Tide’s defensive game plan a reality check for offensive-minded bowl season

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How ironic that a bowl season noted for some record-breaking offensive performances ends with perhaps one of the best defensive efforts in recent memory.

The Alamo Bowl, a 67-56  defense-non-existent race between Baylor and Washington, was more theatre — a comedy at that — than a football game. Color analyst and tackling aficionado Chris Spielman is still purging, I’m sure.

If Russell Wilson hadn’t been so captivated by Oregon’s shiny helmets made from 100 percent stainless steel, perhaps he would have been able to spike the ball in time to give Wisconsin a shot to tie the Rose Bowl at 45 points in regulation. Instead, time expired and a measly 83 points had to suffice.

The Orange Bowl jokes are still going strong. It’s been five days since West Virginia hung up 70 on Clemson, and the Mountaineers just scored another touchdown.

It’s cool, man, we get it. Offense equals eyeballs. People need to be entertained.

It’s just that Nick Saban is the one holding up the crystal ball from the Coaches’ Trophy after beating top-ranked LSU 21-0 to win his second BCS championship with Alabama in three seasons — his third BCS championship overall. He’s holding it up because No. 2 Alabama’s top-ranked defense held LSU to 92 total yards, forced two turnovers and didn’t allow the Tigers past midfield until 7:29 left in the fourth quarter.

But before people start harping on LSU’s lifeless offense as the primary reason Bama’s defense looked so dominant — although it was lifeless, let’s not kid ourselves — let’s remember that this was the same LSU offense that scored 34 points against Rose Bowl champs Oregon, 40 against Orange Bowl champs WVU, 34 against Cotton Bowl champs Arkansas and 41 against Gator Bowl champs Florida, which despite its struggles, played relatively well defensively this year.

LSU’s 2011 identity revolved around big plays on defense and special teams; get a spark there and the Tigers could get on a roll before the opposing teams knew what hit them. Even LSU’s 9-6 win over Alabama on Nov. 5 featured momentum swings from the other two-thirds of the football game not involving offense.

Alabama took away that identity tonight and LSU never got the spark they needed during a game when they needed it most.   Coincidentally, the Tide did it by refusing to waiver on their game plan.

“We didn’t do a lot different [from the last game],” Saban said. “We did some things on offense formationally. Our offensive team did a great job. Defensively, we just played well, played the box.”

It showed. LSU had no running game, no vertical passing game, no clue. Jordan Jefferson looked lost and Jarrett Lee was lost, as in he was no where to be found other than on the sidelines.

It was one of the more questionable decisions of the night.

But there’s no questioning this Alabama defense’s place as one of the best in recent history.

“We wanted to come out and show the world we beat ourselves the first game,” said linebacker Courtney Upshaw. “We wanted to come out and dominate from start to finish, and that’s what we did.”

Indeed. There’s no way you can blame Saban for relying on kicker Jeremy Shelley to win the game with five field goals. Even before Trent Richardson sealed the victory with a 34-yard touchdown run, 15-0 seemed insurmountable with the way the Tide’s D was flying to the ball.

Kick the field goals. Build the lead. Nick Saban don’t care. Right, Honey Badger?

After all, Saban’s the one holding up the crystal ball. And I can guarantee you he doesn’t give a damn if you were entertained.

Oh, what the hell.  Let’s add another layer to the college football soap opera that is Johnny Manziel a few days after he tweeted “Bull**** like tonight is a reason why I can’t wait to leave college station.”

Most people know that, in his first season as a starter, the quarterback not only led Texas A&M to an unprecedented first season in the SEC, but also became the first freshman — redshirt or otherwise — to take home the storied Heisman Trophy.

What some people tend to forget is that, exiting spring practice last year, Jameill Showers was the favorite to win the Aggies starting job and, a couple of months later, Manziel was arrested and charged with a handful of misdemeanors related to an incident at a College Station drinking establishment.  It was at that point that the fortunes of Aggie football in general and Manziel specifically reportedly reached a crossroads that the public never knew about.

Citing a source with knowledge of the situation, Kate Hairopolous of the Dallas Morning News reports that, in the aftermath of his arrest and subsequent shirtless mugshot, Manziel was suspended for the 2012 season by A&M.  As a result, the source told Hairopolous, Manziel gave serious consideration to transferring from the Aggies pending an appeal.

The appeal was successful, obviously, and the rest is downright college football lore.

In Manziel’s first season as a starter… and in Kevin Sumlin‘s first season as the Aggies’ head coach… and in A&M’s first season in the best football conference in the country, well…

An 11-win season that was the Aggies’ most since 1998.  A 28-point Cotton Bowl beatdown of then-No. 11 Oklahoma.  And, the icing on the cake, handing Alabama its lone loss in a season that ended with the Tide’s second straight BCS title and third in four years.

It was, by all accounts and every tangible measurement, an unmitigated success, with nothing but on-field positives heading into arguably the most anticipated season in the program’s history.  That said…

It’s been widely speculated — and not exactly shot down by the player — that Manziel will bolt A&M following the 2013 season for the NFL as he would be three years removed from high school and thus eligible for the draft.  Based on the Tim Tebow-like crush of attention the I’ll-live-my-life-however-I-damn-well-please-so-FU Manziel receives, that’s quickly evolving into what’s likely the best course of action for all involved.

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Not only is Mark Stoops making eye-opening inroads on the recruiting trail at Kentucky — the Wildcats are No. 2 in Rivals.com‘s 2014 team rankings for football — but he and his staff are also viewed as viable transfer options for talented players at other schools as well.

Demitrious Davis confirmed to the Lexington Courier-Journal‘s Kyle Tucker that he and his twin brother, Chris Davis, have decided to continue their collegiate playing careers at Kentucky.  It was reported last month that both players would be leaving Pittsburgh.

The decision came after the brothers, Ohio natives, visited UK earlier Tuesday, and the connection to their home state appeared to play a role on some level in landing in Lexington.

“The coaching staff they’ve brought in is great,” Demitrious Davis said of Stoops, also an Ohio native, “and after the visit today, it just felt like home. It felt good to be there. We’ve seen all the other Ohio guys that will be there, and we know how good Ohio football is.”

Both of the Davis twins were three-star members of Pitt’s 2012 recruiting class, rated as the No. 32 (Demitrious, who will be a wide receiver/running back at UK) and No. 33 (Chris, cornerback) “athletes” in the nation by Rivals.com.  They were the No. 39 and No. 40 players, respectively, in the state of Ohio.

The brothers will be forced to sit out the 2013 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules.

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Earlier this month, Miami football player Dyron Dye filed an incident report with the Coral Gables police department in which it was alleged that an NCAA investigator had “coerced” Dye into making statements that benefited The Association’s case against the Hurricanes.

In the end, Dye’s attempt to hold the NCAA accountable for alleged shady investigative tactics fell short.

According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, no felony charges will be brought against former NCAA investigator Rich Johanningmeier.  The paper writes that “Coral Gables police referred the case to the Miami-Dade State Attorney office without attaching any felony charges.”

Dye could still pursue misdemeanor charges against Johanningmeier, with the player’s attorney, Darren Heitner, telling the Sun Sentinel that they “will discuss internally and make a calculated decision” on their next legal step.

In the original police report, Dye had alleged that he felt coerced by Johanningmeier “into providing favorable answers for his investigation” into the Nevin Shapiro allegations that landed UM in front of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions late last week.  A decision on any penalties on the football program in addition to the self-imposed two-year bowl ban is expected no later than eight weeks from last Friday.

Dye was suspended for the first  four games of the 2011 season in connection to his involvement in the Shapiro scandal.  It was shown by the NCAA in August of that year that Dye received from Shapiro and “UM athletics personnel” $738 in impermissible benefits during a recruitment that led to the player signing on as part of the Hurricanes’ 2009 recruiting class.  Those benefits included five nights of impermissible lodging from institutional staff during their unofficial visits — an allegation directly tied to former UM assistant Aubry Hill — transportation, multiple meals and entertainment at a gentleman’s club.

With the suspension served and monetary restitution made, Dye returned to play in six games in what was his redshirt sophomore season after making the switch from the defensive line to tight end.  He then played 12 games at that position in 2012.

Dye moved back to the line following the 2012 season.  He suffered an Achilles injury during the first scrimmage this past spring and is out indefinitely, leaving his status for the 2013 season up in the air even prior to his remaining eligibility allegedly being threatened by a then-member of the NCAA’s investigative arm.

Forget about venues or rotations or anything of that sort.

The single most important decision the new College Football Playoff officials will make is finalizing a selection committee, and how said committee will determine the four teams who will fill the four-team field for the new system that will be implemented following the 2014 regular season.  Unfortunately, a decision on that critically-important facet of the new system is still far off on the horizon.

Following yet another series of meetings, the College Football Playoff released a statement Tuesday evening that shed little new light, save for the revelation that college football fans are still likely “several months” away from learning the composition of the all-important selection committee.

Here’s the text of the release, in its entirety:

“The makeup and operation of the selection committee is one of the most important decisions we have to make,” executive director of the College Football Playoff, Bill Hancock, said. “Our first season is more than a year away so there is no rush to get this done, but we’re pleased with the progress we’re making.  We will continue to proceed in a deliberate, thoughtful, and thorough way.

“Nothing is final until everything is final and we anticipate additional work on this issue for the next several months.”

Hancock did note that more than 100 names were submitted for consideration for inclusion on the committee.  Ultimately, the committee is expected to consist of 12-18 individuals, and is expected to be composed of a mix of former administrators, coaches and, perhaps, media members.

Suffice to say, the names of those being considered have yet to be released.

Cowboys Stadium in Dallas will host the first College Football Playoff championship game, scheduled for Jan. 12, 2015.  The two semifinal games leading up to the championship will be played at the hosts sites of the Sugar and Rose bowls 11 days earlier on New Year’s Day.

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And there you have it.

Shortly after posting on Mike Gundy (eventually) lifting some of the transfer restrictions off Wes Lunt, Illinois announced what had previously been reported, that the quarterback has signed a tender of financial aid and will play football for the Illini.  Again, Lunt will have to sit out the 2013 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules and will have three years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2014.

“We’re thrilled that Wes has decided to come back home to the state of Illinois to play for the Fighting Illini,” head coach Tim Beckman said in a statement. “As he showed last season starting as a true-freshman for Oklahoma State, he’s an exceptional talent and an exceptional person. He’ll have a year to work with offensive coordinator Bill Cubit, our coaching staff and his teammates learning the offense before competing for the starting job in 2014.”

Lunt was named Oklahoma State’s starting quarterback after spring practice last year as an early enrollee true freshman and started the first three games of the season before being sidelined with an injury.  He came back to start two more games before another injury sidelined him again.

Following a spring practice this year when he had apparently slipped down the depth chart, Lunt decided to transfer from the Cowboys.

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Quite the public pot was stirred when, shortly after Wes Lunt announced he was transferring from Oklahoma State, word surfaced that head coach Mike Gundy had severe restrictions on where the quarterback could move.

In addition to the Big 12, Lunt was not permitted, without paying his own way the first year, to transfer to a Pac-12 or SEC school (possibility of meeting in a bowl game); Southern Miss (former OSU offensive coordinator Todd Monken is now the head coach there); and Central Michigan (a future opponent in 2015 and 2016).  As it turns out, though, Gundy had a change of heart, albeit a little too little, too late.

Lunt told Channel 1450 in Illinois Monday that Gundy had called his former high school coach to inform him that some of the restrictions — likely not the Big 12, however — had been lifted.  Originally embarking on the search for a new collegiate destination with a list of five preferred schools, Gundy’s restrictions prevented Lunt from pursuing Southern Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt, ultimately settling for a final two of Illinois and Louisville.

According to Lunt, by the time Gundy lifted the restrictions “he’d already lost contact with coaches at other schools in his top five.”

Monday, it was reported that Lunt would be transferring to his home-state Illini.  That school has yet to officially announce the player being added to the program.

Despite ending up where he likely would’ve landed sans the restrictions, Lunt still — and justifiably — appears slightly upset over Gundy’s actions in the immediate aftermath of his departure.

“It was difficult. I didn’t understand the process, so when they were blocked, I knew I could appeal but it was going to take awhile,” Lunt said. “It was frustrating. I understand the Big 12 . That’s obvious. The others, it was a little frustrating, but that’s part of it and I understand it. It’s all good.”

After sitting out the 2013 season, Lunt will have three years of eligibility remaining.

(Tip O’ the Cap: ESPN.com’s Big 12 blog)

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Meandering our way through the offseason, a single one-liner at a time…

– A waterfall (not pictured) is coming to the football locker rooms of the Mal Moore Athletic Facility as part of a $9 million renovation.

– The Anderson Independent Mail writes that Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins is poised for a record-breaking season.

– The Daily Oklahoman takes a look at the players who have benefited from the graduation exception to the NCAA transfer rule.

– The Gainesville Sun lists the five freshman who could emerge for Florida in 2013.

– Rich Rodriguez and his Arizona coaching staff dressed up in Western gear?  Rich Rodriguez and his Arizona coaching staff dressed up in Western gear.

– As is the case with most major college football programs, vacations are over for Colorado State players.

– Michigan’s Allen Grant has been moved from defensive back to strongside linebacker.

– In coaching weight loss news, Texas head coach Mack Brown has lost 20 pounds this offseason.

– The Big Ten Network‘s Tom Dienhart has Ohio Stadium as the best football venue in the conference.

– The installation of a new playing surface at Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium has begun.

– Wisconsin sells out its allotment of student tickets for the 2013 season in less than two hours.

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With little hope of moving any further up the depth chart, an Oregon State quarterback has decided to ply his football wares at a lower level.

In a tweet posted to his Twitter account, Richie Harrington announced that he is leaving the Beavers football program.  Harrington will be transferring to Southern Utah, an FCS-level program.

As he’s transferring down a level, Harrington will be eligible to play in 2013 and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

“Ready for a new chapter,” the player wrote in the tweet.

Coming out of Oaks Christian (Calif.), the 6-1, 224-pound Harrington walked on to the Beavers in 2011 and appeared in three games in 2012.  He completed six-of-nine passes for 66 yards last season.

Following practice this spring, Harrington remained behind the well-seasoned Sean Mannion and Cody Vaz at the quarterback position.

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On the same day he “parted ways” with Missouri, it appears Torey Boozer already has another collegiate destination in mind.

First, the negative: according to Terez Paylor (no relation) of the Kansas City Star, the linebacker has been dismissed from the Tigers football program by head coach Gary Pinkel.  ”Undisclosed disciplinary reasons” was all that was said in regards to the dismissal.

Boozer subsequently tweeted that he will be moving on to SMU, although that school has yet to confirm the addition.

Boozer, who exited spring this year No. 3 on the depth chart, was arrested and charged in early October for marijuana possession.  Even as he took a redshirt for his true freshman season, Boozer was “suspended” for one game because of the off-field incident.

A three-star member of Mizzou’s 2012 recruiting class, Boozer was rated as the No. 46 safety in the country.

An alleged sexual assault last year will leave the playing careers — and freedom — of two Navy football players very much up in the air.

In a statement Monday afternoon, the U.S. Naval Academy announced that three unnamed Navy current and former football players will be charged with rape.  The military academy’s superintendent, Michael Miller, “has chosen to send the case to Article 32 proceedings” wrote Military.com.

An official charge sheet has yet to be completed, which is why the names of the three suspects have not been released.  Two of the suspects are current Navy football players, while the third was set to graduate in May but was denied the opportunity because of the criminal case.

All three players were permitted to play football for the Midshipmen as the investigation into the alleged rape continued.

From the website, here’s a description of the alleged attack:

The female midshipman who reported the sexual assault attended a party at an off-campus property known as the “football house” in Annapolis in April 2012, according to a statement from her lawyer, Susan Burke. …

The midshipman woke up at the football house the next morning “with little recall of what had occurred,” according to the statement. She later found out through friends and social media that three football players had “sexual intercourse with her while she was incapacitated,” according to the statement.

The female midshipman reported the incident to NCIS, saying she was intoxicated and didn’t remember much from the night. NCIS started an investigation in April 2012 that continued throughout the summer and into the fall.

The investigation was closed in November, but was reopened two months later after the alleged victim’s attorney spoke to NCIS.  In February, the investigation was reopened.

(Photo credit: MilitaryTimes.com)

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For the third time in less than three years, Chris Martin‘s time at an FBS football program has come to an early and abrupt end.

Kansas head coach Charlie Weis announced Monday that the defensive end has been dismissed from the Jayhawks.  The decision comes three weeks after Martin was one of three men arrested in connection to an armed robbery.  Martin and two former KU players were charged after allegedly robbing cash and marijuana from victims at gunpoint at a house on May 13.

Despite the serious nature of the charges, the door was still open for Martin’s return to the Jayhawks.  Weis, though, intimated in his statement on the dismissal that another misstep may have been involved.

“Due to recent incidents Chris Martin was involved with, he was given a list of stipulations he was required to meet for him to remain a member of the Kansas Football team,” Weis said in the release. “Because he did not follow some of those stipulations we have dismissed him from the team.”

Martin was a five-star member of Cal’s 2010′s recruiting class, but transferred to Florida five months later.  Less than a year later, he left Florida following an arrest for marijuana possession.

He spent 2011 and 2012 at the JUCO level before transferring to the Jayhawks and Weis, who Martin had committed to when he was the head coach at Notre Dame.

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One of the more gruesome injuries in recent memory occurred in late October, with South Carolina running back suffering a severe and devastating knee injury.

The Gamecocks reaction to their fallen teammate was typical as the entire squad gathered around the running back, who had just suffered the second serious knee injury of his career.  The reaction of the Gamecocks’ opponents, the Tennessee Volunteers, was somewhat atypical, though; the Vols, like their SEC foes, gathered around Lattimore as well as the back was being tended to by USC medical personnel and loaded onto a cart for further treatment.

For the reaction on both fronts, the SEC announced Monday, the Vols and Gamecocks were named, along with Georgia tennis player Maho Kowase, the recipients of the conference’s 2013 Sportsmanship Award.

“Sportsmanship, civility and societal responsibility are things that will lead to victories throughout the course of life,” SEC commissioner Mike Slive said in a statement. “I congratulate Maho and the University of South Carolina and University of Tennessee football teams for this prestigious honor, and for being committed to athletic excellence and overall excellence.”

The release went on to state that “[d]espite being engaged in a heated conference game, both teams set aside their battle to show support for a football player, regardless of which uniform he wore. The act displayed both great sportsmanship by the teams gathered as one support unit as well as the impact that Lattimore had on his sport.”

Below is a well-produced UT video of the immediate aftermath of Lattimore’s injury:

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Nearly six weeks after moving on from Oklahoma State, Wes Lunt is moving back to an area with which he’s very familiar.  Reportedly.

While the school has yet to officially announce it, Channel1450.com sports director Zach Kerker and ESPN.com’s Joe Schad, among others, are both reporting that the quarterback will transfer to Illinois to continue his playing career.  Lunt chose the Illini over Louisville, two of the five schools on his original transfer wish list.

The other three schools — Southern Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt — were infamously blocked by Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy.  In a controversial move, Gundy barred Lunt from attending — at least on scholarship — schools from the Big 12, the Pac-12, SEC along with Central Michigan (on OSU’s schedule in 2015 & 2016).

The reason for the latter two conferences being on the no-no list?  Oklahoma State might face a school from those leagues in a bowl game, Lunt’s Illinois high school coach said in mid-May.

Lunt will be forced to sit out the 2013 season and will have three years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2014.

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Earlier this month, Syracuse received good news on the injury front regarding one of its defensive starters.  A couple weeks later, there’s additional good news on that side of the ball as well.

Clark Lea, the Orange’s linebackers coach, confirmed to the Syracuse Post-Standard that Dyshawn Davis is healthy and will be ready for the start of summer camp in early August.  Davis underwent shoulder surgery this past January and, as a result, did not participate in spring practice.

Despite that, Davis exited spring atop the depth chart, and left the first-year position coach anxious to see what the linebacker is capable of in Scott Shafer’s defense.

“I’ve got high expectations for Dyshawn when you see what he’s done in the past,” Lea said. “I got to see a little bit of his athleticism just in some of the movement work we did and was impressed by that.”

In 2012, Davis was second in tackles for loss (14) and third in tackles (69).  He added two fumble recoveries, one sack and one interception as a sophomore.

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Meandering our way through the offseason, a single one-liner at a time…

– Gina Mizell of the Daily Oklahoman takes a look at what Mike Gundy looks for when filling coaching vacancies.

– In a rather significant move for Vol Nation, ex-Tennessee great Eric Berry signs off on Butch Jones‘ approach on Rocky Top.

– The Anderson Independent Mail sizes up the state of the quarterback position in the ACC.

– In the ever-changing world of college football, BYU must find some way to secure bowl alliances on its own.

– The Dallas Morning News looks at TCU’s five biggest departures, and the players who should replace them.

– Daily Oklahoman: New assistant Bill Bedenbaugh discusses the state of Oklahoma’s offensive line