolford became Wake Forest's first 300-yard passer since Tanner Price in 2013.
• Wake Forest possessed the ball for 38:52.
FRESHMEN GALORE
• Wake Forest freshmen accounted for three of Wake Forest's five touchdowns (Matt ColburnChuck WadeCortez Lewis).
• Tyler Bell also averaged 5.6 yards on five carries and had three catches for 42 yards.
• Wade (70 yards), Lewis (64 yards), Tabari Hines (24 yards), and Alex Bachman (eight) each gained receiving yards.
• Defensively, Cameron Glenn was tied for Wake Forest's leading tackler, while Willie YarbaryZack WaryDionte AustinDeonte Davisand Chris Calhoun also recorded stats.
OTHER NOTES 
• Wake Forest is 54-57-3 all-time in season-opening games.
• The Deacons are 74-38-2 all-time in home openers, including six straight victories. 
• Wake Forest wore its new black jerseys with gold striping and gold pants on Thursday night.
NEXT UP
Wake Forest travels north to Syracuse on Sept. 12 at 12:30 p.m. in the ACC opener for both teams. The game can be heard on the Wake Forest IMG Sports Network and will be televised on the ACC Network.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Central Michigan Falls Short to Oklahoma State in Season Opener, 24-13

Oklahoma State spoiled John Bonamego's debut as Central Michigan's coach on Thursday, as the Cowboys handed the Chippewas a 24-13 loss at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

It was Bonamego's first game as coach at Central, where he was a two-time letterwinner as a walk-on in the mid-1980s before going on to a career first as a college assistant, then 16 years as an NFL aide.

When he took over the program in February, he called it his dream job.

"I am pleased with our effort," said an obviously drained Bonamego, who was diagnosed with cancer in June and completed radiation and chemotherapy treatments two weeks ago. "I'm pleased with how we played and with the physicality and emotion and energy and effort.

"I thought they hung in there with a very tough opponent for four quarters, slugged it out and proved that they belonged on the field. I was pleased with the fight they showed. That's got to continue, that's part of what we are as a team, a university, as a school. It's pride, it's toughness."

On Thursday, the Big 12 Cowboys used a no-huddle spread offense that wore down the Chippewas and took its toll in the second half. Oklahoma State led 10-6 at halftime and it finished with 419 yards in total offense, 278 of it in the final two quarters.

Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush turned in a solid performance, completing 28 of 41 pass attempts for 225 yards and leading the Chippewas with a career-best 51 yards rushing.

"I thought Cooper played a great game, kept us in the game," Bonamego said. "Bottom line is we just made too many mistakes against a quality opponent. We can't turn the ball over and we can't have penalties."

Rush, a junior making his 24th consecutive start, showed some of the grit and toughness that Bonamego so desires from his players when he put his head down at the goal line and ran over a Cowboy defensive back to complete an 16-yard third-quarter touchdown run that briefly put the Chippewas up, 13-10.

"I think the receiver group did a great job against that speed of the Big 12, they were getting open," Rush said, "which makes my job easy and I think they showed people what they could do and their explosiveness.  We just left a few plays out there.  A couple more and we would have had that one."

But that Rush was CMU's top ground-gainer was telling. The Chippewas finished with just 78 yards rushing, about half of what they averaged per game in 2014.

"We felt like it was important to establish the run against them, try to shorten the game a little bit," Bonamego said. "We weren't as efficient as we felt like we could've been."

"I think maybe we just got worn down at the end but I thought our guys made a tremendous effort. You have to give credit to them, they executed and made plays they needed to make down the stretch and we didn't.

"I think in the fourth quarter when we weren't able to convert on third down, we were going three-and-out in a couple series and our defense had to get right back out on the field. If anything that may have taken a toll on some of the guys."

Rush was intercepted once, on his first throw of the game, and that came deep in his own territory and led to a 22-yard Ben Grogan field goal that put OSU up, 3-0.

CMU junior Brian Eavey sandwiched two field goals - the first a 31-yarder, the second from 26 -- around a 1-yard TD run by Cowboy backup quarterback J.W. Walsh which left CMU down just four, 10-6, at the break.

But on both Chippewa scoring drives, penalties stalled potential touchdowns and instead forced CMU to settle for field goals. 

"We had two penalties in the first half where we traded touchdowns for field goals," Bonamego said. "Both times we got into the red zone, and one time it was a procedure and one time it was a holding penalty.

"(They) got us off schedule and we ended up settling for field goals. We like our field goal kicker but we need to score touchdowns down there, especially against a team like this that's such a high octane offense."

OSU quarterback Mason Rudolph finished with 266 yards on 22-of-32 passing. Less than two minutes after Rush gave the Chippewas the 13-10 advantage, Rudolph bolted 21 yards for a score to put the Cowboys back in front, 17-13.

Rudolph connected with Marcell Ateman for an 18-yard TD pass early in the fourth quarter to extend the OSU advantage to two scores.

Cowboys Control Central Michigan, 24-13

Mason Rudolph threw for 266 yards and one touchdown in Oklahoma State's season opener on Thursday, leading the Cowboys to a 24-13 victory over Central Michigan at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. 

After a tight first half, which concluded in OSU holding a slim 10-6 advantage, the Cowboys went on to clinch the contest and outscore the Chippewas, 14-7, after halftime. The victory marks Oklahoma State's seventh win in its last eight season openers. 

Central Michigan (0-1) provided a strong test for the Cowboys throughout, even taking a 13-10 lead in the third following Cooper Rush's 16-yard rushing touchdown.

Oklahoma State provided an immediate answer, as Rudolph scampered for a 21-yard score less than two minutes later. The go-ahead touchdown gave Rudolph his first rushing touchdown of his career, and put the Cowboys ahead for good. 

Later in the contest, Rudolph connected with Marcell Ateman on an 18-yard toss to extend the Cowboys' lead to 24-13. Ateman finished with four catches for a team-leading 75 yards, followed closely by David Glidden's five-catch, 71-yard effort. 

Making his first-career start with Oklahoma State, running back Chris Carson provided a bulk of the Cowboys' rushing attack with 89 yards on 21 attempts. Senior quarterback J.W. Walsh also added a rushing score of his own. 

Oklahoma State will return home for its next contest, as the Cowboys host Central Arkansas on Saturday, Sept. 12, at Boone Pickens Stadium. 

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Pawed By The Panthers

 UCF held a 14-3 lead at halftime over FIU Thursday night at Bright House Networks Stadium. But a pair of FIU touchdowns and a blocked field goal in the final minute lifted the Panthers over the Knights 15-14.

Trailing 3-0, UCF took the lead on a Justin Holman-to-Jordan Akins 9-yard scoring strike. The touchdown was set up by a turnover, when Chequan Burkett forced a Panther fumble at the FIU 26-yard line.

On its next possession, UCF marched 70 yards in seven plays. A 20-yard Holman-to-Akins completion put the ball in FIU territory. Three plays later, Akins was wide open in the seam for a 33-yard score. But that was the last time UCF would get on the board.

"You don't block or tackle or the things you're supposed to do fundamentally ... that's usually the end result," UCF head coach George O'Leary said. "We didn't make enough plays in any phase."

FIU held UCF to just 46 yards rushing in the contest and just four yards in the second half. 
"I didn't think we made any movement up front, at all," O'Leary said.

The Panthers put together two touchdown drives of 80 or more yards -- one midway through the third quarter and one early in the fourth -- to take a 15-14 lead. Two-point conversion attempts after both scores failed.

The Knights had one last chance to take the victory late in the contest. The defense forced a three-and-out, holding on 3rd-and-1. UCF drove inside the FIU 25-yard line. 

"We are on the 25-yard line, you just maintain your distance and that kid makes field goals blindfolded from there," O'Leary said.

But a penalty pushed the Knights back to the 30.Matthew Wright's 47-yard field goal attempt with 30 seconds left was blocked.

Aim for Akins; Toss it to Tre'Quan
• Akins, a sophomore from McDonough, Ga. Scored his first two career touchdowns.
• Akins finished with nine receptions for 104 yards, both career-best marks. 
• Tre'Quan Smith, a redshirt freshman from Delray Beach, Fla., matched Akins' nine receptions and 104 yards in his first collegiate contest.
• The last time UCF had two 100-yard receivers in the same game was Nov. 16, 2013 at Temple (J.J. Worton-179; Rannell Hall-159).

Surpassing 2 Million At Bright House
• With an announced attendance of 39,184, Bright House Networks Stadium saw its 2 millionth fan come through the gates. 
• Bright House Networks Stadium has seen 2,021,448 fans attend UCF games since the venue opened in 2007.

OPEN AND SHUT CASE: FIU STARTS FAST IN THE 3RD & 4TH QUARTERS AND CLOSES UCF

This time FIU finished the close one.
 
All offseason the Panthers talked about finishing games in 2015 after losing four games by three points or less in 2014. Mission accomplished in the season opener.
 
After Darrian Dyson blocked the potential game-winning 47-yard field goal by UCF's Matthew Wright to preserve a 15-14 win over the Knights, the Panthers spilled from their sideline on to the Bright House Networks Stadium field to rejoice in the program's first season-opening win since 2011. The Panthers opened the 2011 season with a home win against North Texas.
 
FIU rallied from a 14-3 deficit in the second half with touchdowns to open the third and fourth quarters.
 
FIU narrowed the UCF lead to 14-9 with an 8-yard run by Alex Gardner on its first possession of the second half. The Panthers went 82 yards for their first touchdown in 2015. FIU went for the two-point conversion butAlex McGough's pass was incomplete.
 
The drive which took 6:19 featured the debut of freshman Anthony Jones, who gained 26 yards on his first collegiate rush on the second play of the drive. Later Alex McGough hit Jones for a 15-yard completion and found Jonnu Smith for 17 yards to the UCF 3. Smith extended his consecutive pass catching streak to 25 games with a 3-yard reception in the first quarter.
 
Much like it opened the third quarter with six, FIU did the same to start the final 15 minutes. The Panthers marched 80 yards to paydirt to take a 15-14 lead.
 
Senior tight end Ya'Keem Griner played a crucial part in the go-ahead touchdown drive. Griner caught a career-long 46-yard pass early in the drive. Griner was also the recipient of a fortuitous bounce when he grabbed the go-ahead touchdown after the pass intended for Thomas Owens was batted in the air. The 4-yard touchdown vaulted the Panthers on top.
 
Owens caught a career-high 11 passes for 78 yards to lead the FIU receivers. McGough established career-highs of 29 completions in 38 attempts for 260 yards and a touchdown. Gardner led FIU rushing with 75 yards and a touchdown.
 
FIU's nationally-ranked defense last season continued its steady course Thursday night in Orlando keeping the Panthers in the game while the offense found its footing. The FIU defense held the UCF offense to less than 300 total yards (295 yards) and recorded two sacks by its all-conference defensive ends Michael Wakefield and Denzell Perine. The FIU D also had eight tackles for loss. Treyon Williams (11 tackles),Richard Leonard (10) and Anthony Wint (10) all had double-digit tackles. Williams established a new career-high in tackles.
 
The Panthers scored the first points of any FBS team this college football season when Austin Taylor hit a 28-yard field goal with 6:10 left in the first quarter to give FIU a 3-0 lead. FIU drove 76 yards to the UCF 11, highlighted by a 27-yard catch and run by Gardner on a pass from McGough.
 
The Knights answered near the end of the first quarter after an FIU fumble at its own 31. Justin Holman threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Akins to put UCF on top 7-3.
 
Holman and Akins connected again to fuel the Knights' second touchdown. The duo hooked up for 20 yards to the FIU 36. Two plays later, Holman found Akins again for a 33-yard score to send UCF into the locker room with the 14-3 edge.
 
FIU continues on the road next week with its first-ever meeting against Indiana. The Panthers and Hoosiers kickoff at 8 p.m. next Saturday, Sept. 12 from Bloomington, Ind.