Sunday, November 29, 2015

NCAA College Football Sydney Cup 2016 – What You Need To Know

After plenty of recent speculation, the NSW government has announced that top-flight NCAA college football is returning to Australian shores nearly thirty years since the last college game was played in Melbourne. This time around, Sydney is the destination for what should be a spectacular event, which the organisers are promising will be an authentic NCAA college football experience, complete with mascots, marching bands and cheerleaders. Somewhere in amongst that, there’ll be a football game, too, with the University of California squaring off with the University of Hawaii.

When


The Sydney Cup will be the first game of the 2016 NCAA college football season, played on Saturday August 27, about a week before the rest of the season commences in the United States. This means a Friday evening broadcast into the United States.

Where

Sydney’s oft-maligned ANZ Stadium will be hosting the game. It will be the second time the stadium, built for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, will host an American football contest, following an NFL pre-season contest between Denver and San Diego in 1999. Unlike that game, the Sydney Cup will feature the best available players from both squads.

The Teams

The University of California Golden Bears play at Memorial Stadium on campus in Berkeley, California – not too far from San Francisco – and are members of the Pacific (Pac) 12 conference. The Bears boast current NFL superstars like Marshawn Lynch (running back, Seattle) and Aaron Rodgers (quarterback, Green Bay) and, by the time the Bears arrive in Australia next August, it’s likely that their current starting quarterback, Jared Goff, will have been taken with a high pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

After a few years of mediocrity that saw then-head coach Jeff Tedford dismissed, revolutionary coach Sonny Dykes was brought to Berkeley, and set about installing his ‘Bear Raid’ offense, which is predicated on passing more than it is on the ground game. Under Dykes, the Golden Bears offense has earned a reputation for putting up lots of points and lots of yards. It is likely that Dykes will have a Goff-type quarterback ready to go next year. On the flip side, Cal’s defense has plenty of room for improvement.

On the other sideline at ANZ Stadium will be the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, and when you think about it, they’re basically Australia’s local team, given their proximity to our shores. The Warriors can also lay claim to being the most-travelled college squad in the country. Members of the Mountain West (MWC) conference, the Warriors regularly travel to destinations Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, California, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming for conference games, and further afield for non-conference matchups.

Hawaii’s recent seasons have been disappointing. Veteran offensive mind Norm Chow was fired midseason, and Nick Rolovich, currently an offensive coordinator at the University of Nevada and former Rainbow Warrior player, was recently announced as the head coach beginning 2016. Therefore, his first game in charge will be in Sydney. Quite a debut!

It’s a far cry from the late 2000s, when the Warriors enjoyed an undefeated season (2007), an appearance in the prestigious Sugar Bowl against Georgia, and plenty of national attention thanks largely to the exploits of quarterback Colt Brennan, who, at the time, was the owner of a string of NCAA passing and scoring records, under vastly-experienced head coach June Jones. Since Jones’ move back to the mainland, the program has nosedived, to the point where their Aloha Stadium is basically empty. They’ve had trouble both offensively and defensively in recent years.

Hawaii once trialled Balmain Tigers legend Paul Sironen, was the college of choice for Collin Scotts – the first Australian to play meaningful NFL action – and, more recently, Australians punter Mat McBriar and punter/receiver Scott Harding.

The Game


College rules are mostly the same as in the NFL. Obviously there are a few minor rules that separate the two, but the main difference between the two is that the clock stops after each first down, and is restarted when the first down chains have been moved along the sideline.

As far as what a Cal vs Hawaii game might look like, I’d suggest we’ll see a lot of points scored and plenty of big plays. Neither squad is at or near the top of the NCAA when it comes to defensive capability. The Golden Bears generally bets on scoring more points than they give up and Hawaii’s offensive profile will likely improve under Rolovich.

I’m expecting a lot of big plays and points. It should be a good showcase of offensive football, if nothing else.

Tickets

According to initial reports, the most expensive non-package seats will be platinum tickets at $149 each, and there is a ‘Locker Room’ package for $395. The cheapest seats are in the bronze category, and are $69 for adults. It’s a fairly affordable event.

General public sales begin on December 7 and there will almost certainly be added Ticketek fees.

Even if half the crowd are just curious first-timers, I’d be surprised if ANZ Stadium didn’t come very close to selling out.

College Football 2015: Week 13 Heroes

As per usual, the Thanksgiving weekend of rivalries and conference-deciding games didn’t let us down. Here are a few heroes from the weekend’s slate:

Paxton Lynch: the Memphis quarterback had a first half for the ages, completing 9-14 passes for 222 yards and seven touchdowns. He didn’t play in the second stanza, but the damage had been done: the Tigers thumped Southern Methodist 63-0.

Oklahoma: the Sooners took care of business, wining 58-23 behind a monster day from QB Baker Mayfield and the two-headed ground game onslaught of Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon, both of whom ran for more than one hundred yards. I expect to see Oklahoma in one of the Playoff semi-finals, and the way Big Game Bob Stoops gets his teams up for big contests, they’re going to be very dangerous.

Derrick Henry: the Alabama Heisman candidate became the school’s single-season rushing leader surpassing Trent Richardson’s mark, set four years ago. Henry gashed Auburn’s defense for 271 yards as Alabama won another Iron Bowl and clinched the SEC West.

Christian McCaffrey: Stanford’s do-everything back had 228 yards of total offense in the Cardinal’s big, late 38-36 victory over Notre Dame. That sees him surpass 3,000 yards of total offense for the season, and only the third player to do so in FBS history. It’s quite an achievement, and perhaps enough to win him the Heisman Trophy.

Southern California: the Trojans defeated UCLA 40-21 for their first victory in the crosstown rivalry since a 50-0 beat-down in 2011. This one was much more satisfying for USC fans after a turbulent season.

Iowa: for the first time in school history, the Hawkeyes finish the regular season 12-0, and have an appointment in the Big Ten Championship Game next weekend. Win that, and they’re almost guaranteed a College Football Playoff appearance. An extraordinary achievement by Kirk Ferentz’s team, especially when you consider that they don’t have so much as one 5-star recruit on their roster.
 

Conrad Ukropina: booted a 45-yard field goal as time expired to give Stanford a memorable 38-36 victory over Notre Dame. A wonderful game of football.

Chris Warren: we might remember the Thanksgiving game between Texas and Texas Tech as the coming out party for Warren, who set a Texas freshman rushing record with a whopping 276 yards, to go with four touchdowns (he scored on runs of 91, 23, 21 and 8 yards) against a shocking Tech run defense. It was a powerful performance, but not quite enough to ensure the Longhorns won.

Virginia Tech: won the final game of their long-time coach Frank Beamer’s illustrious career, a 23-20 triumph over in-state rivals Virginia. A fitting end to a mostly-glorious era in Blacksburg,

Ohio State: Urban Meyer said during the week that he would be taking over most of the play-calling duties for the Buckeyes against Michigan. Obviously, that was a good move, because the defending national champions thumped their great rivals 42-13, and did it by rolling up 482 total yards against a very good Michigan defense. Ezekiel Elliott was the real star, running for 214 yards on twelve carries after a terrible outing in the loss last week to Michigan State.

The problem for Ohio State is that this performance – their best of the season, by a long way – came a week too late as far as being able to control their own Big Ten and College Football Playoff destinies.

Maryland: the Terrapins were down 31-13 to Rutgers at half time, and staged a memorable comeback for a 46-41 win in one of the wildest games of the weekend. The Terps had two backs run for more than a hundred yards.

Houston: took on a tricky Navy triple option offense on Black Friday and pretty much dominated the entire game, running out winners 52-31 – a couple of late scores by the Midshipmen made things seem closer than they actually were.

Especially on the defensive side, the Cougars were excellent, holding the Navy ground game to just 147 yards, and forcing QB Keenan Reynolds to throw much more than ever before. Houston head to the American Athletic Conference championship game next weekend knowing that a win would likely give them a New Year’s Six Bowl berth. And if Tom Herman isn’t Coach of the Year, something’s wrong.

Michigan State: it loomed as something of a trap game for the Spartans after their huge win over Ohio State last weekend, but they were unstoppable against Penn State in East Lansing on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Nittany Lions 55-16 to punch their ticket to the Big Ten Championship, and a date with Iowa.

Washington: the Huskies defense had a day out, forcing seven turnovers by Washington State and Chris Petersen’s team are Bowl-eligible after a dominant 35-10 win in the Apple Cup on Friday. The UW defense scored three times.

Texas Tech: the Red Raiders gave up a lot of yards – as per usual – but they managed to get enough key defensive stops late in the Thanksgiving night game against in-state rival Texas to escape Austin with a 48-45 win. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 372 yards and a touchdown, but the real hero was running back DeAndre Washington, who rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Washington has nearly 1500 yards on the season, which is a huge effort in a pass-first offense. Tech scored their first road win against Texas since 1997, and their first win of any kind against the Longhorns since 2008.

College Football 2015: Week 13 Villains

After arguably the best weekend of the entire season – rivalries, conference-deciding games and more – delivered in spades, there were more than a few villains on display across three days’ worth of football. We’ll start at the top, with one of the worst teams in the entire FBS:

Kansas: the Jayhawks were beaten 45-14 by Kansas State on Saturday afternoon to ensure that KU becomes the first ‘Power 5’ program since Washington in 2008 to go winless. It really isn’t that long ago – less than a decade, in fact – since KU and Missouri played that epic Border War game under lights at Arrowhead Stadium when they were both ranked in the BCS Top 25. Remember Todd Reesing and that great KU squad? The Jayhawks have fallen a long, long, long way since then.

Navy: the Midshipmen couldn’t get their vaunted ground game going, held to less than 150 yards, and QB Keenan Reynolds had to throw much more than he’s done this season. It wasn't a recipe for success: the Middies fell 52-31 to Houston on Black Friday, meaning they miss out on a berth in the American Athletic Conference championship. The loss would also seem to signal the end of Reynold’s Heisman campaign.

Michigan: the Wolverines seemed primed to beat Ohio State – or, at least challenge their rivals – this year, and after a fairly competitive first half, there was still that chance of a big win for Jim Harbaugh in his first year coaching at Ann Arbor. Then came the second half, and an offensive explosion from J.T. Barrett and Ezekiel Elliott. The Buckeye quarterback and running back combined for five scores, and the Wolverine defense had no answers, losing 42-13.

Florida: the Gators had a real chance to send a message that they belong in a New Year’s Six Bowl by beating in-state rivals Florida State, but it didn’t happen. Just as soon as those articles about the FSU-UF rivalry becoming national relevant once again, Florida went and laid an egg. Their offense was non-existent and their defense was on the ragged edge simply because they were on the field so much. The 27-2 loss to the Seminoles makes this game seem closer than it really was.

Of course, Florida have a chance to turn it around in the SEC Championship Game next weekend, but anyone who saw this game – or even the highlights, if they could be called that – realises that it isn’t likely. The Gators simply aren’t in the same league as Alabama. Just as the SEC East isn’t in the same class as the SEC West.

Josh Rosen: finally, the true freshman quarterback for UCLA looked like a true freshman quarterback. He threw an interception and lost a fumble on consecutive possessions after the Bruins took a 1-point lead in what had been a very close game to that point. It was basically over from there. Of course, Rosen will learn from his first taste of the Los Angeles rivalry, but he could scarcely have picked a worse game in which to have arguably the worst game of his season. What made it more shocking is how surgical he’d been in recent starts. I expected more.

Washington State: a good season and a Bowl berth for the Cougars won’t quite dull the pain of a disastrous 45-10 loss to Washington on Friday. Their high-flying offense was grounded without injured quarterback Luke Falk, and seven turnovers – two pick six touchdowns and a fumble return for a touchdown amongst them – ensured the Apple Cup was headed to Seattle rather than Pullman.

Rutgers: up 31-13 to Maryland at the half, the Scarlet Knights somehow managed to lose 46-41 to cap probably the worst season – when you take into account on-field and off-field issues – that the school has seen in a long time.

Notre Dame: the Irish had a lead with thirty seconds to go, but their defense and special teams couldn’t maintain it. A 15-yard facemask call on the kick-off return, followed by a coverage bust that saw Stanford’s Devin Cajuste make a big catch, and two plays later, the Irish watched Conrad Ukropina kick the game-winning field goal. And head coach Brian Kelly was caught – not for the first time – swearing at one of his players along the sideline. The last few minutes of what was effectively a playoff elimination game weren’t great for Notre Dame But wonderful for everyone who dislikes the program.

Oklahoma State: the Cowboys came in off the back of a listless defeat to Baylor seven days ago, and followed it up by laying an egg against a rampant Oklahoma squad. There’ve been some lopsided Bedlam contests over the last few years, but this 58-23 belting was one of the worst. The Cowboys were scarcely in this one.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

College Football 2015: Week 12 Villains

The second-last weekend of the regular season for 2015 provided us with plenty of villains. Here's the best of that bunch:

South Carolina: the Gamecocks fell to 3-8 for the season after a stunning 23-22 loss – at home, no less – to FCS opponent The Citadel. With the Gamecocks in the middle of a coaching search to identify Steve Spurrier’s successor, the question is, who on earth would want to go there? Not exactly a great destination at the moment. This was a bad day for the proud Gamecock program.

Southern California: all around, not a great day for schools whose initials are USC. The Trojans went into Autzen Stadium – the scene of one of their greatest victories four years ago – and were never really in the hunt against a resurgent Oregon squad. QB Vernon Adams Jr. torched the USC passing defense again and again, throwing for six touchdowns, a record against a Trojan defense. Surely, Justin Wilcox, the oft-maligned defensive coordinator is on his last legs at the Coliseum?

Despite the 48-28 loss, the Trojans are somehow still alive in the Pac-12 South. They’d want to play much better against UCLA next week than they did this week.

Houston: the Cougars turned the football over four times en route to their first loss of the season, a surprising one to UConn.

Louisiana State: in the blink of an eye, the Tigers have lost three games in a row and maybe, just maybe, Les Miles is indeed coaching for his job in Baton Rouge – as media reports during the week suggested – where things have gone from bad to worse to something approaching catastrophic.

Their loss two weeks ago to Alabama was tough, but not unexpected, a loss last week to Arkansas was a source of great frustration for the fan base down south, and this Saturday’s 38-17 loss to Ole Miss will sting more because LSU actually out-gained the Rebels but three turnovers doomed them to another loss. Needless to say, it will be a very interesting week for Les Miles and company.

Ohio State: the Buckeyes haven’t looked right all year, and the defending national champions fell at the first real hurdle of the season – apologies here to Minnesota, Indiana, Virginia Tech and others – losing to a Michigan State squad who, simply put, were better prepared and wanted the win more.

The Buckeyes couldn’t stop the Spartan ground game, which gouged them for more than two hundred yards, and could never put MSU’s two inexperienced quarterbacks in a position where they needed to make big plays through the air to win the game. Nor could the Buckeye offense do much in the face of a brilliant defensive effort, holding that star-studded group to a paltry 132 total yards of offense.

After the game, Ezekiel Elliott, the running back to steamrolled defenders last year during the Buckeyes run to an unlikely national championship, proceeded to rip the coaches for not giving him enough carries, and said he wouldn’t be back in Columbus next year. He touched the football twelve times and publically accused the coaches, led by Urban Meyer, of not putting the team in a position to win. Truth or not, airing your team’s dirty laundry in front of a packed media scrum isn’t the way to go. Fair chance he’s lost a few fans in Columbus after that.

It’s an interesting point that Elliott raises, though, and you could certainly make an argument for the Buckeyes seeming listless when in possession without their former offensive coordinator Tom Herman, who is now head coach at Houston. Based on what OSU did last year and Houston are doing this year – despite their first loss of the year today – Herman is a very hot commodity. After losing his services after the National Championship run, Ohio State haven’t quite had the same potency as a year ago.

Oklahoma State: they had a clear shot at the Big XII championship and a likely berth in the College Football Playoff Final Four, but didn’t really show up against Baylor. Their defense was particularly bad, surrendering 699 total yards of offense. And, with that loss, the conference race just got a whole lot more interesting.

Florida: the Gators needed overtime to pull out a decidedly shaky victory over Florida Atlantic University, and if there’s any hint that the College Football Playoff Committee actually pays attention to how a team wins and who they beat, the Gators deserve to plummet big-time when the rankings are released in the week. This was an ugly win by a team ranked eighth in the nation. They deserve to be outside the top ten, at a bare minimum.

Alabama fans: the Tide’s game against lowly Charleston Southern appeared on the SEC Network on Saturday, and didn’t Alabama fans light up social media in complaint? The way they were going, you’d think they’d been forced to play on a channel that doesn’t broadcast to America. News flash, folks: the rest of your conference regularly plays games broadcast only on the SEC Network. The Tide plays one a season – if that – and basically every other game ends up on CBS, and you’re complaining? Please. Ask Missouri or Georgia or Vanderbilt fans how they feel.

Maryland: the Terrapins had a 21-3 lead at home against Indiana, and then allowed the Hoosiers to outscore them 44-7 in what turned out to be a bleak 47-28 loss on Senior Day for the Terps, who handed Indiana their first Big Ten win of the year.

College Football 2015: Week 12 Heroes

Another crazy week of college football, with three teams falling from the ranks of the unbeaten. Who covered themselves in glory?

Michigan State: topping the list is the team who topped the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes 17-14 in dramatic fashion in Columbus. I honestly didn’t think the Spartans had the depth and talent, due to some key injuries, to go with the Buckeyes. But I was wrong – and I don’t mind admitting it. This was a good win, on the road, without starting quarterback Connor Cook, a triumph in the trenches. Like so many other big Michigan State wins of recent times.

Following today’s triumph, the Spartans must beat Penn State last week and they clinch the Big Ten East and get set for a match-up against currently-undefeated Iowa for the Big Ten Championship. There’s also hope as far as a College Football Playoff berth goes. Of course, that loss to Nebraska – one that should never have been; thanks Big Ten officiating team – is going to hurt, but their victory over Oregon looks better every week.

All in all, not a bad year for the Spartans, who have beaten both Ohio State and Michigan, and led in those games for hardly more than a few seconds. It’s a funny game, sometimes!

Vernon Adams Jr.: the finally-healthy Oregon quarterback tore the USC defense to shreds at Autzen Stadium, throwing for six touchdowns – all of them coming from at least twenty yards away, an all-time record against USC – in a performance for the ages. His early interception was about the only blemish on a career day that shows any doubters that, yes, Adams can complete at FBS level, after lighting up the FCS with regularity. After a slow start to the season, Oregon are looking scary-dangerous again.

Baylor: the Bears, who won their first game in Stillwater since the first year of World War Two, 1939, deserve a lot of credit, roaring back with a vengeance after last week’s disappointing home loss to Oklahoma by turning in a brilliant performance on both sides of the football to defeat the previously-undefeated Oklahoma State 45-35. Really, the game wasn't as close as the final score would suggest. Baylor were pretty much dominant in this one, only one yard shy of rolling up 700 yards of total offense. OK State just couldn’t keep up.

Northwestern: another big win for the Wildcats, this one on the road at Wisconsin, where they haven’t won since the year 2000. The win came on the back of a 139-yard/one touchdown performance from back Justin James. They broke a 5-game Wisconsin win streak, forcing five Badger turnovers. Another solid win for the Wildcats, heading into a big game against Illinois at Soldier Field next weekend.

Connecticut: the Huskies dealt Houston their first loss of the season, winning 20-17 chiefly thanks to forcing four Cougar turnovers.

Brandon Ross: the Maryland running back amassed a mammoth 250 yards on the ground (scoring touchdowns on runs of 79, 22 and 75 yards) and was the only bright spot for Maryland, who led early and were run down by Indiana.

Beniquez Brown: a great name and a great special teams play by the Mississippi State player who blocked a field goal attempt to preserve the Bulldogs’ wild 51-50 win over Arkansas.

UCLA: went into Salt Lake City and beat a ranked Utah squad, 17-9. That sets up a mouth-watering clash against their chief rivals, USC, to decide who wins the Pac-12 South and punches a ticket to the conference’s championship game.

Oklahoma: after Oklahoma State’s loss, the Sooners had to withstand a furious TCU rally and hold the Horned Frogs out of the end zone on a two-point conversion that likely would’ve given them a memorable win. Instead, it’s Oklahoma who scores the memorable win, and – thanks largely to Baylor, the team the Sooners beat a week ago – they’re still alive in the College Football Playoff race. Barely! Such is life in the Big XII this year.

Air Force: despite turning the football over four times, the Falcons outlasted Boise State 37-30 in Boise on Friday night, handing the Broncos their second straight loss in a row at home, something that hasn’t happened since 1997. The Falcons can now get to the Mountain West Championship Game with a win next week. Most amazingly for a program that executes the triple option run offense so well, is that the Falcons did most of their damage through the air. QB Karson Roberts threw for 279 yards and two big touchdowns.

The Citadel: the FCS squad (with perhaps the best-named school at any level of college football) went on the road and beat South Carolina 23-22, for their first win against an FBS team in twenty-eight attempts. Running back Tyler Renew was the hero, running for 174 yards and two touchdowns. A remarkable day for this team.

Jim McElwain: with an ugly win over Florida Atlantic, the Florida head coach became the first man in program history to record a ten-win season in his debut year. Their biggest test is yet to come, an SEC Championship tilt.

Kansas State: the Wildcats were down and out, trailing 35-14 to Iowa State. It looked like curtains. Then, a funny thing happened: Bill Snyder’s men rallied, and rallied some more, and then, Jack Cantele nailed a 42-yard field goal to win a game that looked unwinnable. K-State needed that one, really badly.

Friday, November 20, 2015

Book Review: Fromelles & Pozieres by Peter FitzSimons




Right from the beginning, FitzSimons, the rugby player turned historian, hits the nail on the head. 

In his introduction to this extraordinary story of Australian heroism against incredible odds – both German opposition and the ineptitude Sir Douglas Haig and other British officers who command Australian men on the Western Front – FitzSimons says that the following tale is one that we, as Australians, should be both proud of and angry about.
That sums up the two battles, the first serious action for Australian forces on the Western Front, half a year removed from the conclusion of another campaign that we should both be proud of and angry about – Gallipoli.

Reading page after page of British generals in chateaus moving flags across a map and ordering more attacks against obviously-entrenched enemy forces was maddening. The fact that these commanding officers declined to even scope out the ground over which they were asking men to – futilely, in most cases – attack is damn near criminal, and, of course, the reputation of British GHQ wasn't exactly enhanced by these early disasters on the Western Front.

Funny, isn’t it, that when Monash took over command of the Australian forces in France and Belgium for the last six months of the war, that the diggers never lost a battle. You can only imagine what they might have achieved had the British placed Australians under Australian command earlier, rather than lump them under Haig’s watch, this man who still believed that the war could be won with frontal charges and loosing his cavalry in their wake.

Fromelles was a disaster and Pozieres was an extraordinary victory in a pyrrhic way, but both illustrated the Australian resolve – something even the Germans acknowledged on a few occasions – under even the most trying circumstances, like the fearful artillery bombardment at Pozieres, and the disastrousness of having British commanders whose minds were still fixated on Napoleonic-era tactics.

General Haig and his protégé the equally inept General Haking – a real “thruster” according to Haig – are not portrayed in a particularly good light in the book, and nor should they be. The way they continually threw men against well-entrenched enemy with machine guns crisscrossing No Man’s Land is tantamount to sanctioned murder. That fact was not lost on the Australian diggers, and many passages lifted from letters and diaries suggest as much. Even the generals, like ‘Pompey’ Elliott are scathing of their British superiors. For good reason, too. Elliott was clearly a great man, loved by those he commanded.

As ever with FitzSimons, the research is deep and thorough, and he’s identified enough light-hearted moments to raise the levity at least a little when the going gets tough. Some people don’t like the way he often writes using the slang of the era – switching between being a straight-up historian and a novelist – but it didn’t take away from my appreciation of his work.

Fromelles & Pozieres may not be a forensic history in the way of Antony Beevor, but I don’t always need that sort of breakdown. FitzSimons’ work moves along nicely, never lagging, which isn’t something I can always say of Beevor. And besides, the more people who understand what our men achieved, and against what odds, in those two battles in the European summer of 1916.

I’ve never understood why our nation continues to fixate on our failed World War One campaigns – Gallipoli – and forget about victories like Pozieres and, later in the war, Villers-Bretonneux and Hamel, amongst others. For that reason (quite aside from it being a good read), FitzSimons’ work deserves to be feted.

The NHL’s All Star Game Format Changes Are Mostly Great

The NHL’s move to three-on-three overtime hockey is pretty much universally accepted as being the coolest rule change the League (who aren’t always known for making everyone happy at the same time) has implemented for some time.

Yesterday, they took the excitement a step further, announcing that the regularly retooled NHL All Star Game is – yep, you guessed it! – being retooled once more, and now, instead of seeing one regular game featuring three periods and five skaters on the ice for either side next year in Nashville, we’ll get to see three twenty-minute games, each of them a three-on-three contests.

This is a fantastic move by the NHL. They’ve tried various sorts of concepts (East vs. West, North America vs. the World and, more recently, teams picked by voted captains in a draft-type situation) in an effort to make us all forget that the sort of hockey we see on this annual celebration of the game is about half-speed, an exhibition affair with nary a defensive poke check to be seen, and more chance of a snowball surviving in hell than we have of seeing any serious body checking.

Oh, and then there’s the goals – lots of them. Too many of them. And remember the Columbus weekend? That cannon deafened everyone far too often.

The goal fest sort of wrecks the fun, a little, but what can you do? General Managers hate letting their players go to the Olympics, a world-renowned event, and we’ve got no chance they’d let their star players take part in an All Star Game with contact. In fact, I’d venture to say there’s more chance of NHL players competing in the next Olympics than there is of serious hitting in an All Star Game.

Whilst we’re still likely to see no defence, half-speed skating and lots of goals – but not, thankfully, that cannon – that make the best goalies in the world look inept, at least the injection of the three-on-three element will, if nothing else, convince me to tune in and watch, as I tend to do in the opening one or two years of any new All Star Game concept.

None of us can honestly deny how exciting three-on-three hockey is, and it’s certainly opened up the ice in the extra frame, leading to more glorious overtime winners – a wonderful thing – and less unpopular shootouts – also a wonderful thing – so imagine what might happen on All Star Night, when players are renowned for digging into their bag of tricks.

There’s more good news: the All Star Skills competition remains. I honestly think there would’ve been a riot of hockey fans had Commissioner Bettman cancelled what has become a Saturday night staple on All Star Weekend. We all love it. In fact, I always make a point of watching the skills contest even if I know that there’s absolutely no chance I’ll watch the game the following night, and I doubt I’m alone in that regard.

I’m constantly in awe of what the NHL’s best can do on the ice in any given game situation, and seeing them do even more stupendous things – how on earth can they shoot a puck into a small hole barely bigger than the puck itself and, more often than not, do it first or second go?

Sadly, the Friday night draft where two team captains pick their teams is gone. Apparently the players didn’t like the concept, but I did. You hear the occasional complaint that hockey players don’t have the same broad personalities as, say NBA or NFL stars, and the draft was a perfect time and place for the game’s brightest stars to relax and have a good time. More importantly, TSN’s camera would capture them doing so, and there were some great moments, such as the last player being picked, the Sedin twins being split up, and other fun occurrences that we won’t get this year. Or any year going forward, it seems.

Even so, there’s no doubt that the NHL have made enough changes to spice up the All Star Weekend. The three-on-three games are going to be fantastic, and the Saturday night skills contest is always memorable. Well done, Commissioner Bettman, you’ve done enough to make me tune in and watch.

College Football 2015: Things to Watch in Week 11

A giant weekend of college football coming up – and we’re poised to potentially see some serious shake-up in the College Football Playoff Rankings. Here are some things to keep an eye on this weekend:

Game of the Week – Ohio State vs Michigan State

Finally the defending national champion Buckeyes get a serious contender on their schedule, in the form of an injury-affected Michigan State Spartans squad. This, then, marks the game where we get a proper indication of how good the Buckeyes are in 2015. Their offensive output is down on a season ago, but, to counter that their defense has improved in most of the major categories of measurement. Sooner or later, surely, the Buckeye offense has to click into gear, right? Aside from Ezekiel Elliott at running back, they haven’t been great.

This becomes a giant test for Michigan State. Not just because QB Connor Cook is no certainty to play after an injury in the Maryland game last week – and if he doesn’t play, I can’t see Sparty getting close – but for the team to prove that they can survive through key injuries and put a complete game together against a good team. It’ll be tough sledding against that Buckeye defense.

I’m waiting to see whether Braxton Miller, Ohio State’s quarterback-turned-receiver, can return to his opening night form, when he had a catch and a run each of more than fifty yards. He hasn’t quite been able to replicate that sort of production, but, surely, it’s gotta happen sooner rather than later?

Prediction: Ohio State by a touchdown. Even if Cook plays, I’m not sure that he and the rest of the Spartans offense can play at a high enough level to overcome a very, very good OSU defense.

Game of the Week II – Baylor vs. Oklahoma State


The Bears really need a win, after not really quite being in touch with Oklahoma at home last week. Yes, they only lost by ten points, but the Sooners, especially in the second half, always seemed to have a reply for whatever the Bears offense did.

Speaking of that offense, it hasn’t quite looked the same since Seth Russell went down with injury in the Iowa State game. Freshman Jarrett Stidham – because he is a freshman – has struggled in his two starts (Kansas State and Oklahoma), which was to be expected. It was unreasonable for people to expect to just plug him in and have him start reeling off yards like Russell did. To that, Baylor’s total offense output, per game, is down, and Stidham will probably be under pressure from an Oklahoma State defense that has recorded an impressive 34 sacks

Oklahoma State, meanwhile, need to get better against the run game, or Stidham’s inexperience throwing the football won’t even be an issue. Because he’ll be able to simply hand the football off to his talented stable of running backs. The Cowboys were gouged by Iowa State last week – and needed yet another crazy comeback rally on this season – giving up 249 yards. This is Iowa State’s offense were’ talking about. Not exactly the Sooners or Bears. So, Baylor have a chance to exploit OSU in the running game.

Prediction: I think Baylor narrowly wins this one, sending a message after the Oklahoma game. Both teams will score a lot of points and the Cowboys will probably fall behind and roar back into contention – it seems to be their season blueprint, after all – but fall short on this occasion.

Louisiana State

A from-out-of-the-blue report doing the rounds this week said that Les Miles’ future in Baton Rouge might be decided by the next two games – the Tigers have Ole Miss this week and Texas A&M after that – and I find it a little crazy that there’s pressure on a team that debuted snugly inside this year’s initial College Football Playoff rankings.

After two losses in a row will start people speculating, and this report might actually do Miles’ team some good. There’s no doubt that they need a win, but entertaining thoughts of canning a coach who is 110-31 at the school is a little bit of an overreaction. Maybe it’ll spur on a disappointing offense, and that can only be a good thing. Keep an eye on the Tigers this week; it might be ‘statement game’ time.

UCLA and Utah
 

As much as I delighted at watching the Bruins lose at home to Washington State, I must say I was shocked. Doubtless, Jim Mora was, too. Did you know, for all the hoopla surrounding him, that UCLA are only 22-13 in Pac-12 games in the Mora era? UCLA get a chance to right the ship somewhat this week.

Because they’re taking on a Utah squad who’ve lost four straight games, including a last-start loss to Arizona that saw them fall out of first place in the Pac-12 South Division. They’ve been incredibly disappointing since being bludgeoned by USC at the Coliseum last month, losing their No. 2 ranking in the process.

There’s still a mathematical chance that both of their recently-disappointing teams can win their way into a Pac-12 Championship Game, and still (most likely) get to a Rose Bowl Game after that, so it’s not like there isn’t plenty at stake in this one. And, as a result, it could be a classic.

Texas Christian

After a little medical back and forth, star receiver Josh Doctson is done for the year and quarterback Trevone Boykin is hobbled by injury – and no certainty to play. The Horned Frogs have Oklahoma coming off that big road win against Baylor, and I don’t see how TCU stays with them without both Boykin and Doctson. The final word on Boykin will be a very big piece of this week’s puzzle.

Boise State

The Broncos lost at home last week for the first time in eighteen games at home. They’ve lost only four times on the blue turf since 2001 – and have a pretty good Air Force Falcons squad coming in to try and continue their winning ways, which would net them a Mountain West’s Mountain Division with a victory at Boise, and then against New Mexico next weekend.

Though they’re – deserving – underdogs in this one, I expect the Broncos to be really fired up for this one, and look to make amends for last week’s loss, one that seriously hindered their Mountain West Conference championship chances. To win, though, they’ll need to eradicate their turnovers. In their two losses over the last month, they’ve turned the ball over twelve times. You can’t do that and hope to win.

Boise arguably boasts the best quarterback in the Mountain West (Brett Rypien) and the best receiver (Thomas Sperbeck) to go along with a great defense. They should bounce back and surprise Air Force.

Monday, November 16, 2015

Week 10 of the NFL Was Unbelievably Crazy



If you’ve followed the National Football League for any length of time, you’re aware that strange results and crazy plays are not uncommon, but, even so, the level of craziness we saw across Week Ten was through the roof.

Where to start?

Green Bay

Why not up north? Green Bay dominate all comers at Lambeau Field. It’s not called the Frozen Tundra for nothing. The Packers are especially adept at turning the venerable stadium – perhaps the most famous of all National Football League venues – into a desolate graveyard for their NFC North rivals the Detroit Lions.

It’s been nearly a quarter of a century since the Lions have won in Lambeau Field. Back then, Michael Jackson’s ‘Black or White’ was the number one song in America, and George Bush Sr. was in the White House.

Who in their right mind would ever have thought that the Lions of 2015, winners of just one game and likely to be the subject of a major franchise clean-out at seasons end would be the team to break a winless drought in Green Bay?
More than that, the Packers, after starting 6-0, have lost three straight, and relinquish their hold on the NFC North Division with a Minnesota win over Oakland.

Peyton Manning

Early on, it was a great day for Manning. He broke Brett Favre’s all-time passing yardage record – an incredible achievement that should assure Manning’s legacy as one of the greatest ever. But things went downhill after that, and did so quickly. Actually, the warning signs had been there early.

Before breaking Favre’s record, Manning had tossed an interception. He proceeded to toss three more, and recorded a QB Rating of 0.1. That’s the worst such rating in the last ten years.

Then, the unthinkable happened. Gary Kubiak, tiring of Manning turning the football over to the Chiefs (who led 19-0 at the time, and would go on to win) and pulled him. That’s right, Peyton Manning was benched in favour of the tall timber from Arizona State, Brock Osweiler. It was perhaps the most shocking event of all on a Sunday with plenty to shock and surprise. Seeing Manning healthy and watching on from the sidelines was something I never expected to see.

Kirk Cousins

The quarterback situation in Washington isn’t great. You don’t need me to tell you that. It’s been a circus with Robert Griffin III, Colt McCoy and Kirk Cousins over the last few years, but the much-maligned backup-turned-starter Cousins turned on a performance for the ages, recording a perfect Quarterback Rating of 158.3 as the Redskins destroyed the New Orleans Saints – a surprise in of itself -47-14. He went 20-25 for 324 yards and four touchdowns on a very good day for a Washington team that hasn’t had too many this season.

Now, be honest, of all the quarterbacks out there in today’s NFL – Brady, Newton, Dalton, Palmer – I bet Kirk Cousins was right at the bottom of your list of signal-callers you thought would record a perfect rating. Especially after some downright horrible performances this season. Cousins almost looked like a legitimate franchise quarterback out there! Told you it was a crazy NFL Sunday!

Jacksonville

One of the worst teams in the NFL for the last few years, the Jaguars, although improving, still hadn’t won on the road since the 2013 season, and, of course, it came at the end on a suitably crazy play. With no time outs, the last play – or so we thought – was QB Blake Bortles being sacked at midfield, thus ending the game. Right? Wrong. Because Baltimore’s Elvis Dumervil put in a nomination for Bonehead of the Year, bringing down Bortles squarely by his facemask. Flag, fifteen yards, game-winning field goal.

New York Giants

Tom Coughlin needs to hang his head in shame. Not for the first time this season – in fact, it’s easily, like, the third time – the irascible Giants head coach completely forgot how to manage the clock late in the game, with his team on the doorstep and poised to take a lead over the undefeated New England Patriots. Coughlin opted to pass the football rather than run it when in the red zone, as a result, didn’t take enough time off the clock en route to capturing a narrow two-point lead, courtesy of a field goal.

It turned out to be a fleeting lead, because Tom Brady had too much time on the clock, and Giants fans had that “Oh no!” feeling in their stomach. Although, Brady did his best ‘bad quarterback’ impression, seemingly trying to gift the Giants a win by popping up a punt-like throw to Landon Collins who, inexplicably, dropped what would have been a game-sealing interception. Yep, it was that kind of game for the Giants.

In the end, the Giants lost on a 54-yard field goal from Mr Automatic Stephen Gostkowski, who seems like he could nail them from the parking lot.

Arizona vs. Seattle

A safety after Russell Wilson ran into his own lineman, two consecutive possessions where Carson Palmer was sacked and stripped, a vintage Larry Fitzgerald performance – like it was 2009 or something – and a mammoth comeback for Arizona to score an important  39-32 win, but only after Seattle stormed back from as much as nineteen points down to lead for a while in the fourth.

This NFC West battle (one that actually ran into Monday morning on the east coast of America), had a little of everything, and was a fitting end to one of the craziest Sundays of NFL football I can remember. 

And wasn't it fantastic?