Duke Blue Devils

Oct. 29---College Football---
Wake Forest 44 ... Duke 6---College Football---
Wake Forest rolled up 557 yards of total offense with 419 rushing yards thanks to 204 from Chris Barclay. The Demon Deacons scored the first 20 points before Duke scored on a 19-yard touchdown pass to Eron Riley. Barclay tore off scoring runs of nine and 71 yards leading Wake Forest to 24 unanswered points in the second half. Wake averaged 8.2 yards per carry, Duke averaged 1.6. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Wake Forest RB Chris Barclay ran 18 times for 204 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 33 yards. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Wake Forest - Passing: Ben Mauk, 11-22, 138 yds, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Chris Barclay, 18-204, 2 TD. Receiving: Zac Selmon, 3-37---College Football---
Duke - Passing: Zack Asack, 9-17, 97 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Marcus Jones, 4-19. Receiving: Requan Boyette, 4-8---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Wake Forest might be playing better, but it's not Florida State. Duke has to figure out how to make plays and can't get blown out by average teams. To only run for 50 yards and gain a total of 203 yards at home is unacceptable. You can call them growing pains, but something should be working by now; it's nine games into the season. Considering this was Senior Day and the last home date of the year, this was a horrible performance. ---College Football---
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Oct. 22---College Football---
Florida State 55 ... Duke 24---College Football---
Drew Weatherford threw two first half touchdown passes and Antone Smith ran for two scores in the easy FSU win. Greg Carr caught touchdowns passes from 12, 25 and 12 yards out for the Noles helping to keep Duke at bay. The Blue Devils got two touchdowns from Justin Boyle and a 78-yard scoring run form Requan Boyette in the fourth quarter.
Player of the game: Florida State WR Greg Carr caught six passes fro 95 yards and three touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 24-32, 275 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Antone Smith, 7-76, 2 TD. Receiving: Greg Carr, 6-95, 3 TD---College Football---
Duke - Passing: Zack Asack, 9-18, 52---College Football---
Rushing: Requan Boyette, 10-123, 1 TD. Receiving: Marcus Jones, 3-29---College Football---
What to take away from this game: The passing game continues to be non-existent and the pass defense did nothing to slow down Florida State, but the run defense had a good game and there were some sparks from the running game with big runs from Ronnie Drummer and Requan Boyette. At this point, the Blue Devils have to look for the little things to improve on from week to week. If the run defense can play this well against Wake Forest next week, the Blue Devils will have a chance.
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Oct. 15---College Football---
Georgia Tech 35 ... Duke 10---College Football---
Starting QB Reggie Ball left with a hip pointer and RB P.J. Daniels hurt his shoulder, but Georgia Tech got a strong game out of Tashard Choice with two, one-yard touchdown runs in the third quarter as part of a run of 28 unanswered points in the third quarter. Duke got a three-yard touchdown pass to Andy Roland for a 10-7 first half lead, but the Georgia Tech offense rolled in the third quarter and Darrell Robertson took an interception 28 yards for a score. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Georgia Tech RB Tashard Choice ran 15 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Georgia Tech - Passing: Reggie Ball, 16-25, 144 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Tashard Choice, 15-107, 2 TD. Receiving: Calvin Johnson, 4-73---College Football---
Duke - Passing: Zack Asack, 9-28, 90 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Justin Boyle, 27-88. Receiving: Ben Patrick, 3-26---College Football---
What to take away from this game: At least the team played well for a half. Duke is going through some mega-growing pains with Zack Asack at quarterback as he couldn't deal with the Georgia Tech defensive speed all game long. On the plus side, the running game was solid thanks to Justin Boyle and Ronnie Drunner, but unless the Blue Devils rush for 250 yards, they have no chance in ACC play. ---College Football---
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Oct. 8---College Football---
Miami 52 ... Duke 7---College Football---
Kyle Wright threw three touchdowns in a five minute span as the Hurricanes cranked out a 31-0 first half. Tyrone Moss added touchdowns runs of seven and one yards, and backup QB Kirby Freeman threw two touchdown passes in relief. Duke was outgained 557 yards to 128 with only eight yards of passing offense, but got an 81-yard touchdown run from Ronnie Drummer. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Miami QB Kyle Wright completed 18 of 31 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Miami - Passing: Kyle Wright, 18-31, 255 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Tyrone Moss, 12-82, 2 TD. Receiving: Ryan Moore, 7-87, 1 TD---College Football---
Duke - Passing: Zack Asack, 4-15, 8 yds---College Football---
Rushing: Ronnie Drummer, 9-101. Receiving: Ben Patrick, 1-5---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Eight yards passing against Miami. Eight. The Blue Devil quarterbacks completed four of 17 passes for eight yards. Considering all of the experience Duke has, that's absolutely unacceptable. It's not just that Duke can't come close to beating teams like Miami, it's that it isn't even in the same ballpark. The defense isn't getting any help from the offense, but at least it was able to force three turnovers. It all comes back to the offense; you can't win if you can't score.---College Football---
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Oct. 1---College Football---
Navy 28 ... Duke 21---College Football---
Lamar Owens ran for a two-yard score with just over a minute to play to break a 21-21 tie on Duke's homecoming. Owens threw a 33-yard touchdown run to Tyree Barnes, Karl Whittaker ran for a five-yard score and Matt Hall tore off a 47-yard touchdown run for the Midshipmen, but Duke hung around on touchdown runs from Justin Boyle and Zack Asack, but the run defense allowed 346 yards, 9.3 yards per carry, and managed only 331 yards of total offense.
Player of the game: Navy QB Lamar Owens completed four of nine passes for 87 yards and a touchdown with an interceptions and ran 13 times for 106 yards and a score. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Duke - Passing: Zack Asack, 12-16, 111 yds, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Justin Boyle, 16-64, 1 TD. Receiving: Ben Patrick, 5-29---College Football---
Navy - Passing: Lamar Owens, 4-9, 87 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Lamar Owens, 13-106, 1 TD. Receiving: Tyree Barnes, 2-65, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: First, the pluses out of the loss to Navy. Zack Asack had an efficient day throwing the ball completing 12 of 16 passes and ran well enough to suggest that he should be the starting quarterback from here on. He took the offense on a nice 17-play drive late in the fourth quarter to tie it up. The ground game was as effective as it has been all year with 179 yards. However, the defense didn't get the job done early against the Midshipmen ground game, and couldn't come up with the stop on the final drive. Things don't get much easier over the next few weeks facing Miami, Georgia Tech and Florida State, so the goal has to be to find a way to keep improving at the little things like not turning the ball over and not committing penalties. ---College Football---
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Sept. 24---College Football---
Virginia 38 ... Duke 7---College Football---
Virginia QB Marques Hagans threw four touchdown passes with two to Deyon Williams, and Cedric Peerman added a 17-yard touchdown run in the easy win. The Cavalier defense forced four turnovers and only allowed 215 yards of total offense. Kai Parham made 12 tackles for the Cavaliers. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Virginia QB Marques Hagans completed 13 of 21 passes for 174 yards and four touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Duke - Passing: Zack Asack, 7-13, 87 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Justin Boyle, 14-44. Receiving: Ronnie Williams, 4-32---College Football---
Virginia - Passing: Marques Hagans, 13-21, 174 yds, 4 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Cedric Peerman, 10-46, 1TD. Receiving: Deyon Williams, 4-49, 2 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: The defense didn't play poorly against Virginia, but the offense just can't find anything to hang its hat on. The passing game didn't improve with Zack Asack seeing more time over Mike Schneider. At least Asack adds a bit of a rushing element to the mix. At some point, the offense has to find some sort of rushing attack to give the defense a little more help early on. Duke won't win when it loses the turnover battle.---College Football---
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Sept. 17---College Football---
Duke 40 ... VMU 14---College Football---
Duke rebounded from a horrible performance against Virginia Tech to roll over VMI thanks to two touchdown runs from both Justin Boyle and Cedric Dargan. Duke scored the first 33 points of the game before VMI finally got on the board late in the third quarter on a Nat Jackson 14-yard touchdown run. Zack Asack, in his first action for the Blue Devils, threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Jones. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Duke RB Justin Boyle ran 15 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns.---College Football---
Stat Leaders: VMI - Passing: Jonathan Wilson, 13-20, 111 yds, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Nat Jackson, 8-56, 1 TD. Receiving: Zohn Burden, 5-45---College Football---
Rushing: Justin Boyle, 15-112, 2 TD. Receiving: Andy Roland, 4-39
What to take away from this game: Duke has to feel happy about getting a blowout, but it should've tried to do more with the passing game against VMI. Even though there wasn't a need to throw the ball with the ground game working as well at it was, to only throw for 107 yards as a team wasn't a positive for such a struggling air attack. Mike Schneider still didn't look all that sharp only completing eight of 17 passes. A go-to receiver still needs to emerge.
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Sept. 10
Virginia Tech 45 ... Duke 0---College Football---
35 yards of total offense. That's what Duke was able to manage against the Virginia Tech defense. The Hokie offense wasn't bad either as Marcus Vick threw three touchdowns passes and George Bell ran for a three-yard score. Vick connected with Jeff King from seven yards out, Josh Morgan from 37 yards away and David Clowney from 35 yards. Tech's Roland Minor picked off a pass for a 23-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Player of the game: Virginia Tech QB Marcus Vick completed 12 of 19 passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Virginia Tech - Passing: Marcus Vick, 12-19, 172 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Mike Imoh, 8-66. Receiving: Jeff King, 5-46, 1 TD---College Football---
Duke - Passing: Mike Schneider, 4-14, 14 yds---College Football---
Rushing: Curt Dukes, 8-20. Receiving: Ronnie Drummer, 2-5---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Virginia Tech might have one of the nation's premier defenses, but 35 yards of total offense is inexcusable. Nothing seems to be working right now with nothing to hang its hat on and no production from any of the veterans. The defense was game for a while against the Hokies, but it never had a shot with the offense consistently coming off the field. The VMI game next week is vital to get some things worked out with its attack. ---College Football---
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Sept. 3
East Carolina 24 ... Duke 21---College Football---
East Carolina gave new head coach Skip Holtz his first win as James Pinkney ran for two one-yard touchdowns and threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Aundrae Allison. Duke answered the first Pinkney touchdown run with a Ronnie Drummer kickoff return for a score and got two Justin Boyle touchdown runs, but couldn't account for Pirate safety Zach Baker who picked off two passes and recovered a fumble. ---College Football---
Player of the game: East Carolina QB James Pinkney completed 17 of 21 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown and ran 13 times for 27 yards and two touchdowns. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Duke - Passing: Mike Schneider, 13-24, 119 yds, 3 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Cedric Dargan, 14-55. Receiving: Jomar Wright, 3-64---College Football---
East Carolina - Passing: James Pinkney, 17-21, 235 yds, 1 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Chris Johnson, 20-67. Receiving: Aundrae Allison, 10-163, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Duke couldn't afford this loss to East Carolina if it had any hope of a decent season. This isn't a great Pirate team and Duke had a nightmare of a time getting any sort of consistent offense struggling with five turnovers. QB Mike Schneider has way too much experience to play as poorly as he did with three picks. The defense has to make more stops on third downs and be better against the short to medium passes. Now the Blue Devils have to quickly regroup or risk getting obliterated by Virginia Tech next week. ---College Football---
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2005 Schedule---College Football---
Sept. 3 – at East Carolina (2-9, 2-6 in Conference USA) – Offense: There wasn't any consistency to the offense last year and not nearly enough points against mediocre defenses. Enough experience returns at several key areas to hope for an improvement under new offensive coordinator Steve Shankweiler who's back for his third go-around with East Carolina. Chris Johnson is one of Conference USA's best all-around backs, the receiving corps is fine, and the line won't be horrible, but the shaky quarterback situation needs to work itself out with two redshirt freshmen (Davon Drew and Patrick Pinkney) and an untested junior (Kort Shankweiler) battling it out for the job.---College Football---
Defense: The defense has been abysmal allowing 39.91 pounds and 457 yards per game last season. There's hope for a quick turnaround with nine returning starters and plenty of competition at many spots. The back seven should be better with Richard Koonce moving from defensive end to outside linebacker and Jamar Flournoiy moving from linebacker to free safety. The line is another matter with no proven pass rush needing Shauntae Hunt and Lorenza Pickett to get into the backfield on a regular basis.---College Football---
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Sept. 10 - Virginia Tech (9-2, 6-2 in ACC) – Offense: The offense was efficient last year, but it didn't move the ball much averaging almost 31 points per game despite only averaging 366 yards. Now this should be a devastating attack as long as Marcus Vick plays like he's supposed to. There are two great quarterback prospects (Sean Glennon and Cory Holt) also in the mix, but Vick is the type of player who can make this loaded attack special. There's too much talent at running back and receiver for one football, and the line is big and will be fine in time. Expect big, explosive numbers, but the question is whether or not someone can pick up the leadership slack left by Bryan Randall.---College Football---
Defense: While this probably won't be the killer defense it was last year when it finished fourth in the nation and second in scoring defense, it'll still be impressive with a tremendous front four, an experienced linebacking corps, and All-America corner Jimmy Williams leading the secondary. Depth is a bit of a problem in the back seven with decent, but mostly inexperienced prospects being shuffled around to find the right fit. Like always with the Hokies, expect plenty of great athletes, lots of big plays, and another good year.---College Football---
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Sept. 17 – VMI---College Football---
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Sept. 24 – at Virginia (7-4, 4-4 in ACC) – Offense: The Cavaliers had one of the nation's best offenses ... against average teams. Lack of a deep threat receiver and inconsistency in the backfield led to problems against teams like Miami, Florida State and Virginia Tech. That should change now that quarterback Marques Hagans has a year of starting experience. The big, fast receivers should be better with more of a focus on the passing attack. The ground game will still be outstanding with Wali Lundy and Michael Johnson working behind a line that'll have to find a way to overcome the loss of Elton Brown and Zac Yarbrough.---College Football---
Defense: The defense won't be quite the killer it was last year, but it'll be strong led by future millionaires Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham on the inside. Even though there aren't the stars of recent Cavalier defenses, there are plenty of great athletes and plenty of good, steady playmakers like Brennan Schmidt on the end and Tony Franklin at corner. There's decent depth everywhere.---College Football---

Oct. 1 - Navy (predicted finish: 5-6) – Offense: It's Navy, so you know what you're going to get: run, run, run. The nation's number three rushing attack last year loses almost all of the key parts with only two starters returning. Lamar Owens has to rock and roll right away as the likely new starting quarterback, but he'll have competition this fall. The bigger problem is at fullback where Kyle Eckel needs to be replaced; it'll take a few backs to do it. There won't be much more of a passing game, but Jason Tomlinson is a good enough receiver to get more throws his way. The line will need time to jell.
Defense: Only four starters return, but there shouldn't be too much of a drop-off after only allowing 351.5 yards and 19.93 points per game. The secondary will be the strength with Jeremy McGown moving from safety to corner and Hunter Reddick growing into a star on the other side. The loss of Lane Jackson and Bobby McClarin at inside linebacker hurts, and the graduation of free safety Josh Smith really hurts, but the replacements appear to be capable. Despite only one returning starter on the line, expect more of a pass rush.---College Football---
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Oct. 8 – at Miami (10-1, 7-1 in ACC) – Offense: The Cane offense is long on great prospects, but short on proven production. Unlike last year when the attack relied on experience over potential, players like QB Kyle Wright, RB Tyrone Moss and WR Lance Leggett have more excitement around them and have more NFL potential. Moss and Leggett have given a glimpse of what they can do, but Wright, or Kirby Freeman, has to show the maturity and poise to handle one of college football's most glamorous and highly scrutinized positions. The offensive line will be more than solid, but it needs Eric Winston and Tyler McMeans to return to pre-injury form.---College Football---
Defense: This will be one of the best defenses in the country, if not the best. The only concern is with a run defense that was surprisingly soft last year allowing 155 yards per game. If that's tightened up, this will be a killer with 11 players returning who started six or more games last year. That doesn't include superstar Devin Hester taking over the full-time job at one of the corners. The linebacking corps has the potential to be one of Miami's best ever.---College Football---
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Oct. 15 - Georgia Tech (7-4, 5-3 in ACC) – Offense: The offense's job will be to simply hold serve so the fantastic defense can win games. That could be a problem. QB Reggie Ball has been too erratic over his first two years throwing 18 interceptions last season. But unlike the talented backup quarterbacks, Ball is mobile making him more valuable playing behind an infant line that needs a ton of work. The running backs are among the best in the country if P.J. Daniels can stay healthy. Sophomore WR Calvin Johnson has future first-round draft pick written all over him, but there isn't a proven number two man to take the heat off.---College Football---
Defense: It'll be a shock if this isn't one of the nation's best defenses. Nine starters (11 if you include DT Mansfield Wright who moved to offensive guard and CB Dennis Davis who returns from shoulder problems) come back from a defense that was a brick wall against the run and only allowed 18.9 points per game. The defensive front is tremendous with four starters who can do it all and four reserves ready to step into the rotation. Gerris Wilkinson leads a good linebacking corps that's missing experienced depth. The secondary will be better than ever with Chris Reis moving from linebacker to safety and Davis returning to man the corner spot opposite of Reuben Houston.---College Football---
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Oct. 22 – Florida State (projected finish 8-3, 6-2 in ACC) – Offense: Is this the weakest Florida State offense in since 1981? The starting quarterback situation is a potential mess with Xavier Lee not looking ready for primetime this spring, Wyatt Sexton suspended and Drew Weatherford hurt. The best receivers are true freshmen, and the line doesn't appear to be anything special. What the Noles do have are two fantastic running backs with Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker needing to carry the offense until Lee gets his feet wet. Talent-wise, there's enough here to be explosive after fighting through a ton of growing pains, but the jury is out on whether or not Jeff Bowden is enough of a top-shelf offensive coordinator to be able to lead the attack to a better season after finishing 61st in the nation in total offense.---College Football---
Defense: The linebacking corps is among the best in America and safety Pat Watkins is a first round draft pick, but the rest of the defense is a major question mark after finishing seventh in the nation and fourth in scoring defense. The loss of rising star NG Clifton Dickson to academic problems and CB Antonio Cromartie to a knee injury is a huge hit for the rest of the D. The secondary will turn out to be fine if the star recruits of last year can quickly progress.---College Football---
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Oct. 29 - Wake Forest (5-6, 3-5 in ACC) - Offense: You know what you're getting from Wake Forest. It'll be another great rushing attack led by Chris Barclay and strong backups Micah Andrews and De'Angelo Bryant working behind an experienced, but inconsistent line. The passing game has weapons with most of the top receivers coming back, so now the key is finding a quarterback to get them the ball. Ben Mauk and Cory Randolph are average passers at best and will be in a battle for the starting spot up until the opener.---College Football---
Defense: The front seven will be the best in the Jim Grobe era with plenty of speed and good depth at almost every spot. The secondary will be the concern losing stars Eric King and Marcus McGruder from a group that wasn't all that great anyway. The safeties will have to be the strength early led by junior Josh Gattis, but the corners will have a hard time with several young players looking to find time. ---College Football------College Football---

Nov. 5 – at Clemson (6-5, 3-5 in ACC) – Offense: Former Toledo offensive coordinator Rob Spence will take over for Mike O'Cain after the Tiger attack finished 110th in the nation in offense and averaged a mere 21.45 points per game. The key will be an improvement on the line as the talent is there in the backfield and the receiving corps, even with the loss of top pass catcher Airese Currie, to see a night-and-day improvement. QB Charlie Whitehurst has to rebound after a lousy season, but he needs time to throw. The running game will be better with the expected emergence of RB Reggie Merriweather as a star for a full season.---College Football---
Defense: New defensive coordinator Vic Koenning should be able to keep things rolling after a fantastic 2004. Plenty of experience returns, but there are some huge losses hurt most by the departure of LB Leroy Hill and CB Justin Miller. The run defense should be solid with a good front four and solid, deep linebacking corps. Even with the early defection of Miller to the NFL, the secondary will be good if CB Sergio Gilliam can play well right away. CB Tye Hill and FS Jamaal Fudge will be among the ACC's best.---College Football---

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Nov. 19 – at North Carolina (3-8, 3-5 in ACC) – Offense: Coordinator Gary Tranquill did a masterful job last year helping the Tar Heels to a big season finishing second in the ACC in total offense. The line is outstanding and the receiving corps is deep and underrated. There are concerns in the backfield needing new quarterback Matt Baker to be consistent, while inexperienced running backs Vince Wilson and Barrington Edwards need to pick up the slack for injured junior Ronnie McGill.---College Football---
Defense: Nine starters, not including top tackle Chase Page, return to a defense that finished 109th in the nation allowing 446.5 yards and 31.83 points per game. The most work has to be done in the run defense with the veteran linebacking corps needing to make far more plays to allow the safeties to play pass defense. The young, inconsistent line has to generate more of a pass rush and the secondary has to pick off more passes.---College Football---

Perspective Piece
Oklahoma vs. Texas, Oct. 8
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By Matthew Zemek

Three months ago—you remember August, right?—the latest edition of the Red River Rivalry figured to be a game in which Texas would be the team under the microscope. ---college football---

Before a single snap was taken in the 2005 season, this contest shaped up as a battle in which OU—the previously dependable, reliable and mentally tough team in this border war—was going to be rather predictable, while the Longhorns—so talented, yet so emotionally volatile—looked to play the part of the wild card. The annual donnybrook at the Texas State Fair seemed to provide a scenario in which Texas—in its weaknesses and its strengths, in what it did and didn’t bring to the table—would affect the entire trajectory of the game. Whereas the Sooners promised stability, Texas offered instability, thereby becoming the focus of discussion.---college football---
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But that was August.---college football---
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As soon as September—and live game action—came around, the dynamics of this Cotton Bowl clash changed considerably. ---college football---
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As soon as TCU and then UCLA socked the Sooners, this Dallas dust-up acquired a noticeably different flavor. Now, in many ways, Oklahoma-Texas 2005 is 180 degrees different from how it was perceived over the summer: Texas has been consistently potent and productive, while OU has been all over the place this season. The doubt and despair are emanating from the Sooner camp, while the Horns—still basking in the glow of that epic triumph in Columbus against a formidable Ohio State team that sits atop the Big Ten—have the confidence and swagger going into this game. There’s no getting around the fact that the landscape has shifted with respect to this year’s staging of Sooners-Horns. It’s now entirely logical to conclude that this contest will be decided by what the Sooners bring to the table, a complete reversal from the conventional wisdom that prevailed in the offseason.---college football---
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And yet, for all the differences that do exist, and for all that OU will have to do to even be competitive in this game—let alone win—you can still say that this North Texas tilt ultimately rests in Texas’ hands... and Vince Young’s legs.---college football---
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The best way to view this substantially-changed OU-Texas tussle is as follows: OU must bring something very special to the table to compete, but before that can happen, Texas must allow the Sooners to regain that ol’ black magic that Bob Stoops has traditionally possessed on the second Saturday of October.---college football---
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Indeed, the Sooners must bring their A-game to even have a chance. But for that to happen, Texas—an evidently superior team on the raw physical merits—must make early mistakes that feed Oklahoma’s impoverished sense of confidence and teamwide belief. There has been an abundance of doubt and an absence of leadership in Norman this year, a pair of shocking developments so stunning that this college football power, after consecutive trips to the BCS title game, could potentially miss out on a bowl. The lack of mental toughness is so glaringly acute in SoonerLand that the awareness of past glories against the Longhorns won’t factor into this contest.---college football---
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Not immediately, anyway, and therein lies the key: not immediately.---college football---
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OU’s confidence against Texas isn’t on the surface, waiting to be unleashed as it was in prior years against the Horns. However, if Vince Young and his mates stink it up in the first quarter, coughing up the pill and littering the Cotton Bowl with turnovers and mistakes, OU could then seize hold of a familiar kind of mojo that the residents of Austin know all too well. Texas is enormously and rightfully confident heading into this game, despite the knowledge of past setbacks against the Sooners. Talent and swagger will do that for a team that has seemingly solved its mental demons.---college football---
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But that’s precisely the point: a horrible first quarter from the Longhorns, combined with a surge from the Sooners, will make the mental memories of each team gravitate toward the past, a past that is fully colored—in the Bob Stoops and Mack Brown eras—Crimson and Cream. If the first quarter reminds both teams of the previous five years—OU’s gold mine of glory, Texas’ flood of failures—the talent levels, records and aspirations of each of these teams will immediately cease to matter. OU will regain its confidence, Texas will descend into a pit of psychological wreckage that will be painful to see unfold.---college football---
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It’s all about Texas in the first 15 minutes. Do the Horns strangle the Sooners and create the bloodbath that the good folks of Austin have wanted so desperately for years? Or does Texas, with the upper hand in every single respect, allow memories of a haunting past—currently locked behind closed doors—to emerge from a Pandora’s Box straight out of psychotherapeutic hell?---college football---
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Yes, Oklahoma-Texas will be decided by what the Sooners bring to the table. But Texas has to set that table first. Without making any huge mistakes early on, the Longhorns won’t feed OU’s sense of confidence, and the Sooners—without a table to eat from—will starve in a very painful way.---college football------college football---
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College Football Notebook

Penn State makes big jump in AP poll

By The Associated Press

Penn State is in the top 10, Michigan is out again and UCLA is on the rise in The Associated Press Top 25. - College Football -

The eighth-ranked Nittany Lions (6-0) are off to their best start in six years and have their highest ranking since they were No. 6 in the Nov. 7, 1999 poll.

Southern California is No. 1 for the 25th straight poll, receiving 58 first-place votes in the media rankings released Sunday, with Texas and Virginia Tech holding onto the next two spots. The Longhorns received seven first-place votes, one more than last week.

Florida State is fourth followed by a pair of Southeastern Conference teams, Georgia and Alabama. - College Football -

Miami is No. 7 and Penn State, Notre Dame and LSU round out the top 10.

Penn State, which started the season unranked, beat Ohio State 17-10 on Saturday night in State College, Pa., to jump eight spots in the AP poll. Ohio State fell nine spots to 15th.

Michigan had a streak of 114 straight weeks in the rankings snapped when the Wolverines fell out of the rankings two weeks ago after their second loss of the season. Michigan jumped back into the Top 25 after beating Michigan State last week, but the Wolverines fell to 3-3 with a last-second loss to Minnesota and were dropped from the rankings again.

Penn State, the only Big Ten team without a conference loss, plays at Michigan on Saturday.

"We're not done," Nittany Lions quarterback Michael Robinson said after the Ohio State win. "We've got ourselves a tough Michigan game coming up next weekend."

In the USA Today coaches' poll, the top five was unchanged from last week — USC, Texas, Virginia Tech, Georgia and Florida State. - College Football -

In the AP Top 25, No. 11 is Florida and UCLA is No. 12, moving up eight spots after beating California 47-40. - College Football -

The Bruins (5-0) haven't been ranked this high since the last poll of October 2001 when they were ninth.

No. 13 Texas Tech is followed by Boston College, Ohio State, Michigan State and Tennessee, which fell nine spots to No. 17 after losing 27-14 to Georgia at home.

Cal dropped eight spots to No. 18, and is followed by Louisville and Oregon. No. 21 Auburn gives the SEC six ranked teams, the most of any league. - College Football -

The bottom four has two teams (Minnesota and TCU) moving back into the rankings this season and another (Colorado) making its 2005 debut in the Top 25.

Minnesota returns at No. 22, and No. 23 Wisconsin gives the Big Ten five ranked teams.

No. 24 Colorado is in the rankings for the first time since early in the 2003 season.

No. 25 TCU was in the Top 25 for one week after beating Oklahoma to start this season, then lost to SMU the next week and fell out. The Horned Frogs have since won four straight.

Falling out of the Top 25 along with Michigan were Georgia Tech and Arizona State.

Oklahoma's Peterson expected to play

Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson is expected to play next week at Kansas, coach Bob Stoops said Sunday, one day after the tailback was limited by a sprained right ankle in a loss to Texas.

Stoops said Peterson did not play enough during the 45-12 loss to the second-ranked Longhorns to make the injury worse and should be closer to full speed on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.

Peterson, who aggravated the ankle injury Oct. 1 against Kansas State, had only three carries for 10 yards against Texas. - College Football -

The runner-up for the Heisman Trophy last season, Peterson has 402 yards on 88 carries this season with eight touchdowns.

West Virginia's Gwaltney out four weeks

West Virginia freshman running back Jason Gwaltney will miss a minimum of four weeks with a sprained knee ligament suffered late in Saturday's 27-14 win over Rutgers. Gwaltney is third on the team with 186 yards this season. - College Football -

© 2005 Associated Press — All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Small college football: Oles' 4-0 start turns heads

Joel Rippel, Star Tribune

The 4-0 start by the St. Olaf football team, its best since 1978, has caught the attention of its MIAC opponents. - - College Football - -

How the Oles have won their first four games has gotten the attention of coach Chris Meidt.

"Winning our first four games has been a real blessing for us," said Meidt, who is in his fourth season at St. Olaf. "The biggest surprise has been the manner in which we have won. I felt our defense would have to carry us early as our young offense came together. Obviously, our offense is playing very well and has allowed us to open up sizable leads against three outstanding opponents in Luther, Bethel, and St. Thomas." - - College Football - -

The Oles, who were 7-3 last season (5-3 in the MIAC), are averaging 47 points per game after defeating Luther (37-13), Bethel (27-25), Macalester (71-10) and St. Thomas (53-27).

The Oles have displayed a balanced offense, averaging 283 yards rushing and 263 yards passing per game. Senior quarterback Jason Wilsey has led the offense.

Last Saturday against the Tommies, Wilsey completed 14 passes for 320 yards and four touchdowns. Wilsey, from Columbia Heights, was named the MIAC's offensive player of the week on Monday. - - College Football - -

"I'm thrilled for Jason. He has committed as much to this program as any player I have ever coached," Meidt said. "His work ethic is tremendous and because of the commitment he has made to improving, other people are now able to see what I see every day -- great throws and big plays. What is not lost on Jason is the tremendous protection he has been given [only three sacks in four games] and the big-time receivers he has; namely, Horace Gant, Preston St. John, Andrew Schmiesing and Jay Higgins."

Wilsey has passed for 982 yards and 10 touchdowns. Gant and Higgins have each caught three touchdown passes. Gant leads the Oles with 20 receptions for 384 yards.

The victory over St. Thomas -- the Oles scored 46 unanswered points after falling behind 14-7 -- was only the second by the Oles in the past 11 games between the two. The Oles have beaten two teams (Bethel and St. Thomas) that were picked to finish ahead of them in the MIAC preseason poll. - - College Football - -

This week, St. Olaf will play rival Carleton. The game is homecoming for Carleton, which is 2-2 overall and 1-2 in the MIAC.

Doubleheader

On Saturday, Northwestern (Roseville) will become the first team in modern college football history to play two games in one day. - - College Football - -

The Eagles (3-2, 2-0 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference North Division) will play host to conference foe Trinity Bible (1-4, 0-2) at noon before playing a nonconference game at Macalester (0-5) at 7 p.m.

The doubleheader is the result of scheduling difficulties.

"We were able to add a 10th game to the schedule without drastically extending our season, which we had been trying hard to do without success," said Northwestern athletic director Matt Hill. - - College Football - -

"Second, the opportunity to play a road game just a few miles down the road was very appealing."

Etc.

• The Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team has earned its first appearance in the NCAA Division II poll ever. The Mustangs went 3-0 last week, including their first victory over Augustana in 20 years (25 matches). They are ranked No. 23 in this week's poll.

• Macalester's football game against Lawrence on Nov. 12 has been canceled so Lawrence could reschedule a game against Midwest Conference foe Illinois College. That game was originally scheduled for Sept. 10, but was postponed when Lawrence postponed all athletic events that weekend because of the death of a student-athlete. - - College Football - -

• Augsburg named Mike Goldman its women's swimming coach on Tuesday. Goldman has been the men's track and field coach at Bethel for the past 13 years.

Goldman coached high school swim teams in Iowa before joining Bethel's staff and has also served as assistant coach for the Marlin Swim Club (YMCA) in Shoreview. - - College Football - -

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Paterno says he no longer likes reporters

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Joe Paterno doesn't like the media anymore.

''I can't trust you guys anymore. I am just being honest with you. It is no fun,'' the 78-year-old Penn State football coach said Tuesday during his weekly news conference. ''If I have to go and be guarded about everything I do, it is no fun.''

Paterno's answer came in response to a question about whether he missed the informal relationship he once had with the media. He said he missed the off-the-record chats he often held on Friday nights before games, a practice that ended last year.

''Coaching to me has always been a fun job. I love coaching and I love working with kids,'' he said. ''I don't like you guys anymore. I don't know how else to say it. An element of the job that I loved has been taken away from me.''

Paterno has 344 career wins, second only behind Florida State's Bobby Bowden among major college coaches. But Penn State is 27-33 in the past five years, and some columnists and fans have questioned whether Paterno should step down.

Paterno is under contract through the 2008 season.

Paterno also has voiced displeasure in recent news conferences about having to answer questions about his players' off-the-field exploits.

On Tuesday, Paterno was in a relatively good mood through most of his 30-minute media session. He arrived early, saying he was making up for being tardy the week before, and joked with reporters before taking questions.

As for Friday nights, though, Paterno said ''I can't do it anymore, but that is fine. Maybe it is my fault. Maybe it is not your fault. I miss it.''

Virginia has plenty in football

JOHN MARKON

POINT OF VIEW

The sports editors of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution chose to celebrate the imminent arrival of autumn with a list of "50 Things We Love" aboutcollege football in the South. It sounded like a promising idea until research revealed that only one of the 50 things -- the annual "Silver Shako" game between Virginia Military Institute and The Citadel -- was in any way related to Virginia.

Either the Atlantans have somehow excised our state from "the South" or they just don't think the commonwealth has too much to offer on Saturday afternoons.

Whichever way you approach it, they're wrong. While I contemplated compiling "50 Reasons Why Spending a Day in Atlanta Always Seems Like a Week to Me," I compromised on a list of 10 things I've always loved aboutcollege football in the Old Dominion:

Rivalries Without Enmity: In Virginia, we leave to others the idea that despising your opponent is the essential ingredient in anyfootball rivalry. Most of the state's great old games Richmond vs. William and Mary, Randolph-Macon vs. Hampden-Sydney, Virginia Union vs. Virginia State, Norfolk State vs. Hampton, VMI vs. The Citadel, etc. -- are played with an underlying, Army-Navy sense of ultimate brotherhood. At the final gun, players hug each other rather than slug each other.

Real rivalry: If you actually prefer fans who revel in each other's misery, there's always the Virginia-Virginia Tech game.

'Glory Days' Coaches: Every college has an iconic figure who'll always be recognized as the best man ever to blow the Big Whistle at that particular school. Think: Knute Rockne at Notre Dame, Bear Bryant at Alabama, Red Blaik at Army, John McKay at Southern Cal, etc.

Two of these "best ever" guys are currently active in Virginia, Frank Beamer at Tech and Jimmye Laycock at W&M. James Madison's program is relatively young, but Mickey Matthews has a national title in his pocket and could be considered a third. When the Glory Days are now, it's a good time to be alive.
icknames: What's a Hokie? Who's a Hoo? Why are they the "Key"-dets? With all the insects in the world to choose from, why did they pick Spiders? Singular, colorful nicknames dominate Virginiafootball.

"From the blue waters of the Chesapeake Bay to the hills of Tennessee, the Virginia Tech Hokies are on the air": Bill Roth's tenure as the radio voice of Techfootball roughly parallels Beamer's, thus coinciding with the school finally gaining the athletic identity many fans and grads had awaited for decades. Roth's signature opening line means far more to most Hokies then just the start of another game.

Old Grads at Scott Stadium: From the early 1950s through the early 1980s, U.Va. football was caught in an internal tug-of-war. There were always loyalists who felt the school could pursue excellence in football without compromising its elevated academic reputation. When they look around the stadium these days and see the 60,000 seats, the marching band and the NFL-caliber talent on the field, these guys have to smile.

It was a long fight. They won.

Virginia State at Virginia Union: While the game's fine entertainment when played at State, it blooms as the Gold Bowl on VUU's urban campus, where it serves as the centerpiece of a twilight street festival that gradually morphs into an all-night blowout. There's always an overflow crowd at Hovey Field, but fans tend to leave early -- not to beat the traffic but to start the party.

The Woo-Woos: Virginia State's cheerleaders. If you can chirp like a bird, vibrate like a tuning fork and dance like a drop of water on hot cooking grease, feel free to try out.

The Doxology: Moments after the end of every game, all VMI players and students come to attention to sing a short school song based on this familiar hymn. The last line is "God bless our team and VMI." It takes less than a minute, often long enough to recenter an athlete after a win or reaffirm him after a loss.

Michael Vick: We saw him before he ever saw Atlanta.

© 2005, Media General, Inc.

Pima Community College Football: Starting over
New coach, new colors, old nickname

The Pima Community College football program is undergoing a rebirth five years after its start. There is a new coaching staff. The mascot and uniforms have changed. Schemes are different. No longer will the football team be called the Storm. As with all the other Pima teams, the football team will be nicknamed the Aztecs.
Mark Hourany replaces Jeff Scurran as head coach. "Everybody should expect some growing pains," Hourany said. "I'd be pleasantly surprised if they don't come." Students voted last fall to change the school colors in all sports to navy and black. Previous football colors were light blue and black, while the other Pima programs wore orange and brown. "In terms of our players, we are a young team primarily made up of freshmen," Hourany said.
"We have high hopes and high expectations, but we do lack experience." Hourany and his staff helped some players from last year's 9-3 squad sign with four-year colleges. Some sophomores chose not to return after Scurran resigned. "We had five weeks in the spring and five weeks of conditioning class in the summer," Hourany said. "I believe now we have an understanding of where the program is and where it is goin"There was an adjustment period and a change of culture. Everybody is very positive and excited. I take my hat off to our sophomores. They have demonstrated great leadership. They want to pass on some tradition to these young men coming in. I am very proud of what I've seen."

Pima, ranked 13th nationally last season, upset No. 3 Kilgore (Texas) 10-7 in the Pilgrims Pride Bowl in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.

Among the players returning are running back Michael Smith, wide receiver Eddie Bracy, offensive lineman Francisco Valenzuela, tight end Chris Cook and cornerback Izell Gayles.

Smith, Cook, Bracy, defensive back Chris Payne and linebacker Jacob Barsh earned honorable mention to the NJCAA preseason All-American team.

Pima will change offensively and defensively from the Scurran days. The Aztecs go from an even to odd front on defense.

All positions are up for grabs, regardless of what was accomplished last season.

"We will be grading each position every week and the highest-graded player at the end of the week will be the starter for that week," Hourany said. "We believe by doing that we can not be accused of any prejudices. It is all based on merit and performance."

KEN BRAZZLE
Tucson Citizen