A change of guard for Pac-10 officiating

By Ben KerchevalFeb 11, 2011, 10:30 PM EDT
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A name change won’t be the only new makeover for Pac-10 (er, 12) football this upcoming season.

On a related note, if you’ve held a long-standing grudge with Pac-10 officiating, consider your your cries of blasphemy heard.

The Pac-10 has announced on their website that Mike Pereira, former Vice President of Officiating for the NFL, will serve as the conference’s interim Coordinator of Officiating for next season. The announcement comes after Dave Cutaia “requested to step down” from the same position.

“Dave Cutaia has been an integral part of the Pac-10 Conference for 27 years as an official and as our Coordinator of Football Officiating,” Commissioner Larry Scott said in the release. “His professionalism and dedication are first class and we thank him for all of his efforts and devotion to the Pac-10.”

Pereira served as a consultant for the Pac-10 in 2010 and conducted a season-long review of the conferences officiating practices.  Pereira will be in charge of restructuring the football officiating program as it coincides with the addition of Utah and Colorado to form the Pac-12.

Exciting? Scott thinks so.

“Like in other high priority areas, we have taken a fresh look at our program, and will be implementing a series of changes that are forward-looking, innovative and take our program to the next level,” Scott said. “The game and level of play is always improving, so it’s essential that in the critical area of officiating, the program continue to evolve and improve as well.”

In other words, no more bad calls. Rejoice.

Georgia, Oregon to open 2022 season in Atlanta

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By Zach BarnettAug 21, 2018, 3:29 PM EDT
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The 2018 season will open with a rare intersectional matchup were a Pacific Northwest team travels across the country to meet an SEC team in its backyard. And now the 2022 season will as well.

With No. 6 Washington and No. 9 Auburn just 11 days away from their meeting in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff in Atlanta, Oregon and Georgia are officially set to do the same four years from now.

“Both coaches wanted to do it, and we got with the athletic directors and were able to put a deal together,” Peach Bowl, Inc., CEO Gary Stokan told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We are ecstatic about having Georgia and Oregon.”

The Ducks and Dogs have met once previously, a 27-16 Georgia win on Sept. 10, 1977 in Athens.

The 2022 game, set for Sept. 3, will be Georgia’s fourth appearance in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff at its home away from home. The Bulldogs lost to Boise State to open the 2011 season, beat North Carolina in 2016 — Kirby Smart‘s first game as head coach — and will face Virginia to open 2020.

It will be Oregon’s first Chick-fil-A Kickoff appearance, though the Ducks did open 2011 with a loss to LSU in the Cowboys Classic at AT&T Stadium. Oregon will return to Dallas to open next season against Auburn.

“It’s a great honor for our program to open the 2022 season in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game and to play a great program, like Georgia,” Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said in a statement. “As we continue to grow this program we want to challenge ourselves against the best competition. I’m also extremely excited for our fans to make the trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and put their passion for the Ducks on full display.”

Oregon’s 2022 non-conference slate is now complete; the Ducks will host Eastern Washington and BYU in the weeks immediately following their Georgia opener. Georgia still has one opening for 2022. In addition to Oregon, the Bulldogs host Kent State on Sept. 24 and Georgia Tech on Nov. 26.

Future Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game schedule:

2018: Auburn vs. Washington
2019: Alabama vs. Duke
2020: Florida State vs. West Virginia (Saturday), Georgia vs. Virginia (Monday)
2021: Alabama vs. Miami, Louisville vs. Ole Miss
2022: Georgia vs. Oregon

 

JUCO transfer Will Jackson abruptly leaves Nebraska after two months

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By John TaylorAug 21, 2018, 3:03 PM EDT
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That certainly didn’t last long.  At all.

In June of this year, Will Jackson joined the Nebraska football program as a junior college transfer.  Less than two months later, an NU official has confirmed that the defensive back has departed Scott Frost‘s team.

Jackson’s standing on the Cornhuskers’ depth chart is believed to be behind the decision to leave.

“We appreciate the competition Will helped incorporate into the room and we wish him the best,” a very brief statement from the team read.

The move, the Lincoln Journal Star noted, came just a day after secondary coach Travis Fisher said Jackson had been slower than some of the other defensive backs to learn the playbook.

The 6-3, 200-pound Jackson was originally a two-star 2015 signee at Kentucky, but was dismissed by the Wildcats in February of 2016 for unspecified violations of team rules.  The cornerback originally moved on the Iowa Western before abruptly leaving that team for Mesa (Ariz.) Community College.

Jackson is the 11th player to leave Frost’s program this offseason.  The other 10 are offensive lineman Bryan Brokop, wide receiver Zack Darlington (HERE) offensive lineman Michael Decker (HERE), tight end David Engelhaupt (HERE), linebacker Willie Hampton (HERE), fullback Ben Miles (HERE), quarterback Patrick O’Brien (HERE), tight end Matt Snyder (HERE) inside linebacker Andrew Ward (HERE) and wide receiver Keyan Williams (HERE).  Eight of those 10 transferred, while one of the remaining two, Decker, retired from football and the other, Darlington, joined the Army.

Arrest on sexual assault charges triggered LSU starting right guard Ed Ingram’s suspension

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By John TaylorAug 21, 2018, 1:11 PM EDT
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After a relatively quiet summer, LSU has seen more than its fair share of negative headlines of late.

The latest involves Ed Ingram, the starting right guard who was indefinitely suspended at the start of camp earlier this month.  While the official reason for the suspension was the standard unspecified violations of team rules, the Baton Rouge Advocate is reporting that Ingram was arrested in Texas the day before the start of camp on two counts of aggravated sexual assault.

The alleged victim of the assaults was a minor, the DeSoto (Tex.) Police Department confirmed to the Advocate.  From the newspaper’s report:

The sheriff’s department arrested Ingram, 19, a native of DeSoto, Texas, on a warrant made by the DeSoto Police Department. The police department told The Advocate it had received a report of the incident from Child Protective Services on Aug. 22, 2017.

…

CPS said Tuesday it could not confirm the existence of the case because of state confidentiality laws.

The alleged assaults occurred prior to Ingram’s arrival at LSU as a four-star member of the Tigers’ 2017 recruiting class.  As part of the $40,000 bond posted for him, Ingram is permitted to leave the state of Texas but is barred from having any contact with the alleged victim as well as any other minor child.

Ingram started 12 games at right guard as a true freshman last season.  The suspension Ingram is currently serving is expected to extend on into the regular season.

Including Ingram, three Tiger football players have been arrested this month — linebacker Tyler Taylor on charges of conspiracy to commit a crime, party to a crime and theft by receiving stolen property, wide receiver Drake Davis for second-degree battery.

Michigan’s Deron Irving-Bey transfers to Central Michigan

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 30 Central Michigan at Boston College
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By John TaylorAug 21, 2018, 12:12 PM EDT
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The rumors of a Big Ten addition to a MAC team has officially come to fruition.

Reports began to surface a day or two ago that Deron Irving-Bey would be transferring into the Central Michigan football program.  Monday night, CMU head coach John Bonamego confirmed that defensive lineman has indeed been added to his football roster.

Because of NCAA transfer rules, Irving-Bey will have to sit out the 2018 season.  Beginning with the 2019 season, he’ll have three years of eligibility at his disposal.

A four-star member of the Wolverines’ 2017 recruiting class, Irving-Bay was rated as the No. 9 strongside defensive end in the country and the No. 4 player at any position in the state of Michigan. Only one other end was rated higher than Irving-Bay in U-M’s class that year.

The Flint product took a redshirt his true freshman season.