NCAA 06: Making Grandpa Proud

[DataKing]

Making Grandpa Proud - a NCAA 06 Dynasty

The purpose behind this dynasty report is a little different than most. Where as most dynasty reports seem to focus on a single team over a period of time, the focus of this dynasty will instead be the head coach. I will be taking on the persona of Wayne Schembechler, the fictional grandson of college coaching legend Bo Schembechler. Wayne's driving goal in life is to become the head coach for his beloved Michigan Wolverines and, once there, lead them to a national title. He will therefore likely move around from one college football program to another, each move hopefully taking him one step closer to his final goal. It does not seem realistic to me to just start Wayne out as the head coach in Ann Arbor. As he is fond of saying, "You don't just walk into Ann Arbor and say 'Hi, I want to be your new head coach,' even if your last name is Schembechler. Wayne is going to have to earn the job.

A few ground rules with regards to this dynasty:

1. Coaching contracts are on. Wayne is a man of principles, and will only accept a new head coaching job if he has satisfied his current contractual goals (wins, bowl bids, conference titles, etc.) or if he is fired. The one exception to this is if and when Big Blue comes calling. Wayne will jump ship at the drop of a hat if it means coaching at The Big House.
2. This dynasty will be played in "Coach Mode."
3. Slider settings to follow.
4. Thisis my first dynasty with NCAA 06, but from what I have read recruiting is still too easy (a common weakness of the NCAA series it seems). Therefore the following restrictions will be placed upon Wayne's recruiting efforts.


Wayne may not recruit any prospects more than two stars higher than the current prestige level of his program. So starting out at lowly 1* FIU, no prospects above 3* will be recruited.
Wayne can only offer enough scholarships to reach the 70 player limit. So if there are 58 returning players, only 12 scholarship offers can be out there at one time.
When setting up the yearly budget, a minimum of 30% must be allocated to discipline and 20% must be allocated to training. This prevents an unrealistic reduction in these fields in order to gain extra recruiting points.
In-season recruiting must place a priority on pipeline states. Of the 12 recruits possible during in-season recruiting, at least 6 must be from pipeline states.
5. Wayne will be starting with the Michigan playbook (he has been an assistant under Coach Carr in Ann Arbor for a number of years now), but will gradually make adjustments to it over the course of his career. Each season he will be allowed to swap out only one formation from the playbook for another (this is cumulative, so years down the road the playook may look nothing like the original Michigan playbook).
6. No "money plays." I have created my own little cheat sheet for certain plays in certain situations (a-la Mike Holmgren), and anyone who has played any of the NCAA games knows that certain plays are really good in certain situations. No single offensive play will be used more often than once per quarter (and preferably no more than once per half), with obvious exceptions (kick-offs, field goals, etc).
7. #3 and #4 are subject to change as the dynasty progresses. It is very likely that #3 will change. It usually takes me quite a while to find slider settings that are "just right" for a coach mode dynasty.


This is my first attempt t at delving back into the wonderful world of dynasty reports in quite some time, so be gentle with me. http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[DataKing]

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[DataKing]

Current Season: 2005

Season Schedule

Date Opponent Result
09/03/2005 @ Kansas State L 20-59
09/10/2005 @ Texas Tech W 44-15
09/24/2005 @ Arkansas State W 51-14
10/01/2005 vs Florida A&M W 128-7
10/08/2005 @ Troy L 45-47
10/15/2005 vs North Texas W 41-14
10/29/2005 vs. Middle Tennessee St. W 38-31
11/05/2005 @ Louisiana-Monroe L 50-57
11/12/2005 @ Louisiana-Lafayette W 41-10
11/19/2005 vs Western Kentucky W 62-17
11/26/2005 vs. Florida Atlantic* W 45-41

[DataKing]

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[DataKing]

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[DataKing]

Former Miami Signal-Caller Named New Dolphins Quarterbacks Coach

ESPN.com - January 12th, 2005

Nick Saban, recently named the new head coach for the Miami Dolphins, announced today a new addition to his coaching staff in south Florida. Don Strock, who played the position for the Dolphins for fourteen seasons, was named as the new quarterbacks coach under Saban. His primary responsibility will be to teach Saban's offense to the prospective starting quarterbacks, including free agent acquisition Gus Frerotte.

Strock started only 20 games for Miami, but emerged as the team' relief specialist. His most memorable moment came on January 2, 1982 when he entered the game with the Dolphins trailing 24-0, and then rallied the team before falling short, 41-38, in overtime to the San Diego Chargers. That was not only the highest scoring playoff game but also the only game in NFL history where two quarterbacks, Strock and San Diego star Dan Fouts, both passed for over 400 yards.

Most recently, Strock has been involved in the college ranks, as the head coach of the Florida International University Golden Panthers. Strock was the first coach for the Panthers, who only formed their football program three years ago. Since it's formation, FIU has moved up rapidly, and this season will begin play as a member of the Sub Belt conference in Division I-A.

"I've really enjoyed my time working with FIU, but my heart has always been with the pro game," stated Strock at a brief press conference this afternoon. "This is a great opportunity for me to help return the Dolphins back to their former glory. We've built a great foundation at FIU, and I'm sure they've got great things in store for the near future. I consider myself fortunate to be able to stay here in Miami. This is my home, and you can bet I'll be keeping a close eye on the Golden Panthers on Saturdays."

FIU Athetic Director Rick Mello has already begun the search for Strock's replacement. Assistant head coach Bruce Hardy will take over control of operations in the interim.

[DataKing]

Name Recognition: Schembechler Named Head Coach at FIU

ESPN.com - February 2nd, 2005

After a three-week search, the Florida International University Golden Panthers have named Wayne Schembechler as their new head football coach. The position has been vacant since Don Strock was named by Nick Saban as the new quarterbacks coach for the Miami Dolphins on January 12th. If the name Schembechler sounds familiar, it should. Wayne is the grandson of none other than legendary Michigan Wolverines head coach Bo Schembechler.

As the winningest coach in Michigan football history, Bo Schembechler's teams won or tied an impressive 13 Big Ten championships during his 21 year tenure. Under Schembechler's guidance, Michigan's 96-10-3 regular season record through the decade of the 1970s was the nation's best. He guided 17 teams to post-season bowl games (including ten Rose Bowls) and another 17 to top-ten finishes in the final wire service polls (AP and/or UPI). In his 27 years of coaching, Schembechler's teams never had a losing season. Upon stepping down after the 1989 season, Bo retired as the winningest active coach in the nation (234-65-8) and fifth on the all-time list, only behind coaching legends Paul "Bear" Bryant, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Glen "Pop" Warner, and Woody Hayes. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Schembechler served as Michigan's Director of Athletics between 1988 and 1990.

32-year-old Wayne certainly has some hefty standards to live up to, but he is not completely unprepared for the job. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Sports Administration from the University of Michigan in 1994 and has been a member of the Michigan football staff since then. He served as a Graduate Assistant for the program from 1994 to 1996, tight ends coach from 1996 to 2000, and linebackers coach from 2000 to 2003. For the last two years he has been a special assistant to current Wolverines head man, Lloyd Carr.

Schembechler is stepping into a pretty good situation, all things considered. Though only entering it's 4th year of existence and 2nd in Division I-A, the FIU Golden Panthers is a senior-laden team. With eight starting seniors on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, the Golden Panthers could very well be contenders in a relatively weak Sun Belt conference. Perennial conference powerhouse North Texas remain the pre-season favorites, however. Schembechler's earliest serious test is likely to be his second season at the helm, when he does not have the benefit of relying on so many seniors and pre-season all-conference players like center Victor Cernius, defensive tackle Brandon Higdon, and linebacker Lance Preston.

Florida Internation opens their season on September 3rd, when they travel to Manhattan, KS to take on the Kansas State Wildcats.

[MacroGuru]

Nice!

[DataKing]

-Excerpt from the memoirs of coach Wayne Schembechler, published 2065 A.D. by University of Michigan Free Press.

Most of my earliest childhood memories have something to do with football. When I was little more than a toddler, my mother would take me to the practice field to watch her father hard at work, molding undisciplined young men into gridiron warriors. There was something majestic about it all, especially to a little boy. The thick green grass, the perfectly straight white lines at their regular intervals. But what I enjoyed most at that age was the chaos that occurred within this very structured and regulated arena. Young men moving at ridiculous speeds, tackling one another with reckless abandon, until the sharp chirp of the whistle sounded, and all of the anarchy stopped as though it had never happened. Then I would hear my grandfather or one of his assistants barking out orders to these young men, orders which I did not understand at the time. After that the whistle would blow again, and the chaos would resume.

As I grew older, I began to recognize the chaos for what it really was...something much greater and more beautiful than the anarchy that my young eyes had originally observed. My keener eyes began to discern things that I had not detected before. The different patterns the wide receivers would run, the way the halfback would tuck in behind his fullback on the sweep, the speed of the linebackers as they angled themselves to cut off the running lanes. I began to recognize football for what it truly is; eleven men moving as one to attain a common goal, a masterpiece of choreography performed by padded, armored warriors.

When I was old enough I would help out however I could during practices. Fetching water or equipment for the players, shagging balls for the kickers, carrying things for my grandfather. But the most special treat occurred on game days. If I had been particularly good that week, I got the pleasure of spending game day on the sidelines with my grandfather. Watching the old man at work, up close and personal, was something that I will never forget. As far as I was concerned, I was the luckiest kid in the world.

Lucky as I was, I was not blessed with the athletic ability to play the game at any high level. I was a lanky kid, and not very fast. In high school I never got off of the J.V. squad, even as a senior, and obviously there were no college recruiters knocking on my door. Naturally, my heart was set on Michigan, and I did work on the practice squad all four years. I have no illusions however. It was because of my last name that I was allowed on the practice squad, but it was an advantage that I could not bear to part with.

After graduation, joining Coach Carr's staff seemed the only road to take. Some may say that I was only given even that position because of the last name, but I'm confident that I proved myself through my own abilities and merits after the fact, and Coach Carr never uttered a word to the contrary, at least no word that ever reached my ears.

When the opening occurred in early 2005 at Florida International, I must admit that I was rather surprised that I was approached. Surprise turned to scepticism from my conversations with then-A.D. Rick Mello. He seemed far more interested in my grandfather than in me. He wanted to bring the Schembechler legacy to south Florida as much as he wanted a new coach. It was an attempt at a P.R. splash, for certain. But still, it wasn't the sort of thing I could bring myself to turn down. Leaving family and friends behind was difficult, but I had no binding commitments that would prevent me from making the transition.

So one cold February morning, with the old man and other assorted family members looking on, I packed up my belongings and pointed my old Impala south. The first chapter in a long and eventful journey was about to begin...

[DataKing]

2005 Florida International Golden Panthers Roster

The first order of business upon arriving in Miami was to meet with the coaching staff and evaluate our roster. No changes would be made to the supporting coaches in my first year as head coach. Frankly, the only contacts that I had in the field were still in Ann Arbor, and had no intentions of leaving Coach Carr to work for me. At least, not until I had proven myself as head coach.

Here is the 2005 Golden Panthers roster, broken down by position:

Quarterbacks

#10 David Tabor (OVR 80, Sr (RS), 6'1" 210 lbs.): Our quarterbacks are nothing to write home about, but at least we have some experience at the position. The starting quarterback position is a toss-up between David and junior Josh Padrick. David has slightly better field awareness and more mobility, but Josh has a slightly stronger and more accurate arm.

#16 Josh Padrick (OVR 80, Jr (RS), 6'3" 196 lbs.): Unless David or Josh really prove themselves in spring and summer practices, we're likely to go with a rotating schedule. Presently I'm leaning towards starting Tabor and letting Padrick go in the second quarter, then evaluate each at half time.

#2 Tavares Kendrick (OVR 68, Fr (RS), 6'3" 220 lbs.): Tavares is much more mobile than either David or Josh, but lacks field presence and is horribly inaccurate. My intention is not to run an option offense here at FIU, so Tavares' future is in question. Quarterback will be an area of focus for our recruiting efforts this season.

Halfbacks

#32 Julian Reams (OVR 82, Fr (RS), 5'11" 195 lbs.): I'm impressed that a small program like FIU has a player with as much potential as Julian. He's the fastest player on the team (SPD 91) and is the best pure runner, but lacks the field awareness of the others (which is only to be expected as a redshirt freshman). Still, Julian is likely to be our workhorse this season, as he'll get plenty of touches. I'm also leaning towards using him as a 3rd or 4th receiver in certain situations to take advantage of his speed and good hands.

#44 Adam Gorman (OVR 78, Sr (RS), 6'0" 211 lbs.): Adam doesn't have near the athletic ability that Julian does, but is the most experienced of our tailbacks. He'll see some playing time this season in a backup role, as well as substituting in for Julian in high-pressure situations.

#41 Chidi Nwadike (OVR 78, So (RS), 6'0" 212 lbs.): Chidi should make a nice complement to Julian for the next three years. What Julian provides us with speed, Chidi provides us with power. He is also the most reliable as far as not coughing up the football, and is a fair blocker as well. He'll be our goal-line back, as well as the main man when we're trying to kill the clock. There's also the possibility that he'll be converted to fullback next season.

#33 Ben West (OVR 76, So, 5'10" 193 lbs.): We'll be red-shirting Ben this season, as he doesn't really provide us with anything that we don't already have from the other three. Even after red-shirting, Ben is likely to be strictly a depth player for us.

Fullbacks

#34 Aston Wilson (OVR 86, Sr (RS), 6'0" 224 lbs.): Aston is a quality fullback and is a pre-season All-Sun Belt 2nd Team player. I like to give my fullbacks and tight ends plenty of touches, so Aston has a chance at a very productive senior season for us.

#36 Marcus Jones (OVR 72, Jr (RS), 6'1" 227 lbs.): Marcus doesn't have anywhere near the athletic ability that Aston does, but the two are comparable in their blocking ability at least. Marcus is the reason that we may need to convert Chidi Nwadike to fullback next season, unless we strike gold with a recruit.

Wide Receivers

#86 Cory McKinney (OVR 85, Sr (RS), 6'3" 217lbs. - Impact Player): The undisputed leader of the receiving corps, Cory has good size and nice soft hands. The problem that he has is unfortunately shared by the rest of our receivers; a lack of breakaway speed. He tends to get swallowed up by big defensive backs (Nick Turnbull pretty much owns the guy in practices). Cory will be our starting X-receiver, and is a pre-season 2nd Team All-Sun Belt player.

#80 Andre Rollins (OVR 80, Sr, 6'4" 225 lbs.): Andre is cut from the same mold as Cory; big and slow. His hands aren't quite as good as Cory's, but he's got better ups. Andre will be our starting Z-receiver.

#1 Chandler Williams (OVR 78, Jr (RS), 6'0" 163 lbs.): Chandler is a skinny kid with the best speed of our starting receivers, but that isn't saying much (SPD 87). Still, he's got decent hands and is pretty shifty. Chandler will be our starting slot receiver.

#82 Julius Mincey (OVR 74, Fr (RS), 6'1" 163 lbs.): Our fourth receiver this year, Julius could be decent given a couple years of seasoning.

#18 Lloyd Moss (OVR 74, Fr (RS), 6'1" 214 lbs.): Moss and Mincey are the future for us at wide-out. I'm praying that these two will develop in a hurry. Lloyd will handle punt-return duties for us this season.

#83 Julius Eppinger (OVR 74, Sr (RS), 5'9" 163 lbs.): Small and with hands of stone, Eppinger is strictly a depth player for us this season.

Tight Ends

#87 Samuel Smith (OVR 85, Jr, 6'3" 253 lbs.): Samuel is an all-around decent tight end who can catch as well as block. Fortunate for us he has two years of elligibility left. We'll be looking to make him a serious part of the passing game.

#81 Joe Struyf (OVR 76, Sr (RS), 6'3" 233 lbs.): We'll be running our fair share of twin tight end sets this season, so Joe should be seeing some playing time in his senior season. His blocking abilities leave a little to be desired, but should be a decent receiver for us.

#89 Moses Hinton (OVR 76, Fr (RS), 6'5" 260 lbs.): Moses is the future for us at the tight end position. He needs to work on his hands, but is already as good a blocker as Samuel Smith, and could be an even better receiver for us. This season he should see a lot of playing time in short-yardage situations and in our goal-line set.

#85 James Williams (OVR 68, So (RS), 6'3" 235 lbs.): James is strictly a depth player for us this year, but could move into a regular blocking role once Joe Struyf graduates.

Left Tackles

#72 John Shanahan (OVR 82, Sr (RS), 6'6" 315 lbs.): A pre-season 1st Team All-Sun Belt player, John is an all-around good offensive tackle, and should do a good job containing the edge pass rush. However, he and his backup Patrick Mullen are both seniors, so left tackle will have to be a major focus for us in our recruiting efforts this season.

#66 Patrick Mullen (OVR 74, Sr (RS), 6'8" 345 lbs.): A mountain of a man, Patrick is much better as a run blocker, and doesn't have the footwork necessary for pass protection. We'll be using him extensively in short yardage and goal-line situations.

Left Guards

#50 Ed Wenger (OVR 78, Sr (RS), 6'1" 268 lbs.): The guards are the weak spot for us on the offensive line this season, and Ed Wenger is an example of this. A decent pass protector, Ed doesn't have the size or strength to really open up holes for us in the running game, but he's still our best all-around option.

#65 Tad McConahie (OVR 70, So, 6'3" 307 lbs.): Tad is the exact opposite of Wenger. He's got the size and power to open up good running lanes, but lacks technique in pass protection.

Centers

#75 Victor Cernius (OVR 84, Sr, 6'4" 317 lbs.): The anchor of the offensive line and offensive captain, Victor is a pre-season 1st Team All-Sun Belt player. He's a rock for us on the line, excellent in both pass and run blocking, and will be sorely missed when he graduates at the end of the year.

#74 Mike Alvarez (OVR 70, So (RS), 6'2" 294 lbs.): There's a significant drop-off in talent behind Victor Cernius, which is going to hurt us next season. Alvarez is the heir-apparent to the position, but is nowhere near the blocker that Victor is.

#63 Xavier Shannon (OVR 65, Fr (RS), 6'1" 312 lbs.): Decent at plowing the road for the running game, Xavier has serious problems with the mental aspect of the game. And since it's the center's responsibility to call out blocking shifts for the entire offensive line, it's unlikely that Xavier will ever be our starting center.

Right Guards

#61 Ronny Silva (OVR 76, Jr (RS), 6'2" 340 lbs.): Ronny is the weakest link on the offensive line, but as the only starting junior (all of the others are seniors), he will need to be our anchor next season (a scary proposition). At least Ronny has shown the ability to use his size and power to open running lanes, which is something I always look from out of my guards (relying more on the tackles for pass protection).

#69 Johnathan Taylor (OVR 72, So (RS), 6'2" 294 lbs.): Not as big or strong as Silva, Taylor is still an OK blocker, and has better mobility. We may be using Johnathan some when we need the guard to pull.

Right Tackles

#76 Tim Dierks (OVR 80, Sr (RS), 6'4" 263 lbs.): A bit undersized for an offensive tackle, Tim makes up for his lack of size with good footwork and technique. A solid (but not overpowering) blocker in both pass and run situations.

#71 David Bailey (OVR 70, Jr (RS), 6'5" 308 lbs.): David has decent size and power, and can open some holes in the running game, but has footwork and technique problems in pass protection. Thank goodness both of our quarterbacks are right-handed.

#78 Dustin Gibson (OVR 68, Fr (RS), 6'4" 262 lbs.): Built from the same mold as Tim Dierks, Dustin is undersized but makes up for it with pretty good technique for a freshman. He could be the future for us at right tackle once he gets some experience and field awareness under his belt.

[DataKing]

2005 Florida International Golden Panthers Roster (cont'd)

Left Ends

#48 Myron Acoff (OVR 80, So, 6'3" 250 lbs.): Myron could have a bright future ahead of him if he keeps his nose clean. He has good quickness and power and is a solid tackler for a defensive end. There are no noticeable weaknesses in his game, and he should be a regular starter for us over the next three seasons.

#58 Terrence Allen (OVR 74, Sr (RS), 6'4" 267 lbs.): There is a significant dropoff in talent behind Myron. Terrence doesn't have much explosion off the line, but has pretty good tackling technique and should be a decent run-stopper for us.

#91 Matt Berrios (OVR 72, So (RS), 6'4" 245 lbs.): Matt doesn't have the field awareness or the power of the other two, but does provide decent quickness and speed off the edge. He should be a backup for us in pass rush situations.

Defensive Tackles

#64 Brandon Higdon (OVR 86, Sr (RS), 6'2" 303 lbs.): The middle of the defensive line will be a strength for us this season, and it all starts with Brandon. A pre-season 1st Team All-Sun Belt player, Brandon has good size and power and is a very good tackler. He also has at least limited explosive ability, given his size, and may help to disrupt the passing game on occasion.

#95 Pedro Farias (OVR 82, Sr (RS), 6'1" 311 lbs.): Brandon's partner-in-crime, Pedro doesn't have Brandon's quickness, but is just as powerful and just as solid a tackler. We're going to sorely miss these two next season.

#77 Nick Carreno (OVR 78, Sr (RS), 6'3" 292 lbs.): A little undersized, Nick is still a decent defensive tackle in his own right. He's just one step below Brandon and Pedro in ability level, but should provide us with a nice alternative when one of the starters needs a breather.

#73 Jonathan Betancourt (OVR 70, Fr (RS), 6'3" 284 lbs.): Jonathan will be our best returning defensive tackle next season, which is a scary proposition. He is a little undersized, and doesn't have anywhere near the talent level of the seniors. DT will need to be a very high priority for us during recruiting this season.

#92 Michael Frazier (OVR 65, Fr, 6'5" 251 lbs.): Sorely undersized and lacking significant athletic ability, it should be easy to see why I'm concerned with this position for next season. Michael is probably better-suited as a defensive end, and may be moved there next season. In the meantime, he'll be red-shirted this season to try to help alleviate a major depth issue going forward.

Right Ends

#55 Shaun Dudney (OVR 78, Sr (RS), 6'1" 244 lbs.): We're also a bit under-sized at this position. Shaun tends to get pushed around by offensive tackles, but tries to make up for it with quickness and decent tackling ability. He will be our starter by default, due mostly to his game experience.

#94 Sabas Whittaker (OVR 78, Jr, 5'11" 240 lbs.): Even more under-sized than Shaun, Sabas relies on leverage and some decent tackling ability in his own right. We'll be looking to get Sabas into the games where we can, probably as relief for Shaun in running situations.

#93 Audric Adger (OVR 72, So (RS), 6'3" 211 lbs.): A player with the body of a wide receiver has no business on the defensive line in my opinion, but Audric is actually best suited here as a pure edge-rusher. He has the best speed and quickness of the three, and will provide depth for us in pass-rush situations.

Left Outside Linebackers

#43 Lance Preston (OVR 85, Sr, 6'1" 232 lbs. - Impact Player): A pre-season 1st Team All-Sun Belt player and our defensive captain, Lance is the heart of the defense. While Lance's range and speed leave a bit to be desired, he more than makes up for it with excellent field awareness and a nose for the football. He will actually be our starting middle linebacker during his senior season, as he is our best option and Antwan Barnes is more than ready to start on the strong side.

#42 Antwan Barnes (OVR 84, Jr (RS), 6'1" 227 lbs.): Antwan has excellent speed for a linebacker, and is actually just as fast as some of our wide receivers. With decent hands, great hops, and pretty good tackling ability, he should see quite a bit of time in our nickel and/or dime packages as well.

Middle Linebackers

#51 Keyonvis Bouie (OVR 74, Jr (RS), 6'0" 217 lbs.): Keyonvis has OK speed and is a pretty good tackler, but is not as good an option for us as Lance Preston at middle linebacker. Keyonvis will be our 4th linebacker of choice, however, and should see some work in 4-4 defense and goal line sets.

#47 James Knapp (OVR 72, Sr (RS), 6'0" 207 lbs.): James is more of a coverage linebacker than anything else, but isn't a very good tackler, and is likely to only see the field in limited situations.

Right Outside Linebackers

#5 Gerrod Bodie (OVR 84, Sr (RS), 5'11" 212 lbs.): Gerrod should be the 3rd man in a solid three linebacker set for us. I'm looking forward to the kind of havoc he can wreak along with Lance and Antwan. A bit undersized for a linebacker, Gerrod shows good quickness and fine tackling ability, making him perfectly suited for the weak-side linebacker position. Look for us to use him in the pass rush on a regular basis.

#45 Alexander Bostic (OVR 78, Jr (RS), 6'2" 212 lbs.): Alexander is just a step below Gerrod in just about every category, and should be our primary backup at the position this season. We're looking for some improvement out of him this season, so he can step into the starting role next year.

#53 Johnathan Sturrup (OVR 76, Sr, 5'10" 206 lbs.): Another under-sized linebacker, Johnathan has surprisingly good jumping ability for a man of his stature. We've asked him to red-shirt this season, to help preserve some depth at least for next season. We'll be losing three of our seven linebackers at the end of the year.

Cornerbacks

#21 Nick Turnbull (OVR 88, Sr (RS), 6'3" 211 lbs. - Impact Player): A pre-season 2nd Team All-Sun Belt player and the leader of the secondary, Nick is a big, physical corner. He has good field awareness, a nose for the ball, and soft hands. His one weakness, and the one thing that will probably prevent him from playing on Sundays, is the same problem we have with our receivers; a lack of speed.

#37 Matt Castillo (OVR 78, Sr, 6'1" 185 lbs.): The level of talent in the secondary drops off drastically behind Turnbull, and Matt Castillo is our best option for the #2 corner position. He isn't as physical as Nick and drops a lot of potential picks, but at least has a pretty good idea of his positioning on the field.

#25 Zach Davis (OVR 70, Jr (RS), 5'11" 184 lbs.): Zach brings nothing much to the table except for experience, which is enough to earn the starting nickel-back spot when you consider what we have coming up behind him.

#6 Malik Jones (OVR 68, Fr (RS), 6'1" 199 lbs.): The fastest of our cornerbacks, that's about all this freshman has going for him. He has hands of stone, and looks lost out on the field sometimes, but his speed is enough to earn him the dime-back spot this season.

#28 Barry Pinder (OVR 65, So, 5'9" 165 lbs.): Ick. Barry manages to hold onto the ball (slightly) more often than he drops it, but that's about all this little guy has going for him. Obviously cornerback will be one of our recruiting priorities this season.

Free Safeties

#24 Marshall McDuffie (OVR 74, So, 6'2" 201 lbs.): Marshall gets the start for us at free safety by virtue of his strength and physical play against the run. Not exactly what we're looking for in a free safety, but we really don't have any better options. It's highly likely that we'll move Marshall over to strong safety after John Haritan graduates.

#40 Andrea Swaby (OVR 70, Fr (RS), 6'2" 183 lbs.): Swaby is more of a natural free-safety than Marshall, but as a freshman he really gets lost in coverage sometimes. Still, with a couple of seasons under his belt he might become a serviceable starter. In the meantime, he'll be Marshall's primary backup.

#30 Cory Fleming (OVR 68, Jr (RS), 6'0" 177 lbs.): Cory provides us with some experience at the position, but that's about it. Likely to just be a special-teams player for us his remaining two seasons.

Strong Safeties

#31 John Haritan (OVR 78, Sr (RS), 6'0" 190 lbs.): A pretty solid player in coverage, John isn't afraid to stick his nose in on run-support, which is something I always look for at the strong safety position. We'd better pray he doesn't get hurt, because the depth behind him is pretty awful.

#23 Chris Williams (OVR 65, Fr (RS), 6'1" 190 lbs.): Like I said...awful. Chris gets completely lost in coverage, which I am praying will be cured by watching John closely over the course of the season.

Kicker

#14 Adam Mos (OVR 80, Sr (RS), 6'1" 199 lbs.): A solid and reliable kicker, we may be relying on Adam for quite a bit of our offense this season.

Punter

#15 Chris Patullo (OVR 68, Jr (RS), 6'1" 171 lbs.): Chris is an interesting case (not often you hear that when referring to a punter). Chris played nearly every offensive skill position in high school, and will actually be our emergency quarterback this season (THP and THA 52). He's also not bad as a receiver (for a punter), and will fill in at wide-out if necessary as well (SPD 84, CTH 72).


Next up: A look at the Florida International Schedule for the 2005 season, as well as some preliminary recruiting observations.

[DataKing]

Nice!
Woot! Someone is actually reading this! :) Thanks.

I was actually bouncing the idea for this around with last year's game, but was under-impressed with the game itself. This year's version seems better, so I'm giving the dynasty report a go.

[Emiliano]

Cool dynasty! Keep going, I'm following too.

[General Mike]

Good luck.

[GoldenEagle]

Who is DataKing? I do not think I know him. :)

[DataKing]

Emiliano, General Mike: Thank you.

GoldenEagle: How soon they forget.

[Poli]

Rock on, DK.

[DataKing]

Ok stupid question time (this should give you all some idea of just how long it has been since I've done a dynasty report). How do I post tables and such? I seem to be having issues with that.

[Wolfpack]

I generally use the {code} tag, like so (replace { with [):


Team A 5-0 1.000
Team B 4-1 .800
Team C 3-2 .600
Team D 2-3 .400
Team E 1-4 .200
Team F 0-5 .000

[DataKing]

2005 Florida International Golden Panthers Schedule

09/03/2005 - @ Kansas State
09/10/2005 - @ Texas Tech
09/24/2005 - @ Arkansas State
10/01/2005 - vs. Florida A&M
10/15/2005 - vs. North Texas
10/20/2005 - @ Troy
10/29/2005 - vs. Middle Tennessee St.
11/05/2005 - @ Louisiana-Monroe
11/12/2005 - @ Louisiana-Lafayette
11/19/2005 - vs. Western Kentucky
11/26/2005 - vs. Florida Atlantic*

Bold denotes Sun Belt Conference games
* denotes Rivalry Game.

I wasn't terribly pleased with the schedule when I arrived in south Florida, but it was far too late to do anything about it. We've got a murderous couple of games against Big 12 opposition (including the pre-season #20 ranked Red Raiders), which means team confidence could be an issue going into the conference opener against Arkansas State. And whoever thought it would be a good idea to schedule the home opener in October, deserves to be hung up in the shower and chain-sawed...or whatever it is they do to people down here that deserve something really painful and nasty.

I'll be sticking my nose in the A.D.'s business when it comes to next season's schedule. In the meantime, we just have to deal with it.


In-Season Recruiting Outlook

After evaluating the team's talent and potential, and looking at the players that will be graduating at the end of the season, I've determined that our needs are considerable. We have over 20 graduating seniors on the team, and approximately 16 of them will be starters. That means quite a laundry list of recruiting needs. We'll be concentrating on 8 of the highest priority spots during in-season recruiting. I don't expect to fill all eight, but we will take what we can get.

Quarterback
Fullback
Left Tackle
Defensive Tackle (x2)
Middle Linebacker
Cornerback
Strong Safety

With that in mind, we've targeted the following 12 high school seniors (all are 3* prospects):

QB Ray Poe - 6'2" 185 lbs. - Immokalee, FL - Runs 40 in 4.73 - Bench 240 lbs. - Squat 385 lbs. - Field Awareness C+
QB Ken Brown - 6'0" 185 lbs. - Cutler, FL - Runs 40 in 4.88 - Bench 240 lbs. - Squat 350 lbs. - Field Awareness C+
FB Jamaal Griffin - 6'3" 255 lbs. - Kathleen, FL - Runs 40 in 5.01 - Bench 325 lbs. - Squat 520 lbs. - Field Awareness C+
LT Maurice Byrd - 6'2" 304 lbs. - Batesville, MS - Runs 40 in 5.33 - Bench 480 lbs. - Squat 680 lbs. - Field Awareness B
LT Joey Minor - 6'4" 320 lbs. - Bellair, FL - Runs 40 in 5.24 - Bench 470 lbs. - Squat 655 lbs. - Field Awareness C-
DT Mike Smith - 6'4" 280 lbs. - Winter Park, FL - Runs 40 in 5.16 - Bench 455 lbs. - Squat 640 lbs. - Field Awareness B
DT Michael Parks - 6'4" 275 lbs. - Monroe, NC - Runs 40 in 5.07 - Bench 440 lbs. - Squat 620 lbs. - Field Awareness C+
MLB Cory Mosby - 6'1" 239 lbs. - Ladson, SC - Runs 40 in 4.60 - Bench 380 lbs. - Squat 640 lbs. - Field Awareness A
MLB Micah Allen - 6'0" 230 lbs. - South Sumter, SC - Runs 40 in 4.56 - Bench 405 lbs. - Squat 605 lbs. - Field Awareness B
CB Charles Hall - 6'2" 197 lbs. - Horn Lake, MS - Runs 40 in 4.46 - Bench 325 lbs. - Squat 445 lbs. - Field Awareness C+
SS Ryan Rodriguez - 6'4" 200 lbs. - Sylacauga, AL - Runs 40 in 4.48 - Bench 380 lbs. - Squat 555 lbs. - Field Awareness B
SS Wesley Lee - 6'2" 218 lbs. - Fort Benning South, GA - Runs 40 in 4.43 - Bench 340 lbs. - Squat 520 lbs. - Field Awareness C+

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 1

In the opening game of the season, Temple surprised Arizona State, 34-31.

2005 Season - Week 2

Recruiting

We get a little more information on our targeted prospects, and find out where we stand with them thus far.

QB Ray Poe (Arm Strength B+, Accuracy C+, FIU ranks 1st): We're Ray's top choice early on, which is a pleasant surprise. However, his passing accuracy is a not-so-pleasant surprise.

QB Ken Brown (Arm Strength A, Accuracy B, FIU ranks 8th): Ken is a better passer than Ray, and he knows it. We barely garner any consideration from him at all, as he's leaning towards Miami.

FB Jamaal Griffin (Vertical 35.7", Hands A-, FIU ranks 3rd): Jamaal looks like he'll make a fine fullback, but is garnering some attention from bigger schools. He's leaning towards Miami, and I can't say that I blame him.

LT Maurice Byrd (Vertical 26.2", FIU ranks 7th): Charlie Weiss and Notre Dame are pushing early to sign Maurice.

LT Joey Minor (Vertical 29.7", FIU ranks 5th): Impressive hops for a man of his size, belying some natural athletic ability. Bobbie Bowden and Florida State are leading his list of suitors at the moment.

DT Mike Smith (Vertical 28.6", FIU ranks 5th): At least a little interest in us from Mr. Smith, but he's leaning heavily towards becoming a Georgia Bulldog.

DT Michael Parks (Vertical 28.6", FIU ranks 2nd): Ranking 2nd on his early list is nice, but competing with Tennessee is going to be tough.

MLB Cory Mosby (Vertical 35.7", Hands D, FIU ranks 1st): Cory isn't going to pick off many passes, but that's not my primary concern when it comes to my middle linebackers. We'll keep pushing hard for Cory to sign.

MLB Micah Allen (Vertical 34.5", Hands D, FIU ranks 3rd): Another player leaning towards Tennessee. Can't say I'm surprised.

CB Charles Hall (Vertical 40.1", Hands C+, FIU ranks 2nd): Impressive ups and OK hands. We're pushing hard to surpass Texas as Charles' top pick.

SS Ryan Rodriguez (Vertical 38.1", Hands D+, FIU ranks 6th): There's definitely a reason this kid plays DB; he's got hands of stone. Ryan is currently leaning towards Virginia Tech.

SS Wesley Lee (Vertical 39.5", Hands A-, FIU ranks 8th): A bonafied ball-hawk. Unfortunately we're pretty low on Wesley's list right now.

Up Next: It's time to hit the field, as the Golden Panthers play their first game under Coach Schembechler's leadership. The opponent: Kansas State.

[DataKing]

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Florida_International.gifhttp://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Kansas_St.gif

Wildcats survive early scare, thump Golden Panthers in Season Opener


MANHATTAN, KS (AP) -- Little attention is usually paid to an un-televised college football game in Manhattan, KS (referred to as the Little Apple by the locals) in early September, as the Kansas State Wildcats go about their typical cupcake-laden non-conference schedule. But there was a certain buzz in the air about this game in the days leading up to it, for one particular reason. The game marked the return of the Schembechler clan to the ranks of college football coaches. The game was the first for FIU with Bo Schembechler's grandson, Wayne, at the helm.

The game began as a cinderella-story in the making for young Schembechler, and a nightmare for Kansas State fans. Midway through the first quarter of play the upstart FIU Golden Panthers would enjoy a 14-0 lead over the shocked Wildcats, but that would be the extent of the surprises on this warm September afternoon. Kansas State would recover their composure and come firing back, routing the Golden Panthers by a final score of 59-20.

Things started off well enough for the Golden Panthers. After receiving the opening kickoff, they marched as far as the Kansas State 37 yard line, aided by an intentional face mask penalty and a tipped-ball reception by junior wide receiver Chandler Williams. But facing 4th and 10 from his opponents' 37, coach Schembechler elected to play for field position and punt the football.

Kansas State would take over at their own 15 yard line. Disaster struck for the Wilcat faithful on the team's very first play from scrimmage, as standout cornerback Nick Turnbull picked off an out-route pass by QB Allen Webb. Turnbull was dragged down at the 1 yard line, but FIU powerback Chidi Nwadike was able to pound the ball home, giving the Golden Panthers an early 7-0 lead.

Kansas State's attempts to return the scoring favor were thwarted by junior linebacker Antwan Barnes, who wrestled senior tailback Carlos Alsup down to the ground 1 yard shy of the line-of-gain. Things would get worse for the home team as FIU freshman wide receiver Lloyd Moss gained the right edge on the ensuing punt return and streaked 84 yards for the score, stunning Manhattan and putting FIU up 14-0 with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter.

Unfortunately for Schembechler and his Golden Panthers, that was where the fairy tale ended, and the reality of superior athletic ability took over. The Wildcats proceeded to march straight down the field on their next possession, and capped off the drive with a 5 yard reverse run by junior wide-receiver Jermaine Moreira, cutting the FIU lead to 14-7.

Florida International would get as far as the Kansas State 46 before being forced to punt. Kansas State appeared to be driving again, but Webb once again found one of his passes falling into the waiting arms of cornerback Nick Turnbull, who got his second pick of the quarter at the KSU 49 yard line as the first quarter expired.

FIU senior quarterback David Tabor (who had completed 2 of 5 passes for 29 yards thus far) was replaced by junior signal-caller Josh Padrick to begin the second quarter. Coach Schembechler also made another move, which proved to be a grave mistake, by rewarding Turnbull with a chance to play some offense. The stand-out corner caught a cross-pass from Padrick for a nine-yard gain, but lost the handle on the ball and fumbled. The ball was recovered by the Wildcats.

"I wanted to reward Nick for his excellent play," stated Schembechler after the game, "and I don't regret my decision. But at the same time, I'll be thinking twice before making that sort of substitution again."

Kansas State proceeded to drive to the FIU 2 yard line, when defensive team captain Lance Preston blitzed and tackled QB Allen Webb, knocking him out of the game temporarily. It would make little difference as junior quarterback Dylan Meier would come in and deliver a 1 yard TD strike to tailback Carlos Alsup, tying the game at 14-14.

The Golden Panthers would regain the lead briefly on a 40 yard field goal by Adam Moss, due in large part to a 45-yard connection between Padrick and senior wide receiver Cory McKinney, but the 17-14 lead would be the last that FIU would enjoy.

Allen Webb returned to the game on the following possession and hooked up with his favorite target, Jermaine Moreira, for a 64-yard TD bomb, giving Kansas State a 21-17 lead with 5:39 remaining in the quarter. Once they had the lead, Kansas State would not relinquish it.

Florida International was forced to punt on their next possession, and after free safety Marshall McDuffie was burnt for a 39-yard gain, it appeared that Kansas State was heading straight for the end zone yet again. But senior defensive tackle Brandon Higdon stuffed Carlos Alsup on 3rd and 2, only to be flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after the fact. Coach Schembechler would later call it "a blatant homer call" in his post-game press conference. The NCAA has issued a formal warning to Schembechler to refrain from commenting about the officiating in the future, lest he be fined.

The penalty seemed to complete the deflation of the FIU squad, which proceeded to surrender a touchdown pass and a punt return for a touchdown in the remaining two minutes of the half, giving the Wildcats a comfortable 35-17 lead going into the break.

As could be expected with such a disparity in talent between the teams involved, the second half proved quite anti-climactic after the excitement of the first. The teams would exchange punts to begin the half, then Jermaine Moreira would strike again, beating Nick Turnbull for a 40-yard TD catch. 42-17 Kansas State.

Florida International went 3-and-out for the second straight possession of the half, and Josh Padrick was benched in favor of David Tabor. In truth it mattered little, as both quarterbacks were having difficulty figuring out the Wildcats' secondary.

Kansas State would drive the field yet again, but the Golden Panthers' defense stiffened and forced a 4th-and-1 at their own 34 yard line. An aggressive Wildcats team would go for it, only to be stuffed by senior defensive tackle Pedro Farias. But the FIU offense could not capitalize on the turnover-on-downs, as David Tabor was picked off by senior Maurice Porter. With only 37 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter, Allen Webb threw is fourth touchdown pass of the game, this one a 16-yarder to tight end Rashaad Norwood.

Florida International's next possession would only get as far as the Kansas State 44 yard line before being ended by a sack. With the game well in hand, the Wildcats went to their second unit. The teams exchanged field goals in the fourth quarter. Then some salt was rubbed into the open would of the Golden Panthers, when backup tailback Thomas Clayton ripped off a 81-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes remaining.

Final Score: Kansas State 59, Florida International 20

Box Score
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
FIU 14 3 0 3 20
Kansas St. 7 28 14 10 59

1Q (08:20) - FIU 7, KSU 0 - 1 yard run by Nwadike (Moss Kick)
1Q (05:58) - FIU 14, KSU 0 - 84 yard punt return by Moss (Moss Kick)
1Q (03:52) - FIU 14, KSU 7 - 5 yard run by Moreira (Snodgrass Kick)
2Q (08:27) - FIU 14, KSU 14 - 1 yard pass from Meier to Alsup (Snodgrass Kick)
2Q (06:11) - FIU 17, KSU 14 - 41 yard field goal by Moss
2Q (05:39) - KSU 21, FIU 17 - 64 yard pass from Webb to Moreira (Snodgrass Kick)
2Q (01:47) - KSU 28, FIU 17 - 1 yard pass from Webb to Alstatt (Snodgrass Kick)
2Q (00:55) - KSU 35, FIU 17 - 58 yard punt return by Figurs (Snodgrass Kick)
3Q (04:43) - KSU 42, FIU 17 - 40 yard pass from Webb to Moreira (Snodgrass Kick)
3Q (00:37) - KSU 49, FIU 17 - 16 yard pass from Webb to Norwood (Snodgrass Kick)
4Q (04:10) - KSU 52, FIU 17 - 26 yard field goal by Snodgrass
4Q (02:08) - KSU 52, FIU 20 - 42 yard field goal by Moss
4Q (01:54) - KSU 59, FIU 20 - 81 yard run by Clayton (Snodgrass Kick)

Players of the Game
KSU - #10 Jermaine Moreira (7 rec, 195 yards, 3 total TDs)
FIU - #21 Nick Turnbull (3 tac, 2 INT, 2 defl)

Team Statistics

Team Stats FIU KSU
Score 20 59
First Downs 12 25
Total Offense 250 669
Rushes-Yards 29-114 39-294
Comp-Att-TD 8-24-0 21-33-5
Passing Yards 136 375
Sacked 1 2
3rd Down Conv 2-11(18%) 8-13(61%)
4th Down Conv 0-0(0%) 0-1(0%)
2-Point Conv 0-0(0%) 0-0(0%)
Redzone-TD-FG 1-0-1(100%) 5-4-1(100%)
Turnovers 2 2
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0
Intercepted 1 2
PR Yards 84 103
KR Yards 138 100
Total Yards 472 872
Punts-Average 7-38.6 2-41.5
Penalties-Yards 4-30 2-30
T.O.P. 26:50 31:10

Player Statistic Highlights
Passing
FIU #10 David Tabor (5 of 11, 74 yds, 1 INT)
FIU #16 Josh Padrick (3 of 13, 62 yds)
KSU #8 Allen Webb (18 of 26, 351 yds, 4 TD)

Rushing
FIU #44 Adam Gorman (6 car, 50 yds)
FIU #32 Julian Reams (13 car, 49 yds)
FIU #41 Chidi Nwadike (1 car, 1 yd, TD)
KSU #5 Thomas Clayton (8 car, 127 yds, TD)

Receiving
FIU #1 Chandler Williams (3 rec, 63 yds)
KSU #10 Jermaine Moreira (7 rec, 195 yds, 2 TD)

Defense
FIU #21 Nick Turnbull (3 tac, 2 INT, 2 defl)
FIU #42 Lance Preston (9 tac)
FIU #48 Myron Acoff (4 tac, 1 TFL, 1 sack)
FIU #95 Pedro Farias (2 tac, 2 TFL, 1 sack)
KSU #59 Matt Butler (5 tac, 1 TFL, 1 FF)

[Ironhead]

I love the idea of starting off with Michigan's playbook and then evolving it over time into something that is your own. Great job on this so far! Keep it up!

[DataKing]

Ironhead: Glad you're enjoying things so far. There's more coming soon.

Just as an FYI, here are the formations in the Michigan playbook that I am starting the dynasty with:

Ace-Normal
Ace-Slot
Ace-Bunch
Ace-Tight (liking this one a lot)
I-Form Normal
I-Form Twins
Shotgun-Spread
Strong-Normal
Strong-Twin TE

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 2

Other Week 2 Results

Top 25
#1 USC 48, Hawaii 30
#2 Tennessee 48, UAB 28
#3 Iowa 42, Ball State 6
TCU 43, #4 Oklahoma 40 (OT)
#11 Miami 39, #5 Florida State 27
#6 Texas 21, UL Lafayette 14
Northern Illinois 31, #7 Michigan 24 http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/mad.gif
#8 Louisville 28, Kentucky 21
#9 LSU 34, North Texas 16
#10 Virginia Tech 23, NC State 16
#12 Ohio State 23, Miami U 21
#13 Florida 49, Wyoming 30
#14 Georgia 23, #18 Boise State 7
#16 Alabama 34, Mid Tenn State 28 (OT)
#24 Georgia Tech 24, #19 Auburn 14
#21 Virginia 47, Western Michigan 24
#22 Pitt 38, Notre Dame 24
#23 UTEP 42, New Mexico State 27

Sun Belt
Kansas 31, Florida Atlantic 24
Troy 43, 1AA West 0
Missouri 34, Arkansas State 17
UL Monroe 33, Northwestern St 13
#16 Alabama 34, Mid Tenn State 28 (OT)
#9 LSU 34, North Texas 16
#6 Texas 21, UL Lafayette 14

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 3

Sports Illustrated Cover: Leinart has the Trojans talking about winning a championship.

Top 25 Coaches' Poll
#1 USC [39] (1-0)
#2 Tennessee [21] (1-0)
#3 Iowa [1] (1-0)
#4 Texas (1-0)
#5 Louisville (1-0)
#6 Miami (1-0)
#7 LSU (1-0)
#8 Virginia Tech (1-0)
#9 Ohio State (1-0)
#10 Florida (1-0)
#11 Florida State (0-1)
#12 Georgia (1-0)
#13 Purdue (0-0)
#14 Alabama (1-0)
#15 Oklahoma (0-1)
#16 Texas Tech (0-0)
#17 Virginia (1-0)
#18 Michigan (0-1)
#19 Georgia Tech (1-0)
#20 Pitt (1-0)
#21 UTEP (1-0)
#22 UCLA (1-0)
#23 Cal (1-0)
#24 Auburn (0-1)
#25 Boise State (0-1)

New to Top 25: #22 UCLA, #23 Cal

Heisman Watch

1. Matt Leinart - QB, USC (level)
2. Adrian Peterson - HB, OU (level)
3. Reggie Bush - HB, USC (level)
4. Chris McFoy - WR, USC (up)
5. Vince Young - QB, Texas (down)

Players of the Week

NCAA
Offensive: Penn State WR #4 Terrell Golden (12 rec, 211 yds, 5 TD)
Defensive: Nebraska DE #90 Adam Carriker (6 tkls (TFL), 2 FF, TD)

Sun Belt
Offensive: UL Monroe QB #15 Steven Jyles (24-32, 359 yds, 6 car, 4 total TD)
Defensive: UL Monroe OLB #45 L.B. Jeter (10 tkls (4 TFL), 2 sks)

[DataKing]

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Florida_International.gif

From Bad to Worse in South Florida: Defensive Captain Preston Suspended Three Games

MIAMI, FL (AP) -- Rookie head coach Wayne Schembechler is being sorely tested in his first year as a college football head coach. On Saturday his FIU Golden Panthers blew an early lead and were routed by the Kansas State Wildcats. Then, on Wednesday of this week, he learned that senior linebacker Lance Preston, defensive captain for the Panthers, had been caught using a cell phone to receive answers to an exam in class. Schembechler and his staff responded quickly, suspending Preston from play for three games.

"Part of being a coach is being a disciplinarian," stated Schemnechler during a brief press conference, "and this is one of those unfortunate situations that we've been forced to deal with. The university is conducting an investigation into the matter, but in the meantime Lance [Preston] has been suspended from play. This is not the sort of precedent that I are this university want to set as far as our players are concerned, so Lance's defensive captain status has been revoked as well."

Senior defensive back Nick Turnbull has been named defensive captain for the Golden Panthers in Preston's stead, and junior linebacker Keyonvis Bouie is expected to step into the vacated starting role. Preston will not be eligible to return to the field until October 15th, when the Golden Panthers host North Texas in conference play.

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 3 Recruiting Update

QB Ray Poe (FIU ranks 2nd - down 1): "It sounds like he enjoyed his unofficial visit to Florida State last week." We're going to step up the pressure on Ray, bumping our percentage from 10% to 18%. Hopefully that will get us ahead of that bastard Bowden.

QB Ken Brown (FIU ranks 8th - no change): "He racked up 352 all purpose yards and 4 scores in his last high school game." How nice for Ken, but it's time to make some choices. We can't compete with the big boys on a large front, so we're going to concentrate on a small number of recruits. We're dropping all efforts on Brown and concentrating on Poe.

FB Jamaal Griffin (FIU ranks 8th - down 5): "He doesn't seem to be too impressed with you, Coach Schembechler." Perhaps I should have gramps come down here and kick his arse. Seriously though, Jamaal obviously isn't interested, so we're dropping our efforts on him to concentrate elsewhere.

LT Maurice Byrd (FIU ranks 8th - down 1): "Maurice isn't particularly interested in FIU's prestige." It seems Maurice is destined to attend the Northern Indiana Institute of Evil...pity. Dropping him.

LT Joey Minor (FIU ranks 6th - down 1): "Joey doesn't really know what he wants to major in." If he goes to Florida State, like he's currently leaning towards, his major will be Kissing Bobbie Bowden's Ass. We'll try to save him from that fate and step up the pressure on him.

DT Mike Smith (Rejected FIU): "It felt like other schools wanted me a little more than FIU, coach." Translation: Everybody else is trying to bribe me, why aren't you?

DT Michael Parks (FIU ranks 4th - down 2): "Michael is worried about things other than academics." We're stepping up efforts on Mr. Parks. After all, what better place is there for a kid that isn't interested in academics than Miami, Florida?

MLB Cory Mosby (FIU ranks 1st - no change): "He wasn't very interested in FIU's tradition." We've been playing football at FIU for three seasons...I daresay there isn't a whole lot of tradition here in the first place. Still, he's got us at the top of his list...we'll step things up to stay there.

MLB Micah Allen (FIU ranks 7th - down 4): "The loss to KSU hurts even more because we lost some ground with Micah." Reality check kiddo...Kansas State vs. FIU...what were you expecting? Too much apparently...have a nice life.

CB Charles Hall (FIU ranks 3rd - down 1): "He finished his last game with 7 tackles, 3 of those being TFLs." They must be blitzing him off the edge a lot. We're still in decent shape, and he's the only corner we've got targeted, so we'll step things up on him.

SS Ryan Rodriguez (FIU ranks 8th - down 2): "He had a great time on his unofficial visit to Georgia last week." Have fun being a bulldog, Ryan.

SS Wesley Lee (FIU ranks 8th - no change): "Wesley doesn't care about our program's prestige." Thank goodness, because we don't have any. Wesley is also leaning towards Georgia. We're going to be sneaky here and step up the pressure on Wesley, letting him know how much interest Rodriguez has been getting from the Bulldogs.


As I mentioned, we need to concentrate on fewer players, or we'll end up spread out too thin and not land any of these kids. It is with that reasoning that we've dropped all pursuit on the following players:

QB Ken Brown
FB Jamaal Griffin
LT Maurice Byrd
MLB Micah Allen
SS Ryan Rodriguez

Our remaining six prospects will each receive between 16% and 18% of our time this week.

[dacman]

#53 Johnathan Sturrup (OVR 76, Sr, 5'10" 206 lbs.): Another under-sized linebacker, Johnathan has surprisingly good jumping ability for a man of his stature. We've asked him to red-shirt this season, to help preserve some depth at least for next season. We'll be losing three of our seven linebackers at the end of the year.
In NCAA 2005 these guys were gone regardless if you redshirted them or not. Let us know if he sticks around.

[DataKing]

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Bursting Onto the Scene: "Little Bo" Earns First Victory in National Shocker

LUBBOCK, TX (AP) -- Wayne Schembechler has been dealing with more than his fair share of adversity in his first season as a NCAA head coach. Last week his FIU Golden Panthers were routed by Kansas State in their season opener, 59-20, a demoralizing way to begin your career. Then earlier this week he was forced to suspend defensive team captain and pre-season All Sun-Belt linebacker Lance Preston for academic purposes. And what was Schembechler's reward for dealing with these issues? A trip to Lubbock, Texas to face the #16 ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders in what was sure to be another lopsided affair. Schembechler's Panthers came into the game dead last, ranked #119 in the country, and without one of their best defensive players to boot. A no-brainer right?

Wrong. Dead wrong.

On this wet Texas evening, with the television cameras rolling (the game was broadcast regionally in the Lubbock area and south Florida), the Florida International Golden Panthers dominated the game for nearly all sixty minutes. With red-hot quarterback play and a completely different defensive look than the week before, Schembechler's Panthers completed what has to be considered one the biggest and most lopsided college football upsets in history, defeating the Red Raiders 44-15.

Florida International started the game on a good note, with a time-consuming drive into Texas Tech territory. The drive was highlighted by a 46 yard bomb between seniors David Tabor at quarterback and Cory McKinney at wide receiver. The Red Raider defense did eventually stiffen, however, at their 4 yard line and the Golden Panthers had to settle for a 21 yard Adam Moss field goal.

After being trounced for 375 passing yards the week prior, the Golden Panthers defense decided on an entirely different approach against the pass-happy Texas Tech offense, and played almost exclusively Cover-2 and Cover-3 zones. This appeared to confuse senior quarterback Cody Hodges, and the Red Raiders went 3-and-out on their first two possessions of the game (Florida International would also go 3-and-out in their second possession).

Late in the first quarter, Tabor and the FIU offense began driving down the field and penetrated Texas Tech territory with solid running from redshirt freshman Julian Reams. This set up a 45-yard strike on play action from Tabor to senior wide receiver Andre Rollins, giving the Golden Panthers a 10-0 lead with 2:46 remaining in the quarter.

Hodges and the Red Raiders offense tried desperately to answer, but the complete disdain of Texas Tech for the running game worked to their disadvantage. Early on it became clear that they had no intention of even attempting to run, which allowed the Golden Panthers defense to pin their ears back and come hard after the quarterback. (Texas Tech tailback Taurean Henderson would carry the ball only three times during the game). Though they had trouble sacking Hodges, the Panthers defense did cause him to hurry his throws a number of times, including a deep pass to the Florida International 26-yard line which was intercepted by sophomore free safety Marshall McDuffie.

At this point, the offense for the Golden Panthers really began to click, and many of the bounces that had gone against them the week before began to fall in the favor of the FIU squad. On the last play of the quarter a David Tabor pass was deflected by two different Texas Tech defenders, only to be snatched out of the air by an alert Julian Reams for a six-yard gain. The Panthers finished the drive two minutes later, when Tabor found freshman wide receiver Julius Mincey in an open spot in the Red Raiders zone for a 15-yard touchdown pass.

Still unable to figure out the FIU zone defense, Texas Tech went 3-and-out yet again on their next possession. A clipping call on the ensuing punt return forced the Golden Panthers to begin at their own 24-yard line. Shortly thereafter, David Tabor would suffer his one miscue in the game, coughing up the football on a botched option pitch, handing the ball to Texas Tech at the FIU 41-yard line. But on the very next play the FIU defense took the ball right back, as senior strong safety John Haritan intercepted Cody Hodges in the end zone.

The miscue on the drive before apparently lit a fire under Tabor, because he came out firing. His execution was flawless, and engineered a 7-play, 80-yard drive that was capped off by a 33-yard touchdown pass to Andre Rollins, his second of the game. The touchdown pass was also Tabor's 10th consecutive completion.

With time running low in the first half, the vaunted Red Raiders passing attack finally appeared to wake up. Cody Hodges led the team on a rapid 80-yard drive, culminating in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Hodges to freshman wide receiver L.A. Reed. In a curious decision, the Red Raiders elected to go for two and succeeded, making the halftime score 24-8.

Texas Tech came out firing in the 3rd quarter, and Wayne Schembechler and his Golden Panthers no doubt felt some sense of deja-vu, as Hodges connected with pre-season All-American wide receiver Jarrett Hicks for a 50-yard touchdown strike. Having squandered an early lead against Kansas State the week before, Coach Schembechler would say after the game "It was definitely an 'oh no, here we go again' sort of moment. But these young men fought through it. I'm very proud of them for that." In another curious decision, the Red Raiders elected for an extra point kick, leaving the margin at 24-15.

The Red Raiders defense forced a 3-and-out, and then their offense took the field to the thunderous applause of their fans. The momentum had definitely shifted, but would shift back soon enough. Safety John Haritan sacrificed his body to break up a 3rd-and-10 pass from Hodges, injuring his elbow and having to leave the game (he would not return). The FIU offense was not about to allow Haritan's sacrifice to be in vain, as Tabor connected with his favorite target Cory McKinney on a 53-yard bomb to the Texas Tech 3-yard line. Said Tabor after the game "I saw the safety creeping up for a blitz, so I just let it fly. I knew Cory would go up and get it for me. It wasn't the only time we took advantage of the Raiders' aggressiveness on defense." Two plays later powerback Chidi Nwadike would thunder home from 1 yard out, giving the Golden Panthers a 31-15 lead.

Senior defensive tackle Brandon Higdon ended the Red Raiders ensuing drive with a timely sack of Cody Hodges on 3rd-and-6, and the FIU offense delivered the dagger on their next drive. They finished off a steady, time-consuming drive down the field with David Tabor's 4th touchdown pass of the day, a 12-yard strike to Cory McKinney in the back of the end zone.

Early in the 4th quarter the Red Raiders were desperate to get back into the game, and had driven as far as the FIU 4-yard line. But the Golden Panthers defense came through yet again. Senior linebacker Gerrod Bouie sacked Hodges and knocked the ball loose. The fumble was promptly pounced on by Brandon Higdon, ending the last serious Texas Tech threat of the game.

In a touching moment late in the game, with the substitutes on the field for FIU as the game was well in hand, junior strong safety Cory Fleming made a diving interception of an errant Hodges pass. He promptly ran over to the sidelines and handed the ball to Coach Schembechler, who was soon thereafter given a proper Gatorade shower to celebrate his first win as a head coach. "That really meant a lot to me," stated Schembechler after the game. "I'm going to keep that ball forever."

Florida International would add a pair of Adam Moss field goals in the last half of the fourth quarter.

Final Score: Florida International 44, Texas Tech 15

Box Score
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
FIU 10 14 14 6 44
Texas Tech 0 8 7 0 15

1Q (08:58) - FIU 3, TTU 0 - 22 yard field goal by Moss
1Q (02:46) - FIU 10, TTU 0 - 45 yard pass from Tabor to Rollins (Moss Kick)
2Q (12:42) - FIU 17, TTU 0 - 15 yard pass from Tabor to Mincey (Moss Kick)
2Q (04:42) - FIU 24, TTU 0 - 33 yard pass from Tabor to Rollins (Moss Kick)
2Q (02:19) - FIU 24, TTU 8 - 14 yard pass from Hodges to Reed (Hodges pass to Hicks)
3Q (14:16) - FIU 24, TTU 15 - 50 yard pass from Hodges to Hicks (Trlica Kick)
3Q (08:24) - FIU 31, TTU 15 - 1 yard run by Nwadike (Moss Kick)
3Q (02:42) - FIU 38, TTU 15 - 12 yard pass from Tabor to McKinney (Moss Kick)
4Q (06:07) - FIU 41, TTU 15 - 33 yard field goal by Moss
4Q (03:16) - FIU 44, TTU 15 - 37 yard field goal by Moss

Players of the Game
FIU - #10 David Tabor (18-26, 317 yds, 4 TD, 5 car, 39 yds)
TTU - #3 Dwayne Slay (11 tac (tfl), 1 defl)

Team Statistics

Team Stats FIU Texas Tech
Score 44 15
First Downs 20 16
Total Offense 483 334
Rushes-Yards 45-166 5-4
Comp-Att-TD 18-26-4 26-53-2
Passing Yards 317 330
Sacked 0 2
3rd Down Conv 8-15(53%) 4-12(33%)
4th Down Conv 0-0(0%) 0-2(0%)
2-Point Conv 0-0(0%) 1-1(100%)
Redzone-TD-FG 6-3-3(100%) 4-1-0(25%)
Turnovers 1 4
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 1-1
Intercepted 0 3
PR Yards 73 3
KR Yards 61 178
Total Yards 617 515
Punts-Average 4-42.5 5-44.4
Penalties-Yards 2-30 0-0
T.O.P. 43:39 16:21

Player Statistic Highlights
Passing
FIU #10 David Tabor (18-26, 317 yds, 4 TD)
TTU #10 Cody Hodges (26-53, 330 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT)

Rushing
FIU #32 Julian Reams (16 car, 54 yds)
FIU #41 Chidi Nwadike (6 car, 30 yds, TD)
TTU #19 Taurean Henderson (3 car, 17 yds)

Receiving
FIU #80 Andre Rollins (5 rec, 134 yds, 2 TD)
FIU #86 Cory McKinney (4 rec, 132 yds, TD)
TTU #88 Jarrett Hicks (6 rec, 126 yds, TD)

Defense
FIU #51 Keyonvis Bouie (6 tac, defl)
FIU #24 Marshall McDuffie (4 tac, INT, defl)
FIU #5 Gerrod Bodie (3 tac (tfl), sac, FF)
FIU #64 Brandon Higdon (2 tac (tfl), sac, FR)
TTU #3 Dwayne Slay (11 tac (tfl), defl)

[DataKing]

In NCAA 2005 these guys were gone regardless if you redshirted them or not. Let us know if he sticks around.
Yikes! I didn't know that (I didn't play much of 2005...I was less than pleased with it). I sure hope he sticks around...if he leaves I'll only have 3 returning linebackers. http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/eek.gif

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 3

Other Week 3 Results

Top 25
#3 Iowa 34, Iowa State 13
#4 Texas 38, #9 Ohio State 28
#7 LSU 45, Arizona State 38
#8 Virginia Tech 44, Duke 0
#9 Georgia 21, South Carolina 9
Louisiana Tech 21, #10 Florida 17
#11 Florida State 63, The Citadel 3
Akron 31, #13 Purdue 21
#14 Alabama 35, Southern Miss 18
Tulsa 23, #15 Oklahoma 21 (OU starts the season 0-2)
FIU 44, #16 Texas Tech 15
#18 Michigan 41, Notre Dame 14
#20 Pitt 38, Ohio 14
#22 UCLA 28, Rice 10
#23 Cal 34, Washington 28
Mississippi State 41, #24 Auburn 28
Oregon State 45, #25 Boise State 24

Sun Belt
North Texas 45, Mid Tenn State 17
UL Monroe 27, Wyoming 20
Arkansas State 42, Tennessee-Martin 20
UL Lafayette 43, Eastern Michigan 28
UAB 31, Troy 24
Oklahoma State 38, Florida Atlantic 27

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 4

Sports Illustrated Cover: Lost by an Eyelash: Florida is stunned in a nail-biter to Louisiana Tech.

Top 25 Coaches' Poll
#1 USC [37] (1-0)
#2 Tennessee [22] (1-0)
#3 Texas [1] (2-0)
#4 Iowa [1] (2-0)
#5 Louisville (1-0)
#6 Miami (1-0)
#7 LSU (2-0)
#8 Virginia Tech (2-0)
#9 Georgia (2-0)
#10 Florida State (1-1)
#11 Alabama (2-0)
#12 Ohio State (1-1)
#13 Virginia (1-0)
#14 Michigan (1-1)
#15 Pitt (2-0)
#16 UTEP (1-0)
#17 UCLA (2-0)
#18 Cal (2-0)
#19 Florida (1-1)
#20 Colorado (2-0)
#21 Boston College (1-1)
#22 Fresno State (1-0)
#23 Michigan State (2-0)
#24 Purdue (0-1)
#25 Oregon (2-0)

Dropped Out: Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif, Auburn, Boise State

New to Top 25: Colorado, Boston College, Fresno State, Michigan State, Oregon

Also Receiving Votes: TCU, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, Northern Illinois, Oklahoma State, Missouri

Heisman Watch
#1 Matt Leinart - QB, USC (level)
#2 Adrian Peterson - HB, OU (level)
#3 Reggie Bush - HB, USC (level)
#4 Drew Tate - QB, Iowa (up)
#5 Aaron Johns - HB, Alabama (up)

Players of the Week

NCAA
Offensive: BYU WR #1 Todd Watkins (9 rec, 263 yds, 5 TD)
Defensive: Baylor SS #18 Willie Andrews (7 tkls, 2 FF, TD)

Sun Belt
Offensive: Arkansas State HB #42 Antonio Warren (34 car, 249 yds, 3 TD, 3 rec, 43 yds, TD)
Defensive: UL Monroe DT #89 Marbrae Wilson (8 tkls (4 tfl), 2 sks, FR)

*Note: Florida International is idle this week.

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 4 Recruiting Update

We've cut down our own list to a "Top 6" and will only be detailing players who are continuing to receive some of our attention from here on out. For the others, it's only a matter of time before they decide to drop us completely.

QB Ray Poe (FIU ranks 1st - up 1): "Ray's passing accuracy is cause for some concern." I'm well aware of Ray's accuracy issues, but he's still a step in the right direction for this program.

LT Joey Minor (FIU makes Joey's list of 5 - ranks 2nd - up 2. Potential: Poor. Discipline: Good): "In their last game, Joey's HS team passed for 318 yards and 4 TDs." Minor's lack of potential concerns me, but because both of our current left tackles are graduating, we need someone who can step in right away. Joey doesn't have to be a long-term solution for us.

DT Michael Parks (FIU ranks 6th - down 2): "FIU's location is not a big deal for this prospect." Just like left tackle, we're going to be desperate for defensive tackle help next season, so we'll be stepping up our efforts to land Michael.

MLB Cory Mosby (FIU ranks 1st - no change): "He didn't respond much to the chance to play early." Considering how little depth we'll have at linebacker next season, if Cory signs with us he'll be playing whether he likes it or not.

CB Charles Hall (FIU ranks 5th - down 2): "He had a great time last week on his unofficial visit to Texas." Charles is looking more and more like a waste of our efforts. We're dropping him.

SS Wesley Lee (FIU ranks 5th - up 3): "Location is not much of a factor for Wesley." We've made some nice progress with Wesley this week. Hopefully we can move up even further on his list next week.

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 4

Week 4 Results

Top 25
#1 USC 45, Arkansas 23
#2 Tennessee 31, #19 Florida 28
#3 Texas 28, Rice 14
#4 Iowa 42, UNI 0
#5 Louisville 35, Oregon State 28
#6 Miami 24, Clemson 19
#8 Virginia Tech 37, Ohio 10
#9 Georgia 44, UL Monroe 35
#21 Boston College 28, #10 Florida State 14
South Carolina 24, #11 Alabama 20
#12 Ohio State 31, San Diego State 26
#13 Virginia 24, Syracuse 17
#14 Michigan 28, Eastern Michigan 27
Nebraska 32, #15 Pitt 25
Houston 31, #16 UTEP 28
Oklahoma 34, #17 UCLA 28
#18 Cal 45, Illinois 7
#25 Oregon 42, #22 Fresno State 25
#23 Michigan State 41, Notre Dame 38 (OT)
#24 Purdue 42, Arizona 7

Sun Belt
North Texas 24, Tulsa 21
UL Lafayette 20, Northwestern St. 17
Troy 43, Missouri 35
#9 Georgia 44, UL Monroe 35
Oklahoma State 30, Arkansas State 20
Minnesota 41, Florida Atlantic 21
Akron 38, Mid Tenn State 23

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 5

Sports Illustrated Cover: Taking the Reins: Volunteers find a way to win, and find themselves atop the latest poll.

Top 25 Coaches' Poll
#1 Tennessee [33] (2-0)
#2 USC [25] (2-0)
#3 Texas [1] (3-0)
#4 Iowa [1] (3-0)
#5 Louisville [1] (2-0)
#6 Miami (2-0)
#7 LSU (2-0)
#8 Virginia Tech (3-0)
#9 Georgia (3-0)
#10 Virginia (2-0)
#11 Ohio State (2-1)
#12 Michigan (2-1)
#13 Cal (3-0)
#14 Boston College (2-1)
#15 Colorado (2-0)
#16 Florida State (1-2)
#17 Alabama (2-1)
#18 Michigan State (3-0)
#19 Oregon (3-0)
#20 Oklahoma (1-2)
#21 Purdue (1-1)
#22 UCLA (2-1)
#23 Florida (1-2)
#24 Pitt (2-1)
#25 Northern Illinois (3-0)

Dropped Out: UTEP, Fresno State

New to Top 25: Oklahoma, Northern Illinois

Also Receiving Votes: Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Fresno State, Minnesota, UTEP, Texas Tech

Heisman Watch
#1 Matt Leinart - QB, USC (level)
#2 Ed Hinkel - WR, Iowa (up)
#3 Drew Tate - QB, Iowa (up)
#4 Antonio Pittman - HB, Ohio State (up)
#5 Vince Young - QB, Texas (up)

Players of the Week

NCAA
Offensive - Auburn HB #22 Tre Smith (35 car, 168 yds, 4 TD, 50 rec yds)
Defensive - Maryland DE #98 Omarr Savage (9 tkls (6 tfl), 3 sks, 2 FF, FR)

Sun Belt
Offensive - Troy WR #81 A.J. Jones (9 rec, 108 yds, 3 TD)
Defensive - UL Lafayette DE #91 Anthony Hills (11 tkls (4 tfl), 2 sks, FF)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 5 Recruiting Update

QB Ray Poe (FIU ranks 1st - no change): "He said that his unofficial visit to Georgia didn't go so well." Glad to hear it. http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif

LT Joey Minor (FIU ranks 2nd (of 5) - no change): "He has heard of you, but hasn't really followed your career." What career would that be?

DT Michael Parks (FIU ranks 5th - up 1): "He said that his unofficial visit to Tennessee didn't go so well." We've moved up, at least slightly. A good sign.

MLB Cory Mosby (FIU ranks 1st - no change): "Cory was unimpressed with Virginia Tech after his unofficial visit." Trust me Cory, the ladies here in Miami are much more "impressive." http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif

SS Wesley Lee (FIU makes Wesley's list of 5 - ranks 4th - up 1. Potential: Poor. Discipline: Average): "He finished his last game with 9 tackles, 3 of those being TFLs." Making Wesley's top 5 is nice, but his poor potential and average self-discipline isn't. I'm looking for a long-term solution to our safety situation, which can be better-addressed in the off-season. We're dropping Wesley.

Up Next: Florida International's conference opener, as the Golden Panthers visit Arkansas State.

[DataKing]

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Florida_International.gifhttp://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Arkansas_St.gif
Florida International (1-1, 0-0) vs. Arkansas State (1-2, 0-0)

Dominant Defense: FIU Trounces Arkansas State in Conference Opener


September 24th, 2005

JONESBORO, AR (AP) -- The confidence gained by the FIU Golden Panthers in their defeat of Texas Tech two weeks ago was obvious on the field today in Jonesboro. Wayne Schembechler's team dominated the game from start to finish, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, easily winning their Sun Belt Conference opener against Arkansas State. Although the final score was a lopsided 51-14, a case could be made that the end result should have been even more in Florida International's favor, so dominating was their performance.

The Golden Panthers defense played well from the first snap of the game. On the opening drive of the contest, Arkansas State quarterback Nick Noce scrambled for a 1st down, but was then hit and stripped by senior linebacker Gerrod Bodie (his second forced fumble in as many games). The ball was recovered and returned to the Panthers' 48 yard line by senior cornerback Matt Castillo. But where the FIU defense excelled, the offense sputtered slightly out of the gates. On his first play from scrimmage, senior quarterback David Tabor went deep and was picked off by senior strong safety Josh Powell. The Indians could do nothing with the change in fortune, however, as defensive tackle Pedro Farias stopped tailback Antonio Warren on 3rd and 2.

Tabor and the Golden Panthers' offense quickly recovered their composure, and marched down the field after the ensuing punt. The drive was highlighted by a 33-yard completion from Tabor to junior tight end Samuel Smith, and a 23-yard scamper by redshirt freshman tailback Julian Reams. Reams then capped the drive with a 1-yard plunge to give FIU an early 7-0 lead.

Arkansas State was forced to punt on their next possession (which would become a recurring theme throughout the game: the Indians had to punt seven times), which was returned by freshman return-man Lloyd Moss to the Indians' 44 yard line. FIU's next drive was continued due to a defensive pass interference call, but eventually stalled at the 6 yard line. The Panthers settled for a 24-yard Adam Moss field goal.

Noce and the Arkansas State Indians weren't able to get anything going on their next drive, and were forced to punt. Another good return by Moss gave FIU possession at the Indians' 45 yard line, which they were easily able to cover. Four minutes into the second quarter, senior tailback Adam Gorman ran it in from 10 yards out, and the Golden Panthers' lead swelled to 17-0.

Things went from bad to worse for Arkansas State on their next possession when a pass went off of wide receiver Ed Hampton's hands and was snagged out of the air by senior strong safety John Haritan, who returned the pick to the Indians' 48 yard line. FIU was unable to take advantage of the situation, though, and were forced to punt. Another 3-and-out and Arkansas State was forced to do the same, but junior Jarod Little shanked the punt out of bounds at his own 35 yard line.

Schembechler's Panthers were not about to waste such choice field position. They converted a 3rd and 8 with a 25 yard strike from David Tabor to junior wideout Chandler Williams. Tabor found his big tight end Samuel Smith on the next play for a short completion, which Smith turned into a touchdown catch by powering his way past Indian defenders and into the end zone, extending the FIU lead to 24-0.

Yet another 3-and-out for Arkansas State yielded good field position yet again for FIU late in the half. Schembechler let the running game take over at this point, chewing up the rest of the 2nd quarter clock on the ground and capping the drive with a 2 yard Chidi Nwadike touchdown run with only 24 seconds remaining. The Golden Panthers took a monstrous 31-0 lead with them into the locker room.

An unfortunate turn of events for FIU gave the Arkansas State fans reason to hope, if only briefly, early in the 3rd quarter. Julian Reams was stacked up against the line on 3rd and short, and had the football stripped. An opportunistic Indians linebacker, Gregory Hardy, scooped the ball up off the grass and rumbled 47 yards for the touchdown, cutting the FIU lead to 31-7.

The hopes for a comeback by the hometown fans were short-lived, though. Freshman returner Julius Mincey took the Arkansas State kickoff all the way to the Indians' 48 yard line. The Panthers could not penetrate the red zone this time around, but senior placekicker Adam Moss remained perfect on the season, knocking home a 46-yarder and stretching the lead out to 34-7.

Arkansas State's offensive woes continued and they suffered another 3-and-out. Wayne Schembechler apparently felt quite comfortable with a four score lead, because junior quarterback Josh Padrick, who did not see any action two weeks before against Texas Tech, came into the game. Padrick proceeded to pick up right where Tabor left off. He lead the team down the field and finished the drive off with a 33-yard strike to senior wideout Cory McKinney.

Yet another 3-and-out by Arkansas State was followed by a 27-yard Adam Moss field goal for the Panthers early in the 4th quarter. It was at this point that Schembechler decided his starters had seen enough for the day, and put in his reserves. Arkansas State proceeded to drive down the field after this, primarily on the legs of tailback Antonio Warren. The drive was finished off by a 4 yard Warren run, but accomplished little more than padding Warren's stats as the game was already decided. It should be noted that, through three quarters of play, the Golden Panthers defense had held Arkansas State to under 100 yards of total offense.

Freshman quarterback Tavares Kendrick added a 5-yard option keeper touchdown run later in the quarter, and the final drive for Arkansas State came to an abrupt stop when backup QB Devin Hollins was sacked on both 3rd and 4th down.

Final Score: Florida International 51, Arkansas State 14

Box Score

Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
FIU 10 21 10 10 51
Arkansas State 0 0 7 7 14

1Q (06:59) - FIU 7, Ark St 0 - 1 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)
1Q (02:00) - FIU 10, Ark St 0 - 24 yard field goal by Moss
2Q (10:57) - FIU 17, Ark St 0 - 10 yard run by Gorman (Moss Kick)
2Q (05:03) - FIU 24, Ark St 0 - 8 yard pass from Tabor to Smith (Moss Kick)
2Q (00:24) - FIU 31, Ark St 0 - 2 yard run by Nwadike (Moss Kick)
3Q (12:09) - FIU 31, Ark St 7 - 47 yard fumble return by Hardy (Neihouse Kick)
3Q (09:30) - FIU 34, Ark St 7 - 46 yard field goal by Moss
3Q (03:23) - FIU 41, Ark St 7 - 33 yard pass from Padrick to McKinney (Moss Kick)
4Q (13:13) - FIU 44, Ark St 7 - 28 yard field goal by Moss
4Q (07:35) - FIU 44, Ark St 14 - 4 yard run by Warren (Neihouse Kick)
4Q (06:24) - FIU 51, Ark St 14 - 5 yard run by Kendrick (Moss Kick)

Players of the Game
FIU - #14 Adam Moss (3 for 3 FG, 6 for 6 PATs)
Ark St - #53 Gregory Hardy (1 tkl, FR, TD)

Team Statistics

Team Stats FIU Ark St
Score 51 14
First Downs 21 9
Total Offense 444 177
Rushes-Yards 43-292 35-133
Comp-Att-TD 11-22-2 4-13-0
Passing Yards 152 44
Sacked 0 5
3rd Down Conv 6-11(54%) 2-11(18%)
4th Down Conv 0-0(0%) 0-1(0%)
2-Point Conv 0-0(0%) 0-0(0%)
Redzone-TD-FG 7-5-2(100%) 2-1-0(50%)
Turnovers 2 2
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 2-1
Intercepted 1 1
PR Yards 40 0
KR Yards 80 181
Total Yards 564 358
Punts-Average 1-37.0 7-36.6
Penalties-Yards 2-20 2-10
T.O.P. 35:30 24:30

Player Statistic Highlights

Passing
FIU #10 David Tabor (8-17, 106 yds, TD, INT)
FIU #16 Josh Padrick (3-5, 46 yds, TD)
Ark St #8 Nick Noce (4-13, 44 yds, INT)

Rushing
FIU #32 Julian Reams (20 car, 152 yds, TD)
FIU #44 Adam Gorman (6 car, 67 yds, TD)
FIU #2 Tavares Kendrick (5 car, 29 yds, TD)
FIU #41 Chidi Nwadike (2 car, 1 yd, TD)
Ark St #42 Antonio Warren (24 car, 120 yds, TD)

Receiving
FIU #86 Cory McKinney (3 rec, 43 yds, TD)
FIU #87 Samuel Smith (2 rec, 41 yds, TD)
Ark St #11 Ed Hampton (1 rec, 20 yds)

Defensive
FIU #25 Zach Davis (4 tkls (tfl), sk)
FIU #95 Pedro Farias (4 tkls (2 tfls), FF)
FIU #48 Myron Acoff (3 tkls (3 tfls), 2 sks)
FIU #93 Audric Adger (2 tkls (tfl), sk)
FIU #5 Gerrod Bodie (2 tkls, FF)
FIU #31 John Haritan (tkl, INT)
FIU #73 Jonathan Betancourt (tkl (tfl), sk)
FIU #37 Matt Castillo (FR)
Ark St #16 Tyrell Johnson (8 tkls, defl, FF)
Ark St #27 Josh Powell (3 tac, defl, INT)
Ark St #53 Gregory Hardy (tkl, FR, TD)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 5

Other Week 5 Results

Top 25
#1 Tennessee 42, #7 LSU 31 (2 straight impressive road wins for the Vols)
#2 USC 49, #19 Oregon 28
#4 Iowa 31, #11 Ohio State 28
#5 Louisville 35, USF 28
#6 Miami 32, #15 Colorado 28
Georgia Tech 31, #8 Virginia Tech 17
#9 Georgia 42, Mississippi State 12
#10 Virginia 50, Duke 20
Wisconsin 19, #12 Michigan 15 http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/frown.gif (A 2-2 start...what's wrong in Ann Arbor?)
#13 Cal 41, New Mexico State 31
Clemson 28, #14 Boston College 23
#17 Alabama 20, Arkansas 14
#18 Michigan State 24, Illinois 21
#21 Purdue 48, Minnesota 14
#23 Florida 49, Kentucky 10
#24 Pitt 51, Youngstown State 7
Akron 41, #25 Northern Illinois 31

Sun Belt
North Texas 36, Kansas State 25 http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/eek.gif
UL Monroe 27, Florida Atlantic 12
South Carolina 31, Troy 24

Sun Belt Conference Standings

Team W-L Pct Conf PF PA
North Texas 3-1 .7500 1-0 121 97
UL Monroe 3-1 .7500 1-0 122 89
FIU 2-1 .6667 1-0 115 88
Troy 2-2 .5000 0-0 136 97
UL Lafayette 2-1 .6667 0-0 77 66
Arkansas State 1-3 .2500 0-1 93 135
Mid Tenn State 0-3 .0000 0-1 68 117
Florida Atlantic 0-4 .0000 0-1 84 127

[DataKing]

Sorry about the {code} boxes guys. They look fine when I preview them, but then the lines get all jumbled once I actually make the post. I can't get the columns to line up properly.

[Katon]

They're lining up perfectly for me. Enjoying the dynasty.

[DataKing]

They're lining up perfectly for me. Enjoying the dynasty.
Strange. I'm playing with it, and it seems like they get out of alignment about half the time. Odd...maybe it's just Firefox being quirky.

Anyhow, I'm glad you're enjoying the dynasty. There should be more coming this weekend.

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 6

Sports Illustrated Cover: Checking the Ballots: There's a new leader atop the Heisman list (Reggie Bush).

Top 25 Coaches' Poll
#1 Tennessee [33] (3-0)
#2 USC [23] (3-0)
#3 Iowa [3] (4-0)
#4 Texas [1] (3-0)
#5 Louisville [1] (3-0)
#6 Miami (3-0)
#7 Georgia (4-0)
#8 Virginia (3-0)
#9 Cal (4-0)
#10 LSU (2-1)
#11 Michigan State (4-0)
#12 Florida State (1-2)
#13 Alabama (3-1)
#14 Ohio State (2-2)
#15 Virginia Tech (3-1)
#16 Colorado (2-1)
#17 Oklahoma (1-2)
#18 Purdue (2-1)
#19 UCLA (2-1)
#20 Florida (2-2)
#21 Michigan (2-2)
#22 Oregon (3-1)
#23 Pitt (3-1)
#24 Oklahoma State (3-0)
#25 Boston College (2-2)

New to Top 25: Oklahoma State

Dropped Out: Northern Illinois

Also Receiving Votes: Nebraska, Fresno State, UTEP, Wisconsin, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Texas A&M, Oregon State, BYU

Heisman Watch
#1 Reggie Bush - HB, USC (up)
#2 Matt Leinart - QB, USC (down)
#3 Ed Hinkel - WR, Iowa (down)
#4 Antonio Pittman - HB, Ohio State (level)
#5 Drew Tate - QB, Iowa (down)

Players of the Week

NCAA
Offensive - Eastern Michigan WR #19 Eric Deslauriers (14 rec, 243 yds, 4 TD)
Defensive - Alabama LB #8 Freddie Roach (5 tkls, 3 FF, TD)

Sun Belt
Offensive - North Texas HB #20 Jamario Thomas (35 car, 183 yds, 2 TD, 33 rec yds)
Defensive - Troy DE #51 Kenny Mainor (6 tkls (5 tfls), 2 sks, FF, TD)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 6 Recruiting Update

QB Ray Poe (FIU makes Ray's list of 5, ranks 1st - Potential: Poor - Discipline: Good): "Ray was unimpressed with Georgia after his unofficial visit." And I'm unimpressed with Ray's lack of potential, but we don't have much choice in the matter at this point.

LT Joey Minor (FIU ranks 1st (of 5) - up 1): "He doesn't seem to care about our coaching philosophies." We've moved up past Florida State. Nice.

DT Michael Parks (FIU makes Michael's list of 5, ranks 4th - Potential: Poor - Discipline: Average): "He didn't have too much fun on his unofficial visit to Tennessee." We're slowly but surely working our way up Michael's list.

MLB Cory Mosby (FIU makes Cory's list of 5, ranks 1st - Potential: Poor - Discipline: Poor): "He said that his unofficial visit to Virginia Tech didn't go so well." We remain Cory's top choice.


Author's Note: Every single player on my list (even those we're no longer pursuing) is rated as poor potential. Is this a bug of some kind, or do my scouts just suck that much? Any ideas?

[DataKing]

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Florida_International.gif

More Trouble in Miami: Golden Panthers' Tailback Reams Arrested and Suspended




September 28th, 2005

MIAMI, FL (AP) -- Julian Reams, starting tailback for the Florida International Golden Panthers football team, was arrested late last night. Reams was allegedly involved in a scuffle at a night club near the FIU campus, and has been charged with disorderly conduct and battery.

FIU Athletic Director Rick Mello and football coach Wayne Schembechler responded quickly this morning, suspending Reams from practice and play for two games. He will be eligible to return to the team on October 15th, when FIU hosts North Texas.

This incident marks the second suspension of a Golden Panthers' player already this season. Linebacker Lance Preston still has one game yet to serve on a three game suspension for academic cheating.

"Someone gave these kids the idea that I'd be easy on them because this is my first year as the head coach," stated Schembechler during a brief press conference. "Nothing could be farther from the truth. This sort of behavior cannot and will not be overlooked here at Florida International."

Senior Adam Gorman is expected to start at tailback in place of Reams.

[DataKing]

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Florida_AM.gifhttp://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Florida_International.gif
Florida A&M (N/A) vs. Florida International (2-1, 1-0)

Shameful? Schembechler Accused of Running Up Score Against Division I-AA Rattlers

October 1st, 2005

MIAMI, FL (AP) -- The long-awaited home opener for the Florida International Golden Panthers was not what many fans were expecting to see. Sure, their opponents were Division I-AA Florida A&M from Tallahassee, so many were expected a pretty lopsided affair. But what actually took place on the field on Saturday was, in the opinion of many, a travesty. Florida A&M proved completely out-matched in every aspect of the game, particularly on defense where they were simply incapable of stopping even the FIU 2nd and 3rd team players. Coach Schembechler kept his foot on the throat of his opponents for the entire sixty minutes, running up a ridiculous score of 128-7, which has caused many to question the character of this young head coach.

Schembechler, however, was quick to defend the actions of both himself and his coaching staff, as he was bombarded with loaded questions and accusations during the post-game press conference.

"First of all," stated Schembechler, "let me begin by saying that I don't agree with scheduling games with opponents from lower divisions in the first place. It isn't even remotely fair, but this season's schedule was already established when I arrived in Miami. Rest assured that you will not see any AA opponents on the schedule in future seasons."

"But as far as what happened out there today, I can give you one very simple explanation. I'm here, I'm paid to win football games, and to make sure this program continues to win football games, not to soothe the bruised egos of a team that had no business being here in the first place. Despite what the scoreboard outside might read, I've got all the respect in the world for Rubin [Carter] and those A&M kids. Sure, they got smacked around, but they took it like men."

"Look, there's one thing that I don't think you people understand," Schembechler continued. "Starting in the second quarter, and especially in the second half, it was nothing but second and third team kids out there for us, and we were still scoring points. But you've got to remember that, someday, those kids are going to be our starters, and it's my job to make sure they're ready when that day comes. When I know we're going to win a game, I'm going to put them out there, to get them as much experience as I can manage."

The 128-7 drubbing featured over 700 yards of offense for the Panthers, two special teams touchdowns (both on Lloyd Moss punt returns), two defensive touchdowns, and a safety. The most curious play of the game occurred mid-way through the second quarter, when defensive tackle Pedro Farias hit Florida A&M quarterback Albert Chester II as he threw the ball, which went straight into the surprised hands of Farias' fellow tackle, Brandon Higdon, who rumbled 13 yards for the score.

For all of you sadists out there, the box score and player statistical highlights are below.

(Author's note: This was really sad...from the middle of the 2nd quarter on, I let Lee Corso call all of my offensive plays, and we continued to light A&M up.)



Box Score

Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
Florida A&M 0 0 7 0 7
FIU 44 35 28 21 128

1Q (09:00) - FIU 7, FAMU 0 - 18 yard pass from Tabor to Williams (Moss Kick)
1Q (08:42) - FIU 14, FAMU 0 - 27 yard fumble return by Davis (Moss Kick)
1Q (06:36) - FIU 21, FAMU 0 - 13 yard run by Gorman (Moss Kick)
1Q (05:21) - FIU 28, FAMU 0 - 50 yard pass from Tabor to Rollins (Moss Kick)
1Q (04:28) - FIU 30, FAMU 0 - Safety
1Q (04:13) - FIU 37, FAMU 0 - 55 yard run by Gorman (Moss Kick)
1Q (02:21) - FIU 44, FAMU 0 - 47 yard pass from Tabor to Rollins (Moss Kick)
2Q (12:28) - FIU 51, FAMU 0 - 9 yard pass from Padrick to Wilson (Moss Kick)
2Q (11:45) - FIU 58, FAMU 0 - 13 yard interception return by Higdon (Moss Kick)
2Q (06:47) - FIU 65, FAMU 0 - 1 yard pass from Padrick to Hinton (Moss Kick)
2Q (05:03) - FIU 72, FAMU 0 - 58 yard run by Gorman (Moss Kick)
2Q (03:32) - FIU 79, FAMU 0 - 37 yard pass from Padrick to Moss (Moss Kick)
3Q (11:58) - FIU 86, FAMU 0 - 42 yard pass from Kendrick to Eppinger (Moss Kick)
3Q (11:13) - FIU 93, FAMU 0 - 43 yard pass from Kendrick to Moss (Moss Kick)
3Q (09:42) - FIU 93, FAMU 7 - 83 yard pass from Chester to Thomas (Johnson Kick)
3Q (07:45) - FIU 100, FAMU 7 - 59 yard pass from Kendrick to Moss (Moss Kick)
3Q (06:19) - FIU 107, FAMU 7 - 53 yard punt return by Moss (Moss Kick)
4Q (14:54) - FIU 114, FAMU 7 - 19 yard pass from Kendrick to Moss (Moss Kick)
4Q (05:56) - FIU 121, FAMU 7 - 4 yard run by Nwadike (Moss Kick)
4Q (03:00) - FIU 128, FAMU 7 - 70 yard punt return by Moss (Moss Kick)

Players of the Game
FIU #18 Lloyd Moss (4 rec, 158 yds, 6 total TD)
FAMU #85 Ronnie Thomas (3 rec, 107 yds, TD)

Team Statistics

Team Stats FAMU FIU
Score 7 128
First Downs 12 26
Total Offense 234 721
Rushes-Yards 35-(-19) 28-266
Comp-Att-TD 18-48-1 21-25-10
Passing Yards 253 455
Sacked 10 1
3rd Down Conv 3-20(15%) 2-5(40%)
4th Down Conv 0-1(0%) 0-0(0%)
2-Point Conv 0-0(0%) 0-0(0%)
Redzone-TD-FG 0-0-0(0%) 6-6-0(100%)
Turnovers 7 2
Fumbles-Lost 3-1 1-1
Intercepted 6 1
PR Yards 3 202
KR Yards 122 43
Total Yards 359 966
Punts-Average 13-36.3 2-48.0
Penalties-Yards 0-0 1-5
T.O.P. 32:58 27:02

Player Statistic Highlights

Passing
FIU #16 Josh Padrick (5-5, 100 yds, 3 TD)
FIU #10 David Tabor (7-8, 146 yds, 3 TD)
FIU #2 Tavares Kendrick (9-12, 209 yds, 4 TD, INT)
FAMU #2 Albert Chester II (14-32, 202 yds, TD, 2 INT)

Rushing
FIU #44 Adam Gorman (12 car, 187 yds, 3 TD)
FIU #41 Chidi Nwadike (8 car, 78 yds, TD)

Receiving
FIU #18 Lloyd Moss (4 rec, 158 yds, 4 TD)
FIU #80 Andre Rollins (3 rec, 103 yds 2 TD)
FIU #83 Julius Eppinger (1 rec, 42 yds, TD)
FIU #1 Chandler Williams (1 rec, 18 yds, TD)
FIU #34 Aston Wilson (1 rec, 9 yds, TD)
FIU #89 Moses Hinton (2 rec, 5 yds, TD)
FAMU #85 Ronnie Thomas (3 rec, 107 yds, TD)

Defensive
FIU #48 Myron Acoff (6 tkls (5 tfls), 3 sks, 2 FF)
FIU #91 Matt Berrios (5 tkls (5 tfls), 3 sks)
FIU #45 Alexander Bostic (5 tkls (tfl), sk, INT, 2 defl)
FIU #93 Audric Adger (4 tkls, (3 tfls), sk)
FIU #25 Zach Davis (3 tkls, 2 defl, FR, TD)
FIU #95 Pedro Farias (3 tkls (2 tfls), sk, defl)
FIU #64 Brandon Higdon (3 tkls(tfl), sk, INT, safety, TD)
FIU #37 Matt Castillo (tkl, INT, FF)
FIU #24 Marshall McDuffie (tkl, INT)
FIU #30 Cory Fleming (INT)
FIU #21 Nick Turnbull (INT, 3 defl)
FAMU #52 Brian Carroll (8 tkls (2 tfls), sk)
FAMU #26 Brandy O'Bryan (INT)
FAMU #31 Sammy Doughty (4 tkls, FF)
FAMU #9 Cardan Alexander (7 tkls, 2 defl, FR)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 6

Other Week 6 Results

Top 25
#1 Tennessee 23, Ole Miss 14
#2 USC 51, Arizona State 21
Illinois 41, #3 Iowa 27
#4 Texas 35, Missouri 18
#5 Louisville 24, Florida Atlantic 14
#6 Miami 36, USF 17
#8 Virginia 45, Maryland 10
Arizona 28, #9 Cal 25
Mississippi State 30, #10 LSU 24
(GOTW) #21 Michigan 34, #11 Michigan State 7 http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
#12 Florida State 45, Syracuse 20
#13 Alabama 31, #20 Florida 26
#15 Virginia Tech 38, West Virginia 13
#16 Colorado 30, #24 Oklahoma State 13
#17 Oklahoma 55, Kansas State 27
#18 Purdue 38, Notre Dame 22
#19 UCLA 21, Washington 11
#22 Oregon 29, Stanford 28
Rutgers 31, #23 Pitt 14
#25 Boston College 28, Ball State 20

Sun Belt
Mid Tenn State 28, Vanderbilt 23
#5 Louisville 24, Florida Atlantic 14
North Texas 24, Troy 10
Arkansas State 27, UL Monroe 24
UL Lafayette 28, UCF 17

Sun Belt Conference Standings

Team W-L Pct Conf PF PA
North Texas 4-1 .8000 2-0 145 107
FIU 3-1 .7500 1-0 243 95
UL Monroe 3-2 .6000 1-1 146 116
Arkansas State 2-3 .4000 1-1 120 159
UL Lafayette 3-1 .7500 0-0 105 83
Troy 2-3 .4000 0-1 146 121
Mid Tenn State 1-3 .7500 0-1 96 140
Florida Atlantic 0-5 .0000 0-1 98 151

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 7

Sports Illustrated Cover: Downed! The shocker of the week is #9 Cal falling to Pac-10 rival Arizona.

Top 25 Coaches' Poll
#1 Tennessee [39] (4-0)
#2 USC [21] (4-0)
#3 Texas [1] (4-0)
#4 Louisville (4-0)
#5 Miami (4-0)
#6 Georgia (4-0)
#7 Virginia (4-0)
#8 Florida State (2-2)
#9 Alabama (4-1)
#10 Virginia Tech (4-1)
#11 Ohio State (2-2)
#12 Colorado (3-1)
#13 Iowa (4-1)
#14 Oklahoma (2-2)
#15 Purdue (3-1)
#16 Michigan (3-2)
#17 UCLA (3-1)
#18 Michigan State (4-1)
#19 Cal (4-1)
#20 Oregon (4-1)
#21 LSU (2-2)
#22 Nebraska (4-0)
#23 Boston College (3-2)
#24 UTEP (3-1)
#25 Florida (2-3)

New to Top 25: Nebraska, UTEP

Dropped Out: Oklahoma State, Pitt

Others Receiving Votes: Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Minnesota, BYU, Southern Miss, South Carolina

Heisman Watch
#1 Reggie Bush - HB, USC (level)
#2 Matt Leinart - QB, USC (level)
#3 John Beck - QB, BYU (up)
#4 Drew Tate - QB, Iowa (up)
#5 Cedric Humes - HB, Virginia Tech (up)

Players of the Week

NCAA
Offensive - FIU WR #18 Lloyd Moss (4 rec, 158 yds, 6 total TD)
Defensive- FIU DE #48 Myron Acoff (6 tkls (5 tfls), 3 sks, 2 FF)

Sun Belt
Offensive - FIU WR #18 Lloyd Moss (4 rec, 158 yds, 6 total TD)
Defensive- FIU DE #48 Myron Acoff (6 tkls (5 tfls), 3 sks, 2 FF)

Program Standards

Another week, another suspension. I don't know what it is with these guys. I received the following message with regards to OLB Antwan Barnes:

"The Miami police announced that Barnes was involved in an altercation at his apartment over the weekend."

Barnes has been suspended for three games. In the meantime former defensive captain Lance Preston, returning from his own suspension, will move over to his natural strong-side linebacker position in place of Barnes. Keyonvis Bouie will remain our starter in the middle.

Tailback Julian Reams has one more game on his suspension, and will not play against Troy.

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 7 Recruiting Update

QB Ray Poe (FIU ranks 1st of 5 - no change): "Ray threw for 6 TDs and 293 yards in his last HS game." We remain tops on Ray's list, which is nice.

LT Joey Minor (FIU ranks 1st of 5 - no change): "His unofficial visit to Florida State wasn't quite what he was hoping for." Joey must have seen Bobbie Bowden for the (expletive deleted) that he really is.

DT Michael Parks (FIU ranks 2nd of 5 - up 2): "He couldn't stop talking about his unofficial visit to our campus." That's the kind of thing we lile to hear. We're closing the gap on Rocky Top, and might just be able to steal this kid.

MLB Cory Mosby (FIU ranks 2nd of 5 - down 1): "He doesn't seem to be too impressed with you, Coach Schembechler." Well I'm not that impressed with you either, Cory. http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/tongue.gif Seriously though, Auburn stepped in front of us here which isn't good news. We've got a little leeway with Joey Minor, so we'll step back on him just a touch and strengthen our efforts to land Cory.

[DataKing]

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Florida_International.gifhttp://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Troy.gif
Florida International (3-1, 1-0) @ Troy (2-3, 0-1)

Bad Karma: Golden Panthers Lose Wild One to Troy, 47-45.

October 8th, 2005

TROY, AL (AP) -- For those who believe in karma, fate, and those sorts of things, it was pretty obvious that the Florida International Golden Panthers were carrying around a large amount of bad karma with them after demolishing Florida A&M last week by the embarassing score of 128-7. Or perhaps it was just an aggressive and opportunistic Troy Trojans defense that lead them to an early and commanding lead against the Panthers. From the FIU perspective, turnovers were the topic of the day, as five Golden Panthers miscues led directly to three defensive touchdowns for the Trojans. Still, Coach Schembechler's efficient offense managed to make a game of it, even taking the lead late in the contest. But it would be a Greg Whibbs 46 yard field goal with just eight seconds remaining that would give Troy the 47-45 victory.

Things started out slowly enough, with neither team managing to score on their first possessions of the game. Midway through the first quarter, the Golden Panthers received their first piece of bad news of the day. Senior quarterback David Tabor was hit as he completed a 50-yard pass to fellow senior Cory McKinney, and would not return. He was replaced by junior Josh Padrick who, despite the assistance of a 15-yard facemask penalty against the Trojans, was unable to take his team into the end zone. Florida International settled for a 36-yard Adam Moss field goal and took an early 3-0 lead.

The FIU defense held strong on the next possession, forcing Troy into a 3-and-out. But what ensued for the remainder of the first quarter and into the second was a series of disastrous mistakes for the Golden Panthers, which the Trojans took full advantage of. Josh Padrick started the spiral by overthrowing a screen pass intended for senior tailback Adam Gorman, which was intercepted by All-Sun Belt linebacker Bernard Davis and returned 37 yards for a touchdown. On their next drive, Padrick was sacked by sophomore linebacker Marcus Richardson and fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Davis and returned to the FIU 5 yard line. Two plays later, Troy tailback Kenny Cattouse plunged into the end zone from 1 yard out, and the Trojans led 14-3.

Padrick and the Golden Panthers offense seemed to recover on their next drive, and moved into Trojan territory before Padrick was picked off for the second time in the quarter by cornerback Adriak Ghent, who ran it back 72 yards for the score. But the FIU miscues weren't over, as Adam Gorman fumbled on the Golden Panthers' 34 yard line on their next possession. The FIU defense held, but with 14:09 left in the second quarter Greg Whibbs knocked home a 47 yard field goal for Troy, giving them a 24-3 lead.

Coach Schembechler's team did not fold though, you have to give them that. On their next possession the offense finally seemed to find their rhythm, driving into Troy territory. Padrick was sacked and was forced to leave the game due to back spasms (he would return), but redshirt freshman Tavares Kendrick took over and performed well, scoring the Panthers' first touchdown of the game on a 13 yard option keeper.

Late in the second quarter, Florida International got their first turnover of the game, when senior defensive tackle Pedro Farias forced a fumble that was recovered by senior cornerback Matt Castillo at the Troy 23 yard line. Coach Schembechler immediately went for the jugular and succeeded, as Josh Padrick returned to the game and hooked up with freshman wide receiver Julius Mincey for a 23-yard score. Troy led 24-17 at the halftime break, despite only managing 44 yards of offense in 30 minutes.

The FIU defense got things off on a good foot to start the second half, as defensive captain Nick Turnbull intercepted an intended wide receiver screen and returned the ball to the Troy 1 yard line. From there, sophomore tailback Chidi Nwadike powered the ball home, and the game was tied at 24-24.

The Trojans wasted no time in responding, as their offense finally came to life. Quarterback Carl Meadows sparked his team with a 31 yard run, followed by a 50-yard touchdown strike to wideout Daniel Coleman, and Troy regained the lead 31-24. When FIU returned to the field they temporarily returned to their sloppy play from early in the game, as senior fullback Aston Wilson coughed up the football. Linebacker Marcus Richardson scooped it up and ran 16 yards for the score.

Florida International responded with an impressive 7 play, 80 yard drive capped off by a 17 yard touchdown pass from Padrick to Andre Rollins. The Trojans would add to their total with a 28 yard Whibbs field goal, and took a 41-31 lead into the fourth quarter. But the fireworks were far from over.

The Golden Panthers sputtered on their first two drives of the quarter, and Troy added another field goal to take a 44-31 lead. But then it was the special teams' turn to shine. FIU forced the Trojans into a 3-and-out of their own, and then freshman kick returner Lloyd Moss returned the punt 88 yards for a touchdown (a new school record). This sparked the FIU defense which forced Troy to punt on their next possession and injured quarterback Carl Meadows in the process (he would not return to the game).

With a new swagger in their step, Padrick and the Golden Panthers offense marched down the field to take the lead. The key play of the drive was a 20 yard completion from Padrick to junior wide receiver Chandler Williams on 3rd and 10. Adam Gorman took the ball in from 15 yards out on an option run with exactly two minutes remaining in the game, and the point-after by Adam Moss gave FIU their first lead since the first quarter.

But it was not meant to be for Coach Schembechler's squad this day. Sophomore quarterback Brent Nance came off the bench for the Trojans and performed admirably in the two-minute drill, despite near constant pressure by a swarming FIU defense. Nance engineered a drive that took Troy as deep as the FIU 28 yard line. With just eight seconds left on the clock, Greg Whibbs hit his fourth field goal of the game, giving Troy the victory.

Final Score: Troy 47, Florida International 45

Box Score

Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
FIU 3 14 14 14 45
Troy 21 3 17 6 47

1Q (04:51) - FIU 3, Troy 0 - 36 yard field goal by Moss
1Q (03:05) - Troy 7, FIU 3 - 37 yard interception return by Davis (Whibbs Kick)
1Q (02:24) - Troy 14, FIU 3 - 1 yard run by Cattouse (Whibbs Kick)
1Q (00:42) - Troy 21, FIU 3 - 72 yard interception return by Ghent (Whibbs Kick)
2Q (14:09) - Troy 24, FIU 3 - 47 yard field goal by Whibbs
2Q (08:27) - Troy 24, FIU 10 - 13 yard run by Kendrick (Moss Kick)
2Q (03:06) - Troy 24, FIU 17 - 23 yard pass from Padrick to Mincey (Moss Kick)
3Q (14:45) - Troy 24, FIU 24 - 1 yard run by Nwadike (Moss Kick)
3Q (13:51) - Troy 31, FIU 24 - 50 yard pass from Meadows to Coleman (Whibbs Kick)
3Q (12:54) - Troy 38, FIU 24 - 16 yard fumble return by Richardson (Whibbs Kick)
3Q (09:36) - Troy 38, FIU 31 - 17 yard pass from Padrick to Rollins (Moss Kick)
3Q (01:01) - Troy 41, FIU 31 - 29 yard field goal by Whibbs
4Q (13:03) - Troy 44, FIU 31 - 30 yard field goal by Whibbs
4Q (10:01) - Troy 44, FIU 38 - 88 yard punt return by Moss (Moss Kick)
4Q (02:00) - FIU 45, Troy 44 - 15 yard run by Gorman (Moss Kick)
4Q (00:08) - Troy 47, FIU 45 - 46 yard field goal by Whibbs

Players of the Game

Troy OLB #27 Bernard Davis (8 tkls (tfl), sk, INT, FF, 2 FR, TD)
FIU OLB #43 Lance Preston (8 tkls (2 tfls), sk, 2 defl, FF)

Team Statistics

Team Stats FIU Troy
Score 45 47
First Downs 22 13
Total Offense 386 311
Rushes-Yards 40-143 26-75
Comp-Att-TD 19-29-2 18-37-1
Passing Yards 243 236
Sacked 6 3
3rd Down Conv 6-12(50%) 5-16(31%)
4th Down Conv 0-0(0%) 0-0(0%)
2-Point Conv 0-0(0%) 0-0(0%)
Redzone-TD-FG 4-3-1(100%) 3-1-2(100%)
Turnovers 5 2
Fumbles-Lost 3-3 4-1
Intercepted 2 1
PR Yards 127 13
KR Yards 144 156
Total Yards 657 480
Punts-Average 5-43.2 7-43.4
Penalties-Yards 1-10 2-30
T.O.P. 35:05 24:55

Player Statistic Highlights

Passing
FIU #16 Josh Padrick (15-23, 162 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT)
Troy #12 Carl Meadows (12-26, 174 yds, TD, INT)
Troy #15 Brent Nance (6-11, 62 yds)

Rushing
FIU #44 Adam Gorman (23 car, 134 yds, TD)
FIU #41 Chidi Nwadike (2 car, 11 yds, TD)
FIU #2 Tavares Kendrick (2 car, -1 yds, TD)
Troy #12 Carl Meadows (8 car, 55 yds)
Troy #22 Kenny Cattouse (10 car, 12 yds, TD)

Receiving
FIU #86 Cory McKinney (3 rec, 82 yds)
FIU #1 Chandler WIllians (4 rec, 58 yds)
FIU #82 Julius Mincey (2 rec, 41 yds, TD)
FIU #80 Andre Rollins (2 rec, 33 yds, TD)
Troy #17 Daniel Coleman (7 rec, 148 yds, TD)

Defensive
FIU #43 Lance Preston (8 tkls (2 tfls), sk, 2 defl, FF)
FIU #37 Matt Castillo (8 tkls (tfl), defl, FR)
FIU #5 Gerrod Bodie (5 tkls (tfl), defl, FF)
FIU #25 Zach Davis (4 tkls (tfl), sk)
FIU #45 Alexander Bostic (4 tkls, FF)
FIU #51 Keyonvis Bouie (3 tkls (tfl), sk, defl)
FIU #21 Nick Turnbull (2 tkls, INT, 3 defl)
FIU #95 Pedro Farias (tkl, FF)
Troy #26 Marcus Richardson (9 tkls (3 tfls), 2 sks, FF, FR, TD)
Troy #3 Adrian Ghent (8 tkls, INT, 2 defl, TD)
Troy #27 Bernard Davis (8 tkls (tfl), sk, INT, FF, 2 FR, TD)
Troy #98 Johnny Jackson (2 tkls (tfl), sk)
Troy #51 Kenny Mainor (3 tkls (2 tfls), sk)
Troy #91 Torre Lankford (3 tkls (2 tfls), sk)
Troy #8 Johnny Faulk (2 tkls, FF)

[KevinNU7]

Though I hate your font I love your writing style. I am actually thinking of doing this same thing. I usually start Dynasty's either creating a University or using Norte Dame it would be kind of cool to be coach of a 1 star team and try and end up at ND.

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 7

Other Week 7 Results

Top 25
(GOTW) #1 Tennessee 21, #6 Georgia 17
#2 USC 42, Arizona 23
#14 Oklahoma 41, #3 Texas 31
#4 Louisville 37, North Carolina 30
#5 Miami 38, Duke 0
#23 Boston College 38, #7 Virginia 29
#8 Florida State 37, Wake Forest 20
#10 Virginia Tech 21, Marshall 7
Penn State 24, #11 Ohio State 14
#12 Colorado 38, Texas A&M 24
#13 Iowa 52, #15 Purdue 38
#16 Michigan 28, Minnesota 25
#17 UCLA 26, #19 Cal 21
#20 Oregon 27, Arizona State 24
#21 LSU 43, Vanderbilt 14
Texas Tech 38, #22 Nebraska 28
#25 Florida 31, Mississippi State 13

Sun Belt
Arkansas 27, UL Monroe 24 (OT)
UL Lafayette 34, Florida Atlantic 31 (OT)
North Texas 27, Arkansas State 17

Sun Belt Conference Standings

Team W-L Pct Conf PF PA
North Texas 5-1 .8333 3-0 172 124
UL Lafayette 4-1 .8000 1-0 139 114
FIU 3-2 .6000 1-1 288 142
Troy 3-3 .5000 1-1 193 166
UL Monroe 3-3 .5000 1-1 170 143
Arkansas State 2-4 .3333 1-2 137 186
Mid Tenn State 1-3 .2500 0-1 96 140
Florida Atlantic 0-6 .0000 0-2 129 185

[DataKing]

Though I hate your font I love your writing style. I am actually thinking of doing this same thing. I usually start Dynasty's either creating a University or using Norte Dame it would be kind of cool to be coach of a 1 star team and try and end up at ND.
Thanks. Glad you're enjoying it.

Just curious, what's wrong with the font? Is it difficult to read? Anyone else reading feel free to sound off too...I write this for others to read, not for my own selfish purposes. If the font isn't agreeable to a number of readers, I'll be happy to change it.

As far as the dynasty itself goes, I like the challenge of trying to move up in the coaching world. And as an FYI, I plan on running a parallel dynasty with Madden which will begin once this season of FIU football is over. I'm not sure of the premise behind that one yet, but I've got a couple of ideas.

[KevinNU7]

It's smaller then the normal postings so my eyes have to adjust. It's probably more of a personal preference

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 8

Sports Illustrated Cover: A New Face on the List: Check out the movement in the latest Heisman Watch.

Top 25 Coaches' Poll
#1 Tennessee [36] (5-0)
#2 USC [24] (5-0)
#3 Louisville [1] (5-0)
#4 Miami (5-0)
#5 Florida State (3-2)
#6 Alabama (4-1)
#7 Virginia Tech (5-1)
#8 Texas (4-1)
#9 Oklahoma (3-2)
#10 Georgia (4-1)
#11 Colorado (4-1)
#12 Iowa (5-1)
#13 Virginia (4-1)
#14 Michigan (4-2)
#15 UCLA (4-1)
#16 Michigan State (4-1)
#17 Oregon (5-1)
#18 Boston College (4-2)
#19 LSU (3-2)
#20 Purdue (3-2)
#21 UTEP (3-1)
#22 Texas Tech (4-1)
#23 Ohio State (2-3)
#24 Florida (3-3)
#25 Wisconsin (5-1)

New to Top 25: Texas Tech, Wisconsin

Dropped Out: Cal, Nebraska

Also Receiving Votes: Cal, Nebraska, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Minnesota

Heisman Watch
#1 Matt Leinart - QB, USC (up)
#2 Reggie Bush - HB, USC (down)
#3 Ed Hinkel - WR, Iowa (up)
#4 Drew Tate - QB, Iowa (level)
#5 Adrian Peterson - HB, OU (up)

Players of the Week

NCAA
Offensive - New Mexico HB #22 Dontrell Moore (34 car, 214 yds, 3 TD, 4 rec, 131 yds, 2 TD)
Defensive - Troy OLB #27 Bernard Davis (8 tkls (tfl), sk, INT, FF, TD) http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/mad.gif

Sun Belt
Offensive - North Texas HB #20 Jamario Thomas (35 car, 173 yds, 2 TD, 2 rec, 33 yds)
Defensive - Troy OLB #27 Bernard Davis (8 tkls (tfl), sk, INT, FF, TD)

Program Standards

Stop the presses! No new suspensions this week. http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/tongue.gif

Tailback Julian Reams returns to the field this week against North Texas. Linebacker Antwan Barnes has two games remaining on his suspension.

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 8 Recruiting Update

QB Ray Poe (FIU ranks 1st of 5 - no change): "He didn't seem to care how reputable our coach was." Thank goodness for that.

LT Joey Minor (Joey names his final 3 - FIU ranks 1st - Florida State is 2nd - Alabama is 3rd): "We are very fortunate as location is his main concern." Which means that our main competition should be Bobbie Bowden. We've scheduled Joey for his official visit this weekend when we host North Texas.

DT Michael Parks (FIU ranks 2nd of 5 - no change): "Things are still wide open after his unofficial visit to Tennessee." Yet Rocky Top remains his #1 choice..hmmm.

MLB Cory Mosby (FIU ranks 3rd of 5 - down 1): "His HS coach is a little worried about his college potential." And I'm a little worried that he might kill somebody (poor discipline). http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif We're dropping a little with Cory, but hopefully we can get Joey Minor to commit soon, then shift more of our attention Cory's way.

[DataKing]

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/North_Texas.gifhttp://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Florida_International.gif
North Texas (5-1, 3-0) @ Florida International (3-2, 1-1)

Smashmouth: Golden Panthers Run Over North Texas

October 15th, 2005

MIAMI, FL (AP) -- If Florida International's loss last week to Troy was the very picture of sloppy football, then the Golden Panthers' performance this week was the exact opposite. Facing the perennial conference powerhouse North Texas and their two-headed running tandem of Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas, Wayne Schembechler's team gave their visitors a taste of their own medecine. FIU didn't turn the ball over at all, did not allow a single sack, and ran over, around, and through the Mean Green defense to the tune of 315 yards, three rushing touchdowns, and a convincing 41-14 victory.

Florida International set the tone early with three straight rushing plays, then went to the air. Senior quarterback David Tabor found a streaking Andre Rollins who beat his man for a 52-yard touchdown and the early 7-0 lead.

North Texas had a chance to answer, thanks to a good kick return to the Golden Panthers' 48 yard line, but were unable to capitalize on the good field position and were forced to punt the ball away.

Tabor and the FIU offense picked up right where they left off, and began marching down the field against the Mean Green. The drive was highlighted by a 15 yard completion from Tabor to junior wide receiver Chandler Williams on 3rd and 14. After that, the Panthers were running down hill, with most of the heavy lifting being done by redshirt freshman tailback Julian Reams, who finished off the drive with a 15 yard touchdown run.

The North Texas offense responded, however, putting together a nice drive of their own. Thirteen plays (11 of then rushing plays) and 83 yards later, sophomore tailback Jamario Thomas found his way into the end zone from three yards out, cutting the FIU lead to 14-7.

Julian Reams, who had just returned to the field after serving a two game suspension, looked both fresh and hungry as he and the Golden Panthers' offense took the field once again. This drive was highlighted by a 38-yard Reams scamper into the North Texas secondary, but the Mean Green defense managed to hold in their red zone and Florida International was forced to settle for a 36 yard Adam Moss field goal.

After forcing North Texas to punt on their next possession, FIU managed one more solid drive before the halftime break. Tabor converted a 3rd and 10 with a 21-yard pass to junior tight end Samuel Smith, but North Texas' defense would again stiffen once in their red zone. Just before the break Adam Moss added a 28 yard field goal, giving Florida International a 20-7 lead.

Coach Wayne Schembechler concentrated on his defense during the break, and his efforts showed in the third quarter. North Texas would be forced to punt on their next three possessions, stretching into the fourth quarter, but the FIU offense and special teams were not quiet during this period. Early in the quarter Florida International's standout punt returner Lloyd Moss took one 78 yards to the house (his fifth punt return touchdown of the season). Tabor and Reams would also engineer a time-consuming 78-yard drive at the end of the third quarter, capped off by a two-yard Reams plunge, that effectively put the game out of reach, 34-7.

Early in the fourth quarter, with their backs against the wall, North Texas committed the only turnover of the game when tailback Patrick Cobbs coughed up the ball. The fumble was recovered by senior strong safety John Haritan. With the game now well out of reach, Coach Schembechler used the opportunity, as he has proven apt to do, to let his second and third team players onto the field. The teams exchanged late touchdowns (a 7-yard run by tailback Chidi Nwadike for FIU and a 9-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joey Byerly to wideout Johnny Quinn for North Texas).

Final Score: Florida International 41, North Texas 14

Box Score

Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
North Texas 0 7 0 7 14
FIU 14 6 14 7 41

1Q (12:40) - FIU 7, NT 0 - 52 yard pass from Tabor to Rollins (Moss Kick)
1Q (03:40) - FIU 14, NT 0 - 15 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)
2Q (12:35) - FIU 14, NT 7 - 3 yard run by Thomas (Spencer Kick)
2Q (09:23) - FIU 17, NT 7 - 37 yard field goal by Moss
2Q (00:01) - FIU 20, NT 7 - 28 yard field goal by Moss
3Q (11:15) - FIU 27, NT 7 - 78 yard punt return by Moss (Moss Kick)
3Q (01:27) - FIU 34, NT 7 - 2 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)
4Q (07:30) - FIU 41, NT 7 - 7 yard run by Nwadike (Moss Kick)
4Q (04:05) - FIU 41, NT 14 - 9 yard pass from Byerly to Quinn (Bazaldua Kick)

Players of the Game

FIU #32 Julian Reams (24 car, 207 yds, 2 TD, 1 rec, 3 yds)
NT #81 Johnny Quinn (3 rec, 33 yds, TD)

Team Statistics

Team Stats NT FIU
Score 14 41
First Downs 17 20
Total Offense 271 406
Rushes-Yards 37-181 43-315
Comp-Att-TD 6-11-1 6-11-1
Passing Yards 90 91
Sacked 2 0
3rd Down Conv 4-9(44%) 6-10(60%)
4th Down Conv 0-0(0%) 0-0(0%)
2-Point Conv 0-0(0%) 0-0(0%)
Redzone-TD-FG 2-2-0(100%) 5-3-2(100%)
Turnovers 1 0
Fumbles-Lost 3-1 0-0
Intercepted 0 0
PR Yards 9 128
KR Yards 213 43
Total Yards 493 577
Punts-Average 5-39.6 2-44.0
Penalties-Yards 2-15 4-39
T.O.P. 23:54 36:06

Player Statistic Highlights

Passing
FIU #10 David Tabor (6-11, 91 yds, TD)
NT #5 Joey Byerly (6-9, 90 yds, TD)

Rushing
FIU #32 Julian Reams (24 car, 207 yds, 2 TD)
FIU #10 David Tabor (6 car, 38 yds)
FIU #41 Chidi Nwadike (4 car, 36 yds, TD)
NT #43 Patrick Cobbs (17 car, 121 yds)
NT #20 Jamario Thomas (18 car, 71 yds, TD)

Receiving
FIU #80 Andre Rollins (1 rec, 52 yds, TD)
NT #81 Johnny Quinn (3 rec, 33 yds, TD)

Defensive
FIU #5 Gerrod Bodie (6 tkls (2 tfls), sk)
FIU #43 Lance Preston (5 tkls, 2 FF)
FIU #51 Keyonvis Bouie (3 tkls (tfl), sk)
FIU #21 Nick Turnbull (4 tkls, FF)
FIU #31 John Haritan (4 tkls, FR)
NT #51 Derek Mendoza (9 tkls (tfl))
NT #24 Roderick Cotton (9 tkls)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 8

Other Week 8 Results

Top 25
#2 USC 31, Notre Dame 21
#3 Louisville 45, West Virginia 7
#4 Miami 35, Temple 23
(GOTW) #5 Florida State 19, #13 Virginia 14
#6 Alabama 25, Ole Miss 24
#8 Texas 31, #11 Colorado 21
#9 Oklahoma 41, Kansas 24
#10 Georgia 56, Vanderbilt 20
#12 Iowa 33, Indiana 7
#14 Michigan 37, Penn State 26
Washington State 45, #15 UCLA 39
#23 Ohio State 46, #16 Michigan State 26
Washington 37, #17 Oregon 14
#18 Boston College 34, Wake Forest 13
#24 Florida 28, #19 LSU 21 (OT)
#20 Purdue 41, Northwestern 20
Tulane 31, #21 UTEP 21
Kansas State 33, #22 Texas Tech 30 (OT)
Minnesota 28, #25 Wisconsin 21

Sun Belt
Troy 30, UL Monroe 23
UL Lafayette 35, Arkansas State 28
Mid Tenn State 24, Florida Atlantic 16

Sun Belt Conference Standings

Team W-L Pct Conf PF PA Strk Home Road
UL Lafayette 5-1 .8333 2-0 174 142 W5 3-0 2-1
North Texas 5-2 .7143 3-1 186 165 L1 3-0 2-2
Troy 4-3 .5714 2-1 223 189 W2 2-1 2-2
FIU 4-2 .6667 2-1 329 156 W1 2-0 2-2
Mid Tenn State 2-3 .4000 1-1 120 156 W2 0-2 2-1
UL Monroe 3-4 .4286 1-2 193 173 L3 1-2 2-2
Arkansas State 2-5 .2857 1-3 165 221 L2 1-2 1-3
Florida Atlantic 0-7 .0000 0-3 145 209 L7 0-3 0-4

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 9

Sports Illustrated Cover: New Batch of Rankings: See where Tennessee is ranked in the first Bowl Rankings of 2005.

Top 25 Coaches' Poll
#1 Tennessee [32] (5-0)
#2 USC [26] (6-0)
#3 Louisville [2] (6-0)
#4 Miami [1] (6-0)
#5 Florida State (4-2)
#6 Alabama (5-1)
#7 Virginia Tech (5-1)
#8 Texas (5-1)
#9 Oklahoma (4-2)
#10 Georgia (5-1)
#11 Iowa (6-1)
#12 Michigan (5-2)
#13 Boston College (5-2)
#14 Colorado (4-2)
#15 Virginia (4-2)
#16 Purdue (4-2)
#17 Ohio State (3-3)
#18 Florida (4-3)
#19 Michigan State (4-2)
#20 UCLA (4-2)
#21 Cal (5-2)
#22 Washington State (5-1)
#23 Nebraska (5-1)
#24 South Carolina (5-1)
#25 LSU (3-3)

New to Top 25: Cal, Washington State, Nebraska, South Carolina

Dropped Out: Texas Tech, Wisconsin, Oregon, UTEP

Also Receiving Votes: Georgia Tech, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Texas Tech

Bowl Rankings
#1 Tennessee (0.997)
#2 USC (0.997)
#3 Miami (0.986)
#4 Florida State (0.976)
#5 Louisville (0.974)
#6 Alabama (0.972)
#7 Texas (0.964)
#8 Oklahoma (0.955)
#9 Georgia (0.945)
#10 Virginia Tech (0.944)
#11 Michigan (0.932)
#12 Iowa (0.913)
#13 Boston College (0.910)
#14 Colorado (0.910)
#15 Ohio State (0.905)

Heisman Watch
#1 Matt Leinart - QB, USC (level)
#2 Reggie Bush - HB, USC (level)
#3 Drew Tate - QB, Iowa (up)
#4 Ed Hinkel - WR, Iowa (down)
#5 Bryan McClendon - WR, Georgia (up)

Players of the Week

NCAA
Offensive - Georgia QB #3 D.J. Shockley (29-33, 447 yds, 6 TD)
Defensive - Washington State OLB #42 Scott Davis (9 tkls (2 tfls), sk, INT, TD)

Sun Belt
Offensive - FIU #32 Julian Reams (24 car, 207 yds, 2 TD)
Defensive - Troy DE #51 Kenny Mainor (5 tkls (4 tfls), 2 sks, FF)

Program Standards

Linebacker Antwan Barnes has one more game to serve on his suspension. Unfortunately, he'll have to wait until week 10 to serve it, since we're on a bye this week.

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 9 Recruiting Update

LT Joey Minor (Committed to FIU): "We were right, he definitely wanted to play in Miami." Sweet! Our first commitment of the season, and it frees up some resources to bolster our efforts on the other guys. Here's another look at Joey:

-Height: 6'4"
-Weight: 320 lbs.
-Hometown: Bellair, FL
-Tendence: Balanced
-40 Time: 5.24 seconds
-Bench Press: 470 lbs.
-Squat: 655 lbs.
-Field Awareness: C-
-Vertical Leap: 29.7 inches
-Potential: Poor
-Discipline: Good

QB Ray Poe (Ray names his final 3 - FIU ranks 1st - Miami is 2nd - Florida State is 3rd): "Location is not much of a factor for Ray." We're scheduling Ray for his official visit next week when we host Middle Tennessee State.

DT Michael Parks (FIU ranks 2nd of 5 - no change): "It sounds like his unofficial visit to Tennessee went as expected." I'm not sure what "as expected" means, but Joey Minor's signing lets us throw a little more influence at Michael as we try to overtake Rocky Top.

MLB Cory Mosby (FIU ranks 2nd of 5 - up 1): "We're a little concerned about his physical development." What? Does he have a little wee-wee? This is FIU...we just need BODIES!

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 9

Other Week 9 Results

Top 25
(GOTW) #1 Tennessee 46, #6 Alabama 21
#2 USC 33, Washington 9
#3 Louisville 45, Cincinnati 31
Georgia Tech 31, #4 Miami 24
#5 Florida State 49, Duke 24
#7 Virginia Tech 31, Maryland 17
#8 Texas 38, Texas Tech 14
#9 Oklahoma 45, Baylor 17
#10 Georgia 51, Arkansas 20
#11 Iowa 40, #12 Michigan 21
#14 Colorado 45, Kansas 13
#15 Virginia 35, North Carolina 30
#16 Purdue 49, Wisconsin 28
#17 Ohio State 27, Indiana 24
#19 Michigan State 42, Northwestern 35
#20 UCLA 34, Oregon State 21
#21 Cal 43, #22 Washington State 31
#23 Nebraska 28, Missouri 21
#24 South Carolina 38, Vanderbilt 27
#25 LSU 32, Auburn 21

Sun Belt
UL Lafayette 31, Mid Tenn State 24
North Texas 36, Louisiana Tech 24
Arkansas State 38, Florida Atlantic 26

Sun Belt Conference Standings

Team W-L Pct Conf PF PA Strk Home Road
UL Lafayette 6-1 .8571 3-0 205 166 W6 3-0 3-1
North Texas 6-2 .7500 3-1 222 189 W1 3-0 3-2
Troy 4-3 .5714 2-1 223 189 W2 2-1 2-2
FIU 4-2 .6667 2-1 329 156 W1 2-0 2-2
Arkansas State 3-5 .3750 2-3 203 247 W1 2-2 1-3
Mid Tenn State 2-4 .3333 1-2 144 187 L1 0-3 2-1
UL Monroe 3-4 .4286 1-2 193 173 L3 1-2 2-2
Florida Atlantic 0-8 .0000 0-4 171 247 L8 0-3 0-5

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 10

Sports Illustrated Cover: Hurricanes Upset! Who would've predicted that Georgia Tech would do the unthinkable?

Top 25 Coaches' Poll
#1 Tennessee [36] (6-0)
#2 USC [22] (7-0)
#3 Louisville [3] (7-0)
#4 Florida State (5-2)
#5 Virginia Tech (6-1)
#6 Texas (6-1)
#7 Oklahoma (5-2)
#8 Georgia (6-1)
#9 Iowa (7-1)
#10 Miami (6-1)
#11 Boston College (5-2)
#12 Alabama (5-2)
#13 Colorado (5-2)
#14 Virginia (5-2)
#15 Purdue (5-2)
#16 Ohio State (4-3)
#17 Florida (4-3)
#18 Michigan State (5-2)
#19 UCLA (5-2)
#20 Cal (6-2)
#21 Michigan (5-3)
#22 Nebraska (6-1)
#23 Georgia Tech (5-2)
#24 South Carolina (6-1)
#25 LSU (4-3)

New to Top 25: Georgia Tech

Dropped Out of Top 25: Washington State

Also Receiving Votes: Minnesota, Washington State, Penn State, Pitt, UTEP

Bowl Rankings
#1 Tennessee (0.997)
#2 USC (0.995)
#3 Florida State (0.977)
#4 Louisville (0.976)
#5 Texas (0.975)
#6 Oklahoma (0.966)
#7 Virginia Tech (0.965)
#8 Georgia (0.960)
#9 Miami (0.943)
#10 Alabama (0.936)
#11 Iowa (0.931)
#12 Boston College (0.922)
#13 Colorado (0.916)
#14 Ohio State (0.908)
#15 Virginia (0.898)

Heisman Watch
#1 Matt Leinart - QB, USC (level)
#2 Reggie Bush - HB, USC (level)
#3 Drew Tate - QB, Iowa (level)
#4 Bryan McClendon - WR, Georgia (up)
#5 Ed Hinkel - WR, Iowa (down)

Players of the Week

NCAA
Offensive - Bowling Green QB #4 Omar Jacobs (30-34, 543 yds, 8 TD, 6 car, 27 yds)
Defensive - Louisville OLB #97 Brandon Johnson (11 Tkls, (6 TFLs), 3 Sks, FF, TD)

Sun Belt
Offensive - UL Lafayette WR #80 Bill Sampy (12 rec, 182 yds, 3 TD)
Defensive - Mid Tenn State DE #45 Sean Mosley (6 Tkls (2 TFLs), Sk, FF, TD)

Program Standards

LT #72 John Shanahan has been suspended two games for the following: "Shanahan was caught cheating on an exam recently. This is a major offensive and is grounds for dismissal."

(Author's Note: I really hope these guys knock off the shinanegans. I'm down to 15 discipline points and we've got five games left.)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 10 Recruiting Update

QB Ray Poe (FIU ranks 1st of 3 - no change): "Our season record is making Ray's recruitment that much easier." The kid wants to play for a winner...good. Ray will be visiting this week when we host Middle Tennessee State.

DT Michael Parks (FIU ranks 2nd of 5 - no change): "Michael isn't very interested in playing right away." Tough sh*t Michael...you play for us and you'll be playing soon for sure. We're going to need serious help in the interior next season.

MLB Cory Mosby (Cory selects his final 3 - Auburn ranks 1st - FIU ranks 2nd - Virginia Tech ranks 3rd): "He wasn't blown away on his unofficial visit to Auburn last week." We've hurriedly scheduled Cory for his official visit this week, at the same time as Ray. We don't have another home game until Week 13, and that's against I-AA Western Kentucky.

[DataKing]

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Middle_Tennessee_St.gifhttp://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Florida_International.gif
Middle Tennessee State (2-4, 1-2) at Florida International (4-2, 2-1)

Yac Attack: Big Plays the Key to Golden Panthers Victory

October 29th, 2005

MIAMI, FL (AP) -- Wayne Schembechler, in his first season as a college football head coach, is rapidly proving himself to be a very good offensive coach. Two weeks ago, the Golden Panthers used their running game to blow out conference heavyweight North Texas. Today, when the running game had difficulty moving the football, Schembechler's FIU squad instead used a proficient passing game to propel themselves over the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. The Golden Panthers receivers repeatedly found openings in the Blue Raiders' secondary, and yardage after the catch (or YAC) amounted for half of the team's 368 passing yards. There were some tense moments late in the game for the home crowd, but FIU emerged victorious, 38-31.

A ferocious wind in Miami, which at times gusted as high as 30 miles per hour, played a part in the game. The Blue Raiders had the wind at their back on the opening possession and used it to their advantage, putting together a 10-play, 65 yard drive that finally stalled at the FIU 10 yard line. A 28-yard Paul Wheeler field goal gave Middle Tennessee State an early 3-0 lead.

Florida International's first drive of the game ended quickly, when sophomore defensive end Sean Mosley sacked senior quarterback David Tabor on 3rd-and-4, forcing FIU to punt. The Golden Panthers' defense responded well, however, and forced the Blue Raiders into a 3-and-out.

Pinned deep in their own territory, David Tabor and freshman wide receiver Julius Mincey combined on the first of FIU's big plays. The Blue Raiders' secondary bit on a play action fake, which allowed Mincey to get in behind the safety. Tabor hit Mincey in stride and it was off to the races. Mincey would not be caught, and the result was an 83-yard touchdown catch and a 7-3 lead for FIU.

Following Middle Tennessee's second consecutive 3-and-out on offense, the Golden Panthers' receivers struck again. Junior wideout Chris Williams turned a short 5-yard crossing pattern into a 51-yard gain, thanks in large part to some nice downfield blocking by senior Cory McKinney. Two plays later, freshman tailback Julian Reams took an option pitch from Tabor and waltzed untouched into the end zone from nine yards out, and FIU's lead grew to 14-3.

Junior quarterback Clint Marks and the Blue Raiders' offense showed some life on their next possession, converting on 3rd and 10 with a 21-yard completion to senior wideout Chris Henry. But shortly thereafter Marks threw his only interception of the game to senior linebacker Gerrod Bodie.

The Golden Panthers were unable to do anything with the turnover, going 3-and-out, but their defense forced Middle Tennessee State to punt yet again on their next possession.

The only scoring of the second quarter resulted from another big play by the FIU receiving corps. Cory McKinney was isolated one-on-one on a 3rd-and-14 play, and beat the defender for a 51-yard gain to the Blue Raiders' 26 yard line. The total drive took 14 plays and consumed over seven minutes, but the Blue Raiders' defense finally stiffened once inside their own 10 yard line, and FIU had to settle for a 23-yard Adam Moss field goal, giving them a 17-3 lead at the break.

The third quarter was all Florida International, but it started on a sour note. On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, David Tabor was hit from behind as he released the ball and did not return. The team would later receive the good news that it was only a case of back spasms. Tabor is expected to start next week against the UL Monroe Indians.

Junior Josh Padrick stepped in to relieve Tabor, and picked up right where his counterpart had left off. On 3rd-and-11 he connected with Andre Rollins for a 56-yard gain to the Blue Raiders' 4 yard line. Senior tight end Joe Struyf dropped what would have been a touchdown catch on the next play, but Schembechler's offense remained undaunted. On the very next play Julian Reams found paydirt as he scampered into the end zone untouched, and FIU's lead grew to 24-3.

Middle Tennessee State's next offensive attempt came to an abrupt when Gerrod Bodie came on a run blitz and tackled junior tailback Eugene Gross in the backfield on 3rd-and-1. Padrick and the FIU offense caught the Blue Raiders in a safety blitz on their next drive, resulting in a 41-yard rumble by junior tight end Samuel Smith. Later in the drive, the Golden Panthers faced 4th-and-4 at their opponents' 30-yard line. Normally this would have been well within senior placekicker Adam Moss' range, but facing into a 20-30 mph wind put a field goal attempt out of the question. Instead Coach Schembechler elected to go for it, and hopefully put the game out of reach. His team did just that, as Josh Padrick connected with Julius Mincey for 24 yards and a first down. Padrick then capped off the scoring drive, finding Samuel Smith in the back left corner of the end zone.

After another 3-and-out by a frustrated Blue Raiders offense, FIU began marching down the field yet again. Yet again it was the receivers who came up big. Senior wideout Cory McKinney caught a pass along the left sideline, sidestepped the onrushing cornerback, and sprinted into the end zone.

With a commanding 38-3 lead and just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter, Schembechler elected to pull his starters and give his second team players some extra work, including freshman quarterback Tavares Kendrick. This proved to be a very dangerous course of action, and there were some very tense moments late in the game for the Golden Panthers.

Against the second team defense, Clint Marks and the Blue Raiders' offense finally found their rhythm. Late in the third quarter, facing a 3rd-and-10, Marks found Chris Henry for a 43-yard completion. The Raiders' moved steadily down the field after that, and finally found their way into the end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter, on a 3-yard completion to sophomore tight end Clinton Corder.

A pair of turnovers by the second team offense, (the only ones of the game for Florida International) proved costly and gave the Blue Raiders hope. First it was an errant pass by Tavares Kendrick that was picked off by sophomore cornerback Bradley Robinson and returned 57 yards for a touchdown. Later in the period, senior tailback Adam Gorman coughed up the football in FIU territory. The ball was recovered by junior defensive end Bobby Payne. A few plays later, the Blue Raiders found the end zone yet again, this time on a 9-yard completion from Marks to junior wideout Walt Bell.

With their lead suddenly down to 38-24, Schembechler and his coaching staff became much more conservative in their playcalling, determined to run out as much of the remaining 2:54 on the game clock and avoid the potential disaster that loomed. But Kendrick and the offense were unable to produce as much as a single first down, and had to punt the ball back to the Blue Raiders. Middle Tennessee State began marching down the field yet again, but there simply wasn't enough time remaining on the clock. They did manage to score on a 18-yard run by Eugene Gross with five seconds remaining, but the resulting onside kick attempt went out of bounds and the game came to an end.

"In retrospect," stated Coach Schembechler after the game, "it was probably a little early to pull Josh and the starters. We made things a little more exciting than they needed to be."

Final Score: Florida International 38, Middle Tennessee State 31

Box Score:
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
Mid Tenn State 3 0 0 28 31
FIU 14 3 21 0 38

1Q (09:36) - MTSU 3, FIU 0 - 28 yard field goal by Wheeler
1Q (06:06) - FIU 7, MTSU 3 - 83 yard pass from Tabor to Mincey (Moss Kick)
1Q (02:00) - FIU 14, MTSU 3 - 9 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)
2Q (03:02) - FIU 17, MTSU 3 - 23 yard field goal by Moss
3Q (12:32) - FIU 24, MTSU 3 - 4 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)
3Q (07:44) - FIU 31, MTSU 3 - 6 yard pass from Padrick to Smith (Moss Kick)
3Q (03:45) - FIU 38, MTSU 3 - 18 yard pass from Padrick to McKinney (Moss Kick)
4Q (14:57) - FIU 38, MTSU 10 - 3 yard pass from Marks to Corder (Wheeler Kick)
4Q (08:06) - FIU 38, MTSU 17 - 57 yard interception return by Robinson (Wheeler Kick)
4Q (02:54) - FIU 38, MTSU 24 - 9 yard pass from Marks to Bell (Wheeler Kick)
4Q (00:05) - FIU 38, MTSU 31 - 18 yard run by Gross (Wheeler Kick)

Players of the Game

FIU #32 Julian Reams (14 car, 54 yds, 2 TD, 5 rec, 16 yds)
MTSU #24 Bradley Robinson (6 Tkls (TFL), Defl, INT, TD)

Team Statistics:
Team Stats MTSU FIU
Score 31 38
First Downs 18 15
Total Offense 327 465
Rushes-Yards 36-189 35-97
Comp-Att-TD 13-27-2 15-25-3
Passing Yards 138 368
Sacked 1 2
3rd Down Conv 7-15(46%) 7-14(50%)
4th Down Conv 1-1(100%) 1-1(100%)
2-Point Conv 0-0(0%) 0-0(0%)
Redzone-TD-FG 4-3-1(100%) 5-4-1(100%)
Turnovers 1 2
Fumbles-Lost 2-0 3-1
Intercepted 1 1
PR Yards 13 9
KR Yards 108 109
Total Yards 448 583
Punts-Average 6-38.3 4-46.5
Penalties-Yards 1-30 2-20
T.O.P. 27:42 32:18

Player Statistic Highlights

Passing
FIU #10 David Tabor (8-14, 206 yds, TD)
FIU #16 Josh Padrick (6-9, 146 yds, 2 TD)
MTSU #17 Clint Marks (13-27, 138 yds, 2 TD, INT)

Rushing
FIU #32 Julian Reams (14 car, 54 yds, 2 TD)
MTSU #20 Eugene Gross (26 car, 122 yds, TD)

Receiving
FIU #82 Julius Mincey (4 rec, 129 yds, TD)
FIU #86 Cory McKinney (2 rec, 69 yds, TD)
FIU #87 Samuel Smith (2 rec, 47 yds, TD)
MTSU #47 Walt Bell (2 rec, 15 yds, TD)
MTSU #80 Clinton Corder (1 rec, 3 yds, TD)

Defensive
FIU #5 Gerrod Bodie (6 Tkls (3 TFLs), Defl, INT)
FIU #95 Pedro Farias (3 Tkls (TFL), FF)
FIU #93 Audric Adger (1 Tkl (TFL), Sk)
MTSU #40 Dennis Burke (7 Tkls (3 TFLs), Sk, FF)
MTSU #45 Sean Mosley (4 Tkls (2 TFLs), Sk)
MTSU #24 Bradley Robinson (6 Tkls (TFL), Defl, INT, TD)
MTSU #92 Jeff Littlejohn (5 Tkls (2 TFLs), Defl, FF)
MTSU #96 Bobby Payne (2 Tkls, FR)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 10 - Other Results

Top 25
#24 South Carolina 34, #1 Tennessee 33 http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/eek.gif
#2 USC 49, Washington State 13
#4 Florida State 31, Maryland 14
(GOTW) #5 Virginia Tech 30, #11 Boston College 13
#6 Texas 31, Oklahoma State 28
#7 Oklahoma 27, #22 Nebraska 17
#8 Georgia 38, #17 Florida 28
#10 Miami 30, North Carolina 18
#12 Alabama 33, Utah State 28
#13 Colorado 42, Kansas State 38
#15 Purdue 28, Penn State 27
#16 Ohio State 38, Minnesota 27
#18 Michigan State 31, Indiana 28
#19 UCLA 38, Stanford 13
#21 Michigan 24, Northwestern 15
#23 Georgia Tech 31, Clemson 25

Sun Belt
UL Lafayette 35, Troy 17
North Texas 34, UL Monroe 24

Sun Belt Conference Standings
Team W-L Pct Conf PF PA Strk Home Road
UL Lafayette 7-1 .8750 4-0 240 183 W7 4-0 3-1
North Texas 7-2 .7778 4-1 256 213 W2 4-0 3-2
FIU 5-2 .7143 3-1 367 187 W2 3-0 2-2
Troy 4-4 .5000 2-2 240 224 L1 2-1 2-3
Arkansas State 3-5 .3750 2-3 203 247 W1 2-2 1-3
UL Monroe 3-5 .3750 1-3 217 207 L4 1-2 2-3
Mid Tenn State 2-5 .2857 1-3 175 225 L2 0-3 2-2
Florida Atlantic 0-8 .0000 0-4 171 247 L8 0-3 0-5

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 11

Sports Illustrated Cover: Trojans Take Top Spot - Coaches give USC their approval in latest poll.

Top 25 Coaches' Poll
#1 USC [40] (8-0)
#2 Louisville [21] (7-0)
#3 Florida State (6-2)
#4 Virginia Tech (7-1)
#5 Texas (7-1)
#6 Oklahoma (6-2)
#7 Georgia (7-1)
#8 Tennessee (6-1)
#9 Iowa (7-1)
#10 Miami (7-1)
#11 Alabama (6-2)
#12 Colorado (6-2)
#13 Virginia (5-2)
#14 Purdue (6-2)
#15 Ohio State (5-3)
#16 Michigan State (6-2)
#17 UCLA (6-2)
#18 Boston College (5-3)
#19 Cal (6-2)
#20 Michigan (6-3)
#21 South Carolina (7-1)
#22 Georgia Tech (6-2)
#23 LSU (4-3)
#24 Florida (4-4) - Somebody needs to stop drinking the damn Cool-Aid. http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif
#25 Nebraska (6-2)

New to Top 25: None

Dropped Out of Top 25: None

Others Receiving Votes: Pitt, UTEP, Fresno State, Boise State, Texas Tech, Minnesota, Missouri, Washington State

Bowl Rankings
#1 USC (0.999)
#2 Florida State (0.986)*
#3 Louisville (0.984)*
#4 Texas (0.980)
#5 Virginia Tech (0.978)
#6 Oklahoma (0.972)
#7 Georgia (0.966)
#8 Tennessee (0.958)
#9 Alabama (0.939)
#10 Miami (0.939)
#11 Iowa (0.937)
#12 Colorado (0.923)
#13 Ohio State (0.916)
#14 Virginia (0.904)
#15 Purdue (0.901)

*Serious controversy potential here, if a two loss FSU team should end up in the championship game instead of an unbeaten Louisville.

Heisman Watch
#1 Matt Leinart - QB, USC (level)
#2 Reggie Bush - HB, USC (level)
#3 Antonio Pittman - HB, Ohio State (up)
#4 Bryan McClendon - WR, Georgia (level)
#5 Drew Tate - QB, Iowa (down)

Players of the Week

NCAA
Offensive - Northern Illinois HB #1 Garrett Wolfe (33 car, 280 yds, 4 TD)
Defensive - TCU DT #57 Zarnell Fitch (15 Tkls (10 TFLs), 5 Sks)

Sun Belt
Offensive - North Texas WR #81 Johnny Quinn (11 rec, 180 yds, 2 TD)
Defensive - Middle Tennessee State CB #24 Bradley Robinson (6 Tkls (TFL), INT, TD)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 11 Recruiting Update

QB Ray Poe (FIU ranks 1st of 3 - Soft Verbal): "Ray's parents want him to be sure he's made the right decision." Meddling parents. http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/tongue.gif Ray is visiting the overrated Florida Gators this week.

DT Michael Parks (FIU ranks 1st of 5 - up 1): "He doesn't seem too impressed with you, Coach Schembechler." Blah blah blah. Just hurry up and knock your list down to three, Michael.

MLB Cory Mosby (FIU ranks 2nd of 3 - no change): "We impressed Cory on his visit, but not enough for him to commit." Cory is visiting Virginia Tech this week.

Up Next: The FIU Golden Panthers travel to Monroe, Louisiana to take on the Indians.

[Emiliano]

I like your writing style DK. Good read!

[DataKing]

I like your writing style DK. Good read!
Glad you're enjoying it Emiliano. Thank you.

[DataKing]

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Florida_International.gifhttp://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Louisiana-Monroe.gif
Florida International (5-2, 3-1) at Louisiana-Monroe (3-5, 1-3)

En Fuego: Golden Panthers' Secondary Scorched in Louisiana Shootout

November 5th, 2005

MONROE, LA (AP) -- Coming into their first full season as a member of Division I-A, it was fairly obvious that the Florida International Golden Panthers would have one achilles heel. Anyone who follows Sun Belt football could tell that, with the exception of All-Sun Belt cornerback Nick Turnbull, the FIU secondary was suspect at best. At times this season they have looked serviceable, and even downright competitive (witness the Texas Tech game back in September), but that was not the case on Saturday afternoon in Monroe. Despite the best efforts of the Golden Panthers' offense and the front seven of the defense, the FIU secondary gave up big play after big play, and could not hold on long enough to force an overtime late in the game. In what turned out to be a true barn-burner, UL-Monroe quarterback Steven Jyles lit up the Panthers for nearly 600 passing yards in a wild 57-50 victory.

It was obvious early on that the Panthers could be in for a long day. On their opening possession, the Indians' offense faced a 3rd-and-11 at their own 20 yard line. Jyles found a streaking Joe Merritt, who beat senior strong safety John Haritan for an 80-yard score. It would be the first of many enormous plays for Jyles and the UL-Monroe offense.

Senior quarterback David Tabor and the Florida International offense penetrated as far as the Indians' 45-yard line on their opening possession, but were forced to punt the ball away. The Golden Panthers' front line stepped up on the Indians' next possession, as senior defensive tackle Pedro Farias stuffed senior tailback Mason Denham on 3rd-and-inches. Denham was injured on the play, and will likely miss the remainder of the season due to a torn shoulder muscle.

The Panthers stumbled on their second possession, with Tabor being hit as he released a pass. The errant throw was picked off by Kevin Payne, but the Indians' were unable to capitalize on the first turnover of the game, being forced into the first of only two 3-and-outs.

Freshman tailback Julian Reams is the one who finally got the FIU offense moving. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Reams broke an attempted tackle by safety Shelton Williams and sprinted 83 yards, and was finally tripped up at the 4 yard line. Not to be denied after such a huge play, Reams muscled his way into the end zone on the very next play, evening the score at 7-all.

Senior quarterback Steven Jyles proved on the Indians' next possession why he is perhaps one of the most dangerous players in the conference. He began the drive with a brilliant 9-yard scramble when his pass protection broke down. Later, facing 3rd-and-17 as a result of a Shaun Dudney sack, he connected with senior wideout Vincent Mitchell for 21 yards and a first down. The drive was capped off with an 8-yard strike to tight end Jeremy Hammock just before the end of the quarter, giving UL-Monroe a 14-7 lead.

Florida International responded on their next possession. David Tabor and the Golden Panthers' offense put together an 11-play, 87 yard drive. The drive was highlighted by a 22-yard Julian Reams scamper and a defensive pass interference call against the Indians. Senior fullback Aston Wilson finally managed to power the ball home from 1 yard out, and the game was again tied.

The Panthers managed their first lead of the game shortly thereafter. In one of the few good plays of the game by the FIU secondary, redshirt freshman cornerback Malik Jones picked off Jyles and raced 43 yards to the end zone, and Coach Schembechler's team enjoyed a brief 21-14 lead.

But Jyles and the Indians' offense was not so easily shaken. The senior quarterback was positively brilliant on UL-Monroe's next possession, scrambling for 14 yards on a 3rd-and-10 and converting another 3rd-and-long situation with a 26-yard strike to Joe Merritt. The 11-play, 83 yard drive was finished off by Jyles, with a 1-yard touchdown strike, trying the game once again.

After a 3-and-out by the FIU offense, Jyles went deep once again, connecting with Larry Davenport for a 55-yard bomb. Two consecutive sacks by the FIU defense forced the Indians to settle for a 28-yard Walters Ragan field goal, giving UL-Monroe a 24-21 lead at the break.

Tabor and the FIU offense struggled at the beginning of the second half, going 3-and-out. Jyles and the Indians, however, picked up right where they left off, and drove into FIU territory yet again. But senior linebacker Lance Preston stopped backup tailback Brandon Banks on 3rd-and-1. A 27-yard Ragans field goal stretched the Indians' lead to 27-21.

The Golden Panthers finally got the ball moving again on their next possession, sparked by a 40-yard competion from Tabor to senior wideout Cory McKinney on 3rd-and-16. The drive was capped off by Julian Reams' second touchdown run of the day, this time from 18 yards out. The extra point by Adam Moss gave FIU what would prove to be their last lead of the game at 28-27.

Coach Schembechler and his staff were trying like mad to find a solution to the Indians' offense, and appeared to finally have some success on the next possession. Heated pressure on Steven Jyles forced the Indians' to go 3-and-out, but FIU gave the ball right back when fullback Aston Wilson lost the handle on the football at the Indians' 29-yard line. Jyles and UL-Monroe took full advantage of the momentum shift as Larry Davenport beat double-coverage for a 52-yard bomb. A few plays later Banks powered his way into the end zone. The two-point conversion attempt failed, and UL-Monroe led 33-28.

The fumble seemed to take the wind out of the Golden Panthers' sails, as they quickly went 3-and-out on their next possession. UL-Monroe, on the other hand, was not to be denied. An 8-play, 76 yard drive was finished off by a 6-yard touchdown pass from Jyles to junior wideout Drouzon Quillen, and the Indians led 40-28 early in the 4th quarter.

Already a high-scoring affair, the game truly became wild in the final quarter of play. Desperate to close the gap, David Tabor and the FIU offense drove deep into UL-Monroe territory by virtue of 36- and 21-yard completions to tight end Joe Struyf and wideout Andre Rollins, respectively. But Tabor threw his second (and last) interception of the game to sophomore cornerback Chaz Williams at the 5-yard line, killing the drive.

The Panthers' fortunes, however, would turn on the very next play. Lance Preston jumped a quick slant route and intercepted Steven Jyles. Preston was hit as he stumbled into the end zone and the ball came loose, resulting in a mad pile-up in the Indians' end zone. Senior linebacker Gerrod Bodie emerged from the pile with the football, and the Adam Moss PAT closed the gap, 40-35.

They say that "good teams answer," and that's exactly what UL-Monroe did. On the very first play after receiving the kickoff, Drouzon Quillon caught a pass from Jyles, steamrolled sophomore free safety Marshall McDuffie, and sprinted 75 yards for the score. Just like that, the Indians had reasserted their 12-point lead, 47-35. Later in the quarter, with just under eight minutes remaining, UL-Monroe would add a 36-yard Walters Ragan field goal, stretching the lead to 15.

With things getting desperate on the Florida International sideline, Coach Schembechler elected to pull David Tabor in favor of junior quarterback Josh Padrick. But things started out rough for Padrick. He was hit as he released a pass, causing the ball to flutter and be intercepted by Shelton Williams. But the FIU defense held and got the ball right back into the hands of their offense.

With time running down, Padrick and the Golden Panthers moved quickly down the field, due in large part to a 54-yard completion to senior wideout Andre Rollins. Later in the drive, facing a 4th-and-goal from the UL-Monroe 5-yard-line, Padrick found an open Cory McKinney in the back of the end zone, and FIU pulled within one score, 50-42.

With just over four minutes to go in the game, the Indians perhaps should have just run the football and killed as much clock as possible, but elected not to. It was a mistake that would cost them, as junior linebacker Antwan Barnes picked off Steven Jyles at the 21 yard line and returned it all the way to the UL-Monroe 7. As the stunned home crowd looked on in near-silence, Senior tailback Adam Gorman pounded the ball home from 1-yard out. With less than three-minutes remaining, Padrick converted the 2-point attempt, bootlegging to his right and tossing a strike to tight end Samuel Smith. Against all odds, FIU had managed to tie the game at 50-all.

But the Golden Panthers' secondary, which had been repeatedly torched all game long, could not hold up against the pressure. With only 33 seconds remaining on the clock, Drouzzon Quillen got loose in the secondary for a 33-yard touchdown catch (his 3rd in the quarter!), sealing FIU's fate, 57-50.

Final Score: Louisiana-Monroe 57, Florida International 50

Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
FIU 7 14 7 22 50
UL Monroe 14 10 9 24 57
1Q (13:12) - ULM 7, FIU 0 - 80 yard pass from Jyles to Merritt (Ragan Kick)
1Q (04:59) - ULM 7, FIU 7 - 4 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)
1Q (01:52) - ULM 14, FIU 7 - 8 yard pass from Jyles to Hammock (Ragan Kick)
2Q (10:46) - ULM 14, FIU 14 - 1 yard run by Wilson (Moss Kick)
2Q (08:25) - FIU 21, ULM 14 - 43 yard interception return by Jones (Moss Kick)
2Q (03:37) - FIU 21, ULM 21 - 1 yard pass from Jyles to Riddell (Ragan Kick)
2Q (00:44) - ULM 24, FIU 21 - 29 yard field goal by Ragan
3Q (10:12) - ULM 27, FIU 21 - 27 yard field goal by Ragan
3Q (07:06) - FIU 28, ULM 27 - 18 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)
3Q (02:18) - ULM 33, FIU 28 - 3 yard run by Banks (Conversion failed)
4Q (13:34) - ULM 40, FIU 28 - 6 yard pass from Jyles to Quillen (Ragan Kick)
4Q (12:05) - ULM 40, FIU 35 - 1 yard fumble return by Bodie (Moss Kick)
4Q (11:48) - ULM 47, FIU 35 - 75 yard pass from Jyles to Quillen (Ragan Kick)
4Q (08:09) - ULM 50, FIU 35 - 36 yard field goal by Ragan
4Q (04:09) - ULM 50, FIU 42 - 5 yard pass from Padrick to McKinney (Moss Kick)
4Q (02:40) - ULM 50, FIU 50 - 1 yard run by Gorman (Padrick Pass to Smith)
4Q (00:33) - ULM 57, FIU 50 - 33 yard pass from Jyles to Quillen (Ragan Kick)

Players of the Game

ULM #15 Steven Jyles (28-56, 599 yds, 6 TD, 3 INT)
FIU #32 Julian Reams (17 car, 164 yds, 2 TD)

Team Statistics:
Team Stats FIU ULM
Score 50 57
First Downs 17 23
Total Offense 479 736
Rushes-Yards 31-203 28-137
Comp-Att-TD 20-37-1 28-56-6
Passing Yards 276 599
Sacked 1 3
3rd Down Conv 6-14(42%) 12-20(60%)
4th Down Conv 1-1(100%) 0-0(0%)
2-Point Conv 1-1(100%) 0-1(0%)
Redzone-TD-FG 5-5-0(100%) 7-4-3(100%)
Turnovers 4 3
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 1-0
Intercepted 3 3
PR Yards 44 8
KR Yards 117 165
Total Yards 640 909
Punts-Average 5-42.8 4-41.5
Penalties-Yards 0-0 3-21
T.O.P. 30:22 29:38

Player Statistic Highlights:

Passing
FIU #16 Josh Padrick (5-8, 84 yds, TD, INT)
FIU #10 David Tabor (15-27, 192 yds, 2 INT)
ULM #15 Steven Jyles (28-56, 599 yds, 6 TD, 3 INT)

Rushing
FIU #32 Julian Reams (17 car, 164 yds, 2 TD)
FIU #34 Aston Wilson (4 car, 19 yds, TD)
FIU #44 Adam Gorman (3 car, 10 yds, TD)
ULM #30 Brandon Banks (15 car, 62 yds, TD)

Receiving
FIU #86 Cory McKinney (3 rec, 54 yds, TD)
FIU #80 Andre Rollins (3 rec, 88 yds)
ULM #18 Drouzon Quillen (9 rec, 206 yds, 3 TD)
ULM #6 Larry Davenport (4 rec, 159 yds)
ULM #9 Joe Merritt (4 rec, 141 yds, TD)
ULM #41 Jeremy Hammock (3 rec, 23 yds, TD)
ULM #26 Melvin Riddell (1 rec, 1 yd, TD)

Defensive
FIU #21 Nick Turnbull (7 Tkls, 4 Defl)
FIU #5 Gerrod Bodie (7 Tkls (TFL), Sk, TD)
FIU #43 Lance Preston (4 Tkls (TFL), INT)
FIU #95 Pedro Farias (4 Tkls (2 TFLs), FF)
FIU #42 Antwan Barnes (2 Tkls, INT)
FIU #6 Malik Jones (2 Tkls, 2 Defl, INT, TD)
FIU #55 Shaun Dudney (2 Tkls (TFL), Sk)
FIU #93 Audric Adger (2 Tkls (TFL), Sk)
ULM #45 L.B. Jeter (6 Tkls (2 TFLs))
ULM #93 Dilandos Johnson (Tkl (TFL), Sk, FR)
ULM #23 Shelton Williams (3 Tkls, Defl, INT)
ULM #24 Chaz Williams (3 Tkls, Defl, INT)
ULM #14 Kevin Payne (3 Tkls, Defl, INT)
ULM #99 Alnecco Shine (3 Tkls, Defl, FF)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 11 - Other Results

Top 25
#1 USC 41, Stanford 0
#2 Louisville 36, Pitt 27
NC State 34, #3 Florida State 20
(GOTW) #4 Virginia Tech 28, #10 Miami 7
#5 Texas 31, Baylor 14
Oklahoma State 32, #6 Oklahoma 29 (OT)
#8 Tennessee 35, Notre Dame 10
#9 Iowa 44, Northwestern 16
#11 Alabama 35, Mississippi State 9
#12 Colorado 17, Missouri 14
#13 Virginia 44, Temple 24
#14 Purdue 45, #16 Michigan State 23
#15 Ohio State 40, Illinois 20
#17 UCLA 48, Arizona 45 (OT)
#18 Boston College 35, North Carolina 6
#19 Cal 48, Oregon 24
#21 South Carolina 38, Arkansas 28
Wake Forest 35, #22 Georgia Tech 21
#23 LSU 66, Appalachian State 14
#24 Florida 25, Vanderbilt 22 (OT)
Kansas 35, #25 Nebraska 22 http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif (Author's Note: I'm a KU grad)

Sun Belt
UL Lafayette 24, North Texas 7
Florida Atlantic 36, Troy 33
Mid Tenn State 52, Arkansas State 10

Team W-L Pct. Conf PF PA Strk Home Road
UL Lafayette 8-1 .8889 5-0 264 190 W8 4-0 4-1
North Texas 7-3 .7000 4-2 263 237 L1 4-1 3-2
FIU 5-3 .6250 3-2 417 244 L1 3-0 2-3
Troy 4-5 .4444 2-3 273 260 L2 2-2 2-3
UL Monroe 4-5 .4444 2-3 274 257 W1 2-2 2-3
Mid Tenn State 3-5 .3750 2-3 227 235 W1 1-3 2-2
Arkansas State 3-6 .3333 2-4 213 299 L1 2-2 1-4
Florida Atlantic 1-8 .1111 1-4 207 280 W1 0-3 1-5

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 12

Sports Illustrated Cover: Not This Time! Oklahoma State shocks Oklahoma in their annual Bedlam game.

Top 25 Coaches' Poll
#1 USC [41] (9-0)
#2 Louisville [20] (8-0)
#3 Virginia Tech (8-1)
#4 Texas (8-1)
#5 Georgia (7-1)
#6 Tennessee (7-1)
#7 Iowa (8-1)
#8 Alabama (7-2)
#9 Colorado (7-2)
#10 Virginia (6-2)
#11 Purdue (7-2)
#12 Ohio State (6-3)
#13 UCLA (7-2)
#14 Florida State (6-3)
#15 Miami (7-2)
#16 Boston College (6-3)
#17 Cal (7-2)
#18 Oklahoma (6-3)
#19 Michigan (6-3)
#20 South Carolina (8-1)
#21 LSU (5-3)
#22 Florida (5-4)
#23 Michigan State (6-3)
#24 UTEP (6-2)
#25 Fresno State (6-2)

New to Top 25: UTEP, Fresno State

Dropped Out of Top 25: Georgia Tech, Nebraska

Also Receiving Votes: Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Washington State, Auburn, Connecticut

Bowl Rankings
#1 USC (0.996)
#2 Texas (0.986)
#3 Virginia Tech (0.986)
#4 Louisville (0.984) - The Cardinals continue to get the shaft
#5 Georgia (0.978)
#6 Tennessee (0.969)
#7 Alabama (0.961)
#8 Colorado (0.952)
#9 Iowa (0.950)
#10 Ohio State (0.940)
#11 Virginia (0.931)
#12 Purdue (0.927)
#13 Miami (0.903)
#14 Florida State (0.901)
#15 UCLA (0.890)

Heisman Watch
#1 Matt Leinart - QB, USC (level)
#2 Reggie Bush - HB, USC (level)
#3 Antonio Pittman - HB, Ohio State (level)
#4 Drew Tate - QB, Iowa (up)
#5 Brandon Kirsch - QB, Purdue (up)

Players of the Week

NCAA
Offensive - Nevada WR #84 Nichiren Flowers (14 rec, 166 yds, 4 TD)
Defensive - Kansas DE #97 Jermial Ashley (9 Tkls (6 TFLs), 3 Sks, 2 FF, FR)

Sun Belt
Offensive - UL Monroe QB #15 Steven Jyles (28-56, 599 yds, 6 TD)
Defensive - Florida Atlantic CB #22 Lawrence Gordon (8 Tkls, FF, FR)

[Icy]

Great dynasty, i have a special love for FIU as it's the first team i coached in FBCB and had a long dynasty coaching it. Since then i even read their website etc to know how they do in real life.

[DataKing]

Glad you're enjoying things Icy. I'm having fun running it, just haven't had as much time lately as I would like. Pesky job is cutting into my game time. :p

[DataKing]

Week 12 Recruiting Update

QB Ray Poe (Committed to Florida): "He wanted to go elsewhere and was not receptive to our pitch." Dammit. Ray decided to become an overrated Gator rather than come to FIU, where he may very well have started for us as a sophomore.

DT Michael Parks (Michael names his top 3 - Tennessee ranks 1st - FIU ranks 2nd - Georgia ranks 3rd): "He doesn't seem to care about our coaching philosophies." I'd rather wait until we play Florida Atlantic, but I don't want one of the big boys to snag him in the meantime. Michael will visit next week when we host Western Kentucky.

MLB Cory Mosby (Committed to Virginia Tech): "He said prestige had little to do with him choosing to go elsewhere." Anyone else smell bullshit?

[DataKing]

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Florida_International.gifhttp://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Louisiana-Lafayette.gif
Florida International (5-3, 3-2) at Louisiana-Lafayette (8-1, 5-0)

Will the Real Panthers Defense Please Stand Up?

November 12th, 2005

LAFAYETTE, LA (AP) -- Forrest Gump's mother would have been proud of the Florida International Golden Panthers defense this season. "You never know what you're gonna get" seems to be an apt way to describe the performance of the defense. One week they got torched for six hundred passing yards in a loss to the UL-Monroe Indians, and the next week they put the clamps down on the high-flying UL-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (winners of eight straight), resulting in a 41-10 drubbing on the road and some very upset crawdad-eating fans.

Florida International began the game with a solid 17-yard run by freshman tailback Julian Reams. Later in the drive, senior quarterback David Tabor hooked up with junior tight end Samuel Smith for a 25-yard completion, but the drive stalled and the Panthers were forced to settle for a 43-yard Adam Moss field goal. UL-Lafayette responded in kind, going so far as to complete a 4th-and-11 with a 20-yard completion from junior quarterback Jerry Babb to sophomore wide-out Kevin Robbins. But the Cajuns stalled as well, and a 37-yard field goal by Sean Comiskey tied the game at 3-all.

The Golden Panthers offense showed the same explosiveness they've displayed all season on their second possession, when Reams took an option pitch for 32 yards into UL-Lafayette territory. Just a few plays later, a beautifully-executed play-action rollout by Tabor resulted in the first touchdown of the game, as senior wideout Andre Rollins got behind the coverage and scored from thirty yards out.

True freshman tackle Tim Falter had been pressed into service in the game for UL-Lafayette due to injuries, and Coach Schembechler's defense took full advantage of this on the next possession. Senior defensive end Shaun Dudney tallied his second sack of the first quarter, planting Babb in the turf and forcing a 3-and-out. But Florida International was unable to stretch their lead just yet. Attempting to convert on 4th-and-3 at the Cajuns' 30-yard line, Tabor was hurried into a bad throw and turned the ball over on downs.

The Panthers defense recorded their first of three interceptions on the very next play, as sophomore free safety Marshall McDuffie, attempting to atone for his horrid performance last week, scooped an interception off of his shoelaces. Tabor and the offense later converted a 3rd-and-8 with a 24-yard completion to Rollins, but the struggles that the senior quarterback and begun to experience on the prior drive continued. Incapable of dealing with the mounting pressure from the UL-Lafayette defense, Schembechler's squad settled for a 36-yard field goal early in the second quarter, stretching their lead to ten.

The referees appeared to decide that Babb and the Cajuns offense needed some assistance on their next possession. Pass interference and roughing the passer calls helped UL-Lafayette get as far as the FIU 21-yard line. What followed was one of those signature plays that coaches put into their permanent film collections, the perfect example of good team defense. Junior linebacker Antwan Barnes came on a blitz from the strong side and pressured Babb into throwing early. Nickel-back Zach Davis managed to get a hand on the pass, tipping it into the air where senior strong safety was able to intercept it, ending the threat.

Energized by the play of their defense, Julian Reams and the FIU offense put together a 13-play, 86-yard drive that consumed the remainder of the quarter. Reams capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge, and the Golden Panthers took a 20-3 lead into the locker room.

Whatever adjustments the Ragin Cajuns made at halftime on offense didn't seem to work, as Babb and the offense suffered their second 3-and-out to start the second half. Florida International managed to drive into UL-Lafayette territory, primarily on the legs of Julian Reams, but two consecutive sacks (including one on a designed screen pass) knocked the Golden Panthers out of field goal range. Freshman cornerback Malik Jones downed the punt at the UL-Lafayette 8-yard line.

Senior linebacker Gerrod Bodie recorded a sack of Jerry Babb on 1st down, pinning the Cajuns at their own 2-yard line. The Cajuns' response was to go deep, but senior cornerback Nick Turnbull played the pass perfectly, intercepting it at his own 48. Coach Schembechler had apparently had enough of Tabor, despite the lead, and sent junior Josh Padrick out onto the field. In retrospect, it was a brilliant move, because Padrick delivered a perfect pass to Andre Rollins, who beat double coverage for a 52-yard touchdown strike (his second TD of the game).

For the remainder of the third quarter and early into the fourth, the FIU defense continued their stranglehold on the game, not allowing the Cajuns to penetrate deeper than the Panthers' 49-yard line. The offense played a field position game, and no more scores were tallied until freshman Lloyd Moss returned a punt to the UL-Lafayette 18-yard line. Four plays later, Julian Reams took it in from 4 yards out. With a commanding 34-3 lead, Coach Schembechler seemed content to put his reserves out onto the field.

The teams swapped touchdowns late in the game, but the end result was no longer in doubt. Fullback Dwight Lindon scored for the Cajuns on a 2-yard dive, and sophomore powerback Chidi Nwadike tacked on a rushing touchdown of his own with under two minutes to play.

Final Score: Florida International 41, Louisiana-Lafayette 10

Box Score:
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
FIU 10 10 7 14 41
UL Lafayette 3 0 0 7 10
1Q (11:03) - FIU 3, ULL 0 - 43 yard field goal by Moss
1Q (06:19) - FIU 3, ULL 3 - 37 yard field goal by Comiskey
1Q (05:11) - FIU 10, ULL 3 - 30 yard pass from Tabor to Rollins (Moss Kick)
2Q (13:13) - FIU 13, ULL 3 - 36 yard field goal by Moss
2Q (01:16) - FIU 20, ULL 3 - 1 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)
3Q (08:13) - FIU 27, ULL 3 - 52 yard pass from Padrick to Rollins (Moss Kick)
4Q (10:52) - FIU 34, ULL 3 - 4 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)
4Q (06:46) - FIU 34, ULL 10 - 2 yard run by Lindon (Comiskey Kick)
4Q (01:42) - FIU 41, ULL 10 - 2 yard run by Nwadike (Moss Kick)

Players of the Game

FIU #32 Julian Reams (19 car, 144 yds, 2 TD, 2 rec, 20 yds)
ULL #4 Mark Risher (4 Tkls, FF)

Team Statistics:
Team Stats FIU ULL
Score 41 10
First Downs 19 10
Total Offense 393 164
Rushes-Yards 42-205 19-(-39)
Comp-Att-TD 8-20-2 21-39-0
Passing Yards 188 203
Sacked 3 5
3rd Down Conv 4-10(40%) 4-15(26%)
4th Down Conv 0-1(0%) 1-1(100%)
2-Point Conv 0-0(0%) 0-0(0%)
Redzone-TD-FG 4-3-1(100%) 3-1-1(66%)
Turnovers 0 3
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-0
Intercepted 0 3
PR Yards 31 0
KR Yards 45 68
Total Yards 469 232
Punts-Average 3-32.3 7-35.1
Penalties-Yards 2-15 1-3
T.O.P. 36:25 23:35
Player Statistic Highlights:

Passing
FIU #16 Josh Padrick (2-3, 78 yds, TD)
FIU #10 David Tabor (6-17, 110 yds, TD)
ULL #15 Jerry Babb (21-38, 203 yds, 3 INT)

Rushing
FIU #32 Julian Reams (19 car, 144 yds, 2 TD)
FIU #41 Chidi Nwadike (7 car, 38 yds, TD)
ULL #24 Dwight Lindon (2 car, 4 yds, TD)

Receiving
FIU #80 Andre Rollins (5 rec, 143 yds, 2 TD)
ULL #35 Kevin Robbins (7 rec, 71 yds)
ULL #82 Ray Givens (6 rec, 72 yds)

Defensive
FIU #5 Gerrod Bodie (4 Tkls (3 TFLs), 2 Sks)
FIU #55 Shaun Dudney (3 Tkls, (2 TFLs), 2 Sks)
FIU #21 Nick Turnbull (3 Tkls (TFL), 2 Defl, INT)
FIU #47 James Knapp (2 Tkls, FF)
FIU #48 Myron Acoff (2 Tkls (TFL), Sk)
FIU #24 Marshall McDuffie (2 Tkls (2 TFLs), Defl, INT)
FIU #31 John Haritan (Tkl, INT)
ULL #52 Tre' Green (7 Tkls (2 TFLs), Sk)
ULL #97 Travis Ferguson (4 Tkls (TFL), Sk)
ULL #40 Eugene Kwarteng (2 Tkls (TFL), Sk)
ULL #4 Mark Risher (4 Tkls, FF)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 12 - Other Results

Top 25
(GOTW) #17 Cal 44, #1 USC 42 http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/eek.gif
#2 Louisville 24, Rutgers 21
#4 Texas 42, Kansas 14
#5 Georgia 35, Auburn 28
#6 Tennessee 42, Memphis 7
#7 Iowa 28, Wisconsin 14
#21 LSU 38, #8 Alabama 31
Iowa State 27, #9 Colorado 17
Georgia Tech 42, #10 Virginia 26
#11 Purdue 35, Illinois 34
#12 Ohio State 41, Northwestern 10
Arizona State 41, #13 UCLA 27
#14 Florida State 45, Clemson 11
NC State 24, #16 Boston College 14
#18 Oklahoma 42, Texas A&M 39
#19 Michigan 33, Indiana 10
#22 Florida 31, #20 South Carolina 21
Minnesota 35, #23 Michigan State 28
#24 UTEP 69, Texas Southern 10
Boise State 20, #25 Fresno State 10

Sun Belt
Arkansas State 41, Troy 24
North Texas 45, Florida Atlantic 21
UL Monroe 31, Mid Tenn State 25

Sun Belt Conference Standings:
Team W-L Pct. Conf PF PA Strk Home Road
UL Lafayette 8-2 .8000 5-1 274 231 L1 4-1 4-1
North Texas 8-3 .7273 5-2 308 258 W1 4-1 4-2
FIU 6-3 .6667 4-2 458 254 W1 3-0 3-3
UL Monroe 5-5 .5000 3-3 305 282 W2 2-2 3-3
Arkansas State 4-6 .4000 3-4 254 323 W1 3-2 1-4
Troy 4-6 .4000 2-4 297 301 L3 2-2 2-4
Mid Tenn State 3-6 .3333 2-4 252 266 L1 1-4 2-2
Florida Atlantic 1-9 .1000 1-5 228 325 L1 0-4 1-5

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 13

Sports Illustrated Cover: Cal! Cancel the party in Los Angeles, the dream season is over.

Top 25 Coaches' Poll
#1 Louisville [61] (9-0)
#2 Virginia Tech (8-1)
#3 Texas (9-1)
#4 Georgia (8-1)
#5 Tennessee (8-1)
#6 Iowa (9-1)
#7 USC (9-1)
#8 Purdue (8-2)
#9 Ohio State (7-3)
#10 Florida State (7-3)
#11 Cal (8-2)
#12 Miami (7-2)
#13 Alabama (7-3)
#14 LSU (6-3)
#15 Oklahoma (7-3)
#16 Michigan (7-3)
#17 Colorado (7-3)
#18 Florida (6-4)
#19 Virginia (6-3)
#20 UTEP (7-2)
#21 Minnesota (7-3)
#22 South Carolina (8-2)
#23 Oklahoma State (6-4)
#24 Boston College (6-4)
#25 Washington State (7-3)

New to Top 25: Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Washington State

Dropped Out: UCLA, Michigan State, Fresno State

Also Receiving Votes: Georgia Tech, UCLA, NC State, Penn State, Iowa State, Pitt

Bowl Rankings
#1 Louisville (0.994)
#2 Texas (0.992)
#3 Virginia Tech (0.992)
#4 Georgia (0.983)
#5 Tennessee (0.975)
#6 Iowa (0.959)
#7 Ohio State (0.958)
#8 Purdue (0.955)
#9 USC (0.948)
#10 Miami (0.929)
#11 Cal (0.927)
#12 Florida State (0.923)
#13 Alabama (0.915)
#14 Oklahoma (0.912)
#15 LSU (0.902)

Heisman Watch
#1 Matt Leinart - QB, USC (level)
#2 Antonio Pittman - HB, Ohio State (up)
#3 Brandon Kirsch - QB, Purdue (up)
#4 Drew Tate - QB, Iowa (level)
#5 Reggie Bush - HB, USC (down)

Players of the Week

NCAA
Offensive - Army HB #30 Carlton Jones (22 car, 149 yds, 3 TD, 2 rec, 67 yds, TD)
Defensive - Oregon DE #92 Devan Long (11 Tkls (7 TFLs), 4 Sks, 2 FF)

Sun Belt
Offensive - North Texas HB #20 Jamario Thomas (30 car, 165 yds, 3 TD, 3 rec, 85 yds)
Defensive - Arkansas State LB #45 Elias Ellis (7 Tkls (TFL), 3 FR)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 13 Recruiting Update

DT Michael Parks (FIU ranks 1st of 3 - up 1): "He responded positively about our conference record." The kid likes to win...good.

[DataKing]

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Western_Kentucky.gifhttp://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Florida_International.gif
Western Kentucky at Florida International (6-3, 4-2)

Schembechler Tones it Down, Panthers Only Hang 62 on Hilltoppers

November 19th, 2005

MIAMI, FL (AP) -- There was a great deal of speculation surrounding this weekend's game between the Florida International Golden Panthers and the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky. Fans will remember that, in their earlier contest against a Division I-AA program, Wayne Schembechler's Golden Panthers ran up the score in what many people called a travesty, demolishing Florida A&M 128-7. Schembechler was repeatedly hounded throughout the course of the week by members of the media, asking if he had similar treatment in store for the Hilltoppers. To his credit, Schembechler remained silent, and let his team's actions speak for him on Saturday. While the contest was certainly lopsided from start to finish, it was not what many were expecting. The Panthers defeated Western Kentucky by a final score of 62-17.

"Once we had a comfortable lead," stated Schembechler after the game, "I intended to use this game as a learning experience for our younger players. The season's almost over, and with so many seniors on this team, we're going to have a lot of new starters next season."

Schembechler's comfortable lead did not take long to establish. By the end of the first quarter, FIU had racked up a commanding 35-7 lead, due primarily to the speed of freshman tailback Julian Reams. The Hilltoppers seemed incapable of even laying a hand on the speedy Reams, who earned an impressive 147 yards and four touchdowns on only six carries. As the quarter came to an end, it was clear that the Golden Panthers' starters were done for the day.

Things began a little on the rough side for junior quarterback Josh Padrick and the second team offense. Padrick's first pass was intercepted by junior linebacker Jon Hedges and returned 42 yards for the score. But Padrick recovered nicely, leading a scoring drive later in the quarter that was finished by a 4-yard touchdown pass to senior wideout Julius Eppinger.

Freshman quarterback Tavares Kendrick took the helm in the second half, and had his share of struggles, throwing two interceptions before completing a 95-yard bomb to freshman wideout Julius Mincey.

"The younger guys were a little sloppy early on," stated Schembechler, "but I thought they cleaned up their act nicely as the game went on. We didn't allow a single Hilltopper point in the second half, and that's something we can build off of."

With Louisiana-Lafayette losing their second straight game this weekend at the hands of Louisiana-Monroe, the Golden Panthers upcoming matchup with rival Florida Atlantic takes on new meaning. A victory could mean at least a portion of the conference title for the Panthers, a considerable accomplishment for the team in their first season as members of the Sun Belt.

Final Score: Florida International 62, Western Kentucky 17

Box Score:
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
Western Kentucky 7 10 0 0 17
FIU 35 7 3 17 62
1Q (11:48) - FIU 7, WKU 0 - 3 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)
1Q (10:24) - FIU 14, WKU 0 - 80 yard pass from Tabor to Williams (Moss Kick)
1Q (06:42) - FIU 14, WKU 7 - 30 yard pass from Hamilton to Thomas (James Kick)
1Q (06:20) - FIU 21, WKU 7 - 45 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)
1Q (02:18) - FIU 28, WKU 7 - 16 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)
1Q (00:33) - FIU 35, WKU 7 - 49 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)
2Q (13:42) - FIU 35, WKU 14 - 42 yard interception return by Hedges (James Kick)
2Q (04:33) - FIU 42, WKU 14 - 4 yard pass from Padrick to Eppinger (Moss Kick)
2Q (00:42) - FIU 42, WKU 17 - 43 yard field goal by James
3Q (12:00) - FIU 45, WKU 17 - 46 yard field goal by Moss
4Q (13:06) - FIU 52, WKU 17 - 95 yard pass from Kendrick to Mincey (Moss Kick)
4Q (10:42) - FIU 59, WKU 17 - 15 yard run by Nwadike (Moss Kick)
4Q (01:26) - FIU 62, WKU 17 - 30 yard field goal by Moss

Players of the Game:

FIU #32 Julian Reams (6 car, 147 yds, 4 TD)
WKU #32 Jon Hedges (7 Tkls (2 TFL), 2 Sks, Defl, INT, TD)

Team Statistics:
Team Stats WKU FIU
Score 17 62
First Downs 13 23
Total Offense 282 663
Rushes-Yards 23-41 32-305
Comp-Att-TD 18-43-1 18-31-3
Passing Yards 241 358
Sacked 5 5
3rd Down Conv 2-15(13%) 3-9(33%)
4th Down Conv 0-1(0%) 0-0(0%)
2-Point Conv 0-0(0%) 0-0(0%)
Redzone-TD-FG 1-0-0(0%) 5-4-1(100%)
Turnovers 4 3
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Intercepted 4 3
PR Yards 1 0
KR Yards 115 81
Total Yards 398 744
Punts-Average 8-48.9 4-43.7
Penalties-Yards 1-5 1-5
T.O.P. 25:48 34:12
Player Statistic Highlights:

Passing
FIU #10 David Tabor (5-9, 174 yds, TD)
FIU #16 Josh Padrick (6-9, 42 yds, TD, INT)
FIU #2 Tavares Kendrick (7-13, 142 yds, TD, 2 INT)
WKU #15 Curtis Hamilton (17-40, 231 yds, TD, 3 INT)

Rushing
FIU #32 Julian Reams (6 car, 147 yds, 4 TD)
FIU #41 Chidi Nwadike (8 car, 117 yds, TD)
WKU #22 Lerron Moore (13 car, 72 yds)

Receiving
FIU #1 Chandler Williams (5 rec, 125 yds, TD)
FIU #82 Julius Mincey (2 rec, 104 yds, TD)
FIU #83 Julius Eppinger (3 rec, 9 yds, TD)
WKU #6 Antonio Thomas (4 rec, 101 yds, TD)

Defensive
FIU #51 Keyonvis Bouie (6 Tkls (3 TFL), Sk, Defl)
FIU #25 Zach Davis (5 Tkls, 2 Defl, INT)
FIU #23 Chris Williams (3 Tkls, (TFL), Sk, Defl, INT)
FIU #93 Audric Adger (2 Tkls (2 TFL), Sk)
FIU #91 Matt Berrios (2 Tkls, (TFL), Sk, Defl)
FIU #40 Andrea Swaby (2 Tkls, INT)
FIU #6 Malik Jones (2 Tkls, INT)
FIU #64 Brandon Higdon (Tkl, (TFL), Sk)
WKU #32 Jon Hedges (7 Tkls (2 TFL), 2 Sks, Defl, INT, TD)
WKU #23 Dennis Mitchell (8 Tkls, Defl)
WKU #18 Travis Watters (7 Tkls (2 TFL), Sk, INT)
WKU #57 Blake Slates (Tkl (TFL), Sk, Defl)
WKU #37 Tanner Siewert (3 Tkls (2 TFL), Sk)
WKU #4 Tariq Smith (7 Tkls (TFL), INT)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 13 - Other Results

Top 25
(GOTW) #2 Virginia Tech 31, #19 Virginia 21
#4 Georgia 48, Kentucky 23
#5 Tennessee 24, Vanderbilt 19
#6 Iowa 45, #21 Minnesota 19
Fresno State 27, #7 USC 24 (OT) - How the mighty have fallen!
#8 Purdue 37, Indiana 34
#9 Ohio State 34, #16 Michigan 27 http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/frown.gif
#11 Cal 38, Stanford 26
#12 Miami 48, Wake Forest 25
Auburn 28, #13 Alabama 20 (OT)
#14 LSU 27, Ole Miss 15
Texas Tech 45, #15 Oklahoma 35
#20 UTEP 24, UAB 17
Clemson 42, #22 South Carolina 24
Baylor 35, #23 Oklahoma State 28
#24 Boston College 32, Maryland 29
Washington 42, #25 Washington State 35

Sun Belt
Mid Tenn State 31, NC State 24 (OT)
Arkansas State 44, Army 37
UL Monroe 44, UL Lafayette 36 http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

Sun Belt Conference Standings:
Team W-L Pct. Conf PF PA Strk Home Road
UL Lafayette 8-3 .7273 5-2 310 275 L2 4-1 4-2
North Texas 8-3 .7273 5-2 308 258 W1 4-1 4-2
FIU 7-3 .7000 4-2 520 271 W2 4-0 3-3
UL Monroe 6-5 .5455 4-3 349 318 W3 3-2 3-3
Arkansas State 5-6 .4545 3-4 298 360 W2 3-2 2-4
Troy 4-6 .4000 2-4 297 301 L3 2-2 2-4
Mid Tenn State 4-6 .4000 2-4 283 290 W1 1-4 3-2
Florida Atlantic 1-9 .1000 1-5 228 325 L1 0-4 1-5

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 14

Sports Illustrated Cover: Lucky This Time! Purdue wins rivalry game over IU but by less than experts predicted.

Top 25 Coaches' Poll
#1 Louisville [61] (9-0)
#2 Virginia Tech (9-1)
#3 Texas (9-1)
#4 Georgia (9-1)
#5 Tennessee (9-1)
#6 Iowa (10-1)
#7 Purdue (9-2)
#8 Ohio State (8-3)
#9 Florida State (7-3)
#10 Cal (9-2)
#11 Miami (8-2)
#12 LSU (7-3)
#13 USC (9-2)
#14 Colorado (7-3)
#15 Florida (6-4)
#16 UTEP (8-2)
#17 Boston College (7-4)
#18 Michigan (7-4)
#19 Alabama (7-4)
#20 Georgia Tech (7-3)
#21 Virginia (6-4)
#22 UCLA (7-3)
#23 Auburn (6-5)
#24 Oklahoma (7-4)
#25 Fresno State (7-3)

New to Top 25: Georgia Tech, UCLA, Auburn, Fresno State

Dropped Out: Minnesota, South Carolina, Oklahoma State, Washington State

Others Receiving Votes: Minnesota, Iowa State, Pitt, Michigan State, Nebraska, Miami (OH), Connecticut, Texas Tech

Bowl Rankings
#1 Louisville (0.993)
#2 Texas (0.992)
#3 Virginia Tech (0.992)
#4 Georgia (0.983)
#5 Tennessee (0.975)
#6 Ohio State (0.964)
#7 Iowa (0.963)
#8 Purdue (0.958)
#9 Miami (0.937)
#10 Cal (0.931)
#11 Florida State (0.929)
#12 LSU (0.914)
#13 Florida (0.913)
#14 Colorado (0.908)
#15 USC (0.902)

Heisman Watch
#1 Matt Leinart - QB, USC (level)
#2 Drew Tate - QB, Iowa (up)
#3 Antonio Pittman - HB, Ohio State (down)
#4 Brandon Kirsch - QB, Purdue (down)
#5 Reggie Bush - HB, USC (level)

Players of the Week

NCAA
Offensive - New Mexico State QB #10 Paul Dombrowski (34-41, 441 yds, 7 TD)
Defensive - Baylor SS #18 Willie Andrews (8 Tkls (2 TFL), Sk, INT, FF, TD)

Sun Belt
Offensive - FIU #32 Julian Reams (6 car, 147 yds, 4 TD)
Defensive - UL Monroe LB #45 L.B. Jeter (10 Tkls (3 TFL), Sk, INT, FF, FR)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 14 Recruiting Update

DT Michael Parks (FIU ranks 3rd of 3): "We passed the parent test with flying colors." Of course, that's my driving goal in life, to make these kids' parents happy. http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

[DataKing]

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Florida_Atlantic.gifhttp://home.comcast.net/%7Ej.hoag/NCAA/Florida_International.gif
Florida Atlantic (1-9, 1-5) at Florida International (7-3, 4-2)

Cardiac Cats: Golden Panthers win Rivalry Game (and Conference Title) with Late-Game Heroics

November 26th, 2005

MIAMI, FL (AP) -- The Florida International defense has been suspect to say the least at certain times during this season, and on Saturday afternoon it looked like it was going to be another long day for that unit. The Golden Panthers jumped out to an early lead, but then Florida Atlantic freshman quarterback McKinson Souverain (starting in place of the injured Danny Embick) took over the game, gashing the FIU defense with his legs as well as his arm. Souverain's performance would earn him Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week honors, but it was the Panthers who had the last laugh. With their backs against the wall and the Sun Belt conference title on the line (along with the program's first ever bowl bid), Coach Schembechler's defense got the stops that they needed. The offense, which had struggled at times during the game, came through with 21 points in the last five minutes of play, securing a 45-41 last-second victory.

Florida International got off on good footing at the start of the game, opening things up with a time-consuming drive that was capped off by a Julian Reams 9-yard touchdown run. The defense also looked solid at the start of the game. Despite a pass interference call on senior cornerback Matt Castillo, they were able to force the Owls to punt, thanks to Shaun Dudney's stop of fullback Aaron Sanchez on 3rd-and-2. FIU would add a 21-yard Adam Moss field goal on their next possession, set up by a 40-yard option keeper by senior quarterback David Tabor.

It didn't take Florida Atlantic long to respond, however. Junior wideout Tito Pollice beat Nick Turnbull deep for a 73-yard catch-and-run touchdown, cutting the FIU lead to 10-7. On their first play from scrimmage, Florida International gave the ball right back to the Owls as Tabor was picked off by senior cornerback Willie Hughley. But the Golden Panthers' defense held this time around, and the Owls turned the ball over on downs.

Julian Reams reached a milestone on FIU's next possession, passing 1,000 yards rushing on the season. But the drive ended the same way the last one did for the Golden Panthers. This time it was senior cornerback Lawrence Gorden who picked off Tabor, at the Florida Atlantic 34-yard line. The Florida Atlantic Owls then took a lead that they would not relenquish until late in the game, as Souverain found Tito Pollice in the back of the end zone from 33-yards out, giving FAU a 14-10 lead.

Despite a good kick return by freshman Lloyd Moss to the Florida International 43-yard line, Tabor and the offense were not able to get back on track, and were forced to punt. With time running low in the half, Florida Atlantic began to move the ball down the field, a drive highlighted by a 33-yard option keeper by Souverain. A 31-yard field goal by Daniel Kennard gave the Owls a 17-10 lead heading into the break.

FAU picked up right where they left off at the start of the 3rd quarter. Freshman tailback Charles Pierre took a toss for 26-yards, and the drive was capped off by a 9-yard scoring strike from Souverain to freshman tight end Michael Hancock, giving the Owls a 24-10 lead.

Josh Padrick took the field as the new Florida International quarterback, replacing the struggling Tabor. If nothing else, Padrick seemed to bring a little bit of luck with him onto the field. His first pass was tipped by the Owls defense, but still snagged out of midair by senior wideout Andre Rollins, who proceeded to turn and sprint down the field for a 73-yard touchdown. Rollins was quick to thank fellow senior Cory McKinney, who threw a great downfield block to spring him for the score.

The quick score seemed to fire up the Golden Panthers defense, because it looked like they had stopped the Owls on their next possession, thanks to a great 3rd-and-1 tackle by senior linebacker Lance Preston. But Preston's post-play celebration seemed to be a little much for the referees, who flagged Preston for unsportsmanlike conduct, keeping the Owls' drive alive. Later in the drive, the elusive Souverain scrambled for the first down on 3rd-and-14, setting up a 38-yard Kennard field goal.

Despite a great 25-yard option run by Julian Reams on their next drive, the Golden Panthers were forced to punt, and junior punter Chris Patullo did a fantastic job, pinning the Owls at their own 4 yard line. But this time it was Florida Atlantic's turn to have some luck with a tipped pass. Junior cornerback Zach Davis managed to get a fingertip on a Souverain pass, but cornerback Willie Hughley (who does on occasion play on the offense) snagged the ball and took it 91 yards for the score.

Down by three scores in the fourth quarter, Reams was largely taken out of the game as Florida International had to turn to the air. Padrick had some more success, connecting with Andre Rollins for his second touchdown of the game, this time from 49 yards out. But the Panthers' defense was still unable to find a way to stop Souverain and the Owls' offense. The Owls responded quickly with a drive that was finished off by an 18-yard touchdown from Souverain to senior wideout Thomas Parker.

Down 41-24 with under eight minutes to go, all seemed lost for FIU, especially when a pass attempt by Josh Padrick floated on him and was intercepted by Taheem Acevedo. During the change of possession, senior cornerback and defensive captain Nick Turnbull gathered the defense and said something to them. Whatever he said, it seemed to do the trick. The Panthers' defense forced a 3-and-out, giving the ball back to the offense with just over six minutes to go.

When asked what he said to the defense after the game, Turnull replied "I told them I wasn't going out like that. There's a lot of seniors on this team, not just me, and none of us wanted this to be our last game. We knew what was at stake, and we knew it was up to us to give Josh [Padrick] and the offense a chance."

Undaunted by his previous interception, Padrick went right back to the air. He found his favorite target, Andre Rollins, for a big 47-yard gain, then went right back to him a little later in the drive, finding Rollins in the corner of the end zone for a 9-yard strike. With exactly five minutes remaining on the clock, FIU trailed the Owls 41-31.

The defensive turnaround for the Golden Panthers' really gathered steam on the next possession. Standout linebacker Gerrod Bodie layed a ferocious hit on fullback Aaron Sanchez, knocking the ball loose. There was a mad scramble for the ball, but eventually it was none other than Turnbull who came out of the pile with the pigskin. Florida International quickly turned the turnover into points with a 7-yard option run by Julian Reams.

With under four minutes remaining and the Panthers now trailing by only a field goal, and with all three of their timeouts remaining, Coach Schembechler elected to kick the ball away rather than attempt an onside kick. "It was obvious that the defense was really fired up," stated Schembechler after the game. "I swear, some of those kids were actually foaming at the mouth. I was not about to give the Owls a short field at that point, and give them a shot at putting the game away with a single big play. All of the momentum was on our side."

While it was seniors like Gerrod Bodie and Nick Turnbull that had made the late defensive plays thus far, it was an underclassman that would make the last one for the Panthers. Sophomore defensive end Myron Acoff, the team's sack leader, took down Souverain in the backfield on 3rd-and-13, ensuring that the offense would get one more shot to at least tie the game.

FIU took possession with 57 yards to go and two time outs. Padrick's heroic performance would come to an end for the day when he was injured on an option pitch to Julian Reams, but the freshman tailback made the effort count, running 33 yards all the way to the FAU 3 yard line. With only one timeout remaining, Reams was given the handoff but was stopped a yard shy of the goal line. The team quickly lined up and ran the exact same play again, and this time Reams was able to power his way into the end zone, and FIU took the lead with only nine seconds remaining on the clock.

"The offense had instructions to run the play twice, time permitting," explained Schembechler. "We wanted to save our last time out, in case we had to get the field goal unit onto the field to play for the tie. Fortunately, that wasn't necessary."

The last second victory sent the home crowd into an uproar, as the Golden Panthers earned the conference title. Nothing is official yet, but Florida International should be receiving an invitation to represent the Sun Belt conference in the New Orleans Bowl in December.

Final Score: Florida International 45, Florida Atlantic 41

Box Score:
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
Florida Atlantic 7 10 10 14 41
FIU 10 0 7 28 45
1Q (08:51) - FIU 7, FAU 0 - 9 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)
1Q (04:20) - FIU 10, FAU 0 - 22 yard field goal by Moss
1Q (03:12) - FIU 10, FAU 7 - 83 yard pass from Souverain to Pollice (Kennard Kick)
2Q (10:50) - FAU 14, FIU 10 - 33 yard pass from Souverain to Pollice (Kennard Kick)
2Q (01:48) - FAU 17, FIU 10 - 31 yard field goal by Kennard
3Q (10:35) - FAU 24, FIU 10 - 9 yard pass from Souverain to Hancock (Kennard Kick)
3Q (07:07) - FAU 24, FIU 17 - 73 yard pass from Padrick to Rollins (Moss Kick)
3Q (01:37) - FAU 27, FIU 17 - 38 yard field goal by Kennard
4Q (12:38) - FAU 34, FIU 17 - 91 yard pass from Souverain to Hughley (Kennard Kick)
4Q (10:42) - FAU 34, FIU 24 - 49 yard pass from Padrick to Rollins (Moss Kick)
4Q (07:53) - FAU 41, FIU 24 - 18 yard pass from Souverain to Parker (Kennard Kick)
4Q (05:00) - FAU 41, FIU 31 - 9 yard pass from Padrick to Rollins (Moss Kick)
4Q (03:54) - FAU 41, FIU 38 - 7 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)
4Q (00:09) - FIU 45, FAU 41 - 2 yard run by Reams (Moss Kick)

Players of the Game:

FIU #80 Andre Rollins (6 rec, 213 yds, 3 TD)
FAU #1 McKinson Souverain (21-37, 385 yds, 5 TD, 17 car, 97 yds)

Team Statistics:
Team Stats FAU FIU
Score 41 45
First Downs 18 22
Total Offense 524 558
Rushes-Yards 36-139 32-209
Comp-Att-TD 21-37-5 17-31-3
Passing Yards 385 349
Sacked 5 2
3rd Down Conv 10-18(55%) 5-9(55%)
4th Down Conv 0-1(0%) 0-0(0%)
2-Point Conv 0-0(0%) 0-0(0%)
Redzone-TD-FG 3-2-1(100%) 5-4-1(100%)
Turnovers 1 3
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 0-0
Intercepted 0 3
PR Yards 4 6
KR Yards 142 122
Total Yards 670 686
Punts-Average 4-44.5 3-38.7
Penalties-Yards 4-42 3-20
T.O.P. 30:52 29:08
Player Statistic Highlights:

Passing
FIU #16 Josh Padrick (10-15, 257 yds, 3 TD, INT)
FIU #10 David Tabor (7-16, 92 yds, 2 INT)
FAU #1 McKinson Souverain (21-37, 385 yds, 5 TD)

Rushing
FIU #32 Julian Reams (22 car, 155 yds, 3 TD)
FAU #1 McKinson Souverain (17 car, 97 yds)

Receiving
FIU #80 Andre Rollins (6 rec, 213 yds, 3 TD)
FAU #89 Tito Pollice (4 rec, 127 yds, 2 TD)
FAU #24 Willie Hughley (3 rec, 111 yds, TD)
FAU #88 Thomas Parker (3 rec, 52 yds, TD)
FAU #83 Michael Hancock (3 rec, 32 yds, TD)

Defensive
FIU #5 Gerrod Bodie (8 Tkls (2 TFL), Sk, 2 FF)
FIU #42 Antwan Barnes (7 Tkls (2 TFL), Sk, Defl)
FIU #21 Nick Turnbull (5 Tkls, Defl, FR)
FIU #48 Myron Acoff (4 Tkls (3 TFL), 2 Sks)
FIU #93 Audric Adger (Tkl (TFL), Sk)
FAU #22 Lawrence Gordon (7 Tkls, 3 Defl, INT)
FAU #9 Taheem Acevedo (3 Tkls, INT)
FAU #24 Willie Hughley (3 Tkls, Defl, INT)
FAU #57 Jason Pugh (3 Tkls (TFL), Sk)
FAU #10 Quincy Skinner (2 Tkls (TFL), Sk)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 14 - Other Results

Top 25
#1 Louisville 37, Syracuse 17
#2 Virginia Tech 38, North Carolina 17
Texas A&M 49, #3 Texas 32
#4 Georgia 27, #20 Georgia Tech 17
#5 Tennessee 28, Kentucky 10
(GOTW) #9 Florida State 38, #15 Florida 31
#21 Virginia 27, #11 Miami 24 (OT)
#12 LSU 38, Arkansas 24
Nebraska 34, #14 Colorado 24
#16 UTEP 42, SMU 25
Nevada 30, #25 Fresno State 27

Sun Belt
Mid Tenn State 45, Troy 21

Sun Belt Conference Final Standings:
Team W-L Pct. Conf PF PA Strk Home Away
FIU 8-3 .7273 5-2 565 312 W3 5-0 3-3
UL Lafayette 8-3 .7273 5-2 310 275 L2 4-1 4-2
North Texas 8-3 .7273 5-2 308 258 W1 4-1 4-2
UL Monroe 6-5 .5455 4-3 349 318 W3 3-2 3-3
Mid Tenn State 5-6 .4545 3-4 328 311 W2 1-4 4-2
Arkansas State 5-6 .4545 3-4 298 360 W2 3-2 2-4
Troy 4-7 .3636 2-5 318 346 L4 2-3 2-4
Florida Atlantic 1-10 .0909 1-6 269 370 L2 0-4 1-6

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 15

Sports Illustrated Cover: Longhorns Humbled. #3 Texas falls 49-32 to Texas A&M in Lone Star Showdown.

Top 25 Coaches' Poll
#1 Louisville [61] (10-0)
#2 Virginia Tech (10-1)
#3 Georgia (10-1)
#4 Tennessee (10-1)
#5 Iowa (10-1)
#6 Purdue (10-1)
#7 Florida State (8-3)
#8 Ohio State (8-3)
#9 Cal (9-2)
#10 LSU (8-3)
#11 USC (9-2)
#12 Texas (9-2)
#13 UTEP (9-2)
#14 Boston College (7-4)
#15 Virginia (7-4)
#16 Michigan (7-4)
#17 Alabama (7-4)
#18 Miami (8-3)
#19 UCLA (7-3)
#20 Auburn (6-5)
#21 Oklahoma (7-4)
#22 Florida (6-5)
#23 Colorado (7-4)
#24 Minnesota (7-4)
#25 Nebraska (7-4)

New to Top 25: Minnesota, Nebraska

Dropped Out: Georgia Tech, Fresno State

Others Receiving Votes: Iowa State, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Connecticut, South Carolina, Texas Tech

Bowl Rankings
#1 Virginia Tech (0.994)
#2 Louisville (0.992)
#3 Georgia (0.989)
#4 Tennessee (0.980)
#5 Iowa (0.972)
#6 Purdue (0.967)
#7 Ohio State (0.966)
#8 Florida State (0.944)
#9 Cal (0.941)
#10 Texas (0.925)
#11 LSU (0.925)
#12 USC (0.911)
#13 Virginia (0.904)
#14 Boston College (0.902)
#15 Michigan (0.899)

Heisman Watch
#1 Matt Leinart - QB, USC (level)
#2 Drew Tate - QB, Iowa (level)
#3 Antonio Pittman - HB, Ohio State (level)
#4 Bryan McClendon - WR, Georgia (up)
#5 Brandon Kirsch - QB, Purdue (down)

Players of the Week

NCAA
Offensive - Wisconsin HB #2 Brian Calhoun (37 car, 190 yds, 2 TD, 3 rec, 49 yds, 2 TD)
Defensive - Rutgers OLB #35 William Beckford (6 Tkls (TFL), FF, TD)

Sun Belt
Offensive - Florida Atlantic QB #1 McKinson Souverain (21-37, 385 yds, 5 TD, 17 car, 97 yds)
Defensive - Troy OLB #26 Marcus Richardson (18 Tkls (6 TFL), 2 Sks, INT)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 15 Recruiting Update

DT Michael Parks (FIU ranks 3rd of 3 - no change): "Michael told us as he was leaving that he had an awesome visit." Apparently one of my assistants was on vacation for the least week, since Michael's visit was more than a week ago!

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Week 15 Results

Top 25
#1 Louisville 44, Connecticut 13
(GOTW) #11 USC 40, #19 UCLA 21

Sun Belt
None

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Championship Week

Sports Illustrated Cover: Decision Time. Sooners head to Houston to conquer the Big 12.

Top 25 Coaches' Poll
#1 Louisville [61] (11-0)
#2 Virginia Tech (10-1)
#3 Georgia (10-1)
#4 Tennessee (10-1)
#5 Iowa (10-1)
#6 Purdue (9-2)
#7 Florida State (8-3)
#8 Ohio State (8-3)
#9 Cal (9-2)
#10 LSU (8-3)
#11 USC (10-2)
#12 Texas (9-2)
#13 UTEP (9-2)
#14 Boston College (7-4)
#15 Virginia (7-4)
#16 Michigan (7-4)
#17 Alabama (7-4)
#18 Miami (8-3)
#19 Auburn (6-5)
#20 Oklahoma (7-4)
#21 Florida (6-5)
#22 Colorado (7-4)
#23 Minnesota (7-4)
#24 Nebraska (8-3)
#25 Iowa State (7-4)

New to Top 25: Iowa State

Dropped Out: UCLA

Others Receiving Votes: Texas A&M, UCLA, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, South Carolina, Texas Tech

Bowl Rankings
#1 Virginia Tech (0.994)
#2 Louisville (0.992)
#3 Georgia (0.989)
#4 Tennessee (0.980)
#5 Iowa (0.972)
#6 Purdue (0.971)
#7 Ohio State (0.964)
#8 Florida State (0.944)
#9 Cal (0.942)
#10 LSU (0.925)
#11 Texas (0.925)
#12 USC (0.915)
#13 Virginia (0.904)
#14 Boston College (0.902)
#15 Michigan (0.899)

Heisman Watch
#1 Matt Leinart - QB, USC (level)
#2 Drew Tate - QB, Iowa (level)
#3 Antonio Pittman - HB, Ohio State (level)
#4 Bryan McClendon - WR, Georgio (level)
#5 Reggie Bush - HB, USC (up)

Players of the Week

NCAA
Offensive - Fresno State QB #16 Jordan Christensen (31-36, 413 yds, 5 TD)
Defensive - Hawaii OLB #45 Tanuvasa Moe (6 Tkls (3 TFL), Sk, INT, TD)

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Championship Week

Championship Games

MAC Championship: Miami University 52, Toledo 31
SEC Championship: #10 LSU 37, #4 Tennessee 21
Big 12 Championship: #20 Oklahoma 48, #24 Nebraska 32
ACC Championship: #2 Virginia Tech 16, NC State 14
Conference USA Championship: #13 UTEP 31, Marshall 17

Other Conference Champions
Big 10 Champions: Iowa Hawkeyes
Big East Champions: Louisville Cardinals
Mountain West Champions: UNLV Runnin' Rebels
PAC 10 Champions: USC Trojans
Sun Belt Champions: Florida International Golden Panthers
WAC Champions: Boise State Broncos

[DataKing]

2005 Season - Championship Week Recruiting Update

DT Michael Parks (Committed to Tennessee): "He committed elsewhere for reasons other than our prestige." Yeah...he committed to Tennessee because of Tennessee's prestige. We landed one friggin' recruit during in-season recruiting...we're going to be really thin next year. http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/frown.gif

[Blade6119]

Author's Note: Every single player on my list (even those we're no longer pursuing) is rated as poor potential. Is this a bug of some kind, or do my scouts just suck that much? Any ideas?

[/font]

Check your one guy out again in the off season recruiting and you should see he has higher potential...in my experience whatever potential it gives you in season is plus one in reality...so poor is average and average is good...or maybe ive been very lucky and my game has some bug...but all my in-season signings have higher potentail when i check again in post season

[DataKing]

Thanks for the info. I'll be sure to take a look once the season is over.

[Wolfpack]

ACC Championship: #2 Virginia Tech 16, NC State 14

"G-dammit that's twice! I want butts!"

[Kodos]

I hope this dynasty continues, by the way. :)

[DataKing]

Perhaps...things are kind of "up in the air" at the moment, so it may be a little while, but I do want to get back to this. Sit tight.

[KevinNU7]

At First I was like "How the hell did he lose to UL-Monroe?"

2005 Season - Week 12[b]
Sun Belt
Offensive - UL Monroe QB #15 Steven Jyles (28-56, 599 yds, 6 TD)