Loyola To Participate In ’12 Hall Of Fame Tip-Off Tournament

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Loyola University Maryland will participate in the 2012 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament, an annual NCAA men’s basketball exempt tournament sponsored by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

The event will take place the weekend of November 16th-18th at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., featuring eight schools in two four-team brackets. All teams will also compete in two campus round games.

Teams scheduled to participate in this year’s Tip-Off tournament are Loyola, Norfolk State University (MEAC), Ohio State University (Big Ten), Seton Hall University (Big East), University of Albany (America East), University of Missouri-Kansas City (Summit League), University of Rhode Island (Atlantic 10) and University of Washington (Pac-12).

“This year’s Tip-Off Tournament will once again showcase some of the best college basketball programs in the country,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “We are looking forward to welcoming each of these teams, as they compete at Mohegan Sun, one of the finest facilities in the country.”

The 2012 Tip-Off Tournament game schedule will be separated into two brackets. The Springfield bracket will include Albany, Loyola, UMKC and Norfolk State. The Naismith bracket will consist of Ohio State, Washington, Seton Hall, and Rhode Island. Game times and sessions for both rounds will be announced at a later date.

“On behalf of Mohegan Sun, we are excited to be able to once again host one of the most prestigious tournaments in college basketball,” said Jeffrey Hartmann, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mohegan Sun. “We appreciate the Hall of Fame’s passion for basketball, and we look forward to continuing our relationship and hosting another great event in November.”

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will serve as the host conference for the annual event. The MAAC will host the men’s and women’s basketball championships at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA this March and has developed a strong partnership with the Basketball Hall of Fame, including the opening of a MAAC exhibit in the Hall of Fame museum.

“The MAAC is excited to extend its support of the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Tip-Off Tournament again in 2012,” said Rich Ensor, Commissioner of the MAAC. “The MAAC and the Hall of Fame continue to expand its relationship and we look forward to working together in the future on many projects, including the annual Tip-Off Tournament.”

Loyola Head Coach Jimmy Patsos added, “We are looking forward to participating in the Tip-Off  Tournament. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference has formed a strong partnership with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and we are honored to be selected to participate in the event next year.”

Tickets for the 2012 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Arena will go on sale in the near future. For more information on the event, log on to www.halloffametipoff.com.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells WNST.net the University of Maryland will hire Brian Stewart to fill their vacant Defensive Coordinator position. The school agreed to a buyout with Todd Bradford last week, he served as DC last year during head coach Randy Edsall’s first season in College Park.

The hiring was first reported by the Big Ten Network’s Tom Dienhart.

Stewart spent the past two seasons in the same position at the University of Houston. He spent the 2009 season on Andy Reid’s staff with the Philadelphia Eagles and spent the two years before that as the Defensive Coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. Previous National Football League coaching experience includes time as the secondary coach for the San Diego Chargers (2004-2006) and as assistant Defensive Backs coach with the Houston Texans (2002-2003).

Prior to joining the Cougars, Stewart had college coaching experience as a defensive assistant on the staffs at Syracuse (2001), Missouri (1996, 1999-2000), San Jose State (1997-1998) and as an offensive assistant at Northern Arizona (1995) and Cal Poly (1993-1994).

Stewart is originally from San Diego, California and played college football at NAU.

The Terrapins also made a change at Offensive Coordinator following their 2-10 campaign. Gary Crowton left the program and was replaced by former New Mexico head coach Mike Locksley.

More information on this story as it becomes available.

UMBC faces its first nationally-ranked opponent in over a year when the Retrievers meet Indiana for the first time at famed Assembly Hall on Thursday, Dec. 22. UMBC’s took on 2011 national champion Connecticut on Dec. 3, 2010, falling, 94-61, to the Huskies.  Tip-off time is set for 6:00 p.m. The game will also be broadcast on ESPN3 with Steve Andress and Perry Clark on the call.

RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC staged a furious rally, coming back from 14 points down and seven minutes to play and took visiting Rider to overtime on Dec. 17, but the Broncs prevailed, 73-66 in extra time. In a pair of home losses last week, UMBC amassed 51 offensive rebounds, but shot less than 32 percent from the floor in both setbacks. Sophomore forward Chase Plummer (14.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg) has recorded three consecutive double-doubles and was named America East Conference Player of the Week.

HOOSIER UPDATE:  No. 17/18 Indiana (11-0) has been dominant, opening with a 96-66 win over America East member Stony Brook and, most recently, pounding Howard, 107-50 on Dec. 19. In between, they have wins over N.C. State , Notre Dame and No. 1 Kentucky (73-72). Five Hoosiers average in double figures, led by 6’11” freshman post Cody Zeller at 15.3 ppg.  He is shooting 65.6% (61-of-93) from the floor, while junior guard Jordan Hulls (11.7 ppg) is hitting 58.5 percent (24-of-41) from behind the arc.

Who’s Up Next:  UMBC completes the 2011 portion of the schedule at Niagara University on Wednesday, Dec. 28.

UMBC vs. the big ten: The Retrievers are 1-11 against the current membership of the Big Ten, with the lone win occurring at new member Nebraska in December of 2008.

The 66-64 win over the Cornhuskers on Dec.23, 2008 snapped the nation’s eighth-longest non-conference winning streak at the time.  It still stands as UMBC’s top victory from an RPI perspective, as NU was ranked No. 53 at the time.

UMBC’s most recent contest vs. a Big Ten foe occurred in the 2009-10 season, when they fell at Penn State, 58-42.

* Sophomore Quentin Jones is expected to start his eighth consecutive game at Indiana. The local product (Mount St. Joseph) and junior college transfer (Wallace State-Ala.) is a walk-on to the program and started the season at No. 4 on the depth chart at point guard. But with injuries to freshmen  Jarrel Lane (has not played in eight games to date) and Joey Getz (injured in game No. 3 vs. Loyola) and the departure of De La Rosa, Jones continues to quarterback the team and has produced 4.6 points per game.

* UMBC dropped its third consecutive season opener in the 59-45 loss to Penn on Nov. 11, 2011.

* UMBC did not hit a 3-point field goal vs. Penn, going without a trey for the ninth time in school history. The last time UMBC did not convert from behind the arc was Dec. 30, 2008 at Saint Louis.

* UMBC’s win at Towson on Dec. 10 snapped a 13-game slide dating back to the 2010-11 campaign.  The last victory was a 84-79  decision at Maine on Feb. 6, 2011.  The Retrievers are looking to break a seven-game home losing streak which extends back to a Feb. 3, 2011 victory over visiting Binghamton.

* UMBC has outrebounded eight of its first ten opponents. The Retrievers have collected 156 offensive rebounds through ten games, posting double figures in each.  However, UMBC has only 114 second-chance points off of the extra 156 possessions. UMBC’s +3.9 rebound margin is 31st in the nation entering the week and the 40.4 rebuonds per game is tied with Florida and UCSB for 21st place.

*  The young lineup is taking its toll on UMBC, as the Retrievers committed a season-high 21 turnovers vs. Loyola, exceeding the 20-turnover margin for the third consecutive game. They have 20 or more miscues in four of ten games to date, but did post a season-low eight vs. Morgan State Dec. 14.

*  The Retriever increased their scoring output in each of the first four games, going from 45 to 59 to 63 to 79, but have not reached the 70-point plateau since the 84-79 setback at VMI.

*  UMBC’s 53.8 percent marksmanship from the floor at VMI was its best since hitting 32 of 58 (55.2%) at New Hampshire on Feb. 24, 2010.

*  UMBC was tied with both VMI and Central Connecticut State with 10:00 on the second-half clock, but failed to produce a victory in either contest.

* The combined record of UMBC’s first seven opponents through Dec. 6 was 33-23 (.589).

* The win over Towson snapped a four-game slide to the Tigers in the 53rd meeting between the schools… It also snapped a streak of 10 consecutive losses to Baltimore-area Division I schools dating back to a Nov. 29, 2007 victory over Morgan State.

* UMBC snared a season high 11 steals vs. Morgan State on Dec. 14. It is the most steals in a game for a Retriever team since capturing 13 vs. Goucher on Dec. 8, 2007.

* The 53 rebounds recorded by the Retrievers vs. Rider was the most by a UMBC team since they corralled 55 vs. Monmouth on Jan. 26, 2002.

COLLEGE PARK — After Maryland’s November 29 loss to Illinois in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Maryland coach Mark Turgeon expressed concern about freshman guard Nick Faust (City College).

“He’s lost his confidence” Turgeon said. “Nick needs to get his swagger back.”

After a three point, three turnover, zero assist performance days later in the Terrapins’ 78-71 BB&T Classic win over Notre Dame, concerns lingered about the team’s prize recruit out of Baltimore. A wing in high school, Faust was struggling mightily with a switch to point guard before the start of the season.

The concerns were significant enough that Turgeon felt the need to meet with Faust Tuesday, one day before the Terps would meet Mt. St. Mary’s at Comcast Center.

“I talked to him and told him his offense can’t affect the rest of his game” Turgeon said Wednesday night. “He has to rebound and make guys around him better.”

The result of the conversation? A 13 point, six rebound, five assist performance (and two key blocks down the stretch) as Maryland (5-3) hung on for a 77-74 win over Mt. St. Mary’s (1-7).

Like Kanye West in his hit song (with Jay-Z) “Otis”, I guess it’s safe to say Faust has his “swagger back.”

“Truth.”

Faust helped hold Maryland together after blowing what was once a 16 point lead against the Mountaineers. As The Mount felt more and more confident in the second half, the Terrapins clearly needed contributions from players other than guard Terrell Stoglin. Stoglin was fantastic again, scoring 23 points and making shot after shot late, but Faust offered help. He canned a three from the corner with 6:41 to play after MSM had taken a 63-61 advantage, then came up with two blocks in the final four minutes of the game. His block of Julian Norfleet with 20 seconds to play came at a time when the Terps were clinging to a one point lead.

It was by far Faust’s best performance since the team’s 78-71 win over Colorado November 18th in the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

“He went to the rim and got to the foul line” Turgeon added. “He made a three because of his confidence. He still took some bad shots but hopefully he grows out of that. I thought he played with great effort. He didn’t give up on the last play (his block), and a lot of kids would have. That lay up would have given them a one point lead. I was pleased with him tonight.”

“It definitely was a confidence booster for me” Faust said after the victory. “I wasn’t starting off so well this year. (I’m) just starting to play basketball, let things come to me.”

Turgeon said his meeting with Faust was about changing the way he played the game.

“Kids get so caught up in scoring and their shot. They see their numbers and what people are saying and it affects him. We tried to simplify the game for him. Defend, rebound, get the foul line and get shots for Terrell (Stoglin) and (G/F) Sean (Mosley). He did that tonight, he had five assists. We told him if he is going to score get to the rim. His first two free throws bounced in rather than out, that is huge for him.”

Faust said the meeting lead to him playing his most “relaxed” game of his young career.

“He told me to stop pressuring about scoring because he knows I’m a scorer. Just let the offense come to me, try to get my teammates open, kind of let things come to me through defense. I tried to do a great job on defense and rebounding. That’s one of the keys.”

The possible return of G Pe’Shon Howard should help take pressure off of Faust in the backcourt, but in the meantime he’ll have to continue to shoulder a heavy load. Wednesday night was the fifth game where the freshman played 30 or more minutes (37) already. Stoglin has handled the bulk of the scoring for the Terrapins, but they must continue to get help on both ends from other guards.

Faust will ultimately look to develop as a more consistent scorer, but his all-around ability to contribute can be very key for a team that won’t be described as “deep” for some time.

Maryland should have played better (especially defensively) than they did in their close win over an ‘Eers team that had scored more than 63  points just once this season. They shouldn’t have been forced to hang on for dear life against a team that had just dismissed senior guard Lamar Trice earlier in the day.

Maryland should have been better in a number of ways. But Faust WAS better, even in a nailbiter of a win.

In a season where progress might not always be evident, it was a positive step.

-G

You know how it works. 15 positive football observations, 7 “not so” positive football observations and one “oh no” moment from outside the world of football.

(As a reminder, we don’t do Baltimore Ravens analysis here. We do PLENTY of that elsewhere. This is about the rest of the world of football.)

15 Positive Observations…

1. Oklahoma State looked REALLY good Saturday night. It’s a shame it didn’t really matter at all.

I tried explaining to everyone it wouldn’t matter if the Cowboys blew out Oklahoma Saturday night in Stillwater. Every time someone asked a question like “what if the Pokes win by a score of 50-0?” I responded with a simple “it won’t matter.”

I was right. Louisiana State will face Alabama again in the BCS Championship Game and OSU will get to watch after playing Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl.

It’s a shame, as Oklahoma State certainly looked like a team capable of making things interesting in New Orleans on Saturday night. The shame is that their Bedlam rivalry win was marred by 13 fans being injured when they rushed the Boone Pickens Stadium field. It’s also a shame the Big 12 Champs aren’t Bayou bound because we’d all like to see more of Mike Gundy dancing…

2. With that in mind, does anyone think LSU is losing in the BCS title game?

It’s not that I don’t think highly of Oklahoma State (or Alabama), it’s just that the Tigers have been pretty dominant. See Badger, Honey.

It appears as though Tyrann Mathieu’s punt return TD shouldn’t have counted, and he actually had another return later in the game that didn’t result in a TD that was more impressive. But this was still a lot of fun to watch him run all over the Georgia Dome field in the SEC Championship Game.

It’s awfully early, but I’ll go ahead and call a Tigers win over the Crimson Tide in the title game. Just going out on a limb without having to at all. All balls, that Glenn Clark. At least that’s what my 4th grade teacher always said.

3. Tim Tebow is in first place. Since he won’t say it, I will. “Suck it, haters.”

I picked the Denver Broncos to beat the Minnesota Vikings on “The Friday Football Frenzy” this week; but I gave myself an out. “If Von Miller doesn’t play the Broncos lose” I said.

What I didn’t know is that the great Tim Tebow had the “throw a 41 yard touchdown to Demaryius Thomas while running out of bounds” in his repertoire…

Tim Tebow is better than you. And thanks to an Oakland Raiders loss we’ll get back to later in the game, he’s in first place in the AFC West.

Some Tim Tebow haters won’t give it up, including Merrill Hoge. He told the New York Post that Tim Tebow hasn’t proven anything because he hasn’t won a Super Bowl. Yep. That’s solid analysis. Well done sir.

Since we’re here, here’s this humorous picture of Matt Willis and Willis McGahee.

And also, this is apparently a photo of a fetus (or unborn child if you will) Tebowing. If you don’t want to look at it, don’t. I have no idea what I’m looking at myself.

4. Through one week, everyone who said “TJ Yates will be fine because he has Arian Foster” is right.

Of course, I was not in that camp so I feel like a bit of a silly goose.

The Atlanta Falcons had a great chance to make a move in the NFC Wild Card race, but they couldn’t contain Arian Foster in a loss to the Houston Texans.

I don’t have any (legitimate) highlights of the Texans’ win, but I DO have a video of Tommy Lasorda dropping a TON of F-Bombs in an old interview. Does that interest you???

5. I believe the pythagorean theorem somehow helped deliver West Virginia to the Orange Bowl. Clemson got there the old fashioned way.

The Mountaineers barely held on to beat South Florida Thursday night in Tampa Bay, claiming part of the Big East title-apparently the part that gets you to Miami.

Clemson on the other hand finished a season sweep of Virginia Tech (we’ll get back to them) in the ACC Championship Game. They totally earned their spot in the BCS. It’s a neat change of pace.

The Tigers and ‘Eers will get together in an Orange Bowl showdown that absolutely no one will be interested in. Except maybe this girl…

But I don’t really think of her as much of a sports expert when you think about it.

Oh-and apparently the appropriate way to celebrate a Clemson ACC title is to “fromble.” I had a lot of beers when I was in college. I didn’t know a damn thing about this…

6. Perhaps Chris Johnson really was worth a ton of money after all?

CJ2K has gone over 100 yards three times in his last four games, a feat he accomplished just once in in his first eight games.

That would be better if you were confused while playing along at home.

It was 153 yards and two TD’s Sunday as the Tennessee Titans topped the Buffalo Bills, a team I SWEAR had been good at some point during their existence…

Things get a BIT more difficult for the Titans next week, as they battle the Saints in Nashville. They find themselves still alive in the AFC South race but also still in the AFC Wild Card mix. AND they’re in the mix for the Cotton Bowl. Or something like that.

7. I don’t think much of the New York Jets, but I enjoy watching anyone beat the Washington Redskins.

The Jets scored 3 TD’s in the final five minutes of Sunday’s game at FedEx Field and got big plays from Aaron Maybin to avoid the upset.

A few things to giggle about here.

One-If the Skins manage to win two of their last four games this season, Mike Shanahan will manage to tie the great Jim Zorn’s record through the first two seasons! Big stuff!

Two-Washington’s Fred Davis and Trent Williams are suspended for the next four games for a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. I don’t think the substance has been officially announced, but I think I have a guess…

(Continued on Page 2)

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — There are a lot of times when a 5:11 assist to turnover ratio and 15/25 performance at the free throw line would be cause for panic at the University of Maryland.

The 2011-12 version of the Terrapins (3-3) however showed enough positive signs in their 71-62 loss to the University of Illinois Fighting Illini (7-0) Tuesday night at Comcast Center that even their coach wasn’t focusing on the troubles after the game.

“I thought we did a lot of great things tonight” head coach Mark Turgeon said after the Big Ten/ACC Challenge defeat. “Our improvement since Puerto Rico is tremendous.”

Turgeon was referring to his frustration with a team that lost two of three games in San Juan just more than a week earlier in the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament. Following the team’s finale at the event (a brutal 89-63 at the hands of Iona), Turgeon had expressed frustration about his team’s unwillingness to play disciplined basketball.

Turgeon still voiced concerns after his team saw a halftime advantage disappear at the hands of the Illini, but his comments were drastically different than the frustration shown after being blown out by the Gaels.

“To me, the players have to care more than they are now. I think there is immaturity and we need confidence and the willingness to be good. It’s hard to be good. It’s easy to not be good.” 

The Terps played 20 minutes of their best basketball in the first half, establishing a 35-31 advantage at the break. The Terps worked the ball inside to C James Padgett for six early points and showed an ability to move the ball in a half court offense unlike they have regularly shown in the early part of the season. “We executed better than we’ve executed all year” Turgeon said of the first half. For their effort, the Terps made 12 of 23 field goal attempts (52.2%) and earned 15 free throw attempts (they made only eight).

That execution seemed to disappear after the intermission, thanks in part to adjustments made by Illinois head coach Bruce Weber and a (more) veteran team. The Illini ultimately forced the Terps into bad shots (Maryland made just nine of 27 field goal attempts) and only ten free attempts. These problems allowed the Illini to outscore the Terps 40-27 after half en route to victory.

Although Turgeon dismissed the possibility of fatigue in the second half, some of the team’s struggles can fairly be attributed to the fact that they are still playing with just seven healthy scholarship players. Five Terps again played more than 25 minutes in the loss, three (Guards Nick Faust, Terrell Stoglin and Sean Mosley) played more than 30.

For as much as the lack of depth is a concern, the lack of experience the team has is equally troubling. With would-be PG Pe’Shon Howard sidelined with a broken foot, the Terps have turned to Faust (City College) to run the point. The freshman had no previous point guard experience before the season, and has struggled at times to adjust to defensive looks. Turgeon said Stoglin also ran the point at times in the second half when Faust showed signs of fatigue. Unfortunately for Maryland, Stoglin appeared just as fatigued in the second half and the bad shots appeared contagious.

Maryland wanted to work the ball in to Padgett early. ”I told the team we were going to throw the ball to James to start the game and we were going to go right after (Illinois’) big guy (Meyers Leonard)” Turgeon said. “I thought that was big.”

And as much as the early play from Padgett was positive, Turgeon also noted that more production was necessary.

“James made his first two free throws and made some plays, but then (he) didn’t keep doing it. You’ve got to do it for 40 minutes. I’m proud of James, but I expect a lot out of James. James can give us more. He’s got to defensive rebound. If you do it on one end, you’ve got to be able to do it on the other.”

There were other positive signs in the defeat, including some solid minutes in the first half for guard Mike Parker and good team defense for stretches.

But it wasn’t hard to see why Maryland couldn’t maintain their positive play for 40 minutes and come away with a victory.

This team still has much to improve on to be at all competitive in their first season under Turgeon, and a date with Notre Dame in the BB&T Classic Sunday at Verizon Center won’t provide much relief.

After that test, the schedule opens up a bit and the team will be only a few games away from the end of big man Alex Len’s suspension.

Those factors and more experience should help a lot.

This team isn’t going to be very good this season, but perhaps they won’t be quite as bad as some feared.

-G

Hear from Turgeon, Padgett and Stoglin following the game in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net.  

llinois (6-0) at Maryland (3-2)
Tuesday, Nov. 29 | 7:30 p.m. | Comcast Center
ESPN | Terrapin Sports Radio Network

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Maryland plays host to Illinois in this season’s Big Ten / ACC Challenge. The Terrapins have won six straight games in the series, including last season’s 62-39 victory at Penn State, and are 9-3 since the inception of the series. The Terps’ last loss in the series was a 69-64 defeat at Wisconsin in 2004.

Honorable Mention: Auto Racing-NASCAR Awards Show (Friday 9pm from Las Vegas live on SPEED); Golf: PGA Tour Qualifying School (Saturday & Sunday 4pm, Monday 3:30pm from La Quinta, CA live on Golf Channel), PGA Tour Chevron World Challenge (Thursday & Friday 1pm live on Golf Channel Saturday & Sunday 12pm live on NBC. All golf from Thousand Oaks, CA); Women’s College Basketball: Big Ten/ACC Challenge-Michigan @ Maryland (Wednesday 7pm Comcast Center), Maryland @ American (Sunday 1pm Bender Arena); Tennis: ATP Tour Davis Cup Final (Friday 8am Saturday 10am Sunday 7am from Seville, Spain live on Tennis Channel)

10. Andrea Bocelli (Friday 8pm Verizon Center); Erykah Badu (Friday 7pm Rams Head Live); Dashboard Confessional (Saturday 7pm Recher Theatre); All Mighty Senators (Saturday 7pm 8×10 Club); Aaron Neville (Monday 8pm Rams Head On Stage); Robin Thicke (Wednesday 7pm 9:30 Club); String Cheese Incident (Wednesday 8pm Lyric Opera House), Ryan Adams (Sunday 7:30pm Lyric Opera House); J. Roddy Walston & The Business (Friday 9pm Ottobar); Mac Miller (Thursday 7pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Ra Ra Riot (Friday 7pm Ritchie Coliseum College Park); Tori Amos (Monday 8pm D.A.R. Constitution Hall); Adele Live at Royal Albert Hall available on CD/DVD/Blu-Ray/iTunes (Tuesday)

I really shouldn’t like Robin Thicke all that much. I just can’t help myself…

Dude, Ryan Adams has made so many great tunes but are any of them greater than this?

I feel like I should be a bigger J Roddy Walston fan than I am…http://wnst.net/wordpress/wp-admin/post.php?post=185164&action=edit

I don’t know if Adele sounds BETTER at Royal Albert Hall…but I know this much…no CHANCE she doesn’t sound amazing…

9. Washington Monument Lighting (Thursday 7pm from Mt. Vernon Place live on WBAL11), Mayor’s Christmas Parade (Sunday 2pm Hampden/Medfield); Gary Valentine (Thursday-Saturday Baltimore Comedy Factory); Steve-O (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv); Jim Norton (Thursday-Saturday Magooby’s Joke House)

Is there any chance that when Stephanie Rawlings-Blake flips on the lights at the monument the scene looks anything like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ar-__ub0rc

And since I’ve already invoked Christmas Vacation, I think it’s only appropriate that we do this…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk74WprmZxY

You know how it works. 15 positive football observations, 7 “not so” positive football observations and one “oh no” moment from outside the world of football.

(As a reminder, we don’t do Baltimore Ravens analysis here. We do PLENTY of that elsewhere. This is about the rest of the world of football.)

15 Positive Observations…

1. The Towson University football team didn’t play a game this weekend, but somehow it will likely go down as the greatest of their lives.

The scene at the Towson Center Saturday afternoon rivals some of the most incredible I’ve seen in Charm City sports history, but sports had very little to do with it.

The most special moment of the visit from President Barack Obama & First Lady Michelle Obama (Michelle’s brother Craig Robinson is the head coach of the Oregon State team that crushed the Tigers Saturday afternoon) came at halftime.

Athletic Director Mike Waddell introduced Head Coach Rob Ambrose & the CAA Champion football team, who were enjoying a week off as they prepared for their FCS playoff showdown with Lehigh next Saturday at Unitas Stadium. The President walked out to greet the team, then posed for a picture to the absolute delight of the young men.

It was the type of moment that induces chills. Wow.

2. I’m really jealous of the Cincinnati Bengals for having AJ Green on their roster.

Oh, and Jermaine Gresham too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFByq1hpVGE

They duo (and Cincy QB Andy Dalton) were vital in the Bengals’ come from behind win over the Cleveland Browns Sunday in a game that judging by the attendance no one in the Queen City knew was happening…

Can’t help but notice a few empty seats in the background there, gang. This is a team fighting for AT LEAST an AFC Wild Card spot, not completely out of the AFC North race. This is the best you can do? Maybe “Los Angeles Bengals” has a nice ring?

Since we’re here, here’s a picture of Colt McCoy Tebowing…

3. Rob Gronkowski is not the only reason the Patriots are good, but something tells me there’s a correlation between 11 TD catches and a 6’6″ frame.

To be fair, the way New England was playing Sunday it’s possible a 4’6″ receiver could have caught a TD from Tom Brady Sunday at The Linc…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwO47-nf1lM

Vince Young threw for 400 yards in the defeat, basically because he had no choice but to throw the football every time the Philadelphia Eagles had the ball.

That SHOULD put the final nail in Philly’s “Dream Team” coffin. Andy Reid’s has been sitting open for awhile now outside the City of Brotherly Love. Will it be nailed down as well? We’ll see.

4. Robert Griffin III’s injury might be just enough to default the Heisman Trophy back to Andrew Luck somehow.

The other candidate in the mix (and perhaps the frontrunner) is Alabama RB Trent Richardson, but we’ll get back to him.

After an incredible performance a week earlier against Oklahoma, the Baylor QB might have been one more spectacular performance away from locking up the chance to hear his name called in New York in two weeks. Unfortunately, RG3 was taken out of the game in the second half (probably for a concussion) and had to watch the second of the Bears’ win over Texas Tech from the Cowboys Stadium sideline…

So…Stanford QB Andrew Luck (the preordained winner of the Heisman before the season) was back in the picture with the chance to lock the thing up. Luck was good but not great in the Cardinal’s win over Notre Dame and left the thing up for grabs again.

As I searched YouTube for a recap video of Luck’s final game at Stanford Stadium I believe a Fighting Irish fan summed it up well by channeling M*A*S*H…

I don’t even know what that means!

The (regular) season is over for Richardson so he won’t have another chance to make a statement. Luck’s Cardinal don’t get another chance either since Oregon won the Pac-12 North. Baylor will play host to Texas next week in Waco, but Griffin’s status is up in the air due to his injury.

If none play again, I think I’d vote Luck. Someone will yell at me for that. Go ahead.

5. Houston is a Conference USA Championship Game win over Southern Miss away from playing in a BCS Bowl.

Fourth on the list (of three) candidates to win the Heisman is Cougars QB Case Keenum, who shredded Tulsa Friday in a manner similar to the way he’s shredded everyone else he’s played this season.

If the Cougars top the Golden Eagles in next week’s C-USA title game, they’ll become the first ever team from the conference to make a BCS bowl. Teams from the WAC and Mountain West have played BCS buster, but never C-USA.

Someone will call the occasion “historic”. Those people won’t really know what the word historic means.

6. Another reason why I like Tim Tebow? Sabermetricians would hate him.

He effing did it again, huh?

You know what’s the ONLY THING IN THE WORLD that could make us not spend the entire week talking about the Denver Broncos’ QB? How about a picture of San Diego Chargers kicker Nick Novak peeing on the sidelines at Qualcomm Stadium?

Thanks CBS!

7. Mark Sanchez also really pissed off a lot of haters Sunday.

The New York Jets’ QB threw for four TD’s, including a game winner to Santonio Holmes in their win over the Buffalo Bills…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJtRuC19Ab8

We’ll of course remember the game as the time Bills WR Stevie Johnson insisted on making a complete ass out of himself…

…again.

Dan Marino was asked about what he thought of Sanchez Sunday, but he was too busy checking out Victoria’s Secret model Lily Aldridge’s boobs to respond…

And here’s my cue to post another VS picture of Aldridge…

You know how it works. 15 positive football observations, 7 “not so” positive football observations and one “oh no” moment from outside the world of football.

(As a reminder, we don’t do Baltimore Ravens analysis here. We do PLENTY of that elsewhere. This is about the rest of the world of football.)

15 Positive Observations…

1. I have no concrete proof that Towson University is building a statue for Rob Ambrose, but I don’t know why they wouldn’t.

A lot of people are surprised by the Tigers’ success, but not me. I’m so effing stunned I’m still not a hundred percent certain it actually happened…

There’s no way anyone…in the world…could have ever seen a CAA Championship coming this season. This team still has more work to do though. They won’t feel incapable of beating anyone they play in the NCAA playoffs, starting with Lehigh December 3rd at Unitas Stadium.

Seriously…this is Towson we’re talking about. This can’t be real.

2. I thought I was happier to see the Washington Redskins lose when they play miserably, but I think I was even happier to see their fans suffer heartbreak Sunday.

I will admit that I thought those a-holes in DC were done after Tony Romo hit Jason Witten from 59 yards away…

…but somehow Mike Shanahan’s team stayed in the thing long enough to have a kick to win in overtime. Graham Gano of course missed the kick and DeAngelo Hall channeled DeAngelo Hall to help the Cowboys survive.

I celebrate your misery, clowns. May you never win another game…unless for some reason you play the Steelers. Even then, I dunno.

3. Tony Sparano is giving Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross something very similar to what Lou Brown gave Rachel Phelps.

Does anyone remember earlier this year when the Buffalo Bills were good? No? I swear I thought they were…

Stephen Ross started interviewing coaches before bothering to fire Sparano. Sparano used that to fire up his team, convincing them to win in order to piss off the ownership there that wanted to get new players and coaches. Suddenly Matt Moore and Reggie Bush are playing like real National Football League players and there’s a problem on South Beach…at least for now.

It’s very similar to what Lou Brown did back when he was managing the Cleveland Indians…

Did we ever find out if Brown won American League Manager of the Year that year? He was a hell of a skip.

(Side note. Every time the Orioles tried to hire a General Manager this offseason I assume the calls went awfully similar to that time when Charlie Donovan called Brown at Tire World to offer him the gig with the Tribe.

“How would you like to be the Birds’ GM?”
“Gee. I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? This is your chance to be a Major League Baseball General Manager!”
“Let me get back to you, will you Peter? I got a guy on the other line asking about some white walls.”)

4. Andrew Luck has an impressive lateral motion towards the Heisman Trophy.

Do you get the feeling the Stanford quarterback is saying to himself, “Well, if no one else wants it…”?

I’d show you something from the Cardinal’s win Saturday night over rival California, but there wouldn’t be anything that would convince you Luck has locked up the award.

Instead, here’s Lee Corso dropping the “f-bomb” on ESPN’s College Gameday Saturday morning from the University of Houston. There’s no real reason to share the video, other than the fact that it includes the f-bomb.

5. If ANYONE has put their name back in the Heisman mix, that person is Baylor QB Robert Griffin III.

The Bears’ QB almost singlehandedly made sure next weekend’s “Bedlam” game was uninteresting to the rest of the country by throwing (and running) all over Oklahoma Saturday night…

It’s probably too little, too late as far as the Heisman is concerned-but it is certainly a reminder that RG3 has been one of the most entertaining players in the country all season. This TD pass to Kendall Wright however is probably not one he should take credit for…

Also humorous? Erin Andrews took the worst of a Gatorade shower intended for Griffin…

AND…in the hysteria on field after the win in Waco, America fell in love with a gal rushing the field on crutches…

6. At times, Matthew Stafford is one of the best quarterbacks in the world.

But if he did this more often the Detroit Lions wouldn’t have to make dramatic second half comebacks week in and week out like they did Sunday against the Carolina Panthers…

This game also involved Lions TE Tony Scheffler invoking an AT&T Flash Mob commercial in a TD dance…

And a note to Fantasy Football owners: Lions RB Kevin Smith ran for over 100 yards in this game. The physics of that alone are stunning, really.

I’m well aware it’s a different guy, but can we talk about this picture for a second? I say this as a HUGE Silent Bob fan. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? Are those shorts? Is it some sort of jean skirt? Is it a denim quilt? Holy hell.

7. No one knows how to pronounce his name, but Chris Ogbonnaya had himself a fine day Sunday.

Well, I feel like a bit of a silly goose for taking fantasy advice and playing the Jacksonville Jaguars defense against the Cleveland Browns Sunday.

The only meaningful highlight in this one came from Jags RB Maurice Jones-Drew, who invoked Cleveland “hero” LeBron James by tossing powder in the air after scoring a TD…

And in an unrelated story, here’s a 6 year old kid crying about the New York Jets after their loss to the Denver Broncos the other night. He has an awful mother…

El oh el.