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RB Gilbert Moye Leaves Team, Will to Transfer From Missouri

February 9th, 2010

The crowd that is Missouri's offensive backfield has become a little less dense.

Running back Gilbert Moye has left the team and will transfer from the university upon completion of the current semester, school officials confirmed to the Columbia Daily Tribune on Monday.

According to MU beat writer Dave Matter, a source close to Moye confirmed the news, as did team spokesman Chad Moeller, who told the paper Monday evening that the running back has, indeed, parted ways with the team.

Matter reported that Moye intends to transfer to a program from either the Southwestern Athletic Conference or Southland Conference—both of which are part of college football's Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA—where he hopes to play his old high school position of quarterback.

Missouri will now enter next month's spring practices with three scholarship running backs on its roster, but that number may very well double entering preseason workouts. The trio of senior Derrick Washington, junior De'Vion Moore, and sophomore Kendial Lawrence will be joined in the fall by freshmen Marcus Murphy (DeSoto, Tx.), Henry Josey (Angleton, Tx.), and Greg White (DeQueen, Ark.), all of whom were part of MU's recent recruiting class.

Considering Moye's past in the MU program—which was laden with variety but light on production—his decision to leave should not be altogether surprising.

A former standout quarterback from Diboll High School in Texas, Moye was quickly converted to the safety position upon his arrival in Columbia in 2007 as one of the country's top-rated "athletes." After a redshirt season, he played in 11 games in 2008, with a significant portion of his time spent on MU's kickoff return unit. All the while, Moye was receiving plenty of reps in practice while learning from one of the best safeties in MU history—current Atlanta Falcon William Moore.

But along with the 2009 season came yet another position switch. In an attempt to utilize Moye's coveted blend of size, speed, and athleticism, the Missouri staff moved him to running back, where the 6'2", 220-pound native of Jasper, Texas, figured to challenge for a backup role.

However, with Washington and Moore entrenched as the team's top two backs, Moye struggled at times with inconsistency and fumbles during preseason workouts in August, resulting in him losing his No. 3 role to Lawrence.

Buried on the depth chart as MU's fourth option at running back, Moye was nearly invisible this past season, rushing for only 35 yards on six carries, all of which came versus Furman on Sept. 19.

 

Photo courtesy of Columbia Daily Tribune.

You can find this article and more at my page at Examiner.com.

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Posted in Breaking News, College Football, Missouri Tigers Football, NCAA

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Marques Colston Becomes Second Consecutive Hofstra Alum To Win Super Bowl

February 9th, 2010

When the seconds evaporated off the clock and Sean Payton was doused in a celebratory Gatorade bath, it not only solidified the New Orleans Saints' first Super Bowl victory, but also marked consecutive years that a Hofstra University alum would hoist the Lombardi trophy.

Marques Colston's Super Bowl victory was a follow up to another former Pride player, Willie Colon, who won the title last season with the Steelers.

Not bad for a program that was deemed "too hard to justify" keeping afloat when compared to other expenses of the school.

In December of last year Hofstra University's President, Stuart Rubinowitz, announced that the football program would be cut from university athletics, effective immediately.

The Pride, which was a member of Division I-AA, or the Football Championship Subdivision as it's now known, "could not attain significant national recognition, and it has had low student, community and media interest, attendance, and financial support," said Rubinowitz.

"In the end, we could not continue to justify the expense of football compared to the benefits it brought to the University."

The benefits?

Sure, the football program might be the most expensive to maintain, but what can compare to being able to say that you produced two straight Super Bowl champions?

Marques Colston, behind Drew Brees of course, is the Saints most talented offensive weapon.

Colston led the Saints in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns this season. He was also the Saints' leading receiver during their Super Bowl victory last night, with seven catches and 83 yards.

Colston holds the school records for most yards (2,834) and touchdowns (18), which he accumulated during his four years at Hofstra.

Colston's Hofstra teammate, Colon, is the starting right tackle for the Steelers, while Stephen Bowen, another teammate of Colston and Colon, is a defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys. All three entered the NFL in 2006.

Probably the most famous NFL player to come from Hofstra University, however, is Wayne Chrebet. Chrebet, who played 10 seasons with the New York Jets, ranks third all-time behind Jets greats Don Maynard and Wesley Walker in receiving yards and touchdowns.

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Posted in College Football, Hofstra, NCAA, Opinion, marques colston, super bowl xliv

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Why Can’t the Football Bowl Subdivision Dump the BCS?

January 21st, 2010

When the most popular sport in the NCAA is the only one without a playoff, something is wrong.

 

A tournament is the ONLY way to decide a champion in anything, especially athletics.

 

The Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the only NCAA division without a tournament to decide the champion. Even the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly called Division I-AA, decides its champion by a tournament.

 

So why can’t the FBS dump the BCS?

 

Tradition.

 

Games like the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl have so much tradition that it would ruin college football to get rid of them.

This makes about as much sense as Ray Charles being a tour guide. Use these “traditional” bowl games as quarterfinal and semifinal games in a 16-team tournament. Sure, the bowl games wouldn’t mean as much, but I’m willing to give up a bit of tradition to determine a true national champion.

 

Money.

 

The only reason the BCS is even around is so college presidents, athletic directors, and advertisers can make millions of dollars.

 

College presidents, athletic directors, and advertisers could make just as much money with a playoff system. Imagine if teams got to play in two bowl games? They would make twice as much money for the program. If money wasn’t a deciding factor, the FBS would have had a playoff many years ago.

 

Travel.

 

Fanbases won’t travel across the country week after week, thus, the games won’t provide sellout crowds and high revenues.

 

However, if the games are scheduled regionally, just like college basketball’s first two rounds of its tournament, fanbases will travel. College football has some of the most loyal fans around; they will travel to support their team.

 

But the worst part about the BCS is the fact that six computers help decide who the top teams are. Yes, human polls account for two-thirds of the BCS system, but the BCS computers still help decide the top teams in the country using a formula that no one knows. Six computers make up the BCS ranking, each computer using different formulas to decide their respective rankings. Average the six computer rankings and you get the one-third BCS ranking.

 

Sound confusing?  Even the six computers don’t understand the BCS.

 

Here’s an idea, FBS officials: make a 16-team playoff with the 11 conference winners and five at-large teams. This will give the smaller schools a chance to gain national respect while still giving the most deserving teams a shot at the national title. Even if the BCS formula decided the five at-large teams, it would be better than the flawed system we have today.

 

In 2003, Oklahoma played in the BCS Championship game after losing their conference championship game to Kansas State. This was when the BCS ranking did not use any human polls and was strictly the six computer rankings. That should have been the last straw for the BCS, but instead they just altered the formula.

 

Idiots...

 

However, now it’s time to dump the BCS for good. A college football playoff would do nothing but benefit the sport. Having a tournament is the only way to determine a true national champion. College presidents, athletic directors, and advertisers are too greedy and don’t realize they are killing the sport in the process.

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Posted in BCS Championship, College Football, NCAA, Opinion, bcs controversy

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Iowa: The Worst 9-0 Team in the History of Anything

November 5th, 2009

Okay, these Big Ten fans are getting annoying now. Especially the Iowa fans.

When has Iowa ever done anything of relevance in college football? You want to throw Nile Kinnick into the equation? He played his high school football in Nebraska. You’re welcome.

Computers are keeping Iowa in the national title hunt because any human that watches Iowa actually play realizes how shockingly bad the Hawkeyes are.

This reason is the very reason why computers in the BCS need to be trashed. All fans and casual observers have is the ability to watch a team play with their own two eyes.

Here is Iowa's only argument: a victory over Penn State on the road in a game that just happened to be nationally televised on ABC, and what else? Because the sportswriters and coaches put Penn State too high in the rankings to begin with means we are supposed to be impressed? It is like saying a victory over Ole Miss (ranked in the top ten in the preseason but now 5-3 overall) matters.

What has Iowa really done? Chirp, chirp, chirp… hearing nothing but crickets.

A one-point victory over Football Championship Subdivision foe Northern Iowa, 17-16 (5-3 overall in the division formerly known as Division 1-AA). Wow. What a victory over a team that might not make the FCS playoffs.

Iowa beat Arizona. Big deal. Arizona (6-2 overall, 3-1 in the Pac-10 including a loss to 3-5 Washington) is making a living off a horrible Pac-10. Somebody has to be in the top 25, right?

An enthralling three-point triumph over national powerhouse Arkansas State (2-5 overall, 1-2 in the Sun Belt) was the victory heard around the world.

Then, a two-point win at home over the train wreck known as Michigan (5-4 overall, 1-4 in the Little 11). And to display how much of a joke Iowa is, the fans rushed the field and tore down the goalposts after a win against a team not ranked in the Top 25.

Then a two-point win over Michigan State (4-5 overall, 3-3 in the Little 11) was proof of how good these Hawkeyes can really be. And the next week, an emotional come-from-behind victory over the best college football program ever, those mighty Indiana Hoosiers (4-5 overall, 1-4 in the Little 11).

The Big Ten is the Little 11 if you missed the hidden messages. You can’t count your teams, so you might need help with this.  The crayons are out.

Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi has been dazzling this season for the Hawkeyes. Put him in a class right along with Florida’s Tim Tebow, a healthy Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, and Texas’ Colt McCoy. Stanzi has almost as many interceptions as touchdown passes (14 TD’s, 13 INT’s) in 2009.

Against Penn State, Stanzi was the difference. The junior blasted Penn State’s defense for 135 yards with pinpoint accuracy, going 11-of-26 through the air to include no touchdowns and two interceptions. Iowa scored one offensive touchdown in the landmark victory.

Stanzi only threw five picks in the victory over Indiana on Halloween. He completed 50 percent of his passes, but managed to throw for 337 yards and two touchdowns. Hand him the Heisman now.

Give Stanzi some credit. Stanzi made two big throws when the Hawkeyes need him most against Indiana. His 92-yard strike to Marvin McNutt and then Stanzi followed it up with a 66-yard laser to Derrell Johnson-Koulianos to put his team in the lead for good.

Iowa is ranked sixth in the USA Today poll behind TCU and Boise State, and eighth in the Associated Press poll even behind one-loss Oregon. Anybody with eyes knows these Hawkeyes are a fraud.

If you want to throw history into the equation, come on with it. Iowa has won only five Big Ten titles since 1960, losing at least two games in each season. In 1990, Iowa won the conference with an 8-4 mark.

Realistically put the BCS conference thing aside for a minute. How can you tell somebody with a straight face that Iowa has better BCS credentials than Boise State, TCU, or Cincinnati?

A week after dismantling Penn State this Saturday, Ohio State hosts Iowa with the Big Ten all to play for. Ohio State will beat Iowa by at least three touchdowns, putting this whole Iowa-to-the-BCS nonsense aside for good.  That is IF Iowa can beat Northwestern.

If you need help figuring out which of these points were sarcastic and which were real points, you need serious help.

Iowa is deplorable and is not worthy of a January bowl game, let alone the BCS. There are 40 teams in college football that would beat Iowa whether the game is played in Iowa City or Yemen.

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Posted in College Football, College Football Predictions, Humor, Iowa Hawkeyes Football, Kirk Ferentz, NCAA

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Why It’s Stressful To Be a Wisconsin Badgers Football Fan

October 30th, 2009

Since my blood pressure can't get any higher when I think about the Wisconsin Badgers' football team, maybe it will go down if I get my thoughts out.

I have been a UW fan my entire life. My dad has had season tickets to home football games since the late 1980s and I make sure I get to as many of those games as possible. I was even there back in 2001 when the Badgers upset Ohio State University after OSU won the National Championship the season prior.

While I've been there for the good times and the bad, I can't help but feel stressed out every week during the season.

One reason for this is that, at least with this season, any time the Badgers start to get some momentum going or make a big play, it's called back due to a penalty.

You just can't win that way against tough teams. Not going to happen. Simple as that. Undisciplined penalties have really been hurting the Badgers this season, regardless of what their 5-2 record says.

What bothers me so much about it is that this problem can easily be fixed. They're always shooting themselves in the foot.

Another thing bothering me is the fact that UW always seems to play down to lesser teams. One example of this is, with the exception of Wofford, UW has had trouble with FCS teams within the last few years. Teams such as Cal Poly and The Citadel come to mind.

While these are top tier Football Championship Subdivision schools, they're still FCS schools. If the players on those teams weren't talented enough to play at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, they shouldn't be too difficult to beat.

Now, I understand they may run different offenses the Badgers aren't used to facing, but that's what a week's preparation is supposed to take care of.

Another example of UW playing down to their competition is the trouble they had beating Northwestern when the Wildcats were always near the bottom of the Big Ten Conference. Whether it was at NU or at Camp Randall Stadium, the Badgers have always struggled to beat them.

Even though players should never go into a game thinking it will be a guaranteed win, it would be nice if I could at least go into the game knowing the Badgers will be guaranteed to win. It just feels like every game could be a potential loss.

What also keeps me stressful as a Badger fan is the fact that they never seem to have great recruiting classes, even when they're a great team like they were a few years back.

They do do a fantastic job of coaching the players they get and I understand they like to recruit players that will stay for four years, but a top tier recruit can drastically change how good a team is.

I also understand, as far as recruiting, UW has a few things stacked up against them. For one, a lack of tradition compared to an OSU, University of Michigan, or Penn State University doesn't help. Second, Wisconsin isn't exactly the warmest state and some players obviously like to play in warmer weather.

Those factors certainly don't help UW's case when it comes to getting players to sign with them, but it would be nice to get some great players and start making themselves a school with tradition at the level of the schools mentioned earlier.

All I'm saying is that it would certainly be nice to see the Badgers with a consistent Top 25 recruiting class because I think they have the potential to do it.

I hope in time I will be able to relax when thinking about or discussing the Badger football team, but as of now, it's been one big stress fest the last few seasons. I'll be crossing my fingers.

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Posted in College Football, NCAA, Opinion, Wisconsin Badgers Football

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