Embree assured he’ll return, but changes to Buffs’ staff looming

AP

As for the next candidate to join others already on the coaching unemployment line, it appears Jon Embree will, for at least another year, avoid the firing squad.

Others on his Colorado coaching staff, however, might not be so lucky.

With a 42-35 loss to Utah in the season finale Friday, the Buffaloes fell to 4-21 in two seasons under Embree.  Included in that total is an abysmal 1-11 mark in 2012, the program’s worst winning percentage since a winless season in 1890.  The Buffs were also winless at home for the first time since 1920.

Despite the historic futility, Embree said following the latest loss that athletic director Mike Bohn has assured him he will return as CU’s head coach in 2013.  The Boulder Daily Camera seemed to concur with Embree’s assessment of his standing, writing that “[a]ll indications from school officials point toward him being retained.”  It should be noted that Bohn has yet to come out and say definitively that Embree will return.

Embree did allow, though, that changes could be coming to his staff if he is indeed given a reprieve.

“I want to make sure as I go through this that we’re doing the right things and talking to the right people,” Embree said according to the Denver Post. “I don’t have a deadline, but it’s something I’ll start thinking about and I have been thinking about it.”

If Embree’s assistants will indeed be falling on the sword, there will be myriad candidates.

Entering the game with the Utes, the Buffs were tied for 123rd in the country in scoring offense and 121st in total offense.  Unbelievably, they were slightly worse on defense — 124th in scoring and 122nd in yards allowed.  There are 124 teams at the FBS level in 2012.

If changes are indeed coming to the staff, the first places to look would be at the two men in charge of those two units, offensive coordinator and former CU star Eric Bieniemy and defensive coordinator Greg Brown.

The former, at least publicly, is not concerned about what fate may lie ahead.

“Whatever is going to happen is going to happen,” Bieniemy said when asked about his future at his alma mater. “You don’t coach this game scared. Everybody is hired to be fired. I’m going to keep working my ass off and being who I am. If they decide to go in a different direction, that’s what we do. I know who I am and I know what I’m about.”

Washington may not know their bowl destination for another few days, but the Huskies do know who will coach the team. Quarterbacks coach Marques Tuiasosopo will take over as interim head coach for the Huskies following the loss of head coach Steve Sarkisian to USC. The school made the announcement on their athletics website Wednesday evening and it will be his first chance to serve as a head coach in his young couching career.

Tuiasosopo joined Washington’s coaching staff this season after a previous stint as an assistant coach at UCLA. The former Rose Bowl MVP is embracing the opportunity to coach the Huskies in their upcoming bowl game, even if it is only for one game. Tuiasosopo is not likely to be named the new head coach once Washington gets through their search for a new head coach.

“I’m humbled and so honored,” Tuiasosopo said. “It’s a great, incredible honor to lead my alma mater in a bowl game.”

Follow @KevinOnCFB

AP

No game in the college football season has had quite the ending or impact on the season as Saturday’s Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn. The wild finish that handed Alabama a gut-wrenching setback and thrust Auburn in to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta was must see TV, and it turns out everyone was watching.

According to Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated, 13.8 million people watched the Alabama-Auburn game on CBS, making it the most watched game of the college football season.

CBS Sports says Alabama-Auburn drew 13.8 million viewers, the most-watched college football game to date for 2013 season.

— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) December 4, 2013

That narrowly edges Alabama’s September match-up at Texas A&M against Johnny Manziel, which drew 13.7 million viewers. According to Variety, Alabama also was  apart of the third-most watched game of the college football season, with 11.9 million viewers tuning in to watch Alabama’s victory over LSU in primetime on CBS.

Alabama continues to bring plenty of television ratings, which is why they will be the first BCS at-large team off the board when it comes to set the BCS bowl line-up.

Follow @KevinOnCFB

Getty Images

I don’t know about you, but I am really looking forward to this weekend’s championship games. For the first time in a while it seems as though three championship games play a vital role in the BCS Championship puzzle still the be solved. Florida state looks to be in a favorable spot in the ACC Championship Game against Duke, which puts the top-ranked Seminoles one win against Duke away from a trip to Pasadena to play in the BCS Championship Game. The general feeling about the game seems to suggest Florida State is about as solid of a lock as you will find this weekend.

The conference championship bouts in the Big Ten, SEC and Pac 12 are quite the opposite. Ohio State takes on the best defense in the Big Ten needing a win over Michigan State to make their push to the BCS championship game. Meanwhile in the SEC, Auburn and Missouri will battle it out for the best argument to jump either one of the top two undefeated teams. The Pac 12 may not have the same BCS implications, but Arizona State playing at home should be a big challenge for the defending conference champions, Stanford.

These three games were the focus of a brief video preview from Rotoworld, which you can watch below.

Follow @KevinOnCFB

Miami of Ohio has a storied history when it comes to college football coaches. The school that helped introduce names like Ara Parseghian, Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Sean Payton and Jim Tressel just to name a few, is now hoping Chuck Martin will be the next legendary coach to help turn the program around. According to the Associated Press, Martin has been signed to a five-year contract.

“It’s great when a plan comes together,” Miami of Ohio director of athletics David Sayler said Wednesday, when the school formally introduced Martin as head coach. “As hard as it was to make a change in the middle of the year, it was done to get a head start and close this thing up as quickly as possible after the season was done.”

Miami fired head coach Don Treadwell after dismal 0-5 start to the season. Assistant coach Mike Bath took over for the remainder of the season but the RedHawks failed to win a single game the entire season. Miami has won just eight games since a 10-win season in 2010. Sayler is optimistic Martin, who has been developing as a coach while serving as offensive coordinator at Notre Dame since 2010 after a stint as head coach of Division 2 football powerhouse Grand Valley State, where he won back-to-back national championships.

“Someone that’s been a sitting head coach and someone that has experience at the Division I level were the two key factors in the process,” Sayler said Wednesday. “We found someone who checked those boxes and then some. From the belief in the academic mission and the things they believe in personally, it was perfect when I first met Chuck.”

The question is whether five years will be enough to turn around a Miami program coming off a year without a win. The answer is likely yes in the MAC, where teams always seem to have some quick turnarounds. Miami’s location also seems to be a strength according to Martin when it comes to recruiting.

“We want to get a lot of really good players,” Martin said confidently with a smile Wednesday. “We’re in the top state in the Midwest as far as football talent and passion for the game goes. I want players that love to play the game. Is he a person that wants to play in a championship and be in that moment, that’s the type of student-athletes we want in the program.”

It was an up and down year for new coaches in the MAC in 2012. Kent State’s Paul Haynes went 4-8 in his first season on the job following the departure of Darrell Hazell (Purdue). Western Michigan slugged through a 1-11 season in P.J. Fleck‘s first year on the job, dropping three more games than they did in 2012. Northern Illinois lost Dave Doeren to North Carolina State, but is on track for a return trip to the BCS if they can complete a 13-0 season with a MAC Championship Game victory against Bowling green this week in Rod Carey‘s first season as head coach.

“Sometimes it takes a day to build a mountain, sometimes it takes longer,” Martin said. “If we stick to the process and get the right people involved in our program, we’ll get to where we want to be.”

Photo courtesy: Miami Ohio Athletics

Follow @KevinOnCFB

Getty Images

The investigation in to Jameis Winston and an alleged sexual assault may be over. According to The Tallahassee Democrat, an announcement on whether or not charges will be filed against Florida State’s quarterback may be revealed during an afternoon press conference on Thursday.

The state attorney’s office in Florida took over the case linking Winston to a sexual battery claim last month after local authorities failed to make any progress on the investigation. A DNA sample provided by the alleged victim was previously reported linking Winston to the woman making the claim without much room for doubt, although that is not enough alone to prove guilt.

Winston has remained an eligible player for Florida state throughout the recent investigation by the state attorney’s office. However, if charges are brought against Winston, it is likely he will be suspended quickly, making him unavailable for the ACC Championship Game this weekend against Duke. Charges being filed could also change the outlook for the Heisman Trophy this season, one that seems destined for Winston until anything changes that path. If Winston were to be ineligible for any amount of time, some may wonder how voters would look at Florida State as a potential BCS championship contender. Would a 13-0 Florida State without Winston still finish high enough in the BCS standings to advance to the BCS Championship Game.

Yes, they would, although that is far down on the list of priorities regarding such a serious case.

Follow @KevinOnCFB

Getty Images

The emergence of Christian  Hackenberg as a true freshman means that, barring injury, Penn State should be set at quarterback for at least the next two seasons.

Not so unexpectedly, Hackenberg’s emergence has also led one player at the position to seek greener playing pastures.  Reportedly.

Lions247 reported Wednesday afternoon that Tyler Ferguson has asked for and been granted a release from his Penn State scholarship.  The quarterback will transfer to an unknown destination to continue his playing career.

The football program has not commented on Ferguson’s status moving forward.

Transferring to Happy Valley from the JUCO ranks earlier this year, Ferguson was involved in the competition for a starting job beginning in the spring.  Hackenberg’s arrival over the summer ended Ferguson’s hope of being named the starter as the true freshman quickly grabbed the reins.

Shortly after Hackenberg arrived on campus, rumors surfaced that Ferguson was considering a transfer.

December has already been a banner month awards-wise for Jameis Winston.  At the rate he’s going, the Florida State could continue the hardware haul deep into the month as well.

The Walter Camp Football Foundation announced its five finalists for its prestigious Player of the Year award Wednesday, and, of course, the redshirt freshman Winston was one of the five.  Already the past couple of weeks, Winston has been named a finalist for the Maxwell, Davey O’ Brien and Manning awards.

This week, Winston has been named the ACC’s Overall, Offensive and Rookie of the Year.  He was also tabbed first-team all-conference.

Winston is joined by Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron and Boston College running back Andre Williams.

Manziel was a finalist for the 2012 award won by Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o.

Getty Images

The conventional wisdom among NFL draftniks was that, if the Philadelphia Eagles put themselves in the position record-wise, Chip Kelly, the ex-Oregon head coach, would look to select his former quarterback, Marcus Mariota, in the first round of the 2014 draft.

Mariota blew that theory out of the draft pool Tuesday, announcing he would be returning to the Ducks for at least another season.

A day later, Kelly was asked about Mariota’s decision to eschew the NFL for at least another season at the collegiate level.  To Kelly’s credit, he didn’t even remotely go Pissy Pete on the redshirt sophomore, instead lavishing praise on one of the top quarterbacks in the country and a player who could’ve been a top-five pick next April

“Take it from a guy who had a real tough time leaving there – I think it’s a good decision,” the first-year Eagles coach said. “He’s a really special young man. I think everyone in the league will have to wait a couple of years. I love coaching him. He’s exactly what you want in a football player.”

As a redshirt sophomore, Mariota has two seasons of eligibility remaining.  Whether he decides to use just one or both, the decision to return for at least 2014 is a boon for the Ducks and their hopes to “rebound”  from a two-loss regular season.

AP

In a revelation that should surprise absolutely no one, even those in and around Chestnut Hill, the front-runner for the 2013 Heisman Trophy has been accorded the ACC’s highest individual honor.

The ACC announced Wednesday afternoon that Jameis Winston has been named as the conference’s Player of the Year. The Florida State quarterback received 47 of a possible 65 votes, a total that was likely depressed due to the off-field cloud still hanging over the player.  Boston College running back Andre Williams, the nation’s leading rusher, received 14 votes as a distant runner-up.  Pittsburgh’ outstanding defensive tackle Aaron Donald received four while Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd accounted for the lone remaining vote.

Winston is the first freshman, redshirt or otherwise, in the history of the conference to claim overall Player of the Year honors.

Not so unexpectedly, Winston was also named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year.  Winston had previously been named the ACC Rookie of the Year and was accorded first-team all-conference honors.

Donald was honored as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.  At the end of the regular season, the defensive lineman led the nation with 26.5 tackles for loss and is tied for 14th with 10 sacks.

AP

Unfortunately, the reports that surfaced Tuesday night are accurate.

LSU confirmed via a press release Wednesday afternoon that quarterback Zach Mettenberger will not play in the Tigers’ bowl game due to a knee injury.  The school declined to disclose the specific nature of the injury, although the reports indicated it was a torn ACL.

As Mettenberger is a senior, his collegiate career has come to an end.

“We are very disappointed for Zach,” head coach Les Miles said in a statement. “He’s been a tremendous leader for our team and he’s as a competitive a guy as I have ever been around. He’s had a great impact on our program.

“I know Zach will work extremely hard to rehabilitate his knee and I don’t anticipate this injury having any impact on what should be a great future in the NFL.”

Mettenberger began his playing career at Georgia before an arrest led to his dismissal in April of 2010.  He played at the JUCO level that season before transferring to LSU in December of that same year.

After playing sparingly in 2011, Mettenberger won the starting job in 2012 and had started the past 25 games for the Tigers.

Mettenberger is the only LSU quarterback to pass for 2,500-plus yards in back-to-back seasons, and just the third to top the 3,000-yard mark.  He suffered the injury that ended his collegiate career in the regular-season finale against Arkansas, less than 30 yards from setting a single season school records for passing yards.

Getty Images

Grab the hammer and wood and put that fence up, Butch Jones.

In an announcement made live on NBC Sports Network and Rivals.com, Tennessee high schooler Josh Malone announced that he has verbally committed to stay in his home state and play his college football at Tennessee.  Malone’s finalists had been UT, Clemson and Georgia.  He also thanked Florida State and Ohio State for its interest.

Malone, who will be an early enrollee and participate in spring practice, said he chose the Vols because he felt that he had a better opportunity in Knoxville to contribute early than he would have at any of the other schools on his list.

The 6-3, 195-pound receiver is rated as the No. 3 player at his position in the country and the No. 20 player at any position in next year’s class.  He’s also the No. 2 player in the state of Tennessee.

Getty Images

While not as important a piece of Rice’s Top-20 rushing attack as he was last season, Turner Petersen does provide a valuable presence in the backfield.

That presence, though, won’t be available for what will be the football program’s biggest game in decades.

Petersen, head coach David Bailiff confirmed, suffered a knee injury in the regular-season finale against Tulane.  As a result, the junior will miss both the Conference USA championship game against Marshall this weekend and the Owls’ bowl game as well.

“He was a team leader for us, and we will [miss him],” Bailiff said.

After finishing third on the team last season, Petersen is currently fifth in rushing with 262 yards rushing.  It’s in the passing game, though, where Petersen’s absence may be most felt as he is third on the team in receptions (26) and receiving yards (348) and second in receiving touchdowns (four).

AP

An injury has kept one of the most experienced and productive members of San Jose State’s high-flying passing attack grounded for the the vast majority of the 2013 season.  Whether that absence will bleed into the postseason, as has been the case for the past couple of months, remains to be seen.

Noel Grigsby suffered a torn meniscus in a Week 2 loss to Stanford and underwent surgery shortly thereafter.  While he has not played since, there was talk in mid-October that the wide receiver could be available for the postseason.

With the regular season complete and a bowl berth in the offing, that talk continues.

“I feel good about it,” Ron Caragher said when asked about Grigsby’s availability. “My understanding from the athletic training group is everything is being picked up so that’d be really exciting to get Noel back to cap off a great career.”

While “encouraged” over how his rehab has progressed, Grigsby said he’s going to leave it up to the medical staff to determine whether he’ll be healthy enough to play in a bowl.

With 237 career receptions, Grigsby is the school’s all-time leader in that category.  Through two games this season, Grigsby had 10 catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

AP

The most memorable play of Nickoe Whitley‘s Mississippi State career also turned out to be his last one at the collegiate level.

Head coach Dan Mullen confirmed Tuesday that the senior safety underwent surgery the day before to repair a torn ACL.  The fact that a football player tore an ACL is not unusual; the fact that Whitley had suffered the injury in Week 3 is.

“I met with Nickoe and said, ‘Hey, you can have surgery now and hopefully be healed for the (NFL) combine, or you can suck it up and play with it the rest of the year. It’s not going to get a lot worse. You’ll still have to have the surgery afterward,’” Mullen said according to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. “He said, ‘I’m not giving up on the team, I’m going to play it out, and I’ll (have surgery) after the last regular-season game.’”

Whitley apparently suffered the injury in or around the Sept. 14 loss to Auburn.

With five interceptions this season, Whitley leads the Bulldogs and is tied for 13th in the country.  His 15 career interceptions currently leads all FBS players.

In the Egg Bowl last Thursday, Whitley forced a fumble by Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace in overtime that preserved a 17-10 win.  The victory pushed MSU to 6-6 and earned the football program its fourth straight bowl berth.

AP

Sadly, an accident at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field has claimed the life of a construction worker.

It has been confirmed that 25-year-old Angel Garcia died as a result of injuries sustained in a four-story fall from the north end of the football stadium Tuesday morning.  Kyle Field is currently undergoing a $450 million renovation, and Garcia was performing demolition work for a subcontractor on the project.

“The thoughts and prayers of all of us at the A&M System and within the Bryan and College Station community are with the Garcia family,” A&M system chancellor John Sharp said in a statement.

There is yet no indication what led to the fall.  A photo that appeared in the Bryan-College Station Eagle shows the area from which Garcia reportedly fell being barricaded by workers:

The Associated Press wrote that the “Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA], the Texas A&M University System and university police are investigating the accident.”